Johnny could see Harry say in shock, so he stood, all eyes in the hall suddenly upon him as he approached Harry.

"Let's go," Johnny whispered. Harry got to his feet, trod on the hem of his robes, and stumbled slightly. Johnny grabbed him by the elbow and they et off up the gap between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables. To Harry, it felt like an immensely long walk; the top table didn't seem to be getting any nearer at all,

"Well... through the door, Harry," said Dumbledore. He wasn't smiling. Johnny guided Harry along the teachers table. Hagrid was seated right at the end. He did not wink at Harry and Johnny, or wave, or give any of his usual signs of greeting. He looked completely astonished and stared at Harry as they passed like everyone else. Harry and Johnny went through the door out of the Great Hall and found themselves in a smaller room, lined with paintings of witches and wizards. A handsome fire was roaring in the fireplace opposite them.

Viktor Krum, Cedric Diggory, and Fleur Delacour were grouped around the fire. They looked strangely impressive, silhouetted against the flames. Krum, hunched-up and brooding, was leaning against the mantelpiece, slightly apart from the other two. Cedric was standing with his hands behind his back, staring into the fire. Fleur Delacour looked around when Harry and Johnny walked in and threw back her sheet of long, silvery hair.

"What is it?" she said. "Do zey want us back in ze Hall?"

"Harry's-"

There was a sound of scurrying feet behind him, and Ludo Bagman entered the room. He took Harry by the arm and led him forward.

"Extraordinary!" he muttered, squeezing Harry's arm. "Absolutely extraordinary! Gentlemen... lady," he added, approaching the fireside and addressing the other three. "May I introduce - incredible though it may seem - the fourth Triwizard champion?"

Krum straightened up. His surly face darkened as he surveyed Harry. Cedric looked nonplussed. He looked from Bagman to Harry and back again as though sure he must have misheard what Bagman had said. Fleur Delacour, however, tossed her hair, smiling, and said, "Oh, vairy funny joke, Meester Bagman."

"Joke?" Bagman repeated, bewildered. "No, no, not at all! Harry's name just came out of the Goblet of Fire!"

Krum's thick eyebrows contracted slightly. Cedric was still looking politely bewildered. Fleur frowned. Johnny messaged his head.

"With the stress he gives me, my hair will go grey by the time I'm eighteen," Johnny groaned, leaning on a shelf.

"But evidently zair 'as been a mistake," Fleur said contemptuously to Bagman, ignoring Johnny. "'E cannot compete. 'E is too young."

"Well... it is amazing," said Bagman, rubbing his smooth chin and smiling down at Harry. "But, as you know, the age restriction was only imposed this year as an extra safety measure. And as his name's come out of the goblet... I mean, I don't think there can be any ducking out at this stage.... It's down in the rules, you're obliged... Harry will just have to do the best he -"

The door behind them opened again, and a large group of people came in: Professor Dumbledore, followed closely by Mr. Crouch, Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape. Johnny heard the buzzing of the hundreds of students on the other side of the wall, before Professor McGonagall closed the door.

"Madame Maxime!" said Fleur at once, striding over to her headmistress. "Zey are saying zat zis little boy is to compete also!"

Madame Maxime had drawn herself up to her full, and considerable, height. The top of her handsome head brushed the candle-filled chandelier, and her gigantic black-satin bosom swelled.

"What is ze meaning of zis, Dumbly-dorr?" she said imperiously.

"I'd rather like to know that myself, Dumbledore," said Professor Karkaroff. He was wearing a steely smile, and his blue eyes were like chips of ice. "Two Hogwarts champions? I don't remember anyone telling me the host school is allowed two champions - or have I not read the rules carefully enough?"

He gave a short and nasty laugh.

"C'est impossible," said Madame Maxime, whose enormous hand with its many superb opals was resting upon Fleur's shoulder. "'Ogwarts cannot 'ave two champions. It is most injust."

