Chapter 327: A Temporary Conclusion
Chapter 327: A Temporary Conclusion
After roughly aligning his story with Hermione, Liam used Life Magic to calm Hermione's mind. Watching her frown ease as she fell into a deep sleep under the Magic's influence, he smiled slightly and began to set up the scene according to his plan.
First, Liam poured out the remains he had prepared from the portal and roughly pieced them back together. Finally, he used a simple Sunlight Alchemy Array to burn both the Vampire corpse and the reconstructed remains to ashes.
Looking at the two piles of human-shaped ashes and the two unidentifiable blobs of Blood Puppet ashes, Liam nodded in satisfaction. The scene was now set. After completing everything, Liam transformed back to his original form and changed into the clothes he had worn when he arrived.
"Next time, I must prepare some hair in advance." Liam muttered to himself as he walked over to Hermione and sat down beside her. He then casually removed the seals he had placed on the fireplace when he first arrived, restoring its function.
Several hours later, Hermione finally woke up, and the fireplace flared to life. Liam immediately stood up, wand at the ready, pointing it at the fireplace. Hermione did the same.
"Who's there?" Liam asked, simultaneously throwing a Sunlight Crystal. Instantly, a blinding light filled the room, but fortunately, this time it was indeed the rescue team, and they were immune to such strong light attacks.
"Nice job, kid", a raspy voice said, and Liam immediately recognized it as Mad-Eye Moody, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. However, Liam kept his wand pointed at Moody. "Prove that you are indeed Professor Mad-Eye Moody."
Mad-Eye Moody didn't seem angry; instead, he smiled. "As I told you in the first class, we must always remain vigilant. I'm glad to see you've taken my words to heart."
After saying this, he looked at the piles of ashes on the ground and nodded. "Are you really not considering a career as an Auror after graduation? Two adult Vampires and two Blood Puppets aren't something an ordinary underage Wizard can handle."
"It was just luck. Some of the Alchemy Items I have can counter these dark creatures", Liam replied. Then, he and Hermione were side-along Apparated by Mad-Eye Moody.
After a strong squeezing sensation, Liam and Hermione found themselves standing in front of the iron gates of Hogwarts. A few minutes later, they were sitting in the Headmaster's office, sipping hot tea.
Since Mad-Eye Moody had already provided some details, Dumbledore directly asked them about their kidnapping ordeal. Liam and Hermione recounted their agreed-upon story, telling Dumbledore that after being captured and taken to the underground cell, they had used special magical weapons to escape and then used the power of sunlight to defeat the Vampires who had tried to kidnap them.
Later, a creature emerged from the fireplace, followed by another creature and a Vampire. Liam had used Alchemy items and Magic to eliminate them. Strangely, no more enemies appeared after that. Upon discovering that the fireplace led to a fixed location, they decided to take turns resting and waiting for help. That's when Mad-Eye Moody came to rescue them.
"Mr. Liang, how did you determine that the box was problematic?" Dumbledore asked, folding his hands on the table after they finished their story.
"Because Harry's entry into the tournament this year was filled with issues, making me suspect that something bad might happen. So, I maintained the highest level of vigilance all year. When we were in Hogsmeade, I noticed that the girl's eyes were somewhat vacant. I immediately thought of the Imperius Curse that Professor Mad-Eye Moody had mentioned. Worried about a Curse, I cast a defensive spell on both of us. But I didn't expect it to be a Portkey", Liam said with a tinge of regret.
"You did very well in this matter. No wonder Professor Mad-Eye Moody was praising you just now." Dumbledore nodded and said, "The Magic Item you mentioned earlier is the Bracelet on your wrist, right?"
"Yes", Liam nodded. "Unfortunately, this time it consumed all the Sunlight Gems, which is equivalent to losing several hundred Galleons. But when you think about it, trading that much for a life is still worth it."
"It's already quite impressive for a young person to have such a mindset", Professor Dumbledore chuckled and then suddenly turned serious. "Can you tell me what the ingredients in the Elixirs you gave Harry were? Of course, I'm not trying to pry into your secrets; I just need to know the raw materials."
"Unicorn Blood for removing curses, condensed sunlight, Dragon Blood—" Liam listed over a dozen ingredients in one breath. "That's all, Headmaster Dumbledore. A Centaur Healer I know told me about these, and she also gave me the Unicorn Blood."
"Yes, every intelligent being has their own advantages. It's a shame that many Wizards hold their heads high and pretend not to see it. When I was young—" Dumbledore shook his head at this point. "Never mind, the past is the past."
Liam looked at Dumbledore, guessing that he was thinking about his younger days with Grindelwald. However, Dumbledore quickly snapped out of his reverie and then looked at Liam and Hermione seriously. "If I tell you that Voldemort has returned, would you believe me?"
"I think the Dark Lord—" Liam thought Dumbledore might be trying to rally support and was about to answer seriously, but he was interrupted by Dumbledore.
"Liam, Hermione, just call him Voldemort. Always use the correct name for things. Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself."
"But Professor, that name has Magic that detects anyone who says it. You, being the most powerful White Wizard, naturally have nothing to fear, but we are not as powerful as you, and our families are non-magical and cannot protect themselves. If he really comes back, I think neither Hermione nor I can afford the consequences of saying his name", Liam directly challenged Dumbledore. He had always thought that Dumbledore's insistence on having Harry and others say Voldemort's name was a mistake, especially for Hermione, whose family members were Muggles and would be put in grave danger.
"I apologize; I didn't consider that", Dumbledore admitted, "I understand your efforts to protect your families."
"Thank you. Continuing from what you were saying, I believe he has returned because I know Harry is not the type to make up stories. But I also believe that the majority of the magical world will not believe this, and they will even deny it actively."
"Is it like the signing of the Munich Agreement?" Hermione, catching on, asked.
"Yes, the Wizards of Britain are just like the Muggles of Britain before the war, unwilling to acknowledge the imminent danger, from top to bottom", Liam replied.
"Interesting. Tell me more about your thoughts", Dumbledore asked with genuine curiosity. Originally, after Harry's return, he had planned to inform Fudge of Voldemort's return and use the Ministry of Magic's power to limit Voldemort's resurgence as much as possible.
In his estimation, Fudge and the Ministry of Magic should have immediately begun preparing for war and raising the alert among Wizards upon receiving this information, which would have curtailed Voldemort's growing influence. However, he hadn't expected the two students who were caught up in this incident to present another perspective. He was now eager to hear what these Muggle-born students had to say about applying Muggle world examples to the current situation.
(End of Chapter)
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