Chapter 959: Explosive Acting
Chapter 959: Explosive Acting
Just as a battle of "who is more treacherous" was about to unfold in the depths of the maze, the bored spectators waiting outside were whispering to each other. Like the second task, everyone could only wait patiently outside for the results.
Not being able to see what was happening inside the maze undoubtedly dampened the audience's enthusiasm for the final task, as there was virtually no viewing experience to speak of.
Izabel and Nia were sitting patiently in the family seating area. In an attempt to hide her anxiousness, Izabel was grooming Tom, a blissfully ignorant fat cat who was yawning leisurely and enjoying the treats fed to him by Nia.
Not far from them, at the judges' bench, Dumbledore narrowed his eyes and gazed up at the maze, deep in thought about something.
Just then, green sparks rose into the air above the maze.
This was not a good sign.
"What is it?"
Amelia Bones noticed Dumbledore's reaction and asked curiously.
"There are green sparks." Dumbledore said suddenly.
"Is there a problem with green sparks?" Scrimgeour, as an Auror, was more perceptive than most in certain matters.
"The distress signal is red sparks." Dumbledore didn't think the champions would mistake such a simple thing.
"Isn't there anything that uses green sparks as a signal?" Scrimgeour inquired, knitting his brows.
"No." Dumbledore shook his head.
"Then what's the problem with green sparks?" Fudge found their conversation baffling.
Just as everyone was getting drowsy, a silver monster glided across the night sky, gracefully circled above their heads, and landed near the podium.
"What is that?"
A murmur rippled through the stands as the audience was captivated by the silver griffin.
"A Patronus?"
Amelia Bones eyed the Patronus in front of her with interest. Just as she was about to ask a question, the griffin opened its mouth and spoke in Albert's calm voice.
"I'm under attack. Moody is an imposter. Everyone is controlled. Harry might be in big trouble. I'm unhurt."
After delivering its message, the silver griffin disappeared without a trace. It took a while for the audience in the stands to realize what had just happened.
Dumbledore stood up, wand in hand.
"Whose Patronus is that?"
Scrimgeour also drew his wand, his Auror instincts telling him that something unpleasant had occurred in the maze.
"It's Mr. Anderson's Patronus."
Dumbledore pointed his wand at his throat and shouted, "Quiet, please keep quiet, professors, maintain order."
"Scrimgeour, Madam Maxime, Severus, I'd appreciate it if you would accompany me into the maze." Dumbledore beckoned to the three of them and quickly strode toward the depths of the maze.
Fudge and Amelia Bones exchanged glances, but in the end, they didn't follow Dumbledore into the maze. They understood that someone needed to help maintain order outside.
"This..."
Scrimgeour frowned as he looked at the Grindylow impaled by the earth spikes, the sturdy stone bridge, and the red hats that had been swallowed by the hedges.
"It must be Mr. Anderson's doing. Only he would do something so dramatic." Snape didn't think any of the other champions were capable of this.
"Do you know which way to go?" Madam Maxime asked Dumbledore, who was leading the way.
"No, but I'll follow Mr. Anderson's trail. It shouldn't be hard to find him."
Just then, a red spark rose abruptly into the sky.
"It seems that Mr. Anderson is also worried that we won't be able to find the right path." Dumbledore quickened his pace toward the direction of the red spark.
Along the way, they came across a charred passage and a burnt and headless Blast-Ended Skrewt.
"Did he do this as well?"
Although Scrimgeour didn't recognize the Skrewt, he could tell that it was dangerous. Yet, it had been killed.
"It's probably Devil's Fire." Snape glanced at Dumbledore and reminded him, "It seems that fellow has indeed learned quite a few Dark spells recently."
Everyone heightened their vigilance, but they soon realized that their caution was unnecessary, as all the dangers had been dealt with by Albert.
They found three professors bound tightly by spells.
"If I were you, I wouldn't remove the bindings on them so hastily."
