While the second task keeps approaching, more serious threats are looming.
SEVERUS VII
This wasn't the first time such a scene took place in Albus Dumbledore's office. Severus and his colleague, Minerva McGonagall, were standing in a corner while the Headmaster sat behind his study. Igor Karkaroff and Olympe Maxime were standing close to the desk as the five of them looked at the woman standing in front of them. Despite her obvious numerical inferiority in the presence of people such as Dumbledore, she stood tall and unflinching, unwavering, as she announced what she came to tell them.
"The International Confederation of Wizards has closed the investigation about the irregularities that took place during the selection of the champions for the 1994-1995 edition of the Triwizard Tournament. Its conclusions are that for an unknown reason, the Goblet of Fire chose not three, but four champions to compete in the Triwizard Tournament for the first time in history. As for the causes of such a choice, they remain unknown."
The declaration of Amelia Bones caused consternation among everyone who was present, except for Dumbledore who remained calm, and Severus who wasn't expecting much from the Confederation anyway.
"If you are trying to make fun of us, Madam Bones, we do not appreciate your humor," Karkaroff declared.
"This is not humor, Professor Karkaroff," the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement said. "The Confederation called the best experts in the world to try to understand what happened, and they couldn't explain how the Goblet of Fire selected four champions for the simple reason that the magic of the Goblet is dormant. It as if its magic is inexistant right now. This is the nature of the Goblet. Its magic only activates every five years. They were not able to find out what went wrong. So the Confederation decided to close the investigation."
"Why is that you who informs us of this?" Madame Maxime asked. "Where are Mr Crouch and Mr Bagman?"
"Since the international investigation's work is highly tied to the local investigation my department is leading with the help of your ministries, we thought it best that I handle it."
"Let's speak about this other investigation," Karkaroff said, almost on an accusing tone. "Have you found anything yet?"
"I'm afraid not. We still have no certainty as to who placed the name of Harry Potter in the Goblet of Fire. We were able to rule out any possibility that the Goblet of Fire might have been tampered before it arrived to Hogwarts and it began to accept names. So the tampering happened here, while the Goblet was accessible to anybody who wished to put his name in. Other than that, we don't know who did this yet."
Karkaroff sighed angrily while looking at the floor. "Three months. Three months!" He turned to Dumbledore. "Albus, this has gone long enough. We have been patient. We have allowed your second champion to compete in the first task. We even tolerated his participation to the opening of the Yule Ball. But now, this has gone too far. The second task is at the end of this month. You have to do something."
"And what would you like me to do, Igor?" Hogwarts' Headmaster calmly asked. "Forcefully remove Harry Potter from the competition?"
"You can't do that," Amelia Bones shot immediately. "He is bound to the same magical contract than the other champions. You can no more force him out of the Tournament than you could force any other champion out of it."
"This is ridiculous! The International Confederation of Wizards should be able to do something. I'll ask them," the Durmstrang's Headmaster declared.
"Professor Karkaroff, the Confederation has looked into it already. The best experts have tried to sever this binding magical contract, even long before the Tournament began, and they couldn't achieve anything. This contract cannot be broken. And any attempt to prevent a champion from participating to the Tournament could result in dire consequences not only for him, but also for the other champions. I'm afraid that Harry Potter will have no choice but to compete in the second and third tasks."
Severus fumed from the inside. So this boy was going to get out with it again. Like his father, he always found a way out.
"Igor, Madame Maxime, I am sorry," Dumbledore said. "But it seems that we have no other choice."
"Well, if that is the case, and if there is nothing else to say, I'll take my leave," Igor declared. On that, he walked out. Severus looked at him getting out of the office with a mixture of contempt and disgust. This coward would never change.
"My dear Madame Maxime, is there something you would like to say?" Dumbledore asked her.
"Well, I regret what is happening, but if we have no other choice but go on with this, I will accept this state of affairs. I wish you a good night, Albus. Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall, Madam Bones."
And the Headmistress of Beauxbatons left as well, in a much more dignified way.
"It went better than we could expect," Dumbledore said once they were gone, a small smile on his lips.
"Don't you have any idea as to who placed Potter's name in the Goblet of Fire?" Minerva McGonagall asked.
"All that we can establish for a certainty so far is that the person who did this is at least seventeen-years-old and that he or she put the name of Harry Potter while the Goblet of Fire was activated and receiving names. Other than that, we have no certainty," Amelia Bones said.
"So, Harry Potter could not have put his name into the Goblet?"
"No. We verified the Age Line, and it worked perfectly. You made no mistake, Dumblddore," she added for the Headmaster. "This is why my department continued to handle this investigation. This is at the very least endangering the life of an underage wizard, which makes it a criminal matter."
Severus clenched his fists. And yet again, Potter escaped troubles, despite everything indicating he had no place not only in the Triwizard Tournament, but also at Hogwarts itself. Severus still couldn't believe he was not expelled last year, when he was surprised wandering in the grounds at night, long after the authorized hours, which resulted in placing not only himself, but also his friends and his own mother in danger. What kind of son was this?
"We will contact you again when we have more elements," the head of department said. "If you don't mind now, I would speak with Alastor Moody."
"You are free to visit him, Amelia, of course. But before you leave… Severus," Dumbledore called, looking at him.
Severus Snape advanced, and he unrolled the sleeve of his left arm, revealing the Dark Mark that the Dark Lord inscribed there many years ago. Amelia Bones looked at it with interest.
"It has been getting clearer," Severus explained. "Ever since the events at the Quidditch World Cup." He rolled up the sleeve. "Karkaroff noticed the same phenomenon."
