Chapter 1
Severus didn't know what he was expecting from his sixth year at Hogwarts, but to be sharing the castle with students from both Beauxbatons and Durmstrang and a new professor with captivating green eyes was not it.
Though, maybe he should have expected, if not the reinstatement of the Triwizard Tournament, then something; the ending of the Sorting Hat's song this year still rings in his head with its warning.
And now the Sorting Hat is here
And you all know the score:
I sort you into Houses
Because that is what I'm for,
But this year I'll go further,
Listen closely to my song:
Though condemned I am to split you
Still I worry that it's wrong,
Though I must fulfill my duty
And must quarter every year
Still I wonder whether sorting
May not bring the end I fear.
Oh, know the perils, read the signs,
The warning history shows,
For our Hogwarts is in danger
From external, deadly foes
And we must unite inside her
Or we'll crumble from within
I have told you, I have warned you....
Let the Sorting now begin.
To Severus, it sounded like the drums of war, like something was coming that he could never truly prepare for. He knows his classmates heard the Hat but they never truly listened.
No, but they did listen when Dumbledore let them know that Quidditch would not be held this year, due to Hogwarts hosting the Triwizard Tournament. Wasn't that just par for the course?
According to Dumbledore, they would have the shortlist of potential champions from both Beauxbatons and Durmstrang staying in the castle come October.
The only thing Severus could dredge up excitement for was the Goblet of Fire, a magical artifact from the Middle Ages which, by all intents and purposes, seems to have been crafted specifically for the Triwizard Tournament; Thus had remained out of use in the time since the Tournament was discontinued.
October rolled around faster than Severus would have thought possible and before he knew it, Dumbledore had put out the Goblet of Fire in the Great Hall, where it would stay for the next twenty four hours, then he drew an age line to make sure those under seventeen could not put their names in.
***
The Goblet of Fire turned a brilliant green when the names of the champions were ready to be pulled after a hastily eaten dinner, it seemed everyone was ready to find out who the champions would be. That should have been Severus' first clue.
In that moment he was too distracted by the beauty of the piece of history that the Ministry had somehow created, it was a bright light in the darkened Great Hall.
“It appears the Goblet is almost ready to make a decision,” said Dumbledore.
The implication of the Goblet making a decision, the implication of possible sentience was not lost on Severus.
"Any second now," Severus heard someone whisper nearby.
Sparks started flying off the Goblet and a stream of light shot up and out before falling away leaving a singed piece of paper fluttering down to be caught by Dumbledore's fingers.
"The champion for Durmstrang," Dumbledore's voice rang loud in the quiet hall. No one dared speak in these moments, it was the first time the Tournament had been brought back in 184 years, not since 1792 when a champion had died via Cockatrice. "will be Aleksandar Krum."
When the name registered on peoples minds, the whole of the Durmstrang students who had come to participate and support their school roared and cheered in approval. A polite wave of claps passed through the students of Hogwarts and Beauxbatons.
A tall lean young man with dark hair stood from the Slytherin table and made his way towards Dumbledore, he was directed a set of doors by the staff table that Severus had never seen before. He wonders if it was made specifically for the tournament. He has no time to ponder before the next champion is to be chosen.
Once again the Goblet turns that brilliant green before the sparks start flying and the stream is leaving another piece of paper fluttering down to be collected by Dumbledore.
"The champion for Beauxbatons," says Dumbledore, "is Apolline Delacour."
The applause from the Beauxbatons students isn't as loud but is no less excited, once again the rest of the hall joined in with their own polite claps.
The young lady who stood up from the Ravenclaw table was captivating in her beauty, she was equally as tall and thin as Krum, but her blond silver hair made her stand out from the rest of their peers. It was a distinctive color and the closest Severus had ever seen to it was Lucius Malfoy's hair, though his was not as silver.
As she walked towards the same chamber as Krum had just went through, she almost appeared to float on air. Looking at her, he wouldn't be surprised to find out she had Veela ancestry. He knew the French were much more progressive in terms of creature rights.
With two champions in the chamber, that only left the Hogwarts champion.
Severus didn't have especially strong feelings towards who should be the school champion, but knowing the age limit was 17 meant that it was almost exclusive to the seventh years, minus a few sixth years with early birthdays. (A flash of Sirius Black's cruel smile passed through his thoughts unbidden.)
For the last time the Goblet turned green pulsing bright and ominous, sparks flashed and the stream of light left the last piece of paper to float down into Dumbledore's open hand.
"The Hogwarts champion is," Dumbledore pauses a beat longer than when he had announced the previous Tournaments champions, his eyes scanning the paper and then flying towards Severus.
A feeling of unease washes over him in that moment, because there is absolutely no way—
"Severus Snape."
Distantly Severus is aware of the sound of clapping and hollering in the background, but he can't really hear it.
All he hears is
s̴̘̣͍̦͑̒̓̃͆̓t̷̥̑͛ā̷̢̮͇͓̝̇̆̽̽͂t̶͎͓̠͙̹͐̔̒̿̌̍i̸̲̙͖͍̰̍̎c̵̯̜̳̬̫͂̍̓̆̂
Before he's even aware he's doing so, his eyes meet Professor Potter's.