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Chapter 558: Empty Threat

“I didn’t!” Ron murmured, his face pale and bloodless. “I didn’t cheat!”

“Mr. Weasley didn’t do it!” Professor McGonagall said angrily. She shot a very angry look at Professor Snape. “We should believe him. He did not persuade senior students to help him do this. This can be verified.”

“Ron has been with us all day, at Hagrid’s!” Hermione said quickly.

“We can prove that he didn’t put his name in the Goblet of Fire.” Harry shouted.

“Yes, and I don’t think the Goblet of Fire will make such a mistake, choosing two champions from the same school,” said Evan, “This is some sort of conspiracy!”

“What do you mean?!” Everyone looked at him as if they did not quite understand him.

“As you all know, the Goblet of Fire is a very powerful magical item.” said Evan, “It would have needed an exceptionally strong Confundus Charm or some other black magic to bamboozle that goblet into forgetting that only three schools compete in the tournament … I’m guessing they submitted Ron’s name under a fourth school, to make sure he was the only one in his category.”

Hearing Evan’s words, everyone was thinking about the possibility of such a thing.

“Absurd!” said Karkaroff, “The idea is simply whimsical, that the boy put his name in the Goblet of Fire, and then the damn goblet went wrong and spit out his name.”

“No way, there’s nothing wrong with the Goblet of Fire, Karkaroff!” Ludo Bagman said uneasily, “We checked before, didn’t we, Barty?”

“I was responsible for the inspection!” Crouch said in a curt voice. He was standing outside the circle of the firelight, his face half hidden in the shadow, and his wrinkled skin as white and transparent as paper.

“Are you doubting me, Karkaroff?!” he asked.

“Of course not, I’m not doubting you!” Karkaroff took a step back and looked very afraid of Crouch. He said again in an oily voice, “But you must think it’s grossly inappropriate, don’t you?”

Bagman didn’t answer. He wiped his round, boyish face with his handkerchief and looked at Mr. Crouch.

“It’s not about what is reasonable or unreasonable. We must follow the rules, and the rules state clearly that those people whose names come out of the Goblet of Fire are bound to compete in the tournament.” Crouch did not look at everyone. He stared at the burning fire, thinking about something.

For a few seconds, Evan even thought he was going to walk into the flames.

“Barty knows the rulebook back to front,” said Bagman, beaming and turning back to Karkaroff and Madame Maxime, as though the matter was now closed.

“No, I insist upon resubmitting the names of the rest of my students!” Karkaroff’s face was ugly. He stopped looking at Crouch by the fire, and turned to Dumbledore. “You will set up the Goblet of Fire once more, and we will continue adding names until each school has two champions. It’s only fair, Dumbledore!”

“I’m afraid it doesn’t work like that, Karkaroff!” Bagman frowned and said, wiping his fingers with his handkerchief. “You know, the Goblet has just gone out and it won’t reignite until the start of the next tournament.”

“Durmstrang will most certainly not be competing in the next tournament!” exploded Karkaroff. “After all our meetings and negotiations and compromises, I little expected something of this nature to occur! I have half a mind to leave now!”

Evan pushed Moody in the back. It was time for him to come out. If things went on like this, they would fall apart. And among the crowd, besides Moody, no one could stop Karkaroff.

“Empty threat, Karkaroff!” growled Moody immediately, his voice louder than Karkaroff’s, shocking everyone. “You can’t make your champion leave now. He’s got to compete; they’ve all got to compete. Binding magical contract. Convenient, isn’t it?”

He limped to the center, blocking Ron behind him and staring at Karkaroff.

Under his gaze, the expression on Karkaroff’s face became extremely ugly.

“Convenient?!” he said angrily. “I’m afraid I don’t understand you, Moody.”

It could be seen that he was trying to sound disdainful, as though what Moody was saying was barely worth his notice, but his hands gave him away; they had balled themselves into fists.

“Don’t you?!” said Moody quietly. “It’s very simple, Karkaroff! As Evan said, someone put Weasley’s name into the Goblet of Fire knowing he’d have to compete if it came out.”

“Evidently, someone who wished to give Hogwarts two chances!” said Madame Maxime.

“I quite agree with you, Madame Maxime!” said Karkaroff, bowing to her, “I shall be lodging complaints with the Ministry of Magic and the International Confederation of Wizards.”

“Enough, if anyone has got reason to complain, it’s Weasley!” growled Moody, “But I don’t hear him saying a word!”

“Why should he complain?” burst out Fleur Delacour, stamping her foot angrily. “He has the chance to compete, hasn’t it? We have all been hoping to be chosen for weeks and weeks! To win the honor for our schools! A thousand Galleons in prize money. This is a chance many would die for, and our school has undergone a rigorous selection!”

“Maybe someone’s hoping Weasley is going to die for it,” said Moody, with the merest trace of a growl.

An extremely tense silence followed these words.

Ludo Bagman, who was looking very anxious indeed, bounced nervously up and down on his feet and said, “Moody, old man … what a thing to say!”

“We all know Professor Moody considers the morning wasted if he hasn’t discovered six plots to murder him before lunchtime,” said Karkaroff loudly. “Apparently he is now teaching his students to fear assassination too. An odd quality in a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dumbledore, but no doubt you had your reasons.”

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