A voice suddenly rang out, causing Snape, who was about to check on the professors, to pause. His eyes darted to a plant in the corner, his lips twitching slightly.
"The imposter Moody is most likely Peter Pettigrew or Barty Crouch Jr. in disguise."
"Mr. Anderson?" Dumbledore raised his wand and asked loudly.
"Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall have been hit by the Imperius Curse. Of course, so have Krum and Durmstrang. They tried to use the Killing Curse on me as soon as they saw me, so it's best not to release them until you're sure they're free from the Imperius Curse. Also, I haven't seen Harry Potter, and I suspect he might be missing. As for Hagrid, he probably hasn't figured out what's going on yet."
"Do you have any evidence? Why are you hiding?"
Scrimgeour warily pointed his wand at the source of the voice.
This situation was indeed peculiar.
"You'd better find time to look for Harry Potter. He might not be at Hogwarts anymore. He should have been sent away by that imposter through some means. I suspect the Death Eaters captured him because they need something from his body to resurrect the Dark Lord. You'd better wake that imposter up as soon as possible and force him to reveal where Potter has been taken, or you might only be able to collect Harry's body if you go too late."
"Severus, please bring the most potent Veritaserum and a strong restorative." Dumbledore's face turned grim.
"You just said that the other champions are also controlled by the Imperius Curse? Where's Fleur?" Madam Maxime asked with a frown.
"Follow the passage in front, and you'll find Durmstrang and Krum. But it's best not to wake them up before they're free from the Imperius Curse." Albert's voice sounded again.
"What are you up to?"
Scrimgeour furrowed his brows, displeased with Albert's elusive behavior.
As the only one who knew the truth, Albert should have explained the situation to them clearly.
"I'll go get the Cup first. I think the students of Hogwarts would want me to bring that thing back. We can discuss the rest of the matters outside after we meet up."
"Wait! How can we trust what you say when you're behaving like this?"
As Scrimgeour was about to walk towards the direction of the voice, he saw a spell flying towards him. He quickly waved his wand to deflect it, but more spells came at him in rapid succession, forcing him to struggle just to hold them off.
After Scrimgeour blocked all the spells, a force threw him backwards, slamming him into the hedgerow behind him. Vines immediately entangled his arms and legs, even sealing his mouth. Then, a Stunning Spell flew out of the dark passage and hit the struggling Scrimgeour, neutralizing the threat he posed.
The most astonishing part was yet to come. The moment Scrimgeour's wand fell from his hand, it was pulled by a force towards the dark passage.
"Ah, this..."
Madame Maxime glanced at Scrimgeour, who was pinned to the wall by a series of spells. Her expression was a little odd as she had known before that Albert Anderson was an extremely powerful wizard, but now she truly understood just how formidable he was.
No wonder a group of people wanted to kill him; Albert Anderson had taken them all down.
"You don't have to believe me, because I don't believe you either."
"Tonight, I've had enough of these attacks and enough of people throwing Avada Kedavra at me. So, don't make any suspicious moves that might make me wary, or I'll have no choice but to temporarily consider you as unlucky insects controlled by the Imperius Curse and neutralize the threat you pose."
The voice sounded a little cold, clearly unhappy with Scrimgeour's reckless behavior.
"Be careful. We'll meet outside. You'd better come out soon, or others will start to worry." Dumbledore didn't blame Albert for his extreme actions. He turned his head and said, "Madame Maxime, please go and find Krum and Durmstrang and bring them out of the maze first. We can discuss the rest of the matters once we're outside."
"Okay." Madame Maxime agreed and quickly walked towards the passage in front of her.
After Madame Maxime left, Dumbledore waved his wand and released Scrimgeour from the vines. He then woke him up.
"Damn it!" Scrimgeour's face was extremely ugly.
"Alright, Mr. Scrimgeour. It's best not to provoke Mr. Anderson any further. After being attacked repeatedly, he now suspects everyone, and it's certainly not wise to provoke him in such a state." Dumbledore sighed and warned, "Believe me, no one wants to spend a few months in St. Mungo's."
