Harry let out a frustrated sigh as he stared into the surreal calm of the Black Lake. Just a few hours ago, he was happily eating while discussing his Transfiguration essay with Hermione, and now he was a friendless outcast. Once again his year had taken a turn for the worse, and this time a flaming cup was the culprit. Yes, the famed Goblet of Fire had regurgitated his name and for some reason, that constituted a magically binding contract forcing him to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. Said tournament was abolished centuries ago due to the fact that all the champions died... in the first event. So after such a 'devastating tragedy' the ministry officials decided it might not be a good idea to continue. But for some harebrained reason, they were introducing the 'New and Improved!' Triwizard Tournament with a few safety precautions sprinkled in for good measure, but Harry didn't hold much faith in the ministry these days.

He really should have known better though. Every year on Halloween something happens that inadvertently changes his life. This year it seems he's lost his only close friends and scorned by the rest of the student population as well as the Beauxbaton and Durmstrang representatives. He let out a dark chuckle at his predicament. Essentially, he was hated by almost every student in three different schools. He wasn't sure if he should be depressed or proud.

Harry was interrupted from his thoughts when he noticed that he was no longer alone. A girl wearing Slytherin robes was sitting next to him, watching him. "You really need to work on your situational awareness, Potter."

Harry turned his head to face his companion and scowled "And you need to work on your tact Greengrass. Is it not evident that I want to be alone? I need to plan my next nefarious plot to garner more fame and glory after all."

Daphne let out a laugh "Oh please Potter, you couldn't plan a trip to the bathroom, let alone nefarious plots with visions of grandeur!"

Harry started laughing as well at her retort. He and Daphne had this strange sort of relationship. He wouldn't call her a friend per se, but they were friendly... in a caustic and biting kind of way. It started in second year when Snape had seen fit to make him pair off with her in class. Apparently he noticed his social awkwardness around the opposite sex, and that added to that the natural animosity between all Slytherins and Gryffindors... well needless to say that Harry didn't do very well in potions for quite a while. However, though she may have been cold and callous at first, she eventually warmed up to him and let him see the real Daphne. He was still trying to decide if that was a good or a bad thing.

The real Daphne was a very cynical and slightly cruel girl with a sharp wit and venomous sense of humor. Although abrasive, she held incredible intelligence and wisdom that far surpassed her years. She was exceptionally witty and Harry enjoyed the challenge to keep up with her. Daphne always seemed to keep him on his toes and encourage him to do better.

Harry shook himself from his reverie "So are you here to ask how I did it? Can't stand the thought that I got to tamper with a glorified cup?"

She scoffed at him "You give yourself far too much credit Potter. The Goblet is an incredibly complex and unpredictable work of magic. There's a reason the only thing Dumbledore could do was draw an age line around it."

He arched an eyebrow at her "Oh? And what makes you the expert on such an enigmatic magical artifact?"

She rolled her eyes and stood up "I'm hardly an expert. Even the most oblivious simpleton could find that information in the library." She offered a hand to him which he took "Honestly Potter, try to use that brain of yours for once."

He chuckled as they made their way back to the castle "And what if I did trick the Goblet? What if I'm secretly a magical genius and saw this tournament as an opportunity to seize more glory?"

She hit him in the arm playfully "Stop overestimating yourself Potter. You're not a fame-whore like Weasley and your certainly not a show off like Granger. You and I both know that you'd be happy to just sit back and let someone else get the excitement this year."

Harry frowned at this. Why did this Slytherin girl, whom he wasn't that close with, know him better than his dorm mates and his best friends? They walked in silence while he pondered this until they reached the point in their journey in which they had to separate. Daphne merely nodded at him and turned to walk toward her dorm but before she could get too far away, Harry grabbed her wrist.

She turned around, an expectant look on her face. Looking into her violet eyes for a moment, he offered up a quiet 'thank you'.

She smiled at him "Anytime Potter, and if you ever feel the need for an intelligent conversation, or Slytherin's perspective on things, you know where to find me."

He watched her turn and walk down the corridor before disappearing into another hallway leading to the dungeons. Harry stood there for a few more moments before reluctantly making his way up to his own dorm, hoping the everyone was already asleep.

– UC –

Daphne was absolutely ecstatic. She had been mentally jumping for joy ever since Potter's name was drawn by the Goblet, and the whole school turned against him. This alone would have worked to her advantage, but when his friends exploded on him during breakfast yesterday, it was almost too perfect. Potter was isolated and scorned by everyone in the school and even his best friends had accused him of foul play, no doubt invoking a deep feeling of betrayal in the poor boy. Oh yes her goals just got that much easier to reach. She had talked to him last night and gave him her offer of comfort and support. Now all she had to do was hope he took her up on it.
Daphne shook herself from her thoughts and observed the Great Hall. It was supper time and as such, most of the student body was present and happily eating away and enjoying lively conversations with friends. Almost all of the foreign students had acclimated to Hogwarts life and were actively socializing with each other and the new friends they made. As she scanned the Gryffindor table, she noticed a certain pair of be-speckled green eyes looking at her. Potter quickly averted his gaze and started talking with the boy sitting across from him.

A swift slap to the back of her head caught her off guard as her friend, Tracey Davis, huffed at her. "I was talking to you; and stop glancing around! You know the rules; no plotting at the dinner table."

Daphne glared at the brunette girl sitting next to her. Tracey was taller than her and well endowed in the right places, but her dark and twisted sense of humor scared most people off. Her eyes were a warm brown and her voice was like a rich and smooth chocolate. She practically dripped sensuality but her sadistic nature was enough to keep unwanted affections away from her. She was quite the interesting person but then again, so was Daphne.