"We were under the impression that your Age Line would keep out younger contestants, Dumbledore," said Karkaroff, his steely smile still in place, though his eyes were colder than ever. "Otherwise, we would, of course, have brought along a wider selection of candidates from our own schools."

"It's no one's fault but Potter's, Karkaroff," said Snape softly. His black eyes were alight with malice. "Don't go blaming Dumbledore for Potter's determination to break rules. He has been crossing lines ever since he arrived here -"

"Professor, if I may," Johnny said, cutting his Head of House off. "There is simply no way Harry could've entered his own name."

Professor Dumbledore nodded, and was now looking down at Harry, who looked right back at him, trying to discern the expression of the eyes behind the half-moon spectacles.

"Did you put your name into the Goblet of Fire, Harry?" Dumbledore asked calmly.

"No," said Harry. Snape made a soft noise of impatient disbelief in the shadows.

"Did you ask an older student to put it into the Goblet of Fire for you?" said Professor Dumbledore, ignoring Snape.

"No," said Harry vehemently.

"Ah, but of course 'e is lying!" cried Madame Maxime. Snape was now shaking his head, his lip curling.

"Listen here you French fuck-" Johnny went to yell, but was cut off by Madam Maxime.

"Please! I am Belgian!"

"So go make a fucking waffle!" Johnny exclaimed. "He could not have crossed the Age Line."

"Dumbly-dorr must 'ave made a mistake wiz ze line," said Madame Maxime, shrugging.

"It is possible, of course," said Dumbledore politely.

"Dumbledore, you know perfectly well you did not make a mistake!" said Professor McGonagall angrily. "Really, what nonsense! Harry could not have crossed the line himself, and as Professor Dumbledore believes that he did not persuade an older student to do it for him, I'm sure that should be good enough for everybody else!"

She shot a very angry look at Professor Snape.

"Mr. Crouch... Mr. Bagman," said Karkaroff, his voice unctuous once more, "you are our - er - objective judges. Surely you will agree that this is most irregular?"

Bagman wiped his round, boyish face with his handkerchief and looked at Mr. Crouch, who was standing outside the circle of the firelight, his face half hidden in shadow. He looked slightly eerie, the half darkness making him look much older, giving him an almost skull-like appearance. When he spoke, however, it was in his usual curt voice.

"We must follow the rules, and the rules state clearly that those people whose names come out of the Goblet of Fire are bound to compete in the tournament."

"Well, Barty knows the rule book back to front," said Bagman, beaming and turning back to Karkaroff and Madame Maxime, as though the matter was now closed.

"I insist upon resubmitting the names of the rest of my students," said Karkaroff. He had dropped his unctuous tone and his smile now. His face wore a very ugly look indeed. "You will set up the Goblet of Fire once more, and we will continue adding names until each school has two champions. It's only fair, Dumbledore."

"But Karkaroff, it doesn't work like that," said Bagman. "The Goblet of Fire's just gone out - it won't reignite until the start of the next tournament -"

"- in which Durmstrang will most certainly not be competing!" exploded Karkaroff. "After all our meetings and negotiations and compromises, I little expected something of this nature to occur! I have half a mind to leave now!"

"Empty threat, Karkaroff," growled a voice from near the door. "You can't leave your champion now. He's got to compete. They've all got to compete. Binding magical contract, like Dumbledore said. Convenient, eh?"

Moody had just entered the room. He limped toward the fire, and with every right step he took, there was a loud clunk.

"Convenient?" said Karkaroff. "I'm afraid I don't understand you, Moody."

Johnny could tell he was trying to sound disdainful, as though what Moody was saying was barely worth his notice, but his hands gave him away; they had balled themselves into fists.

"Don't you?" said Moody quietly. "It's very simple, Karkaroff. Someone put Potter's name in that goblet knowing he'd have to compete if it came out."

"Evidently, someone 'oo wished to give 'Ogwarts two bites at ze apple!" said Madame Maxime.

