Chapter Text
"Harry Potter!” the Great Hall went silent. Harry turned towards Ron and Hermione.
"I didn’t do it. You know I didn’t put my name in.” both of them just stared back blankly. At the top of the table Dumbledore straightened up then turned towards him.
"Harry Potter! Go through that door please!” he said while nodding towards door where the other champions went through.
"Go on” he heard Hermione whispering while giving him a slight push. Harry stood up then started to make his way to the other champions. He felt everyone’s eyes on him, especially the angry glares the Hufflepuff table sent him. He tried to get a glimpse of the Headmaster but all he got from him was a disappointed gaze.
…
Inside the room the champions were already waiting around the fire. The Beauxbatons champion waved her silvery hair then turned around when Harry walked in.
"Are we needed back in ze Hall?” she asked. She thought he was sent in to deliver a message. Harry tried to explain the situation but he couldn’t get a word out not with the way everyone kept staring at him. There was an awkward silence then he heard Ludo Bagman entering the room.
"Extraordinary!” he said ’’Ladies and gentlemen, meet our fourth Triwizard Champion!” Cedric straightened up then looked between Harry and Bagman trying to decide whether he misheard what he said, while Viktor Krum’s face darkened as he surveyed Harry. Fleur, however, just laughed and said "What a funny joke Meester!”Bagman's face turned bright red.
"Oh, but Ms Delacour this is certainly not a joke! I don’t know how he did it but he’s officially a champion now!” he said. Fleur frowned. "But e’s too young, e cannot compete” Bagman was about to reply, when the door opened again and Dumbledore and a group of people entered the room. His potions professor was among them too. Great just what he needed. Fleur strided towards her headmistress.
"Madame Maxime! Zey are saiying zis little boy is also competing in ze tournament!” said headmistress looked furious.
"Dumbly-dorr what is ze meaning of zis?” she hissed angrily. "I’d rather like to know that as well, Headmaster.” said Karkaroff "If my memory is correct each school could only have one champion.” he turned towards Harry then gave a nasty laugh. "You said the age-restriction line would keep out younger students Dumbledore.”
"Don’t go and blame the Headmaster, when it is obvious that Potter was the one at fault” Snape sneered, his dark eyes glimmering with malice.
"Thank you, Severus” said Dumbledore firmly and Snape went quiet while he kept sneering at Harry.
"Harry” Dumbledore said looking down at him through his half-moon spectacles. "Did you put your name into the Goblet?”
"No I didn't” he heard Snape snort quietly behind the Headmaster.
"Did you ask an older student to do it for you?” he asked calmly.
"Of course I didn't!” Harry said vehemently.
"You heard the boy-” Bagman said looking around "I understand your concerns, but it’s too late to do anything right now and as the rules said when the Goblet chooses you there’ll be no way out if you don’t want to lose your magic” he finished then looked around the room.
"Now, the first task will be on the 24th of November and it is designed to test your daring. The champions are not allowed to ask for or accept any help from their professors and the champions will face the challange armed only with their wands. After the first task they will receive the information about the second challenge. Any questions?”
…
The hall was already deserted when they finished the discussion about the first task.
"Looks like we’re competing against eachother again” Cedric said.
"I s’pose” Harry said awkwardly. He couldn’t think of anything to say and his mind was still in chaos trying to process everything that happened in the last few hours.
"So…how did you do it?” Cedric asked looking at him tentatively.
"I didn’t. I was telling the truth” he said, staring up at him.
"Right… well, see you then” he said. Harry could tell he was still sceptical about what he said but he was too tired to care about it.
"See you”
Harry quickly made his way back to the Gryffindor tower. After entering the portrait hole into the common room he was met with loud music and everyone either congratulating him or whistling at him.
"Harry-”
"You should have told us you entered” shouted Fred looking impressed.
"How did you do it?” roared George. "I didn’t. I’m going to bed” he hissed angrily.
Harry ignored everyone and ran towards the staircase to the dormitory. Entering the room he saw Ron lying in his bed still fully dressed. He sat up when he heard the door slamming, but after seeing it was Harry he closed the curtains hanging around the four-poster bed. Harry stood there watching the red curtains then sighed and made his way towards the bathroom to get ready to bed.
…
The next day Harry woke up feeling great until he remembered yesterday’s events. He sat up and walked to the bathroom to get ready for the day. When he walked out he found Ron getting his belongings.
"Hey-” before he could finish his best mate had already left the dormitory. Oh. Right. His friend also didn’t believe him. Feeling too tired to deal with this he sighed then hurried to the Great Hall for breakfast.
