Hermione gave an awkward laugh and did not dare answer.
Snape snorted coldly and said, "The tournament should have started a few days ago, but Sirius suddenly stormed into the school and caused an uproar."
Hermione froze. "What did he come here for?"
A trace of mockery curled Snape's lips:
"He claimed that Durmstrang's headmaster, Igor Karkaroff, was an unrepentant former Death Eater. Combined with the prophecy you left about the Dark Lord's imminent return, Black concluded that Karkaroff would undoubtedly use the Triwizard Tournament to secretly harm Potter, offering him up as proof of loyalty to curry favor with the Dark Lord again."
"So," Snape said, "he insisted that we wait until you returned. Otherwise, he would never allow Potter to compete. Even after several rounds of negotiations, the Ministry of Magic and the Board of Governors could do nothing about that rabid dog, Black. And so, thanks to your absence and Black's interference, the entire Triwizard Tournament has been delayed until now."
The Headmaster's Office.
Dumbledore sat at the head of the room, his expression gentle.
Opposite him were the two headmasters, Barty Crouch, Moody, and Sirius.
At the sight of Hermione entering, Sirius visibly relaxed. A smile spread across his face as he hurried over. "Hermione! You're finally back!"
Ever since Hermione had exposed the truth about Wormtail and helped clear Sirius's name, she had become one of the few people he could trust.
Karkaroff's face, however, turned thunderous the moment he saw Hermione.
Clearly, "rabid dog" Black had caused him no end of trouble lately, and Hermione's return seemed to make Black even more fearless.
"My apologies, Headmaster Dumbledore, everyone." Hermione walked to the center of the room and bowed slightly. "Some personal matters held me up. Sorry for the wait."
"Oh, it's all right,