"I quite agree, Madame Maxime," said Karkaroff, bowing to her. "I shall be lodging complaints with the Ministry of Magic and the International Confederation of Wizards -"

"If anyone's got reason to complain, it's Harry," growled Johnny, his eyes turning Alpha red, which made the non-Hogwarts inhabitants gasp.

"But... funny thing... I don't hear him saying a word..." said Moody.

"Why should 'e complain?" burst out Fleur Delacour, stamping her foot. "'E 'as ze chance to compete, 'asn't 'e? We 'ave all been 'oping to be chosen for weeks and weeks! Ze honor for our schools! A thousand Galleons in prize money - zis is a chance many would die for!"

"Maybe someone's hoping Harry is going to die for it," said Johnny, with the merest trace of a growl.

"I like you, son," growled Moody. "He has constant vigilance!"

An extremely tense silence followed these words.

"We all know Professor Moody considers the morning wasted if he hasn't discovered six plots to murder him before lunchtime," said Karkaroff loudly, breaking the silence. "Apparently he is now teaching his students to fear assassination too. An odd quality in a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dumbledore, but no doubt you had your reasons."

"Imagining things, am I?" growled Moody. "Seeing things, eh? It was a skilled witch or wizard who put the boy's name in that goblet..."

"Ah, what evidence is zere of zat?" said Madame Maxime, throwing up her huge hands.

"Because they hoodwinked a very powerful magical object!" said Moody.

"It would have needed an exceptionally strong Confundus Charm to trick  that goblet into forgetting that only three schools compete in the tournament.... I'm guessing they submitted Potter's name under a fourth school, to make sure he was the only one in his category...." Johnny continued on, earning a pat on the back from Professor Moody.

"You seem to have given this a great deal of thought, Grindelwald," said Karkaroff coldly, "and a very ingenious theory it is - though of course, when you're related to Gellert Grindelwald, it's understandable how you could do it. So you'll understand if we don't take you entirely seriously..."

"Igor!" said Dumbledore warningly. "I don't think you should be insulting ones family. How this situation arose, we do not know," said Dumbledore, speaking to everyone gathered in the room. "It seems to me, however, that we have no choice but to accept it. Both Cedric and Harry have been chosen to compete in the Tournament. This, therefore, they will do...."

"Ah, but Dumbly-dorr -"

"My dear Madame Maxime, if you have an alternative, I would be delighted to hear it."

Dumbledore waited, but Madame Maxime did not speak, she merely glared. She wasn't the only one either. Snape looked furious; Karkaroff livid; Bagman, however, looked rather excited.

"Well, shall we crack on, then?" he said, rubbing his hands together and smiling around the room. "Got to give our champions their instructions, haven't we? Barty, want to do the honors?"

Mr. Crouch seemed to come out of a deep reverie.

"Yes," he said, "instructions. Yes... the first task..."

"Concentrate, Harry, concentrate...."

"What d'you think I'm trying to do?" said Harry angrily. "A great big dragon keeps popping up in my head for some reason... Okay, try again..."

Johnny, Harry, and Hermione went to the empty classroom to help Harry practice the summoning charm, using the Invisibility Cloak to avoid the teachers. They kept practicing until past midnight. They would have stayed longer, but Peeves turned up and, pretending to think that Harry wanted things thrown at him, and started chucking chairs across the room. Johnny, Harry and Hermione left in a hurry before the noise attracted Filch, and went back to the Gryffindor common room, which was now mercifully empty.

At two o'clock in the morning, Harry stood near the fireplace, surrounded by heaps of objects: books, quills, several upturned chairs, an old set of Gobstones, and Neville's toad, Trevor. Only in the last hour had Harry really got the hang of the Summoning Charm.

"That's better, Harry, that's loads better," Hermione said, looking exhausted, leaning on Johnny for support, but both very pleased.

"Well, now we know what to do next time I can't manage a spell," Harry said, throwing a rune dictionary back to Johnny, so he could try again, "threaten me with a dragon. Right..." He raised his wand once more. "Accio Dictionary!"

The heavy book soared out of Johnny's hand, flew across the room, and Harry caught it.

