Chapter 7: The Hogwarts Champion

The night of Halloween arrived at last. Most of the Hogwarts students were whispering excitedly about who would be chosen as the champions for the Triwizard Tournament, which the Goblet of Fire would select at dinner that evening.

For the most part, Severus hadn't bothered to follow the hoopla. The delegations from Durmstrang, Beauxbatons and Ilvermorny had assimilated into the Hogwarts student body almost without anyone noticing.

Another group that also seemed to be almost entirely absent from his day-to-day life was James Potter and his pack of friends. The foursome had pretty much left Severus alone since the start of term – which, though it struck Severus as very odd, he nonetheless appreciated the detenté, a reprieve denied him for over four years.

Walking to meet Lily and Mary over at their favorite tree by the Black Lake during free period on Halloween, Severus snuck clandestine glances at a book he had purchased from Flourish and Blotts, just before the end of the summer. He mostly hid it in his trunk in the Slytherin Common Room, or in his bag under a Concealing Charm: Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches. Severus had never really been in the market for self-help manuals, but the author's advice here was actually quite invaluable and exuded common sense. He would just have to be careful reading it – the last thing he needed was for Potter and his mates or worse, Avery and his Death Eater-wannabe cohorts to get their hands on this. Severus knew he'd probably die from the teasing.

Stuffing the tome into his pack and waving a quick Concealment Charm, Severus smiled brightly and lifted a hand aloft at Lily's wave of greeting. Strolling towards his friends, he plopped down in the grass next to them. Nose stuck in a notebook, on which she was visibly scribbling, Mary MacDonald only managed an absent, polite nod in Severus's direction.

"Morning, Sev! What was that you were reading when you walked up?" Lily grinned radiantly.

"Oh, nothing. Just something for a class," Severus lied smoothly.

"Well, we have Charms last period with you lot and the Ravenclaws," Lily bumped his shoulder playfully. "I bet I'll be able to master Flitwick's lesson faster than you!"

Severus heart was skipping a beat over how playful she was being. It seemed almost… flirtatious? The practical part of his brain told him to not to read into things that might not be there, though he built up some hope.

The threesome lulled into a companionable silence. Mary was still writing furiously in her notebook. Glancing across the waters of the Black Lake, white-capped by a chilly wind, Lily nodded at where the four Marauders were gathered.

"Remus seems to be looking healthier, wouldn't you agree, Sev?"

Severus couldn't help but admit: he had noticed. Remus Lupin seemed to have more color in his face, lightness about him, for the first time since Severus had met the man first year. As to what it meant… Severus deemed it best not to speculate, although he was tempted.

He was surprised, however, to see Mary MacDonald glance up from her musings for the first time to give Remus a long, hard look. "Oh, yes, he does. A nice relief, certainly."

Severus and Lily looked at each other, the former's face creased curiously as if to ask, What's that about? In response, Lily just shrugged and actually dared to lean her head on his shoulder. Severus hoped with all his might that she didn't hear how his heart seemed to stop.

Twirling her wand lazily, Lily prattled on, "I'll miss the warmer weather, I think. I much prefer spring to fall…." As she spoke, cherry blossoms appeared in thin air and floated down above their heads, landing in the burning tendrils of her auburn hair. A few blossoms landed on the edge of Severus's lip, and he blew a raspberry to get them off, causing his best friend to giggle musically.

"Nice. Charming," Severus chuckled. "I do appreciate the wandwork, though – you've really got an eye for that sort of thing."

Lily lifted her head off his shoulder to gaze at him, blinking. "Thank you, Sev!" she smiled, though she looked a little confused. Beside them, Mary absently turned a page in her notebook and caught Severus's gaze, the precocious Irish girl cocking one eyebrow. Severus tried to keep a poker face going while Lily continued to do innocent charms with her wand. Mary leaned in to hiss along Severus's earlobe:

"Someone been perusing Twelve Fail-Safe Ways lately….?"

He couldn't help the gulp, his orbs pleading with Mary not to say anything. Though Lily's best girlfriend was eyeing him skeptically, she kept silent, turning back to her notebook and turning another page.

"I suppose she could do a lot worse…" At least that's what Severus thought he heard Mary mumble under her breath. If that was the closest he was ever going to get to receiving some sort of blessing, he supposed he had better take it.

Severus saw the ladies off to their next period Divination Class in the Astronomy Tower, Lily giving him a parting side-hug as she went. He didn't see either Lily or Mary again until Charms during the last period before dinner, and as she predicted, Lily outmaneuvered him on the wandwork for the Banishing Charm.

Gathering in the Great Hall for dinner that night, Severus once again regretted how the school Houses had to take their meals segregated. He would always much prefer to spend more time with Lily rather than listen to Avery and Rookwood make fart noises with their armpits or cast Color Change charms to screw up the hair of the girls. Mulciber tried that with Narcissa Black, and she ended up giving him a black eye and twenty points from Slytherin for his trouble.

