The two other schools arrive.

SEVERUS VI

Severus Snape was trying to make sure his students would remain in line. Useless to say, this was an impossible task to accomplish. His Slytherins were just as excited as the others. The truth was that, sometimes, students from his house disappointed him even more than everyone else. Today, even they were excited and seemed to be jumping on one foot.

"Stand straight, Miss Bulstrode… Mr Montague, back with the students of your year… And you, Mr Pritchard, stop scratching your neck. Do you want tonight's guests to believe our school is infested with fleas?"

Some of his students giggled at the comment, but Snape quickly brought them back to order and silence with one silent glare. When the Slytherins were in good enough order, his colleague, McGonagall, was still admonishing her own students, who showed how more unruly and more arrogant than all other houses they were.

"Weasley, straighten your hat. Miss Patil, take that ridiculous thing out of your hair. Mr Weasley, let Mr Creevey join the first-years."

One of the twins who devoted all their time to causing trouble had indeed allowed a very small boy on his shoulders. And as always, Potter was discussing with the Muggle-born. McGonagall kept arranging the Gryffindors, and Severus had to admit she did quite a good job with this bunch of rule-breakers and troublemakers. Although they were in competition due to being Heads of opposite houses, Severus had always respected his former professor and current colleague. In his opinion, the Gryffindors didn't deserve such a Head of House.

Finally, they all managed to get outside the castle and to gather in a semblance of order in front of the castle. It was October 30, 1994, and the headmasters of the Beauxbatons Academy and Durmstrang Institute, along with their most promising and talented students, would arrive tonight at Hogwarts for the opening of the Triwizard Tournament.

Severus Snape didn't feel as excited by the Triwizard Tournament as the students or most of his colleagues. To him, it was only a distraction when students should be doing what they came to do at Hogwarts, which was studying. But Albus Dumbledore agreed to holding the tournament, and Severus participated to its organization as was required of him and ordered by the headmaster. Still, he didn't share the enthusiasm of Dumbledore at the prospect of seeing students fraternizing with people of other nationalities. He just didn't see the point in organizing all this only for the sake of meeting someone from another country. And considering that this meant Igor Karkaroff would spend the year at Hogwarts, this was an even more futile exercise in his eyes.

Severus had to bring back to order a few students, even among his own, who kept talking, even in whispers, as they waited. Severus volunteered to not be alongside Dumbledore and the other teachers to instead keep an eye on the students and ensure they were behaving appropriately. If someone was to ensure discipline, better be him. He could do it in silence, without saying a single word. Most of the time, he only needed to stare at a student, and he would shut up.

Despite this, students kept whispering between them, and there were too many. Severus didn't receive any help from other teachers, so he gave up and limited himself to ensuring the ranks remained well organized and that students were not talking too loudly. And as always, among the students who were talking, were Potter and his two friends, the Weasley and the Muggle-born.

Severus was eager to be rid of those. Well, as much as he despised acknowledging it, he expected Miss Granger to proceed to the N.E.W.T. class of Potions in two years, but at least he would be rid of Potter and Weasley by this time. Especially, he would be rid of Potter. His results were poor, and Severus didn't see how he could succeed in getting even an A in Potions at his O.W.L.. This would be a good riddance. He had no time to lose with lost causes and students who didn't take their lessons seriously. And considering Potter didn't inherit the intellectual faculties of either his mother or his father, Severus only had two more years to suffer him. These were two too many years, but only two all the same.

He remembered when he and Lily were attending Potions lessons given by Horace Slughorn, before he made the fateful mistake of calling her a Mudblood. They would always sit together. Snape was already good back then, but Lily… She was apart. Slughorn only had eyes for her. Slughorn appreciated Severus. He did, but next to Lily, even Severus didn't stand a chance. Even he had to admit it, Lily had been better than him during their whole time at Hogwarts. She deserved to be Slughorn's favorite, but also the favorite of most of her teachers. Severus never blamed McGonagall or Slughorn or Dumbledore for favoring her. Unlike James Potter, Lily wasn't arrogant. She did her best, worked hard, and succeeded, without anyone else's help. Severus couldn't deny that part of his own early success in Potions came from the help Lily gave him sometimes, when he dared to ask her, or when she provided it without allowing him to argue. He nodded, thinking how disappointed in her son she must be. It surprised Severus how Lily was blind to her son's failures and flaws. Though maybe he shouldn't be. Severus had a mother as well, after all.

