The Return to Hogwarts

"Answer my question first!"

Snape remained unmoved, his gaze fixed coldly on Igor's eyes, his wand gripped tightly, his figure low and somber.

“This has nothing to do with me, Severus. I, Durmstrang, am also a victim!”

Karkaroff said through gritted teeth.

"Do I need to swear an oath in the name of the Dark Lord?!"

Snape's brow twitched violently, but his posture relaxed considerably. Clearly, he knew how much weight those words carried for Igor Karkaroff.

"How ridiculous--"

In an instant, Snape's hostility and cold smile vanished, replaced by a lazy expression. He put his wand back in his pocket and sneered at Karkaroff.

"You actually dare to mention the Dark Lord? Forgive me for speaking frankly, but Igor, given what you've done, if the Dark Lord were to return, you would be doomed."

Snape didn't want to argue with Karkaroff anymore. After saying that, he turned and walked towards the castle. However, Karkaroff, who had been frightened by his careless remark, suddenly chased after him, grabbed Snape, and said angrily,

"Go back and tell those two despicable bastards, Blaine and Dumbledore, to make it clear to them that they shouldn't think they're the only ones who can suspect me; I'll investigate them too!"

“I will take care of it—” Snape withdrew his hand, a mocking smile playing on his lips. “Anything else you need, Igor? If not, I suggest you get back to your ship as soon as possible. This school is full of Dumbledore’s spies.”

Harry and Hermione thought the private conversation was over, but Professor Karkaroff, the headmaster of Durmstrang, suddenly changed his expression. His previous angry and aggrieved look disappeared, and he put on a smooth and friendly face, as if he himself had not been the one who had just been wronged.

"Don't rush off, my dear old friend!"

Karkaroff smiled and even put his arm around Snape's shoulder, while Snape only glanced at him with disgust but did not refuse.

"There's something you might be able to help me with. I heard, Severus, that Amosta Blaine graduated from the college you're in charge of, and I've heard you two have always had a good relationship?"

Snape merely glanced at him sideways, without saying a word.

“Look—couldn’t you, old buddy, when you tell Blaine it wasn’t me who put that silly girl’s name in the Goblet of Fire, at least ask around about the first event of the tournament? You should have done that, shouldn’t you? You doubted me, doubted an old friend of yours for years, and that hurt me. You need to make it up to me—”

Shameless!

Harry and Hermione were so angry they almost jumped up. This guy had just threatened to investigate Professor Blaine, but now he wanted Snape to help him inquire about the project from Professor Blaine!

Hermione's cheeks flushed with anger. During the day, when Sirius told them that Igor Karkaroff had been a Death Eater, they were more surprised than anything else. But now, having witnessed this scene with her own eyes, she realized just how despicable this man's character truly was!

Harry and Hermione had similar thoughts, but he gave Hermione a look. Since the headmaster of Durmstrang was actually offering to help his champion cheat, accepting a little extra help from Hagrid wasn't a big deal.

They strained to hear what Snape had to say, but then an angry roar suddenly came from the marble steps outside the foyer, making their hearts leap into their throats.

"Caught red-handed, huh!"

A highly distinctive voice roared, followed by heavy thumping sounds on the stairs.

It was quite a dramatic scene—even Hermione couldn't help but think so, while Harry even had a smug smile on his face.

Moody's limping descent down the stairs did not diminish his overwhelming presence. His blue demonic eye seemed about to pop out of its socket as he glared fiercely at Snape and Karkaroff, the hideous scar on his cheek writhing like a centipede.

Shouldn't you be more wary?

Harry glanced at Snape and Karkaroff, his thoughts filled with malice. Moody's presence here wasn't surprising. Even in retirement, Moody maintained the vigilance he had as an Auror; he habitually patrolled the campus after nightfall and even frequently helped Hagrid patrol the Forbidden Forest.

Seeing Moody approaching quickly, Karkaroff even had the urge to run away. No, it wasn't just an urge; he had already taken concrete action. He took a step back with one leg and twisted his body slightly. If Snape hadn't stopped him, he might have already fled in panic.