He was fortunate enough to not run into anybody on his way, but all his luck vanished as soon as he set foot into the Great Hall. He already felt everyone’s eyes on him and the applause the Gryffindor table gave him didn’t help with the already dreadful situation at all. He scanned the whole table trying to find an empty seat when he noticed his muggleborn best friend waving at him from the end of the table.
"Harry! Over here!” called his friend Hermione while gesturing towards the empty spot next to her. After he sat down he was bombarded with all kinds of questions from Hermione. Luckily, she noticed her interrogation made him feel overwhelmed so she calmed down and waited for her friend to explain what happened yesterday.
"Oh Harry of course I knew you hadn’t entered yourself. I saw how terrified you were when the Headmaster read your name!” she said.
"Thank you for not doubting me ’Mione. It helped a lot knowing at least one person has enough common sense to not believe that a fourteen year old teenager could confound a very ancient artifact. I wish Ron would also have enough sense to realise it.” he sighed.
"Just give Ron some time to think Harry, he’ll come around. Come, let’s get ready for our first lesson!” nudged him Hermione.
Lessons were just as terrible as he expected. Everyone seemed to believe that he entered himself into the tournament, and unlike the Gryffindors, they weren’t impressed. The Ravenclaws ignored him and the Slytherins either sneered at him or made cruel remarks about him which wasn’t that much of a change.
The Hufflepuffs, however, acted cold and distant towards all Gryffindors. It was rather obvious that they thought their glory was stolen away by Harry, which was understandable since they don’t get as much attention as the other three houses. Even classes were so unbearable he couldn’t get the summoning charm right, resulting his extra homework from Professor Flitwick. The worst part only came when he had double potions with the Slytherins. Malfoy somehow got the idea to create badges which had a ’Potter stinks’ and and a ’Support Cedric Diggory the real champion’ sign. The saddest part was that everyone except the Gryffindors wore them.
...
Having fed up dealing with the entire school Harry was desperate trying to hide from everyone’s gazes, he didn’t notice he was on the seventh floor standing in front of a door, which he definitely knew it wasn’t standing there before. Gathering his Gryffindor courage he entered the door only to find himself surrounded by all kinds of junks laying around. As he walked further inside he suddennly felt a pull towards a pile of trinkets. When he took a closer look he realised the pull came from a beautiful looking tiara.
Now, had Harry been raised in a magical household he would have realised that touching random magical artifacts that radiated magical aura was DEFINITELY not a great idea, but since he hadn’t….oh well. After picking up the head piece he felt a familiar magical aura surrounding it. Suddenly, he heard a male’s voice speaking behind him.
"Who are you and how did you find this diadem?” the familiar voice asked. Harry turned around only to find himself face to face with an older version of Tom Marvolo Riddle.
"You!” he shouted. At first Voldemort- no Tom seemed confused then he smirked his eyes shining with amusement.
"How peculiar…Judging by your expression it is clear that you hold some kind of grudge against me even though I haven’t even met you in my life.” he mused.
"What do you want Riddle? How did you come out of this tiara?” Harry asked warily. He didn’t trust the handsome young man in front of him, after all his future self was the infamous Dark Lord that made his life as miserable as possible.
"What a feisty little thing are you.” he crooned "And it’s not a tiara it’s a diadem. For your last question, let’s just say that I am a memory. For now” he finished. 'Weird' Harry thought.
After some time before Harry could speak up Riddle interrupted him.
"I would like to propose a deal; it has been a long time since I was in touch with the outside world. I would like you to carry me around and, of course, to tell me everything you know about my main counterpart and in return I will help you with whatever troubles you have” he offered.
"What makes you think I’ll accept this deal?” Harry asked. He knew making a deal with Tom Riddle was definitely not a good idea. This man became the Dark Lord after all. But…if what he said was indeed the truth he would be a huge help getting by the tournament…and also dealing with Voldemort. Tom sighed.
"I will make a magical oath as well. Will that suffice?” he asked. Harry tought through his options then he decided.
"Fine I accept. No need for the oath- for now your word is enough” Riddle smiled. It wasn’t his fake one he saw in second year. It was a genuine smile. ’Gosh he even has dimples’ Harry tried to keep his eyes away from the young version of the Dark Lord in front of him but he was unsuccesful.
"Could you change the diadem into something else or at least resize it into a ring?” he asked Tom. With a hand motion, Tom shrank the diadem into the size of a ring then looked into Harry’s eyes smiling.
"May I?” he asked Harry while looking at his right hand. He shakily put his right hand into Tom’s hand. Tom held Harry’s hand then placed the ring onto the younger’s ring finger. He then placced a chaste kiss on the boy’s knuckles looking very amused at the other’s flustered reaction. ’Too easy’ he thought.
"Please tell me about yourself and your situation dear” he smiled charmingly.