Her midnight black hair fell past her shoulders in gentle waves and framed her face nicely. She wasn't as curvy as Tracey but it suited her height and build. Her high cheekbones and strong jaw gave her an aristocratic look that almost resembled the Blacks and people frequently made rude comments about her mother's fidelity though she really couldn't care less. She barely remembered her parents to begin with and felt no special attachment to them. So what if she was an illegitimate child and her mother was a whore? It didn't change her circumstances either way so it wasn't worth her time.

Tracey slapped the back of her head again a bit harder this time "What did I say Daph? No plotting. And answer my question damn it!"

Daphne growled at her nickname and glared a her friend "I wasn't plotting Trace, I was pondering." she shot back, enjoying the girl's frustration with her own nickname "And what was so important that you had to interrupt me from it?"

Tracey poked her in the arm with her fork making her yelp in pain "Next time you tune me out, I'll draw blood." she threatened. "As I was saying, I know you and Potter talk and are on somewhat friendly terms, so I wanted you to ask him if Longbottom was seeing anyone."

Daphne stared at her incredulously "You want me... How old are you Tracey? Ten?" She shook her head in disbelief before she realized exactly whom her friend was talking about "And Longbottom? Really?"

The brunette narrowed her eyes dangerously at her "Keep talking like that and see if you live through the night. And yes Longbottom. It's just so cute how he's shy and innocent. I just want to break him and turn him into my little plaything."

Daphne firmly face-palmed at her friend's explanation. "You're kind of sick in the head, you know that? And no, I won't be your little messenger. If you really want Longbottom as your boy toy, then that's entirely up to you."

"Oh come on Daph, I just want to make then hunt a little more interesting" Tracey pouted.

She rolled her eyes at her "No and that's final. You want Longbottom? Go ask him yourself. There's a Hogsmeade weekend this month so ask him out."

Her friend's eyes took on a mischievous glint "Is that a challenge dear Daphne? Then I propose a wager" Daphne merely raised an eyebrow and gave her an annoyed glare. "If I manage to get Longbottom to get to Hogsmeade with me, then you have to ask Potter as well."

Daphne's eyebrows rose to her hairline in surprise. She hadn't expected this. She had hoped to get Potter to ask her himself but she wasn't adverse to asking him instead. And that was assuming Tracey managed to get Longbottom to go with her at all. She may be sly and ambitious but she was absolutely devoid of subtlety. Daphne expected her to scare the skittish Gryffindor boy away. Either way though, Daphne won.

Shooting Tracey and amused glance she answered "Sure, go for it."

Her friend gave her a triumphant look before abruptly standing up and sauntering over to the Gryffindor table.

Dahne pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. 'Not a subtle bone in her body...'

– UC –

Harry was sitting at the end of the Gryffindor table while chatting with Neville. He had run into him in the common room last night and the two had a fairly long discussion. Neville simply asked Harry if he put his name in the Goblet and accepted his answer without any hesitation. He was bewildered at his dorm mate's trust in him and decided to take some time to talk to him. It wasn't anything profound, mostly school related, but Harry quickly learned that Neville was incredibly knowledgeable in regards to Herbology and Potions as well. Unfortunately he lacked the practical skill with latter and therefor performed rather poorly in class.

Harry felt slightly guilty that he never took the time to get to know Neville until now but he resolved to make up for it. He was roused from his thoughts as he noticed a brunette in Slytherin robes walking towards him and Neville. She was swaying her hips slightly as she walked and wore a small seductive smile. Harry thought she looked positively ravishing and chuckled when she tapped the oblivious Neville on the shoulder.

The poor boy turned around and squeaked in suprise when he saw Tracey Davis giving him a sexy and slightly predatory smile "My, my Longbottom you are quite the cute little Gryffindor. I do hope you are not currently seeing anyone are you?"

Poor Neville gaped like a fish, desperately trying to find his voice. Giving up, he simply shook his head in response. Tracey's smile widened as she grabbed his tie and pulled his face closer to hers. "How very fortunate for you my dear Neville. For this upcoming Hogsmeade weekend, you get to escort me through the town. You will meet me here in the Great Hall and be ready to go by three o'clock. Understand?" Neville nodded dumbly and she cupped his cheek with her free hand "That's a good boy. I look forward to it" and with a wink she left.

Harry chanced a glance at Daphne and saw her shaking her head in exasperation. He gave her a small amused smile before turning to back to his friend "You okay there Neville?"

He looked back at Harry with stunned disbelief written all over his face "D-did Tracey Davis just ask me out?"

Harry let out a hearty laugh "Sounded more like she demanded it to me." He shook his head and clicked his tongue "Well Neville, it was nice knowing you. Ill speak at your funeral if you want."

He just nodded his head in ascent not really comprehending what has happening. Harry looked back to Daphne who was pinching the bridge of her nose and laughing softly to herself. He had forgotten about the upcoming weekend in all the excitement of Halloween. Maybe he should follow Tracey's lead and ask someone to accompany him to the small wizarding village.

– UC –

.::AN::. Well hey there everyone. Sorry for the long absence but after my dad passed away I kind of got distracted and various other things caused me to drift away but after all this time I came back and read through this story. I barely made it to the end :/

I'm scrapping what I have and I'm gonna post a re-written chapter every week (hopefully)
No worries for the same concept and basic plot will remain the same but I wanted to make somethings more believable and introduce a few ideas as well. I hope this new version suits your tastes
If I disappoint you then i'm sorry and I thank you for reading my first attempt at a fanfiction

until next time

~Rosario