Chapter Text
Dumbledore stood at the head of the Great Hall. The sorting was over, the dinner had already appeared before them, and Remus could tell Peter was already tuning out Dumbledore’s typical first-night speech in favor of staring longingly at the mince pies in front of him.
“I have exciting news for all of you,” the old man announced, commanding the attention of the room. “There is a seven centuries old wizarding tradition that Hogwarts has the honor of renewing this year. I am happy to announce that this school year Hogwarts will be host to The Triwizard Tournament.”
The Great Hall burst into an excitement of whispers. From beside Remus, Lily leaned in and whispered, “Didn’t they cancel that tournament for being extremely dangerous? I heard that people have died.”
“Dumbledore wouldn’t allow it if it was dangerous though,” Peter responded, sounding a bit unsure himself.
“It’s Dumbledore,” Remus replied. “He does what he wants.”
“You know, Evans. A Potter won the Triwizard Tournament three hundred years ago,” James boasted from across the table.
Lily rolled her eyes, “If that’s true, he’s just as much of a fool as you are.”
Dumbledore raised his hand and the Great Hall quieted again. “The Triwizard Tournament started as a friendly competition between the three schools of Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. Over the course of the next year, a champion from each of the three schools will be chosen to compete in the ultimate tournament of courage, intelligence, resourcefulness, and magical ability. The winner of this competition will be awarded 1000 galleons and their name in the eternal halls of glory.”
The Great Hall erupted once again. 1000 Galleons, Remus thought. If managed correctly, it was enough to live off of for years. It was his ticket to survival. He wouldn’t have to worry about full moons or getting a job. He could simply live.
“A thousand galleons!” Peter exclaimed. “What would you even do with that much money?”
“I guess they have to find a way to buy off your death certificate,” Lily said.
“Cheer up, Evans. It’s all for fun,” James said.
“Plus, some people might need the money,” Remus added.
“Which is precisely why it’s wrong. Poor people shouldn’t have to put their lives on the line for other people’s entertainment just for a few gold coins.” Lily's words were harsh and James looked away so as to not meet her eye.
Dumbledore raised his hand again and an instant hush fell. “Because of the danger of these tasks, only those wizards of age may participate.” There was instant groaning from all around them, but Remus and his friends were Seventh Years and luckily, or unluckily, all of age. “Now, Hogwarts will be playing host to these other schools this year. I would love to welcome our friends from the far north - Durmstrang Academy.”
The doors of the Great Hall swung open and in marched a dozen or so students from Durmstrang, all of them wearing thick winter robes and had an unfriendly air about them as if they would snap your neck if you said hello.
“Why do I get the feeling they would all be in Slytherin?” James whispered as they walked past. Remus and Peter nodded but Lily shot them a glare. She still wasn’t over the whole thing with Snivellus.
One of the boys, who looked particularly nasty, like if Snape had been sent off to live with the bears in Siberia, stood at the head of the pack. As they gathered to the front, he stood next to the Durmstrang Headmaster as Dumbledore introduced himself.
“Any idea who that guy is?” Remus asked.
“His name is Igor Karkaroff,” Peter said. The table all turned to look at Peter.
“How the hell do you know that?” James asked.
Peter started fidgeting. He always hated attention. “Oh, I don’t know. I think my family saw his family on our holiday to Bulgaria.” James accepted this and nodded.
Once the Durmstrang students were seated, Dumbledore spoke again, “And now to welcome our friends from the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in France.”
The doors swung open and instantly, a pack of birds flew into the Great Hall and danced synchronously in the air. A dozen or so pale blue robes walked through the entryway. The students were the complete opposite of Durmstrang, elegant where they were rough, soft where they were hard.
All of them were classically beautiful with high cheekbones and sharp jawlines. Not to mention rich, all of their robes were silk and custom-tailored. As they passed, people stared and they reveled in it. They all knew they were gorgeous.
Remus wanted to hate them. He really did, but he stared too as they walked by. You couldn’t not stare at masterpieces. One boy, in particular, caught his eye - long black hair and bright blue eyes. And he knew his effect on people. He took pride when a girl would whisper and giggle after he passed. He even took one girl’s hand - Mary McDonald to be exact - and gave it a kiss, which she showed off to her friends like she had just gotten engaged.
