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Chapter 489: Testimony of Death
Chapter 489: Testimony of Death
"Professor, are you all right—"
"I'm fine." Felix got up from the ground, and Harry hurriedly found a chair for him to sit down. He closed his eyes and breathed heavily. The three of them looked at Felix with concern. The professor seemed to have recovered from the terrifying state, but not completely—his face, neck, and hands... would occasionally transform into a dense script of Runic symbols, then revert to normal skin, repeating this process.
"I'm not fully familiar with this condition yet, so I'll stay here to avoid scaring anyone... You three go find Headmaster Dumbledore and tell him what happened."
Felix opened his eyes, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione were startled. The professor's light blue irises were replaced by countless Runic symbols, as if two miniature Runic symbol orbs had been installed in his eye sockets. After speaking, he closed his eyes again, and his body began to flicker.
The three exchanged glances.
"It's clear that the professor needs time to master this new power. Someone should stay here with him", Hermione said.
"I'll stay. You and Ron should go", Harry decided after a brief pause. "You're both injured—"
"Like you didn't take several Cruciatus Curses", Ron grinned.
Harry smiled back. "At least my legs are still intact, and—well—" He hesitated, unsure. "Actually, by the end, I felt like Voldemort's spell wasn't affecting me as much. It's as if my body was gradually adapting to the damage from the Cruciatus Curse..."
Ron and Hermione looked at him skeptically.
"Harry, you should see Madam Pomfrey. I've heard that enduring multiple Cruciatus Curses can cause serious side effects", Ron said, uneasy.
"Are you saying I'm crazy?" Harry glared, and Ron looked away, muttering, "It wouldn't hurt to get checked out."
"It might be—uh—the protective charm in Harry's blood", Hermione said carefully. "Let's not jump to conclusions. Honestly, with Headmaster Dumbledore not here, I'm a bit worried." She glanced at Felix, her hand in her pocket, where he had given her the ring.
Professor Felix had claimed the ring contained some contraband to avoid Ministry of Magic inspections, so he temporarily entrusted it to her. She hadn't thought much of it at the time, but now, out of danger, she began to wonder. If it was just a routine investigation, did it really need to be this secretive?
Harry nodded and headed for the door. As he was about to lift the tent flap, Hermione called out to him.
"Wait, Harry—"
Harry turned around to see Hermione looking at him seriously.
"You know what to say, right?"
"Know—what—" Harry was momentarily confused.
"The Time-Turner." Hermione reminded him.
Harry realized what she meant. Yes, Hermione had traveled back in time and altered history... or so it seemed. According to the materials he had been reading, using a Time-Turner had only two outcomes:
Either failure—where the user suffers severe backlash and poses a threat to the time continuum from the past to the present;
Or success—where everything the user does during time travel becomes part of history, a completion of it. It's like it was "meant to be", but Hermione had explained that what we call "meant to be" is actually the result of the user's success. If it fails, the consequences can be as severe as what happened to Eloise Mintumble.
What should he say? Harry thought seriously and quickly came up with a plan. It was simple: just omit the part about Hermione using the Time-Turner. As for how the professor managed to "come back to life", he didn't know. It might be some special magic, something he shouldn't know about anyway.
Harry suddenly remembered a detail: Barty Crouch Jr. had clearly recognized the Time-Turner and wanted to expose the secret... so the professor chose to kill him first? Harry felt a twinge of aversion to the act of killing, but he immediately scolded himself for being too weak. This was war, he reminded himself, and Barty Crouch Jr. had done so many terrible things. The stories of Death Eaters and Aurors that Professor Moody had made the students read aloud were still vivid in his mind...
He had never realized how close the war was to him. Harry suddenly felt sentimental, knowing he had to wait another month before turning fifteen.
The night sky was dotted with stars. On his left stood the dark and imposing Maze Castle, silent and imposing in the darkness. On his right was the curved, high-standing viewing platform. He squinted, seeing people moving around on the ground.
