Tyki075: … so… yikes. Wow, it's been a good long minute. That is totally my bad, I feel terrible. I am so so sorry. I really have no excuse as to why this chapter took as long as it did, other then I'm a lazy piece of shit. I mean, holy shit. I've had a lot of this chapter written for a long time, I just never finished until right now. I was watchin' some Game of Thrones (for the third time) with my brother and I just decided I was gonna work on it and now it's 5:00 in the morning because I was determined to write until I was done. I feel really good having finished the chapter though, so huzzah. I'm sorry if some things are a little off or wonky or randomly changed half way, this has all been written over the course of the past two years, so who knows what I've changed? Anyways, that's enough of that, let's just hop right on in.

Chapter Seven:

Harry hadn't seen hide nor hair of Professor Walker, outside of class, in a week. He wasn't in his office when Harry went to check and he rarely showed up to any meals in the Great Hall. The only times Harry did see him, the man was subdued, quiet and less outgoing then he was before and had been letting Mad-Eye Moody teach more classes. It was a strange transition, as the professor had just been getting happier after his grumpy period.

Harry tried to shake his worry off, but his eyes kept drifting to Professor Walker's empty seat at the Head Table. Unlike normal, there wasn't a mountain of dishes piled up and the professor was nowhere to be found.

"Where do you think he is?" Hermione asked, a worried frown on her face.

Ron shrugged as he ate his breakfast, "Who's to say? Maybe Dumbledore's been sending him to do things recently."

Hermione shook her head, "But he's still teaching his classes."

Near the Golden Trio sat Lavi and Lenalee, the two Durmstrang students who had seemed to be responsible for the end of Professor Walker's original bad mood. Harry eyed them carefully, watching as they too frowned sadly at the professor's empty spot. He, Ron, and Hermione had theorized about who the two students were and what their relation to Professor Walker was, but the only conclusion they had come up with was that Lavi and Lenalee were descendants of Professor Walker's old friends who died in battle. It seemed plausible, although they had no idea if the two from two hundred years ago had ever had children or not. It was the only working theory they had at the moment though. Harry didn't know if he could trust them yet but decided to take a shot in the dark, as, at the very least, they seemed to have Professor Walker's best interests in mind.

Harry slid down the bench to sit across from the two students. "Hey."

Lavi and Lenalee looked over at him and they both smiled.

"Hello, Harry. How've you been?" Lavi said.

"I've been alright. I was just wondering if you knew where Professor Walker has been recently?" Harry asked.

Lenalee sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "It's sort of complicated. He's been… going through some things and has needed some time to himself."

Harry nodded, "How do you three know each other if you don't mind me asking?"

"We met each other a couple of years ago. He was traveling around and visited Durmstrang for a little while. He was an assistant teacher of some sort for a bit and we got to know each other to a degree. He's a good person and we were happy to hear that he had found work here and we would get to see him during the Triwizard Tournament." Lavi explained with a smile.

Harry nodded again in understanding. "Hermione, Ron, and I are gonna be going down to watch people put their names in the Goblet of Fire, would you guys like to join us?"

Lenalee raised an eyebrow, "You're just going to sit around and watch people put slips of paper in a cup for an extended period of time? Rather dull, isn't it?."

Lavi smiled brightly, "I don't know Lenalady, it sounds fun! You get to see who might be a potential candidate for the Triwizard Tournament. You get to see who's doing it because they're dared and peer pressured and who's actually got some guts to them! Plus, you'll also get to see what happens when some underage kid inevitably tries to put their name in."

Harry gestured to Lavi with a pointed look on his face. He liked the redhead; he was kind and friendly. He didn't take things too seriously and was usually smiling. Harry didn't mind Lenalee either, though she wasn't the jokester that Lavi was; she had a more mother-like feel to her and she was caring and kind. Harry liked them both and he hoped he would be able to trust them.

Lenalee sighed, but she had a small smile on her face, "Alright, fine. When are you guys going?"

"After lunch," Harry said.

Lenalee nodded as she and Lavi stood up, "Got it. In the meantime, Lavi and I have some things to do. We'll you see you then."

"Bye Harry!" Lavi called as they made their way out of the Great Hall.

Harry moved back to Ron and Hermione, where they were bickering about Krum and everyone's obsession with him.

"You don't understand, Hermione! He's the best Quidditch player of our age!" Ron was saying.

"So? He's not a god! But everyone's drooling at his feet like he hung the sun in the sky!" Hermione shot back.

"I don't think yo- Oh, hey Harry." Ron blinked at him.

"Oh," Hermione said, "What were you talking to Lenalee and Lavi about?"

"I asked them if they knew where the professor was," Harry said.

"And?" Hermione prompted.

Harry shrugged, "They said he was going through some things and he needed some time alone."

Hermione frowned, "Weird. I'm kind of surprised he told them."

"Apparently, Professor Walker was at Durmstrang as an assistant teacher a couple of years back and got to know them then," Harry explained.

"If they're related to his friends that makes sense. He'd want to build a relationship with them. I wonder why he left though. He could've stayed a teacher there, but he chose to go." Hermione said with a frown.

"Maybe it was too hard. I mean, imagine staring into the faces of people you lost all day. It would have been painful." Ron said, his voice muffled by some biscuit in his mouth.

"True. I probably wouldn't have stayed too long either." Hermione agreed.

"Anyway," Harry said, "I also invited them to join us when we go down to watch the Goblet of Fire after lunch."

