Kakarov was startled, his mouth wide open, speechless for a moment.
Powder of the horns of the unicorn, the skin of an African tree snake. Harry blinked, easily guessing that this was a magical potion ingredient, and he seemed to recognize the name. So he lowered his head a bit, looking confused at Hermione.
"Compound potion..."
Hermione looked equally startled, and seeing Harry's confusion, she mouthed the answer.
Both exchanged glances without speaking, both noticing the surprise in each other's eyes. This was a possibility they had never considered, compound potion. This was indeed a good idea to hide their identity, and it was also quite easy to implement. As long as they secretly snipped a Hogwarts upperclassman's hair during dinner and put it into the Goblet of Fire, they could legally approach it and put Hermione's name into the draw!
Could it be Karkarov? If it was him, then why did he specifically choose Hermione?
The two unconsciously lightened their breaths on the ground.
"I understand."
Karkarov shut his mouth, and he angrily glared at Snape.
"Are you here to test me, Severus? Who made you do this, Dumbledore or Borgin? You must have told them your guess, right? They are investigating this, aren't they? This doesn't matter, Severus. You are now completely on their side."
"Answer my question first!"
Snape remained unmoved, still coldly staring into Igor's eyes, his wand clutched tightly, his figure somber.
"This has nothing to do with me, Severus. I, Demolta is also a victim!"
Kakarov gritted his teeth and said.
"Do I need to swear on the name of the Dark Lord!"
Snape's brow furrowed heavily, but his posture relaxed somewhat. Clearly, he knew the weight of this statement for Igor Kakarov.
"It's quite amusing..."
Instantly, the hostility and cold smile on Snape's face softened to a lazy one. He sheathed his wand back into his pocket and mocked Kakarov with a smirk.
"You actually dare to mention the Dark Lord? Plainly speaking, Igor, if the Dark Lord were to return, you would not escape death."
Snape didn't want to argue with Kakarov anymore. After saying this, he turned his head and started walking back to the castle. However, Kakarov, whose face had gone pale after Snape's careless words, suddenly chased after him and grabbed Snape's arm angrily, saying.
"Go back and tell those two cunning bastards, Breton and Dumbledore, that I won't be the only one suspecting them. Make it clear to them that I will also be investigating them!"
"I will take care of it -" Snape pulled back his hand, and a mocking arc appeared on his mouth. "Is there anything else you want to tell me, Igor? If not, I suggest you return to your ship as soon as possible. This school is riddled with Dumbledore's spies."
Harry and Hermione both thought that the confidential conversation was over, but the headmaster of Detmold's school, Professor Kakarov, suddenly changed his expression as if by magic. All signs of anger and injustice were gone, and he displayed a round and friendly look on his face as if the wrongfully accused person was not him.
"Dear old fellow, don't be in a hurry to leave!"
Kakarov smiled, even embracing Severus' shoulder. Severus looked at him with disgust, but did not reject the embrace.
"There's something, Severus, you might be able to help me with. I've heard that Amos Borgin graduated from your academy, and I've heard that you two have always had a good relationship?"
Snape merely glared at him, saying nothing.
"You see -- could you, old fellow, when you tell Borgin that it wasn't me who put that fool's name into the cup, could you ask about the first task of the competition? Shouldn't you do that? You suspect me, your old friend for many years, and this has hurt my heart. You need to make up for it --"
Shameless!
Harry and Hermione were so angry that they were on the verge of jumping up. This guy just threatened to investigate Borgin Professor, but now he's actually asking Severus to help him ask about the project at Borgin Professor!
Hermione was so angry that her cheeks turned red. When Sirius told them that Igor Kakarov was once a Death Eater during the day, they were more surprised than anything else. Now, witnessing this first-hand, she realized just how vile this person's character was!
Harry and Hermione were thinking along the same lines, but he gave Hermoine a look. The headmaster of Durmstrang was actually offering to help his champion cheat, so accepting a little extra help from Hagrid wasn't such a big deal.
They straightened their ears, eager to hear what Snape had to say. But at that moment, a loud and angry roar suddenly echoed from the marble steps outside the entrance, startling both of them and making their hearts race.