Snape was much calmer than Karkaroff, but even he looked slightly pale in Moody's presence.

"What do you mean, Moody? We were just talking—"

For some reason, Professor Moody suddenly stumbled, but he quickly regained his balance and walked up to Snape and Karkaroff with a sinister grin.

"Speak up, lie, Snape!"

Moody bluntly refuted this claim: "Two Death Eaters who narrowly escaped Azkaban, in the dark, braving the cold wind and avoiding the crowds in the courtyard, just to catch up? What are you talking about, exchanging experiences in evading the law? Or are you plotting a new conspiracy!"

Despite it being a one-on-two situation, Harry had the illusion that Snape and Karkaroff were surrounded by Professor Moody, because Professor Moody's aura was indeed quite intimidating.

“Tell me!” Professor Moody roared. “Tell me everything honestly, or I’ll take you all to Dumbledore!”

“You madman—” Karkaroff stumbled back a step, panting, “What we say is our own business, Moody, it’s none of your concern. The Ministry of Magic has already declared me innocent, you have no right to tell me what to do—”

"Oh, really!"

Moody chuckled coldly.

"Perhaps you've washed away some stains by betraying your 'compatriots,' but you've done plenty of dirty and despicable things, Karkaroff. Tell me, and let me see if you've improved. For example, your method of putting Hermione Granger's name into the Goblet of Fire was quite impressive. It really surprised me. Your magic has improved a lot since a decade ago; you were actually able to deceive the Goblet of Fire!"

"You are crazy!"

Karkaroff was right about everything. He stared at Professor Moody in horror, staggered backward, and finally turned and ran into the darkness in a panic!

What surprised Harry and Hermione even more than Karkaroff's escape from Moody was that Professor Moody didn't chase after him; he simply let him get away.

"coward!"

Moody spat dismissively, then turned to look at Snape, whose face was gradually turning pale.

"You seem much braver, Snape. Tell me something interesting!"

"I have nothing to say—"

Snape breathed heavily, clearly under pressure from Moody; his thin lips were pressed tightly together.

"If you have any questions about me, go find Dumbledore!"

With that, Snape wrapped his black robe tighter around himself, like a bat folding its wings, then walked past Moody and strode quickly toward the castle, his figure disappearing into the hallway.

In the blink of an eye, the lively scene fell silent, save for the biting wind howling fiercely. Harry stared at Professor Moody, who was a dozen meters away, watching Snape walk into the hall. He was filled with admiration that he had managed to frighten Karkaroff and Snape into running away, but at the same time, he was also puzzled. Had Professor Moody let them off so easily? Shouldn't he have interrogated them?

Harry was thinking, and even Hermione felt something was off. Judging from Professor Moody's previous demeanor, he shouldn't have let them leave. But the next second, Professor Moody's sudden voice startled Harry and Hermione into a daze.

“Oh, it’s so cold. It’s not pleasant to lie in the mud. Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, why don’t you stand up and say something?”

Chapter 602 Moody's Fear

2023-11-18

Harry thought he had misheard. After Professor Moody exposed him, he didn't move, remaining prostrate on the ground with an incredulous look on his face. Hermione was no less terrified than him, perhaps even more so, because her first thought was that Professor Moody might not be as magnanimous as Professor Blaine, especially since Professor Moody might be in a bad mood right now.

When Professor Moody, leaning on his cane, slowly approached from a distance and stopped precisely in front of them, Harry knew he shouldn't harbor any more illusions.

"Professor Moody--"

Harry and Hermione stood up hesitantly. Without the protection of the Invisibility Cloak, their robes, covered in mud, were chilled by the cold wind and they immediately started shivering. If they continued to freeze like this, they would probably have to spend the night at Madam Pomfrey's. Fortunately, Professor Moody pulled out his wand and pointed it at them. Then, a warm current instantly flowed through their bodies, and their frozen robes dried.

