Dumbledore smiled cheerfully as the fourth slip of parchment fluttered down from the Goblet of Fire. At first, he thought it was some student's prank. He simply shrugged and chuckled—until the moment that slip actually landed in his palm.
Then he froze.
The magic on it was unmistakably that of the Goblet, and the aura emanating from it carried the ancient, solemn flame of the Læsaen fire within.
He frowned, unfolded the parchment, and after a brief look, sighed helplessly.
"The fourth champion—Harry Potter!"
Bang!
The wine glass in Kasenhis's hand shattered instantly. "What the hell is going on?!"
Meanwhile, Harry—who had just been named, now the center of everyone's attention—stood up in total confusion. He glanced around, seeing even his closest friends staring at him with strange expressions.
"Harry… come forward," Dumbledore said, gesturing toward him.
Dazed, Harry stumbled toward the headmaster. "...Professor, it wasn't me."
Dumbledore gave a calm hmm: "Don't worry, I know it wasn't you. I hardly think you could bypass the magic nodes I set up—unless, of course, the Weasley twins happened to throw in a paper ball with your name on it."
"So, Dumbledore, what is the meaning of this?!" Madame Maxime demanded sharply.
"Quite clearly," Dumbledore said casually, "both Mr. Potter and we have been framed by a serpent lurking in the dark."
"Oh, how easily you say that. Don't you agree, Mr. Karkaroff?"
Dragged into the crossfire for no reason, Karkaroff looked completely bewildered as Madame Maxime turned her gaze on him.
He couldn't exactly admit that not only did Dumbledore have dirt on him, but he'd also nearly had his door blown off by one of Kasenhis's redstone cannons, could he?
In this situation, saying anything reckless was out of the question. Frankly, the mere fact that he wasn't rushing to side completely with Dumbledore already counted as him staying true to his character.
"I'm afraid it's true," Dumbledore said sincerely. "However, perhaps we can handle this another way. If Harry Potter does indeed win the Triwizard Tournament, as the hosting institution responsible for the Goblet's safety, we're willing to award the Cup to whichever champion ranks second—excluding Hogwarts' own."
"You know very well, we don't care for a so-called trophy—especially one given out of pity," Madame Maxime said with a frown.
"I'll also issue a formal apology to Beauxbatons before the European Magical Association on behalf of Hogwarts," Dumbledore continued smoothly. "Let this matter end here. Harry, go to the champions' quarters—Cedric will look after you. Kasenhis, Severus, come to my office."
With that, Dumbledore swiftly took control of the situation, heading toward the staircase—and as soon as he was out of sight, he Apparated straight into his office.
The other two didn't bother hiding their methods either; both appeared there almost immediately.
"What's going on exactly?" Snape asked bluntly the moment he entered.
"Harry wasn't lying," Dumbledore said quietly. "It really was someone else—a serpent hiding in Hogwarts' shadows."
"Who could it be? Karkaroff? After all, he's a former Death Eater. Or perhaps someone used Polyjuice Potion to sneak into Hogwarts… Neos is also possible—wasn't he already under heavy suspicion before?" Snape quickly listed several names.
"Polyjuice could indeed be used on a large scale—say, mixed into Hogwarts' food supply. Karkaroff doesn't have the guts for that. We should focus our investigation on Neos for now," Dumbledore said.
"You've been his pen pal for quite a while. You don't have any clue?" Snape pressed.
"If you can't see through a person face-to-face, do you really think you can figure them out through letters?" Dumbledore countered calmly.
"And me?" Kasenhis interjected. "What do I do?"
"Can you track what slips were put into the Goblet of Fire—from the moment it was lit to the announcement of the champions?" Dumbledore asked.
"...It's not impossible. I can give it a try."
"That's all for now," Dumbledore said. "Those are the most urgent matters."
Kasenhis nodded, then vanished from the office in a flicker of Ender teleportation—reappearing once again inside the Great Hall.
The young wizards were still there, as were the heads and students of the other two schools.
"What did Dumbledore ask you to do, Kasenhis?" Professor McGonagall walked over and asked.
"He wants me to check whether the Goblet of Fire has been tampered with," Kasenhis replied.
"Can you find any trace of it?" McGonagall asked again.
"In fact, I already have." Kasenhis stepped closer, peering through his monocle. A small inscription appeared before his eyes—
[Goblet of Fire (Confused)]
"This thing's been hit with a Confundus Charm," he said flatly.
"A Confundus Charm? On an artifact as ancient as the Goblet?" Madame Maxime frowned.
"Unfortunately, alchemy is a field that continues to advance," Kasenhis replied sharply. "Please don't cling to archaic reverence for the ancients. Given equal talent, a modern alchemist's achievements far surpass those of the old days."
"Then can you fix it?" McGonagall asked again.
"Obviously," Kasenhis said, pulling out a book and a grindstone. In situations like this, only the most primitive method would work—grinding out each inscribed term one by one, and carefully deciphering it afterward.
"I'll wait here," Madame Maxime said firmly. "We'll accept Hogwarts' second champion—but we also want the truth."
"Mhm, you'll know soon enough. Professor Flitwick, do you know the Confundus Charm?" Kasenhis asked while continuing his work.
"Of course. What do you need?" Flitwick walked over.
"The Runic version of the Confundus Charm."
In no time, a piece of parchment densely filled with rune inscriptions appeared before Kasenhis. He quickly located the Confundus Charm's entry, then followed its sequence to the first term that appeared after it.
[School: Pureblood Supremacy]
[Champion: Harry Potter]
"Clearly, that's the truth," Kasenhis said as he stood up. "Someone used a Confundus Charm to make the Goblet believe there was a fourth school—'Pureblood Supremacy.' And since that school only had one applicant, Harry Potter, the Goblet spat out his name."
_________
(～￣▽￣)～Read 12 Chapters ahead:
Patreon: Dragonel