"Cool," Ron said, "Maybe they can introduce us to Krum."

Hermione scowled, "I swear to God, Ronald-"

oO0oO0oO0oO0oO0oO0oO0oO0

Allen was currently buried underneath a large mound of blankets in a room within the Ark. He knew that, eventually, he would have to face reality and with it, his problems, but currently he was more than content with his protective blanket barrier through which no light could come through.

Except, he wasn't. Because even his mountain of twelve plus blankets couldn't make Kanda remember him.

It had been a week or so since Allen had run into his reincarnated love and he still hadn't really been able to come to terms with it. He exited the Ark to teach his classes, but that was about it. He had a stash of food in the Ark, so he didn't have to go to the Great Hall. He avoided the Beauxbatons students like the plague.

'Allen, you gotta get back into the swing of things eventually. People are no doubt suspicious at this point.' Neah said.

'You don't understand, Neah. I loved him so much and now he doesn't even know my name. It's been two hundred and fifty years and I've not forgotten his face, but he's forgotten mine.' Allen said tearfully.

Neah sighed, 'I get it, Allen, I do-'

'No, you don't! You don't get it!' Allen yelled.

'Allen, listen. I might not truly understand, but I do understand that just burying yourself is never going to help. There are people that need your help right now, Harry needs your help. You can't just stay locked up in here.' Neah said.

Allen sighed, 'Yes, I know. Can't the world just let me wallow in my suffering for a little while longer?'

'Sorry Allen. I've never found that to be how the world works.' Neah smiled slightly.

'Yeah, me neither.'

Allen heaved one last sigh before emerging from his mountain of blankets. He slowly stood up and pulled some fresh clothes out of his cupboard. Setting them aside, he then made his way to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

Once he was clean and feeling more refreshed then he had in a week, he stepped out of the Ark. He decided the first thing he should do was to find Lavi, Lenalee, Tyki, and Road and make sure they were okay. He stopped contact with them, as well as the rest of the school outside of DADA class after he ran into Kanda.

As he made his way through the hallways he nodded to the portraits and smiled at the students he passed. Most looked surprised to see him, though some actually looked relieved. Maybe he had been letting Moody teach too many classes lately. Allen was just turning a corner when he heard his name called,

"Hey! Allen!"

Allen turned around and saw Lavi jogging down the corridor towards him, Lenalee walking not far behind him.

"Hello. I was just coming to find you, actually." Allen said with a smile.

"We were coming to see you as well," Lenalee said as she and Lavi reached him, "We know it's been hard… since Kanda. Are you alright?"

"I've been better, but it's getting easier. I went over two hundred years without him, I just need to adjust to… seeing him and knowing I can't have him. I'll be fine, I'm sure." Allen shrugged, tugging on his currently-braided hair.

Lavi patted his shoulder gently, "We'll help you through it, mate. You won't be alone."

Allen smiled genuinely at them before pulling away and rolling his shoulders, "Well, I just came to make sure you guys were okay. I need to track down Tyki and Road and update them as well."

"The last time I saw either of them, they were with some Hufflepuffs down by the lake," Lavi said.

"Hufflepuffs? I thought Slytherin would be more their crowd, cunning and proud lot that they are." Allen frowned questioningly.

Lavi shrugged, "I don't know, but Tyki's been sitting there for most meals. Sometimes he joins us at the Gryffindor table. Road moves around more often than not."

Allen hummed, "Thanks, guys. I've got to go, but I'll see you later."

"Actually, we're going to watch people put their names in the Goblet of Fire with Harry, Ron, and Hermione after lunch, if you want to come," Lenalee said before Allen could walk around.

"Sure. I need to talk to Harry, Ron, and Hermione as well." Allen smiled one more time before walking off down the hallway.

He made it to the lake in record time, managing to not get lost or turned around once. He could see a group of students sitting near the bank of the lake, laughing and talking with one another. Among them was Tyki, though he couldn't see Road.

Deciding it would be best if he played the part of the teacher, Allen made his way over slowly. He smiled as he reached the group, recognizing most of the students. Among them were Cedric Diggory, Susan Bones; a fourth year, Justin Finch-Flethchley; another fourth year, and Cho Chang; a Ravenclaw fifth year. As he made his way over Cedric smiled at him.

"Hello, Professor!" The boy said, "It's been a while since we've seen you!"

"I've had some personal things going on, but I should be out and around like normal again now," Allen explained briefly.

"I'm glad to hear it," Cedric said kindly.

Despite their brief opposition when they met before the Quidditch World Cup, Allen was fond of the Hufflepuff. He was kind and responsible, always paying attention and doing well in class. He was a role model Allen hoped other students would follow.

"What are you doing down here Professor?" Justin asked.

"I actually need to talk to Mr. Mikk here for a second or two," Allen said, looking at Tyki.

Tyki frowned suspiciously for a second, his eyes narrowed, likely determining whether Neah was in control or not, before deciding it was safe and getting to his feet.

"I'll see you guys at lunch," Tyki said to the other students.

They nodded and waved, Cho Chang muttering a small, "Bye Tyki."

"So, where've you been Shounen?" Tyki asked as they walked away.

"Have Lenalee and Lavi told you anything?" Allen said.

Tyki shook his head, "I honestly haven't talked to them all that much. I've been trying to make some acquaintances in some other houses. Has your sudden leave of absence got anything to do with one Yu Kanda?"

Allen looked at Tyki in shock, "You knew he was here?"

