In the Forbidden Forest, Dumbledore and Eda were both thinking about who had attacked Krum. Only Karkaroff did not bother thinking, caring only about benefits and unfairness, and wanting to vent the resentment in his heart.
As a result, the more Karkaroff spoke, the more outrageous he became. Not only was he speaking without restraint, he even spat at Dumbledore.
Even Voldemort would not dare spit at Dumbledore. How could a mere Karkaroff dare to do such a thing! This was no longer simply losing his mind. Karkaroff's brain was clearly incompletely developed, with his cerebellum not developed at all.
Eda had known Hagrid for so long, yet this was the first time she had seen him move so quickly. It was also the first time she had seen this gentle half-giant become angry.
In the blink of an eye, Hagrid had rushed in front of Karkaroff. He grabbed the front of Karkaroff's fur cloak, lifted him into the air, and slammed him hard against a nearby tree.
It was effortless and casual, as though the person Hagrid was holding was not a human being, but a little chick that had just hatched from its egg.
"Apologize!" The furious Hagrid's voice was like a giant bell, like thunder. "Apologize now!"
Karkaroff, suspended in midair, struggled to breathe. Hagrid's massive fist was pressed against his throat, while his feet dangled in the air, kicking desperately like someone struggling for their life.
To be honest, if Karkaroff continued like this, he would not be able to say a single word. Soon enough, he would not even need to breathe anymore.
Krum seemed to want to say or do something to help his Headmaster out of the situation.
However, before Krum could move, he saw Eda's warning gaze. It seemed to say: Try moving. Just try. If you dare move, I'll bury both of you right here!
He did not dare move. He absolutely did not dare move. That look was clearly not a joke. Besides, Krum also felt that his Headmaster had gone too far.
One of Hagrid's hands was still holding Karkaroff up, while his other hand was drawn back, as if, if Karkaroff did not apologize, his truly cauldron-sized fist would smash straight into Karkaroff's oily, powdered face.
"Hagrid, stop!" Dumbledore shouted, his eyes flashing sharply.
The furious half-giant immediately calmed down and released Karkaroff. However, he was still muttering, "Never insult Albus Dumbledore in front of me!"
Karkaroff slid down the tree trunk and collapsed into a heap beside its roots. Some branches and leaves fell onto Karkaroff's head like rain.
"Hagrid, please escort Harry back to the Gryffindor common room. I want you to personally watch him walk inside," Dumbledore instructed.
Hagrid really wanted to stay, but after seeing Dumbledore's firm gaze, he had no choice but to leave with Harry first.
The Forbidden Forest fell silent once again. Karkaroff lay collapsed beneath the tree as though he had broken down completely. Krum was also leaning against a tree, his expression dejected, seemingly very frustrated with himself for shrinking back just now.
After more than ten minutes, Moody returned from searching for Barty Crouch. He shook his large head and said gruffly, "I've searched all around here. I didn't find anything, Dumbledore. No people, no traces left behind, and no body."
The scars crisscrossing Moody's face made it difficult to determine his emotions from his expression. Even so, Eda could still hear the seriousness, solemnity, and faint regret in his voice.
He was acting far too convincingly. It was exactly the regret of an Auror who had found nothing at a crime scene. What an actor. The best actor in Hogwarts, without a doubt.
Dumbledore nodded and said, "Thank you, Alastor. But I still have to trouble you with one more thing. Please escort Karkaroff and his student back to their ship."
"No problem, Dumbledore," Moody said. "I suppose I should get some exercise. This wooden leg of mine walks too slowly."
Where Moody could not see, Dumbledore raised an eyebrow slightly.
Moody first looked at Krum and asked, "Boy, can you stand up on your own?" When Krum nodded, Moody walked toward Karkaroff, who was still collapsed beneath the tree.
Having just narrowly escaped the brink of death, Karkaroff was mentally dazed. He did not even react when Moody kicked him with his wooden leg. If Dumbledore had not stopped Hagrid in time, that punch would certainly have left a huge dent in Karkaroff's head.
