Chapter 16

Dumbledore trusted Severus with many things, but not with this. Not with the Goblet of Fire. And with good reason. Severus felt strongly inclined to destroy the thing, just in case. But according to Dumbledore the attempt would probably get three Ministers, six Heads of department, three Heads of school and maybe even as many students as had already put in their names instantly killed, and the Goblet was likely to remain intact. Not if I use Fiendfyre, thought Severus viciously. There was nothing —well, almost nothing— that couldn't be thoroughly destroyed with Fiendfyre. He wasn't sure he would risk getting Dumbledore killed, though. Maybe if he were certain that it was the only way of protecting Lily's son, but not just in case. Albus Dumbledore dying would have really serious consequences, especially if the Dark Lord returned.

So that's why they were keeping watch together. Dumbledore's excuse might be that he wanted to make sure no one else interfered with the Goblet overnight, but Severus knew that he was included amongst the potential threats.

His reason was that he wanted to make sure Potter's name didn't get anywhere near the damned thing. Dumbledore insisted in that the Goblet only accepted names entered by the candidates themselves (else anyone could nominate anyone), but Severus still felt uneasy.

Something was going to happen. It couldn't be a coincidence that the Triwizard Tournament had been announced only a few weeks after his Dark Mark had reappeared. Getting the boy into the Tournament would be a really good way of unsuspiciously killing him, especially if the Dark Lord still couldn't touch him. Dumbledore agreed on that, but he had still refused to expel Potter and take him away.

Another seventh year student quietly slipped into the Entrance Hall, and froze when he saw the Headmaster and the Bat of the Dungeons standing in a corner. For a House supposedly known for bravery, there were a lot of Gryffindor cowards who didn't want to risk everyone knowing that they had put in their names and not been chosen. Severus had to bite his tongue to keep himself from taking points or giving detention, as he normally would when finding a student out of bed so late at night.

"Don't mind us, Mr. Welsh," said Dumbledore pleasantly. "Curfew has been lifted for this one night, for everyone over seventeen."

The Gryffindor candidate breathed in relief at the Headmaster's words, but still glanced warily at Severus before carefully approaching the Goblet. He actually hopped over the Age Line like a frightened little kid, and his hand was shaking when he dropped a slip of paper in the flames.

"Welsh is afraid of his own shadow," commented Severus when the boy had rushed away, presumably back to Gryffindor tower. "How can he expect to survive the Tournament?"

"Mr. Welsh is braver than you give him credit for, Severus. And he is a very capable young man." Dumbledore sighed. "But I agree that he would have a hard time surviving. Let's hope he won't get picked."

Severus, on his part, was torn between hoping that one of his own Slytherins would get picked and win the Tournament, and hoping that it wouldn't be a student of his House the one to die a horrible death.

The next candidate turned out to be a Polyjuiced fifth-year Gryffindor, so Severus had a chance to see how the Age Line handled that. To his disappointment, the moron simply couldn't pass. Nothing flashy like with the aging potion.

"You can save yourself a week of detention by directly confessing who you are," Severus said coldly. "And another week by confessing where did you get the potion or the ingredients."

The impostor gulped. He confessed who he was, but he lied about the potion (probably to protect someone, since McLaggen wasn't capable of brewing Polyjuice).

"Fifty points from Gryffindor and detention with Filch every Saturday for the rest of the year, except the final week" dictated Severus. "And I'm really looking forward to your next Potion's class."

The Polyjuiced McLaggen looked at the Headmaster in panic, but for once Dumbledore didn't overrule Severus' punishment and simply sent the boy to bed.

Apparently the Goblet of Fire was like a pot of honey, perfect to draw bears or idiots. Not often did Severus have such a productive night.

They were talking in a low voice about Karkaroff and how Severus would deal with him when something caught their attention. They stared at the Goblet, which flames had briefly turned red and emitted sparks.

"Show yourself!" said Severus loudly. It was probably just a desillusionated student, like the one from Ravenclaw a while ago, but he would not take any chances. The Goblet of Fire might be powerful, but there was always some dark way of getting around anything. The Dark Lord no doubt would find a way to enter Potter's name if he could access the object personally. Severus really hoped there wasn't a desillusionated Dark Lord mere feet from him, though.

No one answered, and no one showed himself. The Entrance Hall was completely silent and still, apparently empty except for them and the Goblet of Fire.

"Just a student," said Dumbledore tiredly. "Let it go, Severus."

Severus ignored him, and he non-verbally cast a one-way ward around the Hall to prevent anyone from leaving. Then he waited. Dumbledore sighed and waited in silence too. The fact that they hadn't been attacked sort of confirmed that it must be just a student, but Severus was a stubborn man.

Whoever it was grew bored of standing still after around five minutes, and then went to crash against the invisible ward. Severus instantly sent a finite spell in the direction of the impact, but nothing happened. Next to him, Dumbledore frowned and looked concerned for the first time. A really bad feeling twisted Severus' guts.

"Accio Invisibility Cloak!" he whispered, telling himself that it was possible that more than one student had an Invisibility Cloak, and of course several grown wizards.

