Chapter 319: Madam Umbridge Objective

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling. I own nothing but the original characters I create.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 319: Madam Umbridge Objective

"Toad?...oh…I think I see it now," Dumbledore seemed to realize.

"You spoke with that woman?" Snape looked a bit dubious.

"I have to assume that she didn't willingly share any important information with you; that woman hates you," Dumbledore stated.

"The feeling is mutual, yes," Harry nodded.

"And I suppose it would be better not to ask about the specifics of how you obtained that information, yes?"

"That would be for the best, I agree," Harry answered.

"Why?..." Snape asked.

"You don't want to get involved in this one, trust me," Harry told him.

"Is she still alive, at least?" Dumbledore inquired.

"Alive, well, and won't remember a thing," Harry said.

"That's good enough, I suppose," Dumbledore decided.

"Good enough?!" Snape could not believe what he was hearing.

"Now…what did you find out?" The Headmaster leaned forward on the desk.

"She revealed to me the details about her mission here at Hogwarts. Other than serving as a spy for the Death Eaters, her most important role is to make sure Neville's name comes out of the Goblet of Fire."

"How do you even know about the Goblet?!" Snape pointed his finger at Harry. They hadn't revealed the Goblet yet or explained how the selection process was going to be.

"That can't be…is this the same?" Dumbledore looked somewhat shocked.

He had considered many possible outcomes for this year, given the information he received from Harry about his own timeline. This could have been one of the possibilities, but it no longer made sense in the current circumstances.

"Why would he be after Neville? The prophecy is no longer valid." And he had no doubt that Voldemort was well aware of this fact.

"I also thought it was strange. But if you think about it from his point of view, you will see that this is more than just about the prophecy," Harry said.

"It's about pride…" Snape understood it well. He had known the Dark Lord for many years, and he had never seen someone with a bigger ego than him.

"Even my little sister knows the story about how the 'Boy Who Lived' defeated him when he was a mere baby and sent him fleeing to another country, where he had remained licking the wounds of his humiliating loss until now…" Harry said.

"He wants revenge," Dumbledore muttered. "But he's just a boy…"

"I think he wants to put on a spectacle and kill Neville in a very public way, to show the world that he will not be defeated by some miracle again. He wants people to lose any remaining hope…" Harry was very familiar with that scenario.

"Still…he doesn't need to put him in the tournament for that," Dumbledore still had doubts about this plan of his.

Harry shrugged. "Who knows what goes on in that psycho's mind…maybe he wants to present Neville as a competent wizard before crushing him."

"It could be about the rumors…" Snape muttered.

"What rumors?" Dumbledore asked.

"Since the first year, there have been a lot of rumors circulating about Longbottom's hidden potential…and about his secret feats of magic," Snape answered.

"I'm sure Lavender started at least half of those," Harry commented. Of course, he was familiar with the rumors that had been going around the school for four years already. It would be impossible not to be.

"You think he put Neville in the tournament to see if those rumors had any weight?" Dumbledore said.

"I only know that the Dark Lord is a very cautious man…and after all these years in hiding, I can only imagine how much worse it got," Snape added.

"Very well…regardless of his motivations, we now know what he is planning and can do something about it. The question is how to stop it," Dumbledore looked at them for ideas.

"That should not be too difficult. You were already planning on adding several protections to the Goblet of Fire. We can think of a few ways that would make it impossible for Longbottom's name to come out of there," Snape seemed to be in deep contemplation.

"Stop it? Are you two mad? Why would we do that?" Harry exclaimed.

"Harry?" Dumbledore glanced at him.

"Think about it…even if we ruin his plans, do you assume he will just give up? No, he will come up with a different way to get what he wants, and maybe next time we won't find out what it is until it's too late…now we have an opportunity," Harry explained.

"An opportunity…but…" Dumbledore repeated.

"Are you trying to get Longbottom killed? You have no idea how dangerous this tournament is." Snape felt a bit conflicted. A part of him would certainly enjoy seeing that annoying brat getting a bit roasted by a dragon.

"We are not going to put Neville in the tournament. I will be the one participating in the tests. We just have to make everyone believe it's actually him."

"You?" Snape got up from his seat.

"Mmm…that would not be as simple. If Neville's name comes out of the Goblet, he will be bound by a magical contract. You won't be able to take his place in the tests," Dumbledore pointed out.

"I am well aware of how the Goblet of Fire works, but I have an idea for this…an idea that would require the cooperation of both of you…and Neville himself."

Dumbledore glanced at Snape.

"That's why you asked him to stay…you had something planned from the beginning. Let's hear it then."

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