Goddamnit, now every guy in the school hates me.
"Sure."
Dudley was not one to deny a pretty maiden from sitting beside him. Though Susan was seething and baring her fangs already as she had to shift a little and make space. In comparison, Fleur appeared like an angel, smiling the whole time as she sat on the bench.
"How are Mr. and Mrs. Delacour? And your sister?" Dudley asked, fighting the unholy thoughts that arose because of Fleur's Veela allure. It was a real issue, he felt. He was rock hard already between his legs, and his mind constantly ordered him to take a look at her face, her mounds, or her legs.
So he did just that.
He focused on the leg—fried chicken leg piece, to be precise.
"Maman et Papa are well and eager for my partizipation in ze Triwizard Tournament. Gabrielle studies 'ard," Fleur answered, taking a plate for herself. "When I 'eard what 'appened to you, I asked Papa to visit. But 'e was busy."
Visit me? Why? We barely met once.
Bells of suspicion and doubts rang in his head. The way Fleur acted so friendly with him made no sense to him. They weren't close, not even enough to be called friends.
Ah!
Just then, he felt Fleur's leg brush against his under the table. It felt like a normal thing, her sideways movement mistakenly pressed into his leg. But she didn't move it back.
Is she trying to… seduce me? Why?
Money, power, and prestige. Those were the three things that most men and women looked for when marrying in the pureblood magical community. Fleur had it all already, and even her beauty was renowned. Sure, he was filthy rich, but that was it.
It got harder to focus with Fleur actively trying to seduce him. As if her Veela blood's effects doubled, he felt sweat underneath his shirt, his balls aching already. But he didn't lose himself. It'd be utterly shameful if he did.
Food… Let's just eat food. Lucius, yes, I'll imagine his face. That bastard has blonde hair too.
He wondered if knowing Occlumency would have helped him. He actually wanted to start learning it. But he didn't want to ask Dumbledore for help as he feared the old man might probe his mind first.
Hmm… Hermione. He glanced at the Gryffindor table. Ignoring all the envious boys, he stared at the back of the bushy-haired girl. Maybe we can train together. That sounds much better.
Controlling his urges, Dudley finished eating his meal, knowing that another announcement was awaiting him. He made small talk with Fleur at times but kept his focus on the food or Hannah on his other side.
Eventually, the plates turned empty, and every hungry belly got filled. As the dishes vanished off the table, the end of the feast approached.
Dumbledore rose from his seat right then and walked forward, beside him was Bartemius Crouch. It was already made clear that only the 7th year would be allowed to take part, so nobody made a fuss.
But when Dumbledore revealed the Goblet of Fire, many annoyed voices arose. Many wanted to wager their lives for fame and glory.
"Anyone wishing to submit their own name for the tournament need only write their name upon a piece of parchment and throw it in the flame before this hour on Thursday night. Do not do so lightly, if chosen, there's no turning back. As of this moment, the Triwizard Tournament has begun."
Finally, Dumbledore finished speaking and ended the feast.
"You do not seem very excited about eet, Monsieur Dursley," Fleur asked.
Dudley sighed as he got up to leave. "Not my thing, so there's no point. But honestly, it's a bit mad, isn't it? The Triwizard Tournament was stopped because people kept dying, and now they've brought it back without fixing much. Feels like they're just hoping for a different result while doing the same thing. Wouldn't be shocked if it all goes wrong again."
Since Fleur was supposed to return to the Beauxbatons carriage, she couldn't spend more time there and followed her schoolmates out of the school.
Watching her go, Dudley truly wanted to have a look inside the carriage. How was it able to not only house all the Beauxbatons students but also have enough space for them to sleep and go through their daily life.
He wanted one.
"Let's go." He grabbed the girls and returned to the Hufflepuff common room. An air of excitement was palpable in the room as all the 7th years got together to decide who was going to try their hand.
Dudley also joined in and took a seat on one of the couches near the fireplace. All except the 1st years were there, chattering nonstop. But Hufflepuff being Hufflepuff, they weren't rabid enough to mindlessly throw names in the goblet.
So, they began selecting the best of the 7th year. In the end, two girls and two boys came on top.
"Who do you think will be selected from Hogwarts, Dudley?" Susan asked, sitting beside him cozily.
"Probably Cedric," Dudley replied, eyeing the tall, smart-looking boy. "Can't think of any other decent seventh year."
"He's handsome." Susan glanced at Cedric. "A little too handsome, actually."
"Hey." Dudley pinched her arm softly. "Already planning on ditching me?"
"In your dreams, Dudley. He's far too handsome—so much so I can't even look at him properly. I'd never trust someone who looks like that."
