A certain Hogwarts professor of runes.

“No, Felix, you don’t understand him. Voldemort used power as the foundation of his rule. Without power, he lost the ability to control his subordinates,” Dumbledore sighed. “I visited his companions and staff at the orphanage one by one during the summer holidays, and the more I learned, the clearer I became about his nature.”

Felix thought for a moment: "So his hiding in the Albanian forest all these years is also related to this? After losing his power, he didn't trust anyone. No, I should say that those he trusted were all imprisoned in Azkaban... until Peter Pettigrew found him!"

“You’ve hit the nail on the head,” Dumbledore agreed.

Felix frowned. "Can we be sure who did it? Theoretically, the four headmasters and the professors they brought all have a chance, even the professors from Hogwarts..."

That's too broad a range.

“Igor Karkaroff was a Death Eater,” Dumbledore said calmly. “That’s why I stopped Alastor.”

"Could it be him?" Felix was skeptical. Karkaroff's reaction was too real. Even if he wanted to clear his name, there was no need to go to such lengths. The emotions of the other three schools were stirred up by him.

On the contrary, Moody... scenes from the past flashed by quickly, some doubts seemed ambiguous, and he could not produce any evidence.

“Karkaroff is unlikely; he betrayed his former master and gave up a list of Death Eaters after the war,” Dumbledore said. “Personally, I don’t think Voldemort will target him.”

“The Imperius Curse? Polyjuice Potion?” Felix asked tentatively. He wasn’t referring to this person, but wanted to gauge Dumbledore’s reaction.

“You still don’t understand what I mean, Felix. If it were Voldemort, he wouldn’t show his vulnerable side to his former traitors. He would rather proclaim his name after his resurrection, letting the traitors live in fear day and night until they die silently in a dark corner.”

Felix nodded. So this was the Dark Lord's pride? He said softly, "As far as I know, Professor Moody claimed he had been attacked before he joined the company..."

Dumbledore looked over sharply.

"...I also noticed that he always carried a curved wine bottle with him, but I never saw him open it. I'm a little suspicious. Doesn't he get thirsty?"

Dumbledore stared at him for a dozen seconds before calmly saying, “That’s just your guess. Alastor is quite sensitive, and it’s common knowledge that he never touches any suspicious food. I’ve known him for over half a century, longer than Voldemort, and I know him well enough, but I haven’t found anything suspicious about him.”

"We cannot take action against someone based on mere speculation."

“It’s ‘you’ who wouldn’t act on suspicion,” Felix emphasized deliberately.

Dumbledore fell silent.

“Dumbledore,” Felix said, his voice turning somber, “we shouldn’t let a potential threat linger around us, at least we should test the waters.”

After a moment of silence—

What are you planning to do?

“The Imperius Curse, Polyjuice Potion, and memory manipulation are the three methods I can think of, but the third method cannot be verified for the time being without subduing Professor Moody,” Felix said, also mentioning others to make himself seem less targeted at Moody: “Of course, it applies to others as well.”

"The premise is that they are not willing to become Voldemort's lackeys," Dumbledore added.

“That’s right. If he’s willing, my methods are very limited. A dark wizard who dares to cause trouble in front of you will definitely be wary of Legilimency,” Felix also felt the problem was getting to him. “Do you expect me to examine his memories bit by bit? What’s the difference between that and stripping him naked?”

If you make a mistake, you'll be creating a mortal enemy for yourself.

Why do wizards value their own memories? Because their concerns are valid; wizards do indeed have the means to modify, forge, and erase other people's memories.

“I’ll handle this, Felix. I’ll go and talk to Alastor,” Dumbledore said in a deep voice. “I will test the Imperius Curse and Polyjuice Potion, but I disagree with probing memories. That would be the greatest insult to Alastor.”

"But……"

“I do not agree to any extreme measures until there is more concrete evidence,” he said firmly. “Besides that, if he has no problems, I intend to have him keep an eye out for suspicious people around him…”

Felix shrugged. "I'll wait for your answer." He snapped his fingers, dispelling the magic, and the two returned to reality.

Inside the room, Mrs. Maxim was glaring at him, looking furious. Her chest, clad in black satin, heaved violently, as if she were about to throw a punch at him at any moment. However, perhaps remembering his status as a school board member, she managed to hold back.

