The Return to Hogwarts

Ron blurted it out instinctively, and Harry nodded in strong agreement. However, seeing Hermione's ashen face, the two boys immediately became quiet again.

"--They went to ask the others in Beauxbatons, but no one knew exactly what had happened,"

Hermione continued,

"Finally, they found Furong's sister, a little girl named Gabrielle. It took them some effort to get the truth out of Gabrielle. Padma told Parvati about it, and then I overheard her discussing it with Lavender."

After explaining the situation, Hermione's emotions calmed down considerably. She looked calmly at Harry.

"So, do you understand now, Harry?"

Well--

Harry and Ron looked at each other, neither daring to speak first.

Fleur invited Professor Blaine to the ball, and was refused—that was certainly amusing, but what did that have to do with her inviting her? Hermione said Fleur was using him.

Harry hesitated and didn't speak. Hermione, having seen through the situation, realized that expecting him to understand the girl's meaning on his own was pure wishful thinking. So, she calmly said...

"Fleur must have known Professor Blaine for a long time, and she has feelings for him, which is why she asked you where Professor Blaine's office was on her first day at Hogwarts."

I guess she didn't expect Professor Blaine to refuse to go to the ball with her, otherwise she wouldn't be so angry. That's why she wanted to find someone very famous to go to the ball with, so that Professor Blaine would realize that refusing her was a mistake.

Hermione shared her perspective, which helped Harry and Ron understand why she was so angry about Harry accepting Fleur's invitation. However, they still couldn't understand.

“The girls are really strange,” Ron continued, frowning. “But that’s just your guess, isn’t it, Hermione?”

Hermione merely moved her lips without speaking, seemingly unconcerned to respond to Ron's question.

“If Fleur wanted to find someone famous—” Harry frowned, choosing his words carefully, “why didn’t she go looking for someone?”

Harry had initially wanted to suggest that Fleur could go find the champions of the Warsaw Pact, since they were the most sought-after boys at the moment, but then he thought of Cho Chang and decided he absolutely couldn't bring himself to say Cedric's name.

"Krum has invited Daphne Greengrass to the ball—"

Hermione's sharp eyes swept over the dimness in Harry's eyes, and she seemed to see through his thoughts. She then calmly delivered a piece of news that shocked the two boys.

"Of course, the Champion is indeed a better choice, but Fleur has no other choice, has she? She can only choose from those outside of the Champion, and besides the Champion, which boy at Hogwarts is more famous than you, Harry?"

Harry had begun to accept Hermione's explanation; he sullenly stopped talking, feeling utterly disheartened.

First Cedric invited Cho Chang, and then Fleur invited him with the intention of 'enraging' Professor Blaine. These two events completely wiped away any expectation he had for the Christmas ball.

Harry's sullenness didn't escape Ron's notice; he twitched his freckled nose.

"Perhaps you think too badly of Fleur, Hermione. In my opinion, it's quite simple. Fleur was rejected by Professor Blaine, but she's a champion, and someone has to go to the ball. She liked Harry, so she invited him. It's that simple—"

"Then how do you explain Fleur's message to Harry to Professor Blaine?"

Hermione's question left Ron speechless.

Chapter 702 Terrifying Speculations

2024-01-20

Hermione wasn't unaware of Harry's sadness, nor was she unaware of how Harry would feel after hearing what she said. But compared to that, it was far more unacceptable for her to keep her best friend in the dark.

"Harry--"

Seeing Harry's devastated expression, Hermione gently placed her right hand on Harry's arm and called out softly.

"Oh, I'm fine—"

After a moment of confusion, Harry noticed that Hermione was holding his arm. Contrary to Hermione's fears, he wasn't angry because she had shattered his fantasy; he simply smiled.

"I just find this a bit ridiculous--"

Now that they have all agreed with Hermione's theory, what should they do next?

Tell Harry to go to Fleur and tell her he won't be going to the Christmas Ball with her. It's ridiculous that Fleur wants to find someone to make Professor Blaine jealous. Even Ron doesn't think Professor Blaine would be angry about it. Professor Blaine's nonchalant smile after Harry told him tonight said it all.

However, neither Hermione nor Ron intended to interfere with Harry's decision, so they let Harry make the decision himself.

"Let's talk about what Professor Dumbledore and Professor Blaine are concerned about!"

Ron deliberately perked up and said,

"They're tracking the mysterious man's mark, right? Do you think they've found a clue?"

Hermione gave Ron an approving look; she knew very well that Ron had brought up this topic at this time for more than just curiosity.

Regarding the Dark Mark they encountered on Quidditch final night, the Ministry of Magic later stated that the masked man who started the riot that night evaded the Ministry's search and emerged from his hiding place after everyone had left, conjuring the Dark Mark.

But this only fools novice wizards and ordinary people; those who truly know their stuff will immediately recognize it as a lie.

Because the Ministry of Magic had previously announced that Vitia Creona, whom Amostrath Blaine had expelled, and the masked wizard who initially caused the riot were worshippers of the Mystic. The group of dark wizards worshipped the Mystic for all the crimes he had committed, but they had never actually seen the Mystic; they were just a bunch of clumsy imitators.

However, the Dark Mark is not a common spell; only Mystic's Death Eaters can conjure it.

"Did you notice, Ron?"