"Harry, I really think you've got it!" said Johnny happily.

"Just as long as it works tomorrow," Harry said. "The Firebolt's going to be much farther away than the stuff in here, it's going to be in the castle, and I'm going to be out there on the grounds..."

"That doesn't matter," said Hermione firmly." Just as long as you're concentrating really, really hard on it, it'll come. Harry, we'd better get some sleep... you're going to need it."

Johnny followed Hermione tiredly up to the Girls Dormitory where he would stay the night. Yawing, Johnny stripped until he was in his tracksuit bottoms and got into bed next to Hermione, who instantly laid her head on his chest.

"Goodnight, babe," Hermione yawned, kissing Johnny's chest, but Johnny was already snoring loudly, much to Hermione's amusement.

The atmosphere in the school was one of great tension and excitement the next morning. Lessons were to stop at midday, giving all the students time to get down to the dragons' enclosure - though of course, they didn't yet know what they would find there.

"Potter, the champions have to come down onto the grounds now....You have to get ready for your first task."

"Okay," said Harry, standing up, his fork falling onto his plate with a clatter.

"Good luck, Harry," Hermione whispered. "You'll be fine!"

"Yeah," said Harry in a voice that was most unlike his own.

"I'm coming with," Johnny said, wrapping up four sausage rolls in a napkin and putting them in the inside pocket of his denim jacket.

They left the Great Hall with Professor McGonagall. She didn't seem herself either; in fact, she looked nearly as anxious as Hermione. As she walked them down the stone steps and out into the cold November afternoon, she put her hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Now, don't panic," she said, "just keep a cool head.... We've got wizards standing by to control the situation if it gets out of hand.... The main thing is just to do your best, and nobody will think any the worse of you.... Are you all right?"

"Yes," Harry said, though Johnny had the feeling that was a lie. "Yes, I'm fine."

"What about you, Grindelwald?" Professor McGonagall asked. "You look a little pale."

"Wow, hurtful," Johnny said sarcastically. "I've always been quite pale. But yes, I'm okay."

McGonagall nodded. She was leading them toward the place where the dragons were, around the edge of the forest, but when they approached the clump of trees behind which the enclosure would be clearly visible, Johnny saw that a tent had been erected, its entrance facing them, screening the dragons from view.

"You're to go in here with the other champions," said Professor McGonagall, in a rather shaky sort of voice, "and wait for your turn, Potter. Mr. Bagman is in there... he'll be telling you the - the procedure.... Good luck. Mr. Grindelwald, you can either join the school or wait with Potter, as you're family."

When they went inside, Fleur was sitting in a corner on a wooden stool. She didn't look nearly as composed as usual, but rather pale and clammy. Krum looked even surlier than usual, which Johnny supposed was his way of showing nerves. Cedric was pacing up and down. When they entered, Cedric gave him a small smile, which Harry returned.

"You'll be fine, Harry," Johnny said, conjuring a recliner chair. "All you've got to do is fight a dragon. Think of this like Norbert."

"Norberta, was a baby."

"And I was right about it being female, wasn't I?" Johnny grinned, offering Harry a can of coke with a wave.

"Well, now we're all here - time to fill you in!" said Bagman brightly, walking in. "When the audience has assembled, I'm going to be offering each of you this bag" - he held up a small sack of purple silk and shook it at them - "from which you will each select a small model of the thing you are about to face! There are different - er - varieties, you see. And I have to tell you something else too... ah, yes... your task is to collect the golden egg!"

Johnny glanced around. Cedric had nodded once, to show that he understood Bagman's words, and then started pacing around the tent again; he looked slightly green. Fleur and Krum hadn't reacted at all. Perhaps they thought they might be sick if they opened their mouths; that was certainly how Harry looked. But they, at least, had volunteered for this...

And then - it seemed like about an hour later to Johnny - Bagman was opening the neck of the purple silk sack. Johnny stood from his recliner, waved his wand so it disappeared, and stood next to Harry, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Ladies first," Bagman said, offering it to Fleur Delacour.

