Chapter 187

We took another sip, but the cups managed to get empty.

"More tea?"

"Yes, please."

The teapot circled again, filling the cups with tea, and the Headmaster, meanwhile, continued his story.

"Knowing the history of the Greengrass family, I decided to try to ask Mrs. Greengrass to shed some light on the mystery of the diary, in exchange for admission to Hogwarts as checking and controlling party of the Tournament. It would allow your presence here," he glanced at Delphine, "quite officially. We came to an agreement, but there was no time. Among other things, not long ago, Mr. Potter told me about his constant nightmares. Nightmares where, in some abandoned house, he spied Voldemort's interactions with several wizards. By then, I already knew that Mr. Greengrass was missing, and I showed young Harry a magic photograph. Among those wizards was Henry. From what Mr. Potter could remember, Henry had somehow helped Voldemort in some way, in return for: "Freedom from the oppression of that cruel bitch." I assume he means you?"

"Most likely. But you know..." wanted to object Delphine.

"Perfectly aware of the events of those years and the reasons why Henry found himself in such an unenviable position."

"Headmaster," I raised my hand as if in class. "Do I even need to hear all this?"

"So you, Mr. Knight, are already aware of the big picture, aren't you?"

"In a way."

"There you go. And we don't talk about what you don't know. Now, where was I? Oh, yes."

Another portion of tea pleased us, but the conversation didn't end there.

"Putting all the facts together, I got this picture. Henry, as someone who knows some secrets of Greengrass family, somehow helped Voldemort's spirit gain a body, albeit an extremely flawed one, judging by the description of what Mr. Potter saw."

"It's entirely possible," Delphine nodded. "Various homunculi, artificial bodies, and the like. It's harder to keep the spirit in the body if the body is trying to simulate life."

The Headmaster thanked for the explanations with a glance.

"The set-up with Harry at the Tournament, the help to Voldemort from Henry, that knew about the Tournament and knew its nuances. There's a reason for all of this. It's all a chain of the same events. Now, finally, I will ask Mrs. Greengrass to examine this diary." The Headmaster handed the diary to Delphine, and she ran her wand over it several times before picking it up.

"I'm going to need some time. Ten minutes."

"My office is at your disposal," the Headmaster nodded.

Lady Greengrass rose from her chair and moved to a vacant desk a little away from us. She placed the diary on it and began to make passes with her wand.

"Why did you tell me all this, Headmaster?"

"Mr. Knight. Your participation in the Tournament has to some extent, freed Mrs. Greengrass's hands, and now she can fully engage in your training. However, your participation in the Tournament is a very dangerous event, and in the light of recent events, this danger becomes somewhat uncertain."

"But is there really no way to cancel participation? At least for the Harry?"

"The decision of the cup is undeniable. Nobody has the right to cancel it. We can only try to do everything possible to ensure the safety of the participants."

"But why not notify the others? The Headmasters, the champions."

"And what am I going to tell them? Voldemort disrupts the Tournament? They won't believe me until they see the Dark Lord with their own eyes. We inform you because you have met with the manifestation of the magic of this diary. Also, because of the apprenticeship with Mrs. Greengrass, you will be initiated into these secrets to one degree or another. Therefore, it seemed to me quite a reasonable act to express to you my fears about the Tournament as soon as they appeared."

"Hmm. By the way. I have a question. Why would Lady Greengrass be involved in all this at all?"

"Let's find out from her now."

I turned around and saw Delphine approaching us. She put the diary on the table and sat down in her chair.

"It looks like a Horcrux, but I can't tell for sure. I have no experience with such things, and after the destruction, there are only pathetic scraps of magical structures left."

"But no certainty?" the Headmaster frowned slightly, looking thoughtfully at the diary.

"You see, Professor, Herpo the Foul, one might say, was rediscovering the intricacies of working with the soul, the consequence of which was the Horcrux. The Necromancer lodge does not interfere in worldly affairs and has not stopped the publication of a work on such barbaric work with the soul. Even though there are very few copies of this work, and the number of Horcruxes is even less, which is certainly a good thing. However, I personally have never had to study such a thing, and I hope I won't have to."

"There's nothing human about them," the Headmaster grumbled dejectedly.