Chapter Text
Shiota Nagisa's tombstone will say, "He only put his name in because he played truth or dare while drunk."
To be fair, it wasn't - entirely - his own dumb decision that led to him putting his name into the Triwizard Cup. That honor goes to Itona, who has a bit of a sadistic streak when he gets firewhiskey in him. The aforementioned alcohol was bought by Terasaka's gang, funded by everyone present, and Chiba and Hayami were in charge of making sure they didn't get caught sneaking it in.
Not a bad team effort for a bunch of delinquents.
Nagisa normally doesn't participate in Firewhiskey Friday Nights. It just feels like they're reinforcing the negative stereotypes thought up by the rest of the houses. That they're troublemakers, schemers, no good dumbasses who will probably go on to be death eaters anyway. As the son of a known past death eater who's still in Azkaban, that last one always hits the hardest when Gakushuu throws it at him.
But it's been a long day, and with the announcement of the Triwizard Tournament just a few days ago, he figures that there's cause to get smashed with his friends and then sleep Saturday away. Okuda knows some good hangover cures, anyway.
"Okano, truth or dare?" Maehara calls, eyes half lidded. He's horrible at taking his alcohol, not that anybody ever stops him. He'll probably be asleep soon, with the marker on his face in the morning to remind him never to fall asleep in a room full of Slytherins.
"Um, dare."
"I dare you to go get Kataoka and bring her here."
A chorus of groans can be heard after this, not that Maehara cares. Waking up Kataoka, who would never in a million years join them willingly in the common room on Friday nights, is an overused dare, and one that always leads to the perpetrator getting an earful. There's a reason she's the prefect of their year, and she never lets them forget it. At least Isogai sits with them sometimes, although he never drinks a drop.
Nagisa sinks into his cushion sleepily while Okano leaves to the girls' dorm to get Kataoka. It's nice to be with his class outside of the public eye, where a Gryffindor can trip them or a Ravenclaw can ruin their homework with an "accidentally" spilled ink pot.
Hogwarts doesn't feel like the safest place in the world when even the headmaster gives your table dirty looks at dinner.
He doesn't realize he's fallen asleep until he gets an elbow jabbed in his side. He stirs to find the whole group staring at him, including Kayano at his side, who was probably the owner of the elbow that woke him up.
"Nagisa, truth or dare?" Itona asks, probably repeating himself. Nagisa didn't come to play, but everyone's still looking expectantly at him and his blood is still running warm from the alcohol. Truth is an option, but there are way too many secrets he has that the alcohol could unlock. One dare can't hurt, right?
"Dare."
"I dare you to enter your name into the Triwizard Cup."
There are a few halfhearted complaints with that. While there are no set rules in their truth or dare, it feels like the only unspoken one is no one should be obligated to potentially put their life at risk with a dare. They're still waiting for his response, though. Nobody can say no to it except for him, in which case he'll probably get a milder dare from Sugino or Yada or something.
But why not go for it? It can't hurt to just put your name in. Everyone will see you as really manly if you do. You could use that kind of image boost.
"Sure," he says, because he's definitely too drunk to make these kinds of weighty decisions. "Remind me at breakfast tomorrow."
Everyone gapes, then he feels a few hands clap him on the back and Mimura declares him his favorite person ever and the game continues. Nagisa drags himself to bed sometime around one, taking a fully unconscious Sugino with him because it's his friendship responsibility to make sure he's not stuck in the common room all night.
By the time he climbs into his own bed, he only remembers a vague idea of what he has to do the next morning. I have to put my name... somewhere. Graffiti, maybe? Eh, I'll deal with it tomorrow. It's probably for the best that he doesn't remember what he signed himself up for; he wouldn't be able to fall asleep otherwise.
The next morning, he's very confused by the twenty sets of eyes on him, watching him shovel eggs into his mouth.
"Why's everyone staring?" he whispers to Kayano, who's doing a bit of staring herself.
"You don't remember last night?" At his vague shrug, she continues. "Oh my god. Um, well, Itona dared you to do something here. Nowish."
