Chapter 941: Potter, Become an Auror
Chapter 941: Potter, Become an Auror
On the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, a bonfire blazed as Harry and his friends rested around it, listening to Lupin impart his knowledge of Dark Magic Defense.
"Sirius, do you mean for me to just give up on participating in the third task?" Harry asked, furrowing his brow as he set down his chocolate.
"No, not give up," Sirius shook his head. "You still have a magical contract with the Goblet of Fire; it's impossible for you to back out of the Triwizard Tournament now."
Lupin, who had been poking at the fire, explained to Harry on Sirius' behalf, "Sirius just wants you to be careful."
"I..."
Harry had barely started speaking when Sirius cut him off.
"Albert feels that the third task may bring him life-threatening danger, and he believes that you have attracted this crisis."
Hermione and Ron exchanged anxious glances.
"You're not joking, are you?" Harry found none of this amusing.
"Do you think he's joking with us?" Sirius looked deeply into the eyes of his godson.
"Let me explain," Lupin interjected. "Harry, you must have realized by now that it was no coincidence that you became Hogwarts' fourth champion."
"Someone wants to harm you," Sirius said.
"No one has laid a finger on me all year," Harry pointed out bluntly, "no one dares to do anything to me."
"It's not that they dare not, but that the time is not ripe yet," Sirius corrected.
"Don't you think someone is trying to use the Triwizard Tournament to murder Harry?" Ron felt that Harry's journey thus far had been perilous enough.
The fire-breathing dragons of the first task were no easy feat, and one wrong move could result in being burned to a crisp.
The second task required diving into the icy lake to rescue someone, and the champions still stood a good chance of drowning.
"Of course not," Sirius shook his head. "Although we don't yet understand what their ultimate goal is, if they've gone to such lengths to make you a champion of Hogwarts, they won't let you off the hook that easily. This matter is far from over."
"Do Anderson and the others think the culprit will make their move during the third task?" Harry asked, a strange smile playing on his lips.
"We all think so," Sirius said irritably. "Albert's premonition of danger has given us a warning. During the third task, the person lurking in the shadows will likely take action, and things will become very dangerous for you."
"In fact, if that person had made their move from the start, we wouldn't be so vigilant," Lupin explained to the trio. "It's precisely because they've held off until now that we're worried. Once they take action, they won't make any mistakes."
"I don't think they can do anything under Dumbledore's watchful eye, though," Hermione said, her confidence in the headmaster unwavering.
"We only recently found out what the third task entails," Lupin said with a bitter smile. "It's a maze. The four champions will have to navigate the maze to find the Triwizard Cup hidden within. The first one to retrieve it will be crowned the winner of the tournament."
"The third task is the perfect opportunity for them to make their move, and now you know why," Sirius added, his reluctance to let Harry participate evident. "It's sheer madness to walk into danger like this."
"Does the culprit know about the contents of the third task?" Harry asked.
"Of course," Hermione replied, giving Ron a look as if he were an idiot. "Your involvement as a champion is connected to the mysterious person."
"The disappearance of Bertha Jorkins is linked to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," Lupin explained. "Furthermore, he once controlled Barty Crouch using the Imperius Curse. It would be child's play for him to find out about the Triwizard Tournament tasks."
"The maze provides the perfect opportunity to strike," Sirius said, his frustration evident. "There are many dangers within, and the champions will have to navigate them to reach the cup. After killing you, they can easily make it seem like you were unfortunate enough to be slain by some dark creature. Even if they don't kill you, there's much they can do, and Dumbledore, waiting outside the maze, won't be able to save you in time."
"What do you want me to do?" Harry asked, his brow furrowed.
"I hope you won't try to go deep into the maze. Just wait at the entrance for the competition to end. As long as you don't go in, the other party won't have a chance to make their move, and Dumbledore can come to your aid at any time," Sirius said seriously. "This way, you can easily foil their plot."
"Oh," Harry replied nonchalantly. He didn't like the sound of that.
"What about the championship?" Ron asked. "Are we just going to let someone else take it?"
"Are you talking about Albert?"
