The Return to Hogwarts

“Oh, you could think of it that way, Hermione—” Amosta pursed her lips, “but before that, Professor Dumbledore and I need to know all the details of what happened that night, the three of you—so, who will tell us?”

Professor Dumbledore and Professor Blaine are trying to clear Gilgamesh of suspicion.

This sounded even more fantastical than Hagrid finally realizing that the Blasttail was a disgusting and dangerous creature. Harry and Ron's lips moved, but neither spoke, while the ever-perceptive Hermione was overjoyed.

“Blink is innocent, Professor. That night—” Hermione gasped for breath, trying to calm her agitated emotions, then said in a trembling voice.

“Well, Professor Blaine, after you left the tent, we were planning to rest, but Harry suddenly realized his wand was missing, so—”

“Tell me what happened after you re-entered the Quidditch pitch, Hermione—”

Amosta interrupted.

"All right--"

Hermione grumbled unhappily, took a deep breath, and, under the watchful eyes of Professors Dumbledore and Blaine, began to speak quickly.

"Relying on Harry's Invisibility Cloak, we broke through the Ministry of Magic's blockade in the woods and entered the Quidditch pitch. We didn't find anyone, and the Quidditch pitch was badly damaged. We didn't waste any time and got to the box where we had been that night."

Because the stairs were also in terrible condition, Harry thought it might be dangerous for all three of us to go up, so he decided to go up alone.”

Harry gave Hermione a resentful look. Didn't he think it was unnecessary to describe such details so clearly?

"--We had a slight disagreement, and just as we were discussing what to do, a voice suddenly said--"

"A voice?"

Dumbledore, his fingers interlaced in a fist and resting on his chin, asked with great interest,

"You mean you heard chanting, Hermione? What kind of sound was it?"

Hermione blinked, not quite understanding Professor Dumbledore's question, but Ron raised his hand shakily.

Ron's expression was slightly frightened, as if he had returned to that night when he was suddenly frightened after hearing that terrifying voice amidst the ruins.

“That sounds painful. He must be injured,” Ron said.

“Anything else, Ron?” Amosta asked gently.

"Uh--"

Ron frowned, racking his brains.

"That voice... it sounds like an adult, but not very old. It definitely isn't the voice of that house-elf named Sparkle."

Amos Tower turned and exchanged a glance with Dumbledore, who then gestured with his chin toward Hermione.

"Please continue, Hermione—"

"After that chanting sound, we saw something flashing green fly out of our viewing box and form a pattern in mid-air. I recognized it; it was the pattern of the mysterious man described in the book—"

Hermione continued, gasping for breath.

"The Ministry of Magic officials reacted quickly; they appeared in about twenty seconds. They mistook us for the culprits who conjured the Dark Mark and attacked us. Fortunately, Ron's father recognized us. Then the Ministry of Magic officials interrogated us about why we were there and how we evaded the blockade—"

As Hermione recounted her story, Harry's memories became clearer. He remembered that the wizard who had brought Gilgamesh down from the box and found his wand was named Amos.

What was Batty's reaction?

Dumbledore interrupted Hermione again, "I mean, when he discovered that the house-elf Amos had found was Sparkle?"

"Mr. Crouch was very surprised. He couldn't believe it was Gilgamesh, which is why he immediately Apparated into the box after being discovered by Gilgamesh—"

Recalling the unfair treatment Gilgamesh suffered that night, Hermione said angrily,

“Mr. Crouch probably thought that Sparkle should have evacuated like the others, but in fact Sparkle was just following his orders. Crouch ordered Sparkle to stay in the top-floor box to reserve a spot for him. Sparkle couldn’t disobey the order, so it stayed there. Mr. Crouch didn’t even care that it had a fear of heights!”

"Was Batty in that box when you arrived, Amosta?"

Dumbledore, sensing something, asked, but before Professor Blaine could answer, Harry spoke first.

"No, Professor Dumbledore. Mr. Crouch's seat has been empty."

Chapter 695: Murderous Intent

2024-01-15

"You mean, Barty didn't go to the game, but he had Gilgamesh save him a seat in the box, right? So how did you know all this, Harry?"

Dumbledore's deep gaze made Harry momentarily lose his composure. He nodded and said absentmindedly,

"When I walked into that private room before the match started, I quickly spotted Sparkle, but I didn't know it was Sparkle. I thought it was Dobby. You know, Professor, house-poms all look pretty much the same."

Dumbledore nodded understandingly, and Harry continued,

“Coincidentally, Sparkle and Dobby knew each other, so we chatted for a while. Sparkle told me some things about Dobby, and then it started talking about itself and Mr. Crouch. It told me that Mr. Crouch sent it to the box to save a seat for it, Professor Dumbledore—”

Harry spoke to Professor Dumbledore, but his confused gaze fell upon Professor Blaine.

“Sparkle is working in the kitchen right now. If you want to know about that mark, why don’t you call it over?”

"After we understand what happened, we'll go talk to him, Harry—"

Amosta said he pondered for a moment, then asked again,

"So, Batistuta didn't come to this box until the riot started, during the match? Did you notice that? Or maybe he came in quietly to watch the match for a while, but you didn't notice?"

