Harry Potter The Serpent

"My father told me about it," Draco smirked. "it's a special event that's coming to Hogwarts this year. I'm not really supposed to talk about it..." Draco trailed off, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Well Draco, you've mentioned it so clearly you do want to talk about it." Daphne said with a roll of her eyes. "Now hurry up and speak before we set Harry on you."

"I'm rather busy at the moment, I hope you don't mind if I delegate that particular pleasure to Jet?" Harry asked with an amused smile. Jet looked up and towards Draco, he hissed loudly.

"W...what did he say?" Draco said as he leaned back and away from Jet.

"Hungry." Harry answered without looking up from his book.

"Alright, alright, I'll tell." Draco said quickly. "The Tri-Wizard tournament is coming to Hogwarts."

"The what?" Harry asked as he did actually look up from his book.

"It's a famous old tournament that they had cancelled a few hundred years ago." Draco answered.

"Why?" Theo asked.

"Because everyone kept dying," Draco bluntly answered. "but now they're bringing it back, or at least what is supposed to be a safer version of it. It's a competition between three schools. Basically our school chooses a champion and then they'll choose a champion and then the three will compete. I've heard that there's a big prize for whoever wins, are any of you going to enter?" He asked.

"It does sound interesting." Harry said in a thoughtful voice.

"He's going to enter." Blaise said with a roll of his eyes.

"He'd win." Daphne said in a confident voice.

"Listen to my pet, morons." Jet hissed to the others.

Eventually the group were in the great hall with the rest of the students and teachers for the sorting ceremony and start of year feast, the only exceptions were Professor McGonagall and Hagrid who were both getting the first years, plus the defence against the dark arts Professor. The students all talked with each other until Professor McGonagall arrived with the first years, Hagrid sneaked into the hall and sat while they were getting sorted.

Harry wasn't able to miss the first years glancing at him, he obviously attracted their attention due to the fact that he had noticeable face scars, he was the boy-who-lived and currently had a snake resting on his shoulders. Some of them looked curious, some were awe-struck, some looked scared, and funnily enough it was mostly those scared ones that went into Gryffindor.

"Welcome!" Professor Dumbledore's voice boomed across the hall as he stood up. "Welcome one and all to another magical year at Hogwarts, I have plenty to tell you but for now...tuck in!" He said, earning cheers from the very hungry students. Food appeared at the tables and everyone began eating.

"He looks happy." Blaise noted as he glanced at Roman who was happily chatting with Ginny Weasley as they ate.

"Good." Harry smiled, he glanced down at the table and winked at Angela when he saw her. She winked and smiled back before returning her focus to her food.

"What the hell's up with Granger?" Harry heard Daphne say under her breath, Harry looked at the Gryffindor table and saw Granger push her plate away as if the very food offended her.

"It's hardly our business." Harry shrugged. "If she wants to starve herself then let her."

"I'm glad everyone seems to have enjoyed their meal," Dumbledore said as he stood in front of the podium on the stage, he had a smile on his face, looking very happy. "I understand that many of you are hoping to go to bed but I have a few very important announcement, with a few mildly important ones scattered in-between." Dumbledore said before he began going through the start of term announcements which included the usual ones like 'don't go into the forbidden forest'. "I am also very sorry to say that this year quidditch has been cancelled."

"You what?!" Harry blinked as many in the hall began protesting.

"Silence!" Dumbledore's magically amplified voice cut through all of the noise, ending all shouting. "There is a reason for this, this castle will not only be your home this year, but home to some very important guests as well. Hogwarts has been specially chosen to host a legendary event, the Tri-Wizard tournament. A special event that will take up much of our time this year," Dumbledore continued speaking, a few students whispered with each other but mostly kept quiet as they did not want to miss what Dumbledore was saying. "For those who don't know, the tournament will pit three school's against each other in a series of magical contest, from each school a single student will be selected. And let me be clear, if you are chosen then I wish you the best of luck because you will be on your own. I..." Dumbledore was cut off by the sound of lightening, rain poured from the enchanted ceiling as the sounds of thunder echoed throughout the hall.

Harry looked at the sky and saw that something was wrong with the enchantment, he was about to pull his wand out to fix it when a spell fired into the sky, correcting the problem and fixing the sky. A second later the sound of clunking echoed across the hall as a new person entered the room. He was covered with scars, and a chunk of his nose was missing. He had dark grey, grizzled hair and was noticeably missing a leg that was replaced with a wooden leg. What was arguably the most interesting thing about this person were his eyes: one was small and dark while the other was a vivid, electric blue magical eye that moved around independently from his normal eye.

"Mad-Eye." Harry breathed, recognising the man from a picture that Tonks had showed him. She had told him all about Mad-Eye Moody, the man responsible for training her and the man responsible for capturing most of the prisoners in Azkaban.

"Why is here?" Tracey whispered to Harry.

"My guess is that he's our new defence teacher." Harry whispered back.

"Are you serious?" Draco leaned over to ask that question.

"All of the seats at the teachers table are taken except for one." Harry shrugged before he and the others turned back to Dumbledore who was shaking hands with Moody before Moody walked over and sat down at the teachers table.

"Allow me to introduce Hogwarts's new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Alastor Moody." Dumbledore said as he gestured to Moody, there was barely any applause, it seemed like most people were either stunned by his appearance or stunned by the fact that the legendary Mad-Eye Moody was here. Moody didn't seem at all bothered by the lack of reaction and began casting several detection charms on the food. Before using his fork to pick a sausage up, he sniffed it for several seconds before he began eating.

"Now, as I was saying," Dumbledore continued speaking. "during this tournament we will be competing with two other schools, Beauxbatons and Drumstrang. The tournament was last seen a few hundred years ago before it was cancelled due to the high death toll."

"Death toll?" Harry heard Hermione Granger say with disbelief and more than a little bit of worry.

"There have been many attempts to bring back the tournament in the past, but they were not successful. That is until recently, I know many of you are eager to enter but I am afraid I may have to disappoint some of you. There is a new rule that has been introduced, only a witch or wizard that is of age - that is to say seventeen - may compete." Dumbledore said, several students began booing loudly, most noticeably the Weasley twins. "This is a measure we feel is necessary given how dangerous the tasks are," Dumbledore continued over the protests. "I will personally be making sure no one who is not of age can enter. Please do not waste your time trying to submit your name if you are not seventeen, now it's time to go to bed. Goodnight everyone." Dumbledore said before he gestured them to leave.

"It's stupid," Draco complained loudly later that night when they were sat in the common room. "we should be allowed to compete."

"I'm sure you'd win if you were allowed." Pansy simpered.

"I don't blame them for restricting it to students who are of age," Tracey replied. "what use are the prizes if you die in the attempt?"

"You make a good point, still I would have liked to compete." Harry said with a sigh. "I think the worst part is that quidditch is cancelled. I was looking forward to being a captain, though I suppose I now have a year to plan."

"Nice way to see the positives," Theo responded. "who do you guys think will represent Hogwarts?" He asked.

"Hopefully a Slytherin," Draco responded, "if not that then let it at least be someone who isn't in Gryffindor. Those idiots would never shut up if they won the thing."

"And you would?" Jet hissed with disbelief.

....

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