The Goblet 's Surprise

Summary

As part of the Triwizard Tournament, the Goblet of Fire may re-ignite after choosing the champions. This is a rare part of the choosing ceremony during which the goblet justifies its choices by showing something about each champion that influenced its decision.

Chapter 1: The Trials of the Champions

It's dinner on the day after the champions were chosen. Harry had sent off his letter to Sirius earlier that day, when an announcement was made throughout the castle that all students were required to show up in the Great Hall at dinner time. If his presence wasn't mandatory, he would not be here. The dark looks he was getting from everybody outside of Gryffindor made him glad that he didn't come here for Breakfast and Lunch.

"Settle down!" yelled Dumbledore from the head table. He waited until the room quieted down before continuing.

"We are gathered here today for the next phase of the champion choosing process." said Dumbledore.

Next phase? Wondered Harry as murmuring broke out throughout the Great Hall. I thought the decision was final yesterday.

Dumbledore waited for the hall to quiet down again before continuing, "The Goblet of Fire has re-ignited to signal that it will show all of us why it chose the champions that it did".

This unexpected turn of events caused more murmuring the break out throughout the Great Hall. Nobody said something like this could happen. The noise level dropped as soon as Dumbledore continued speaking. Nobody wanted to miss this.

"This happens only when the vast majority of the audience are questioning the choice of champions". Said Dumbledore, and many eyes turned to Harry making it quite clear who's place in the tournament was in question. Harry felt a spark of hope. Is this some form of disqualification ritual for the tournament? Do I not have to compete after-all? Dumbledore's next words caused a smile to appear on Harry's face.

"The last time this happened, one of the champions was swapped out with another champion because the former one was deemed unworthy". Despite the fact that many were sending smug looks at Harry now, he was still feeling elated by the hope he won't need to compete. In fact, Harry's smile was causing some of the smug looks to turn into frowns. Dumbledore's next words caused Harry's frown to join the rest.

"The worthiness of a champion is determined by the level of personal danger that they have faced in their lives. The Goblet will pick a dangerous situation that the champion faced, and show it to all of us"

Harry became apprehensive at this statement. He hoped that the other champions have secretly faced dark lords, swarms of dementors, basilisks and acromantula hives so that his 'levels of danger' fall insignificant by comparison. Not to mention, he didn't feel like reliving any of his adventures himself.

"Since Mr. Krum was chosen first yesterday, we will start off with his memories", and just as Dumbledore finished, the Goblet of Fire (Harry wondered when it was brought in) shot a blue flame into the air, quite unlike the red flames it shot the day before. The blue flame curved in the direction of Krum, and made contact with his head. The contact was very brief, and as Krum flinched, the Goblet's flames retracted while carrying a stream of something blue from his head.

Harry couldn't decide if it was gas or liquid that the flames were holding, but he didn't have long to examine it before this strange substance was pulled into the goblet itself and out of sight. There were a few seconds of total silence before the Goblet's fires erupted again. Harry noticed Fleur tense, and pull her wand out, apparently ready to defend herself, but the Goblet had other ideas.

The flames kept spewing from the Goblet and expanding until they completely encased everybody in the great hall in one massive dome of flame. The flames suddenly changed color … or more accurately, they lost their color plunging them all into total darkness. A few people screamed, but before the panic could escalate any further, the color returned.

It wasn't the flames that returned. The flames appear to have formed a massive view-screen from which they were clearly looking through Krum's own eyes. It didn't take long for Harry to realize that they were re-watching the Quiddich World Cup from Krum's eyes.

Hermione screamed, and she wasn't the only one. Not only were they looking through Krum's eyes, but Harry clearly felt all turns that Krum made as though he was on the broom himself. Harry would normally find this enjoyable, but he quickly realized that he wasn't in control (he was watching a memory after all), and it quickly turned into something that more closely resembles a roller coaster, but far more stomach churning that any muggle roller coaster could ever hope to be.

Despite his panic of not being in control, Harry was beginning to enjoy the sensation of flying secure in the knowledge that Krum never crashed during the world cup. However that thought brought the image of a bloody Krum to mind, which then brought the image of Krum taking a bludger to the face. Harry suddenly became anxious again. Just how realistic is this going to feel?

It didn't take long to find out. No sooner had he thought that then he saw the Irish beater Quigley send the bludger that Harry knew he will never avoid … because Krum didn't avoid it that day. The bludger hit him full in the face, and Harry (despite it being a memory) felt his nose break with the same level of pain he became familiar with at the Dursleys. However, having been caught up in the memory, he just noticed that Lynch sped off towards the Snitch, and Harry himself was after him moments later.

There was another occasion when Harry flew after the snitch with a major injury back in his second year, and this felt very similar. Focusing all his attention on the snitch, Harry dulled his sense of pain the same way he did that day, while vaguely hearing screams around him. The moment Krum caught the snitch, the pain vanished, and so did the strange view-screen that the Goblet created.

There was silence.

People were touching their noses with perplexed expressions, and some were looking at Krum with a measure of respect Harry never saw them give Krum before. Clearly impressed with his catching of the snitch despite the severe level of pain that many of them could not have imagined until a few moments ago. It's one thing to intellectually know that Krum caught the snitch in severe pain. It's another to experience it.

Looking around, Harry noticed that both Fleur and Cedric were looking at Krum with concerned expressions, but Harry could tell that this was not concern for Krum himself. Could they be wondering if they can measure up to what they just witnessed?

Harry meanwhile had another concern. Dumbledore himself said that your worthiness is determined by the level of personal danger you faced. Despite his impressive resume in that regard, there is one incident that stands out in his minds eye. His fight with the Basilisk down in the Chamber of Secrets. He had never told anybody except Ginny (who witnessed it) that he was stabbed by one of the basilisk fangs and nearly died.

The pain he felt that day makes today's nose break look like child's play. On top of the pain was Harry's failing vision and his fight to remain conscious.

Will the whole school be forced to experience it? Will they hear his thoughts like they did with Krum?

He looked up, and locked eyes with Ginny. Judging by how white her face is, Harry can tell that she's thinking about the exact same thing.