He chased these ideas from his mind and focused back on the students he watched over. The night was a little cold, and he noticed some students were beginning to shiver. They should have dressed more warmly if they were so sensitive to a little cold. Severus had no problem with the weather. He was used to cold temperatures.

All of a sudden, he heard a very distinctive voice, and it did not come from a student.

"Ah! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!"

At the words of the Headmaster, students began to look everywhere. Severus decided there was no point in making them shut up, and he instead looked carefully towards the sky, to check where the carriage was. He didn't want students to be stupid enough to get themselves crushed. He finally spotted the huge blue shape pulled by gigantic horses.

Severus had to admit though that he should have thought better. The people of Beauxbatons could not be entirely stupid to arrive in a way that would endanger someone else's life, as stupid as that someone could be. The carriage landed abruptly, making the front rows of the younger students jump back in fear while Snape remained unmoving. The carriage stopped only a few feet from him. Dumbledore was already approaching.

As the Headmaster arrived near the carriage, the door opened. A young man wearing the pale blue dress of his school came out and installed short golden stairs. Then the headmistress of Beauxbatons came out, causing quite an impression on the students due to her large frame. Dumbledore applauded, and the students followed enthusiastically after a few moments. Severus made a few claps for form as his headmaster welcomed the huge French witch who came to see him.

"My dear Madam Maxime. Welcomed to Hogwarts," Dumbledore said.

"Dumbledore," she acknowledged him as he kissed her hand, in a very approximate English and with a very huge accent. "I hope I find you well."

"On excellent form, I thank you."

"My pupils."

Behind the woman, a dozen students who were obviously all seventeen-years-old or older came out of the carriage. And they were shivering even more than the students of Hogwarts. They should have brought cloaks with them.

"Has Karkaroff arrived yet?" she asked.

"He should be here any moment. Would you like to wait here and greet him or would you prefer to step inside and warm up a trifle?"

"Warm up, I think." Severus was not surprised. Madam Maxime didn't dress for cold temperatures either. "But the horses…"

"Our Care of Magical Creatures teacher will be delighted to take care of them. The moment he has returned from dealing with a slight situation which has arisen with some of his other… charges."

Severus repressed a grin. That idiot of Hagrid started showing students how to take care of creatures he didn't know himself. Severus still didn't understand why Dumbledore chose him as a teacher. He was even more incompetent than the likes of Trelawney. Even Filch would do a better job.

"My steed require… forceful handling," Madam Maxime pointed out. "They are very strong…"

"I assure you that Hagrid will be well up to the job," Dumbledore assured. On that, Severus was ready to believe him. Hagrid was strong enough to handle those gigantic horses.

"Very well. Will you please inform this Hagrid that the horses drink only single-malt whisky?"

"It will be attended to."

Next, Madam Maxime called her students to follow her, and they immediately did so. Whether it was out of fear for their half-giant headmistress or because of the cold, he couldn't tell, but they disappeared very quickly.

Students were now discussing with a lot of enthusiasm, mostly marveling at the carriage and wondering how the people of Durmstrang would arrive. Contrarily to the students and even some teachers, Severus already knew how the delegation of Durmstrang would arrive.

"No need to watch the students any longer, Severus," the calm voice of Albus Dumbledore said in a whisper next to him. "Come with me."

He followed the headmaster without question. The students were more noisy than ever.

"Isn't it charming, don't you think, Severus? Seeing the students so interested in other cultures?"

"I think they wouldn't be that interested if the boys and girls from Beauxbatons arrived on foot by the forest. They're more impressed by the carriage than anything else," Severus replied on an even tone.

"Don't tell me you were not impressed the first time you climbed into the Hogwarts Express? Or when you travelled through the Black Lake for the first time?"

Severus didn't reply. He was a child back then. He wasn't one anymore. "Perhaps you should have the students operate the Hogwarts Express," he suggested. "It would give them a better idea of what the students at Durmstrang must go through."

