The Daughter of Voldemort

Chapter 4

The room was deathly silent. Every eye was turned on Harry. Harry sat for several moments still staring at Dumbledore with his mouth agape. Then, quickly he turned back to Hermione and Ron.

"I didn't do it," Harry pleaded, "I don't even want to compete."

"Harry Potter," Dumbledore repeated. "Please report to the back room to wait with the other champions."

Harry got up slowly and walked what seemed like miles to the front of the hall. He glanced at a few faces which were all filled with shock and confusion. When he glanced at Veronica, though, she didn't seem confused at all. She wasn't even looking at him. Instead she was subtly darting her gaze around the room, looking angry.

When Harry finally reached the back room, the other champions thought he was a joke. When the teachers all gathered in the back room, the headmasters of the other two schools yelled back and forth with dumbledore and the other hogwarts teachers. Harry zoned out of what they were saying, trying to piece together how this could have happened. 

The other Hogwarts teachers believed him when he said he didn't enter himself into the tournament, with the exception of Snape, of course. Mad Eye Moody even stood up for him, saying there's no way he'd be stupid enough to enter himself because it was as good as writing his own death certificate. Although Moody was taking his side, it didn't make Harry feel any better about the situation. 

After much argument between the teachers and other headmasters, they concluded that their only option was for Harry to compete. Dumbledore reluctantly went on with the instructions for the first task. Although there weren't many. Basically all he said was that the first task would take place on November the twenty-fourth. He also made it clear that they were not to ask for help from any teachers and that they would be exempt from finals

That night, Harry went straight up to bed, dodging everyone's questions and the party that Gryffindor was throwing in their common room. By the time the next morning came around, Harry had gotten very little sleep. Before anyone else had woken, Harry was dressed and was already making his way down to breakfast. There were a few groups of people who were already wandering the halls, but Harry successfully dodged all of their glances. 

Harry had almost made it inside the nearly empty dining hall when a deep, authoritative voice called his name from behind him. 

"Harry!" Dumbledore called and quickened his pace slightly to catch up to Harry. Harry stopped abruptly in the dining hall doorway and waited for Dumbledore to catch up. "Didn't expect to see you up so early! Nevertheless, I need to speak with you. I was hoping it would be a little more private, but this will do. Come."

Dumbledore led Harry over to the nearly empty Gryffindor table and sat down on the end of the bench nearest to the entrance, "Have a seat, Harry," he gestured to the seat across from him, "My, my. I haven't sat at this table in quite some time."

Harry didn't know what to say. He glanced around the room quickly. There were very few students in the hall this early. Three from Hufflepuff. Eight from Ravenclaw - although they all had their noses buried deep inside large textbooks. None from Slytherin. And two other Gryffindor sat at the opposite end of their table.  

When he looked back at Dumbledore, he had already filled his plate with an assortment of breakfast foods. Harry followed suit, although he wasn't hungry in the slightest. 

"I guess I'll get right to the point," said Dumbledore, swallowing a mouthful of scrambled egg, "Do you know anyone inside Hogwarts who would have a reason to put your name in that cup?" said Dumbledore with a determined face.

Harry had been pondering the same question all night long. The only answer he could come up with was Malfoy, but he was too young to enter his name in the cup, much less Harry's. Harry also assumed that the furious look on Malfoy's face last night when his name was drawn pretty much eliminated him from the list of suspects. 

"No, sir," Harry said with disappointment, "No one besides Voldemort, but I don't see how that would be possible."

"Hmmm," Dumbledore looked down at his plate and skewered a forkful of pancakes. There was a long silence as Dumbledore scarfed down his breakfast and Harry pushed the food around his plate with his fork. Several other people began to fill the dining hall, taking notice of the headmaster sitting at a student table with Harry. 

Dumbledore suddenly threw his arm out to the side to block someone passing by their table. The person who he was blocking slid to a stop immediately where anyone else would have run into Dumbledore's outstretched arm.

"Have a seat Ms. Marvolo," Dumbledore said and scooted over on the bench to allow enough room for Veronica to sit. 

Dumbledore filled a second plate with food and sat it in front of Veronica, "Uhm.. thank you, sir," she said shyly, reluctantly sitting down on the bench next to Dumbledore. 

A few more silent seconds went by before Dumbledore chimed in again, "So, Veronica, what about you?"

"What about me, sir?" Veronica's face went pale. Harry hadn't noticed until now how pleasing her features actually were. Her pale face was soft but slender. Her eyes were the brightest blue he had ever seen and were only emphasized by their being outlined by her dark, long lashes that matched her long hair perfectly.

"Do you know anyone at Hogwarts who would want to harm Harry enough to put his name in the goblet?" Dumbledore's eyes bore into Veronica's, who was obviously nervous but not backing down from the stare off.

"No sir," she said coldly, "but if I overhear anything, I'll let you know."

Dumbledore stared into her face for a few more moments before deciding his verdict, "Alright then. Both of you should be watchful of your every surrounding," Dumbledore stood and stepped over the bench before grabbing his nearly empty plate, "I suppose I'll head up to my own table. You're getting enough attention right now without me adding to it."

Veronica and Harry watched Dumbledore's figure retreat deeper into the dining hall before turning to each other. Harry had no idea why Dumbledore would chose to ask Veronica specifically about the subject when it had nothing to do with her, but she didn't seem as surprised as Harry at the situation.

Harry looked at Veronica curiously. She gave him a sad smile before standing up and taking her breakfast down to the other end of the table where her other friends were. Not ten seconds later, Ron and Hermione sat down harshly where Veronica and Dumbledore were just sitting. 

"Harry, we've been worried sick," Hermione cried, looking at Harry angrily, "You ran off last night before we could speak and this morning Ron says you had already disappeared before he even woke up. And was that Veronica who was just sitting here? Since when do you tell her things before us? Harry what happened yesterday?"

Harry barely heard any of Hermione's rant over the deathly glare on Ron's face. 

"What's the matter Ron?" Harry examined him closely. 

"Nothing, nothing," Ron said dryly, "I guess congratulations are in order."

"What d'you mean, congratulations?" said Harry, staring at ron. 

"No one else managed to get across the age line," said Ron, "Not even Fred and George managed to get across that line. How'd you do it?"

"Ron, I didn't put my name in that goblet," said Harry, "Someone else must have done it."

"What would they do that for?" 

"I dunno," said Harry, resisting the urge to say, 'to kill me'

Ron was giving Harry the exact same skeptical look that everyone else had given him when he said he didn't enter his own name, "You don't have to lie to me, you know. You've already gotten away with it so obviously you're not getting into trouble."

"Ron, I didn't put my name in that goblet." Harry was getting angry now.

Hermione could feel the tension growing and did the only thing she could think of, "C'mon Harry. Maybe we should go for a walk."