Amosta had expected Harry to hesitate or need to think it over carefully, but to his surprise, he said it very simply.

“No, Professor Blaine, Mr. Crouch has not been to the box. My seat is near the box door, and anyone entering the box has to pass by me. I haven’t seen anyone come in since the match started.”

Harry wasn't sure if it was just for a short while—the brief ten or so seconds it took for the Bulgarian mascot to dance. However, Harry didn't believe Crouch had slipped in during that time, because Mr. Weasley was right next to him, and the Minister of Magic was in the box. If Mr. Crouch had come in, they certainly wouldn't have ignored him.

"Well--"

Amosta nodded thoughtfully.

"So, that means that Shining occupied two seats at the time; it sat in one by itself, and the one next to it was empty. Did anyone sit in that empty seat during the competition?"

Harry wasn't so sure about this.

Logically speaking, there are no "standing tickets" in the VIP boxes; everyone has their own seat. And those respectable figures from the magical world in the VIP boxes at the time would not have done anything rude. However, the competition was so exciting that many people left their seats to cheer and applaud. Who could guarantee that they wouldn't have gone to the wrong seat?

Harry looked at Hermione and Ron, but both of his friends also looked hesitant and uncertain, not daring to give a guarantee on the answer to this question.

"Please continue, Hermione—"

Professor Dumbledore didn't seem puzzled at all by Professor Blaine's nonsensical question, and he gestured to Hermione in an inviting manner.

Hermione took a deep breath, paused for a few seconds, and then began to speak.

Hermione recounted everything in detail, from Barty Crouch's incredulous expression after his fruitless return from the box, to Amos's interrogation of Gilgamesh, to Gilgamesh's dismissal by an enraged Crouch, all the way to Mr. Arthur escorting them back to Sirius's tent.

However, during this process, Professors Dumbledore and Blaine did not ask any more questions, as if they had already made a firm judgment on the matter at hand.

“Very good, Hermione—”

After Hermione finished speaking, Dumbledore nodded approvingly at them.

"And Harry, and Ron, thank you for the invaluable truth you provided to Professor Blaine and me. It cleared up our confusion, and I must say, the information you offered was extremely valuable—"

While Dumbledore's praise pleased Harry, Meghan, and Harry, it also left them feeling quite confused.

“Excuse me, Professor Dumbledore, Professor Blaine—”

Hermione asked somewhat nervously,

"Will what we just talked about help clear Gilgamesh's name? I mean, will the Ministry of Magic issue a not guilty plea for Gilgamesh? Or something like that?"

“No need for all that trouble, Hermione—” Amosta’s lips twitched. “As long as Professor Dumbledore and I, and of course Mr. Crouch, believe that Blink is innocent, there won’t be any problem, oh!”

Amosta glanced at the wall clock and said apologetically,

"Sorry we've already wasted so much time. Hurry up, Harry, Hermione, Ron, let's get to the Great Hall. You should still have time to eat something. It's so cold, you can't sleep without an empty stomach!"

Harry, Dumbledore, and the other two stood up from their stools, still feeling dizzy. Professor McGonagall had hurriedly summoned them to the headmaster's office, expecting something serious, but it turned out that Professors Dumbledore and Blaine were asking them about the Dark Mark that had appeared in the sky above the Quidditch final night.

Of course, the Dark Mark is indeed something that needs to be taken seriously, but Harry doesn't think it's enough to warrant such a serious discussion from Professors Dumbledore and Blaine, especially since so much time has passed.

The three people walked into the office completely bewildered, and walked out completely bewildered as well.

As Harry passed by Fawkes' Golden Bough again, he suddenly stopped, as if remembering something. He turned around and saw that Professor Blaine was still standing in front of Dumbledore's desk, watching them go, seemingly with no intention of leaving.

Well.

"Do you remember anything important, Harry?" Amosta gestured with his chin.

"Oh, it has nothing to do with the Dark Mark, Professor—"

Harry hesitated for a moment, but decided to tell her what Fleur had asked. After all, he had already promised Fleur he would be her dance partner, and he should help her with this small favor.

"It is Fleur Delacour, a warrior of Beauxbatons."

It was incredibly embarrassing to bring this up in front of Professor Dumbledore and Professor Blaine, Harry said, his face flushing red as he stammered.

"Ahem. Yes, in the foyer. Just now, Furong asked me to tell you—we're dance partners. That's all!"

After stammering out those words, Harry dashed out of the headmaster's office like a bolt of lightning, giving Professor Blaine no chance to ask him anything.

After standing there for more than ten seconds, Amosta finally came to his senses, chuckled to himself, and sat down.

Fleur asked Harry to be her dance partner at the Christmas ball?

Amosta shook his head inwardly. This girl's thoughts were truly unconventional. However, this was nothing to worry about. Amosta put the matter out of his mind and prepared to discuss the facts that were basically certain with Dumbledore. However, when he looked back, he found Dumbledore staring at him with great interest.

"What's wrong, Headmaster Dumbledore?"