Melody Riddle and the Goblet of Fire

Chapter 18: Harry's Been Chosen

I looked over at Harry just as everyone else did, and he looked completely dumbfounded by this – stunned – and he stayed seated as if silently hoping he'd heard wrong... that's when the whispering began.

"Of course," Draco said with a scowl. "Always the center of attention."

The Gryffindor table all stared at him, many with open mouths. He said something to Ron and Hermione, looking utterly perplexed.

"Harry Potter!" Professor Dumbledore called out once more. "Harry! Up here, if you please!"

Hermione pushed him to his feet and he stumbled slightly. Making his way down the aisle between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables, everyone stared right at him.

Once he made it to the front of the room, Professor Dumbledore whispered something before Harry walked off along the teachers' table, past a shocked Professor Hagrid, and through the door out of the Great Hall.

It was silent for a while after. Madame Maxime looked absolutely furious and Professor Karkaroff smiled as if it were some sort of joke.

Professor Dumbledore said, "You are all dismissed for the night... sweet dreams..." His normal jovial self was all gone, and so was the mood of excitement.

As we all stood up, the Great Hall burst into angry conversations about Harry getting in the tournament unfairly. To me; after the three headmasters, Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall, 'Professor Moody', Mr. Crouch, and Mr. Bagman left; the maddest person I'd ever seen was Marcus. He literally cursed all the way back to the common room with Draco while Becky and I walked behind them at a semi-comfortable distance.

"You'd think the whole school would hear them by now," Becky whispered to me. "I'm sure Filch will come down here any minute to threaten them to shut their mouths."

"The entire school is probably all too busy with their own cursing," I replied with a heavy sigh.

We reached the common room, trudging in with the rest of Slytherin House – well, Becky and I were walking while everyone else was pretty much stampeding through to their own rooms.

I sat down on the couch with a sigh, glad it was only Saturday night. Everyone would certainly be grumpy tomorrow if there were classes... Harry would be trying to stay out of the way of everyone's anger. Hopefully, he still has Ron and Hermione on his side... he wouldn't really care if I wanted to help him...... Not that it would make up for allowing this to happen.

"Of course Potter got in! He gets away with everything, so he probably thought, 'why not this?'!!" Draco thundered.

Becky let out a scoff, and Draco rounded on her.

"Oh, but let me guess — you don't think so!"

"I never said a word on the subject, so don't you yell at me like that!" Becky snapped back.

Draco fumed, breathing heavily, but he didn't say anything else to her.

Marcus paced by a corner, seemingly ready to pound the face in of anyone who came near him... or was he getting ready to punch the wall?

"Both of you calm down," I said softly. "So, Harry Potter has the spotlight again. It really shouldn't surprise you."

Draco stopped looking angry and was suddenly smug. "Potter won't even last a minute in the tournament."

I wouldn't go that far, but if it really makes you happy... okay then.

Marcus also smiled at that and started to leave the common room, saying, "I've got to tell –" but then he stopped. Instead, he plopped down next to me.

"Who?" I asked, perplexed.

"Hm?" he mumbled in fake surprise.

"Who have you got to tell something to?"

"Oh.. uh.. no one."

I raised an eyebrow, but Marcus quickly changed the subject. "We should go to bed – it'll be a long day tomorrow now that the excitement's over." He stood and ran up the stairs to his dorm.

Looking at Draco and Becky, I asked, "What was that about?"

They shrugged their shoulders wordlessly.