Hermione herself had many questions. She looked down at her toes, remained silent for a while, and then whispered,

"Professor Dumbledore and Professor Blaine are very concerned about Mr. Crouch—"

"But he couldn't possibly be, could he?"

Ron lowered his voice so that passersby wouldn't overhear them discussing a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Magic.

"Barty only came over with Dad and the others after the mark appeared; he didn't have time to do this—"

“I’m not saying Professor Dumbledore and Professor Blaine suspect Barty Crouch, Ron—” Hermione frowned slightly, “I know Crouch has no chance, oh, and certainly not Gilgamesh, but—”

Hermione spoke slowly, which indicated that she herself was uncertain.

"Professor Blaine seemed very concerned about whether Batty had attended the match. He and Professor Dumbledore repeatedly confirmed with us whether anyone had sat in the empty seat that Gilgamesh had reserved for Crouch—"

"Crouch didn't go into the box, Harry has already confirmed that, hasn't he?"

"Just because Crouch hasn't been there doesn't mean that position is vacant, Ron—"

Hermione said in a horrified tone,

"What if that seat is always occupied?"

Ron, and even Harry who was already emotionally unstable, gradually showed signs of fear.

"You mean, that night in the box, there was an invisible person watching our Invisibility Cloaks?" Harry's attention was successfully drawn to the topic, and he asked blankly.

"And that person was a Death Eater?"

Ron, with a similarly blank expression, said...

"But that seat was reserved for Barty by that little elf named Sparkle, wasn't it? Do you know what you're suspecting, Hermione? You're suspecting Crouch is covering for a Death Eater. Don't you dare say that to Percy, Hermione, or Percy will tear you apart—"

Hermione simply nodded to confirm Harry's guess about the Invisibility Cloak, and then remained silent.

If things are really as she suspects, and the empty seat next to Gilgamesh is indeed reserved for an invisible person, then how did Professor Blaine and Professor Dumbledore find out about this? They left the school earlier to investigate this matter. Did they find the invisible person, or did they discover clues from somewhere else?

Others may forget or get used to it, but Hermione herself has never forgotten that her identity as a warrior came about in a mysterious way.

To this day, there is no definitive answer as to who threw her name into the Goblet of Fire. It is only that Professor Blaine, on the night of the selection of the champions, mentioned in a room behind the Great Hall, during a discussion among the headmasters of several schools and the Ministry of Magic's referees, that the person capable of doing so was in that room!

Barty Crouch --

Disbelief flashed in Hermione's lowered eyes.

Was it Barty Crouch who put her name in the Goblet of Fire?

Impossible. When Barty appeared at Hogwarts that night, the Goblet of Fire was in the foyer, under the watchful eyes of so many people. No one could have secretly tampered with it.

But what if, as she suspected, the renowned high-ranking official of the Ministry of Magic really had a secret connection with a Death Eater?

Where is this Death Eater now? Hermione's face turned pale. Could it be that this person infiltrated Hogwarts and, whether on his own initiative or at Barty Crouch's behest, put her name in the Goblet of Fire?

This speculation was so absurd and ridiculous that Hermione couldn't even bring herself to say it to Harry and Ron.

On the night of the selection of champions, when faced with accusations from the heads of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, Professor Dumbledore proposed a surprising solution. To please Professor Karkaroff and Mrs. Maxim, Professor Dumbledore suggested destroying the Goblet of Fire, severing the covenant between the Goblet of Fire and the champions, and then allowing the three champions other than her to continue participating in the competition.

This way, she can be kept out of danger while the three-way battle can continue.

Hermione thought it was a good idea, except for one thing: the Goblet of Fire would be destroyed.

The person who reacted most strongly to Professor Dumbledore's proposal was Barty Crouch. He firmly disagreed with Professor Dumbledore destroying the Goblet of Fire and finalized Hermione's status as a champion. In order to appease Professor Karkaroff and Madam Maxim, Crouch also proposed that Hogwarts' score in the game be the average of her and Cedric's scores.

To be honest, considering Barty Crouch's status as a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Magic, his reaction in that situation was perfectly normal, wasn't it?

As the key official in the Ministry of Magic who promoted the Tournament, Barty Crouch certainly didn't want to see the Goblet of Fire destroyed. However, considering Professor Dumbledore and Professor Blaine's concern for Barty Crouch before and after the Dark Mark incident, her suspicions grew stronger.

The young wizards were still drinking and chatting, and the merriment in the common room was only slightly less intense than when they had returned. The fire in the nearby fireplace remained burning brightly, but Hermione's heart grew colder and colder.

Professor Dumbledore should have anticipated that some people would disagree with destroying the Goblet of Fire, but he still said it anyway. Does this mean he was testing the waters?

Professor Blaine stated explicitly that night that anyone capable of casting spells on the Goblet of Fire was in that office.

Professors Dumbledore and Blaine are undoubtedly authorities, and when their views are aligned, Hermione rarely doubts their judgment.

Professor Blaine's statement, and Professor Dumbledore's increasingly plausible suggestion, seemed like a probing one.

Hermione looked up at Ron and Harry, her face deathly pale.

If, if, things are really as she suspects, Barty Crouch isn't as righteous as people think.

Barty, or rather, Barty and that Death Eater, were both in the room behind the Great Hall that night?!