Chapter 475: The Newspaper
Chapter 475: The Newspaper
The weather in June was already quite hot, but Professor Trelawney still had the fireplace lit and the curtains drawn. The room in the tower was stuffy and smoky.
Professor Trelawney sat in front of a large crystal ball, her face still bearing a sleepy expression.
"Oh, Ved, dear, I've never worried about your exams."
She pointed to the crystal ball and said with a smile, "Look inside and tell me what you see."
While Ved observed the crystal ball, Professor Trelawney got up to pour herself a glass of gin. She took a sip, closed her eyes in delight.
"Truly a fine imported liquor, it's quite intoxicating. These house-elves are quite good at shopping, though it's rather expensive..."
Professor Trelawney opened her eyes and asked, with a hint of alcohol in her breath, "Ved, what do you see?"
After a moment, Ved looked up and said, "I see an oval-shaped arena... very large, with many people... it seems like a grand event is taking place."
"An event?" Professor Trelawney put down her glass and wrote a few lines on a piece of parchment. "And then? What else do you see? Did you see the results of the event?"
"I see people in red clothes raising their fists... but I also see people in green clothes cheering", Ved said.
"Raising fists? That means they caught the Snitch? But cheering..."
Professor Trelawney pondered for a moment and asked, "Did you see the ending? Who won at the end?"
"The people in green clothes", Ved said confidently.
"Green clothes..."
Professor Trelawney murmured, her eyes brightening as if she had an idea. She said absentmindedly, "All right, dear, the exam is over. You can go now."
"Thank you, Professor."
Ved got up and left. Before he reached the trapdoor, he saw Professor Trelawney hurriedly rummaging through her money jar, pouring all the coins onto the table and counting them happily.
Ved almost heard the sound of her mental abacus, and he couldn't help but smile, feeling a bit envious of Professor Trelawney's simple joy.
As he went down the stairs, he remembered what he truly saw in the crystal ball—
A curled-up baby with a snake-like face.
An adult wizard holding the baby, with cold eyes.
A tall Dementor holding a person, leaning down as if to kiss them.
Finally, a long, seemingly endless corridor with tightly closed doors on both sides.
His gaze quickly scanned the corridor and stopped at a locked door with a shell-like symbol.
The swirling white mist in the crystal ball briefly showed Ved several scenes. While he didn't understand the last one, the earlier ones seemed to be visions of future battles.
Ved took a deep breath, finding it hard to believe he had overlooked Voldemort for so long, assuming the person wouldn't be a threat because the real Wormtail was dead.
Especially the man holding the baby...
Ved furrowed his brow, his mind swirling with memories from his previous life retrieved from the Pensieve.
The movies he had seen provided little reference, as the people in this world looked quite different from the actors. However, by comparing their ages, auras, and physical features, Ved gradually narrowed down his suspects to one person.
He quickly walked to the library, threw his backpack onto a chair, and headed for the newspaper section.
Madam Pince was organizing books and, seeing Ved's hurried figure, called out, "It's almost closing time, Gray!"
"I know! I just need to look up some information!"
Ved's voice echoed through the bookshelves. Madam Pince frowned at his loud speaking but then remembered there were no other students in the library, so she shook her head and didn't chase him out.
Ved waved his wand, and several old newspapers flew off the shelves, landing in front of him. He scanned through them one by one and finally found the picture he was looking for in one of them.
A boy who looked only seventeen or eighteen was being dragged by a Dementor. In the picture, he was struggling, his mouth wide open in a silent scream, his face filled with fear.
The newspaper also had two smaller accompanying images: one of other prisoners being tried, and another of a man with a cold, hateful expression. The caption below the image identified him as the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Barty Crouch Sr.
Ved's gaze shifted upwards.
The pale boy was Barty Crouch Jr., whose appearance closely resembled his father's, but he was younger and more slender.
If he were a bit taller, his features more mature, and the panic on his face replaced with his father's expression, he would be the exact same man Ved had seen in the crystal ball.
Ved couldn't understand how he could have forgotten this person's destructive power.
Of course, Barty Crouch Jr. was initially a minor player in Ved's plan. This person was supposed to be under his father's control with the Imperius Curse, harmless like a hamster.
It wasn't until Peter Pettigrew escaped and the Death Eaters caused chaos at the Quidditch World Cup that Barty Crouch Jr. finally found an opportunity to break free from his father's control and reveal his true fangs.
Moreover, Barty Crouch Sr., as the head of the Department of Magical Cooperation, held a high position and was highly respected for his strong resistance against the Death Eaters. He was far from someone an ordinary student could approach or "defame."
In Ved's plan, he intended to expose the fact that the fake Peter had revealed Barty Crouch Jr. was still alive before the World Cup, and then have both of them be taken away by Barty Crouch Sr. or the Dementors.
This way, "Peter" would die a justified death, and Barty Crouch Jr., a fanatical supporter of Voldemort, would disappear completely. Voldemort's resurrection might be delayed for a few years.
Ideally, the delay would last until Ved graduated from school, allowing his knowledge, magical power, and training to reach a higher level. This would give him the freedom to act independently, greatly enhancing his flexibility and adaptability.
Unfortunately... due to a momentary lapse, events seemed to be slipping back to the original timeline.
Ved felt a moment of frustration, then used a duplication spell to make a copy of the newspaper. He folded the parchment and slipped it into his pocket, said goodbye to Madam Pince, and left the library, heading towards the headmaster's office.
Dumbledore needed to know what Ved had seen in the crystal ball. If he was lucky, Barty Crouch Jr. was still under his father's control, and they could raid the Crouch family home together to capture him.
