HARRY POTTER - AU TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT

CHAPTER 3

"Harry, I am so glad that you called. I was so worried." Padfoot said as soon as he answered. "I believe you Harry. You are my godson and I know that you don't lie when it is something this serious."

"Thank you Padfoot. Ron and Hermione refused to believe me when I said I didn't do it. They banned me out of the Gryffindor tower. They said I put my name in the goblet for glory."

"Where are you right now?"

"I am in seventh floor. There is a room here which changes and provides what ever the user wants. I am here since yesterday evening." Sirius nodded his head too deep in his thoughts.

"Sirius?" He looked up. "I want to ask you something. Please, don't lie to me and try to be as truthful as you can. Why didn't anyone tell me about this lordship thing? I didn't know half the things I should have at the age of 11. I wasn't even given introductory books. I was lucky that I found those books in this room."

"What? Dumbledore took your guardianship after I was sent to azkaban. It is illegal but he is your guardian none the less. He should have told you everything and taught you at 11 or even 13 and give you your heir ring then." Sirius exclaimed and explained.

"You are my guardian?" Harry asked for confirmation.

"Technically, and legally yeah. That's the reason, you are allowed to go to Hogsmeade with the slip I signed for you." Sirius said and shook his head. "It doesn't matter. It seems the old man is playing his games and we were kept in the dark again. No matter, I will teach you everything a Lord should teach his heir."

"Games? What are you talking about?"

"Harry, pup, I respect the man for his achievements and power he yields, but he is one manipulative bastard and likes to keep his cards close to his chest. He is planning something again and I don't appreciate him using you for his purposes."

Harry turned thoughtful at what Sirius said and looked at the clock.

"I have to go Sirius. I haven't shown my face in the castle since lunch yesterday."

"When is your next Hogsmeade weekend?" Sirius asked.

"In three days, I believe. It will be the first one this year."

"Great, we will meet in the cave behind the village. We will talk then." Harry turned off the mirror and crossed off one task on his list. He wished it would just as easy to cross out everything else but he knew he would have to work hard and be very careful about it.

He walked out of the room and walked in plain sight towards the Library with a book and pen in his hand. He ignored all the jeers and comments thrown his way and kept walking.

He made the decision to not care if he won or lost the tournament when he also decided  that he wanted to make his parents proud. He would take the free time he was given wisely and study and prepare for his exams and his duties. He would put in the effort to come out alive out of that damn thing but nothing else.

"Madam Pince." He greeted the librarian as he entered the library. Now that at least half of the castle and two teachers saw him they would stop searching for him and leave him alone, for a while anyway. They would want to know where he is sleeping for the moment.

He chose a table that was less visited at the back of the library and opened the book he brought with him. Now he has to make a list of books he wants Dobby to buy for him. And gods above, it was going to be a long list.

**********

Harry spent the next six hours in the library, browsing the books, their titles, noting them down under sections, which were needed immediately and which could wait for a while when he was reading the most insistently necessary books.

By the time he was done, it was dinner time and the list went on for at least a dozen pages with 200 - 250 books roughly.

Harry was massaging the cramps out of his hand as he was done. He checked out a few books on charms as that was the subject he was presently concentrating on.

Madam Pince gave him a look when she saw he was checking out advanced material. Harry sighed when she refused to back down and said, "My love for reading has been rekindled Madam Pince. I can understand the material perfectly."

She let him take the books. "Where are you sleeping?" She asked as she completed checking them out.

"An elf said the quarters belonged to the old wizarding etiquette professor. They were kind enough to clean them for me." She nodded and let him go. As soon as he was out of hearing range of anyone, including the portraits he called for Winky.

"Harry Potter called for Winky?" She asked with a lot of hiccups in between.

"Winky, I want to see you sober and like a proper elf within fifteen minutes. Send Dobby to me." Winky's eyes widened comically and she nodded frantically. She popped out of there and a second pop was followed signalling Dobby's arrival.

"Master?"

"Show me to the quarters you prepared. It won't do to not know the way to the room I am supposed to be living in." Dobby nodded. Apparently, the rooms were in second floor a little bit away from all the classes. It would do perfectly. No one would know when or where he came and went.

Harry bonded Winky to himself as well when she showed up sober.

"No fighting. Dobby, get these books for me. The first six pages are the priority and I need them by this weekend. Others can come by the end of the month." Dobby nodded and popped out.

"Winky, get me some light dinner, preferably a sandwich or something like that." She too nodded and left. He decided to stay in there for today, in case someone came to give a surprise visit.

Harry ate dinner and went back to working on his charms. Dobby and Winky brought all of his stationary and everything that belonged to him here and charmed them against theft.

Harry put the lord duties, Government, present system and who was running what on top of the list along with his subject books. Winky fetched him fifth through seventh years' charms books from the RoR to work on when he requested her.

Winky brought all of his things to the rooms and warded it with elf magic so that no wizard would be able to get into the rooms without his express permission. He was so glad for it. People often overlooked elves and disregarded their magic and power. He didn't do it as he remembered how Dobby defended him after his second year from Lucius Malfoy.

He was so glad and thankful for the existence of Magic.