Emma Potter

98: Champion Number 4

I waited for my brother. He was in that room for quite some time. He finally came out. "Emma" he said softly, I crossed my arms around my chest.

 "Emma-- I didn't. I didn't put my name in." I searched my brothers eyes, looking for some hint he was lying, some guilt. But there was only confusion.

"I know" I sighed "do you have to participate?"

Harry hesitated "yes." There was a moment of silence between us, not the awkward sort. But no the sort that was comfortable either. The kind where two people were trying to figure out an answer to a particulary difficult question.

 Who put Harry's name in the Goblet?

"Moody says someone wanted to kill me." he whispered.

 Yes, someone wanted him dead, someone had wanted him dead ever since he had been a yearold . . . Lord Voldemort. But how could Voldemort have ensuredthat Harry's name got into the Goblet of Fire? Voldemort was supposed to be far away, in some distant country, in hiding,alone . . . feeble and powerless. . . .and after me too...

 Yet in that dream we had had, just before we had awoken with our scars hurting, Voldemort had not been alone . . . he had been talking to Wormtail . . . plotting Harry's and my murder. . . . 

"See you tomorrow Emma."

---

I met Harry early next morning. And heard that Ron and my brother were..well. 

"Hello," I said, holding up a stack of toast, which I was carrying in a napkin. "I brought you this. . . . Want to go for a walk?"

 "Good idea," said Harry gratefully. 

We went downstairs, crossed the entrance hall quickly withoutlooking in at the Great Hall, and were soon striding across the lawntoward the lake, where the Durmstrang ship was moored, reflectedblackly in the water. It was a chilly morning, and we kept moving,munching our toast, as Harry told me exactly what hadhappened after he had left the Gryffindor table the night before. 

"Well, of course I knew you hadn't entered yourself," I said whenhe'd finished telling me about the scene in the chamber off the Hall."The look on your face when Dumbledore read out your name! Butthe question is, who did put it in? Because Moody's right, Harry . . .I don't think any student could have done it . . . they'd never be ableto fool the Goblet, or get over Dumbledore's —"

 "Have you seen Ron?" Harry interrupted. 

"he was at breakfast," I said. 

"Does he still think I entered myself?"

 "Well . . . no, I don't think so . . . not really,"I said awkwardly.

 "What's that supposed to mean, 'not really'?"

 "Oh Harry, isn't it obvious?"I groaned "He'sjealous!"

 "Jealous?" Harry said incredulously. "Jealous of what? He wants tomake a prat of himself in front of the whole school, does he?" 

"Look,"I said impatiently, "it's always us who gets allthe attention, you know it is. I know it's not our fault," I added quickly, seeing Harry open his mouth furiously. "I know you don'task for it . . . but — well — you know, Ron's got all those brothersto compete against at home, and you're his best friend, and you'rereally famous — he's always shunted to one side whenever peoplesee you, and he puts up with it, and he never mentions it, but Isuppose this is just one time too many. . . ."

 "Great," said Harry bitterly. "Really great. Tell him from me I'llswap any time he wants. Tell him from me he's welcome to it. . . .People gawping at my forehead everywhere I go. . . ."