She put a shaking hand inside the bag and drew out a tiny, perfect model of a dragon - a Welsh Green.

Krum pulled out the scarlet Chinese Fireball. It had a number three around its neck. He didn't even blink, just sat back down and stared at the ground.

Cedric put his hand into the bag, and out came the blueish-gray Swedish Short-Snout, the number one tied around its neck. Harry put his hand into the silk bag and pulled out the Hungarian Horntail, and the number four. It stretched its wings as he looked down at it, and bared its minuscule fangs.

"You always get the fucking worst," Johnny groaned, re-conjuring his chair and throwing himself in it.

"Well, there you are!" said Bagman, ignoring Johnny. "You have each pulled out the dragon you will face, and the numbers refer to the order in which you are to take on the dragons, do you see? Now, I'm going to have to leave you in a moment, because I'm commentating. Mr. Diggory, you're first, just go out into the enclosure when you hear a whistle, all right? Now... Harry... could I have a quick word? Outside?"

"Er...yes," said Harry blankly, and he got up and went out of the tent with Bagman.

"You all alright?" Johnny asked the other three participants, breaking the awkward tension in the room. "Can I interest any of you in a sausage roll?"

Krum grunted and sat on the other side of the tent, Fleur politely declined, and Cedric sniggered at Johnny, but took one nevertheless.

"Just trying to break the tension," Johnny muttered, looking at Krum who was glaring at him.

"If I hadn't made it clear," Krum said coldly. "I don't like you, Grindelwald, nor do I like your grandfather."

"Ah, so the big, moody, Bulgarian bastard speaks!" Johnny said in fake astonishment, nudging Fleur playfully and causing the girl to grin. "Maybe you should kill me? After all, wouldn't it be for the greater good."

"You're going to get your bloody head kicked in," Krum seethed, advancing towards Johnny but Cedric stepped in.

"Come and have ago if you're think you're hard enough," Johnny said, smirking in satisfaction as Cedric shoved Krum into his chair. Suddenly the whistle blew, causing all four heads inside the tent to snap towards the entrance of the tent. Cedric, considerably more pale than five minutes ago, and nodded at the three before leaving. Harry re-entered and seconds later, they heard the roar of the crowd, which meant Cedric had entered the enclosure and was now face-to-face with the living counterpart of his model....

It was worse than Johnny could ever have imagined, sitting there and listening. The crowd screamed... yelled... gasped like a single many-headed entity, as Cedric did whatever he was doing to get past the Swedish Short-Snout. Krum was still glaring at the Johnny. Fleur had now taken to retracing Cedric's steps, around and around the tent, and Harry had been twiddling his fingers.

"Sausage roll?" Johnny asked Harry through a mouthful. Harry smiled weakly in amusement at his cousin, but shook his head.

"You're missing out," Johnny shrugged.

Bagman's commentary made everything much, much worse.... Horrible pictures formed in their minds as they heard:

"Oooh, narrow miss there, very narrow"

"He's taking risks, this one!"

"Clever move - pity it didn't work!"

And then, after about fifteen minutes, Johnny heard the deafening roar that could mean only one thing: Cedric had gotten past his dragon and captured the golden egg.

"Very good indeed!" Bagman was shouting. "And now the marks from the judges!"

But he didn't shout out the marks; Johnny supposed the judges were holding them up and showing them to the crowd.

"One down, three to go!" Bagman yelled as the whistle blew again. "Miss Delacour, if you please!"

"Good luck," Johnny said to her quietly, giving her hand a comforting squeeze.  Fleur was trembling from head to foot; but their was an air of confidence about her as she heft the tent with her head held high and her hand clutching her wand. He, Harry and Krum were left alone, at opposite sides of the tent, avoiding each other's gaze.

"Well, this is awkward," Johnny said sarcastically, turning to Harry. "Did you know Dumb Krum doesn't like me?"

Harry shook his head, causing Johnny to grin.

