Chapter 503: Reunion with Antoine
Chapter 503: Reunion with Antoine
"I... this..."
Looking into Harry's green eyes, Lupin was momentarily at a loss for words.
"Hey, Harry, Wade!"
A cheerful voice interrupted Lupin. Michael, holding a jug full of water, stood a short distance away, looking at them. "You finally made it... just wait a moment, I'll put this down and join you!"
Michael hurried away, and with this interruption, Lupin had a chance to collect his thoughts.
"That man is Barty Crouch... I think you remember his name."
Harry thought for a moment, frowning. "The one who sent Sirius to Azkaban without a trial."
"Yes." Lupin patted his shoulder. "So you can understand why he doesn't want to see us, and why Sirius and I don't want to see him."
Harry nodded, his face dark.
Although Harry understood that Sirius's long imprisonment in Azkaban was largely his own fault, it didn't stop him from disliking the Ministry officials who had failed to do their duty.
Lupin sighed with relief, looking at Harry's expression with a mix of regret, worry, and confusion.
After Sirius brought back the intelligence, they had investigated the Crouch family's graves. They found a young man's skeleton in Mrs. Crouch's grave, while Barty Crouch Jr.'s grave was empty.
This seemed to confirm their suspicions—
Barty Crouch Jr. was indeed not dead and was serving Voldemort.
The truth was that, back then, Barty Crouch Jr.'s mother had taken the Polyjuice Potion to transform into her son, and ultimately died in his place, allowing her only son to escape from Azkaban.
If that was the case, Barty Crouch must have been aware of it, and possibly even orchestrated it.
The man once hailed as a stalwart fighter against the dark arts suddenly became a figure of ambiguous loyalty.
However, after a thorough investigation and probing, Dumbledore concluded that even if Barty Crouch had once been soft-hearted enough to smuggle Barty Jr. out of Azkaban, he had not fully turned to Voldemort.
In fact, the man had recently been worn down, and many people found his behavior strange, as if he was searching for something. Some believed that, seeing no hope for his career, Barty Crouch had started to give up.
Of course, Lupin and Sirius didn't care about Barty Crouch's loyalties; they were only worried about Harry, who had been targeted by Voldemort.
Compared to the protection the Potters received when they were targeted, the Order of the Phoenix's protection of Harry was woefully inadequate—
No hiding, no Fidelius Charm, and they weren't even allowed to tell Harry the truth, while still letting him participate in the Quidditch World Cup, a massive and chaotic event.
While this could be seen as protecting Harry's normal development and the fact that Voldemort only had a few followers, unlike the heyday of the Death Eaters, Lupin still felt something was off.
They could only be extra vigilant to prevent Harry from being abducted by Voldemort's followers and used as a blood sacrifice.
Soon, Michael returned empty-handed and led Wade and the others around.
"Sure, we came for the World Cup, but who really just watches the game?"
Michael said incredulously, "Guys, have you ever seen so many wizards from different countries gathered in one place? Don't you think these people are more interesting than the Quidditch match?"
Harry didn't quite agree, but as Michael led them around, his thoughts began to shift.
They saw the Irish national team's mascot, a wizard who could suddenly turn into a cheetah, and an Eastern wizard with a beautiful phoenix.
"Look, I bet they're students from Castelobruxo."
Michael pointed at a group of underage wizards in the distance. They had brown skin, mostly curly hair, and wore long linen robes with open-toed sandals.
"Castelobruxo?" Harry was puzzled.
"I heard it's a magical school in Brazil", Wade said. "They say their castle is built with golden stones, looking like a temple."
Unfortunately, the students hadn’t brought their castle along, so Wade and the others only glanced curiously before moving on.
After weaving through layers of tents, they spotted a group of young people in similar uniforms.
“That’s the Beauxbatons uniform!” Michael gasped, his eyes widening. “Merlin! How did I miss this before!”
Wade and Harry looked over and immediately understood why Michael had a drooling expression.
A few girls in silk robes were chatting on the grass. Each one was as exquisite as a painting, but one of them stood out with unparalleled beauty.
The girl had a waterfall of silver hair, porcelain skin that gleamed like pearls, a slender figure, and features that were nothing short of perfect. Her smile was mesmerizing.
Michael couldn’t help but move toward the girl, but Wade grabbed the back of his collar and pulled him back.
“What are you doing?” Wade asked.
“I… I’m going to introduce myself,” Michael said with a goofy grin, running his fingers through his hair. “Do you want to meet her too? Wade, I have to say, in this aspect, you’re no match for me.”
“Fine, go ahead,” Wade said. “Just remember, a girl that beautiful who hasn’t been swarmed by admirers yet must have a reason.”
“I know, most people would feel inferior just by looking at her, but I’m different.”
Michael pulled out a small mirror from his pocket, carefully fixed his wind-tousled hair, checked his face for any dirt, and then put the mirror back. With newfound confidence, he walked toward the girls.
“Do you think Michael will succeed?” Harry asked curiously.
He was also stunned by the girl’s beauty, but his heart was still with Cho Chang, so he didn’t react as dramatically as Michael.
“Who knows?” Wade said. “I’m curious too.”
They watched as Michael approached the girls, getting closer and closer until they noticed him.
The girls smiled at Michael, but they didn’t say anything or shoo him away. They seemed to be waiting for a good show.
Michael nervously tugged at his sleeve, cleared his throat, and was about to speak when he felt something was off.
A particularly tall shadow loomed over him, exuding a suffocating pressure, like a dark cloud overhead.
Michael slowly turned his head and saw a woman as tall as Hagrid standing behind him, looking down at him with a cold gaze and a low, stern voice. “Boy, are you lost?”
Michael: “…”
…
When Michael returned, looking dejected, Wade and Harry struggled to hold back their laughter, their faces turning red and their shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
“Go ahead and laugh,” Michael said, pretending not to care. “At least I tried.”
The two burst into laughter, and even Michael, who was being mocked, crossed his arms and glared at them. After a moment, he couldn’t help but laugh too.
“By the way, I know where the Bulgarian national team is staying,” Michael said. “Do you want to see Krum? The famous Seeker, some say he might be the best in the world!”
“Of course!” Harry’s eyes lit up, and he agreed without hesitation.
Wade was about to speak when he noticed someone leaning against a gray tent nearby, gesturing at him.
His smile faltered for a moment, then he said, “You go ahead. I need to use the restroom.”
After watching them leave, Wade walked toward the gray tent. The male wizard with long curly hair greeted him with a sunny smile.
“Haven’t seen you in half a year, Wade?” the wizard said with a grin. “You never answer my calls; I thought you’d forgotten about us!”
“Who calls during my classes all the time?” Wade glanced at the tent behind him and asked, “Antoine, is Mr. Grindelwald here to watch the match?”
(End of Chapter)
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