"Is it anything to do with stripping? Because I'm pretty sure we outlawed that after Okajima's last dare-"
"No, nothing like that!" She paused, unsure. Then her eyes creep over to the giant goblet in the middle of the room, and Nagisa's heart drops straight down into his stomach. He suddenly has no appetite for his eggs at all.
"He dared me to..." He can't finish his sentence, so he points to the cup dumbly. Kayano nods, reading his face with a pinched expression.
"We would've totally overruled his dare but you looked so sure of yourself, and you didn't even hesitate. It's not too late to back out, though. It's a pretty big thing," she says in a rush. The people close enough to her to hear the conversation nod enthusiastically, which only makes Nagisa's chest tighter.
He wouldn't be the first person to put his name in, not even from their year. Terasaka's whole group put their names in, with Maehara and Chiba following. Even Isogai put his name in, saying it would be a good experience to have.
He knows the kinds of whispers that spread around the room every time a Slytherin puts their name in. He hears the taunts and jeers about how a Slytherin champion wouldn't be a champion at all, because winning on bloodlust is just how a death eater does it. He hears it, and he blocks it out, just like the rest of his year.
But if he can enter... if he can win... maybe he can change all of that.
He clears his head from this idiotic train of thought. Even if he does get picked, there's no way he'll win. The best he could do would be to not look stupid while losing. But before he knows it, he's standing up with a slip of paper in his hand that he doesn't remember writing, and when he drops the paper into the fire, he can hear the crackle of the flames deep in his bones.
His table's congratulations can't fully block out the boos and laughs from the other tables, but they help.
There's no lasting fanfare about it, not like when someone from Durmstrang or Beauxbatons puts their name in. There are only fifteen people from each school, but they all came to enter and cheer their victor on. Even though their tables are near the back, Nagisa can still hear bits of French and Norwegian through the bustle.
"You'd make a really cool champion," Kayano says when he sits back down.
"Hopefully it won't come to that," he says instead of refuting her point. Kayano has a way of hammering positivity into him when he tries to counteract it, and his head hurts too much for an argument. Why did I have to be born such a lightweight?
He spends the rest of the weekend hanging out with Kayano and Sugino and trying not to think about the Triwizard cup. It's so dumb, bringing a goblet of death to a high school and tempting all of the kids with money and fame. You're one of the idiots who put their name in, his brain reminds him, and he shoves the thought aside aggressively, chucking a piece of fish to the squid in the lake. It surfaces for a second to grab it, waving one arm wildly at him.
When Monday rolls around, he's repressed the thought of the tournament so much, he's almost surprised when Headmaster Asano announces that the names will be drawn from the goblet that night. Nagisa already knows who he wants to be chosen; his son is basically his clone, after all. Head boy of Gryffindor, top grades in the school, seeker for quidditch. It's no wonder no one accuses the elder Asano of favoritism; Gakushuu is so perfect, it would be wrong for anyone else to be head boy.
He doesn't realize he's squeezing his quill until it snaps in his hand. Sugino, his Potions partner, looks on worriedly.
"Are you alright?" he asks, and is immediately shushed by Professor Karasuma. For a Slytherin himself, you'd think he would be nicer to his own house. No nice favoritism like Asano gives to his students; just cold glances and extra assignments.
"Yeah," Nagisa answers, pulling a new quill from his bag. "Just stressed for tonight."
"You mean the Triwizard Cup Ceremony?" a voice behind him asks, and he stiffens. It's one of Gakushuu's cronies, although he can't tell which one, nor could he name them under a truth serum. All four are basically one person sharing a brain cell that says taunt the Slytherins and lick the ground Gakushuu walks on. "I wouldn't worry if I were you. After all, what are the odds that the goblet will choose you? Unless they're looking for scrawny demon spawn this year in particular."
"Back off," Sugino says.
"What will you do, hex me?" the crony asks, and Sugino almost growls.
"Ignore him," Nagisa says, sinking lower in his chair. "We have to finish this potion or we'll fail this assignment."
"I know, but-"
"Is there a problem here?" Professor Karasuma asks, looking from Sugino to the crony.
"No professor," the crony says immediately, taking the kiss-ass route as always. "Nagisa was just trying to start a fight with me."