"Of course I did, he goes to Beauxbatons with me. I haven't talked to him or anything though, as I've been steering well clear of that confrontation. Even at school, he seems to have some fascination with swords, always running off with butter knives and things like that. I don't want to be anywhere near that mess when he realizes an ex-Noah he was never particularly fond of is at the same school as him. I'm honestly surprised he hasn't approached me yet, though I guess he might not know I'm there, as great as my sneaking skills are." Tyki explained.

'Sneaking skills, yeah right. The bastard can't sneak his way out of an empty room. They're in the same year for god's sake, they likely share classes and a dorm.' Neah scoffed.

"He doesn't remember anything. I ran into him a little while ago and he had no idea who I was. " Allen said quietly.

"Mm. That does make more sense. He sleeps in the bed across from me, but I guess I always assumed that he just didn't see me or something." Tyki said with a deep frown.

'Never let it be said that Myki has any amount of intellect to him.' Neah snorted.

"I'm sorry Shounen. I know how much he meant to you." Tyki continued, "Is that why you shut yourself away for so long?"

"Yeah. I couldn't stand to see him just walking about or sitting in class. There's no recognition whatsoever in his eyes and it breaks my heart." Allen muttered, his eyes on the ground.

Tyki put an arm around Allen's shoulder, pulling him into his side briefly before letting him go. "I'm sure he'll get his memories back soon. I see no reason why he specifically would be exempt from them. Maybe it's just taking him longer. It's only a matter of time, then you'll have your crazy, homicidal samurai back."

Allen chuckled, "Thanks Tyki, I really do appreciate it. Do you have any idea where Road is, by the way? I should probably say hi to her as well."

"She's kind of been all over the place recently. The last I saw, she had somehow managed to worm her way into Viktor Krum's friend group. No idea how, but that's the first place I'd check." Tyki said.

"Huh. Not what I expected, but I shouldn't be surprised. I'll talk to her at lunch, where I can find her easily, if she doesn't find me first." Allen said, "Speaking of friends, actually, I'm kind of surprised at who you've managed to acquaint yourself with."

"You mean Cedric?" Tyki asked, "He's a good person. A bit uptight sometimes, but overall a pretty decent guy. I've sat with him for a little bit now and he and his friends are pretty welcoming."

They had almost reached the castle by this point and Allen had some stuff he needed to get done before lunch, so he turned to Tyki, "By the way, Lenalee, Lavi, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I are gonna be watching the Goblet of Fire after lunch, if you'd like to join us. Road will probably be there, knowing her."

Tyki hummed, "Sure. I wouldn't mind getting to know the Boy-Who-Lived and his posse. Plus, I would never turn down the chance to hang out with you, Shounen." Tyki blew him a kiss with a flirtatious smile.

Allen scowled, "Fuck off, Mikk. I will get Neah out here, I swear."

'What? Please? I'm begging you.' Neah said, suddenly paying attention.

"Oh god, I'm sorry. My bad." Tyki said hurriedly.

'He's already done it! It's too late for apologies!' Neah insisted.

'Neah, no. I'll let him off this time.' Allen said.

'But, Allen! Then he'll never learn! He's a bastard! He deserves it!' Neah yelled.

'Neah, you don't even know what he did. You just want an excuse to be a little shit.' Allen raised an eyebrow.

'While that may be true, it is also irrelevant.' Neah said.

'You're a bad person.'

'Aren't we all?… Please?'

'No.'

'Why do you even talk to me at all? I'm just a tool to you, something for you to mess with or use when you please.' Neah cried.

'Stop being overdramatic. I'll let you come out tonight or something.' Allen said.

'You fuckin' better.' Neah grumbled.

Tyki was staring at Allen worriedly when the man tuned back into the world, watching intently to see if his eyes would turn gold so the ex-Noah could get a running start.

"Don't worry. I'm not gonna sic him on you." Allen said, "This time."

Tyki smiled weakly, "Thanks. I've got to go at the moment, I'll probably see you later." Then he ran off the other way before Allen could change his mind.

Allen shook his head and smiled. It was nice to fall back into the swing of things. When he ran into Kanda, everything had stopped for him. He had forgotten that there were other people that cared for him. It made him feel so much better just to spend time with the people he had missed for so long. Even seeing his students again got him out of his funk; no matter what he said, he loved teaching, he did. His students brightened his day just by being there. Teaching his classes was one of his favorite things in the world.

Allen's plan was to find Mad-Eye Moody, to talk to him about what had been going on in class recently and what to teach next. He had almost made it to Moody's office when he suddenly felt like he was being watched. He turned around slowly, looking intently around him. He peered into some shadows nearby and could make out a figure.

"Come out. I know you're there." Allen demanded.

The figure stepped forward. His face was stoic, his blonde hair braided tightly down his back, which was ramrod straight. The two dots on his forehead stood out against his pale skin. He was younger, obviously, but Allen would recognize him anywhere; the man had spent the better part of a year or so following his every move.

"Link?" Allen said, shocked, "Why the hell are you following me around?"

"I had to see if it was truly you, Walker." Link said simply.

"I swear to god, if you start this shit again, I will kill you. I will not have you following me around everywhere again, I got enough of that two hundred and fifty years ago." Allen glared.

Link raised his hands in surrender, "I had no plans on doing this for an extended period of time, I assure you. When I saw you, I had to make sure that it was you and not a Noah. I came with the Durmstrang school, which I have been attending for seven years and I was admittedly surprised to see you here, Walker, as a teacher no less."

