Lilliana Snape (Book Four)

Part 14

Snape’s face paled when the word ‘dragons’ left the headmasters mouth. “Say that again” he said quietly.

“The first task involves dragons” Dumbledore explained calmly. “The chosen five are to retrieve a golden egg, which holds a clue to the next task. Don’t worry” he said “we have trained experts at the scene, no one will get seriously hurt.”

“Dumbledore” Severus spat out the headmasters name in anger “my daughter told me that she didn’t enter her name into the competition and I believe her, therefore there is someone who wants her to get hurt and until I found who I will-”

“You will what?” Albus asked patiently “forbid her from taking part? You know that that’s not possible, Severus, both Lilliana and Harry are under a magical oath and the only way they will be able to forfeit their place is if they are disqualified.”

“Then that is what she shall do!”

Albus studied the man through steady eyes before saying “but it’s not that simple, Severus, the rules are absolute and if someone if forced to do something which will lead to disqualification then the matter becomes void. There is no way around it; believe me, I would pull both of them out in the blink of an eye if I could but I can’t and-” he held out a long weathered finger “I know that the other participating schools will be getting aid so I, of course, will turn a blind eye if you wish to help your daughter.”

“If I wish to?” Severus repeated “if I wish to? Seriously, Albus, why on earth would I let her face this alone? She’s only just fourteen!”

“She is also the brightest student that this school has ever had” stated Dumbledore “I know that she will manage this on her own if necessary. I also know that Miss Granger will offer her help to both Lilly and Harry; she’s not without friends who care about her.”

Severus Snape shook his head angrily. He wasn’t angry at his daughter, he was angry at the person who’d volunteered her for this event and now he had the worry of this tournament hanging over his shoulders. “Goodnight, Albus” he told the headmaster as he dismissed himself from the circular study.

~*~

I received a curious note from dad at breakfast the day before the first task was due to take place.

My office as soon as you are done with breakfast, come alone, no questions asked.

Dad.

 

“What do you suppose he wants?” Harry asked as he wolfed down his breakfast. After he’d found out about the dragons he’d warned Cedric about the task and then was given a bit of help from Moody. Mad Eyes advice to Harry involved him using his broom and to be able to get his broom from Gryffindor Tower to the stadium required him to learn ‘accio’, the summoning charm we’d been learning with Flitwick. Hermione and I had already mastered it and were taking it in turns to teach it to Harry too and, given that we only just had a little over twenty four hours until the dragon task, he was eager to get back to work.

“No idea” I shrugged “maybe he found out who put our names in.” I pushed my plate of eggs away from me, I hadn’t been feeling particularly hungry lately, and stood. “I’ll catch up with you two later” I told them before heading off, with the note, toward the dungeons.