"Quiet, everyone! Quiet…. SONORUS!" Dumbledore's amplified voice called the Great Hall to order. "It is time to announce the four champions who will be competing in this year's Triwizard Tournament! In a moment, the Goblet of Fire will release one slip of paper from each school under a tongue of flame. Let us see who our heroes will be."

On cue, the goblet began spitting cerulean tongues of flame from its rim before expelling a charred slip of parchment, which Dumbledore caught in his fingers.

"The champion from Durmstrang is Igor Youngkin!"

The Durmstrang boys – tabled with the Hufflepuffs – began roaring in approval and began clapping a goateed, muscular boy on the back.

The uproar hadn't fully died down before Dumbledore was catching another expelled slip of parchment.

"The champion for Ilvermorny is Chad Quayle!"

Over by the Ravenclaw table, students were whooping and leaping to their feet, embracing a young man with magazine looks belied by a shy smile.

"I hear he has a brother who is running for a U.S. House seat next year in their elections!" Narcissa Black whispered to one of her girlfriends.

"Yeah? What state?" Severus asked mildly.

"Who knows?" Narcissa shrugged.

"Who cares?" Mulciber snorted. "He looks like a right goody-goody!" Severus couldn't help but chortle at that, so that he almost missed Dumbledore announcing the Beauxbatons champion as Eponine de Ursula, eliciting much squealing from a group of ladies bunked with the Gryffindors.

Severus didn't think Dumbledore had intended for Hogwarts – the host school – to have their champion listed last of all. He wondered whom it would be, glancing to see Avery, Rookwood and Mulciber slapping each other on the back and sharing grins.

"You put your name in?"

"Bloody hell, yes! Can you imagine how pleased the Dark Lord would be if one of us won?"

The Goblet of Fire was now shooting forth a final slip of parchment, which Dumbledore caught. Unlike the other three times, however, the Headmaster now let a pregnant pause go by, before announcing the name.

"Severus Snape….. Severus Snape!"

All eyes in the hall swiveled to him, and Severus, face now devoid of color, shakily rose to his feet. For another moment, he just stood there, unsure what to do. Should he walk up to Dumbledore, as Quayle, Youngkin and Eponine were now doing?

He felt someone kick him in the shin and, eyes watering, he looked down to see Narcissa Black mouthing furiously at him.

'Go and follow them!'

Slowly, Severus entered the aisle at the edge of the hall and began walking towards a sequestered side door the other champions were now disappearing through. He tried not to meet too many eyes as he proceeded, some of them shocked, most of them accusing, and all of them silent.

"He's a cheat!" someone finally broke the tableau.

"He's not even of age yet!" hollered another – a furious and jilted seventh year, by the looks of him.

His vision swiveling to the Gryffindor table, Severus locked eyes with Lily. The expression in her vibrant green eyes was such a conglomerate of emotions so as to be almost unreadable, but what Severus did detect there was worry, confusion and…. disappointment? His heart clenched. He hadn't put his name in the Goblet; Dumbledore had said no one younger than 17 allowed! That was the rule. And whatever many in the school thought of him, no matter how many times he had found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time or under false accusation, Severus followed the rules.

Heartbroken, his eyes left Lily to land on those of James Potter, a few seats down from her. Severus couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw the toerag smirking, and his cracked heart now burned. Something was amiss…. and damn it if Potter didn't know about it!

It seemed an eternity before he entered the small private sitting room (which now felt increasingly more akin to a crypt) and disappeared from all suspicious eyes. Now secluded here with the other three, very obviously of-age champions, fifteen-year-old Severus felt increasingly out-of-place. Never mind that he would be turning sixteen in just over two months – underage was still underage and it didn't make him feel much better.

Shouting could now suddenly be heard as Dumbledore, much of the Hogwarts staff and the teacher leaders of the Durmstrang, Beauxbatons and Ilvermorny delegations burst into the room.

Dumbledore made right for Severus, seizing him by the front of his robes and shaking him.

"Severus! Severus, did you put your name in that Goblet of Fire?"

"No, sir!"

"Did you ask an older student to do it for you?"

"No, sir! I swear on Merlin's wand I didn't!"

It was a moment before Dumbledore let him go, though it felt longer. He turned to the head of the Ilvermorny delegation, Cain Miles. "Miles, I can't see how we can let this selection stand. Severus is still just a boy! Can't the Goblet put forth another name? Someone who is of age?"

Severus found himself hoping the American magic professor would say Yes. This was just a mistake! Magical objects like the Goblet of Fire weren't known to be foolproof or infallible.

His heart dropped at the grave look Miles sported, whilst staring into the flames of the fireplace. "The laws of the Tournament are absolute. We have no choice….. Severus Snape must compete."

Severus resisted the urge to hang his head, even if it meant the others would see him cry. It might not do to look emotional… but it would do even worse to look guilty. Even so, Eponine flounced out of the room with a sniff, her nose in the air. Chad Quayle awkwardly patted Severus on the shoulder, his expression, while sympathetic, also unsure. Youngkin just stalked on by with merely a grunt.

