The food had been cleared away and Dumbledore had begun to speak about the tournament and all that it would entail. Minato tried to ignore the looks of superiority from Madame Maxime and the looks of suspicion from Karkaroff. All through dinner, when he wasn't monopolizing the conversation with Dumbledore, the Durmstrang Headmaster would, not so slyly try to find out the location of his own school that was make-believe. Maxime however, would continually point out how small and scrawny Kakashi was, Minato thought it might be rude to point out that compared to her everyone was small and scrawny.
He tore his thoughts away from the other headmasters to focus on the gritty old caretaker Filch who was walking toward Dumbledore with a wooden box encrusted with valuable looking jewels. He saw that some of the students were craning their necks for a better look and one boy had even stood up but was so short you could hardly tell. Kakashi he saw was looking right at him with a raised eyebrow, clearly unimpressed.
He smiled and returned his attention to Dumbledore. "The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman." He said and Filch placed the chest on the table before him, "and they have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be three tasks placed throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways… their magical prowess- their daring- their powers of deduction- and of course, their ability to cope with danger."
Maxime caught his eye and raised a dark colored eyebrow as she glanced down at Kakashi; little did she know just how suited he was for coping with danger. "As you know, three champions usually compete in the tournament." Dumbledore went on calmly. "One from each of the participating schools. This year a fourth school will be participating, the Konoha Academy for Magic so we shall have four champions. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the tasks and the champion with the highest total after task three will win the Triwizard cup. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: The Goblet of Fire."
Dumbledore now took out his wand and tapped three times on the top of the casket. The lid creaked slowly open. Dumbledore reached inside it and pulled out a large, roughly hewn wooden cup. It would have been entirely unremarkable had it not been full to the brim with dancing blue-white flames.
Dumbledore closed the casket and placed the goblet carefully on top of it, where it would be clearly visible to everyone in the hall. "Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet." Said Dumbledore. "Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the four it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete.
"To ensure that no underage student yields to temptation," Said Dumbledore. "I will be drawing an age line around the goblet of fire once it has been placed in the entrance hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line, with the exception of Mr. Hatake of course." There were a few disgruntled mummers at this.
"Finally, I wish to impress upon any of you wishing to compete that this tournament is not to be entered lightly. Once a champion has been selected by the goblet of fire, he or she is obliged to see this tournament through to the end. The placing of your name in the goblet constitutes a binding, magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become champion. Please be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly prepared to play before you drop your name into the goblet. Now, I think it is time for bed. Good night to you all."
Minato stood and only felt a little less manly when he was completely dwarfed by Maxime who looked down her nose at him. "Why is it you only brought that little boy?" she asked in her broken English. "He cannot know enough to get through this tournament alive."
"Actually we start teaching magic earlier then you do, Kakashi started at age five and is considered a prodigy." He said with a smile as Maxime frowned. Karkaroff, who had rushed off toward his students had paused and turned back to look at him, debating if he should return and try to find out more about the mysterious Konoha or go to his students. After a few more minutes hesitation he resumed walking toward his students.
XxX
"An age line!" said Fred Weasley, his eyes glinting, as the all made their way across the hall to the doors into the entrance hall. "Well, that should be fooled by an ageing potion, shouldn't it? And once your names in the goblet, it can't tell whether your seventeen or not!"
"But I don't think anyone under seventeen will stand a chance." Hermione said. "We just haven't learned enough, well except for Hatake; clearly Dumbledore has faith in him…"
"Speak for yourself." Said George shortly. "You'll try and get in wont you Harry? I mean if that Konoha bloke can do it, there's no reason we cant."
Harry thought briefly of Dumbledore's insistence that nobody under seventeen should submit their name, but the wonderful picture of himself winning the Triwizard Tournament filled his mind again… he wondered how angry Dumbledore would be if someone younger than seventeen did find a way to get over the age line… how would Hatake get over the line to submit his name in the first place?
"Where is he?" said Ron, who wasn't listening to a word of the conversation, but looking through the crowd to see what had become of Krum. "Dumbledore didn't say where Durmstrang people were sleeping, did he?"
But this query was answered almost instantly; they were level with the Slytherin table now, and Karkaroff had just bustled up to his students.
"Back to the ship then." He was saying. "Viktor, how are you feeling? Did you eat enough? Should I send for some mulled wine from the kitchens?"
Harry saw Krum shake his head as he pulled his furs back on. "Professor, I vood like some mulled wine," said one of the other Durmstrang boys hopefully.
"I wasn't offering it to you, Poliakoff." Snapped Karkaroff, his warmly paternal air vanishing in an instant. "I notice you have dribbled food all down the front of your robes again, disgusting boy-"
Karkaroff turned and led his students toward the doors, reaching them exactly the same moment as Harry, Ron and Hermione. Harry stopped to let him walk through first.
"Thank you." Said Karkaroff carelessly, glancing at him.