Although in the original story, Barty Crouch Jr. diligently served as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for a year, who knew what he would do this time? In terms of ability, he was far superior to other Death Eaters, and in some ways, posed a greater threat than Voldemort.
Among the many Death Eaters, there was no one else as brave, strategic, patient, and loyal as Barty Crouch Jr.
Most Death Eaters were either on the verge of madness in Azkaban or had skillfully evaded punishment, enjoying a comfortable life, and were less eager for their "master" to return than ordinary wizards.
But since Ved had already seen Barty Crouch Jr. holding the infant Voldemort in the crystal ball, it might already be too late to stop him...
Ved was so engrossed in his thoughts that he missed the entrance to the headmaster's office. He only realized it when he was about to climb the stairs to Ravenclaw Tower.
So, he turned back, knocked on the stone gargoyle, and said, "Sherbet lemon."
The gargoyle stepped aside, and Ved climbed the rotating staircase that rose automatically. After a moment, he reached the door to the office. He knocked on the brass knocker and heard Dumbledore's voice: "Come in."
Ved entered the room. Dumbledore was sitting by the window, reading a letter. He smiled when he saw Ved: "I was just about to find you, Ved. Newt has returned and has prepared a treatment plan for Mabel. We'll start trying it next week."
"Mr. Scamander?" Ved was taken aback, then said with delight, "He has a treatment plan already?"
"Yes. Although we haven't seen each other for a while, he has been working on this all along!"
Dumbledore pulled out a sheet of parchment from his letter and gestured for Ved to read it.
The slightly yellowed parchment was filled with Scamander's meticulous handwriting, detailing the treatment method and the magic used. It was clear he had given this a lot of thought.
However, at the end, Scamander remained cautious, stating that everything was just a hypothesis and whether it would work was uncertain.
"Having a plan is a good start", Ved said with a relieved smile. "I have some gold powder from the organization. Even if it fails temporarily, it will prevent Mabel's condition from deteriorating too quickly."
"Good", Dumbledore smiled. "We must always have hope and believe that there is a solution to every problem. By the way, Wade, is there something you wanted to talk to me about?"
"I..."
Just as Wade was about to speak, he suddenly forgot why he had come. He stuttered, and the thought slowly emerged in his mind.
"Mr. Bod from the Department of Mysteries commissioned me to create a mannequin for conducting more dangerous magical experiments."
Wade continued, "I've completed the main body of the mannequin, but I wanted to get your opinion on the matter."
"Brodrick Bod, you mean?" Dumbledore smiled. "He is a dedicated and sincere person. Originally from Ravenclaw, his only passion is the study of magic. You needn't worry that he will misuse the mannequin."
"Then I'm relieved."
Wade smiled, stood up, and bid the headmaster farewell. He was delighted that Mabel would soon be free from her Obscurus. However, as he absentmindedly put his hand in his pocket, he felt something was wrong.
Wade pulled out the newspaper and saw the pale face of Barty Crouch Jr., slapping his forehead in frustration.
—Does this guy have some sort of 'Presence -10' buff? Why do I always forget to mention him?
Though Wade grumbled inwardly, he didn't really mean it. He realized that his attention had been diverted by the Scamander incident, causing him to forget his original purpose.
For example, sometimes when he was too engrossed in his magical research, he would forget to eat. Or, while writing a paper, a sudden idea about alchemy would pop into his head, and he would forget about his paper and rush off to the alchemy lab.
Wade held the newspaper and walked back to the headmaster's office.
"Sherbet lemon!"
The stone gargoyle lazily moved aside, and Wade climbed the stairs.
Dumbledore looked surprised to see Wade return and asked, "Is there something else, Wade?"
"Um, I forgot to mention earlier..."
Wade scanned the portraits of past Hogwarts headmasters on the wall, feeling a bit nervous, and asked, "Mr. Flamel invited me to visit his estate in July, but I don't know the exact address or time. Should I write to him again to ask?"
"Nicolas's address is a secret, known to very few people in the world, so he won't forget that."
Dumbledore reassured him, "Don't worry, Flamel will take care of everything. You might receive a letter from him in a couple of days."
Wade knew this was true, but hearing it from Dumbledore made him feel much more at ease.
He then realized he had disturbed the headmaster with such a trivial matter and felt a bit embarrassed. After a hurried farewell, he left.
The spiral staircase carried Wade back downstairs. He watched the door close again, staring at it thoughtfully for a moment before patting the stone gargoyle's head.
"Compared to the stone lion, the gargoyle is really much uglier..."
Wade muttered, the parchment in his hand rustling.
He subconsciously assumed it was his homework and stuffed it into his pocket without much thought, heading back to the Ravenclaw common room.
The common room was nearly empty because the term exams were finally over. Students could go to Hogsmeade the next day, and those who had stayed up late studying for the exams were already back in their dorms. Only a thin figure was still hunched over a book on the sofa.
"Luna?" Wade noticed the person and approached, concerned. "Why haven't you gone back to your dorm to rest?"
Could this outcast girl be bullied by her roommates again?
Luna took off her oddly shaped glasses and said, "The dorm is full of Nargles, and they're too noisy for me to read. Besides, it's easier to spot Nightshade Sprites in the quiet of the night."
"…What kind of sprites?" Wade asked, a bit taken aback.
"Nightshade Sprites", Luna repeated earnestly. "They like to dance under oak trees at night and sometimes fly into people's dreams."
"Oh… I see." Wade slowly realized that this was probably another magical creature that only Luna believed existed.
Just as he was about to wish her a good night and head to his dorm, he heard her say, "Your newspaper is about to fall out of your pocket, you know?"
"Newspaper?"
Wade was startled, then slowly pulled out the newspaper, staring at the picture with a look of disbelief.
(End of Chapter)
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