Nothing happened either.

"Accio Potter's Cloak!" he whispered instead, hoping against hope that his gut-feeling was completely wrong.

Nothing happened. Severus breathed in relief, although he was still confused. Maybe his finite spell had missed?

"Harry, if you are here please reveal yourself," said Dumbledore calmly.

Seconds dragged by in complete stillness.

And then Potter became visible across the Hall. Fury ran through Severus as he stared at the last person he had wanted to see down here.

"You moron!" he hissed.

He had expected something to happen involving Potter, but oddly he had not expected the brat himself to try to enter his name. Maybe because Dumbledore had assured him that his Age Line was perfect and it couldn't be fooled by aging potions or Polyjuice. Or perhaps he had underestimated Potter's stupidity and arrogance. Else he would have chained the boy to his bed or at the very least confiscated his Invisibility Cloak.

He should have known, though. Potter was his father's son, and also Black's godson, and clearly worshipped both of them. Severus was convinced that he had helped Black escape and that he must be in touch with the fugitive. James Potter and Sirius Black would have been disappointed of the boy if he had not tried to enter the Triwizard Tournament. And of course Potter couldn't let pass such an opportunity of risking his life and being admired.

There were a thousand different insults fighting for priority on the tip of his tongue, as well as hundreds of House points and endless detentions, but horror seemed to be winning the struggle and rendering him speechless. His brain was slowly reminding him that the Goblet's flames had turned red five minutes ago, and he knew what that meant.

"Come here please, Harry," instructed the Headmaster after casting a silencing ward around the Hall.

The boy came, clutching the Cloak with trembling hands and keeping his eyes on the floor.

"Did you put your name in the Goblet, Harry?" asked Dumbledore unnecessarily, his voice still calm although he sounded older than ever.

The brat hesitated, looking between them as if trying to decide whether he could get away with a lie, and then took a deep breath.

"Yes, Professor."

"You couldn't miss an opportunity to draw a little more attention, could you Potter?" spat Severus, making an effort not to yell. The brat narrowed his eyes at him, but wisely held his tongue. "You don't have enough fame for your taste? Is your life too dull for you this year, without any werewolf or basilisk at hand?"

"Severus..."

"No, Dumbledore! Here you have proof of what I've been telling you for years! He's just like his jerk of a father, an attention-seeker selfish moron who gives a damn about everyone's efforts to protect him!"

"Severus, calm down," said Dumbledore in an authoritative tone. "Harry, how did you cross the Age Line?"

Potter continued glaring at Severus for a moment longer before turning to the Headmaster.

"I just walked through, Professor," he said, looking nervous. "I'm sorry, I just..."

"Save your excuses, Potter," Severus spat. "And don't lie. How did you cross the Line?"

"I'm not lying! I just walked through!" the boy almost yelled.

"How old are you, Harry?" asked Dumbledore suddenly.

"Seventeen," said the boy instantly.

Severus was about to yell at the brat for his cheekiness when suddenly a light turn on inside his angry brain. He looked at Dumbledore, and saw that the old man was frowning thoughtfully.

"He's telling the truth, Severus," he said with a sigh.

It took him a long moment to process the implications of that. It had never been easy for him to be reasonable and fair when Potter was involved. There was an irrational fury that often took hold of him —sometimes even shaking his Occlumency shields— whenever the boy reminded him too much of James Potter. Of course, he usually didn't even try to fight that irrationality, he was content hating the brat and telling himself that he had good reasons for it. And he usually had good reasons for it. He now made an almost painful effort to calm himself and reconsider the whole situation. A few quick Occlumency exercises helped him, returning to him a sense of control even though he didn't actually have any control at all over the situation

Of course, he was still convinced that breaking the rules and volunteering himself to risk his life in a dangerous tournament for the promise of a little more admiration would be completely in character for Potter. He had seen his face during the feast, and it had been obvious that the boy, like many other stupid kids, had been fantasizing about winning the Tournament. Potter also probably thought himself up to the challenge, having slain a basilisk and solved that ridiculous obstacle race to the Philosopher's Stone. The boy was just like his father and stupid enough as to want to enter his name, no question about that.

But it was now obvious that Potter was Confunded. Severus mentally cursed Dumbledore for having drawn an Age Line that could be easily fooled by a Confunding Charm. So much for the old man being the greatest wizard alive! (not that Severus had ever believed that, of course, he still thought the Dark Lord held that title).

Under normal circumstances he would have assumed that Potter had asked someone —probably Granger, if she could pull it off— to Confund him so he could fool the Line (although Severus wasn't sure the Know-It-All would go along with such a blatant attempt of breaking rules for no good reason). But these were not normal circumstances. In his rage he had for a moment forgotten the fact that his Mark had reappeared during the summer. It couldn't be a coincidence that just as the Dark Lord was coming back the Triwizard Tournament was being celebrated in Hogwarts again after two hundred years. And of course it couldn't be a coincidence that Potter's name had ended up inside the Goblet of Fire despite Dumbledore's precautions. Severus had expected something to happen, and something had happened, although it had turned out to be somehow unexpected.