Dumbledore, of course, didn't think Albert would be provoked. Most likely, he was just unhappy with the Ministry's style and might not even bother to undergo a proper investigation.
"Where's my wand?" Scrimgeour asked with a black face.
"It was taken away by Mr. Anderson with the Accio spell. I think he will return it to you." Dumbledore comforted.
"You actually believe what he says." Scrimgeour glared at Dumbledore unhappily.
"Without a doubt." Dumbledore waved his wand and floated the professors in the air. "He had a premonition about the danger in the third task quite early, but I didn't take it seriously at the time."
"He had a premonition?" Scrimgeour frowned and asked.
"Diviners are always particularly sensitive in certain aspects, so he was able to remain safe. As for our fake friend here, he was unlucky and ran into a wall head-on." Dumbledore's tone paused as his gaze fell on Moody's wrist.
He used magic to float the wristband into the air.
"What is this?"
"I think this thing is probably... a Portkey."
Dumbledore's expression was a little strange. "This should be the backup plan he prepared for himself. Obviously, this fake Moody also knew that Mr. Anderson was not to be trifled with. We almost let him slip away from under our noses."
"Can this thing help us find Harry Potter?" Scrimgeour asked further.
"I'm afraid not. If it were me, I would probably teleport to a temporary base first and then use Disillusionment to get away, so as to prevent being easily tracked." Dumbledore didn't expect to find Harry through the Portkey as the fake Moody was very cautious.
"This guy is unlucky." Scrimgeour suddenly said.
"Yes, very unlucky." Dumbledore agreed. "He obviously picked the wrong opponent."
If it had been someone else, this imposter would have probably succeeded and escaped by now.
...
...
When Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Moody were carried out of the maze horizontally, the students in the stands were truly startled. Everyone had thought that the three professors had died in the maze.
"They're just temporarily unconscious."
Dumbledore's voice rang out above the Quidditch pitch, loud enough for everyone to hear clearly, preventing them from making wild guesses that could cause unnecessary panic.
"What about the others?"
Amelia Bones looked at Scrimgeour, whose face was gloomy.
"They're still inside. Madame Maxime will bring the champions out of the maze."
"Can someone tell me what's going on? Who attacked the patrol squad?"
Fudge looked at the three professors being carried out of the maze horizontally, his face turning pale. He anxiously looked at Dumbledore and then at Scrimgeour, whose face was gloomy.
"You'll have to ask Mr. Anderson about that." Scrimgeour almost gritted his teeth as he spoke: "Only he himself knows the specifics."
"Where's Mr. Anderson?" Fudge asked further.
"Mr. Anderson went to get the Cup."
Dumbledore handed Professors McGonagall and Flitwick over to Madam Pomfrey, who had hurried over, and didn't forget to instruct, "Miller and Filius are most likely controlled by the Imperius Curse, so don't wake them up yet."
"Imperius Curse?" Fudge's voice rose a few notes.
"Impossible."
Amelia Bones was very clear about the true capabilities of Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Moody. It would be very difficult to control them with the Imperius Curse, especially under Dumbledore's watch.
"Professor Moody is an imposter. The real Moody is probably hidden by him." Dumbledore's face turned gloomy.
"Imposter?"
Fudge was confused.
"That guy should be Barty Crouch Jr." Albert's voice came from the entrance of the maze.
"Who... who's there?"
Fudge was startled and almost instinctively pointed his wand at the entrance of the maze.
However, he had obviously set a bad example.
A red light suddenly hit Fudge, knocking him off his feet. Fudge's wand drew an arc in the air and fell into Albert's hand.
"Peter Pettigrew is neither as smart nor as cunning as this guy, nor does he have his strength and courage." Albert put Fudge's wand into his pocket and said indifferently, "Also, don't point your wand at me, thank you. I don't like people pointing their wands at me, as it makes me think that you want to use the Avada Kedavra curse on me.
The audience was stunned by Albert's swift and precise move to disarm the Minister of Magic of his wand.