Krum struggled to stand, then laboriously helped Karkaroff to his feet. Only then could the three of them leave the Forbidden Forest.
After everyone had gone far away, Eda asked quietly, "Professor, should we search the area again?" Now that they knew Moody's identity was false, naturally his search results could not be trusted.
Dumbledore did not move or answer Eda's question. Instead, he asked, "Did you hear what he just said?"
"I did," Eda replied. "He said his wooden leg walks too slowly. He emphasized it twice. He's trying too hard to cover something up."
Alastor Moody was a proud man. He would not use his physical disability as an excuse. Besides, Moody had been lame for many years. He might not like his disability, but he should have become accustomed to the speed of his wooden leg long ago.
"He said it deliberately so that we would hear it. On top of that, he happened to encounter Severus in the castle, making sure to distance himself from everything," Dumbledore said. "He is doing everything he can to prove that he is innocent."
"But none of us has ever shown any suspicion toward him," Eda added. "His explanation has instead become a cover, hiding his own guilt."
Dumbledore walked toward the direction where Moody had initially searched for Crouch, with Eda following behind him.
"Time was tight, so he probably acted in haste, and his arrangements were bound to be less than perfect," Dumbledore said as he walked. "So I was wondering if he would volunteer to search for Crouch."
That was exactly what Moody had done. Faced with the bait Dumbledore had thrown out, Moody had swallowed it without hesitation.
One had to remember that Moody had only just arrived at the Forbidden Forest at that time.
All he knew from Dumbledore was that Crouch had disappeared. He had neither questioned Harry, even though Harry was the first witness, nor Eda, even though Eda had been the first person to arrive at the scene.
Moody had asked nothing. He had simply gone straight to look for Bartemius Crouch. Even the slightest suspicious point could be magnified infinitely, especially since, in the eyes of Dumbledore and Eda, he was already an impostor.
Going around in circles, Dumbledore and Eda found no sign of Bartemius Crouch nearby, not even the slightest trace, as though Crouch had vanished into thin air.
"Professor, is Bartemius Crouch still alive?" Eda asked. Although she asked whether he was still alive, what she actually meant was that Crouch should already be dead.
When Moody had gone to search for Crouch just now, he should have cleaned up all the traces he had not had time to deal with earlier, leaving nothing behind.
Moody had left without worry precisely because he was confident that Dumbledore would not discover anything.
Dumbledore said nothing. He placed a hand against a nearby tree and looked up at the night sky.
However, most of the trees in the Forbidden Forest were tall and dense, so he could only see scattered patches of sky through the gaps between the leaves.
"Eda, darkness is about to descend," Dumbledore said softly. "He is coming very soon. Perhaps tomorrow, perhaps the day after tomorrow. Is your heart prepared?"
His failure to answer directly was actually the best answer. Whatever the reason, a father imprisoning his son and a son killing his father were both tragedies against human morality. Eda could not even bring herself to joke about "a loving father and a filial son."
"I think we will definitely win in the end, won't we?" Eda said. "Just like dawn will always come, driving away the darkness of night."
"Well said." Dumbledore withdrew his hand and continued, "Let us go back. I think I need to adjust our plans in time."
With that, the two of them left the Forbidden Forest together and returned to the castle. Neither of them spoke during the journey back.
It was not until they reached the entrance hall that Dumbledore suddenly said something completely unrelated.
"Eda, when it comes to fighting Voldemort, no matter what Severus does, you must trust him unconditionally."
Eda scratched her head. Why was he suddenly bringing this up? She was somewhat puzzled and asked, "Professor, what happened?"
"You only need to remember what I said." Dumbledore emphasized once again, "When it comes to fighting Voldemort, you must trust Severus unconditionally, no matter what he does. Do you understand?"
Eda answered seriously, "I understand. Trust Professor Snape unconditionally, no matter what he does."
...
(～￣▽￣)～Read 12 Chapters ahead:
Patreon: Dragonel