63 63) The Triwizard Champion

31 October 1976

It was the day of Halloween but for Severus the day was like any usual day.

He had got up and was accompanied by Laena Greengrass in his morning jogging.

Severus didn't knew what to expect from her. He had hoped that Laena will not follow him after her disastrous first try.

He was so wrong. The girl had came back next day and then after it and then after it.

Now he had no option but to have a blonde girl tagging along with him every morning. Severus didn't had any problem with it in fact. It felt nice to have her as a running partner. Granted it let him to suppress his running speed more than he liked but it was made up by the conversation he had with Laena.

"My father wants to meet you at the Hogsmeade meeting before the Yule Ball." Laena spoke up after they finished running around the Black lake once.

"And why would he want to meet me?" Several drawled amusedly as he walked fastly besides her.

"He didn't told me. But he says it is a worthy investment," Laena said with a roll of her sapphire blue eyes. Her father was a shrewd businessman and he had told her about his wish to meet Severus in yesterday's letter. She herself had no idea about what to expect from him.

"Hmm." It was the only reply from Severus. Laena knew that the 'hmm' meant that he was considering the proposition and was going to agree with it.

Well the latter part was doubtful but she had faith that it was going to be an affirmative decision.

Laena walked silently along him, watching his facial reactions. She was disappointed to find nothing. He was very skilled in masking his emotions and it frustrated Laena as she couldn't get a read on him most of the times due to it.

"I will consider it." Severus said with a small frown. He didn't knew what Lord Greengrass wanted from him but he was ready to meet him. Besides it wasn't going to be something trivial if he wanted to meet him officially. Well he could be wrong too and it could be simply an unofficial meeting but he was going to treat it as an official meeting from his side.

"So you entered your name yet?" Laena asked him with a curious expression on her face.

"Nope." Severus replied popping the 'p' a little more than needed.

"You want to?" Laena asked with the same eager tone.

"Well it sounds interesting to me. Though I don't crave life threatening situations just to get high on adrenaline," Severus replied with a slow drawl looking at her pointedly.

"You're a pussy then." Laena stated purposefully trying to get a rise out of him

"I don't need to participate in this childish competitions to show my manliness and masculinity to you," Severus replied back smoothly with an amused face. He had recognised the comment for what it was. Laena needed to try better if she wanted a rise out of him. Though it didn't meant that he couldn't play back.

"Oh really?" Laena asked crossing her arms and looking at him with a single raised eyebrow.

"Yupp. Though you could always come to my room if you want to see my masculinity and manhood. No...Sorry, my manliness." He commented back with a mirthful expression. He purposefully made it seem like a slip of his tongue.

Laena glared at him clearly unimpressed by his lame and bawdy joke. Severus simply shrugged his shoulders at her glare.

Laena won't do shit to him.

Though his guess went completely wrong when the next moment he saw her picking a small pebble from the ground.

Severus did what was best for him in that scenario. He started to run away from there as Laena chased after him holding the pebble in his hands.

Laena meanwhile had a smile plastered on her face as she looked at Severus' retreating figure. It felt nice that he was running away from her in fear.

Their playful chase was just as enjoyable to him just like it was to her.

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Severus looked around the Great Hall.

It was the time of dinner and nearly every student of Hogwarts was excited for single reason. Today was the day when the name of champions for the Triwizard Tournament will be announced.

As for him, he didn't gave a shit about who could be the champion for Hogwarts.

The Slytherins were rooting for Izar Nott while the Gryffindors were rooting for Frank Longbottom. The Ravenclaws were rooting for Davies while the Hufflepuffs had no sole champion. Nearly every sixth or seventh year student was excited and had given their name.

"Do you think I have a chance?" Laena asked with a small smirk on her face.

She had decided to sit with him at the far end of table where he had decided to take his seat today. The corner gave the perfect view for him and he had preferred it to have a firsthand nice view of tonight drama.

"Maybe. If you are chosen. You for sure will see me wearing a jersey with your name on it!" Severus replied mirthfully to her.

For the last few days he had started to like her company even though he won't admit to it to her ever.

Laena had came alone to sit with him leaving her group alone which spoke volumes. Perhaps it was subtle manipulation but he couldn't be sure.

His dorm mates were saying to him that it was obvious that she was interested in him.

He however had a different opinion. Laena was perhaps simply acting like a friend in his opinion. She wanted his support in politics and as such, she was forming a business relationship with him. There was nothing more to that.

"I think the girls will be jealous seeing you wearing a green t-shirt with Laena written on it," Laena spoke up with a small teasing smile on her face.

"The girls are not much interested in me. They have better things to do than fawn over me," Severus replied with a bored drawl.

"Keep deluding yourself. If you can't see the interested eyes on you then you are a bigger idiot than I thought," Laena replied with a small frown on her face.