Hermione raised an eyebrow, looking slightly annoyed as she glanced at Ron.
"No," Ron shook his head.
"I suspect that guy will probably give up the championship directly. After all, his life is obviously more important, isn't it?" Harry's words were laced with a hint of mockery.
"He doesn't want the championship?" Ron couldn't understand why anyone would pass up the glory and the thousand-galleon prize.
"He doesn't lack for championships or glory, nor for galleons." Harry said calmly, "If winning the championship means risking his life, he might as well give up."
"That guy really doesn't lack anything. There's no need to risk his life for this." Ron agreed with Harry.
"Sometimes giving up also takes courage." Hermione, displeased with Ron's envious attitude, sharply added, "You don't even have the courage to face spiders, do you?"
"I thought Albert would be here too." Sirius changed the subject to prevent an argument.
"He's busy." Hermione said, "He seems to have an appointment with someone."
"I thought he would also seize the time to train himself?" Harry pursed his lips and said, "Looks like he really intends to give up."
Most of the time, Harry was annoyed when people compared him to Albert, as it made him feel like a fool.
Sometimes he really wanted to say to them, "Why don't you go and compare yourself to Albert?"
Sirius suddenly reached out and grabbed Harry's shoulder, saying seriously, "I know you don't like to back down, but to thwart the enemy's plot, you have to pay a price. I hope you can be prepared and give up the competition to protect yourself."
"Okay, I promise." Harry was depressed and asked doubtfully, "If this can really solve the problem, then what's the point of our training here?"
"Because you are the savior, Voldemort's mortal enemy." Sirius helplessly said, "I know you don't like this title, but sooner or later you will have to face Voldemort or his minions, not because of the savior title, but because they won't let you off the hook."
"Going into battle without preparation is foolish."
A hoarse voice came from the woods.
"Who's there?" Lupin raised his wand, pointing it in the direction of the voice.
"It's me."
Moody walked towards them, leaning on his cane. He glanced at Lupin's wand and said to the group by the campfire, "I heard from Dumbledore that you plan to train Potter, so I came to take a look."
"We will teach Harry useful things, you don't need to worry." Sirius frowned and said.
"Have you ever thought about becoming an Auror, Potter?" Moody ignored Sirius' gaze and stared at Harry as he asked.
"No." Harry was surprised.
"Think about it. You have a talent for it, and with some training, you could easily reach the level of an apprentice Auror." Moody did not stint on his praise, "In a few more years, you could easily become a full-fledged Auror."
Moody turned to Sirius and Lupin and said, "To be honest, I don't want to evaluate your teaching level, but it's best to teach Potter something useful instead of just teaching him spells. Otherwise, I doubt he'll make it through the third task. Facing those evil wizards, it's not enough to just throw spells at them."
"I'm teaching him." Lupin said gently.
"That's good." Moody warned hoarsely, "I heard that the third task is a maze, so you'd better be prepared. I will be one of the four patrol officers in charge of watching over Potter's safety, but I suggest that Potter give up competing for the championship and stay near the entrance of the maze to avoid giving the enemy an opportunity."
After speaking, Moody left.
"I always feel like you guys don't care about the Triwizard Championship." Harry was surprised that Professor Moody also wanted him to give up the competition.
"Your safety is more important than the championship." Lupin looked at Moody's departing back, his brow furrowed slightly.
"Sirius, you don't seem to like Moody very much." Harry noticed that both Sirius and Lupin were frowning.
"I don't hate him, but your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor often has problems. I think it's a good idea to be vigilant." Sirius said to Harry.
"What do you think about me becoming an Auror in the future?" Harry asked tentatively.
"That's not a bad choice." Sirius nodded, "But the requirements for becoming an Auror are very high."
"You need at least five N.E.w.T.s, and your grades can't be lower than 'Acceptable'." Hermione quietly reminded him.
"Don't worry, Harry. As long as you study hard next semester, becoming an Auror is not a difficult task." Lupin smiled and comforted him, "You're doing well in all subjects, you just need to work harder."
(End of Chapter)
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