"Oh yes," Johnny said sarcastically. "Despises me, and my grandfather too."

"Gellert Grindelwald killed my grandfather," Krum spoke up.

"Gellert Grindelwald was trying to have peace and prosperity with Muggles and Wizards," Johnny shot back. "If he had succeeded, eighty five million lives would've been saved because World War Two would've never happened. It's your grandfathers fault he couldn't see what was for the greater good."

Krum didn't say anything. Ten minutes later, they heard the crowd erupt into applause once more.... Fleur must have been successful too. A pause, while Fleur's marks were being shown... more clapping... then, for the third time, the whistle.

"And here comes Mr. Krum!" cried Bagman, and Krum slouched out, leaving Harry and Johnny.

"Very daring!" Bagman was yelling, and Harry heard the Chinese Fireball emit a horrible, roaring shriek, while the crowd drew its collective breath. "That's some nerve he's showing - and - yes, he's got the egg!"

Applause shattered the wintery air like breaking glass; Krum had finished - it would be Harry's turn any moment.

They they heard the whistle blow. They walked out through the entrance of the tent,. And now they was walking past the trees, through a gap in the enclosure fence.

"You'll do great," Johnny said, patting Harry's shoulder, "if you need help, call out, I'll come running."

Johnny made his way to the stands, sitting between Dani and Hermione, Pansy on Dani's left and Ron on Hermione's right.

"Is he alright?" Hermione asked, taking ahold of Johnny's hand.

"He's fine," Johnny waved her off casually. "Sausage roll?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, but nevertheless she took the last sausage roll out of his hand.

There was the Horntail, at the other end of the enclosure, crouched low over her clutch of eggs, her wings half-furled, her evil, yellow eyes upon Harry, a monstrous, scaly, black lizard, thrashing her spiked tail, heaving yard-long gouge marks in the hard ground. The crowd was making a great deal of noise, but whether friendly or not, Harry didn't seem to know or care.

He raised his wand.

"Accio Firebolt!" Harry shouted.

Johnny waited, every fiber of him hoping, praying.... If it hadn't worked... if it wasn't coming... He seemed to be looking at everything around him through some sort of shimmering, transparent barrier, like a heat haze, which made the enclosure and the hundreds of faces around him swim strangely....

And then they heard it, speeding through the air behind them; Johnny turned and saw Harry's Firebolt hurtling toward the stadium around the edge of the woods, soaring into the enclosure, and stopping dead in midair beside Harry, waiting for him to mount. The crowd was making even more noise.... Bagman was shouting something...

"Great Scott, he can fly!" yelled Bagman as the crowd shrieked and gasped. "Are you watching this, Mr. Krum?"

Harry soared higher in a circle; the Horntail was still following his progress; its head revolving on its long neck - if he kept this up, it would be nicely dizzy - but better not push it too long, or it would be breathing fire again -

Harry plummeted just as the Horntail opened its mouth, but this time he was less lucky - he missed the flames, but the tail came whipping up to meet him instead, and as he swerved to the left, one of the long spikes grazed his shoulder, ripping his robes -

The Horntail didn't seem to want to take off, she was too protective of her eggs. Though she writhed and twisted, furling and unfurling her wings and keeping those fearsome yellow eyes on Harry, she was afraid to move too far from them...but he had to persuade her to do it, or he'd never get near them....The trick was to do it carefully, gradually....

He began to fly, first this way, then the other, not near enough to make her breathe fire to stave him off, but still posing a sufficient threat to ensure she kept her eyes on him. Her head swayed this way and that, watching him out of those vertical pupils, her fangs bared....

He flew higher. The Horntail's head rose with him, her neck now stretched to its fullest extent, still swaying, hike a snake before its charmer....

Harry rose a few more feet, and she let out a roar of exasperation. He was like a fly to her, a fly she was longing to swat; her tail thrashed again, but he was too high to reach now....She shot fire into the air, which he dodged....Her jaws opened wide....