"What are you doing?!"
"Don't point your wand at me."
Amelia Bones was sent flying like Fudge, disarmed just as smoothly. Such a flawless move made one wonder just how many times Albert had practiced it—five, six, or more?
"There are no enemies here, Mr. Anderson," Dumbledore said, raising an eyebrow.
"Who knows if they've been controlled by the Imperius Curse?"
Everyone was dumbfounded by this statement. Was the Minister of Magic under the Imperius Curse?
"It's easy to find out. Barty Crouch Jr. is a perfect example," Albert replied.
"If you've also been ambushed and had Avada Kedavra thrown at you repeatedly, you'd be as suspicious as I am. At least I'm still alive, while the others are lying on the ground. Obviously, my approach is correct, otherwise, you'd only be talking to my corpse now."
Albert scanned the group with a scrutinizing gaze, as if considering whether to put them to sleep for a while.
"I suggest you give them some Veritaserum later. It'll be easy to figure out if they're in cahoots."
Albert's gaze was icy cold, causing Fudge to swallow his anger. This was not the look one gave another person, but rather, the look one gave to an insect.
Scrimgeour watched Fudge, who was about to blow his top, and his mouth twitched slightly. Just as Dumbledore had said, Albert was now highly sensitive to any sign of hostility.
"What in the world is going on here?"
"What's going on?" Albert repeated. "Probably a conspiracy targeting Harry Potter!"
"A conspiracy against Harry?"
Just then, Hagrid and Madame Maxime emerged from the maze, carrying the unconscious Krum and Fleur. Hearing Albert's words, their voices rose in alarm.
"Harry Potter is missing. I don't know where they've taken him. You can use Veritaserum to interrogate that imposter," Albert said.
"Thank goodness you're safe."
Izabel and Nia rushed over to Albert, giving him a big hug. The Triwizard Cup, which had been floating by his side, was casually tossed aside like garbage, not even worth a second glance.
"Don't worry, it's just an annoying bug." After hugging Nia, Albert turned to the relieved Izabel and gave her a long kiss.
"If I were you, I wouldn't touch that Cup carelessly. That thing has been turned into a Portkey by Barty Crouch Jr., who knows where it would take you."
However, it was too late.
As Amelia Bones bent down to pick up the Cup, she vanished into thin air.
"Bones! Damn it, what's going on here?!"
Fudge stared at the spot where Amelia Bones had disappeared, his face draining of color. He anxiously looked at Dumbledore and then at Scrimgeour, whose expression was grim.
"You'll have to ask Mr. Anderson about that." Scrimgeour almost gritted his teeth as he spoke. "Only he knows the specifics."
"Where is Mr. Anderson?" Fudge asked further.
"Mr. Anderson went to retrieve the Cup."
Dumbledore handed Professors McGonagall and Flitwick over to Madam Pomfrey, who had hurried over, and added, "Miller and Filius are likely under the Imperius Curse, so don't wake them yet."
"Imperius Curse?!" Fudge's voice rose in surprise.
"Impossible."
Amelia Bones was well aware of the true capabilities of Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Moody. It would be incredibly difficult to control them with the Imperius Curse, especially under Dumbledore's watch.
"Professor Moody is an imposter. The real Moody is probably being held captive by him," Dumbledore said, his face darkening.
"Imposter?"
Fudge was confused.
"That guy should be Barty Crouch Jr.," Albert's voice came from the entrance of the maze.
"Who... who's there?"
Fudge was startled and almost instinctively pointed his wand at the maze entrance.
However, he had obviously set a bad example.
A flash of red light hit Fudge, knocking him off his feet. His wand described an arc in the air and fell into Albert's hand.
"Peter Pettigrew is neither as smart nor as cunning as this guy, nor does he possess his strength and courage." Albert pocketed Fudge's wand and said indifferently, "Also, don't point your wand at me, thank you. I don't like people pointing their wands at me; it makes me think they want to use the Avada Kedavra curse on me."
(End of Chapter)
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