Bertie nodded. "There are two main rituals that can be used to restore Riddle's body because he used the particular objects he did as the method of immortality. One of these involves the bone of the father, flesh of the willing servant and, if I remember correctly, blood of the enemy forcibly taken."
Sirius was angry enough that he couldn't speak.
"And neither of you thought to inform us so we could, I don't know, replace Riddle's bones with some other person which would screw up the ritual?" asked Remus, stepping in when Sirius remained silent.
Bertie and Dumbledore looked abashed.
"My apologies," Bertie said formally, "you're quite correct; I should have informed the Council. I just didn't think to."
"I'm afraid I also have nothing but apologies to make." Dumbledore said hurriedly. "My main focus on that ritual was around the assumption that it would give Harry an anchor to life rather than…" he twirled his finger to silently say 'bring Voldemort back from the dead.'
"That's true," Bertie said excitedly, pointing at Dumbledore, "and it would give us a link, a connection although I'm not sure how that would manifest itself, not to mention that…"
"That it's NEVER going to happen if I have anything to do with it!" growled Sirius angrily.
"And me!" Remus snarled, his entire body vibrating with fury.
"Thirded," said Bill coolly.
"Just what potions have the two of you taken?" asked Amelia caustically as she turned on Bertie and Dumbledore. "You're talking about a dark ritual that will require Riddle to take Harry's blood by force! I assume you do realise that in such an instance, Harry would no doubt be in dire straits and probably in severe danger of losing his life if such an event were to occur! You talk as though that doesn't matter at ALL! For once, pull your heads out of your ivory bloody towers and THINK!"
Bertie and Dumbledore both looked thoroughly chastised.
Sirius was tempted to burst out laughing as the two men hastily made another apology.
"Now," Amelia said, "it appears that we know the ritual he intends to use." Her eyes narrowed on the two sheepish old wizards avoiding her eyes. "Is there anything else about this ritual, something say that may give us a tactical advantage?"
"Summer solstice," Bertie blurted out under her hard glare, "the ritual is best performed on the eve of the Summer solstice."
"Renewal, rebirth," Bill said quietly, "I can see why."
"Well, this is an alarming coincidence." Dumbledore stated, the twinkle in his eyes definitely absent.
"What?" asked Sirius impatiently.
Dumbledore looked around the gathering. "The final task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament will be held on the eve of the Summer solstice."
There was a sudden silence as they absorbed the news.
"Who came up with the dates for the tournament?" Remus asked bluntly.
Dumbledore frowned. "In all honesty, I cannot remember. The tournament has been discussed off and on for over two years. I will review my memories and see whether I can track down who it was."
"That's a long time for You-Know-Who to wait," Cornelius commented, speaking up again, "and why gather the, uh, bones now if he isn't going to use them straight away?"
"The ritual takes nine months for the majority of its preparation." Bertie answered.
Nine months, Sirius mused; nine months being the usual gestation period for a baby.
"The bones of the father will need to be sanctified first, and then prepared by soaking in amniotic fluid for nine months. Then the majority of them will then become the base of a potion that is required," Bertie continued dispassionately, "and the servant who gives his flesh must spend the vast majority of nine months ahead of the ritual truly serving their Master. If it is a child or a homunculus then Pettigrew will be tasked with seeing to its security, bodily and nutritional needs."
"And the enemy?" asked Sirius tersely.
"Is to be tested and challenged for the majority of the nine months thus living in fear of his life." Dumbledore said gravely.
"The tournament," Remus said, jumping ahead to the obvious conclusion, "if Harry was entered into the Tri-Wizard Tournament, it would provide the perfect arena for such a condition to be met."
"Harry is NOT entering the tournament." Sirius could feel his chest start to tighten, panic building sharply.
"There are safeguards, Sirius." Dumbledore assured him. "Entrants must be seventeen and over. There will be tight security around the goblet, I promise you."
"I think whatever security you have planned, you need to triple it." Amelia said brusquely. "If I was Riddle, I would be seeking to place Harry in the tournament."
"I will review the security measures with Alastor, Ludo and Barty." Dumbledore promised.
Cornelius raised his eyebrows. "I thought he was still sick? Barty, I mean."
"He is but he will return and Percy Weasley is doing an admirable job of being a go-between." Dumbledore said. "I'm certain he will relay a message and return Barty's thoughts on the matter."
Sirius glared at him. "Albus, if Harry is entered into this farce and Hogwarts fails to protect him from that, I will remove him from the school."
"While I understand your position, Sirius, we're getting ahead of ourselves," Amelia pointed out, "if we assume Riddle is working on this ritual then firstly – let's work on a way to keep Harry out of the tournament."
They all nodded.
"Secondly, I'd like a briefing document for the teams." Amelia said. "From the sound of it, Riddle is going to have to kill a pregnant woman to get the amniotic fluid. We can issue safety warnings – a pretend muggle serial killer perhaps and if there is a killing help use that to track down Riddle's location."
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