And then she reared, spreading her great, black, leathery wings at last, as wide as those of a small airplane - and Harry dived. Before the dragon knew what he had done, or where he had disappeared to, he was speeding toward the ground as fast as he could go, toward the eggs now unprotected by her clawed front legs - he had taken his hands off his Firebolt - he had seized the golden egg -

And with a huge spurt of speed, he was off, he was soaring out over the stands, the heavy egg safely under his uninjured arm, and it was as though somebody had just turned the volume back up.

"Look at that!" Bagman was yelling. "Will you look at that! Our youngest champion is quickest to get his egg! Well, this is going to shorten the odds on Mr. Potter!"

Johnny saw the dragon keepers rushing forward to subdue the Horntail, and, over at the entrance to the enclosure. Johnny quickly rushed off from the company of his friends in the direction of the medical tent. Harry was already there, and when Johnny saw him, he embraced him in a brotherly hug.

"Scared was you?" Harry joked, squeezing Johnny's shoulder.

"Of course I was you, you bloody wanker!" Johnny yelled, punching Harry's injured shoulder and then quickly apologising.

"You still have that sausage roll?" Harry asked, rubbing his stomach. "I'm a bit hungry, you see, facing a dragon and all that."

Johnny waved his wand and two sausage rolls appeared.

"I gave the last one to Hermione, but here's two more," Johnny smiled.

"Oh yeah, just do casual non-verbal magic," said Harry sarcastically. Then they saw Professor McGonagall, Professor Moody, and Hagrid hurrying to meet them, all of them waving Harry towards them, their smiles evident even from this distance.

"That was excellent, Potter!" cried Professor McGonagall, which from her was extravagant praise. They noticed that her hand shook as she pointed at his shoulder. "You'll need to see Madam Pomfrey before the judges give out your score.... Over there, she's had to mop up Diggory already...."

"Can I eat-"

"Yeh did it, Harry!" said Hagrid hoarsely, interrupting him. "Yeh did it! An' agains' the Horntail an' all, an' yeh know Charlie said that was the wors' -"

"Thanks, Hagrid," said Johnny loudly, so that Hagrid wouldn't blunder on and reveal that he had shown Harry and him the dragons beforehand.

Professor Moody looked very pleased too; his magical eye was dancing in its socket.

"Nice and easy does the trick, Potter," he growled.

"Right then, Potter, the first aid tent, please..." said Professor McGonagall.

"Dragons!" she said, in a disgusted tone, pulling Harry inside. The tent was divided into cubicles; Johnny could make out Cedric's shadow through the canvas, but Cedric didn't seem to be badly injured; he was sitting up, at least. Madam Pomfrey examined Harry's shoulder, talking furiously all the while. "Last year dementors, this year dragons, what are they going to bring into this school next? You're very lucky... this is quite shallow... it'll need cleaning before I heal it up, though...."

She cleaned the cut with a dab of some purple liquid that smoked and stung, but then poked his shoulder with her wand, and he felt it heal instantly.

"Now, just sit quietly for a minute - sit! And then you can go and get your score."

She bustled out of the tent and he heard her go next door and say, "How does it feel now, Diggory?"

Wanting to see what was going on outside, Johnny went to exit with Harry, but before they'd reached the mouth of the tent, two people had come darting inside - Hermione, followed closely by Ron.

"Harry, you were brilliant!" Hermione said squeakily. There were fingernail marks on her face where she had been clutching it in fear. "You were amazing! You really were!"

But Harry was looking at Ron, who was very white and staring at Harry as though he were a ghost. They had an argument just after Harry's name had come out of the Goblet, this was the first time they've talked properly in a month.

"Harry," Ron said, very seriously, "whoever put your name in that goblet - I - I reckon they're trying to do you in!"

It was as though the last few weeks had never happened - as though Harry were meeting Ron for the first time, right after he'd been made champion.

"Caught on, have you?" said Harry coldly. "Took you long enough."

Hermione and Johnny stood nervously between them, looking from one to the other. Ron opened his mouth uncertainly.

