My School Life At Hogwarts Chapter 1184: No Need for Evidence - Novel Cool

Chapter 1184: No Need for Evidence

Chapter 1184: No Need for Evidence

"Awake?"

"Feels like I had a nightmare."

Cedric opened his eyes and looked at Fred, who was eating an apple beside him. He suddenly felt at a loss for words.

"Do you want some?" Fred offered.

"Where am I? Did you rescue me?" Cedric asked, still dazed.

"Hogwarts," George replied, taking the knife from Fred and starting to peel an apple for himself.

"We got word and contacted Albert immediately to get you out," Fred explained.

Albert, who had been reading the latest issue of the newspaper, set it down and inquired, "What happened? Tell us everything."

Cedric closed his eyes, his expression complicated as he shared, "It was Warrington. He betrayed me and informed the Death Eaters."

"That scum Warrington was probably under the Imperius Curse. Your luck really isn't that great," Fred commented with a hint of schadenfreude. "To think you'd encounter such a troublesome situation. I don't even know what to say to you."

"Here, this should help alleviate the effects of the Cruciatus Curse." Albert placed a bottle of potion in front of Cedric and asked, "Do you need our help?"

"Or we can get Qiu to feed it to you," George added.

"Those bastards! I was already cooperating, and they still used the Cruciatus Curse on me," Cedric muttered angrily, still feeling the unpleasant aftereffects. "If I catch them, I'll make sure they taste the Cruciatus Curse themselves."

"Using the Cruciatus Curse is illegal," Lee Jordan reminded him kindly.

"Also, we took revenge for you," Fred continued.

"The ones who captured you will probably all be dead in a few days," George reassured with a smile. "Anyway, you don't need to worry about taking revenge yourself."

"How much did you reveal?" Albert asked directly.

"I told them about our hideout and that you had returned to Britain. I also mentioned..." Cedric hesitated before continuing, "...about joining the Defense Association." He looked at Albert and added, "The main reason they kept me alive was to make me help them find the headquarters of the Defense Association."

"By the way, there's something you should know. Bellatrix wasn't killed by the Ministry of Magic, so you might not be able to return to work there," Albert said suddenly.

Cedric was perplexed. "What does Bellatrix have to do with me not being able to work at the Ministry?"

"That crazy woman is obsessed with killing me. Other Death Eaters might be cautious about falling into a trap if they come after you, but that lunatic will definitely cause trouble for you, trying to force you to reveal my whereabouts," Albert explained.

"If you don't want to bring trouble to your family, the best option is to hide. Go into hiding like Fred and George, leaving no openings for the Death Eaters," Albert suggested quietly. "Of course, if you regret joining us, I can arrange for you to hide abroad until this war is over and it's safe to return to Britain."

"Do you know people abroad?" Cedric asked.

"You should say that even abroad isn't safe enough," Fred interjected, waving his wand to make the apple core disappear.

"In America, they speak English, too," Albert shrugged. "Of course, you might not like that country, and to be honest, neither do I. But I think they won't go too far. After all, they are just the Death Eaters' minions, and it's hard to predict what those evil hooligans might do."

"If you choose to return to the Ministry of Magic and get captured again, don't expect me to rescue you," Albert added.

"Are you giving me a warning?" Cedric asked, his expression odd.

"The mysterious person seems to be very keen on killing me, so he might set another trap, using my friends, loved ones, and family to find me and kill me," Albert said quietly. "Of course, I've never given them that opportunity."

Cedric opened his mouth, understanding the implication.

"The mysterious person appeared tonight as well, but we withdrew quickly and didn't encounter him. Bellatrix was also saved and wasn't killed by the Aurors from the Ministry," Lee Jordan whispered.

"It seems a lot has happened," Cedric sighed softly. Even though the potion had eased the nerve pain, he still felt uncomfortable.

"Well, perhaps we should discuss Cedric's situation first," Albert suggested seriously. "Do you want to go to America?"

"I don't plan on hiding," Cedric shook his head.

"Don't be complacent," Fred frowned. "Next time, no one will come to your rescue."

"Don't be an idiot," Lee Jordan agreed.

"If you're captured again, it'll definitely be a trap," George explained gravely. "No one in their right mind would knowingly walk into a trap."

"We won't interfere with your choice. At most, we'll give you some advice," Albert raised his hand to signal for the others to be quiet and calmly said to Cedric, "For now, you can recuperate here at Hogwarts. St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries isn't safe."

"Do you think the mysterious person will use me against you?" Cedric asked suddenly.

"Because you were rescued so quickly, as long as the mysterious person isn't an idiot, they'll guess that I saved you. So your current situation is similar to that of the three of them," Albert explained.

"I want to hear your advice," Cedric said.

"Hide with them and work together to defeat the mysterious person," Albert suggested. "If you want to return to the Ministry of Magic in the future, you can do so after the mysterious person is defeated. The British Ministry of Magic will definitely welcome you with open arms, and your promotion will become much smoother."

"That sounds pretty good," Cedric acknowledged.

"You can also take this time to develop your relationship with Qiu Zhang," Albert reminded him kindly. "Remember to dictate a letter to your family so they won't worry."

"Can I ask a question?" Cedric asked.

"Go ahead."

