The Hogwarts Emerald

Chapter 435 Dumbledore's Advice

In the Forbidden Forest, Dumbledore and Ada were both wondering who attacked Krum. Only Karkaroff didn't think about it. He only thought about his own interests and unfairness, and wanted to vent his resentment.

As a result, Karkaroff's words became more and more outrageous. Not only did he speak without thinking, he also spat at Dumbledore.

Even Voldemort didn't dare to spit at Dumbledore, how could a little Karkaroff dare to do that! This is not just insane, Karkaroff's brain is not fully developed, and his cerebellum is not developed at all.

Having known Hagrid for so long, this was the first time Ada saw Hagrid move so fast, and also the first time she saw this gentle half-blood giant get angry.

Hagrid rushed to Karkaroff in the blink of an eye. Hagrid grabbed the front of Karkaroff's fur robe, lifted him up, and pressed him hard against a tree nearby.

It was so casual and effortless, as if Hagrid was holding not a person but a chick that had just hatched from an egg.

"Apologize!" Hagrid's furious voice was as loud as a bell and as loud as thunder. "Apologize now!"

Karkaroff, who was lifted in mid-air, was breathing heavily, Hagrid's thick fist was against his throat, his feet hanging in the air, kicking constantly, like a hanged man struggling to live.

To be honest, if Karkaroff continued in this state, he wouldn't be able to utter a single word, and he wouldn't even be able to breathe in the future.

Krum on the side seemed to want to say something or do something to help his principal out.

But before Krum could move, he saw Ada's warning eyes, which seemed to say: Let me see if you move, and if you dare, I will bury both of you here!
He didn't dare to move, he didn't dare to move at all, that look didn't seem like he was joking. And Krum also felt that what the principal said was a bit too much.

Hagrid still held Karkaroff with one hand, and with the other hand he was ready to smash Karkaroff's greasy face with his real crucible-sized fist if Karkaroff didn't apologize.

"Hagrid, stop it!" shouted Dumbledore, his eyes flashing sharply.

The furious half-giant calmed down immediately and let go of Karkaroff, but he was still muttering, "Never insult Albus Dumbledore in front of me!"

Karkaroff slid down the trunk and collapsed at the base of the tree, branches and leaves raining down on Karkaroff's head.

"Hagrid, please escort Harry back to the Gryffindor common room. You must see him go in with your own eyes." Dumbledore ordered.

Hagrid really wanted to stay, but after seeing Dumbledore's determined look, Hagrid had to take Harry away first.

The Forbidden Forest was quiet again. Karkaroff slumped under a tree, as if he was broken. Krum also leaned against a tree, his face depressed, as if he was very frustrated with his shrinking just now.

More than ten minutes later, Moody, who had gone to look for Barty Crouch, came back. He shook his big head and said in a rough voice, "I've looked around and found nothing, Dumbledore. There's no figure, no trace, and no body."

Moody's face was covered with scars, making it difficult to determine his emotions from his facial expressions. However, Ada could still hear his seriousness, earnestness, and a hint of regret.

It's so realistic, so like the regret of an Auror who found nothing at the crime scene. Good actor, the best actor in Hogwarts, no doubt about it.

Dumbledore nodded and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Alastor. But I still have to trouble you for one more thing. Please escort Karkaroff and his students back to their ship."

"No problem, Dumbledore," said Moody. "I should get some exercise. This peg leg is too slow."

Where Moody didn't notice, Dumbledore raised his eyebrows slightly.

Moody first looked at Krum and asked, "Boy, can you stand up by yourself?" Seeing Krum nod, Moody walked towards Karkaroff who was lying under the tree.

Karkaroff, who had just hovered on the edge of life and death, was distracted and did not even react when Moody kicked him with his prosthetic leg. If Dumbledore had not stopped Hagrid in time, Karkaroff's head would have been crushed by that punch.

Krum struggled to get up, and then helped Karkaroff up with great effort, and the three of them were able to leave the Forbidden Forest. Seeing that everyone had gone far away, Ada whispered, "Professor, should we search again?" Since he knew that Moody's identity was fake, his search results were naturally unreliable.

Dumbledore did not move, nor did he answer Ada's question, but asked, "Did you hear what he just said?"

"Yes," Ida replied. "He said his wooden leg was too slow. He emphasized it twice. The more he tried to hide it, the more obvious it became."

Alastor Moody was a proud man, and he would not use his physical disability as an excuse. Besides, Moody had been lame for many years, and he might not like his disability, but he should have gotten used to the speed of his artificial leg.

"He told us this on purpose, and he also met Severus in the castle, so he tried to clear himself of everything," said Dumbledore. "He tried his best to prove his innocence."

"But none of us expressed any doubt about him," Ida continued. "His explanation became a cover-up to hide his own guilty conscience."

Dumbledore walked in the direction where Moody had originally searched for Crouch, with Ada following behind him.

"Time is tight, he may have acted hastily, and the arrangements must not be proper." Dumbledore said as he walked, "So I wonder if he will take the initiative to ask to find Crouch."

Moody did exactly that. Faced with the bait thrown by Dumbledore, Moody swallowed it without hesitation.

You have to know that Moody had just arrived in the Forbidden Forest at that time. He only knew that Crouch was missing from Dumbledore. He did not ask Harry, who was obviously the first witness, nor did he ask Ada, who was the first person to arrive at the scene.

Moody didn't ask anything, he went straight to Barty Crouch. A little bit of strangeness was enough to be magnified infinitely, not to mention that he was an imposter in the eyes of Dumbledore and Ada.

After going around in circles, Dumbledore and Ada did not find Barty Crouch nearby, nor did they find any trace of him, as if Crouch had evaporated into thin air.

"Professor, is Barty Crouch still alive?" Ada asked. Although she was asking whether he was still alive, she was actually saying that Crouch should be dead.

When Moody went to look for Crouch just now, he should have cleaned up all the traces that he had not had time to clean up before, leaving no trace. Moody left without worry because he was confident that Dumbledore would not find anything.

Dumbledore didn't say anything, he leaned against a tree beside him and looked up at the night sky. However, most of the trees in the Forbidden Forest were tall and dense, and he could only see scattered glimpses of the sky through the gaps between the leaves.

"Ada, darkness is coming." Dumbledore said softly, "It will come soon, perhaps tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow. Are you ready?"

No direct answer is actually the best answer. No matter what the reason is, a father imprisoning his son, or a son killing his father, it is a tragedy of human relations. Ida can't even make a joke about "a loving father and a filial son".

"I think we will win in the end, won't we?" Ida said, "Just like the dawn will always come and dispel the darkness of the night."

"Well said." Dumbledore withdrew his hand and continued, "Let's go back. I think I need to adjust our plan in time."

With that, the two of them left the forbidden forest and returned to the castle. On the way back, neither of them spoke.

When the two arrived at the entrance hall, Dumbledore suddenly said ramblingly: "Ada, no matter what Severus does in the fight against Voldemort, you must trust him unconditionally."

Scratching her head, Ada was confused as to why he was talking about this. She asked, "Professor, what's wrong?"

"Just remember this." Dumbledore emphasized again, "In the fight against Voldemort, you must trust Severus unconditionally, no matter what he does. Remember?"

Ada responded seriously: "I remember to trust Professor Snape unconditionally, no matter what he does."

(End of this chapter)