And when he passed by Remus, the elegant boy held his stare and winked, a self-satisfied smile on his face like he knew something Remus didn’t.
Something about his looked reminded Remus of that Sixth Year Slytherin, Regulus. They had that same sharp elegance, but Remus never knew Regulus to be this bold, nor this shameless.
“So do we hate them as well?” Lily asked.
James snapped himself out of his stare at a ginger Beauxbaton girl, “Of course. They’re our competition after all.”
“If they lose, at least they’ll lose in style,” Peter added.
“That’s the spirit, Pete,” Remus said, but his eyes were still following that Beauxbaton boy.
The rest of the dinner continued normally, but everyone was aware of the new students sitting at the front. Every so often, Remus would glance up to the tables, hoping to catch a glimpse of the boy again, but his back was to Remus and he didn’t look his way.
Lily caught on to what Remus was doing and smacked his arm lightly, “No fraternizing with the enemy.”
“I thought you were against the whole thing.”
“Mmm, I was,” Lily said, “But imagine how great it will feel to see those fuckers lose.”
-
The choosing of the champions was the next week and the whole time, they barely saw the students from the other schools. They knew they were there - the Durmstrang ship in the Great Lake and the Beauxbatons carriages by the Forbidden Forest were hard to avoid. Not to mention they were present at every meal. But they were always separate. Sometimes, you might see them in the hall or out on the grounds, but you would never approach.
Gilderoy Lockhart had been the first to try, approaching a group of Beauxbaton boys who sat by the lake. They ate him alive with their cutting laughter and secret hexes. It was embarrassing to see Lockhart after, with his head down and his hair changing colors.
“I can’t believe you dated him,” James said as they watched him pass.
“I did not date him,” Remus said. “We just made out in broom closets sometimes.”
“We all know it was a bit more than making out,” Lily teased him and Remus put his head in his hands.
“Gross,” Peter responded. The four of them walked into an old classroom where the Goblet of Fire was being held. At the opening feast, Dumbledore had given a long boring speech about responsibility and the importance of knowing what you were signing up for, but Remus didn’t really care. He needed that thousand galleons.
“You guys really shouldn’t, you know?” Lily said, making one last plea to stop them.
“Lils, it’s fine,” Remus said. “So many people are putting their names in. The chances of James and I getting chosen is slim to none.”
Lily had only managed to successfully talk Peter out of putting their names in. “I just don’t want to see either of you getting hurt.”
For once, Lily was speaking directly to James instead of just to Remus. It looked for a second like James really might back out. But then he glanced back at Remus, “Sorry, Evans. I can’t let Moony do this alone.”
At that moment, a spot of blue walked into the room. You could always tell they were here by the way the conversation would switch into whispers and giggles the moment they entered a room. It was that boy again, looking as beautiful as ever with a girl in a light blue hijab at his side. A girlfriend, probably, Remus thought.
He stepped up to the age line and the girl squeezed his arm. He smiled at her, reassured, and looked around the room to see who was watching him, which was quite a few people. He caught Remus’ eye again, winked, and then stepped past the line and put in his name.
The girl beside him cheered, along with more than a few Hogwarts students. Remus and his friends politely clapped, but Remus could tell James was already sizing up the competition.
The boy looked as if he were turning to go and something in Remus made him decide that he had to put his name in now.
He stepped away from his friends, the piece of paper with his name on it in hand, and stepped up past the age line. He didn’t glance at the Beauxbaton boy as he did it. In fact, he wanted to act like he wasn’t there at all, but when he turned around the Beauxbaton boy was staring at him. Remus winked and moved past him with a confidence he didn’t know he had.
James was already shouting obnoxiously and Lily brought him into a hug with a quick whispered, “You’re an idiot and I love you.”
High off the adrenaline, James walked up and put his name in too, which garnered quite a bit of claps from the Hogwarts students and an eye roll from Lily.
