The Return to Hogwarts

It was an answer that was both surprising and perfectly logical. No one spoke; Harry, Ron, and Ginny were all waiting for Hermione's detailed explanation.

"He told everyone that the Goblet of Fire was a powerful magical artifact, and that it would be extremely difficult to use it to confuse the number of schools participating in the tournament. It was something that young wizards couldn't do, and not many faculty members could either. I couldn't possibly get a professor to help me cheat. Beauxbatons and Durmstrang couldn't refute his claim—"

Hermione's eyes shone with gratitude.

If Professor Blaine hadn't been the first to assert, against all odds, that she hadn't cast her name into the Goblet of Fire herself, one can imagine that her situation would be far worse now. Of course, she was indeed embroiled in a host of troubles.

"Did Professor Blaine find out who did this, or deduce their motives?"

Harry asked worriedly.

Having been at the center of conspiracies and intrigues for so many years, he had learned his lesson and suffered losses. So many Gryffindor classmates were excited that Gryffindor had a champion, but he felt that it was not such a 'delicious pie'.

Harry's question made Hermione, who had been surrounded by flowers all day, feel fear. She now felt the cool breeze blowing in through the window was a bit chilly, and she unconsciously hugged her arms tighter. The blush on her cheeks faded, revealing a trace of despair and helplessness.

Her behavior surprised even the usually sullen Ron, and Ginny frowned slightly. Harry, realizing something was definitely amiss, immediately pressed for an explanation.

"What's wrong, Hermione? What else did Professor Blaine say?"

"It's Professor Moody—"

Hermione pursed her faded lips, trying to keep her voice steady so that Harry and the others wouldn't notice her fear.

Professor Moody believes that the person who did all this hates me and wants something to happen to me, in the competition—

Harry's face immediately turned ashen, and Ron almost blurted out, "That's Malfoy!" but in the end, they both held back from speaking.

"anything else?"

Ginny realized that Hermione had more to say than that, and she pressed for details.

"besides."

Hermione's brown eyes flickered with a moist light.

"Someone wanted Hogwarts to be a laughingstock, so they gave it two warriors, and then one of them had an accident during the game, completely ruining Hogwarts' reputation."

Chapter 576 Ron's Attitude

2023-11-05

Hermione recounted everything that had happened in the small room after she entered the Great Hall, and what worried Harry the most was undoubtedly Professor Moody's speculation.

Either someone hates Hermione and wants her to die in a dangerous competition, or someone wants Hogwarts to suffer a major disaster. The way to achieve this is to create two champions for Hogwarts, causing the school to be hostile and ostracized, and then use trickery to kill Hermione. Oh, considering the danger of the competition, there may not be any need to use any other means at all.

In summary, the goal is to kill Hermione.

"You cannot participate in the competition!"

Harry's emerald green eyes gleamed in the torchlight, and he roared in fury.

“They clearly knew the consequences, how dare they let you get involved?”

Hermione leaned against the cold wall with her arms crossed, saying nothing.

"I'm going to find Professor McGonagall, or Professor Blaine, or Dumbledore. Anyone will do. They have to find a way to get you out of there. They can't just watch you die!"

Perhaps it was Hermione's account, or perhaps it was Harry's angry outburst, but Ron seemed somewhat taken aback; he hadn't truly considered the risks lurking behind the matter. Ginny looked at Hermione with pity, but she still refuted Harry's claims.

“You can’t change the outcome, Harry. The professors have already discussed solutions, and they won’t work—”

"Then!"

Harry stared wide-eyed and raised his voice, but he didn't know what to say.

What can we do?

Just as Professor Dumbledore said, he destroyed the Goblet of Fire, the Triwizard Tournament, and the dreams of three innocent champions. He himself would be happy to do so, but Harry knew very well that he could not convince any professor, or even his classmates who wanted to watch the show.

"Maybe it won't be that dangerous--"

Harry's condition worried Ginny, and she comforted him.

“I think after this incident, Professor Blaine will definitely scrutinize the competition events more rigorously. He certainly won't allow anyone to tamper with things like that again, so the comparisons will be fair, right? Hermione is no worse than Diggory in physical education class. If Diggory can handle the competition events, then Hermione can too—”

"But Professor Blaine said before--"

Harry frowned. Indeed, Ginny had a point, but he still felt uneasy.

"The Triwizard Tournament is about overall skill, not dueling ability. Diggory and his two warriors are outstanding among the upperclassmen; they must have mastered a lot of knowledge that we haven't even learned yet."

To be honest, it was quite surprising that Harry could come up with such a perspective, at least to Hermione's surprise. She looked at the anxious Harry, pursed her lips, and felt an indescribable sense of gratitude.

"Hermione has finished all the tutorials, hasn't she?"

Ginny raised her snow-white chin and asked, "During the summer vacation, I found you looking at the sixth-grade textbook that Percy left behind."

“Oh—” Hermione said weakly, “I just memorized them--”

Based on this analysis, Hermione's disadvantages don't seem to be that great, even though she's still two years away from becoming a legitimate warrior.

