The Return to Hogwarts

Amostella paused for a moment, then quickly recovered and looked at the two young wizards in front of him with a gentle smile.

"Sorry, it seems I've arrived at an inopportune time. I'll be leaving now—"

“But, Professor Blaine—”

Hermione clutched the book in her arms even tighter. Just as she had told Harry and Ron, Professor Blaine had only forbidden them from talking nonsense, not from investigating. Hermione suppressed her anxiety; whether it was secretly investigating or finding a dance partner for the Christmas Ball, everything made her incredibly uneasy.

"I'm planning to go home for Christmas. I mean, um... Viktor just told me that the school is having a dance at Christmas."

"Has no one relayed this to you yet?"

Amosta looked at Hermione in surprise.

"I thought someone would have told you already!"

Hermione shook her head honestly.

"All right--"

Amosta slapped his forehead.

"This is a tradition of the Triwizard Tournament, Miss Granger. During Christmas, the host school will hold a ball, inviting young wizards from all three schools to participate, to foster mutual understanding and so on. According to custom, the ball opens with a dance performed by the champions and their partners. Well, you are a champion of Hogwarts, Miss Granger, so I suggest that you and Mr. Cedric not be absent--"

Chapter 667 Krum's Finger

2023-12-29

Seeing Hermione still looking a little confused, Amosta patiently explained,

"At the beginning of this school year, the school sent a notice to students in fourth grade and above, requiring you to bring a formal dress for this dance—"

Hermione immediately remembered that when she and Harry went to Hogsmeade to see Sirius, Harry had accidentally bumped into a Beauxbatons champion, and Fleur had been seriously injured. To express his apology, Professor Blaine had bought a dress for her and Harry to deliver.

She was indeed puzzled at the time, wondering why Professor Blaine would think of giving a dress as a gift. It turned out that it was for the Christmas ball!

“But the school hasn’t issued any official notice—” Hermione said with a mournful expression, her tone somewhat like she was angry but dared not speak out, “We are unaware of this, Professor Blaine.”

"Now you know, don't you?"

Amosta smirked, glanced at the slightly nervous Krum, and added...

“Remember what I said, Miss Granger? The ball will be opened by four warriors and their partners. We don’t have any requirements for the other young wizards attending the ball, but the warriors must find their own partners. This is a tradition of the Triwizard Tournament, and I believe it won’t be a problem for outstanding young people like you—”

Seeing Hermione pursing her lips and remaining silent, Amosta smiled slightly.

"Well then, that's enough. I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, gentlemen. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now. You are welcome to continue your discussion, but—"

Amos Stare glanced again at the book in Hermione's arms, which made Hermione tighten her grip on her arms.

"Studying is important, but balancing work and rest is even more important. Don't 'waste' your youth in the library. With such nice weather, I suggest you go for a walk outside."

He's such a good person.

Watching Professor Blaine's departing figure, Krum felt a pang of sadness. However, remembering the illustration on the first page of the stack of manuscripts Professor Blaine was carrying, his brow furrowed again.

Professor Blaine didn't reprimand Hermione for her private investigation, which relieved her greatly. However, the thought of learning about the ball and the need for partners brought a blush to Hermione's face, which spread from her cheeks to the tips of her ears. Her toes, encased in her boots, were digging into the ground as if trying to dig a hole through it.

This is so embarrassing!

There were hardly any young wizards in the library today. Hermione, who had found some materials that might contain clues, planned to spend the whole day in this pleasant reading environment. However, she didn't expect that Krum would suddenly walk into the library as well.

Perhaps because of the jubilation on the snowy ground outside, the huge fan club that usually followed Krum was nowhere to be seen. When Krum saw him, he was taken aback at first, then ran over happily and invited him to come out and chat.

Hermione thought Krum wanted to discuss the golden egg with her!

Because of her experience with the first project, she didn't want to accept help from others anymore. She was prepared to refuse if Krum brought up the topic, but unexpectedly, Krum abruptly invited her to be his dance partner at the Christmas ball. Before she could even understand what was going on, Professor Blaine stepped forward—

Okay, now she knows the whole story.

This was totally unexpected for her.

Hermione didn't believe Krum was just trying to find someone to go to the ball with because he couldn't find anyone else. Even without her two Quidditch-obsessed friends, Hermione knew just how popular this boy was, just by looking at Krum's fanbase!

But he actually came to her. Hermione felt her ears were burning hot. To be honest, she had a pretty good feeling about Krum.

During the Quidditch final night riot in the summer, she, Harry, Sirius, and the Weasleys were trapped in the penthouse box. When she asked the Bulgarian Quidditch team for help, only Krum responded to her cries. Krum had also given her some advice before the first event of the tournament.

But what would Harry and Ron say if they knew about this?

"I do not understand."

Hermione, her cheeks flushed, looked down at her toes and said softly.

"I don't understand either, how could a wizard like Mr. Blaine..."

Krum's deep voice made Hermione look up in surprise. She found that Krum was still staring in the direction Professor Blaine had left, his naturally gloomy face filled with solemnity and disbelief.

