Lean On Me (SEQUEL)

Chapter 8

Athena

"Harry, I need you to tell me the truth." I grabbed his arm, pulling him to the side. We had just finished the ceremony announcing the contestants for the tournament. "I need you to tell me if you put your name in that goblet." I hissed, keeping my voice quiet. He stared at me in disbelief of the question I asked him.

"Of course not, Athena! Why would I ever do something like that?" He was bewildered that I even believed he did. My eyes glazed over at his words. If he didn't, somebody in this castle did. Somebody wanted him to be in danger. It wasn't new for him, but I was angry at the thought another monster was in our school this year. How could they be okay with letting a fourteen year old boy risk his life?

"What did they tell you in there?" Students pushed past us, giving Harry dirty looks. The great hall was emptying as we spoke; we ignored it. "Harry, this is serious. After that dream you had in the summer, everyone is suspicious." I said, taking his face in my hands. "You have to tell me what they said." He had panic in his eyes. I was terrified for the young man before me. Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students sent glares at the pair of us. They purposefully bumped into us, blatantly showing their distaste.

"They said I had to compete, Athena. I can't do this! I don't know half the spells the others do!" He was shaking in fear as he spoke to me. The students listening in to our conversation gave me a bout of anger. I grabbed his hand and pulled him into another hallway. This one was more secluded. It had less nosy ears. Harry leaned against the wall, still trembling.

"You swear on your life you didn't try anything to put your name in the Goblet of Fire?" I asked again. "You didn't ask anybody to put it in for you?"

"I swear on my parents." He promised. "Now everyone hates me. They think I coerced Dumbledore into letting me enter!" I took my head in my hands, rubbing it anxiously. My stomach churned with nervousness.

"I believe you, Harry. I just needed to hear it. Whoever put your name in there has an extreme magical ability. They would have to enter you under a different school to ensure you were picked. It would take a lot to fool a magical antique like that. When it was created, it was charmed almost to perfection. There's a reason it's called the Tri-Wizard tournament." I stated, running a hand through my hair. "Only three schools are allowed to enter at once. A curse must have been put on it to trick it into thinking this was for a different game."

"Who could've done it?" He begged me for an answer I didn't have. His eyes screamed with panic under his glasses. I wished I could have done something. I took it upon myself to look out for this boy. He was like a brother. Our families were so complexly intertwined I would be heartless not to think so. I racked my brain for a plausible explanation.

"Somebody in this school is hiding a dark mark on their arm." I whispered. "They would be the only wizards that would be keen enough to do this."

"Snape-"

"Snape would not risk his position as professor to put your name in that goblet. He has an unspoken loyalty to Dumbledore. I hate him as much as you do, but he's not foolish." I let my eyes fall on the stone floor. "Think, Athena." I muttered to myself. Harry was too preoccupied to listen to my conversation with myself. "Karkaroff." I mumbled. I snapped my head up again, and looked to the boy beside me. "Igor Karkaroff has a history of affiliation with the Death Eaters." I told him. I read it in a book written about the first wizarding war trials. It almost too obvious of an answer.

"You think he did this?" He questioned.

"Igor Karkaroff named six wizards at his final trial. He handed the ministry the names of Dolohov, Mulciber, Travers, Rookwood, Rosier and Severus Snape." I told him. He gave me a look of confusion. I was speaking more to myself than him. "He betrayed six loyal Death Eaters that night. Out of the five he named, three were already captured, one had died, and Snape had been exonerated at Dumbledore's word. One person he named worked in the ministry at the time. It was the only one they had interest in." I explained to him. "When Barty Crouch Sr. concluded the names were of no help to him, they informed Karkaroff they were going to send him to Azkaban. In a last resort he gave one final name. This name gave him immunity to whatever punishment he was going to receive. This name unhinged the ministry when he spoke it."

"Who was it, Athena?" He was desperate for me to finish. He didn't care so much for my story. He wanted to know the name. He wanted a person to blame for the situation he was caught up in.

"Barty Crouch Jr." I stated. His eyes widened in shock.

"You mean Barty Crouch's son was a Death Eater?" He almost didn't believe me.

"He blamed Barty Crouch Jr. for being affiliated with the torture of Frank and Alice Longbottom. After Karkaroff's confession, he was to be sent to Azkaban. It's rumoured that he died while imprisoned. The only one who could verify was his father." I paused. "He hasn't spoke out about it since."

"What does this mean, Athena?" He asked.

"It means that Igor Karkaroff named off seven loyal followers in attempt to save himself. It was rumoured that Barty Crouch Jr. was Voldemort's most loyal follower aside form Bellatrix Lestrange." I paused. He caught my eyes with his own. "If Voldemort is on the rise again, he will be at risk. He will be their first target. He's a traitor in their eyes, Harry. Don't you think he'd do anything to get back in their good books?" Harry's mouth was agape as he took in the information.

"How do you know all of this, Athena?" I didn't answer his question. The truth was, I did a lot of digging when I learned of my fathers crimes. I found out a lot of dirt on many people. I held information in my brain that no wizard my age shared. I knew names, and I knew crimes of the people in our community.

"Harry, you're missing the point. If anyone in this building put your name in that goblet, it points at him. If Voldemort needs you for something larger than us, what would be more grand than kidnapping you at a world wide event?"

"So you think I'm in danger?" He asked. His tone was weary. He sounded nauseous at the thought.

"Harry, everyone knows you're in danger. I don't know how he's going to do it, but this tournament is his gateway. You have to be extra cautious." I placed a hand on his cheek. "This is greater than we know." I pulled him into a hug. I was conscious of the fact he could feel my belly through my robes, but he didn't notice.

"I don't know what to do." He sounded like he wanted to cry. His voice was muffled from his head being buried in my shoulder.

"We will figure this out, Harry. I won't let anything happen to you." It was a promise I vowed to keep. I prioritized Harry's safety over many things. He would not die if I had any say in it. I knew of the grand sacrifice his parents made for him. If I had anything to do with it, Lily and James Potter would not die in vain. It was my duty along with everybody else's to protect Harry. He held greatness in his name. He was destined to be our saviour. The prophecy stated so.

I couldn't get Igor Karkaroff off of my mind. If he did in fact put Harry's name into the goblet, it was certain there was a greater fate he was going to meet. Something was going to unhinge these games, but I didn't know what. From what Harry had told me, Voldemort was not strong enough to harm Harry himself. He needed his servants to do that for him. I didn't fully believe Karkaroff was the perpetrator in this situation. He was just the explanatory answer. For now, it gave Harry an idea of who to be weary of. Until we knew who it was, that's all he could do.