The Return to Hogwarts

Many people rushed toward Amosta at the same time, but the fastest one was actually Fu Rong.

After being reminded by Madame Maxim, she lifted her tear-streaked face and stared blankly at Amosta and the group of people at his feet. Suddenly, she let out a scream that made Madame Maxim, who was standing close by, show a pained expression.

"You found her, right? Was she injured? Is she still alive?"

Hibiscus cried, her face streaked with tears. She rushed to Amosta's side, shouting. This time, she didn't give him any ambiguous look. She threw herself on Gabrielle, looking at her sister's bluish face, and cried uncontrollably.

Dumbledore, over a hundred years old, was the second to arrive. Every wrinkle on his aged face carried a cold rage. His azure eyes met Amos Tower's calm gaze for a moment, then he looked at Harry on the ground and let out a barely perceptible sigh of relief. But when he saw Barty and Gilgamesh, a strong light flickered in Dumbledore's eyes, and he remained silent, asking nothing.

"You found them! Where is Amosta?!"

Professor McGonagall arrived shortly after and saw her students on the ground. She also saw Barty the Elder and mistakenly thought that Professor McGonagall's body had collapsed and that she had only managed to stay upright thanks to Professor Snape's support. But Snape's gaze fell on Harry. The darkness in his eyes was fading, and despair was beginning to emerge.

"Oh my god, you see it? It's Batistuta!"

The people at the Ministry of Magic immediately sensed that Fudge's voice was shrill, like a chicken being choked. His face was flushed red, and he pointed at Old Barty, whose neck bore a gruesome wound, his round fingers trembling uncontrollably. He glared at Old Barty, repeatedly turning his head to question who the clearly dead man was.

"Oh my god, what's going on, Batty?!"

Everyone in the Ministry of Magic knew who it was; they didn't need Fudge to tell them. Everyone—including Umbridge, Amelia, and some officials in charge of important departments like Scrimgeour—had the same look of astonishment on their faces!

Durmstrang students checked repeatedly, and they finally confirmed it: Hogwarts' Blaine had not brought their headmaster back. They didn't know what this meant. Perhaps they did, but simply didn't want to believe it.

Many people were talking to Amosta, some excited, some fearful, chattering incessantly, as if only in this way could they soothe their inner helplessness.

Sirius and Remus ran breathlessly along the lakeshore, pushing their way to the front of the crowd. Many people noticed them but ignored them. Dumbledore glanced at them, then finally stepped forward.

"Where did you find them, Amosta?"

Regardless, the show still has to be performed.

"A dark crevice at the bottom of the lake. I don't know how they got there."

Amosta said calmly,

“I checked. As you can see, Mr. Barty Crouch is dead, but the others are still alive.”

"Are you really alive, Amosta? Are you sure?"

Professor McGonagall's voice trembled. Fleur, who had been holding Gabrielle and weeping incessantly with a heart-wrenching expression, also stopped crying in front of her.

I'm quite sure.

Amosta said, turning to look at the people on the ground. He snapped his fingers, and an invisible wave of magic swept over them. A fleeting orange-yellow magical rune appeared on the chest of their tracksuits, and then—

hiss!

A sudden gasp filled the air, and the chests of the children on the ground began to rise and fall noticeably. Then, amidst gasps of surprise, one by one they opened their dazed eyes.

The somber graveyard contrasted sharply with the sun-drenched, breezy shores of Black Lake. The newly revived individuals were filled with bewilderment, but after a few moments of silence, almost simultaneously, Harry, Ron, and Hermione sprang to their feet, while Gabrielle, the instant she opened her eyes, was pulled tightly into Fleur's arms, unable to move.

Harry was trembling violently. Unlike Hermione and Ron, he wasn't uncomfortable with his surroundings or the many solemn faces staring at them. His eyes were only on Ron and Hermione, his two best friends.

Harry bit his lip tightly, but that didn't stop his tears from streaming down his face. He raised both hands, his trembling fingertips close to their cheeks, slowly, as if afraid it was all just a dream.