"Why does the mysterious person hate you so much?" Cedric asked, voicing the doubt in his heart.

"We'd like to know that as well."

Fred, George, and Lee Jordan looked at Albert with amused expressions.

"He fears me because I can foresee the future and because I'm strong. He's afraid I'll discover his weakness and kill him," Albert said with a twist of his lips. "Though I think his worries are a bit unnecessary. After all, Harry Potter is the Chosen One. He should be afraid of Harry, not me."

"Weakness?" Cedric raised an eyebrow. "You know the mysterious figure's weakness?"

"This so-called weakness refers to the secret of the mysterious figure's immortality," Albert explained. "Only by rendering him mortal again can we have a chance to kill him. Until then, any attempt to do so would be foolish."

"You know?" Cedric asked, his eyes widening. "You know the secret to the mysterious figure's immortality?"

"For that, you'll have to ask Dumbledore. I think he's the one who knows best," Albert evaded the question. "All we need to do is patiently wait for the outcome, and also..."

Albert pulled out a large bottle of potion from somewhere and poured it over Cedric's face.

Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were taken aback, not understanding what Albert was doing, but they quickly drew their wands and helped Albert restrain the struggling Cedric. After all, Albert must have had a good reason for doing so.

"What's going on?" Fred asked, puzzled.

"It should be the Imperius Curse," Albert said, examining Cedric.

"Are you sure?"

The three were astonished, and George even took Cedric's wand from the table.

"Even if I'm wrong, we'll only waste a bottle of potion," Albert said, observing Cedric's reaction and becoming more convinced that he was under the Imperius Curse.

"How cunning. We almost fell for it," Albert muttered.

"Who do you think cast the Imperius Curse on him?"

"I don't know, but we're definitely dealing with a cunning individual."

"Is your potion reliable? Should we use another bottle just in case he's unable to break free from the Imperius Curse?" George asked, looking at Cedric's disheveled state. The thought of having a spy under the control of the Imperius Curse among them was terrifying.

"Let's wait a little longer. I believe Cedric will be able to break free," Albert said, glancing at Cedric and seeming to recall something. "Looks like we'll have to make time for some training to enhance our resistance to the Imperius Curse."

"Will it be effective?"

"Definitely. At the very least, we'll be able to easily resist a shoddy Imperius Curse."

"Damn, what's going on? And can you let me go now?"

"Looks like you're back to your senses," the four said, exchanging glances and unable to hold back their smiles.

"But perhaps, we should test it again just to be sure."

"No need, I'm fine, thank you. And what was that on my face?" Cedric asked, wiping his cheeks with a handkerchief.

"It seems to be a potion that washes away curses," George explained. "Albert used it to cleanse you of the Imperius Curse."

"Who controlled you?" Albert asked, voicing his own suspicion.

"A Death Eater. He was wearing a mask," Cedric replied.

"Once you're better, you can join us for training," Fred said, patting Cedric's shoulder. "If it's the three of us, we definitely won't be easily ambushed."

"They had a whole group of them," Cedric said unhappily. "I took down several of them."

"You could have made a strategic retreat," George reminded him. "Ensuring your own safety is the most important thing."

"What about the recruitment then?"

"Let's leave it at that for now. We can discuss it later. It's not an urgent matter," Albert said without hesitation. "Of course, you can work with Harry Potter to help train the Hogwarts students. After they graduate, I'm sure many of them will be willing to join us in resisting the mysterious figure."

"What about you?"

"I have my own matters to attend to!" Albert said casually. "Also, the mysterious figure will likely be able to pinpoint my location through divination, so I'll need to lie low for a while."

"By the way, there's something I need to emphasize again. Until we find the mysterious figure's weakness, confronting him is not a wise choice. What we need to do now is slowly build up our strength and wait for the right moment to strike back. That day is not far off, so we must have enough patience."

"Alright, since that's the case..." Cedric reluctantly agreed.

"I'm curious, how did you realize that Cedric was under the Imperius Curse?" George asked, voicing the doubt that he, Fred, and Lee Jordan shared. The Imperius Curse was usually difficult to detect, and it was rare for someone to notice something amiss so quickly.

"It was a hunch. Not everything requires evidence," Albert replied.

"Cedric, are you alright?"

At that moment, a figure rushed into the room like a whirlwind and reached Cedric's bedside.

Qiu Zhang looked at his boyfriend with concern.

"I'm fine, just had some trouble," Cedric said with a light cough.

"You guys chat, we'll take our leave!"

The four gave Cedric suggestive looks and got up to leave.

"Oh, right, remember to send a letter to your family so they won't worry," Albert said, stopping in his tracks and turning back to remind Cedric.

As the four stepped out of the infirmary, they saw Dobby the house-elf waiting for them outside. Upon seeing Albert, he bowed slightly and said, "Mr. Anderson, Professor Dumbledore has asked me to deliver a message. He would like to invite you for tea and is currently waiting for you in his office."

"I understand, Dobby. Please send these three back first," Albert said, a little surprised by Dumbledore's request, but he smiled at the house-elf.

"Yes, sir," Dobby said, reaching out to Fred. "Gentlemen, let's go."

"Remember to stay in touch," George said.

The three disappeared without a trace.

(End of Chapter)

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