He saw two towering figures, much larger than the others, as if they had been hit with an Engorgement Charm. They must be Hagrid and Madame Maxime. Not far from them, Harry spotted a tall, slender outline, with silvery, semi-translucent whiskers fluttering in the cool night breeze... It was Dumbledore. Harry's heart quickly calmed down, and he dragged his weary feet, moving step by step toward them.
“We’ve searched the entire Forbidden Forest, but found no trace!” Hagrid waved his arms in frustration. “I asked the Centaurs for help, but they haven’t reported anything yet…”
“You heard that, Cornelius. We don’t know the full details yet… I’m afraid we can only wait patiently,” Dumbledore said calmly.
“How am I supposed to be patient, Dumbledore?” Fudge shouted. “Three champions of the Triwizard Tournament have disappeared, and we still don’t know if they’re alive or dead… What will the reporters write tomorrow?”
“Cornelius, what the reporters write is not important. What matters is the significance behind this—”
“What significance?” Fudge immediately demanded.
“Isn’t it obvious!” A furious voice barked into Fudge’s ear, making him jump. He turned around to find Mad-Eye Moody standing beside him, his heavy body leaning on a cane, the magical eye fixed on him.
“I don’t see it,” Fudge said coldly, glancing irritably at the Aurors behind him, who were clearly at fault.
“Think about why I was used as a puppet. Who put Harry Potter’s name and those of his two friends into the Goblet of Fire?” Moody growled, his cane thudding loudly on the ground.
“You mean Barty Crouch Jr.?” Fudge furrowed his brow. “But he has escaped, and a third of the Aurors have been tracking him, except tonight…”
“So you think it’s over? Barty Crouch and the forces behind him went to great lengths to get Harry out of the school. Do you really believe they would give up so easily? Can’t you see the danger tonight’s events represent?”
Moody spat on the ground, and Fudge’s face turned red.
“Alastor is right, Cornelius. You can’t ignore the approaching danger. I’m almost certain we are in the middle of a grand conspiracy,” Dumbledore said softly.
“A conspiracy?” Fudge repeated the word. Harry stood behind the crowd, the moon not particularly bright that night. Fudge’s face was shrouded in shadow, making him look far less amiable than he did during Harry’s second summer, when they met at the Leaky Cauldron to discuss Harry’s accidental inflation of his aunt.
“I know what you’re going to say, the same old story… I told you during the dinner that I’ve already dispatched an elite team. We will act based on their findings,” Fudge said impatiently. “If you want to talk about a conspiracy, I’d like to know where Felix Hepworth is. You’ve been evasive, Dumbledore…”
“I believe,” Dumbledore said calmly, “that Felix might have a special connection to the whereabouts of Potter, Weasley, and Granger. He’s very skilled at making various gadgets, which often prove useful in critical moments… like the amulet he gave me at Christmas, which was a great help.”
“I don’t have time for your rambling—”
“I’m just giving an example,” Dumbledore said gently. “On the contrary, I’m curious—where did the guard who came out of the Maze Castle go?”
Fudge turned to look at the two Aurors behind him. One of them nodded and whispered, “Yaxley is missing.”
“This proves nothing,” Fudge said immediately. “Perhaps he discovered something unusual… Add him to the search list.” He instructed the Auror, who nodded and left.
“The Auror you’re looking for, Yaxley, is a Death Eater!” Harry couldn’t hold back any longer and shouted from the back.
The people in front were startled. The one closest to Harry, one of the Beauxbatons champions, Jacqueline, jumped back in fear. She had come to watch with Madame Maxime and now stared wide-eyed at the dirty, disheveled Harry, backing away.
The crowd murmured. “Harry’s back!” someone shouted. “He’s alive!” The news spread like wildfire, and people began to crowd around, their footsteps converging from all directions.
They raised their wands to see more clearly, and the multitude of light points made Harry dizzy. Gasps and screams echoed around him. He heard Mrs. Weasley’s distinctive voice and Hagrid’s excited roar.
