The Return to Hogwarts

Hermione hesitated. If the headmaster of Durmstrang was the murderer, then his acting skills were exceptional. And his purpose in doing so could not have been to kill her. Hermione knew that she had never dealt with the headmaster of Durmstrang, but if he wanted to make Hogwarts a laughing stock, why would he choose her among so many Hogwarts students?

"picture?"

Sirius Black curled his lip, a hint of disdain in his expression.

“If I were the murderer, I would also do everything I could to make myself look like I had nothing to do with it, Hermione. Those cunning people are more cunning than you think, especially someone like Igor Karkaroff.”

"You know him?"

Even Harry understood the implication in Sirius's words, and he asked in surprise.

“Oh, Harry--”

Sirius's contempt deepened.

"It's hard for me not to know him. Igor Karkarov is far more famous than you think, I mean, in Azkaban—"

Sirius glanced at the few Durmstrang students at the bar who were completely drunk, his face darkening.

"Let me tell you both directly. Igor Karkaroff used to work for Voldemort. There's no doubt that he's a Death Eater; there's clear evidence, and he even admitted it himself at the Wizengamor Tribunal. The reason he wasn't imprisoned in Azkaban like me is because he firmly told the Ministry that he had reformed. Then, in order to atone for his sins and gain freedom, he named a whole bunch of his 'former colleagues,' which directly led to their imprisonment in Azkaban—"

Seemingly sensing the surprise of the two little ones beside him, Sirius took a big gulp of beer and sneered,

"Oh, I forgot to mention. It was Moody who arrested him back then!"

Chapter 589 Confusing

2023-11-12

"Is Durmstrang's principal a Death Eater?"

Hermione's mouth dropped open, while Harry slowly turned his head to look at the Durmstrang students at the bar, who were demanding that Mrs. Rosmerta serve more drinks. He thought of the relatively friendly Krum and said with difficulty, "How is this possible? How could this school allow this—"

"Hmph--"

Sirius sneered.

"There are many strange things in this world. To be honest, Karkaroff isn't exactly a brave guy. I thought he'd never dare to set foot in this country again, but he actually had the courage to bring his students to the Triwizard Tournament and even dare to appear in front of Moody and Crouch. But that's about it. I bet if word got out that his former master was coming back, he'd run faster than anyone else. He definitely knows that his actions back then will not be forgiven—"

Sirius paused for a moment, then continued,

"This guy isn't exactly a magnanimous person either, so it's not impossible that he's jealous of Dumbledore for stopping Voldemort, or that Amosta beat him and made Hogwarts the host of the Triwizard Tournament."

Hermione still couldn't believe that Krum's headmaster had once served Voldemort, had even helped them in the World Cup, and just a few days ago, Krum had given her some ideas on how to handle the Championship Tournament.

"But--"

Hermione bit her lower lip lightly.

“I don’t understand. Even if Karkaroff is a Death Eater, why would he target me? It doesn’t make sense, does it? I’ve never met him before he came to Hogwarts. He couldn’t have just picked anyone, could he?”

Sirius didn't seem so confident about this problem; clearly, he had been thinking about it for days.

"Yes. If he approaches Harry, that would be much easier to understand—"

Harry's face darkened; any topic related to Voldemort always revolved around him.

Unable to figure out the problem, Sirius looked a little melancholy. He leaned back in his chair, tilted his head back, and stared silently at the ceiling, looking preoccupied.

If—

Harry followed this line of thought, frowning laboriously. "What if Karkaroff had already heard of you?"

Harry noticed Hermione staring at him in surprise, so he quickly explained,

"Krum will definitely mention what happened at the World Cup to his principal when he gets back to school. He might tell Karkarov that he helped you in the match box, and that's why Karkarov remembered it."

This claim isn't impossible, but it's somewhat far-fetched, and neither Hermione nor Sirius Black has made any comment.

"The idea that Karkaroff is the murderer is just our opinion, Moody's opinion; the truth may not be so—"

After a long pause, Sirius spoke, then glanced quickly at Harry and Hermione's chairs, his expression becoming somewhat hesitant.

"Actually, there's something else that you don't know about, and I don't know if I should share it with you because I promised to keep it absolutely secret."

"Oh, tell us quickly, Sirius, we'll keep it a secret!"

Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance, and Harry immediately became interested.

"Alright, then you two shouldn't forget to keep it a secret—"

Sirius Black crouched down, lowering his voice, looking rather mysterious.

"Actually, it's like this: the day after you were chosen as a warrior, Hermione, I received a letter from Amosta. He asked me to do something. He wanted me to keep an eye on Barty Crouch and watch out for his activities within the ministry, but make sure no one finds out."

“Barty Crouch—” Hermione stammered, dumbfounded.

“Professor Blaine told you—” Harry gasped as he spoke.

This was completely unexpected for Hermione and Harry; they never imagined that Professor Blaine would suspect Barty Crouch.

That's Professor Blaine! If they had to choose, both Hermione and Harry would undoubtedly trust Professor Blaine's judgment more!

But isn't this too bizarre? Why would a high-ranking official of the Ministry of Magic involve an unknown underage wizard in his conspiracy?

Hermione and Harry were both racking their brains when they suddenly looked at each other, their eyes filled with realization.

