Chapter 576: The Hog's Head
Chapter 576: The Hog's Head
On this day, the final event of the Triwizard Tournament was taking place—a centuries-old competition that was a favorite among the villagers of Hogsmeade. Yet, the usually bustling village was unusually quiet as even the shop owners had left their stores to witness the exciting conclusion of the tournament at the school.
However, this tranquility was shattered just moments ago by two successive pieces of news: first, the disappearance of Harry, and then the vanishing of the champions during the final task, right before everyone's eyes.
As a result, this area had become a focal point for investigation, but only for those professors who were in the know. To the majority of people, unaware of the true situation, even Kyle's disappearance was simply assumed to be part of the judges' plan for the tournament.
Inside the Hog's Head, Sirius Black was brandishing his wand, confronting the owner of the pub with a fierce expression. Remus Lupin was also present, showing no intention of stopping Sirius as he lifted the hoods of the pub's patrons one by one to check their identities.
The customers, for their part, were compliant and no one resisted... though, to be fair, not many would dare to stand up to a seven- or eight-foot-tall, robust werewolf.
Yes, it was the full moon tonight.
Lupin had just finished taking his Wolfsbane Potion and was resting in the Shrieking Shack when he heard from Sirius about the sudden disappearance of Harry and Kyle.
Driven by concern, he had joined Sirius in their search for Harry. Though he had already transformed into a werewolf, the potion ensured that his mind remained lucid.
For the first time in decades, Lupin did not despise his werewolf condition.
The irritable customers in the bar had initially been uncooperative and one had even attempted to attack Sirius. But when Lupin entered, they all quieted down, sheathed their wands, and willingly complied with the inspection—more obedient than a group of first-years at school.
The only discontent person in the room was the owner, a quirky old man with a tall, slender build and long, grayish-white hair and beard. He stood there, brandishing a dirty cup as he faced off against Sirius.
"Get out! The person you're looking for isn't here," he growled.
"Can't be too sure about that," Sirius countered, unfazed. "Everyone knows that the best place to hide in Hogsmeade is the Hog's Head."
The owner was infuriated and unleashed a torrent of curses at Sirius.
But his actions were all talk, as he made no move to hinder Lupin in any way, even going so far as to polish the cup in his hand as he ranted.
Sirius frowned, unsure if it was the rag or some other reason, but he felt that the cup seemed to be getting dirtier the more it was wiped.
No wonder the professors at school always advised that while visiting the Hog's Head, it was best to bring your own cup.
"Crack!"
Sirius's train of thought was interrupted by a crisp explosion that rang out from outside.
The sound clearly penetrated the walls of the Hog's Head.
Sirius immediately became alert, and at the same time, Lupin turned his head, twitching his nose.
The next second, Lupin didn't bother with the rest of the patrons and, after letting out a whimper to Sirius, he sprinted out of the pub.
They weren't the first to arrive. As Sirius burst out of the bar, he saw Professor Moody standing with his back to them in front of the Shrieking Shack.
"Stunning Spell!"
A streak of red light hit Lupin squarely, sending him flying.
"Wait, Professor Moody..." Sirius shouted, "That's Remus Lupin!"
Hearing Sirius's voice, Professor Moody lifted his wand-holding hand slightly, causing his second curse to deviate slightly and land on the empty ground next to the werewolf, blasting a five-foot-wide crater into the earth.
"Lupin?" Professor Moody turned around.
"Yes," Sirius nodded. "Thanks to Dumbledore's help, the villagers of Hogsmeade have agreed to let him stay here.
"And he just took the Wolfsbane Potion; he came to help look for Harry and Kyle."
"I see." Professor Moody nodded and lowered his wand. "A werewolf's sense of smell can be quite useful in tracking people, but we don't need it now."
His magical blue eye shifted to the back.
Sirius followed his gaze and saw Kyle and Harry standing behind Professor Moody.
Or rather, Kyle was standing, while Harry was half-conscious and leaning against the ground as if he was about to throw up, his leg also appearing to be injured.
"Thank Merlin you're finally back!" Sirius said, paying no more attention to the unconscious Lupin as he rushed over.
"What happened to you? What's going on?"
"That's what I'd like to know," Professor Moody said.
"Voldemort... he's back," Kyle said bluntly.
Those few words caused an eerie silence to descend upon the area.
"That's... that's impossible! He's dead!" Sirius stammered, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
Because on that day, James and Lily had died, and he could never forget that.
Even Professor Moody fell into a rare silence, saying nothing.
"I don't want to believe it either, but it's true," Kyle shook his head. "In fact, Professor Dumbledore is fighting him right now. It's because of that we were able to come back..."
"You really saw him?"
At that moment, Snape stepped out from the shadows, his face unnaturally pale, and grabbed Kyle's shoulder, "Are you sure, did you really see the Dark Lord?"
"I'm certain, Professor," Kyle said.
As he spoke, he felt Snape's hand tremble violently.
"He's really back..." Snape murmured.
It took a while for the remaining two to gradually accept this statement... or at least temporarily accept it.
After all, Voldemort was known to be dead throughout the wizarding world.
Even though they knew Kyle wouldn't lie about something like this, they couldn't fully believe it in such a short time.
What was even more incredible was that Kyle and Harry had escaped from Voldemort's grasp. They knew that Dumbledore had suddenly been taken away by a phoenix a few minutes after Kyle's disappearance.
Harry had been taken even earlier, before the start of the task.
What had happened during that time...
Sirius felt a chill down his spine and couldn't help but step forward to support Harry.
At that moment, Professor McGonagall came running over.
"Merlin's beard, what happened?"
So, Kyle repeated what he had just said.
Professor McGonagall stood there, her lips quivering, but unlike the others, she quickly believed what he said.
"Oh my, the Dark Lord..." She looked at Kyle and Harry, finally resting her gaze on Harry's injured leg. "I'm just glad you're both alive. I'll take you to the hospital wing now."
"I'm fine, Professor McGonagall," Kyle shook his head. "You just need to take Harry."
"No!"
Professor McGonagall was unwavering and insisted on taking both of them to the hospital wing.
(End of Chapter)
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