"Hey bro, what's wrong?"

Ron, still bewildered, asked in astonishment, while Hermione recalled the fact that she seemed to be dead. She wasn't dead. Could it be that she and Ron weren't under the Killing Curse? But what about Gabrielle? She saw Gabrielle die under the Killing Curse. Mr. Barty Crouch... was he dead?

"You saved us, didn't you, Harry?"

Hermione was also in tears, sobbing.

"You brought us back, didn't you? That's amazing, Harry, but how did you do it?"

Harry didn't answer any questions. He looked at the two familiar faces that had come back to life, and recalled the moment he was cursed. How desperate he must have felt then; his world seemed to have collapsed at that moment.

Ouch! Ugh!

Ron and Hermione both gasped as Harry pulled them into a tight embrace, their three faces, now much less childish, pressed together under everyone's gaze.

Amos Tower's gaze softened, Dumbledore wiped away his moist eyes, and Professor McGonagall shed tears.

Remus and Sirius watched this scene with deep sadness.

With so many people watching, Harry held Hermione and Ron's arms for a full two minutes, until Ron shifted uncomfortably a few times.

"It's embarrassing, brother. Maybe you didn't notice, but there are more than just the three of us here."

Harry smiled, bubbles coming out of his nose, but he didn't wipe them away. He just looked at Ron and Hermione with a face full of happiness and contentment.

Everyone could see that these children had gone through a terrifying ordeal, but what exactly was it? Was it Voldemort, whom Vitia Creona had mentioned before when she was taken away, who had been resurrected?

"good boy"

Professor McGonagall, her eyes brimming with tears, covered her mouth and said sadly that she couldn't bear to disturb these children who had escaped death, but she was very concerned about their well-being.

"You all need to rest. Go get checked out, go to the school clinic."

Professor McGonagall's voice finally calmed Harry down. He gripped Ron and Hermione's glove socks tightly, blew his nose hard, and then turned to face Professor Dumbledore and Professor Blaine. His gaze lingered on Professor Blaine for a moment, and the words he had heard after returning to the lake echoed in his ears.

"Voldemort is back, Professor Dumbledore!"

Harry looked at Professor Dumbledore and said, his words like a cold wind passing by, instantly silencing the clamor on the lakeshore.

Chapter 863 Fudge's Attitude

2024-04-14

The crowd stirred restlessly; many had already anticipated this. The most notorious dark witch of recent years, Vitia Creona, had caused quite a stir when she suddenly transformed from Moody, and now, facing arrest, she smiled and said this.

Nobody knows why she gave such a warning. Wasn't she in league with Voldemort? Didn't she escape from Azkaban? If that's the case, why did she show herself? Why didn't she fight back?

Perhaps she simply wanted to create panic and chaos. From a dark wizard's perspective, this is quite reasonable; she thrives on chaos. Even Hogwarts faculty and staff, such as Professor McGonagall, couldn't help but think this way.

But Dumbledore, Ms. Burns of the Ministry of Magic, and some people in Severus knew very well that Creona was not lying.

Now, Harry, who had been missing for a while and then suddenly reappeared, tells them that 'Voldemort has been resurrected.'

This is the 'Boy Who Lived,' the one who defeated Voldemort and saved the British wizarding world from dire straits.

Fudge gripped his domed hat tightly, his cheeks flushed, his chest heaving violently, as if he wanted to explode, but he restrained the impulse.

Fudge looked around at the bewildered faces, including those of the Aurors—the elite of the Ministry of Magic—who stared at him blankly, seemingly waiting for him to come up with a solution to the situation.

Huff. Huff.

Fudge's forehead was covered in sweat, and his face was turning from red to purple.

The resurrection of the Mystic means chaos, slaughter, death, and war. The Ministry of Magic cannot deal with him alone and must rely on Harry Potter, who once defeated the Mystic, on Dumbledore, and on Blaine to get closer to them, even to the point of bowing down and relinquishing power!

