Chapter 481: Pre-Tournament Scenes
Chapter 481: Pre-Tournament Scenes
"Unlock potential?" Snape looked at Felix with a probing gaze, folding his arms. "What do you need it for?"
"I'm a safety officer; I can't go out looking like this, it would be too embarrassing."
Snape stared at him for a moment, then asked softly, "When I go to Diagon Alley to buy ingredients next time, will I see your wanted poster?"
Felix rubbed his chin. "That's hard to say... Don't glare at me, okay? I was just joking. The truth is, I got a bit too carried away with my research." He explained with a serious expression.
But Snape didn't believe him. The next second, runic patterns appeared on Felix's face, and Snape looked at this with surprise.
"What kind of potion do you want?"
"Of course, the best one. Something that will let me fight after I drink it." Felix smiled. "Considering I'm your student, how about a fifty percent discount?"
Snape frowned. "That potion has significant side effects."
"I can handle it", Felix said seriously. "Severus, I need it."
After a moment of silence—
"Wait here!" Snape waved his sleeve, looking menacing.
"Thanks, Professor." Felix waved back with a smile.
...
"Hermione Jane Granger!" Mr. Granger shouted, his face red with anger as he saw his daughter peeking hesitantly from the doorway.
"Oh, Dad..." Hermione entered the room, and the other champions and their families watched with interest. She shuffled in, looking to Mrs. Granger for help.
Mrs. Granger waved her hand, a mischievous smile on her face. "I'm waiting for your explanation too."
"Maybe, um", Hermione suggested softly, "I can show you around the campus?"
The Grangers stared at her. Hermione stammered, "It's your first time here, you must be curious. I've prepared some things, I'm sure you'll like them..."
"You mean leaving your parents alone for half a day is part of your 'preparation'?"
"I have an exam to take", Hermione defended herself quietly.
Mr. Granger looked furious, and Mrs. Granger teased, "I heard champions don't need to take exams. Was it your friend Harry who told me that? Are you trying to avoid us?"
Hermione was speechless.
It took a long time for Hermione to calm her parents down. They first toured the castle, then strolled around the Black Lake. They ran into Harry and Sirius along the way. Sirius tried to chat with the Grangers, but it didn't go well. They couldn't join in conversations about Quidditch, duels, and adventures.
When Sirius vividly described how he defeated a troll, he didn't get the admiring looks and detailed questions he expected, but rather blank and wary expressions.
Before the atmosphere could plummet further, Sirius found a common topic.
"Don't worry, there's no danger. They're the favorites to win! And there's a safety officer... Felix Hepworth, you know him? You met at the Leaky Cauldron? Great! I know him very well..."
Harry felt strange. Hermione had been glaring at him the whole time the adults were talking.
He leaned in quietly. "What's wrong?"
Hermione turned her head away, refusing to speak to him.
...
"Knocked out three silencers? So the person's target was actually the Department of Mysteries?" Fudge asked from behind his desk.
"That's right. He stole all the hourglasses, and the crystal dome lost a significant amount of energy", the Auror in charge of the investigation explained. Three silencers who had been unfortunate enough to be knocked out stood silently behind the Auror, heads down.
Fudge twirled his quill for a moment before looking up.
"What do you think this person's goal was?" He looked at the three silencers. "Time travel? Alter history?"
"Minister, rest assured, he can't do anything", Saul Croaker said eagerly.
"Why?" Fudge's quill paused. "He took so many hourglasses... just the hourglasses?"
"Exactly!" Saul Croaker was glad Fudge understood. "The person only has the hourglasses, not a complete Time-Turner."
"What if he finds a broken Time-Turner outside and repairs it—"
"Impossible, no one can do that! Every defective Time-Turner has been thoroughly checked by silencers and is irreparable. We've tried for centuries and failed, which is why the number of existing Time-Turners is decreasing... It's even less likely for an outsider to succeed."
Fudge looked at him skeptically.
"It's true", Saul Croaker grew more confident, as this was his area of expertise. "Also, the energy in the stolen hourglasses was very low. I suspect the person realized this, which is why he stayed the entire night to recharge them—"
"So?" Fudge asked impatiently.
"Naturally, he failed." Saul Croaker spread his hands. "No one can learn that skill in one night. The energy naturally dissipated..."
"But if the hourglasses are useless, why did he take them all?" Fudge asked, his eyes wide.
"Minister, guessing the criminal's motives isn't my specialty. I can only provide professional judgment", Saul Croaker shrugged. "The only issue is that the security system in the Department of Mysteries isn't good enough. It needs an upgrade."
"Thank you, Croaker", Fudge interrupted. "I'll consider it, but you must understand that the Ministry is currently short on funds. If we receive new donations, I'll prioritize your request."
The office fell silent.
After a long while, Fudge asked with great hesitation, "Did you see what that person looked like?"
