A Magic Stronger Than Darkness ~ Book 1: Perfect Opposites

Chapter 5 ~ Stand Your Ground

Halloween night, the evening when the Triwizard champions are chosen for each school, arrived much sooner than I expected. I sat at a table beside Neville and watched Dumbledore place his hand on the side of the Goblet of Fire that stood in the center of the room. The flames that had been burning ever since the goblet had been placed in the Great Hall shifted in color from sapphire to magenta with a loud roar, causing a hush to soon fall upon the room. A singular piece of parchment flew out of the fire and Dumbledore caught it between two long fingers. He unfolded the paper and read the name written upon it, "The champion for Durmstrang is...Viktor Krum!" Our headmaster announced.

Viktor's classmates cheered and clapped him on the shoulder pridefully, and the Bulgarian seeker quickly got up from the table he had been sitting at. He made his way to the center of the room and shook hands with Dumbledore, looking rather pleased with himself, then he joined the teachers who had gathered at the front of the hall. Headmaster Karkaroff congratulated his student with a satisfied grin and a rough pat on the back, undoubtedly overjoyed that the Durmstrang favorite had been selected by the enchanted chalice.

Another piece of parchment flew out from the Goblet of Fire within moments of the first. This one was cut and folded into the shape of a neatly crinkled ring. Dumbledore turned it over to read the name of its owner. "The champion for Beauxbatons is...Fleur Delacour!" Fleur's friends also smiled and clapped happily in congratulations for the petite blonde. Like Viktor, Fleur shook Dumbledore's hand and approached the other teachers as well, coming to a stop beside Madame Maxime. "Hogwarts is next." Neville whispered into my ear nervously. I nodded and bit my lip, waiting to hear who our champion would be.

Now it was the moment of truth. Everyone was anxiously awaiting the next name that would emerge from the blaze. The crackling flames spit out a third piece of parchment and then ceased to exist, leaving the room deathly silent. Dumbledore stared at the name in his palm and seemed to nod to himself. "And the Hogwarts champion is...Cedric Diggory!" Excited cheers erupted around me and ended the quiet atmosphere in the hall. Everyone liked Cedric. He's a seventh year Hufflepuff and I don't know too much about him, other than the fact that he's popular, smart, and really nice. I didn't think I had ever heard him say an unkind word about anyone else. Plus almost all the girls in school fawn over his charming smile and genuine kindness. Cedric walked over to Dumbledore, a humbled yet guarded look upon his face, and accepted the piece of paper from our headmaster.

Dumbledore patted him on the back in a gesture of wordless praise, then turned back to us as if to end the ceremony. "Congratulations to all of the champions and..." He began giving us one of his uplifting and enthusiastic speeches. Yet, his joyful words were abruptly cut off by a deafening inferno erupting from the center of the Goblet of Fire again. Gasps were heard all over the room, the noises coming from staff and students alike.

To our great shock, one last piece of parchment fluttered out of the kindling fire and Dumbledore obtained it with a look of apprehension on his aged face. He stared at the burnt parchment for a moment, frozen once his eyes fell upon whatever was written upon it. We waited with bated breath, but our internal questions about what our headmaster's next action would be were promptly answered. "Harry Potter," Dumbledore murmured almost incoherently. I strained my ears to make sure I had heard him correctly. Harry looked shaken upon the mention of his name, while quizzical whispers rose all around the chamber.

It was clear we were all wondering the same thing. How was this possible? Harry was underage, unable to compete, and too young to even attempt to cross the age line Dumbledore had created himself. Besides, it had already seemed like Harry had no desire to take part in the Tournament. "HARRY POTTER!" Dumbledore yelled, repeating my friend's name with an uncharacteristically commanding tone.