Igor Karkaroff was just as shocked to see the red sparks fly into the air as everyone in the crowd seated behind him. Must be Potter, he thought to himself, for he was the youngest, most inexperienced and therefore the most vulnerable of the three wizards and one witch currently attempting to tackle all of the horrors that lay inside the maze, this the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Karkaroff smiled to himself; one less obstacle for his pupil, Viktor Krum, to have to deal with and one step closer to Durmstrang Institute being in possession of the Triwizard championship.

Very pleased at this revelation, it wasn't until Professor Minerva McGonagall came around the right hand corner of the maze and motioned frantically to Karkaroff that he realised he was completely wrong in his initial assessment of the situation. He excused himself hastily from the judging panel and in a swish of his deep magenta coloured robes, he was bounding down the steps towards the maze, trying his best to ignore the whispers and gasping by the crowd who were now standing and craning their necks trying to get a view of the commotion.

'What is it?' he asked, not breaking his stride as he made his way around the maze.

'The red sparks just now were sent up by your pupil, and I'm afraid he's in a bad way,' McGonagall revealed, now pointing towards a motionless figure on the floor being attended to by Remus Lupin.

'Let me see, let me see!' he barked at Lupin who stood up when Karkaroff took Krum's head into his arms. He lifted Krum's eyelids and checked his breathing and, although he was alive, he now stood absolutely no chance of being crowned Triwizard champion. Karkaroff's face flushed with anger and he hastily dropped Krum's head back onto the grass.

'Who did this to him?' he asked, rounding on McGonagall, 'was it your special boy, Potter? He should be disqualified instantly! This is an outrage! A scandal!'

'That'll do, thank you, Igor,' McGonagall retorted while staying calm, 'we do not know who did this or why and you'd do well not to throw around baseless accusations until we know the facts.'

The look on Karkaroff's face suggested he didn't much care for McGonagall's explanation and he didn't hide the disdain in his voice when he asked for Krum to be taken to the hospital wing to be healed. Professor McGonagall gave Lupin the job of escorting Krum's limp body up to the castle while she would continue patrolling the outskirts of the maze. Karkaroff turned on his heel and marched back towards the crowd and his fellow judges who all looked over to him for an explanation.

'My pupil has been attacked. Bagman, what are you going to do about this? I want an inquiry launched immediately' he said while jabbing his finger at the judges threateningly.

'Well... yes of course, Igor... but...' Ludo Bagman stuttered as he shuffled in his seat, 'well... you were aware of the dangers of the tournament, old boy, it wasn't meant to be a stroll in the park,' he laughed nervously looking over to Dumbledore for moral support.

'If indeed your student has been illegally attacked in the tournament then of course we will look into it and take that into consideration,' said Dumbledore calmly, whilst still gazing over towards the maze. 'Our matron Madam Pomfrey is a wonderful healer and she will do her very best in taking care of your student,' Dumbledore said now looking at Karkaroff over his half moon spectacles. 'That I can promise you.'

'You did this, didn't you?' he spat irrationally in reply. 'That Potter boy has been the apple of your eye ever since... since... that night and you just couldn't bear for him to be second best, could you?'

'You couldn't be more wrong,' Dumbledore replied calmly, not rising to Karkaroff's provocation. 'You were present when I announced the rules regarding entrant requirements and I was quite clear. If you believe my words to be disingenuous then I must say I feel rather aggrieved.'

As Karkaroff opened his mouth to continue his protest, there was a flash of light that erupted from the centre of the maze and an unmistakable 'whoosh', as if something had moved at lightning speed straight past them. At once, Dumbledore raised himself out of his seat and declared, 'it was a portkey. Somebody has tampered with the trophy and transported the first to touch it.'

Madame Maxime instantly raised her hand to her mouth in shock, 'teleported where, Albus? What do we do?'

But Dumbledore was already striding down the stairs of the stadium towards Professor McGonagall who also seemed to be acutely aware that something was very wrong. As they huddled together in frantic conversation, a moment of clarity hit Igor Karkaroff. Who else could have arranged for Potter's name to end up in the Goblet of Fire despite Dumbledore's explicit orders and age line around the goblet? Who else could have arranged the Triwizard trophy be converted to a portkey right under Dumbledore's nose without him knowing?

Suddenly he felt an electrical buzzing sensation shoot through his left arm and a shot of nervous adrenaline shoot through his body; the dark mark had summoned him. He was to return to Lord Voldemort immediately but he was frozen with fear. He'd warned Snape several times already of his suspicions and yet he had been so unreceptive to the idea of Voldemort getting stronger. And now it was too late.

He stood up from his seat and didn't respond when Ludo Bagman asked where he was going. He felt as though he was in a trance; the sounds of the crowd muttering curiously between themselves didn't even register and he walked briskly towards the castle trying to avoid any stares coming his way. He had to hide; there was no other option. Where he would hide exactly he did not know but he knew for sure that he was now a wanted man after not answering the call of the dark mark.

As he reached the main entrance he heard screaming and uproar from the hundreds of students in attendance to watch the final task. He saw Potter crumpled on the ground clutching the trophy with a lifeless Cedric Diggory by his side but within seconds a mass of teachers and students had engulfed them.

Karkaroff turned on his heel and he ran.