The boy was watching them from across the room with unhidden interest. He whispered something to his friend and started walking their way. It took everything in Remus to remain calm.
“Hey,” the boy said directly to Remus, and then gave a glance to the friends around him. “I’m Sirius Black.”
“You’re English,” Remus said and then cursed himself because it was a dumb thing to say. He wasn’t expecting the boy from a French school to be English but he was speaking with the poshest accent Remus had ever heard, and that's counting James and Peter.
“And you’re Welsh,” Sirius said with a charming smile. It made Remus feel equal parts nervous and excited.
“Wait, Black. Like Regulus Black?” James asked.
Sirius’ smile grew tighter as he looked over at James. “The very same.”
“Oh, I didn’t know Regulus had a cousin,” Lily said.
“Brother,” Sirius corrected her and then turned back to Remus. “And your name is?”
“Remus Lupin,” he responded. “And these are my friends, James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and Lily Evans.” Remus was mostly trying to distract Sirius’ intense attention from himself.
Sirius nodded in greeting. “Lovely to make your acquaintance,” he said to the group. “My friend over there in the headscarf is Dorcas Meadows. Hell of a witch if you care to meet her.” He turned back to Remus, “So you’re going to compete then?” Sirius asked.
“If I’m lucky,” Remus said.
“Well, It’d be an honor to compete against you.” Sirius’s voice was low but sincere. Remus got the distinct impression that he was being flirted with.
Then the doors opened again and in walked a group of Durmstrang boys. They were loudly laughing and stomping their way up to the goblet. Igor Karkaroff was with them, looking determined.
Dorcas Meadows was quickly at Sirius’ side. “Honestly, fuck those guys,” she said to him and then looked to the group, “Sorry.”
“No, no, don’t apologize,” James said. “They look exactly like textbook villains.”
“Or Slytherins,” Peter said and Sirius snorted.
“No pride for your family’s house?” James asked.
“Let’s just say if I went to Hogwarts, you’d likely see me in red and gold,” Sirius responded.
Igor put his name in and he and his friends hooted loudly as the goblet changed its flames.
“I feel like I’m about to be hate-crimed,” Remus said, which prompted a laugh from both Lily and Sirius, even Dorcas gave him a smile.
“Yeah, they don’t seem to be the most friendly of people,” Sirius said.
Distantly, the toll of the Hogwarts clock rang out 2 pm. “Oh, fuck,” Dorcas said. “We gotta get going. Nice meeting you all,” she said to the group, despite not really meeting any of them. She started speed walking away and Sirius glanced back at her.
“I hope to see you guys around,” Sirius said but he was looking only at Remus. He turned and walked away.
Immediately all three of his friends turned to him. “If you don’t go after that man, I will,” Lily said.
Remus rolled his eyes, “But think of what it’ll do to poor James.”
“All the more reason to go after him,” Lily responded.
“Yeah, Moony. I’m no expert in relationships, but even I could see that he wants you.”
“Anyone with eyes could see that,” Peter put in. “But the real question is, what is Moony going to do about it?”
Three sets of eyes bore down on him but Remus just put up both hands, “I’m not going to do anything. What happened to crushing our competition?”
“Crushing on our competition is more like it,” Lily said.
Remus started walking away from the three of them, but they were all following along. “I’m not having this conversation with you guys. If something happens, it will happen. If not, oh well.”
“I’m just saying, it’s not every day a French boy looks at you like that.”
“Would you be with me if I was a French boy?” James asked.
“If you were French it would make you more insufferable, not less,” Lily responded.
-
At dinner that night, the Goblet of Fire had been moved into the Great Hall. For the entire dinner, everyone kept glancing sidelong at the goblet as if it would start choosing names in the middle of their conversation.
“I heard Marlene McKinnon put her name in the goblet,” Peter said.
“She’d be a good choice,” Remus responded.
“Yeah, she’s a wicked fast flyer and a damn good beater,” James said. “I wouldn’t want her distracted from the Quidditch season though.”
“Because Quidditch should be your main concern about this Triwizard Tournament,” Lily said sardonically.
“Oh my god, if I get chosen will I have to step down as Quidditch Captain?” There was genuine fear in James's voice.