Dudley frowned, eyeing the red-haired girl with a teasing look. He folded his arms. "So what you're saying is... I'm only good enough because I'm not good-looking?"
"Come on, I didn't say that." Susan laughed, leaning into his side and hugging his arm. "You're the whole package—handsome, clever… and well, you know, big where it matters."
"Alright, alright. Knock it off before I drag you out." Dudley murmured, gently moving her arm aside. While he, Susan, and Hannah were often seen together in Hufflepuff, he knew better than to push things too far in public. "Let me sweeten the deal for our champions."
With that, Dudley got up and announced that if a Champion was chosen from Hufflepuff, he'd sponsor them during the Triwizard tournament with all the materials needed.
####
Days passed, and the time to choose the Champions arrived. In the Great Hall, the benches were laid down at the side with the tall Goblet of Fire in the middle. The students of the three schools sat in groups, waiting for Dumbledore and the rest to arrive.
Since it wasn't an official event, Dudley was able to grab a seat close to Harry, Hermione, and Ron. He mainly wanted to sit beside Hermione to discuss some plans.
"What do you think about Occlumency and Legilimency?" He asked, relaxed back. This time, Susan and Hannah had chosen to stick to their Hufflepuff friends and sat elsewhere. He was the only one mixed in the Gryffindor group that evening.
"I've read about it," Hermione responded, keen on listening to him. "Why do you ask?"
"I'm keen on learning it. And since you're the brightest witch I know, I was wondering if you'd fancy studying it with me. Thought having a partner to practice with would be better." He admitted, well aware that Lavender, sitting beside him, was listening in. "I'd rather not train with a professor who can read me like an open book."
"Really?" Hermione's eyes sparkled as if she'd just won the lottery. "I mean, I don't know a lot about the subjects."
"Oh, don't fuss over that. I've got the best books on them—all the way from America. Just need someone to study and practice with, someone I know won't go and double-cross me." He gave her a steady look. "So, what do you reckon?"
"I'd love to! It's absolutely fascinating, and it's not even part of the school curriculum. Honestly, I don't know why more people don't study it. When do we start, Dudley?" Hermione said eagerly. "We could begin tomorrow if you'd like!"
Dudley glanced at Harry for a moment and then shook his head. "Let's start from Monday. An hour after the end of classes. Meet me in front of the Arithmancy classroom."
"That's perfect." Hermione clapped her hands. "Ah, look, they're here."
Securing Hermione's participation, Dudley relaxed and waited for the entertainment to begin. As he'd guessed, Dumbledore was quick to step closer to the Goblet of Fire and put his hands on it to do something.
Woosh!
Red flames erupted from the goblet, and Viktor Krum's name came out. Then it was Fleur Delacour, and finally, Cedric Diggory. Dudley clapped loudly and winked at Susan, who was staring at him from a distance. As always, his 'prediction' came true.
Walking away, Cedric looked at Dudley and waved. Of course, the guy was reminding him of his promise to sponsor him.
"Excellent! We now have our three champions."
Dudley chuckled in his seat and eyed Harry from time to time. The guy was smiling like a fool, enjoying his time. Blissfully unaware of the mess headed his way.
Not being born as the main character is the greatest blessing I could have hoped for. Dudley thought.
"But in the end, only one will go down in history," Dumbledore announced. "Only one will hoist this chalice of champions, the vessel of victory, the Triwizard Cup!"
Woosh!
The trophy was finally revealed. A glowing thing of silver with glass walls that glowed bright.
Dudley was only looking at the Goblet of Fire, however, as the red flames arose once again, brighter than before, as if unwillingly forced to spew out the fourth name.
Shhhwooo!
The most furious expulsion of the parchment yet, a charred paper slowly fell into Dumbledore's hand. Confusion was written over the old man's face as his eyes spanned toward the students.
"Harry Potter," Dumbledore muttered. "Harry Potter?"
Dudley let out a good-natured chuckle. "Ha! Never a quiet year with you about, eh, Harry? Go on, brother."
Hermione pushed Harry eventually as the poor guy tried to hide his face.
By the time Harry entered the Champion's room, Dudley also left the Great Hall as the crowd was dismissed and ordered to return to their beds immediately. It was the perfect mood spoiler of the night.
But unlike Dudley, who was aware of the insanity behind the scenes, most were jealous of Harry.
Dudley understood the annoyance of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, however. The game just got tilted in favor of Hogwarts from the beginning. It was no longer a Tri-Wizard Tournament but rather, Tri-Wizard Plus One.
Yet, Dudley was less worried about Harry as he'd already saved Sirius. There was enough firepower behind Harry.
What worried him was the secret face that had taken Peter Pettigrew's place. There had to be someone.
______________________
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