Chapter 562: Poor Sirius Black
Chapter 562: Poor Sirius Black
While Ivan was thinking, Harry continued speaking about what happened next.
Not long after the Dark Mark rose into the sky, Bartemius Crouch, the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, and Ludo Bagman, the host of the Quidditch World Cup, arrived with a group of people.
What made Harry most angry was that these people mistakenly believed he had released the Dark Mark, simply because his wand had been carelessly lost and he happened to be nearby.
Some of the Aurors maintaining order at the stadium even arrested Sirius Black, attempting to charge him with collaborating with the masked Dark Wizards who had caused the chaos.
"They can't just wrongfully accuse us like that! Sirius Black was only trying to catch one of the troublemakers and find out what was going on, but those Aurors didn't even bother chasing the fleeing Death Eaters. They just grabbed him first!" Harry's body trembled with anger.
Ivan's expression turned a bit odd, realizing that poor Sirius Black had almost been sent back to Azkaban.
But it was partly Sirius Black's own fault for showing up at such an inopportune time.
As a former high-profile fugitive of the Ministry of Magic, how long had it been since Sirius Black had cleared his name? And yet, he had acted as if nothing was wrong and gone to watch the Quidditch World Cup.
Coincidentally, a large-scale disturbance broke out there, suspected to be the work of Death Eaters. The Aurors who arrived just happened to see Sirius Black nearby, naturally leading to their suspicion.
"What happened next? Is Sirius Black okay?" Ivan asked curiously.
Harry shook his head. They had explained for a long time, and the Aurors had thoroughly checked Sirius Black's wand, confirming that he had not set any fires or cast any spells to torment Muggles.
With the help of Ron's father, Arthur Weasley, who was willing to vouch for Sirius Black, Barty Crouch finally relented and released him.
Hearing this, Ivan silently shook his head.
Barty Crouch must have known that the Dark Mark incident was somehow connected to his son, Barty Crouch Jr., yet he still tried to pin the blame on Harry and Sirius Black.
It was truly remarkable how this once upright and righteous former Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, in his efforts to fulfill his wife's dying wish and protect his child, had become the very person he once despised.
Ivan couldn't help but sigh inwardly, but he didn't stop speaking, continuing to ask for more details.
As they chatted, the train continued north, the rain growing heavier and more intense. The sky turned pitch black, and the windows fogged up, so they had to light the Magic Lamps even in broad daylight.
The bad weather at the start of the school year dampened the spirits of many young wizards. Ivan glanced out the window, watching large raindrops fall from the dark clouds, accompanied by occasional flashes of lightning and the sound of thunder.
At this point, Harry, Ron, and Hermione stopped discussing the unpleasant past and began speculating about what Bill and Charlie were so mysteriously hiding.
After guessing for a while, they all felt their ideas were off the mark. Harry then turned to Ivan, who had not participated in the discussion.
"Ivan, what do you think?"
"Why guess? You'll find out once we get to school! The joy of life lies in the unknown!" Ivan yawned and replied casually.
He had known about the Triwizard Tournament all along, but he lacked a suitable source of information to tell Harry and the others without arousing suspicion. However, he couldn't pretend to be completely clueless and just guess along with them.
Harry and Ron exchanged glances, while Hermione gave Ivan a suspicious look. She felt that Ivan definitely knew something and was deliberately keeping it from them.
The Hogwarts Express let out a long whistle, interrupting everyone's thoughts. The train gradually slowed down, and the towering castle became faintly visible in the distance.
Clearly, they were almost there!
"Let's go!" Ivan got up, packed his luggage, and walked out of the compartment with Harry and the others. By the time they reached the exit, the train had come to a complete stop.
The rain was heavy outside. Ron was the first to get off, using the hem of his wizard robes to shield his owl's cage from the rain, so that the water wouldn't drip onto his new pet.
"This weather is awful!" Ron complained.
Ivan stopped Hermione from getting off the train, jumped down first, and then drew his wand to Transfigure a large umbrella. He then looked at the young witches and said, "You can come down now!"
"Transfiguration, how could I forget that!" Hermione muttered to herself, not refusing Ivan's offer. She got off the train and huddled under Ivan's umbrella.
After such a long wait and Ivan's gentlemanly gesture, her anger had subsided somewhat.
"Wait, what about us?" Seeing that Ivan and Hermione were about to leave together, Harry, who was still on the train, couldn't help but speak up.
Ron, who was still in the rain, was even more bewildered. If he had known Ivan could conjure an umbrella, he would have waited a bit longer to get off.
Ivan turned around and realized he had forgotten about Harry and Ron. He patted his forehead with his free hand, intending to enlarge the umbrella so that Harry and Ron could join them.
However, before Ivan could do anything, Hermione glared at Harry and Ron and said, "Professor McGonagall has taught you Transfiguration for three whole years. Can't you Transfigure your own umbrella?"
With that, Hermione grabbed Ivan's wrist and pulled him away.
Harry and Ron were left shivering in the cold wind and heavy rain.
"Hermione must be mistaken. It wasn't us who forgot to send her the letter," Ron complained.
"Never mind, let's do it ourselves!"
Harry shook his head, offered his coat, and together with Ron, they worked on Transfiguring an umbrella. After a lot of patching and fixing, they finally managed to create a somewhat irregular umbrella, with several large patches of color, looking like a piece of rag held up by twigs.
But neither Harry nor Ron minded. As long as this thing could keep them dry, they were satisfied.
Struggling to hold the umbrella, they ran along the small path from Hogsmeade Station to the carriages parked by the roadside, finally catching up with Ivan and Hermione. They all climbed into a carriage and headed back to the school.
The carriage passed through the gates flanked by Winged Boar Statues and continued down the wide road, swaying in the strong wind.
Ivan looked through the thin rain, watching the ancient and imposing castle draw closer. Many lit windows could be seen faintly through the thick rain curtain, glowing softly.
After about ten minutes, the carriage stopped at the bottom of the steps in front of the oak gates. Ivan and the others got off one by one and walked towards the castle's entrance, still hearing the odd cries and noise coming from ahead.
(End of Chapter)
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