“Thought they canceled Quidditch because of the tournament,” Remus said.
“Technically they have,” James said. “But all the teams have agreed to keep practicing and keep playing games. They’re not official, but I’m sure people will still come.”
“God forbid they cancel Quidditch for even a second,” Remus said. Lily caught his glance and rolled her eyes.
Dessert was served and people were starting to get antsy. Remus could feel the excitement of the whole room. Everyone was on the edge of their seat to see who would get a chance at a life's fortune and eternal glory.
At last, Dumbledore stood up and a hush fell before he even got to the podium. “It is a great honor for any student to be selected for the Triwizard Tournament. Three lucky students will represent their schools and compete to be the ultimate champion.”
“We already know all this,” James whispered but Lily shushed him.
“Without further ado, I will ask the cup to select our first champion from the Durmstrang Institute.”
The cup lit up and its blue flames soared to the sky and spit out a single piece of paper. Dumbledore caught it and read aloud, “Igor Karkaroff.”
The Durmstrang table erupted in cheers and the rest of the Great Hall politely clapped as Igor went to stand next to Dumbledore.
“I already hate that guy,” James said. Remus couldn’t help but agree.
“And now for the champion from Beauxbatons.”
Remus held his breath. He didn’t know if he wanted Sirius to be spared and the two of them could spend more time together or see Sirius chosen and watch his rise to stardom.
The cup’s flames grew once more and another piece of paper flew into Dumbledore’s hand. He opened it slowly and turned to the table of pastel blue. “Sirius Black,” he said and a whisper spread throughout.
“Regulus’ brother?” Lily said as she politely clapped with the rest of the Great Hall. Even the Beauxbatons seemed unsure with the Goblet’s choice.
“I wonder if Regulus put his name in,” Remus said.
“I’m pretty sure he did,” James said.
“Yeah, I heard some Slytherins talking about it,” Peter said. “When Regulus’s parents caught wind of Sirius’ plan to put his name in, they forced Regulus to put his in as well.”
“Wouldn’t that be something,” Lily said, “Both of the mysterious Black brothers competing against each other?”
Sirius walked up to the front and joined Igor Karkaroff, giving him a polite handshake before looking out to the crowd. Remus looked to see what Regulus’s reaction was, but the Slytherin boy had his back turned and wasn’t even looking at the front.
“And now, the Hogwarts Champion,” Dumbledore announced and an excited hush fell over the room.
Remus felt himself getting nervous. Lily’s words about danger and death suddenly dawned on him. What was a half-blood werewolf thinking putting his name in that goblet?
But at least, Remus ensured himself, the goblet was enchanted. It would pick out the best person and Remus knew for a fact that it wasn’t him. James was the obvious choice, with better marks in most classes and a much better flyer. Or even Snape, as much as Remus despised the guy, he couldn’t renounce the fact that he was a wiz at potions and perfectly ruthless. He wouldn’t be afraid to play dirty for Hogwarts to win.
The goblet coughed up one last piece of paper that flew down to Dumbledore’s hand. He opened it, read it silently to himself, and then looked up, directly at where Remus and James were sitting.
“Remus Lupin.”
The Great Hall burst into cheers but Remus felt all the blood leave his body. Lily put her hand on his arm. Something outside of himself made him stand up and walked towards the front. Dumbledore shook his hand and whispered a “Good job boy,” in his ear. Remus simply nodded.
He went to shake Igor’s hand, the other boy’s hand was rough and strong like he could easily break Remus’ fingers if he wanted to. Igor was smiling, but it wasn’t friendly. It was like a predator looking at their next meal.
Remus went to shake Sirius’ hand next. The boy was just as elegant and charming as he had been before. He seemed quite excited with all the attention shined on them. “I guess we’ll be spending a lot of time together,” Sirius said.
Remus forced himself to be in this moment and ground himself in Sirius’ words. “Looking forward to it,” he said and meant it.
He stood next to Sirius as Dumbledore gave his closing speech, but he didn’t hear a word. He caught Lily’s worried glance from across the room.
What had he just gotten himself into?