She looked critically at him. Severus would not have showed it to this woman, but Dumbledore asked him to. In general, Severus did not trust the Ministry of Magic. Its members were generally incompetent, even though he acknowledged that some of them were powerful and even competent. In his opinion, the Ministry would have been way better managed if Dumbledore had accepted the office of Minister of Magic. But he refused, and he preferred to stay at Hogwarts as Headmaster. In a certain way, Severus was grateful to the Headmaster for this. It was Dumbledore's protection that allowed him to remain a professor at Hogwarts, even though he refused to let him teach Defence Against the Dark Arts. Severus much preferred his actual position to an eventual position at the Ministry of Magic, and he wasn't sure if he could have kept it if Dumbledore moved to the Ministry. He wasn't sure either whether he would have followed Dumbledore if he asked, or ordered Severus to follow his steps.
Amelia Bones kept looking critically at him. He didn't blame her. This woman had been part of the team at the Ministry of Magic who investigated on him after the fall of the Dark Lord. She knew very well that he was a former Death Eater, and she was naturally suspicious about all people such as him. For good reasons, furthermore.
She turned to Dumbledore.
"You believe he is growing stronger, don't you?" she asked him.
"He is not getting weaker, that's for sure," the Headmaster replied.
"Hmm…" She looked to be taking this very seriously, which she should. "I'll keep an eye on it. And I'll contact you if we have anything new."
The woman left on that. In the office, the only remaining people were Albus Dumbledore and his two professors.
"You could have asked her about the whereabouts of Lily," Minerva said. This awakened Severus' attention, although he didn't show it. "We have been without news from her for a very long time."
"According to my latest information, she is in the Balkans," Dumbledore replied. "At least, this is approximately where she was around Christmas, since the owl who carried her letter and her gift for Harry came from the region."
"So, that proves that she is alive," Minerva said.
"I believe that if Lily was to die, we would not be long to learn about it." This was some news Severus hoped to never hear. "Now, if you'll forgive me, Minerva, I need a private word with Professor Snape."
"As you wish." And on that, Minerva McGonagall left the office, and Severus was alone with Dumbledore.
"You have no better idea as to her current location?" he asked the Headmaster once he was sure his colleague was far away and couldn't hear.
"Either in Albania or in Greece. Even for wizards, it is hard to know what is happening in this region. The situation is chaotic since the fall of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics."
Severus waved aside this kind of concern. He had nothing to care about the politics of the Muggle World. "She is searching the place where the Dark Lord is residing. Don't tell otherwise. I know this is where he is."
"This is the place where he is rumored to be," Dumbledore specified. "And she is not searching for Voldemort. She is searching for Crouch Junior."
"And he is still on the loose."
"It is not easy to find a Death Eater, Severus. Remember how long it took to catch Peter Pettigrew the first time, plus the additional time required to recapture him the second time. Not that we captured him again, really."
Albus Dumbledore looked at him over his glasses, with the same gaze he knew that everyone would feel they were examined throughout. Severus knew why Dumbledore looked at him this way, and he didn't want to broach the topic again. "I didn't kill him on purpose," Severus replied all the same, unflinching.
"No, you didn't. But you don't regret his death either."
"No, I don't." He didn't regret it a single second. For once, he would have approved Black's actions if he managed to kill Pettigrew years ago. This would have spared all of them a lot of worry and pain, including for Lily. She wouldn't have had to watch over her capricious and careless son all the time.
"Well, catching Crouch Junior might prove just as hard. But Lily knows what she is doing. I trust her."
Severus trusted her too, but he couldn't get rid of his worries all the same.
"Have you and Karkaroff talked again since the Yule Ball?" Dumbledore then asked, finally changing subject.
"No. But I doubt that he changed his mind. He is going to flee if the Dark Lord returns. Maybe he will flee before that."
"Still not tempted to join him?"
"No." He would never flee. He made a promise a long time ago. And he knew… He knew that…
He knew that these kinds of things could be tricky. Just as tricky as prophecies. It was very hard to interpret them correctly. But Severus needed to believe in it. It was one of the things that helped him to go forward, despite all the odds against them. He had to believe that it was true. He had to believe that he would succeed.
"Keep watching Karkaroff," Dumbledore reminded him.
"Moody is very good at it," he told Dumbledore.
"Karkaroff is afraid of Alastor. He doesn't trust him. You are probably the closest he has to a person he can trust here, Severus. Let Alastor take care of watching over Harry and ensuring he goes through the Tournament safely, while you keep an eye from a closer position to Karkaroff."
This wasn't something Severus looked forward to or appreciated. To him, Karkaroff was a coward, nothing more, and he didn't appreciate talking with him anymore than he appreciated giving lessons to Harry Potter.
"Do you still believe he could be behind what's happening right now?" Severus asked.
"I cannot be sure of anything so far. I would rather not close any door, Severus. Let Karkaroff come to you and speak about his worries. Maybe he will drop some important information in the process."
Severus highly doubted that it was Igor Karkaroff who put the name of Harry Potter in the Goblet of Fire. He would not give an additional chance to Hogwarts in the Tournament. He also had no interest in getting Potter killed. Karkaroff did everything to gain his freedom. He would never endanger it by doing something so stupid. Anyway, Severus didn't think that whoever put the name of Lily's son in the Goblet was trying to kill him. He could easily think about a hundred more efficient and more discreet ways to finish off the boy.
Still, as always, Severus would obey Dumbledore's orders. Because he had to agree that someone indeed placed the boy's name in that goblet, and it couldn't be the boy. He wasn't powerful enough to break through the Age Line and get the Goblet to throw up his name. No, someone else did it. And whoever it was, he had a good reason to go to such lengths to achieve this. The reason, however, eluded Severus Snape for the time being. He supposed that a faint hope to get some insight from Karkaroff about it was reason enough to suffer him from time to time.
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