Hermione immediately realized that what she and Krum were talking about were not the same thing at all.

"What are you saying, Viktor?"

Hermione's embarrassment vanished, and her shrewdness returned to her bright brown eyes.

"Oh, I mean—"

Krum seemed a little hesitant, but faced with a girl he greatly admired, he decided to tell the truth.

After confirming that no one was around, Krum lowered his voice, his expression a mixture of tension and confusion.

"I don't understand, how could a powerful wizard like Mr. Amosta Blaine worship the Dark Lord?"

"Professor Blaine admires the mysterious man?"

Hermione almost screamed, her eyebrows raised, her beautiful brown eyes, filled with disbelief and anger, fixed on Viktor, as if she wouldn't give up until he gave her a clear answer.

"Oh, no!"

Krum quickly waved his hand.

“We’re not used to calling that dark wizard from your country, who’s called the Mysterious Man, the Dark Lord. I mean—” Krum’s tone was gloomy, “It’s Gettler Grindelwald—”

Gettler Grindelwald?!

Hermione, under intense mental pressure, retrieved all the information about this wizard from her mind in just one second. This was unlike when she, Harry, and Ron were looking for Nicolas Flamel in their first year, when the name was almost inextricably linked to their headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, whose brilliance even the now renowned Professor Blaine could not completely overshadow.

Many would consider defeating Gettler Grindelwald to be one of the most remarkable achievements in Professor Dumbledore's legendary life.

But Professor Blaine admires Gettler Grindelwald?

This is no less absurd than Professor Blaine's worship of the Mystic!

"Did you notice the striking design on the first page of the stack of parchment he was carrying under his arm?"

"what?"

Krum's tone was displeased, but Hermione's tone was even harsher. For some reason, she didn't like Krum anymore, so even though she knew what the pattern Krum was pointing to was, she pretended not to see it.

"That's the design!"

Krum gestured with his fingers in the air in front of Hermione, his face grim.

“If anyone else were to display that symbol in front of me, I swear, Hermione, I would duel him!”

"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with that pattern?"

Although she was unhappy, Hermione had to admit that she was a little curious about it.

"Grindelwald, that's Grindelwald's symbol!"

Krum's cheek muscles twitched, as if he were chewing something, and then he said,

“Grindelwald killed many people, my grandfather was one of them. Of course, he never had much power in this country. They say he was afraid of Dumbledore—that's true, you can see from his end. But that symbol—”

Krum gestured to Hermione again.

"--That's Grindelwald's mark; I recognized it immediately. You might not know, but Grindelwald studied magic at Durmstrang. While he was studying there, he had it carved on a wall. I pass by that wall every day; I certainly wouldn't mistake it."

Krum said coldly,

“At school, some fools copied the symbol onto their textbooks and clothes, trying to scare others and make themselves seem great—later, we who lost loved ones because of Grindelwald taught them a lesson.”

But we all know that outside of school, there are still plenty of fools like this. They still gather under this sign, using it as a symbol of their spirit. They yearn for the dark days when the wizarding world was ruled by Grindelwald, and fantasize about one day living a life of unbridled mischief.

Chapter 668 You share the same name?

2023-12-29

Gettler Grindelwald – the first wizard in modern magical history to be widely known as the Dark Lord. At his peak, his influence swept across almost all of Europe except for Britain, with nearly 100,000 wizards voluntarily following him.

Grindelwald was not content with ruling the wizarding world; he also coveted the Muggle world. To achieve his goal of domination, he led his followers to form alliances with radical forces within the Muggle community, instigating a war of supremacy across the globe and causing widespread unrest.

His demise mirrored his incredible rise to power.

At the height of Grindelwald's power, Albus Dumbledore confronted him alone. After a duel of the century, the victor Dumbledore returned to Hogwarts to become headmaster, while the loser Grindelwald imprisoned himself in Nugambard. His fanatical followers, who tried to turn the tide, were also routed by a coalition of wizards from various countries under the leadership of the International Wizarding Federation.

That war can be described as a catastrophe for the entire world. Therefore, some foreign opinions suggest that compared to that, Voldemort, whom the British feared like a tiger, was not worth mentioning. It should be noted that at the height of Voldemort's power, his main forces were still unable to leave Britain.

But in reality, the problem cannot be viewed in this way.

Because Grindelwald encountered no significant obstacles in the early stages of developing his power, he was virtually invincible. By the time Dumbledore intervened, his power had already taken shape. Perhaps learning from his previous experience fighting evil, the greatest wizard of our time was much more proactive in dealing with Voldemort than before.

When Voldemort's evil forces were just beginning to gain momentum, Dumbledore had already warned people in various public occasions to be vigilant and called on them to fight against him. He even personally formed the Order of the Phoenix to fight against Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

Like a quagmire, it trapped Voldemort's forces firmly in Britain, preventing the brutal flames of war from spreading to more innocent wizards, civilians, and Muggles.