She remained silent. Karkaroff, finally recovering from Moody's shadow, said impatiently, "What's this little problem? How are you going to solve it? You've been staring at each other for a full half minute without saying a word. Don't think you can get away with this. If you don't have a good solution, then release Durmstrang and allow them to use whatever means necessary—"

“Principal Karkaroff,” Felix said, looking at him, “the restrictions on your students aren’t as great as you might think—”

"What did you say?" Karkaroff stared wide-eyed.

"I have a question: Is Durmstrang a school that trains dark wizards?"

"That's slander! Mr. Crouch, did you hear that?"

“Let me finish,” Felix stared at him. “It’s true that Durmstrang is the most open-minded school when it comes to the Dark Arts. But that doesn’t mean Durmstrang is a school that ‘specializes’ in teaching the Dark Arts. The Dark Arts only make up a small part of the curriculum. At least, I don’t see much of the Dark Arts in your textbooks…”

"Dark magic is most widely used in duels, but don't you teach disarming spells? Stunning spells? Armor spells?"

Felix said slowly, "Dark magic is only an effective supplement, but it will never become the mainstream of a magic school that admits students openly. No matter how much you like dark magic, you should keep that in mind!"

Karkaroff was speechless.

If he admits that Durmstrang University primarily teaches Dark Magic, the school's reputation will be completely ruined tomorrow. As the headmaster, he must stand up and clear his name, as well as that of the school.

Karkaroff said, his face flushed, "Dark magic is only a part of Durmstrang. We have the ability to deal with its side effects. There are professors in the school who will assess students' learning progress and selectively teach them dark magic."

That's what they say, but in private, many professors turn a blind eye and don't pursue the matter too much, which is why Durmstrang has a reputation for advocating black magic.

The fact that Durmstrang did not become a concentration camp for dark wizards is indeed related to the school's system. They did adhere to certain vetting standards, the advantage of which was that even if some students practiced dark magic in private, they dared not use it openly, so the frequency of practice was not high, and the impact on their character was not serious.

"What about the extra group of warriors at Hogwarts?" Karkaroff abruptly changed the subject.

“It’s simple. Since you all see it as Hogwarts’ advantage, let’s turn it into a disadvantage,” Felix said casually, glancing at the warriors and headmaster present. They didn’t care whether there were dark wizards secretly coveting Harry or Durmstrang’s teaching problems; they just wanted to know how to reasonably weaken one side before the match.

“Headmaster Dumbledore, Mr. Crouch, Mr. Bagman, I suggest that Hogwarts’ scores be calculated as averages.”

Chapter 384 Motivation

"Based on the mean?" Bagman asked uneasily.

“That’s right, the average. Hogwarts currently has two groups of champions. The first group comes from three different houses, while the second group is entirely from Gryffindor. Obviously, this is not good for the relationship between the students of the four houses. So, let’s just tie them together…”

"For example, five schools, plus two judges, let's assume a maximum score of 70 points for each project. If Hogwarts gets one group 70 points and another group gets 0 points, the final two groups will score 35 points."

"However, when it comes to the order of priority in projects, it's best to calculate them separately," he added.

Everyone's eyes lit up, and they nodded involuntarily.

Mrs. Maxim frowned. "If I understand correctly, Hogwarts needs to be first or second to win the tournament, which is a huge disadvantage..."

Bagman wiped his round face with a handkerchief, looking very anxious. "Finally, someone has spoken up. I think so too. What if one group performs too poorly? Wouldn't that drag down the other group that had a chance to win?"

Karkaroff laughed. "I think this method is quite fair."

Bagman said irritably, "What if one of the teams dies! Uh, sorry, I mean... what if one team's warriors are unable to compete, for example, due to an incurable injury? Their score will definitely be very low!"

“Isn’t this the punishment for cheating at Hogwarts?” Karkaroff said tactfully.

“Anyone with a brain wouldn’t think Hogwarts did this. I think everyone present should be thoroughly investigated. Besides,” Moody said impatiently, “you haven’t cleared your name yet, Karkaroff!”

Moody's demonic eye darted around, looking at Karkaroff with disdain.

Dumbledore spoke up, saying in his usual calm tone, "If there are no objections, let's proceed with the competition in this manner. The students of the four houses of Hogwarts are one family, and I value their gains in this competition more than the honor of the tournament itself."

Harry felt extremely guilty. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but Hermione pulled him back and shook her head firmly.

After a long silence, no one raised any objections. Everyone accepted that Hogwarts would have two groups of champions and their unique scoring system, which, frankly, exceeded their initial expectations.

By this point, most people actually believed that the anomaly in the Goblet of Fire was not caused by Hogwarts, but this speculation inevitably cast a shadow over their minds.

