During the summer holidays, Harry had once had a nightmare, a nightmare about Voldemort. In that dream, Harry had seen Voldemort and had also heard Voldemort mention Bertha Jorkins.
Harry desperately tried to recall the details of the dream, recounting them one by one to Eda beside him.
"I vaguely remember them mentioning Bertha Jorkins," Harry said excitedly. "They got some information from Bertha Jorkins. Then Voldemort killed her!"
This was a crucial piece of information!
Not because it proved that the missing Bertha Jorkins was already dead, but because it connected Voldemort and Bartemius Crouch.
Previously, Eda had wondered why, if Barty Crouch Jr. had not died in Azkaban and had obediently hidden at home for so many years, he had chosen this year to suddenly come out and stir up trouble.
For Barty Jr., who could not afford to be exposed, stepping into the spotlight in any way was an unwise move. It would put both him and his father in danger.
But why had Barty Jr. still chosen to do it? What had made him reach this decision, and what had given him the motivation to do so?
After hearing Harry's dream with her own ears, Eda finally understood the connection.
Human memories in the wizarding world were not reliable. They could be forgotten or modified, and naturally, they could also be restored. Voldemort had obtained the information he wanted from Bertha Jorkins, including the fact that his loyal servant, Barty Jr., was still alive.
Voldemort needed a loyal servant to act on his behalf, so he sought out Barty Jr., giving him both the opportunity and the confidence to stir up trouble.
This could also explain why Bartemius Crouch had claimed to be ill and stayed at home, as well as why he had begun behaving strangely. Crouch's various abnormal behaviors were not actually his own intentions, but were the result of Voldemort secretly controlling him.
The Imperius Curse. No spell was more suitable for controlling someone than the Imperius Curse. But the Imperius Curse was not foolproof. It could be resisted, and its control could be broken.
Bartemius Crouch, who had claimed to be ill and remained out of sight, had appeared in the Forbidden Forest last night because he had probably broken free from Voldemort's control. But being under the spell for such a long time had damaged his mental state, which was why Harry had thought he was insane.
All the known clues had now been successfully connected, and the truth had surfaced.
Although Eda had reconstructed the truth, she knew this was still far from enough. One crucial piece was still missing. What exactly was Voldemort's objective?
"Harry, you said Voldemort wasn't alone, that there was someone else taking care of him," Eda said. "Who was that person? Can you remember any more details about them?"
Who was taking care of Voldemort? This unknown piece of information was equally crucial. Perhaps they could find Voldemort's hiding place through this person, stop their plans in advance, and capture them all in one go.
"Er... I don't know that person, and I've never seen him before." Harry carefully thought it over, but still could not give a definite answer.
The scenes people saw in dreams were often vague and unclear. It was perfectly normal that Harry could not describe any details about that person, unless he had dreamed about someone he was particularly familiar with or the person had some distinctive feature.
Harry was still struggling to remember. Hermione and Ron had many questions in their hearts, but they did not dare disturb Harry. Eda was also thinking about the possible candidates.
Anyone capable of supporting and taking care of Voldemort would inevitably be a Death Eater. Eda mentally went through the list of Death Eaters she knew, but she could not think of a suitable candidate.
It was almost laughable. Voldemort had fallen for so many years, and only the Lestrange couple had searched for him at the beginning. None of the other Death Eaters who had escaped judgment had ever tried to find him or offer him any help.
Thinking of this, Eda suddenly remembered another person, someone she had overlooked, someone who was unexpected yet completely reasonable once you thought about it, a certain dear Professor.
If he had not exposed himself and come to Hogwarts to cause trouble, perhaps no one in this world would have known that he was also a Death Eater. But he should be in Azkaban now. Could he have escaped as well?
Since when had Azkaban become so full of loopholes?
Harry thought for a long time, but still could not figure it out. He said guiltily, "Eda, I really can't remember. I only remember that he was extremely fanatical about Voldemort. He seemed to worship Voldemort very much."
"Don't feel guilty. It was only a dream for you. Being able to remember this much is already very difficult," Eda comforted him. Although she had not gotten a definite answer from Harry, what they had learned today was already more than enough.
Strict with oneself and lenient with others. There was nothing to blame.
Eda continued, "I know you have a lot of questions in your heart, Harry. I suggest that you go find Dumbledore as soon as possible. I think you will get some answers from Dumbledore."
"Also, apart from Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, don't trust any of the other professors." Eda reminded him. She felt that she should still warn Harry, hoping he could understand her advice and not be completely without any sense of caution.
Although Harry still did not quite understand what Eda meant, he nevertheless nodded solemnly, indicating that he would remember her warning.
She had asked everything she needed to ask and said everything she needed to say, so Eda intended to leave and give the three of them their private space back. However, just as she was walking out the door, Eda suddenly remembered Dumbledore's warning to her.
"Harry, although you may not be able to accept it, Professor Snape is someone worth trusting."
...
Time entered June, and the atmosphere in the castle once again became tense and excited. Everyone was looking forward to the upcoming final task, as well as the summer holiday that would follow.
During this period, Eda had absolutely no idea what Dumbledore was doing all day long. The old man was being mysterious every single day. She did not know whether he was preparing for the crisis that was about to arrive, or had simply chosen to lie flat and do nothing.
But for the moment, none of that had anything to do with Eda. She had another important matter to deal with.
The Triwizard Tournament was a traditional competition, and traditional competitions inevitably had many traditions that had to be followed, such as the Yule Ball, and the fact that the champions' families would come to watch when the third task began.
This meant that Vinda would come to Hogwarts to watch the competition, and would be coming to the place where Eda studied and lived.
There were still several days before the third task officially began, but Vinda had already arrived in Britain and was currently making her way toward Hogwarts.
The news was sent to Eda by Lola through an owl. She had come to Britain together with Vinda. At the time, Lola and Vinda were resting at the Leaky Cauldron.
After receiving this secret notification, Eda hurriedly took the twins to Twilight Cottage and thoroughly tidied the entire cottage from top to bottom, inside and out. Especially her unfinished snacks and half-finished drinks.
Whether in the wizarding world or the Muggle world, parents and elders always seemed to share many things in common.
Take cola, for example. In the eyes of parents, drinking such beverages would cause calcium loss and make your bones so fragile that they would break at the slightest touch. Anything you liked eating was unhealthy and unhygienic. When getting dressed, if your T-shirt happened to cover your shorts, they would think you were not wearing pants.
There were countless examples like these.
What Eda was doing now was to prepare for a surprise inspection and prevent herself from being lectured. Even though Vinda doted on her immensely, these snacks clearly would not pass Vinda's standards.
As for the twins, Fred and George seemed even more flustered than Eda.
The two of them initially just stood to one side like a pair of idiots, completely at a loss. It was only after Eda urged them to get moving that the brothers remembered they needed to clean their own room, hurriedly putting away all their experimental products.
In the eyes of many elders, the things Fred and George researched were simply a waste of time. Mrs. Weasley had burned their orders more than once.
It was not until noon that Eda and the twins, all drenched in sweat, finally finished tidying the cottage. It should be enough to survive their elders' inspection.
...
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