"It's okay," Harry said, before Ron could get the words out. "Forget it."

"No," said Ron, "I shouldn't've -"

"Forget it, "Harry said.

Ron grinned nervously at him, and Harry grinned back.

"Group hug?" Johnny offered with a cheesy smile. Ron and Harry laughed and stepped into Johnny's awaiting hug.

Hermione burst into tears.

"There's nothing to cry about!" Johnny told her, bewildered, still latched on to the hug.

"You three are so stupid!" she shouted, stamping her foot on the ground, tears splashing down her front. Then, before either of them could stop her, she had joined the hug and dashed away, now positively howling.

"Barking mad," said Ron, shaking his head. "Harry, c'mon, they'll be putting up your scores...."

"You were the best, you know, no competition. Cedric did this weird thing where he Transfigured a rock on the ground... turned it into a dog... he was trying to make the dragon go for the dog instead of him. Well, it was a pretty cool bit of Transfiguration, and it sort of worked, because he did get the egg, but he got burned as well - the dragon changed its mind halfway through and decided it would rather have him than the Labrador; he only just got away. And that Fleur girl tried this sort of charm, I think she was trying to put it into a trance - well, that kind of worked too, it went all sleepy, but then it snored, and this great jet of flame shot out, and her skirt caught fire - she put it out with a bit of water out of her wand. And Krum - you won't believe this, but he didn't even think of flying! He was probably the best after you, though. Hit it with some sort of spell right in the eye. Only thing is, it went trampling around in agony and squashed half the real eggs - they took marks off for that, he wasn't supposed to do any damage to them."

Ron drew breath as he, Johnny and Harry reached the edge of the enclosure. Now that the Horntail had been taken away, Johnny could see where the five judges were sitting - right at the other end, in raised seats draped in gold.

"It's marks out of ten from each one," Ron said, and Johnny squinting up the field, saw the first judge - Madame Maxime - raise her wand in the air. What hooked like a long silver ribbon shot out of it, which twisted itself into a large figure eight.

"Not bad!" said Ron as the crowd applauded. "I suppose she took marks off for your shoulder..."

Mr. Crouch came next. He shot a number nine into the air.

"Looking good!" Johnny yelled, thumping Harry on the back.

Next, Dumbledore. He too put up a nine. The crowd was cheering harder than ever.

Ludo Bagman - ten.

"Ten?" said Harry in disbelief. "But... I got hurt.... What's he playing at?"

"Harry, don't complain, you wanker!" Johnny yelled excitedly.

And now Karkaroff raised his wand. He paused for a moment, and then a number shot out of his wand too - four.

"What?" Ron bellowed furiously. "Four? You lousy, biased scum-bag, you gave Krum ten!"

"You're tied in first place, Harry! You and Krum!" said Charlie Weasley, hurrying to meet them as they set off back toward the school. "Listen, I've got to run, I've got to go and send Mum an owl, I swore I'd tell her what happened - but that was unbelievable! Oh yeah - and they told me to tell you you've got to hang around for a few more minutes... Bagman wants a word, back in the champions' tent."

Harry left the tent, rejoined Ron and Johnny, and they started to walk back around the edge of the forest, talking hard; Harry and Johnny wanted to hear what the other champions had done in more detail. Then, as they rounded the clump of trees behind which Harry and Johnny had first heard the dragons roar, a witch leapt out from behind them.

It was Rita Skeeter, a reporter for the Daily Prophet. She was wearing acid-green robes today; the Quick-Quotes Quill in her hand blended perfectly against them.

"Congratulations, Harry!" she said, beaming at him. "I wonder if you could give me a quick word? How you felt facing that dragon? How you feel now, about the fairness of the scoring?"

"Yeah, you can have a word," said Harry savagely. "Good-bye."

"Wait, Mr. Grindelwald!" Rita called out, causing the three boys to turn around. "Have you heard the news?"

"What news?" Johnny asked, a sense of fear in the pit of his stomach.

"Your mother... Evelyn... she's been found dead."