Harry Potter and the Berserker

Chapter 30

Disclaimer- Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling and Berserk is owned by Kentaro Miura. I own nothing.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, October 31st, 1994

The great hall was filled with the chattering and daily gossip that was to be expected of students both new and senior. A sort of palpable excitement and tension filled the air, and many of the food prepared down in the kitchens remained largely untouched; save of course for some of the students over at the Gryffindor table. The Weasley twins were a source of jovial attention as always, having been released from the hospital wing the other day after having their beards removed.

The two of them were clever, but not clever enough to fool an age line simply by drinking an aging potion. That wasn't to say that their failed attempt hadn't swayed others from coming up with their own harebrained schemes of fooling the aging line Dumbledore himself drew. No, there were still conspiracies going around even after the twins' mishap, which they took with surprising humility. Some of the professors had wanted to be a bit stricter when it came to suggesting punishment, but the concept of public humiliation was one that was far too overlooked in this day and age. Although, Dumbledore could understand the mindset of where his professors were coming from; Hogwarts was playing host to two other wizarding schools this semester – Beauxbatons and Durmstrang.

Madam Maxime, the Headmistress of Beauxbatons, towered over everyone else, even Hogwarts own Keeper of Keys, Game Keeper, and Care of Magical Creatures Professor, Hagrid. It appeared that Hagrid was actually intrigued at the prospect of meeting another who shared giants' blood, although Maxime would never admit to it. No, she knew of the discrimination against half-breeds and the like within Magical Britain, and she had the aura of a proper French Madam to uphold.

Then there was Igor Karkaroff, the Durmstrang Headmaster, a former Death Eater granted pardon after Voldemort's downfall by granting valuable information to the Wizengamont. He sat next to Severus along the staff table, something that didn't escape Dumbledore's notice. The Potions Master rarely acknowledged the presence of the Durmstrang Headmaster; Severus had an image of his own to keep up. Karkaroff probably would have been more annoyed with the lack of attention, but his focus more on the main event of tonight.

Further, in along the staff table, the figures of Barty Crouch and Ludo Bagman sat in accordance with the tradition of the event – the Triwizard Tournament. It had been decades since the last tournament, having been put to an end due to too many student deaths, and now Hogwarts would be hosting the legendary event. Dumbledore had no heavenly idea what the Ministry of Magic was thinking by bringing back this tournament, but with Crouch and Bagman promising a much more controlled environment and by raising the age limit to only those seventeen and above, it was eventually deemed plausible. No doubt Cornelius agreed to the terms because he thought it would boost his popularity in the polls.

Dumbledore had warned him of something going wrong, but the minister was adamant. Even with the recent happenings over the previous years, Fudge still chose to remain blissfully ignorant of the growing dark. For starters, after Voldemort's failed possession of Quirrell, the fabled Chamber of Secrets had been opened after fifty years of stagnation. Wanting to be seen doing something, Fudge chose to arrest Hagrid due to his record while attending Hogwarts. Things became even more complicated when Lucius Malfoy had the school governors suspend his term as headmaster. It was only after the youngest of the Weasley children had been abducted had Dumbledore been granted his position back to deal with the situation. The chamber was discovered after an interrogation with the ghost of Moaning Myrtle, the only dead victim of the creature from fifty years prior. Dumbledore and a few other professors had forced their way into the chamber to rescue the young girl and destroy Riddle's diary. The Weasley girl was deeply traumatized by the experience and had taken the next semester off for treatment at St. Mungo's.