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"Now, if you don't mind, may I borrow Severus for a second?" The potions master nodded as he and Harry tried to stifle a slight pang of fear. "There are some school related issues we'd better talk about; I have already informed the rest of the staff." An inward sigh of relief later, Severus rose from his chair too and followed Albus out, conveying to Harry -who was explaining what Ancient Studies were- that he would tell him everything later.
"He said what?" Harry exclaimed as he sat next to Severus; they were at the first game of the World Cup, England versus Transylvania, when Severus had made his startling announcement. The potions master smirked at the teenager's reaction and motioned him to keep quiet. This was the first time they got to themselves since Harry's birthday a week ago. Where they had been left to their own devices in the past, now everybody wanted to know what they were doing, how they passed their free time even. James in particular seemed to have developed a fervor to spend some quality time with both his sons taking a newfound dislike to Severus, now even worse in kind as he had no rational reasons to base it on; Harry, who felt almost insulted at the hypocrisy of it all, managed to find an excuse to slither himself out of such engagements.
His mother had been asking him of how things were living with Severus -Harry still had to withhold all information of his excess training and their not very legal travels around the world- while Sirius and Remus had managed to surprise him the most once again. After the initial shock had faded; they were positively bashful around the teen. They were silent around him, smiling proudly here and then but seemed to have reached the conclusion that they had no right to intervene in a life they hadn't truly helped form.
"Could you keep your voice down a little?" Severus asked mock punching him on the shoulder. "I'm not even supposed to be telling you this."
"The Triwzard Tournament?" Harry whispered, his eyes glistening. "It hasn't been held for over three centuries!"
"It's about to be reinstated." Severus offered as he prepared the memory sphere they had brought along to record the game; he was certain that England was going to be slaughtered -the team was playing worse than ever- but he wasn't going to pass an opportunity to use the memory sphere. They had been put into mass production two days ago and all signs foretold they were going to be used in great numbers during the World Cup.
"Really?" Harry asked, leaning back into his seat and closing his eyes; his mind was going on overdrive. He had read stories of the World Cup when he was younger in Severus's library; the challenges were described as tales of bravery and the few Champions were immortalized; sonnets were written to praise their bravery and magical prowess and their stories became legends.
"Really." Severus offered, examining his posture closely. He had a feeling he knew where all this was headed. And he wasn't certain if he ought to stop any such thoughts from occurring or simply support his decision. "Well, due to the high death toll, Albus said that some sort of precaution was to be taken, but he was quite unclear on the subject." He stopped and nudged Harry slightly. "You're thinking of participating, aren't you?"
"I know it will be dangerous. And honestly, I'll have to think about it a little. Or a lot. But I must admit I'm tempted." Severus nodded.
"You should take your time, think this through." The potions master said. The teams' mascots entered the stadium amidst loud applause. "That's why I opted to tell you this soon." Harry smiled thankfully. "Now, try to enjoy the game; not that it's going to be that much enjoyable, in my opinion…"
"Are you referring to the fact that England's been playing worse than trolls mounting Cleansweeps lately?" Harry asked smirking.
"Precisely." Severus agreed as the game began. By the end of the match -that was just as disastrous as advertised- Harry had slipped into a contemplative silence, one that Severus chose not to interrupt; if anything, he could perfectly understand why Harry would want to compete. His more protective side wanted nothing more than to lock him in the highest tower of Silbreith until after the Triwizard Tournament was over. And he might have done just that if he wasn't certain Harry would blow the whole tower to pieces and then regret doing so; the highest tower of Silbreith was the astronomy tower after all and Harry's unofficial secondary bedroom along with his lab.
And, his more rational side added, you can't shelter him forever. Sooner or later, Voldemort would return and then what? Wouldn't it be better if he got some wide scale experience, in a relatively controlled environment? So what if he got a few panic attacks along the way? Severus sighed deeply and entered his office; Harry had taken a few books on powerful Charms and had locked himself in his room with an apologetic smile. And Severus was certain the teen was already designing strategies for winning the Tournament, most likely based on what he had read on the previous events held. The last one, if memory served him well, was held in Durmstrang and the winner was literally the last participant left standing. Fighting with his urge to run and hug Harry for dear life, he opted on a sip of fire whiskey and harassing Albus into taking all necessary measures to assure the safety of the participants.
The greater part of the summer passed between awed glances and Quidditch and soon it was time for the final game between Ireland and Bulgaria. It was a thrilled group of people that set out for the game; Ginny and Charlie had each congratulated Harry and Severus -Ginny looking the less surprised of the bunch and actually offering an immediate smile the earnestness of which Harry couldn't help but appreciate- and had followed the majority their family, minus Mrs. Weasley who would join them later that evening, to the game. Neville would meet them there later that day and the green eyed wizard had promised him a detailed description of any stunned students in attendance.
HI GUYS IF YOU WANT READ 300 + CHAPTERS THEN VISIT
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