"Yeah, well, the siren song of education was too much for me to ignore, I suppose," Allen said with an exaggerated shrug.

Link raised an eyebrow, "Really? You just couldn't resist teaching?"

Allen nodded eagerly, "Mhm. It was basically my destiny, I'm sure of it."

Link just stared at him, obviously not believing a word that came out of his mouth.

"Anyways, Link, as good as it was to see you, I was on my way somewhere before you decided to be a creepy stalker. I'll see you later, I have no doubt. I never could get rid of you."

With a bright smile and not another word, Allen strode off to Moody's office, leaving Link standing alone in the hall.

oO0oO0oO0oO0oO0oO0oO0oO0

Harry was honestly surprised to see Professor Walker sitting up at the Head Table during lunch, eating like normal. The other professor's seemed surprised to see him as well, though they were not happy about having to deal with him putting food away at the speed of light once again.

"I'm glad he's back," Hermione said, "He seems happier."

"Doesn't he?" Lavi said as he plopped down in the seat across from Ron. "We ran into him a little while ago and he says he's much better."

"What was wrong with him again?" Ron asked.

"Just some personal issues. You can ask him about it, if you want. He should be coming with us to the Goblet of Fire after lunch." Lenalee said, sitting next to her red-haired friend.

"Really? Great!" Hermione smiled, "I'm excited to see what he thinks of the wards placed around the Goblet of Fire and the potential champions."

A young-looking girl made her way over to the Gryffindor table from the Ravenclaw one. She sat directly across from Harry and placed her chin in her hands. Her hair was spiked and blue and she was wearing the uniform of the Beauxbatons school.

"Hello Road," Lavi said casually as he spooned some potatoes onto his plate.

"Hello Bookman." 'Road' said, "You're Harry Potter, right?"

"Yes?" Harry said hesitantly. Something about the girl made him uncomfortable. Maybe it was the way she was staring intently at him.

"Cool! I've heard you've faced off against the Dark Lord multiple times!" Road said excitedly.

"I have, I guess…" Harry said.

Lavi elbowed Road gently, not even looking up from his food, "Leave him alone, Road. You're freaking him out."

"Everyone says that." Road pouted, "I'm not allowed to talk to anyone."

"Get a filter and we'll allow you to interact with other human beings," Lavi said.

"You're no fun." Road said, but she did look away from Harry. Instead, she turned to a passing Krum, "Hey Viktor!"

Krum nodded at her with a small smile as he made his way out of the Great Hall.

Ron stared at Road in absolute shock. "You know Viktor Krum?! You're friends with him?!"

"Hm? Oh, yes. I started sitting with him at the Slytherin table and he seemed to like me, so we kind of became friends. He's actually a lot funnier then he looks." Road said absently.

Ron choked as he tried to summon words and Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes, "Ron, get a hold of yourself. Krum's a human being, he's allowed to have friends. You're just upset you're not one of them."

Ron scowled, "I know that. I'm not stupid."

Harry sighed as the two began bickering again. They seemed to be doing a lot of that recently. Relief washed over him as lunch drew to an end.

"Come on guys, let's go," Harry said, finally pulling Hermione and Ron from their argument and glaring contest, the two standing up with him. Lavi, Lenalee, and Road followed them to their feet and the group made their way out of the Great Hall, towards the room in which the Goblet of Fire was being stored.

"So, have you guys decided if you're going to enter the Triwizard Tournament or not yet?" Ron asked the two Durmstrang students with them.

Lavi shook his head, "I'm not going to. I prefer to sit on the sidelines and watch the proceedings."

Ron frowned in disappointment before turning to Lenalee, who smiled. "I'm going to put my name in. I think it would be interesting if I get chosen and, even if I don't, I'm happy to watch."

"Do you think you could win, if your name gets chosen?" Ron asked, his expression awed.

Lenalee smirked, "Oh I would certainly give the other champion's a run for their money. At the very least, I'm faster than them."

"And humble too," Lavi muttered.

"Why be humble? She's right." Road giggled.

" I wish we could put our names in," Ron pouted, "How cool would that be?"

"Not as cool as you think, if you end up dead." Someone said from behind them.

Harry turned around. "Professor Walker!" He cried happily.

The man in question smiled back at him, "Hey Harry, it's been a while."

"How are you. Professor?" Hermione asked.

"I'm alright Hermione. Thank you for asking." Professor Walker said warmly.

"Do you really think that people will die in the Tournament, Professor?" Ron questioned.

Professor Walker shrugged slightly, "The Triwizard Tournament is a very dangerous affair. Thus the age limit. Personally, I would prefer that the Tournament not happen at all, but no one asks what I want. It seems like an unneeded risk."

"But no one will die, right? There have to be safety measures in place." Hermione asked, affronted.

"I won't lie to you and say no one's died before." Professor Walker said.

"People have died?" Harry choked.

"I'm sure that the correct measures have been taken to prevent any severe harm or fatalities." Professor Walker assured as he waved his hands in a placating manner.

The Golden Trio still looked doubtful and Road scoffed, "It's not like any of you are going to join. Those that do know the risks. It's their choice."

"I'm still going to put my name in," Lenalee said casually.

Professor Walker raised an eyebrow briefly, then sighed, "I had a feeling you would say that. I wasn't even going to try to dissuade you, I know which of my battles are worth fighting."