They weren't unfamiliar with Barty Crouch; on the night of the Quidditch final, to help Harry retrieve his wand, they sneaked into the dilapidated Quidditch pitch, where they encountered another chilling event.

At the time, Hermione and Crouch had a fight. Hermione condemned Crouch for abandoning his house-elf, Brilliant, even though everyone had basically accepted that Brilliant was not the one who could conjure the Dark Mark.

Harry couldn't wait to share his guess, and then eagerly awaited Sirius's evaluation.

"Don't overthink it, Harry—"

To Harry's annoyance, Sirius didn't agree with his guess for the second time; he chuckled and said...

"If Barty Crouch harbored resentment towards Hermione over this, what would he have accomplished? He wouldn't be where he is today. I'm telling you this only because I think it might be related to Hermione being chosen as a champion, or it might not. You know, the conflict between Amostella and Barty Crouch is actually more complicated than you think; it involves politics. But never mind, this isn't something you need to know."

In other words—

Hermione roughly understood why Sirius had called them out today.

"You're trying to warn us to be careful of Principal Durmstrang and Barty Crouch, aren't you?"

"Also, you must be wary of that warrior from Karkaroff School, Hermione—"

Sirius said solemnly

"Of course, I know he helped us in the Quidditch finals, but at that time, he wasn't your opponent. You may have read in the book that Durmstrang's school is different from Hogwarts. Their teaching style has always been much more brutal. You know what I mean? If there's an opportunity to use dirty tricks, I don't think he would mind letting go of a good opportunity to eliminate his competitors."

I've heard that teaching dark magic is a tradition at this school, so it's not hard to understand why they would choose a notorious Death Eater as headmaster.

Hermione and Harry looked at each other under the Invisibility Cloak. Although they did not refute Sirius, it was clear that neither of them agreed with Sirius's assessment of Krum.

As lunchtime approached, the Three Broomsticks pub gradually filled with customers, including local villagers and students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Some people had their eyes on Harry and Hermione's seats, but Sirius declined, citing that he was waiting for someone.

During this meeting, Sirius told them some very valuable things, but to be honest, Harry was somewhat disappointed. He had hoped that Sirius could directly identify the murderer and tell them the murderer's purpose in choosing Hermione as a champion.

Outside the shop window, a misty rain fell. Not far away, on a hilltop almost completely devoured by lush greenery, the Screaming Shack silently watched over the quiet village at the foot of the hill. Hogsmeade, shrouded in a hazy mist, resembled a village lost in time, ancient and filled with an air of mystery.

"There's something I wanted to remind you of, Harry—"

After a moment of silence, Sirius spoke again. His voice was very soft, but both Harry and Hermione could detect the caution in his tone.

"what?"

Harry realized that Sirius had saved this for last, which might have been the real reason he was so eager to shout it out.

"Remus and I have been communicating, discussing recent developments. Not to mention the World Cup, you all know what happened. The Ministry of Magic has been investigating the masked wizards who attacked the World Cup, and we've indeed uncovered some clues. There are rumors that those fake Death Eaters were actually hired, and that behind them might be a real Death Eater."

Sirius's account and the information released by the Ministry of Magic in the Daily Prophet are completely different, but which one is more credible is a question that doesn't need much thought.

Harry frowned and listened intently.

"--There are many signs that the Death Eaters are becoming active again, and what gives these cunning creatures, who have been lurking in the gutter for over a decade, the audacity to act this way? You see, the wizarding world now has more than just Dumbledore; there's also Amostella. Unless—"

Unless what?

There is only one possibility: these Death Eaters may have realized that their master is growing stronger.

"Many people are watching Hogwarts, Dumbledore, and Amosta. And with the Triwizard Tournament in trouble at this time, it's hard not to speculate. So, Harry, I hope you stay vigilant at school. If you notice anything amiss, don't take any risks. Dumbledore, Amosta, or Moody are all trustworthy people; let them handle the problem."

Chapter 590

2023-11-12

Harry pursed his lips, blinked, and then he understood why Sirius looked so alarmed—Sirius believed that Voldemort had become more active and would definitely do something, and the first person he wouldn't let go was himself.

Now, trouble has arisen again at the Triwizard Tournament, and the truth behind it is shrouded in mystery. It also involves his closest friend Hermione, and Sirius fears that he might do something impulsive that could put him in danger.

Harry was annoyed. He had thought Sirius wouldn't discipline him like a clueless child anymore, but it turned out he hadn't changed his mind.

Hermione sensed Harry's displeasure and gently touched his arm, gesturing for him to look closely at Sirius.

Sirius Black, sitting there, was also looking at Harry's seat, his eyes looking somewhat melancholy, and he seemed a little cautious. Seeing him like this, Harry's heart skipped a beat, and his eyes suddenly welled up with tears. In the photo album Hagrid had given him, at his parents' wedding, Sirius Black, as the best man, was also a spirited and handsome young man. Now, the man sitting next to him was no longer the dashing figure he once was.

He looked a bit old; he was no longer fearless, but had something to worry about.

"All right--"

Harry couldn't bring himself to refuse, and he muttered something under his breath in frustration.

"I'll try not to overdo it, okay?"