"Really? Seems unlike him." Karasuma takes zero shit from anyone. It's one of the reasons he's Nagisa's favorite teacher. "If you keep talking in class, however, I will have to take points from both Gryffindor and Slytherin."
"Got it, professor," Sugino says, and Nagisa nods. Karasuma walks away, and the crony says something under his breath that sounds a lot like "maggot food." Karasuma stops mid-step.
"Ten points from Gryffindor. Keep yourself together, Mr. Koyoma. I don't want to have to lower your grade in this class, especially given how well you're doing." Like Nagisa said, zero shit.
Dinner seems to rush towards him like a freight train, but he's honestly glad to get it over with. No more losing sleep from this dumb cup. He can move on, cheer for whoever was un/lucky enough to get chosen from his school, and be a spectator like he always is. No participation necessary.
The announcement comes mid-meal. Headmaster Asano gives a small speech about the importance and significance of the Triwizard Tournament, and the fire burns blue from the goblet. Then a second later, it turns red, and a singed piece of paper comes floating out.
Headmaster Asano catches it, adjusting his glasses before reading it aloud.
"From Beauxbatons Academy, we have Nakamura Rio," he calls, and the Beauxbatons table erupts into cheers. A tall blond girl, presumably Nakamura herself, stands and curtsies, making her way to the middle of the room.
The fire turns red again, and a new slip of paper flies out. Headmaster Asano pauses before reading the name this time, frowning a little. Nagisa isn't exactly sure why, but he feels his heart sink into his stomach.
"From Hogwarts, we have... Shiota Nagisa."
Nagisa's face goes white. He can barely hear the shouts around him, feel the slaps on the back by his classmates. He can't even hear what the other tables are saying, not that it's anything good, most likely.
"Nagisa, they're calling you," Kayano says, and he nods blankly. Of course they're calling him. He's the Hogwarts Triwizard nominee.
Slowly, robotically, he climbs over the bench and approaches the headmaster, who looks at him like he's a walking corpse. Which, given how lightheaded he is, might be an accurate description of him. He feels his legs trembling as he stands beside Nakamura, who looks a little confused at why he's having a nervous breakdown.
"Didn't you enter yourself in?" she asks, and he blinks hard to snap himself out of his own head.
"Oh, yeah." His voice is distant, far away from his body. "But in my defense, I was hungover."
"Ah." She grins at him. "I think we'll be good friends. After I win, of course."
"Yep, okay." He sways a little, catching himself on a nearby table of Hufflepuffs. Sorry you have to see this, kiddos. Papa's having a bit of a panic attack right now.
He's so focused on his own plight that he almost doesn't hear the last name being called.
"And from Durmstrang, we have... Akabane Karma."
"No way." "Wasn't he expelled from Hogwarts two years ago?" "I hear he beat someone up just for looking at him." "I hear he's done the killing curse."
Nagisa finally gets a grip over himself, pinching his arm and snapping himself out of his haze. Did he say Karma? I didn't see him around anywhere, and he's kinda hard to miss. Maybe it's a different Akabane Karma. Could be a common name in Norway, I don't know.
But one look at the confident boy striding over to the headmaster squelches all doubts about who it is. Bright red hair, cocksure smile, even the same black blazer as he wore back when he went to Hogwarts.
It's Karma all right. Things have officially gone loopy. Maybe this is all a fever dream or something. He pinches himself again, but all it does is make him wince and cause Nakamura to take a step away from him. Real life then. Okay.
If Karma hears any of the whispers, he doesn't show it. He strides down the table, joining Nagisa by the Triwizard Cup with a smile and a wave to the audience. He never wavers in his steps, which is all so Karma of him. He's never had a doubt about anything in his life. Not even leaving Hogwarts unexpectedly without giving Nagisa a second of warning.
"Hey, Nagisa," he whispers among the chaos, like no time passed at all. "It's been a while."
Nagisa can't do anything but stare. His heartrate, already dangerously fast, beats loud enough in his neck that the whole room can probably hear it. None of this, any of it, is making any sense. The emotions of hurt and confusion that he compartmentalized and stored away years ago are bursting out all at once. He can't utter a word. Hell, he can barely breathe.
"Oh, hey Karma," he hears himself say, and falls in a dead faint on the floor. Sweet, sweet release.