The large group made it to the room of the Goblet of Fire after a couple of minutes. The goblet itself stood in the middle of the room, surrounded in a pale white line, with a blue fire burning in its cup. There were already some students there, either sitting to the side or standing around in groups.

"Hey, guys!"

A tall, tan-skinned man came jogging up to them. He had long, curly black hair, dark eyes, and a smirking mouth. His light blue robes labeled him as a Beauxbatons student.

"Tyki!" Road cried, running up and hugging the man around the waist, "I was wondering when you would join us."

Tyki chuckled, "You guys are slow. I've been here for at least an hour already."

"Who are you?" Ron said, crossing his arms.

"Ron! Be polite!" Hermione chided.

"What?! That's a perfectly polite question! And you were wondering too!" Ron protested.

"Stop fighting! Merlin's beard." Harry groaned. He didn't know if he would still be sane by the end of the year, if things continued the way they were between his two friends.

"Sorry Harry," Ron said sheepishly.

"This is Tyki Mikk," Professor Walker said, "He's a seventh-year student at Beauxbatons and a friend. I invited him to join us."

"Hello," Tyki said, smiling and waving.

Harry nodded at him and the group made their way to sit down.

"So, Tyki, will you be tossing your name into the Goblet of Fire?" Lavi asked, throwing an arm over Tyki's shoulders.

Tyki raised an eyebrow at him, "I've thought about it. I want to see some of the competition I might be facing before I make any final decisions."

"Aw, Tyki, I'm sure you could beat anyone you went up against!" Road declared confidently.

Harry was surprised when Professor Walker actually snorted, failing to disguise it as a cough.

Tyki looked affronted, "What Allen, do you not think I have the capability to beat the other champions?"

"I would never doubt you Tyki. It's just, I've taught you in class and well…" Professor Walker trailed off.

"Well what?" Tyki scowled, crossing his arms.

"Nothing, nothing. I'm sure you would do amazing. As your professor, I give you my full confidence." Professor Walker smiled brightly and gave the unimpressed Beauxbatons student a thumbs up.

With a huff, Tyki stood up and marched over to where a stack of blank paper slips was, grabbing one and a quill, and harshly scribbling his name onto the paper. He then stormed over to the Goblet of Fire, tossing it in, before returning to the group and sitting back in his spot.

Lavi started laughing loudly, gaining attention from the other students in the room. Tyki swatted at him when he tried to put his arm over his shoulders again and eventually ended up shoving the redhead off the bench altogether, where he just lay laughing.

Harry chuckled at the scene. After the past couple of years, everything seemed so serious, so it was nice to have fun for once. The Triwizard Tournament seemed like a good way to get away from all the stress for a time.

The group watched students come and go, placing their names in the Goblet of Fire with a small burst of flame. Tyki waved happily at one of them, a tall brown-haired Hufflepuff who smiled back. Harry recognized the boy as Cedric Diggory.

"So, based on who you've seen so far, who do you think will win?" Lavi asked the group.

"I'd place a big bet on Cedric. He's pretty brilliant in the classroom." Tyki said.

Hermione frowned, "Didn't you just enter though Tyki? Don't you think you could win?"

Tyki shrugged, "I mean, maybe, but I'm not nearly as talented as Cedric when it comes to magic. My ability is more in physical stuff. And in a tournament based a lot on magic, that will only get me so far. Cedric could probably beat me."

"He's too nice. You need someone more willing to be harsh or kick some arse." Ron countered.

"Just because he's a Hufflepuff doesn't mean he's not willing to kick some arse," Hermione said.

"Hermione's got a point. I've seen Cedric get frustrated and it was like watching a spark slowly approach a pack of dynamite." Professor Walker said with a frown, "Cedric could be a force of nature when he wants to be. That is, if he gets picked."

"I personally would put all my money on Miss Lenalady here." Lavi smiled, bumping up against Lenalee.

"You know who I think could win?"

The group turned to the voice and Hermione audibly groaned when they were met with the sight of a set of smirking Weasley twins.

"Us." They said in unison.

Professor Walker raised an eyebrow, "Really? Strange, because, if I'm remembering correctly, only those that are seventeen years of age can enter the tournament. You two are sixteen, are you not?"

"We are indeed Professor," Fred said.

"But that won't matter." George finished.

"Won't it?" Professor Walker didn't look convinced.

"You see, we've cooked something up just for the occasion." George's words and tone did nothing to lessen Professor Walker's frown.

"It won't work. That line around the cup? That's an age line. Dumbledore set it himself. It won't be broken by something so pathetically dimwitted." Hermione said.

"Yes, but that's why it's so brilliant." Fred smiled.

"It's so pathetically dimwitted." George finished.

The two then turned and made their way over to the Goblet of Fire, pulling out two bottles of a pale potion.

"Ready Fred?"

"Ready George."

The twins locked arms and guzzled the potion without hesitation. They then took a breath and stepped over the age line. The whole room held its breath as everyone waited to see what would happen. When nothing did, the twins and everyone else erupted into cheers. Harry noticed that Hermione still sat looking doubtful while Professor Walker had a slight smile on his face.

"No way that actually worked. That can't be it." Lavi said, his face impressed, but skeptical.

Lavi's worries were soon proven extremely correct as, as soon as the twins put their slips of paper into the Goblet, they were blasted back and landed a couple of feet outside the age line. Students began to laugh and Harry soon saw why; Both twins had grown long white beards and their hair had lengthened and faded to grey. They stared at each other, horrified, as they examined the new features. The two began wrestling on the ground, each accusing the other of being at fault.

