"We've kept you waiting." Dumbledore came over to Vincent and Moody, drew the Elder Wand, and cast a soundproofing spell around them.
"You should all have heard what happened just now. I hope you can clear up our doubts."
Bagman's booming voice immediately vanished. Moody bent down and examined the Goblet of Fire closely.
Vincent gave Dumbledore a slight nod. "Someone tampered with the Goblet of Fire. I saw it with my own eyes."
"What!?" All four of them stared at him blankly.
Though they had already guessed as much, they still could not believe it was true.
But this was only Vincent's side of the story. For all they knew, it could have been a rehearsed excuse.
Karkaroff immediately raised a question. "Vincent, if you saw it, why didn't you tell us?"
Madame Maxime turned and stood in front of Vincent. "Karkaroff, Vincent has his own reasons. He doesn't need to explain everything to you."
She had learned in advance from Minister Russell of France that Vincent would not be taking part in this year's Triwizard Tournament. Therefore, even if he had seen someone tampering with the Goblet of Fire, it was understandable that he had chosen not to speak up.
But Karkaroff did not know that. To him, Madame Maxime's defense of Vincent meant that Hogwarts and Beauxbatons were in league with each other, trying to force Durmstrang to swallow this grievance in silence.
"I don't care what your reasons are! Vincent, if you don't explain yourself fully, I have every reason to suspect you're in league with that person!"
"Karkaroff, you—"
"Olympe! He isn't even your student. Why are you defending him so fiercely? Is it because he's Nicolas Flamel's apprentice?"
Madame Maxime's expression turned ugly.
Not wanting to put her in an awkward position, Vincent stepped