"What do they want the Warriors to do in the first project?"

No one knows better than Harry and Ron how outstanding Hermione is among the young wizards, and if any of the three of them were qualified to be a champion, Harry believes it would definitely be Hermione. But given the current situation, it's indeed difficult to cheer about this.

Although she had already said it once before, Hermione repeated Buddy Crouch's final instructions to the warriors.

"That's it? They didn't say anything more?"

Harry said loudly, dissatisfied.

"They should give you some special treatment. You're the youngest warrior, Hermione. Anyway, the competition will definitely be tougher for you. It's not your fault that you're being targeted!"

That's an interesting question. Who exactly dragged Hermione into this mess?

"Could it be Snape?"

Harry pondered the problem, and suddenly an idea popped into his head.

"Professor Blaine said that the people who could sway the Goblet of Fire's judgment are all in the small room. Think about it, who would have that motive? The people in the room: Professor McGonagall, Professor Moody, Professor Blaine, Professor Dumbledore, and Snape!"

Harry was furious, but the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

"He's the most suspicious. Professor Blaine has a good relationship with him and won't suspect him. Professor Dumbledore also trusts him, but he's never liked you standing out in his class. He also doesn't like Dumbledore. If Dumbledore loses face, he'll definitely be happy!"

No one agreed with Harry, not even Hermione, he said angrily.

“I’m going to write to Sirius and tell him about this. He’s an Auror now, and maybe he can help us investigate Snape.”

Based on the information available so far, it seems that these are the main points worth discussing. What has already happened cannot be changed, and Hermione will still have to face the high-risk competition.

What do you think, Ron?

Still no one agreed with his decision. Harry looked at Ron with dissatisfaction. Generally speaking, Ron would always stand with him when criticizing Snape.

"Oh, congratulations--"

Ron's silence tonight was unsettling, and perhaps it was this unease that prompted Harry to throw the question at him. However, Ron gave an unexpected answer to Harry's question.

"what?"

Harry asked, puzzled, while Ginny looked at Ron with a confused expression.

Hermione, however, trembled slightly as she hugged her slender arm. She kept her head down, staring at the swaying shadows of several people etched on the ground by the firelight.

Ron was facing Harry, but it didn't seem like he was speaking to him. He smiled, but it was a very awkward, forced smile. Facing Harry and Ginny's puzzled stares, he shrugged, as if he were stating something obvious.

"You all heard what Professor Blaine said earlier. The Triwizard Tournament will be broadcast live in the magical civilizations of many European countries in the same way he used to monitor the school. This means that as soon as the competition starts, thousands of wizards will be able to see your face. You might even become more famous than Lockhart. In addition, there will be a large sum of gold after the competition. Professor Blaine certainly won't try to fool people with fake goblin gold like Ludo Bagman did."

Hermione's face remained in the shadow of the firelight, obscuring her sorrow.

"what are you talking about?"

Harry said irritably,

"We're now discussing the danger Hermione faces, and whether Snape was truly behind it!"

Ron shrugged again; he seemed to have grown to love the gesture.

"There's definitely no problem, right? I mean, in the competition, no one will be killed. Professor Blaine and Dumbledore are watching. Since they've decided to hold the tournament again, they must be confident. Maybe these people are just creating tension, like back in our second year, before Professor Blaine had us deal with that Inferno, he bluffed a bit too—"

"I'm going back to rest—"

Hermione suddenly spoke, her shoulder leaving the wall as she took a deep breath. She didn't even give the others a chance to speak before she hurriedly ran off. By the time Harry and the other two caught up, they only saw Hermione's back as she disappeared into the common room.

Even back in the dorm, the students didn't stop celebrating Hermione's victory. Neville, still clutching a bottle of butterbeer, sat on the edge of his bed, grinning foolishly. Harry didn't join the conversation. As he had declared, he was scribbling furiously at his desk, writing a letter to Sirius. This stirred up his longing for Sirius; they hadn't seen each other since their argument over the summer, though their letters had deliberately downplayed the conflict.

To make sure he explained everything clearly, Harry's letter was longer than any of the papers he had written since starting at Hogwarts.

Harry folded the letter he had written, preparing to go to the Owl's Hut to find Hedwig first thing in the morning. He sat in his chair, staring out at the deep darkness, listening quietly to the roaring waves from the Forbidden Forest, still feeling worried for Hermione.

It was a very strange feeling, Harry had a feeling.

In previous years, Harry had probably caused more trouble than any other student at Hogwarts. Most of the time, Hermione could give him sound advice, but this time, it was Hermione who was in trouble. So, could he help her? He had to be able to.

But what should we do?

Harry sincerely hoped that his mind could become as sharp as Hermione's.

After stuffing the new bottle into his robe pocket, Harry yawned and stood up. Seamus and Dean were still cheering, while Neville had already collapsed onto the bed, the half-empty bottle of butterbeer in his hand spilled all over the blankets, but Neville was completely unaware of it.

This scene was quite amusing, and Harry instinctively wanted Ron to see it.

Ron was already asleep, facing the wall without moving, his head covered by the blanket.

"All right."