The cheers and laughs in the room rose until the doors banged open, sending the room into silence. Harry watched as Viktor Krum walked in, followed closely by a couple other Durmstrang students and Igor Karkaroff. The star Quidditch player quickly and silently put his name into the Goblet, the other students doing the same. With no acknowledgment of anyone in the room, Krum and his entourage then made their way out the doors.

"Geez. That was dramatic," Lavi said.

Road shrugged, "Most things Krum does are."

Professor Walker stood and brushed himself off, "Well, that was quite enough for me. I've got to go catch up on some lessons and grading and such. I will see you all tonight, at the feast." Everyone bid their goodbyes to the professor as he left.

Once he was gone, Lenalee stood up and stretched, "I might as well get it over with, if I only have until tonight. This is the best glimpse of the competition that I'm going to get." She walked over to the papers, wrote her name down, and quickly put it into the Goblet of Fire. She strolled back to the group and grabbed her coat. "I'm actually going to head out. I've got some stuff to do before the feast tonight. You coming with me, Lavi?"

Lavi nodded and stood up as well, "We'll see you guys later at the feast! Tell me if anyone interesting puts their names in!" The two waved and walked out.

The rest of the group trickled out slowly over the next hour or so until Harry, Ron, and Hermione was all that was left.

Ron shrugged, "Well, at least we know the Triwizard Tournament won't be boring, eh?"

Harry and Hermione nodded as they all watched a long-haired Beauxbatons student silently slip their name into the Goblet.

oO0oO0oO0oO0oO0oO0oO0oO0

The Halloween Feast was as good as the one the year before and Allen was not ashamed to say he might have put a person or two off their dinner with how quickly he ate. No matter how good the food was, however, he still couldn't take his mind off the ceremony that was about to happen. He still thought that reviving the Triwizard Tournament was a bad idea and one that he simply didn't understand. People had died before, yet Dumbledore still thought it was an okay thing to bring into the school. Although, now that he thought about it, it's not like Dumbledore had shown a large amount of awareness for what was and was not safe in a school before.

Allen sighed, trying to take his mind off of it, knowing that there wasn't anything to be done at this point. He stared out over the four tables of students. He could see the classic Hogwarts robes, as well as those of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang mixed in. The students were evenly mixed in, with students from the foreign schools sitting at each table. It was nice to see, but it was slightly soured by the fact that three of these students would be forced into a death game.

'Will you stop thinking so much? It's giving both of us a headache.' Neah groaned.

'I can't get my mind off of it. It's so unbelievably stupid, but everyone's just going along with it!' Allen said.

'That's just kind of how the wizarding world is sometimes. They do something that makes absolutely no sense- like refusing to use pens or modern writing utensils- but no one ever says anything and it's treated as completely normal.'

'But why? This isn't just using an outdated, inconvenient way of writing, this is potentially sending three teenagers to their deaths! How can people just be okay with this?'

'Allen, you grew up in a time of war, in which child soldiers were a normal occurrence. The Black Order didn't care about age or anything like it, they used whoever they could get their hands on. In your eyes, this is the same thing, but it's not, not really. I'm not saying it's good, or smart, or safe, but they're not forcing children into war to die. The students decide if they enter their names or not and only the oldest are allowed to enter. There are safety measures in place, though there should probably be more, if we're being honest. But it's not a war.' Neah said, his voice soft.

'I know they're not the same thing! But… the students don't know what they're getting themselves into, they don't fully understand the risks. Most of them don't know what real danger is like. And that's a good thing! We should keep it that way!'

'Why is it bothering you so much now? You seemed more or less fine with it earlier. You weren't happy with it, but it didn't upset you this much.'

Allen sighed, 'I don't know. I guess, seeing them all put their names in, watching them place bets and joke around, it really hit home how unaware they are of the danger they're putting themselves in. And seeing everyone treat it so casually, it makes me mad, I suppose.'

'The Triwizard Tournament is dangerous, yes, but it's not like people die left and right every time. I think it's safer then you make it out to be.'

'They canceled it last time! Because a literal cockatrice that was part of a task went on a rampage in 1792! The death toll was increasing so they found the risk to greatly outweigh the reward!' Allen protested.

'I mea- Really? A cockatrice?'

'Yes! I researched it. The champions were supposed to be catching it, but it got out of hand.'

'Well shit, that's crazy… But I'm sure nothing like that will happen this time! There's a reason it was allowed to be revived in the first place, they had to put some measures in to ensure death or other such incidents wouldn't keep happening.'

'But why would they do it at all?'

'I feel like we're just going around in circles now, Allen. I don't know. Maybe they wanted to lift some spirits or something after the shit piles the last years have been. Maybe they thought it would be fun. Maybe they just want to kill some children. I have no clue. But even if either of us did, it's not like there's anything we can do to stop it at this point. Dumbledore is literally doing instructions right now.'

''He's what?'

Allen focused back onto the real world again and saw that Dumbledore had indeed stepped up to talk, giving some brief instructions for the chosen champions. He then waved his wand and all the candles went out, the Goblet's blue fire illuminating the room.

The entire room seemed to hold its breath until the fire burned red and a slightly scorched piece of paper came shooting out, only to be caught by Dumbledore.

The old wizard took a second to read the name before loudly announcing to the room, "The champion for the Durmstrang school will be," he paused for dramatic effect, "Viktor Krum!"