"Caught red-handed, weren't you?"
A distinctive voice roared, and then heavy footsteps echoed up the marble stairs.
What a dramatic scene! Even Hermione couldn't help thinking so, and Harry even had a smirk on his lips.
Despite his limp as he descended the stairs, Mad-Eye Moody's explosive demeanor was undeterred. His blue eye seemed to bulge from its socket, fiercely glaring at Snape and Kakarov. The hideous scar on his face writhed like a millipede.
Shouldn't you be more cautious, shouldn't you?
Harry sneered at Snape and Kakarov, full of malice. Mad-Eye's appearance here was no surprise. Even though he had retired, Mad-Eye still retained the vigilance of an Auror, he was accustomed to patrolling the school grounds after dark, and even helped Hagrid patrol the Forbidden Forest sometimes.
Seeing Mad-Eye approach quickly, Kakarov even felt an urge to run away. No, it wasn't just an urge, he had already made a move. One of his legs retreated a step back, and his body also twisted halfway. If Snape hadn't held him back, he might have fled in disgrace.
And Snape, while more composed than Kakarov, still had a pale complexion when faced with Mad-Eye.
"What do you mean, Mad-Eye, we're just talking--"
For some reason, Mad-Eye stumbled slightly in his steps, but he quickly adjusted his balance. He approached Snape and Kakarov with a grin on his face.
"Chatting, lying, Snape!"
Mad-Eye ruthlessly exposed this lie, "Two escaped Death Eaters, black as coal in the dark, avoiding crowds in the courtyard, just to catch up. What are you talking about, sharing experiences of avoiding the law? Or are you plotting something new?"
Despite being outnumbered two to one, Harry felt as if Snape and Kakarov were surrounded by Mad-Eye, because Mad-Eye's current aura was indeed quite intimidating.
"Tell me!" Professor Moody roared, "Come clean with everything, or else I'll take you to Dumbledore and make a report!"
"You're a madman!" Kakarov stumbled backwards, gasping as he spoke, "What we say is our freedom, Mad-Eye. It has nothing to do with you. The Ministry of Magic has already declared me innocent. You have no right to interfere with me--"
"Oh, is that so!"
Mad-Eye chuckled coldly.
"You may have used betraying your 'fellow' to wash off some stains, but you've done many dirty and despicable things, Kakarov. Spit it out. Let me see how far you've come. For example, your method of putting Miss Hermione Granger's name into the Goblet was quite ingenious. It really surprised me. Your magical abilities have improved considerably since then, and you can actually fool the Goblet!"
"You're mad!"
Kakarov couldn't say anything. He stared in terror at Professor Moody, stumbling backwards, and finally turned around and ran into the darkness, fleeing in disgrace!
More astonishing to Harry and Hermione than Kakarov's escape in front of Mad-Eye was the fact that Mad-Eye didn't chase after him; he simply let him run off.
"Coward!"
Mad-Eye spat in contempt, then turned his head to look at Snape whose face was gradually turning pale.
"You seem more courageous, Snape. Tell me something interesting, shall you?"
"I have nothing interesting to say."
Snape took a few rapid breaths, clearly under pressure from Mad-Eye. He clenched his thin lips tightly,
"If you have any questions about me, go ask Dumbledore!"
Saying that, Snape wrapped himself tightly in his black robes, like a bat folding its wings, and then turned around and walked quickly towards the castle, disappearing into the entrance hall.
In an instant, the field where they had been exchanging words fell silent. Only the biting wind howled around them. Harry watched as Mad-Eye, still staring after Snape who was entering the entrance hall, turned and disappeared inside. Harry admired how Mad-Eye managed to scare Kakarov and Snape into running away. But he was also curious why Mad-Eye just let them go so easily? Shouldn't he have interrogated them further?
Harry was pondering, and even Hermione felt something was off. Based on Mad-Eye's imposing presence earlier, he shouldn't have let them go. Then, in the next second, Mad-Eye's sudden voice startled Harry and Hermione into a state of daze.
"Oh, the weather is so cold. It's not comfortable to lie on the ground, Mr. Potter, Miss Granger. Why don't you get up and talk to us?"
(End of this chapter)