Then, a pair of strong arms grabbed him. Harry struggled to open his eyes. It was Dumbledore.
"Are you all back?" he asked quickly.
"Yes", Harry said, noticing Sirius Black and Remus Lupin trying to squeeze through the crowd.
"So, Felix succeeded?" he continued, his voice low.
"What—what?" Harry looked at Dumbledore in surprise. Dumbledore winked mischievously and mouthed the words: Time-Turner.
Harry was too shocked to speak. But Dumbledore seemed to read the answer from his expression. His voice regained its calm and steady tone as he asked in a normal volume, "Did you see Voldemort?" The people around them were startled by the question, stopping their movements and staring intently at Dumbledore and Harry.
Harry noticed that Fudge's eyes were wide as saucers.
"Yes! Headmaster Dumbledore, we saw Voldemort. He has been resurrected for months! He planned tonight's scheme, and—" Harry suddenly remembered something, "Yaxley! He modified the Portkey Cup's destination!"
The crowd stirred again, more people reacting with alarm. Hundreds of people gasped simultaneously.
"Are you sure?" Fudge charged forward like a bull, grabbing Harry's collar and spitting, "Are you sure? What about Hep? Felix Hepworth, what did he do?"
"He saved us!" Harry shouted, irritated.
"Everyone is alive?" Fudge asked, his nostrils flaring.
Harry suddenly didn't want to answer Fudge's questions, but he saw the Weasleys and the Grangers in the crowd. Their eyes glimmered with a mix of fear and hope. So he declared loudly, "Yes! Ron and Hermione are alive, and they're fine! Except for that Death Eater, I don't know if he died in the aftermath of the battle."
Mrs. Granger screamed and fainted, while Mrs. Weasley sobbed loudly. Their families tried to comfort them.
"Please get Madam Pomfrey over here", Dumbledore said firmly, gripping Harry's shoulder. Fudge's hand released Harry as if he had been electrocuted. "There are people who need treatment. Minerva, help me take care of the Grangers."
Professor Mcgonagall nodded.
At that moment, Hagrid pushed through the crowd, followed by Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. They made their way to Harry through the large gap Hagrid had created.
"Are you hurt? Harry, are you hurt?" Sirius Black tried to inspect Harry, but Harry was covered in dirt, as if he had rolled in mud for half an hour. Sirius couldn't see anything.
"I'm fine", Harry said softly, "just a few Cruciatus Curses..."
"Blimey! That's the Cruciatus Curse!" Sirius Black shouted, "Why didn't you say so earlier!" He glared at Harry, but Harry felt a warm feeling inside. Sirius Black then tried to lift him.
"I'll do it", Hagrid said gruffly, picking Harry up as if he were a baby.
"No, wait", Harry struggled in Hagrid's arms, "Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor Hep and Ron, Hermione are still in the temporary tent. Professor Hep... he, um... he's treating his injuries and doesn't want to be disturbed..."
"I understand", Dumbledore said, "I'll set up another temporary tent nearby."
Hagrid, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Dumbledore, and the others walked toward the temporary tent, the crowd following silently, hoping for a definitive answer. Fudge stayed behind, looking uncertain.
At that moment, the Auror who had left earlier returned and whispered something in Fudge's ear. Fudge's eyes widened in shock, his mouth opening and closing several times.
"Wait, Dumbledore!" he called out.
"Fudge", Dumbledore showed impatience for the first time that night, "You see their condition—they need medical treatment, not an interrogation by the Ministry of Magic. If you want the truth, stay tonight and we'll hear it together in the morning—"
"No, Dumbledore, you need to hear this", Fudge's expression was a mix of confusion and relief. He pointed at the Auror, "Repeat what you just told me."
The Auror, under everyone's gaze, stammered, "We just received word that Yaxley has been found—he's dead. But before he died, he told us... he said it was all Felix Hepworth's scheme, that he was the mastermind!"
(End of Chapter)
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