The room erupted into cheers and Allen clapped along with them. He couldn't say he wasn't relieved that it wasn't Lenalee. Viktor was strong and smarter than people gave him credit for, he'd make a good champion. The Durmstrang champion made his way past the Head Table and through a doorway near the back.

The Goblet didn't take long to turn red again and cough up another paper.

"The Beauxbatons champion will be Fleur Delacour!"

The room cheered again and the Beauxbatons champion followed Krum to the back. Allen didn't know much about Fleur Delacour, but she seemed competent, from what he had seen in classes. She was better than Tyki, at the very least.

The Hogwarts champion was last and everyone was silent as they waited for the name to emerge. The fire turned red and Dumbledore caught the third and last piece of paper.

"The champion for the Hogwarts school will be… Cedric Diggory!"

The Hufflepuff table was the loudest among the cheers and Cedric was grinning broadly. Allen clapped along, though he was worried for the boy. Cedric followed the previous champions past the Head Table. He sent Allen a smile as he went and Allen nodded at him.

'Well, that's one step down. And it honestly could have gone a lot worse.' Neah said.

Of course, it was at that moment that the Goblet turned red once more and another name shot out.

The Great Hall was deadly silent as Dumbledore caught the fourth name. A frown grew on his face and when he looked up his eyes scanned the Great Hall.

He cleared his throat and said, "Harry Potter."

Allen's eyes shot to said boy, who had gone pale as a ghost and was staring at Dumbledore in shock. His friends pushed him to his feet and he stumbled towards the Head Table. Harry helplessly made eye contact with Allen and the white-haired man shrugged slightly, gesturing with his head to the back room the other champions had gone into.

Once the boy was gone the room filled with voices once more, all demanding answers.

'Why am I not even surprised at this point. That boy cannot help but get himself into trouble.'

Allen ignored Neah and took the chance to slip into the back room. When he reached the champions they were all staring in confusion at Harry, who seemed to sink more and more into himself.

"Hello all," Allen greeted as he entered, "Congratulations on being chosen for the tournament! It does seem that some… complication has arisen. I'm sure Dumbledore, Karkaroff, and Maxime will be along shortly to decide what is to be done."

Cedric nodded in understanding while shooting worried glances at Harry. Krum looked confused, but he stepped off a bit and waited by the fire. Delacour looked a little more reluctant, but she acquiesced.

With the other champions placated, Allen turned to Harry. He put his hand on his shoulder and knelt down slightly to his level.

"Are you okay?" Allen asked. At Harry's hesitant nod he continued, "You need to know that they are likely to still make you compete. I know that you are not old enough, but that stupid cup doesn't really give the chosen a choice. There's some binding something or other, I'm not certain how it works. The others will be in to make final decisions, but you need to know that that is an option."

Harry was quickly moving from shocked to horrified, "But Professor, I can't compete! I didn't even put my name in the Goblet, I don't know how it got there! I swear!"

Allen shushed him gently, "I believe you. I don't know what's going to happen, but I'll be there." The professor gave his young student a quick hug before hurried footsteps could be heard approaching the room. He straightened up just as the Headmasters burst through the door.

"Harry! Did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire?!" Dumbledore strode up to Harry, backing him up against a trophy case.

"Albus, you could've said that calmly. There's no need to be so aggressive. You're scaring him." Allen said, putting a hand on the Headmaster's arm.

Dumbledore blinked and nodded, taking a step back. The others came up behind him.

"He can't compete!" Igor Karkaroff demanded, glaring fiercely at Harry.

"He has no choice!" Barty Crouch retorted, "The contract is binding. He signed it when his name came out of the Goblet of Fire."

"But he is just a boy. He cannot fight." Madame Maxime said.

Barty Crouch shook his head, "It doesn't matter. There's nothing to be done."

"Why do we have to follow what some dusty old cup says? Is he going to drop dead if he backs out?" Allen demanded.

Crouch eyed him, "I'm sorry, Mister…"

"Walker. Professor Allen Walker." Allen filled in.

Crouch nodded, "I'm sorry Mister Walker, but it is in the rules."

"Oh, the rules. My apologies, I didn't realize we were dealing with a presiding power of such magnitude and authority!" Allen scoffed, "You can't possibly force a young boy into a challenge in which death is a possible outcome because the rules dictate it be so!"

"There's nothing to be done!" Barty Crouch said.

"I thought your age line was supposed to keep out those too young to participate in the first place, Albus!" Karkaroff demanded, moving the subject to the other problem on the table.

Allen noticed Snape for the first time when he scoffed, "Don't blame Dumbledore for the Potter boy's insistence on breaking the rules and drawing attention to himself."

"Don't be an idiot Severus. No matter what you think of Harry, we all know he's not powerful enough to have broken that age line." Allen said, glaring at the potions master.

Snape glared back, "He could have easily gotten an older student to do it for him."

Allen withheld an eye roll and turned to Harry, "Well Harry, did you get another student to put your name in for you?"

Harry shook his head, "No, sir. I swear I didn't."

"Like we can believe what he says." Snape spat.

"He's clearly upset. Why would he do that to himself? You are just determined to blame him for every bad thing that has ever happened, whether he actually has any involvement or not!" Allen protested.

Before Snape could respond, Dumbledore interrupted, "Gentlemen! I'm sure we can figure this out without being at each other's throats."