And then Karkaroff froze. He turned his head back to Harry and stared at him as though he couldn't believe his eyes. Behind their headmaster, the students from Durmstrang came to a halt too. Karkaroff's eyes moved slowly up Harry's face and fixed upon his scar. The Durmstrang students were staring curiously at Harry too. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw comprehension dawn on a few faces. The boy with food all down his front nudged the girl next to him and pointed to Harry's forehead.
"Yeah, that's Harry Potter," said a growling voice from behind them.
Professor Karkaroff spun around. Mad-Eye Moody was standing there, leaning heavily on his staff, his magical eye glaring unblinkingly at Karkaroff. The color drained from Karkaroff's face as Harry watched. A terrible look of mingled fury and fear came over him.
"You!" he said, staring at Moody as though unsure he was really seeing him.
"Me," said Moody grimly. "And unless you've got anything to say to Potter, Karkaroff, you might want to move. You're blocking the doorway."
It was true; half the students in the hall were now waiting behind them, looking over one another's shoulders to see what was causing the hold up. Without another word, Karkaroff swept his students away with him. Moody watched him until he was out of sight, his magical eye fixed on his back, a look of intense dislike upon his mutilated face.
XxX
Across the hall Kakashi was following Minato-sensei and Dumbledore into a side door behind the teachers table. As it turned out the door lead into a smaller room but they didn't stay there, instead they walked across the room and out of another door and into an empty hallway. Several more hallways and three flights of stairs later, they were at a large painting of a windmill in an empty field.
"Butterscotch." Dumbledore said the first words anyone had said since they left the great hall.
The painting swung open and the three walked inside. It was a sitting room that had a roaring fire in the hearth and was surrounded by several overstuffed chairs. There were four doors in total, the one they just came through, another to the left and right and the last right in front of them. Kakashi decided it was better than camping any day but worried it would make him soft.
"This will be where you two will stay during your mission." Dumbledore started before turning to Kakashi. "I saw that you met Harry Potter during the feast, along with collecting information on Voldemort I'd like for you to keep an eye on him. He has a knack for getting into trouble where Voldemort is concerned and should he rise again I fear that Harry's life will be in danger."
Why would that scrawny brat be so important to an apparently powerful enemy? Maybe he held some special sort of power that this Riddle person intended to use for his own gain, but then he thought back to him. He was short, skinny with glasses and messy black hair; in fact the only thing interesting about him was an oddly shaped scar on his forehead.
"I'll fill you in later why Potter is important." Minato said causing Kakashi to remember the time when Obito was convinced he could read minds.
The door behind them opened and Kakashi turned to see three people walk into the room, well two people and a giant man who was the size of three large men. The woman, he recognized as the one who had been talking to Minato during the feast. The shorter man had long greasy black hair that clung to his head and black robes; he had what seemed a perpetual scowl on his pale face. The giant man had frizzy brown hair and a ruddy complexion but overall seemed rather friendly.
"Ahh, these were the three Professors I was telling you about." He said gesturing to the new comers. "Please meet Minerva McGonagall, deputy headmistress and Transfiguration Professor." He woman gave a curt nod before casting a weary glance down at Kakashi. "Next is Severus Snape, Potions Master." The greasy haired man sneered at both he and Minato. "And last but certainly not least Rubeus Hagrid, Groundskeeper and Professor of Magical Creatures." The giant man smiled warmly and gave a small wave.
"The last time Voldemort was in power, all three were loyal members of the Order of the Phoenix; we have partially regrouped the Order in case Voldemort is returning to power." Dumbledore explained.
"Surely you don't expect us to place our trust in this boy?" McGonagall asked with a raised eyebrow. "He shouldn't even be in the tournament much less the Order."
"Now Minerva," Minato started. "Kakashi is much more capable then you give him credit for, currently he is at the same rank as me and has been so for months. He is skilled in gathering information and is more than ready to do what is needed of him, we both have sworn to complete this mission, even going so far as to die for it."
The woman looked startled at this and looked down sharply at Kakashi. "But you're a child!"
"Actually, when I became a genin at the age of six I became a legal adult." He said.
The woman opened her mouth again, no doubt to argue with him when Dumbledore interrupted her. "Minerva, I am putting my faith in Minato and Kakashi, for the good of their mission I suggest you do the same."
"What happened to your face that you need to cover it up, boy?" Snape said, tacking on the boy as an insult. Kakashi didn't rise to the bait, just stared at him unblinkingly. "It hard to trust someone who hides their face from even their allies."
"Showing you my face has nothing to do with this mission or your trust in me."
"Well, now that you've been introduced, should anything come up and I'm not available please contact either Severus, Minerva or Hagrid. But in the meantime let us return to the entrance hall so that you may submit your name in the goblet and I may draw the age line." Dumbledore said apparently oblivious to the tangible friction from Snape.
A/N
Ok the reason I say Kakashi is an adult at five instead of six is because that's when he became a chunin, I just can't see the Hokage letting him be a legal adult at five and it makes since to me. Also, Zabuzasgirl, I would like to thank you for being the first nut job to ever comment on one of my stories and threaten to sue me on someone else's behalf. Please consider taking your medication before you review on someone's story. But I am happy to say that I did humor you and receive permission to continue on with my story from Qi Okami