Sagres inclined his head slightly towards Harry.
"Come with me, Mr Potter."
With that, he turned and walked towards the doors of the Great Hall.
Harry followed almost instinctively, leaving behind the fierce argument that erupted again in their wake.
Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance, then immediately climbed out from behind the Gryffindor table. Under Professor McGonagall's slightly worried gaze, they hurried after the pair.
They walked silently through the Castle corridors, the cool evening breeze brushing against their faces.
Sagres led Harry directly to the shore of the Black Lake. A bright moon hung in the night sky, casting shimmering silver reflections across the water, while the distant silhouette of the Forbidden Forest appeared especially deep and dark.
The two walked slowly along the lakeshore in silence for a long while.
Harry felt uneasy as he waited for the professor to question him.
However, Sagres merely said calmly, "I don't need to ask whether you put your own name into the Goblet of Fire."
He did not even look at Harry.
"I already obtained the answer through Legilimency in the Great Hall. You weren't lying."
Harry let out a breath of relief and did not feel angry that Sagres had used Legilimency on him.
"Then do you have any idea why your name appeared in the Goblet of Fire?" Sagres continued, his gaze fixed on the shimmering surface of the lake.
"I don't know, Professor," Harry answered honestly, weariness and confusion filling his voice.
"No ideas at all?"
Sagres pressed him, his tone calm but unyielding.
"Even an outlandish guess."
Harry fell silent and stared into the depths of the Black Lake, almost as though he could feel the chill beneath the water.
After a moment, he clenched his fists and whispered, "...I think it might have been Voldemort, or one of his followers."
He looked up at Sagres.
"But I don't know how they did it."
"A very powerful Confundus Charm," Sagres said lightly. "To deceive a magical artefact of the Goblet of Fire's calibre, the caster could not have been an ordinary Wizard. More importantly, they were able to enter and leave Hogwarts freely in order to place your name inside."
He stopped, turned, and faced Harry.
"So the question is this: if a powerful Wizard who can move freely through Hogwarts and bears you ill will wanted to harm you, why would they not choose a more direct method instead of going to such lengths to force you into a competition?"
Harry was left speechless. The same question puzzled him.
"I tried to have you removed from the Tournament because continuing to participate is clearly the same as walking step by step into a trap laid by the other side."
Sagres's voice carried a faint trace of regret.
"Unfortunately, they were unwilling to reach an agreement with me. Now you can only be especially cautious during the Tournament."
"I understand, Professor. I'll be careful," Harry said solemnly.
Sagres nodded slightly, then changed the subject.
"There is one more thing, Potter. I hope you remember everything that happened today. Remember how you were questioned and used as a bargaining chip because you lacked power."
Harry opened his mouth to respond, but Sagres raised a hand to stop him and continued.
"There are only two ways to change such a situation. Either become so powerful that no one dares to underestimate you, or create a world fair enough to protect the weak. Both paths are filled with thorns, but if you achieve either one, you will never again find yourself at the mercy of others as you were today."
After speaking, Sagres raised his voice slightly without looking back.
"Those words apply to both of you as well."
There was a rustling sound, and Ron and Hermione shuffled out from behind a large rock with their heads lowered and faces flushed.
"Never try to be clever in front of a powerful Wizard."
There was no discernible emotion in Sagres's voice, but it made Ron and Hermione lower their heads even further.
He looked over the three young people before continuing.
"Since you are all here, let us consider the matter together. Based on the clues we have, who is both the most likely and the most capable of doing this?"
Rather than asking them directly, Sagres seemed to be thinking aloud and organising his thoughts.
"First, motive. Who most wants Potter to be placed in danger, or even to die in an 'accident'?"
"You-Know-Who and his followers!" Hermione and Ron answered almost simultaneously.
"Very good. Then who has the ability to move freely within Hogwarts, or exploit some loophole we have not yet noticed, without arousing suspicion?"
"It could be someone from one of the other schools!" Ron said quickly.
"Or one of the Headmasters," Hermione added thoughtfully. "The students clearly don't have that kind of ability."
Ron's eyes lit up.
"Karkaroff. I heard he used to be a Death Eater, and he was unusually agitated throughout the feast."
The more Ron spoke, the more certain he became.
"He strongly opposed Harry taking part, supposedly in the name of fairness, but perhaps that extreme reaction was itself an act, meant to divert suspicion away from him."
"It probably wasn't him. After all, even you managed to think of that, let alone everyone else."
"What do you mean by that?" Ron immediately protested. "My reasoning makes perfect sense!"
"Exactly. It makes too much sense, which makes it seem deliberate."
Hermione patiently explained, as though lecturing a particularly slow student.
"If Karkaroff were really behind it, would he behave so obviously? It would be like hanging a sign around his neck saying, 'I am the suspect.'"
"Maybe that's exactly what he wants us to think," Ron argued stubbornly. "He acts suspicious on purpose so we'll decide he couldn't possibly be that stupid..."
"Oh, honestly, Ron." Hermione rolled her eyes. "Do you think this is one of your Wizard Chess matches, with some sort of double bluff? Harry's life is at stake!"
"I actually think Mr Weasley's reasoning has some merit."
Sagres's sudden comment made both of them fall silent.
Ron immediately straightened his back and shot Hermione a triumphant look.
"Until the truth is known, every possibility deserves consideration, no matter how obvious or implausible it may seem."
Sagres continued calmly.
"And since this is only speculation, you may as well be bolder."
Encouraged, Ron suddenly had another idea.
"Then could it be Mr Chang? Maybe he wanted to muddy the waters so no one would pay attention to the fact that Kunlun joined halfway through?"
Hermione frowned thoughtfully.
"That is possible..."
Even so, she did not sound entirely convinced.
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