By the time Severus started trudging back to the dungeons, the Great Hall had completely emptied out. Just off the landing to the Grand Staircase, he froze when he saw Lily dash up to him. He resisted the urge to shiver when, biting her lip, she softly touched his face. The concern radiated off of her, and Severus basked in it, despite his fatigue.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Severus grunted. He tried to shrug away, as much as he secretly didn't want to, but Lily held fast.

"Oh, Sev, I'm so sorry…."

"What? Is that what you're going to say to obscure the fact that you, along with everyone else, think I broke the rules on purpose?"

Lily reeled back a step, eyes watering, stung. Straightening up to her full height, she eyed him with sympathy, though this was discordant with the coolness in her voice. "No. Mary might not believe you, but I do."

"I could give a rat's arse what Mary thinks," Severus muttered darkly. He caught himself, not wanting to dig a deeper hole than he already was. Lily looked like she wanted to flounce prissily away, and he grabbed for her hand before she got the chance.

"Lily…."

"What?" she sighed, exhausted.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean…" He might have only one person on his side out of the entire school, and the fact that it was her mattered all the more. He didn't want to push his only ally away just because he didn't understand what was happening himself.

All the tension deflated from Lily's body and she nodded her head. "I know."

"Thank you." And, even though he had thought it a barking idea when Twelve Fail-Safe Ways suggested it, he cupped her face in his palm, bent and kissed her on the cheek. He almost gave in and went for her pretty little mouth, but chickened out. And perhaps a good thing, too. After all, it said in Tip #7: Show affection often…. But don't go overboard.

Upon his soft lips brushing her skin, Severus felt Lily's breath hitch in surprise. When he drew back, she was blinking owlishly, before finally allowing herself a soft smile.

"Good night, Sev." Giving his hand a parting squeeze, she raced up the stairs. Slightly lighter than before, Severus headed down to his Common Room, giving the password in a mealy-mouthed fashion.

He had barely stepped through the portrait hole when Mulciber, Avery and Rookwood surrounded him, nearly picking him up off his feet and carrying him over their heads.

"There he is! Our new Hogwarts champion!"

"I knew you couldn't be such a wanker, Snape! My profound apologies!"

"Now you have a chance to show what purebloods can really do!"

This last comment, aired by Mulciber, made Severus take pause as the lot set him down again. "What do you mean?"

Grinning devilishly, Mulciber would only give him a wink. "Let's just say the Dark Lord is very pleased a descendant of Slytherin has been chosen to represent Hogwarts. He has made clear he will be watching your progress closely and with great interest."

Severus went to bed that night his head spinning…. Voldemort himself…. taking a keen interest in him?

He didn't know what to make of that attention, except in a strange way, it felt almost… flattering.

Several floors up in the Gryffindor Common Room, James, Sirius and Peter were carousing and having a great time. The full moon would be occurring the night after tomorrow, and the three were anxious to test out their new powers, and help Remus.

"Snivellus a champion? He's gonna get crushed!" James crowed, cackling. "We can have ourselves a jolly good laugh for the rest of the year. And with our new plans starting this weekend…. Oh, this year's gonna be brilliant!"

Gazing into the dancing flames almost darkly, Remus wasn't thinking about the new help he would get in his transformation. "I know it was you," he muttered gravely, turning his head to give James a knowing, probing look.

James' chuckle turned nervous, his bright smile dipping a bit. "What? What are you on about, Moony?"

"Rigging an ancient magical object to send someone underage into danger! Don't you lot have any sense at all?" Only Peter had the decency to look contrite, though he still made an effort to raise his hand and ask timidly, "Excuse me, Remus, but have you ever considered the possibility that Snape might have illegally entered his name himself?"

"No," Remus replied shortly. Peter meekly bowed his head.

Sirius seemed to be at war with his own face, uncertain how he should feel over this sudden, ringing non-endorsement.

"I thought the plan was bloody brilliant!" Sirius's voice was weak.

"What, to get Severus killed?" Remus's voice was in danger of rising to a shout. "I seem to recall you idiots already tried that and what did it get you? Severus knowing my secret, and fifty House points, as I recall! You think this will be any more worth it?"

"We bloody well did it for you!" James blasted out, which made Remus take pause. "Not to kill Snivellus, mind, but keep him distracted! He'll be run so ragged, he won't have time to stick his nose into what we're doing for you! Watching him stumble through those Tasks will be like if we'd pranked him ourselves. This whole business clears our schedules a bit, tell you the truth."

Remus sighed, before sticking a strong finger in his best mate's face. "Whatever your intentions, you might not get the exact outcome you're searching for. People do, and have, died in this Tournament."

"And if it's Snivellus, what's the downside in that?" Sirius shrugged.

"More than you might realize," Remus murmured forebodingly. On the stairs leading up to the girls' dormitory, hidden, Lily Evans froze in shock and rage as she overheard everything….