Bode and Saul Croaker shook their heads. All they had seen was Felix after using the Polyjuice Potion. They now looked at Fudge with a bit of unease, fearing he might suddenly pull out a wand and attack them.
"You, on the other hand, must have seen something. The Polyjuice Potion's effect must have worn off by then", Fudge said gloomily.
The third Silencer looked embarrassed and said, "I was distracted. That person used a despicable trap..."
Fudge lowered his head and flipped through the testimony, "A fireball falling from the sky, burning debris? Yes, that’s certainly despicable."
The Silencer lowered his head and remained silent.
Fudge continued to read through the report, "You were attacked from behind while looking down, and all you saw were a pair of feet... a pair of feet?" He looked up, "Do you remember what those feet looked like? Any distinctive features?"
The Silencer shook his head, "I apologize, Minister. I don’t remember clearly."
"I don’t believe that", Fudge said, a slight smile forming on his face, "At least you can give us a rough outline, right? For example, were the steps light and quick, belonging to a young person?"
...
In the evening, the young wizards were in high spirits, dining in the Great Hall and eagerly awaiting the start of the third task.
"Fudge, you brought quite a few people today", Dumbledore said gently.
"I think it's necessary. The Ministry of Magic has just been attacked", Fudge said in a low voice, "I need to be prepared."
"Oh, I see", Dumbledore said softly, a look of regret on his face.
"By the way", Fudge looked around, "Where’s Professor Hep?"
"Perhaps something came up", Dumbledore said with a chuckle.
Fudge glanced around; everyone was eating. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, hesitated for a moment, and finally made up his mind, "Dumbledore, I need your help. According to the Aurors' investigation, that lone wanderer is incredibly powerful, perhaps even as formidable as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!"
Dumbledore wore a look of appropriate confusion.
"Dumbledore, I know we have some disagreements—"
"Disagreements?" Dumbledore said.
"You—what?" Fudge looked at him, bewildered.
"That’s not a disagreement, Fudge", Dumbledore said patiently, "Your hesitation will cost us a lot of time—"
"Enough! Dumbledore", Fudge said angrily, "It is a disagreement. I’ve already made a concession, sending a small Auror team to the Albanian Forest to investigate. We’ll have results soon. What I want to talk about now is something else!"
He slammed his hand on the table, causing the forks on the plates to jump around.
The Headmasters from the other schools looked over, puzzled. Fudge made a hasty apologetic gesture. Once they turned back, he leaned in and whispered, "Dumbledore, I’m discussing how to deal with a dangerous criminal. He brazenly broke into the Department of Mysteries, stole a Time-Turner hourglass, and several decades of stored energy. Good heavens, what a wicked act!"
Dumbledore looked at him calmly, "Forgive me, Fudge, but you don’t seem particularly worried."
"Of course I’m worried! What if he wants to alter history? What if he’s on the Dark Lord’s side and wants to warn him on the day he lost his power?" Fudge’s anger was starting to get out of control again, "You know the serious consequences that could result!"
Dumbledore’s expression grew serious.
"Exactly", Fudge wiped his sweat and continued, "That’s why I’m asking for your help. Our goals are aligned. I promise that as soon as the investigation team brings back solid evidence, I will issue a warning to the public."
Dumbledore was silent for a moment, "What leads do you have?"
"Of course, I do", Fudge said, overjoyed, "He spent a whole night at the Ministry of Magic, trying to steal the energy... He must be exhausted and injured by the Aurors. Unfortunately, we didn’t find any blood at the scene... Regardless, such injuries can’t be healed quickly, which is why I’m curious about Professor Hep’s condition. I’m not suspecting him, just cooperating with the investigation—"
Dumbledore’s expression grew even more serious. Fudge, believing his plan was working, was beaming with joy. At that moment, someone walked into the Great Hall.
Fudge stared at the person. Felix looked flushed and full of energy, showing no signs of injury. He had even changed into a formal suit, pulled out a chair, and sat down not far from them.
Fudge’s face turned red with anger.
"It seems Felix isn’t the person you’re looking for. He looks great. This suit reminds me of the ball six months ago. If there were music, I wouldn’t doubt he’d be the center of attention..." Dumbledore folded his fingers and looked at Fudge with interest.
"Perhaps I was mistaken, Dumbledore", Fudge said breathlessly, his eyes fixed on Felix. Reluctantly, he added, "I need to confirm again."
"My office is always open to you, Fudge, but next time, bring evidence", Dumbledore said, his gaze also on Felix—unlike Fudge, his deep blue eyes were profound.
"Time..." he murmured.
As the enchanted ceiling changed from blue to the deep purple of dusk, Dumbledore stood up at the table, and the hall fell silent.
"Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes, I will invite you to the competition venue to watch the final task of the Triwizard Tournament. For now, please let the champions leave with Mr. Bagman."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