"Things are different here at Hogwarts, Severus. Different places, different mentalities, different customs. People at Durmstrang might not look at this kind of things as child labor, but here in England, it is."

They had joined back the other teachers. And here they waited. Some professors were enthusiastic as well at seeing the carriage of Beauxbatons. Severus waited, and after quite a while, a sound began to resonate through the park. Students began to realize it as well, and they all looked around, most of them at the sky.

"The lake! Look at the lake!" one of them shouted, and he was right. It seemed that some did have some kind of brain.

A large ship emerged from the water of the lake and anchored on its shores. Soon, a small number of people, maybe fifteen or twenty, came out of the ship, wearing heavy furs. The only one Severus recognized, and who could not be mistaken for anyone else, was the man leading the small group who obviously wore something with more value, that was shining under the moonlight and the castle's lights. Even from afar in the dark, Severus would have recognized him, if only for his voice that raised as he approached.

"Dumbledore!" he said with a falsely warm and enthusiastic voice. "How are you, my dear fellow? How are you?"

Igor Karkaroff. He and Severus were both former supporters of the Dark Lord, although the resemblance between them stopped there. Karkaroff was caught by the Ministry's Aurors and sent to Azkaban, but managed to get out of the prison by selling former colleagues, revealing their identities and their crimes, sending them to Azkaban in his place. Most of the people he denounced were already in Azkaban or had been cleared of all charges. Severus was among the latter group.

"Blooming, thank you, Professor Karkaroff," Dumbledore replied very happily.

Severus cringed at how warmly Karkaroff was welcomed by Dumbledore. This man was a coward and, to Severus' eyes, a traitor, an opportunistic who seized all chances to bring himself forward and up. He didn't turn on the Dark Lord because he didn't believe in him anymore, or because he wanted to take him down. He did it because he thought the Dark Lord was dead, and to save his own skin. The fact that he tried to get Severus imprisoned to save his own skin didn't make him any better in his eyes. But what made Severus despise the man even more was the fact that he knew about Peter Pettigrew being a servant of the Dark Lord, and he let him get information to the Dark Lord, including the information that almost led to Lily's death. It didn't matter to Severus that Karkaroff claimed he wasn't aware of Wormtail's true identity. As far as he was concerned, Karkaroff may have lied about this, like he lied about so many things. Severus wouldn't be surprised if Karkaroff actually took part to massacres, to the opposite of what he declared at Pettigrew's trial. He had no difficulty imagining this man murdering children. For once since the beginning of the year, Severus was glad that Alastor Moody was here. He would certainly cause Karkaroff much more fear than he caused to Severus himself, since Moody was the one who sent Karkaroff to Azkaban in the first place.

"Dear old Hogwarts," Karkaroff continued with his falsely sweet voice. "How it is to be here, how good… Viktor, come along, into the warmth… you don't mind, Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight head cold…"

"Not at all, Igor," the Headmaster of Hogwarts replied as a boy who obviously had two wrong feet came forward to his own headmaster. "In fact, you are all welcome inside. The feast will begin soon. And Madam Maxime and her students have already arrived."

Severus was not surprised any more than was expected to the presence of Viktor Krum. But among the students, as they realized the Quidditch player was actually there, excitement grew to a level probably never reached for the past few years.

"Good. Viktor, you hear that? You'll be able to warm yourself up immediately."

The delegation of Durmstrang walked towards the castle's gates with Dumbledore. Severus and the other professors remained behind to make sure their students would enter in an orderly fashion. Which was almost an impossible mission. Even the Slytherins did everything they could to take a glimpse at the Quidditch player, and Severus had to call several of them back to order. The flow was slowed down once they entered the Great Hall, as the students of Durmstrang were gathered near the doors, unsure of what to do, and all students tried get a look at Krum again. Exasperated with this childish behavior, Severus went to Karkaroff who was not far away with Dumbledore.

"You better tell your students to sit down, Karkaroff. It will not be good for their health to remain standing," he said on a hard tone.