"Thanks--"

Hermione relaxed her shrugged shoulders, feeling much more at ease. Perhaps it was Professor Moody's friendly gesture that made her feel less tense.

“The invisibility cloak is nice, Potter—” Moody laughed in a hoarse voice, “I bet you’ve accomplished quite a few great things with it—” Professor Moody seemed quite interested in the invisibility cloak, his magic eye darting back and forth, staring at it intently.

If possible, Harry would be willing to lend the Invisibility Cloak to Professor Moody for a few days if he could use it to investigate Hermione's identity as a champion. Of course, there was a condition: he shouldn't lock himself and Hermione up tonight.

"Yes, this was left to me by my father--"

But somehow, Harry stammered out a sentence, and he swore it wasn't because he was worried that Professor Moody would confiscate his Invisibility Cloak.

“Very interesting, very interesting—” Professor Moody murmured, focused on the invisibility cloak. “This is no ordinary invisibility cloak. I can sense the strange aura it conceals. Oh, I’m always particularly sensitive to auras; I just discovered you two little ones through my Magic Eye—”

Harry stared in awe at Moody's blue eye. So far, he had only encountered two people who could see through the Invisibility Cloak: Professor Dumbledore and Professor Blaine. However, tonight he had met a third.

Professor Moody seemed to realize he was saying something difficult to understand. He snapped out of his reverie, grinned at Hermione and Harry, and...

"Come on, you two brave little ones, we don't need to stand here and endure the cold wind, do we?"

brave?!

Hermione and Harry exchanged bewildered glances, genuinely surprised by Professor Moody's assessment of their nighttime stroll and eavesdropping. Professor Moody, however, ignored their confusion, beckoning them up the marble steps and leading them into the foyer, where they turned left into a deserted corridor.

Although the cold wind was still pouring into the castle through the windows in the corridor, the torches on the walls were still burning stubbornly, which provided some warmth and was much more comfortable than standing outside.

Professor Moody looked around warily; the demonic eye was spinning rapidly, making Hermione feel a little nauseous.

"I can't make the same mistake that Snape and Karkaroff just made, can I?"

Noticing Hermione's awkward expression, Professor Moody grinned and said something. But upon hearing this, both Hermione and Harry felt a pang of unease, after all, they had genuinely overheard the professor's conversation.

"Just as I said—"

Moody let out another hoarse, dry laugh.

"I must commend you two for your courageous and fearless actions. You know, what you just faced—Dumbledore doesn't want me to say this, but that's the truth—was the conspiracy of two extremely dangerous individuals. You protected yourselves very well. It seems that not everyone has taken my repeated emphasis in class to heart!"

Harry was surprised that Moody had such a unique perspective, but he still agreed with Professor Moody's definition of Snape, so he grinned shyly.

Moody patted them both on the shoulder and said in a gruff voice.

"Alright, enough chit-chat, you two little ones. I bet you two were right to witness the whole conspiracy, weren't you? Tell me now, tell me everything you heard. Who wants to go first? Miss Granger, I think you should start. Minerva kept praising your brilliant mind to me, you certainly didn't miss a single word, did you?"

"what?"

Hermione was surprised; she hadn't expected Professor Moody to be so direct in asking her to reveal what she had overheard. Well, it wasn't strange that Professor Moody would know about Professor Snape and Karkaroff's conversation, but Hermione felt something was amiss—

"Why do you think I let those two go just now, Miss Granger—"

Moody said in a gruff voice,

“Snape and Karkaroff are both skilled at sophistry and deception, and Dumbledore always seems to prefer seeing the good in people. If I don’t have concrete evidence, they’ll probably fabricate lies to cover it up!”

A realization dawned on Harry's eyes; his earlier confusion was finally resolved.

If Professor Blaine had asked, Hermione would have answered without hesitation, but Professor Moody... yes, he's a wonderful Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, currently teaching them how to resist the Imperius Curse, and many young wizards greatly admire his willingness to risk prosecution to teach.