At the edge of the Forbidden Forest, a bonfire blazed brightly. Harry and the others sat around it, resting as they listened to Lupin explain Defense Against the Dark Arts.
"Sirius, are you saying I should just give up taking part in the third task?" Harry asked, putting down the chocolate in his hand with a frown.
"No, not give up." Sirius shook his head. "There's still a magical contract between you and the Goblet of Fire. You can't withdraw from the Triwizard Tournament."
While poking at the bonfire, Lupin explained Sirius's meaning to Harry. "Sirius just wants you to protect yourself."
"I..."
Harry had barely begun to speak when Sirius interrupted him.
"Albert believes the third task may put his life in danger. He thinks you brought this crisis upon him."
Hermione and Ron exchanged uneasy looks.
"You're sure you're not joking?" Harry did not find it funny in the slightest.
"Do you think he's joking with us?" Sirius looked deeply at his godson.
"Let me explain!" Lupin cut in. "Harry, you must have realized that becoming Hogwarts's fourth champion wasn't an accident."
"Someone wants to harm you," Sirius said.
"No one's tried anything against me for an entire year," Harry pointed out bluntly. "No one has dared do anything to me."
"It isn't that they don't dare. The time simply hasn't come yet," Sirius corrected him.
"Isn't someone trying to use the Triwizard Tournament to murder Harry?" Ron thought Harry's journey through the tournament had already been dangerous enough.
The dragon in the first task had been difficult enough to handle. One careless mistake, and he could have been burned to death by dragon fire.
The second task had required them to dive into the freezing lake to save someone. The champions had also stood a high chance