The Fourth Champion

Oleandra joined the two other champions in the dimly lit room. The lanky Viktor Krum was leaning against the wall next to the blazing fireplace while the otherworldly beautiful Fleur Delacour was warming herself in front of the dancing flames, her tall figure casting flickering shadows.

"'Ogwarts selects a child as zair champion?" said Delacour contemptuously as she turned to face Oleandra. "Zis will be too easy. It seems 'Ogwarts is not all that."

"I know you," said Krum slowly. "I thought I recognized you at the table; you are the girl who interrupted my match, yes?"

"Yes, to the both of you," said Oleandra, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "And may the best Witch win."

"Yes, I think I will," said Delacour sarcastically.

 Oleandra suddenly realized that the Great Hall beyond the door had grown deathly silent. What exactly was going on, out there? To her surprise, when the door swung open again, it wasn't Dumbledore or any of the other judges, but Harry Potter, her on-again off-again adventuring companion, who appeared in its frame.

"What is it?" Fleur Delacour said. "Do zey want us back in ze Hall?"

Oleandra was just as curious to know why Harry had been sent to them, but before he could answer the other girl's question, Ludo Bagman strode into the room, half-dragging Harry by the arm to the champions.

"Extraordinary!" he muttered, "Absolutely extraordinary! Ladies… and gentleman," he added, as he raised Harry's arm over his head as if he was declaring a boxing match's winner, "may I introduce— incredible though it may seem— the fourth Triwizard champion?"

"Harry?" Oleandra said incredulously. "He's joking, right? Triwizard means three Wizards, unless I'm very much mistaken?"

"Oh, vairy funny joke, Meester Bagman," said Fleur with a smile.

"Joke?" Bagman repeated. "No, no, not at all! Harry's name just came out of the Goblet of Fire!"

Oleandra began to sweat slightly, and it wasn't due to the fire behind her in the slightest. If there was something going on, then she had just put her figurative head in the lion's mouth. If someone was to search for any evidence of cheating, then wouldn't they discover that she had been the one to tamper with the Age Line in the first place?

"But evidently zair 'as been a mistake," Delacour insisted. "'Ogwarts 'az two… too many champions, even if they are young. Zis eez most unfair."

"Even so," said Bagman, "Harry must compete, it's in the rules. His name came out of the Goblet, so there's no ducking out at this stage… He'll just have to try his best."

At that moment, the door burst open, and a large group of people came rushing in: Professor Dumbledore and the two other headmasters, as well as Mr. Crouch, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape. Upon seeing Mr. Crouch, Oleandra gave him a wary look.

 "HARRY!" yelled Dumbledore calmly. "DID YOU PUT YOUR NAME IN THE GOBLET OF FIRE?" (Just kidding)

Once Professor McGonagall had closed the door behind her to make sure they were having a private discussion, Delacour immediately glided over to Madame Maxime, her headmistress.

"Zey are saying zat zis little boy and girl are to compete togezzer!" she said.

'Little girl?' Oleandra wanted to say. 'Have you seen my big sister?'

"What is ze meaning of zis, Dumbly-dorr?" said Madame Maxime, her head knocking against a chandelier as she rose to her full height.

"I'd rather like to know that myself, Dumbledore," said Professor Karkaroff coldly. "First, the failure of your so-called Age-Line, preventing my students from entering, and now, Hogwarts has two champions… If I didn't know better, I would suspect you were trying to use your home advantage to bend the rules in your favour…"

"Dumbly-dorr must 'ave made a mistake wiz ze line," said Madame Maxime with a shrug.

"It is possible, of course," said Dumbledore politely.

"Dumbledore, you know perfectly well you did not make a mistake!" said Professor McGonagall angrily, as she looked in Oleandra's direction. "Only Miss Greengrass could have broken your Age Line, and Bathsheda agrees with me! Time and time again we've witnessed her bend the rules, just because the magic of runes is not well understood!"

"Really, Professor McGonagall?" said Professor Snape with a voice oozing with contempt. "You'll accuse my student, but you won't acknowledge that Potter has been breaking said rules ever since he arrived here?"

"Please, Minerva, Severus," said Dumbledore. "There is a simple way to get to the bottom of this."

Professor Dumbledore turned to Oleandra and Harry.

"Have you modified my Age Line to allow yourself to pass, Oleandra?" Dumbledore asked her calmly.

"Yes," she admitted half-heartedly. "And I forgot to undo the changes until this morning; sorry about that."

The foreign guests were looking at her with new understanding; even Delacour was taking her seriously now. After all, Dumbledore was known as the greatest Wizard of his age throughout the Wizarding World, so whoever could manage to break his enchantments ought not to be looked down upon.

Professor Snape sighed inwardly; only his troublesome student had the complex know-how beyond their years to modify a sigil and yet still be sloppy enough to forget to remove traces of their work.

"And my secondary measures…?" Professor Dumbledore asked tentatively.

"Piece… piece of cake," said Oleandra, wincing slightly as a sudden headache overcame her. She was fairly sure by now that Dumbledore could read minds, but couldn't read hers, so she might as well try to bluff her way out, right?

"Have you tampered with the Goblet in any way?" he then asked. "And did you put Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire?"

"No and no."

"Very well," sighed Professor Dumbledore. "Harry, did you put your name in the Goblet?"

"No, sir," Harry said, causing Professor Snape to scoff in disbelief.

"Thanks to Miss Greengrass," said Professor McGonagall, as she glared briefly at Oleandra "any single student could have done it. There's simply no way of narrowing down the culprit."

"Indeed," said Professor Dumbledore gravely. "But the question we should be asking ourselves is not whodunit, but rather whydunit."