https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-579-Karkaroff-s-Strange-Behavior/12538919/
Chapter 578: A Captivating Endeavour
Chapter 578: A Captivating Endeavour
The award ceremony for the Triwizard Tournament champion was a grand affair.
Cornelius Fudge, representing the Ministry of Magic, presented the Triwizard Cup to Kyle, along with a substantial prize of one thousand galleons.
Madame Maxime and Fleur applauded from the sidelines... Fleur's expression held a hint of disappointment.
After all, she hadn't even begun her task before the tournament was abruptly declared over, leaving her with no real experience of the competition.
But that was the nature of the contest; it wasn't her fault her score was low, and as Madame Maxime had mentioned earlier, Kyle had single-handedly destroyed half the maze with a curse... The path paved by flames still smoldered, visible to all from the stands.
This also served as indirect proof of Kyle's formidable power; at least, that was Fleur's assessment, knowing she couldn't have achieved the same feat.
As night fell, the ceremony concluded amidst the festive atmosphere.
The only ones who didn't share in the joy were the students of Durmstrang.
Their champion, Krum, had been carried out of the maze unconscious not long after he entered, and their headmaster, Karkaroff, was also missing.
Without these two key figures, the Durmstrang students felt like outsiders, unsure if they should join in the celebrations or return to their ship.
After the ceremony, Dumbledore quietly approached Kyle and said in a low voice, "Come with me, I may need to ask you some questions."
"Okay," Kyle nodded, glancing instinctively at Dumbledore's left hand.
"Oh, don't worry," Dumbledore seemed to understand his concern and extended his left hand, "It's just a slight burn from the fierce fire, it will heal soon."
The black scorch marks were gone, leaving only a faint scar.
"Of course, it's impossible to get away unscathed," Dumbledore smiled, "And Tom hasn't fared much better. I didn't come out of it badly at all."
He winked, exchanged a few words with those around him, and then returned to the castle.
Kyle followed close behind.
The students who had watched the tournament had not yet returned, and the castle was quiet. The two made their way up the stairs to the Headmaster's office on the eighth floor.
Harry was already waiting there, along with Professors McGonagall, Moody, Snape, and Sirius.
And so, for the next while, Harry recounted once more the entire process of him being taken away and what he had experienced on the mountain peak.
"That man, Barty Crouch Jr., is truly cunning," Professor Moody couldn't help but interject. "I reckon he must have taken the Polyjuice Potion after we all left the castle.
"Filch... I saw that blubbering idiot before dinner, and he hadn't taken the potion then."
"Professor, can you see through that kind of magic?" Harry asked curiously.
"No," Professor Moody replied, "But it's not difficult to distinguish between a Squib and a normal wizard."
Harry understood. Now that he thought about it, Filch had indeed seemed a bit off when he came to find him earlier, and he had also noticed the traces of a wand in the man's pocket.
However, at the time, Harry's mind had been occupied with thoughts of the third task, so he hadn't given it much thought. Before he knew it, he had been knocked out and taken away.
"Wait!" Harry suddenly thought of something. "If the person who took me away was Barty Crouch Jr., then where is the real Filch?"
The room fell silent.
It seemed that neither Dumbledore nor the professors had given much thought to the castle's caretaker.
"Minerva..." Dumbledore said, "Could you please go to Filch's office and ask Madam Pomfrey to accompany you? I believe Filch might need some treatment."
"Of course," Professor McGonagall nodded and quickly left the room.
"Let's continue," Dumbledore turned back to Harry. "You mentioned that Kyle fought off those Death Eaters?"
It wasn't just any fire charm that could condense into a fire dragon... Just like the curse Kyle had used in the maze, although powerful, it was still just a basic form.
Only a potent and fierce fire could easily take the shape of a magical beast.
Although this spell was an indisputable piece of Dark Magic, the former Auror didn't say anything out of place.
He had already retired from the Auror Office and was now just a professor at Hogwarts. Since even Dumbledore hadn't said anything, he naturally refrained from commenting.
He decided to act as if he knew nothing.
"Is that when Dumbledore arrived?" he asked.
Judging from the timing, it was around when Kyle was transported by the Portkey and then cast the fierce fire curse to protect himself.
"I guess so," Harry hesitated, "Suddenly, a thick fog appeared, it was very dense, and I couldn't see anything inside. After a while, I heard the headmaster's voice."
"Fog?" Professor Moody frowned, "Was it there originally?"
"No, this is it." At that moment, Kyle spoke up and took out something, placing it in front of everyone.
It was a lustrous blue bead, slightly smaller than a Snitch, and one could see a white mist slowly swirling within it.
It looked like a miniature crystal ball.
"What is this?" Sirius asked curiously.
"Mist-Creating Gem," Kyle replied, "Just crush the bead, and the white mist inside will continuously pour out, creating the effect that Harry just described."
"This is quite an interesting item." Professor Moody's magical eye stared unblinkingly at the Mist-Creating Gem, "If I'm not mistaken, this should be something from Voldemort.
"I encountered something similar before when chasing a foreign dark wizard. He threw a stone, and hundreds of spiny spiders flew out of it."
"That's right." Kyle nodded, "I bought this in Hogsmeade. The shop owner also said it came from an ancient tribe in the Mountains of the Moon.
"Since it had a good effect, I've been carrying it with me."
"You did well." Professor Moody said sincerely, "In a situation where your strength is vastly inferior, using such a method to restrict your opponent's actions and buy time for rescue is the wisest choice... I guess this was your initial intention when buying it."
Kyle remained silent, tacitly agreeing.
"Have you really never considered becoming an Auror after graduation?" Professor Moody couldn't help but ask.
Although he had little faith in the current Ministry of Magic, when he encountered a suitable person, the first thing he thought of was still the Auror Office.
"I can make the decision for you. I'll waive all the necessary assessments. You can even become a named Auror of the Ministry of Magic while still in your sixth year, without having to participate in any missions, and you'll receive a substantial salary every month."
"How much?"
"Fifty galleons."
"That's a little less, isn't it?" Kyle muttered.
"That's quite a lot." Professor Moody said, "Don't forget that you won't have to do anything. Until you graduate, this money is essentially free."
Kyle was tempted and asked after some thought, "If I want to do something else after graduation, can I resign?"
Professor Moody paused, then shook his head repeatedly, "Of course not."
What a guy, wanting to resign after taking a salary for two years for free... Was this something a Hufflepuff would say?
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
