Star-Crossed Triwizard Champions

chapter one : the goblet's decision

The dining hall was stuffed to the doors with eager students from Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang, impatiently waiting to hear Dumbledore announce the goblet's decision. Many students had trouble eating their dinner from sheer excitement, Harry being one of them. His well-served plate was still packed with food that had barely been touched, and his golden chalice was full to the very top with pumpkin juice. "What's gotten into you, mate?" pestered the redhead to his right. "We know Krum's gonna be chosen, there's no way he wouldn't be. You saw him at the World Cup, this bloke could take anything!"

To be truly honest, Harry was reminiscing about the Quidditch World Cup from this past summer, but his mind had strayed far from Krum's outstanding skill as a seeker. His thoughts lay with the memory of Cedric Diggory, an incredibly tall, insanely gorgeous Hufflepuff with cheeks as pink as a field of roses, helping Harry up after his first port key experience. Lying on the ground, Harry had looked up to see two beautiful hazel eyes staring down at him, and just below was a smile as bright as the sun. With perfectly done hair that reminded him of a permanent halo, radiating warm, sunny light on all of its surroundings, Cedric asked Harry if he needed a hand. All Harry could think was, wow. As he grabbed Cedric's hand he gasped at how soft and cool it was, and the electricity that ensued. It felt like holding on to a live wire. As he was pulled up by Cedric's surprisingly strong arm, he felt something else mimic his rise... just below his belt buckle. Cedric stifled a giggle as Harry blushed a deep crimson and dropped Cedric's grasp to fold his sweatshirt over his embarrassing little friend. Harry could only pray to Merlin that Cedric hadn't seen it, and didn't think anything of the deep blush still painting his cheeks.

What Harry didn't realized is that Cedric had seen the same sparkle in Harry's eyes, and the tent in his trousers. No matter how hard he tried to contain his laugh, a small giggle couldn't be held back. He felt his cheeks go warm, but he was confident that his perpetual color wouldn't give this fresh blush away. The boy who lived is really something else, Cedric thought.

As Dumbledore stood up and the students' dinner plates vanished, the mumbling students all fell silent, breath held for the upcoming announcement. Hermione was excited, but not nearly as excited as Harry and Ron. Let Krum's name be called, thought Ron with all his might. Let Cedric's name be called, thought Harry as he sat to the left of Ron.

As both boys sat there with eyes wide in anticipation, Hermione couldn't help but mutter, "What are you two on about?"

"Nothing!" both boys hissed in unison.

They flung their heads towards each other, brows furrowed in confusion, each pair of eyes questioning the secrets held in the other's. Both boys looked away quickly, not to be suspicious, but nothing got past Hermione. "Careful you two, keep acting like that and all of Hogwarts will think you're queer."

Harry felt his cheeks go hot as Ron mumbled, "For the last time Hermione, just because I admire his flying does NOT mean that fancy Krum!"

"Whatever you say," whispered Hermione in a sarcastic tone, not paying attention to the boy on the right of her having a full fledged panic attack.

Despite crushing on a few guys before, Harry had never bothered to tell Ron or Hermione about his little sexuality secret, not really having a full grasp on it himself. What he did know was that his hormones were raging, and ever since they first kicked in, he hadn't looked at any girl any differently than he did Professor McGonagall, and that every boy he so much as glanced at made his heart soar.

Harry has been best friends with these two since his first day at Hogwarts, and he figured they should know, but how could he be so sure they would accept him? He had never met another gay student at school, well, not any that he knew of. Come to think of it, maybe he had; some nights he heard strange noises and giggles coming from Seamus' bed, and Dean's figure was nowhere to be found in his own... just thinking about the possibility made him blush.