"Hogwarts cannot have two champions!" Karkaroff insisted.

Maxime nodded in agreement behind him, "C'est impossible. An unfair advantage."

"We need to go get the cup to give out two more names," Karkaroff said.

Crouch shook his head once more, "We cannot. The Goblet of Fire has already gone out, it's impossible to relight it until the next Triwizard Tournament."

"Then we will choose randomly! Or nominate participants! Hogwarts cannot simply have twice the chance of the other schools!" Karkaroff was determined and Allen could certainly see where he was coming from. With the situation as it was, Hogwarts was basically being set up to win.

"That is… against the rules, it's simply not possible." Crouch said, frowning heavily.

"So was letting a fourteen-year-old participate, up until a second ago," Allen added.

"So what, you just want to add in two more contestants, pull names from a hat?" Snape scoffed.

"It's only fair, isn't it Severus?" Allen said.

"I'm inclined to agree. It is only right to even the odds." Dumbledore said, nodding thoughtfully.

With everyone against him, Barty Crouch let out a defeated sigh, "Very well. I need a list of names of those who wish to participate from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. We will randomly select two more champions and announce them tomorrow morning."

That night was even rougher than the fest had been. Allen had walked Harry back to the Gryffindor common room, trying to comfort the overwhelmed boy along the way. His words didn't seem to have an impact, so Allen felt it was best to talk it out with him the next day and leave him to get some sleep. Once they had parted ways, Allen went back to his own chambers, where a door to the Ark was open. He slipped inside and went to his actual room.

'You know, you should probably get some actual sleep. Lying here awake is just going to make it take longer.' Neah said.

'Yes, I'm aware, thank you very much. But I can't sleep. There's too much to consider. Like, if Harry didn't do it, then who put his name in the Goblet of Fire? And how did they guarantee the cup would choose him at all? It doesn't make sense.'

'I don't know and you're not going to figure it out by starting at the ceiling all night. How about I take control of the body for a bit and you can let your mind rest until morning? Just curl up in a corner of our shared consciousness and take a nap. That's what I do when you're being boring.' Neah suggested.

'Oh yeah? And what are you planning to do all night?' Allen questioned.

'I'm sure I can figure something out. Filch is always up at this hour and I am so close to convincing him that one of the ghosts is haunting him. He has no idea which one though, I've seen him glaring at every ghost he passes in the hallway.' Neah smirked.

'I would scold you for that, but Filch is kind of an asshole. And his cat, his cat is an asshole too.'

'Precisely! So why don't you rest a bit and I'll give go haunt the assholes!' Neah said cheerfully.

Allen sighed, 'Fine. But please don't cause too much trouble, I like my job.'

'When do I ever?'

Allen sat in the Great Hall once more the next morning, tapping his leg anxiously. He was too worried to eat his normal amount and he could feel curious looks from both teacher and student alike, but he did his best to ignore them. The additional champions would be announced after breakfast was over and Allen had a bad feeling.

"You feelin' alright Walker? You look nervous." Moody asked from the seat next to him. He was frowning at him and Allen couldn't tell if it was with worry or suspicion. Likely the latter, knowing Moody.

"I'm fine," Allen responded, "Just a little on edge, I guess, after last night."

"Are you worried about the new champions?" Moody questioned.

"More worried for them. This tournament has already gotten too complicated and messed up and we haven't even reached the first task yet." Allen said.

"You're right. I've been watching for any tampering, but I haven't seen anything. I don't know how Potter managed it." Moody took a bite out of his potatoes as he scanned the room, his blue eye whirling slightly.

"I'm not convinced Harry did anything. It's more likely someone set him up."

"Why do you say that? From what I've heard, Potter has a penchant for trouble." Moody's eyes turned back to him, though Allen could see the blue one wandering.

"He attracts it, yes, but he doesn't always simply seek it out. Trouble comes to him more then he goes to it." Allen explained.

Moody nodded, before turning back to the Great Hall and ending the conversation. He reached for his flask and took a large drink, then capped it and returned it to its place. Allen didn't know what was in the flask, but it was likely something to calm Moody's nerves. Allen couldn't blame him for it, the man seemed to have nerves aplenty.

Not long later, Dumbledore stood, calling everyone's attention to him. "As many of you may know, after the events of last night, it has been decided that two more champions must be chosen, to give every school a fair and equal chance in the Triwizard Tournament. As the Goblet of Fire has gone out until the next tournament, these champions have already been chosen randomly. The choosing was fair and all the Headmasters were present, as well as Mr. Crouch."

'Because that seems to have prevented tampering so far.' Neah muttered.

"So, without further prattle, the two additional champions are as follows. For the Durmstrang school, the second champion is Lenalee Lee."

Allen heart sunk into his stomach. He should have known; they had never been able to stay out of trouble in the past and he had no idea why he thought them being reincarnated would have changed that at all.

"And for the Beauxbatons school, the second champion is Yu Kanda."

Allen's entire being froze and time seemed to stop.

'Of fucking course.'

End.

Tyki075: So there you have it. There's chapter seven. Ideally, chapter eight won't take as long. I'm making no promises, but I'm going to try to hold myself a little more accountable. I do want you all to know that I have no plans for abandoning this story. Even if it takes me entirely too long, I will always try to update. I'm sorry about how long it's been, once again, but I will try to do better. As it is, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and thank you all so much for being patient with me, it means the actual world to me and I appreciate you so so much. I love you guys and I will see you next time. Squadala!