Everyone became preoccupied.

“Alright,” Dumbledore said with a smile, looking at the others—Harry couldn’t believe he could smile—“next, Mr. Crouch, please instruct the champions. Barty?”

Mr. Crouch seemed to suddenly snap out of his deep thought.

“Okay,” he said, “Guide, yes… the first project…” In the bright light, he looked particularly haggard, with two thick bags under his eyes and deep wrinkles that looked as if they had been carved with a knife.

"This year's tournament is different from previous ones, completely different... In addition to the unprecedented number of five schools and six teams, the competition is being held in groups. We have to increase the difficulty while ensuring the safety of our warriors. Rest assured, the Ministry of Magic has arranged professional staff to protect everyone. Furthermore, Dumbledore has promised that he will choose a highly powerful wizard to lead the entire event... Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore nodded and said cheerfully, "I already have the right person in mind."

“Very well, let’s get back to the main topic,” Mr. Crouch said. “The first project is very difficult and time-sensitive, it’s on the 24th of this month… Therefore, we’ve prepared three keywords to provide a direction for the warriors, but we won’t tell you exactly what you’ll be facing… You’ll need to use your brains a bit…”

"The first key word is courage. This tests your boldness and your willingness to face the unknown—if you're too foolish to guess. However, the department believes that knowing what you're facing and still choosing to face it bravely is an even more valuable quality."

"The second key word is cooperation. I don't need to say much about it. Every participating team—three people—must unite. One person alone cannot complete the project."

“The third keyword, fire,” Gravis of Ilvermorne glanced quickly at Hermione as Crouch uttered the word, his face pale, but no one noticed. Crouch continued, “I won’t go into details; consider it a secret, and also a test of your wisdom…”

He stopped, leaving those in the room to ponder the three words: courage, cooperation, and fire. Only the third word truly mattered. Many realized that the warriors might be facing dangerous magical fire—perhaps the environment, a trap, or some kind of magical creature that manipulated fire.

Barty Crouch retreated into the shadows, and Ludo Bagman said happily, "Barty has already given everyone hints; with careful preparation, I believe you can handle those—"

"Fire dragon!" a voice suddenly said.

“Wh-what?” Bagman almost bit his tongue. He turned his head sharply and stared at the inconspicuous student who had made the sound.

Ron stammered, "I guessed. It breathes fire. The only thing that comes to mind is a fire-breathing dragon. When I was in first grade—"

Harry stepped on his foot. "Uh, I mean," Ron racked his brains, trying not to reveal Hagrid's existence, "someone in my family works at a dragon farm. I visited when I was a freshman, and it left a deep impression on me..."

Bagman's tense face relaxed. "Really? Ah, I see... But you misheard. Barty said flames, not fire-breathing..." He repeated nervously, "Not fire-breathing." His body swayed uneasily, and his movements were observed by those who were paying attention.

Felix turned his head away, speechless. Could you have been any more obvious in your hints?

"So it's not a fire dragon?" asked a warrior from Vagado.

Everyone stared at him as if he were a monstrous monster or something similar. Bagman pretended not to hear him and turned to Dumbledore. "Our mission is almost complete. I'd like to stay at Hogwarts tonight, is that alright?"

“Of course,” Dumbledore said. “Barty, why don’t you stay too? You look too tired.”

"No, I have to go back to the department. It's a very busy and difficult time right now... I'll put young Wetherby in charge temporarily..." he mumbled, and was the first to leave.

People gradually left, and once everyone else in the house had left—"Alastor," Dumbledore said, leaving Moody behind.

The door slammed shut behind them.

Felix stood not far away, waiting quietly, as still as a statue.

After an unknown amount of time, the door opened again, and Moody came out, limping away with his cane.

A moment later, Dumbledore came out, looked at Felix in the corner, and shook his head slightly.

Is Moody really the one? Based on the information we have so far, he's the prime suspect. If not him, then who is it?

Felix's heart sank. Dumbledore had left, leaving him alone to think quietly. In the Mind Chamber, figures appeared one after another, some clear, some blurry.

Even Karkaroff's goatee kept flashing through his mind.

“Heh, this is getting more and more interesting,” Felix muttered to himself. “Perhaps it’s time to bring out the Marauder’s Map…”

On his way back to the office, he turned a corner and a group of people rushed out.

"Professor, we are willing to forfeit the competition..."

"Yes, Professor Hyp."

"Could you speak with Headmaster Dumbledore again—"