𝙏𝙃𝙍𝙊𝙐𝙂𝙃 𝙏𝙃𝙄𝘾𝙆 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙉 | ⁽ᵈʳᵃᶜᵒ ᵐᵃˡᶠᵒʸ ˣ ᶠᵉᵐ!ʰᵃʳʳʸ ᵖᵒᵗᵗᵉʳ⁾

19.2 First Task

    
     "Prongslet?"

     Sirius called out for the third time already from the fireplace and Jamie plunged back to the present time. Her Godfather's tied hair is unruly and the bags under his eyes are shouting with different shades of lack of sleep.

     "Prongslet? Are you still awake?" said Sirius, his voice hooked with worry, "I'm sorry if I kept you awake at this hour. I know you have a lot of going on right now considering you have an incoming task."

     Jamie waved it off and smiled down at Sirius' head in the hearth of the fireplace. She thought Sirius would be teleporting at the fireplace despite its size. "It's alright, Padfoot. I want to talk to you too."

     "How are you?" Sirius questioned and Jamie chuckled tiredly, that question seems to be getting asked for so many times in a span of one day by every people that she met. Except for Malfoy, of course.

     "Pissed," Is what escaped out of Jamie's mouth. How did that happen? Jamie doesn't know.

     That may have confused Sirius because it took him a moment before he replied at that, "You're pissed? By what?"

     Jamie shrugged, "By everything."

     Sirius studied her, "Considering you were chosen as a champion without gusto, I'll be pretty pissed-- no, mad even, by everything that comes at my way."

     Jamie unexpectedly laughs at that, it comes out sounding tired on her ears. "It's nothing important, Padfoot. I'm now getting used to it."

     "And what, pray-tell do you mean by you are getting used to it?"

      Jamie stared at the fire forming Sirius' face, the mere colour reminded her of the lion dragon. "It's just..." How would she be able to tell it? "It's like I'm living a life that is under a cycle that I can't break out of."

     Sirius nodded for her to continue, the motion itself gave a sound of the relaxing crackle of the fire in the air.

     "Ever since the tournament happened... I noticed that something is making me run away from the things that I should face ahead on," Jamie slowly spilt her thoughts, weariness seems to be a familiar friend and a cloak resting on her shoulder for days, "and I will be caught on all of these things with these people close to me, but I never wanted anything like that.

     Jamie chuckled tiredly, and averted her eyes away from meeting Sirius'. "Nevermind what I just babbled about. What about you, Padfoot? what happened? What do you mean by the letter?"

     Apparently sensing that Jamie doesn't want to talk about it, Sirius knows better to went with it than force the subject.

     "I have something to tell you that I can't on the letter," Sirius said solemnly and Jamie listened attentively, "Karkaroff, the headmaster of the Durmstrang, He was a death eater."

     Jamie reeled on the new information, "What?" Jamie questioned demandingly, "Who in the right mind would someone like him be appointed as the headmaster?!"

     "I don't know, Prongslet, but I'm certain the reason why Dumbledore has an Auror in Hogwarts is to keep an eye on him. He used to serve the dark side and had a deal with the Ministry back then; An information from the other side in exchange for his freedom," Sirius spat the last sentence. "It's not just a coincidence with what happened to Bertha Jorkins. Arthur received a lead from the report and it is quite disturbing.

     “She disappeared in Alba, and that's where Voldemort was rumoured to be last seen by our trusted ears… She would have known the Triwizard Tournament was coming up supposing that she is almost the right hand of Mr. Crouch," Sirius explained.