So, someone following the Dark Lord's orders must have Confunded Potter to believe he was older than he was. That probably had been all it took, since the brat no doubt had wanted to enter the Tournament and had only needed a way around the age restriction...

Although it was also a fact that Potter was a coward, and Severus wasn't sure he would have dared defying Dumbledore's age restriction in such an obvious way. Loath as he was to admit the possibility, he supposed it was possible that the brat had also been Confunded into thinking that it was a good idea to sneak out to put his name in the Goblet of Fire.

"Severus, do you perhaps have a Wit-Sharpening Potion with you?" asked Dumbledore after dispatching his Patronus towards the grounds.

Severus nodded and began searching his pockets. He always carried around a variety of antidotes and other useful potions with him. His mind was too well organized as to be Confunded, but it never hurt to be prepared just in case.

It took some persuasion from the Headmaster for Potter to accept to drink anything that Severus offered. Although the boy's mistrust annoyed him (who could be less of a threat to him than Severus?), it was good to know he could be decently paranoid when faced to a supposed enemy.

They watched the boy closely. At first, Potter looked increasingly confused. Then slowly the confusion was replaced by understanding, and then by horror. By all accounts, recovering a clear mind after being Confunded wasn't a pleasant experience. Severus had never been Confunded, but he had read a lot about the subject and heard enough stories as to have a pretty good idea of how awful it would be. It wasn't like being Imperiused. In a way, it was worse, since one retained his free will and even afterwards could remember having done what he had done willingly. It was said that internal conflict and self-hatred were residual effects of Confundment. There were even cases of people that had gone mad or killed themselves for being unable to handle the conflict. Potter's arrogance would likely protect him from those drastic consequences, but no doubt it would be difficult for him to sort out what had been result of Confundment and what hadn't. After all, the boy had probably considered entering the Tournament before even being Confunded.

"How old are you, Harry?" asked Dumbledore gently once the horror in Potter's eyes seemed to reach its maximum.

"Fourteen," whispered the boy. He looked at them all with obvious fear. "I... I don't know what happened, Professor. I swear I didn't mean to... I wasn't..."

"It's all right, Harry. I'm afraid you had been Confunded," explained the Headmaster. "That is, someone interfered with your thought process and made you believe that you were older, and also that you should do what you did. Professor Snape has given you a potion to clear your head, but you will likely remain a little confused for a while."

Potter looked straight at Severus with infuriating green eyes.

"I wouldn't have done it," he said defiantly.

Severus scoffed.

"I believe you would have, Potter," he said coldly. "You don't need to be Confunded to be stupid."

"I don't want to participate!" exclaimed the boy, looking more afraid the clearer his mind got. "I'm only fourteen, and rubbish at magic!"

"That we can all agree on," said Severus with a sneer.

He was angry, but mostly afraid. It didn't really matter how this had happened or whose fault it was. The damage was already done, Potter's name was already inside the Goblet of Fire. Severus' only comfort was that there were other names in there was well, names of Hogwarts' students much better qualified than Potter. Surely the boy couldn't be chosen to represent the school, right? The Goblet was supposed to base its selection on aptitude, not on luck or past achievements, and Potter was definitely inept in most areas.

It would be ludicrous if Potter was chosen as the best Hogwarts had to offer, but he couldn't dispel an extremely pessimist feeling. The Dark Lord had to be behind this, and the Dark Lord always had some neat trick under his sleeve. He didn't do things half-way, besides. If Potter's name had been entered, then there must be some other strategy at place to make sure he was chosen.

"Potter should be expelled," he said finally. This was the last hope. The name was already inside, but if the damned thing was as clever as Dumbledore would have him believe, then it might notice if the student was no longer eligible.

Despite being suggesting the expulsion for Potter's benefit (as always), it was satisfying to see the expression of horror in the boy's face.

Dumbledore sighed.

"I don't think that would be wise, Severus." He opened his mouth to argue, but the Headmaster cut him off. "Now I will escort Harry back to bed. Please remain here until I get back, and inform Alastor of what happened."

Potter directed one last angry and afraid look at Severus before following the Headmaster. Confundment or not, it was irritating to know that the brat would get away with this and not receive even a detention for being out after curfew.

The Goblet of Fire seemed like a much more evil presence in the Entrance Hall after that, reflected Severus. He should have destroyed the damned thing before! Now he couldn't risk it, not with Potter's name already in it. No doubt that's why suddenly Dumbledore didn't seem to have a problem with leaving Severus alone with the Goblet.

He heard the familiar sound of Moody's wooden leg limping his way up the front stairs. Great, just what he needed to completely ruin his night. Damned Moody! The bloody Auror had been constantly watching and stalking Severus since he had walked into the castle two months ago, but now, when his freaky eye would have been truly useful to spot Potter under his Invisibility Cloak, he had been elsewhere.

And it had been Severus the one close to the Goblet during the incident, so of course he would be a suspect. Just great.