Fudge tugged at his collar, every thought suffocating him. He knew many people were watching him, awaiting the British Minister for Magic's decision.

“I’m sure you were quite frightened, child. A criminal who should have been imprisoned in Azkaban escaped and caused this incident.”

Fudge forced a smile. He glanced at Blaine a few times, but Blaine didn't look at him, which made him furious. It was clearly Blaine's idea to deceive the public with a 'fake'. He would have endorsed the Ministry of Magic, but now Blaine was silent, leaving the Ministry of Magic to face this alone!

"The Ministry of Magic is duty-bound to handle this matter. We will keep a close watch on the Dark Witch. You brought everyone back, that's impressive, Harry. I think awarding you a Merlin Second Class medal would be a good reward, but... the Man of Victoire is back, haha!"

Fudge flashed an exaggerated smile.

"That's impossible, isn't it? We all know you're the one who defeated him. The mysterious man is completely finished, isn't he? I think Minerva's suggestion is good. You should go to the hospital for a checkup. It's necessary. Look, you're already hallucinating."

"Connelly—"

Ms. Burns spoke with a hint of worry and helplessness, but Fudge suddenly turned around, displaying the full authority of the Minister of Magic, and glared fiercely at Burns, leaving Ms. Burns speechless for a moment.

"That's not a hallucination!"

Harry stared at Fudge in disbelief. He couldn't understand why the Minister of Magic would so absurdly think he was talking nonsense. Didn't he see old Barty Crouch lying on the ground?

"Voldemort has really come back to life. He started as an ugly dwarf, then used magic. Someone was helping him, Barty Crouch's son, Barty Crouch Jr."

Harry was furious. Fudge had no idea what they had seen or experienced. Harry had barely escaped with his life, and Fudge actually said that Harry was confused.

"Ah, ha, Barty Crouch Jr.!"

Fudge suddenly burst out laughing. He looked around, making a ridiculous face as if he had heard a joke.

“Barty Crouch Jr. is ridiculous. He died in Azkaban thirteen years ago, Mr. Potter. I sincerely suggest you go and stay at St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Injuries for a while, because you’ve started talking nonsense!”

"In my opinion, you're the one who's confused!"

Sirius Black was furious. He rushed up to Harry, put an arm around Harry's shoulder, and glared at Fudge, completely disregarding the fact that Fudge was his boss.

"You know Harry isn't lying anymore, you know Voldemort has been resurrected, but you turn a blind eye. You're a complete coward!"

"Sirius!"

Before Fudge, his face ashen, could lash out at Sirius, Dumbledore gave a warning call. Then, Dumbledore looked at Amostella, who, unlike his usual sharp edge, remained calm.

A flicker of helplessness crossed Dumbledore's blue eyes, but he suppressed it and said to Fudge,

“Perhaps we can hear what Harry has been through before commenting, Cornelius. This isn’t the place to talk, we’re in the castle. Come on, Harry, and Ron, Hermione too.”

Dumbledore suddenly became assertive and decisive. He waved his wand, which turned into several stretchers, and had Harry and the others lie on them. Then, he persuaded Fleur to have Gabrielle lie on a stretcher as well.

Looking at the lifeless Barty, a trace of sorrow flashed across Dumbledore's aged face, but he quickly composed himself, had the unconscious Gilgamesh lie on Barty's body, and led them towards the castle.

The Ministry of Magic staff were waiting for Fudge's instructions. Fudge seemed ready to walk away and not want to listen to Harry's nonsense. However, Barty the Elder was still the Director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Magic, and he had to find out what had happened to him.

Previously, because of Vitia's appearance, all the students were confined to the castle and not allowed to go out. Filch was guarding them in the hall.

When they saw Dumbledore leading everyone up the marble steps, the students who had been crowding in the foyer all rushed back into the foyer, craning their necks in curiosity.

The return of Harry, Hermione, and the others brought cheers from the Gryffindor students, but the sight of a man with his head drooping on the edge of a stretcher and a gruesome wound on his neck sent a chill down their spines.