The man he addressed turned to him in surprise, but his expression quickly turned to a delighted one, though Severus could see this was an act. "Severus Snape! My old friend." He extended a hand, but Severus wouldn't shake it.

"Maybe your students should sit at our table with the other Slytherins? It is closer to the fires, and I assure you my students will be delighted to welcome them."

"Oh, of course." Removing his hand after he seemed to realize Severus would not shake it, Igor accepted his offer and made a few signs of hands, maintaining his façade. His students immediately went to sit with the Slytherins. The people of Beauxbatons had already taken place at the table of the Ravenclaws.

As everyone finished settling in, Severus took his place at the staff table. Four more chairs were added to the table, two on each side of Dumbledore's place. Madam Maxime and Karkaroff took place on his immediate left and right. Severus supposed that Bagman and Crouch had not arrived yet.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts, and most particularly, guests," Dumbledore declared. "I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable. The Tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast." Lots of people seemed obviously excited at the prospect. "I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!"

Dumbledore sat down, and the Great Hall was filled with food and drink, something that seemed to surprise both the people of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Severus ate frugally, like always, and devoted most of his attention to watching the students and make sure they behaved in a somewhat acceptable manner. He was glad to see that Viktor Krum was holding a discussion with Draco Malfoy, probably one of the few students here who deserved to speak with him and who could make a good impression on Karkaroff's favourite student. It didn't go missing on Severus that Igor was favoring the Quidditch player.

He also looked closely to Karkaroff, watching him discuss with Dumbledore about things Severus sadly couldn't hear from where he sat down. Despite this, Severus felt more comfortable than usual. He didn't feel the gaze of Mad-Eye on him. Strangely, the professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts was nowhere to be seen. This wasn't new, since he was often absent from the Great Hall, preferring to prepare his food himself, to make sure he wouldn't be poisoned. Severus had to admit he more than once thought about poisoning the man, if only for the uneasiness he made him feel. Moody hated Death Eaters, but Severus considered he deserved a little more consideration, having turned his back on the Dark Lord a long time ago. The former Auror was probably watching Karkaroff from afar. At least, that would be one advantage of having Karkaroff around. Moody would certainly devote more attention to the Headmaster of Durmstrang than to Severus now.

The feast was mostly uneventful. Hagrid came back from the outside with large bandages on his hands, either the result of his creatures or the horses who conducted the carriage of Beauxbatons. There was also a strange event that took place when one of the young girls from Beauxbatons stood up from the Ravenclaw table and went to take a large French dish at the Gryffindor table. She caught even Severus' eyes, but he especially noticed how many boys through the Great Hall started to behave strangely, looking at her with round eyes, being unable to speak. Severus rolled his eyes. The silvery hair of the girl seemed to be flying in the air. This girl was definitely part Veela. Severus seldom met one, but it could happen for a Veela to have children with a wizard. Judging from her appearance and the effect she had on boys around, Severus guessed that either the mother or grandmother of this girl was a Vella. He didn't give her more attention than she deserved.

His eyes settled on a group of Gryffindors nearby. It included Potter and his friends. And the boys were of course all focused on the partially Veela girl from France. Severus mocked Potter silently as he stared emptily towards the girl. This boy really had no resistance to seducing magic. Severus was even surprised the boy did not date a girl as stupid as himself was yet. Perhaps he had tried, but no one wanted Potter, he thought with some glee.

Something caught his eye at this moment. A note. A small piece of paper crawled on the floor, towards the table of Gryffindors. This wasn't the first time Severus caught sight of such a thing. Students, especially the new ones who weren't used to his severity, often tried to share messages during lessons by making a small piece of paper move to another one. However, this time, the note disappeared under the table and feet of the students. Still, Severus kept an eye on the table, and was rewarded when Potter bent over and emerged from under the table with that same piece of paper he spotted a moment before. Severus immediately searched for who sent him that message.

But something was wrong. The message seemed to have come from… the staff table. A teacher sent this note? Maybe Hagrid, since he was such good friends with Potter. He even stopped next to Potter to chat when he arrived in the Great Hall. But it didn't add up. Hagrid could barely use magic. Someone else must have sent it. Scanning the staff table, Severus realized three more people had arrived. And his heart froze.

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