Unforeseen Consequences

"For the Goblet of Fire and the Triwizard Tournament..." Dumbledore solemnly declared, "There has never been an option to abstain... Go, proceed through that door!"

This was the first time Jon heard Dumbledore issue such a stern command.

"Ah," he sighed deeply and walked alongside the staff desk.

But as he made his way, he began to ponder... Who had put his name in the Goblet of Fire?

Barty Crouch Jr... but that seemed unlikely. They had no grudges or animosity, and Voldemort probably wouldn't favor his bloodline...

Then who could it be...

He went through the door, exiting the auditorium, and found himself in a small room.

The fireplace in the room crackled with flames, and the walls on either side were adorned with portraits of wizards.

As Jon stepped inside, nearly all the portraits fixed their gaze upon him. Some of the portraits were even crowded with people.

In front of them, three figures stood near the fire... all familiar faces.

Victor Krum leaned against the mantelpiece, lost in thought, keeping his distance from the other two.

Harry Potter stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes fixed on the fire.

Fleur Delacour turned her head and shook her long silver hair, resembling a cascading waterfall. When she caught sight of Jon's attire, she let out a scream.

"Qu'est-ce qui ne va pas?" she exclaimed loudly in French, meaning "What's wrong with you?"

"Rien," Jon replied, using the French word for "nothing." He had no intention of approaching her, simply shrugged, and sat down by the fire.

He lowered his head and continued to contemplate...

"Jon!" Harry Potter exclaimed in surprise. "You're the fourth champion... and what's going on with you?"

"Don't ask me, I have no clue!" Jon took off his dragon leather gloves, then covered his face with his hands.

...

"This is so bizarre!" Ludo Bagman hurried into the room, his footsteps resounding.

"You should understand the situation!" Mr. Bagman addressed the two champions from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. "There's been a minor mishap... Two champions have emerged from Hogwarts!"

Victor Krum straightened up and surveyed Harry, then Jon, wearing a gloomy expression.

Fleur Delacour shook her flowing hair and smiled, displaying a touch of arrogance. She remarked, "They can't compete, they're too young!"

"I agree!" Jon vigorously nodded, casting a grateful glance towards Fleur.

"It's quite a predicament!" Mr. Bagman shook his head. "The age restriction was implemented this year as an additional safety measure. Since your names were expelled from the Goblet of Fire... I mean, now that you've reached this stage, you can't withdraw immediately... The rules are clear, you must abide by them... You must give your best in the competition!"

"Can't the rules be altered?" Jon argued fruitlessly.

Mr. Bagman smiled and shook his head.

The door swung open once again, and a crowd rushed in: Professor Dumbledore followed by Mr. Crouch, Professor Karkaroff, Mrs. Maxime, Professor Sprout, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape.

The small room suddenly grew crowded.

Snape sniffed audibly, then scrutinized Jon with a frown.

Subsequently, he pointed his wand at Jon.

"Scourgify!"

The black eel blood on Jon's body vanished.

"Thank you, Professor!" Jon breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, a teacher remembered to clean him up.

...

"What in blazes does this mean, Dumbledore?" Mrs. Maxime arrogantly exclaimed, her ample bosom heaving beneath her black satin robes.

"I'm curious about that as well, Dumbledore!" Karkaroff interjected in his smooth voice. "I distinctly recall the regulations stating that the organizers can select two champions!"

"One of them should be from the third year, and the other from the fourth!" Professor McGonagall shouted. "They're meant to compete against adult wizards... If you wish, you can replace your champions with two students from the third and fourth years!"

Mrs. Maxime and Professor Karkaroff exchanged glances, choosing not to continue the argument.

Professor McGonagall's words were valid; the points accrued by different participants in the Triwizard Tournament could not be combined. In any case, third and fourth-year students wouldn't stand a chance against seventh-year students, even if there were two of them.

Consequently, the true losers in this farce were the hosts, Hogwarts.

On the other hand, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were the beneficiaries... thus, they refrained from further arguing, as Jon knew from the original plot.

Dumbledore snorted and interrupted their debate. "Harry, did you submit your name to the Goblet of Fire?"

"No, I didn't," Harry Potter promptly replied.

Snape shook his head and pursed his lips, while Mrs. Maxime and Professor Karkaroff both snorted disdainfully.

"And what about you?" Dumbledore shifted his gaze to Jon.

Jon met the eyes behind the half-moon spectacles and nodded. "Yes, Professor... Just this morning, I folded a slip of paper with my name on it while no one was around. I cast it into the Goblet of Fire... It was just a prank, as I believed that due to the age restriction, the Goblet of Fire wouldn't select me at all!"

"That's impossible!" Karkaroff growled. "Your age limit should exclude underage participants, Dumbledore. How could such a blatant cheat be allowed?!"

"So... someone fooled the Goblet of Fire!" Alastor Moody approached with his cane, his voice booming. "Somebody cast a powerful Confundus Charm on the Goblet of Fire, making it forget the actual age limit. Then, they reported a boy's name from the fourth school to ensure he was the sole candidate from that school... These are not actions that third and fourth-year boys could undertake."

"Harry Potter!" Professor Moody uttered grimly, "Someone intends to take advantage of this tournament and kill Harry Potter!"

Jon wanted to ask, "How did you know?"... but he restrained his curiosity.

...

Evidently, after ten minutes, Moody's "conspiracy theory" finally convinced them.

Mrs. Maxime and Professor Karkaroff refrained from further objections. Mrs. Maxime wrapped her arm around Fleur's shoulder and swiftly ushered her out of the room, while Karkaroff nodded to Krum, and they departed without uttering a word.

"Harry, I suggest you return to bed!" Dumbledore smiled and nodded at Harry.

Harry nodded back listlessly and left the room.

Then, Dumbledore shifted his gaze to Jon, his expression growing increasingly serious.

"As for you... I'm sorry," he said softly, his countenance more severe than ever before. "Hufflepuff will be docked 100 points for this!"

"One hundred points? No, Albus!" Professor McGonagall covered her mouth, attempting to dissuade Dumbledore. "It's not the child's fault; it's simply an accident..."

Professor Sprout lowered her head in shame, while Professor Snape appeared deep in thought. Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch, sensing the somber atmosphere, took the opportunity to hastily leave the room.

"And... detention!" Dumbledore continued, "Saturday night, in my office..."

"Every Saturday!" He emphasized.

Jon weakly raised his hand. "Professor, on Saturday night... I'm already serving detention with Professor Snape!"

"Then Sunday night!"

"Yes, Professor!"