Severus didn't said anything. Instead he considered her words. There was no way that many girls were interested in him. Sure he got some looks and occasional smiles from passing by girls or the girls in his class and common room but he just thought them as occasional smiles only.

The boy was completely clueless to the girls and their affections was the sole thought inside Laena's mind. She hadn't thought that he would be so clueless to the advances of the girls. But then again it made him more endearing to her.

The dinner started without much fanfare. There were aurors and the staff of the other schools too in the Great Hall during dinner. Severus even spotted three cameraman and three reporters from the most prominent newspapers in the Wizarding World.

It seemed that everything was prepared carefully this time. There was press, Ministry officials and aurors present in the hall. The Ministry had clearly planned well this time.

Even while dinner there was a palpable tension present among the students about the champions. Pride was an important thing for a wizard and each school students wanted their own school to succeed.

At last when Dumbledore stood up did the golden plates disappeared.

Severus had to admit that the Halloween feast had been nice. The house elves of Hogwarts were skilled in cooking and culinary arts. Perhaps if he could go and fetch one for his own.

The noises immediately became silent and even Madame Maxime and Headmaster Otto Fischer were looking anxious and little tense.

"Finally - The moment that we all have been waiting for has arrived," he spoke up in a strong voice which he rarely used. It indicated how much power he had which he never showed to anyone.

"Well, the goblet is almost ready to make its decision," said Dumbledore. "I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called, I would ask them please to come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber" — he indicated the door behind the staff table — "where they will be receiving their first instructions."

He took out his wand and gave a great sweeping wave with it; at once, all the candles except those inside the carved pumpkins were extinguished, plunging them into a state of semidarkness. The Goblet of Fire now shone more brightly than anything in the whole Hall, the sparkling bright, bluey-whiteness of the flames almost painful on the eyes. Everyone watched, waiting. . . . A few people kept checking their watches. . . .

"Any second now," Laena whispered theatrically from infront of him. Severus gave her an amused smile at that.

The flames inside the goblet turned suddenly red again. Sparks began to fly from it. Next moment, a tongue of flame shot into the air, a charred piece of parchment fluttered out of it — the whole room gasped collectively.

Dumbledore caught the piece of parchment and held it at arm's length, so that he could read it by the light of the flames, which had turned back to blue-white. Severus hadn't expected that sort of reflex from him and couldn't help but applaud his Headmaster for that.

"The champion for Durmstrang," he read, in a strong, clear voice, "will be Alexander Schmidt."

Alexander who was lounging lazily at the Slytherin Table with his friends leapt up like a tiger. His gaze was mirthful as if he had expected it.

Cocky but has the skills to back it, was the impression of the boy in Severus' eyes.

The Durmstrang delegation cheered loudly for their champion and there were polite applause from the other school students too. Their Headmaster Otto himself stood up to clap heavily for his student.

The applause finally died out after Schmidt entered through the back door to the other chamber.

The goblet, seconds later, turned red once more. A second piece of parchment shot out of it, propelled

by the flames.

"The champion for Beauxbatons," said Dumbledore, "is Gabriel Bernard." His strong voice carried out through the hall and the entire Beauxbatons delegation stood up to applause for one of their own. Many were sad about not being chosen. It was seen in their faces but they each applauded for their champion.

Madame Maxime too stood up and applauded for her school champion with a wide smile on her face.

Severus saw that even the aurors were having smiles on their faces seeing Gabriel being chosen.

Moody the bastard was seeing everywhere round the hall looking for any sudden accident to take place. Severus found the habit amusing but he inwardly applauded him for it. Precaution is better than cure afterall.

When Bernard too had vanished into the side chamber, silence fell again, but this time it was a silence so stiff with excitement that one could almost taste it. The Hogwarts champion was next afterall . . .

The Goblet of Fire turned red once more; sparks showered out of it; the tongue of flame shot high into the air, and from its tip Dumbledore pulled the third piece of parchment.

"The Hogwarts champion," he called, "is Severus Prince."

This time there was a moment of silence before the entire Slytherin started to applause. The foreign students were first to applause. The Hogwarts students were late than them as they themselves couldn't help but be in disbelief.

"Prince go," Laena kicked him from below the table. The kick brought him out of his stupor which he had gone after hearing his name.

'How in the name of Merlin?' was the only thought inside his mind as he occluded himself.

There was no expression on his face for any person to see. There was no happiness, sadness or any trace of anger on his face. Instead all of it was just a blank perfect poker face as he walked to the chamber meant for the champions.

There was a single pair of eyes in the Slytherin table which had a triumphant gaze as his task was finally completed. He had completed his orders afterall from Master.

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Hope you all like this chapter. It will also feature the entry of another villain into story.