George explained: "That night, there were actually some masked men in black robes planning to cause trouble, but Dumbledore noticed their movements ahead of time. They were caught before they could do much—but when the mascots started attacking the crowd, those guys used the chaos to escape."
Fred continued, "So, if Malfoy's dad was one of those masked men… and then, while escaping, he might have accidentally ran into the Alliance—who were doing something nearby…"
"In order to keep their secrets from getting out, they took Lucius Malfoy away," George said with a wink. "That's why he suddenly disappeared—and why the Malfoy family doesn't dare make it public."
The group fell silent for a moment.
Then Ryan asked quietly, "So… is it also possible… that Malfoy's father was killed that night? And the body was destroyed… which is why they haven't found anything?"
His tone held a mix of sympathy and concern.
Michael raised an eyebrow.
"It's possible, but not likely," Michael said. "This is Lucius Malfoy we're talking about. Even just for the sake of his wealth, those people would keep him alive. Worst case, he's just suffering a bit."
Ryan let out a breath of relief. "That's good to hear…"
"Why are you feeling sorry for Malfoy's dad?" Ron said dismissively. "Do you know how many awful things he's done? That guy used to be one of You-Know-Who's top supporters!"
Wade: "..."
The way they were talking, if Wade weren't in regular contact with Delaine and the others, he might've believed Lucius Malfoy really was taken by the Alliance.
But Wade knew better. After the Killer Forest incident, the Alliance had returned to their fortress. The one whose fate actually did resemble what the others were speculating… was that vampire.
Gale Troka hadn't committed too many crimes before being imprisoned—he mostly smuggled magical goods banned by the Ministry and some thievery.
By Ministry standards, those were serious offenses, but to the Alliance, he was just a low-level crook.
Gale had been cursed by Voldemort and was forced to serve him.
And after he fell into Grindelwald's hands, for reasons unknown, that old man actually helped lift the curse—at the cost of nearly half of Gale's life.
In fact, if Gale hadn't been a vampire, he might not have survived it.
After the curse was broken, Gale smartly clung to the Alliance's side and begged to join with tears in his eyes. They let him in, but in his weakened state, he couldn't do much and still needed time to recover.
Meanwhile, Sirius Black's wand had mysteriously been returned by owl post—not through Wade, but directly to the Black family. That alone had Sirius and Lupin worried for days.
But Lucius Malfoy's disappearance still struck Wade as deeply suspicious.
He wasn't captured by the Alliance, nor was he with Barty Jr. or Voldemort—Wade could tell from the build of the man consumed by the fire stream that night that it definitely wasn't Lucius.
So… that man… could he have gone into hiding on his own?
Wade rubbed his chin, uncertain.
The butterfly effect was causing more and more chain reactions—small disturbances were being amplified, and the original plot was becoming less and less reliable as a reference.
Just like with Barty Crouch Jr.—Wade still had no idea why he managed to break free from his father's control so early.
The trolley witch passed by, and everyone bought a pile of snacks and stacked them on the table. That would serve as their lunch.
"My dad said that we need to be wary of the Alliance," Ginny said quietly, holding a pumpkin pasty. "He thinks they're definitely up to no good."
Harry nodded. "Sirius said the same."
"Doesn't really have much to do with us anyway," Ron said, tearing open a Chocolate Frog package and grabbing the frog before it could leap out. "I just want to know what's going to happen at school this year."
Everyone turned to look at Wade.
Wade set down his carrot juice and said, "I've heard a few things. But at the very latest, Dumbledore will announce it during tonight's feast."
"We want to know now!" the Weasley twins said in unison.
"Alright." Wade didn't care much about the Ministry's so-called secrecy protocols. He asked, "Have you ever heard of the Triwizard Tournament?"
"I have!" Hermione said quickly.
"I read about it in Hogwarts: A History. It was a competition established over seven hundred years ago. Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang—the three biggest magical schools in Europe—would hold a friendly tournament every five years.
Each school selected one champion, and the three champions would compete in three magical challenges!"
"Every five years? How come I've never heard of it?" Harry asked in surprise.
Wade explained, "Because too many people died. Eventually, the tournament was shut down."
"People died?"
Hermione echoed in shock. The book hadn't explained why the tournament was discontinued.
She glanced around and noticed that no one else seemed to share her reaction. In fact, everyone looked thrilled—even shy little Ginny appeared eager and excited.
"They're bringing the Triwizard Tournament back?" Fred leaned forward eagerly. "Then I have to enter. I'm going to be Hogwarts' champion!"
"Hey, guess that makes us rivals this time," George said with a grin, bumping his shoulder.
"It's not exactly the return of the Triwizard Tournament," Wade clarified. "The name has been changed to the Inter-School Magic Tournament."
He looked around at them and said:
"Hundreds of years ago, transportation and communication were nothing like they are today. The original Triwizard Tournament was more like a private competition between three European schools. But this time, a lot more schools are getting involved."
"More?" Harry's eyes widened. "There are that many magic schools?"
"Not counting small local academies or family-run magical schools, there are a total of eleven renowned magic schools," Wade said. "It's said that the Ministry of Magic has spent over a year preparing for this tournament. Just two months ago, the final school agreed to join."
"Merlin's beard! We're going to face opponents from all over the world?" The twins looked at each other, their expressions were both thrilled and wild with excitement.
"How is the tournament going to be held?" Hermione asked anxiously. "What kind of events will there be? It must be dangerous, right? Didn't you say a lot of people died before?"
Wade shook his head. "That part is truly confidential. The specific events probably won't be revealed until right before the tournament begins."
"I wonder how they'll choose the champions," Fred said. "Either way, I have to enter!"
"I don't know if what we've learned will be enough," Ron said, turning to Harry. "What do you think? Wouldn't it be amazing if we could enter?"
Harry grinned. He was a little embarrassed to say it out loud, but deep down, he did want to become a champion—to win the cup for Hogwarts.
Wade turned his gaze to the window. Raindrops were slanting against the glass, and occasionally, lightning flashed across the sky, briefly illuminating the rolling mountains in the distance.
There was one more thing he hadn't mentioned—
Because of the tournament's high risk, the participating schools and the Ministry of Magic had once planned to set an age limit: only students seventeen or older would be allowed to enter.
But due to certain behind-the-scenes influences, that regulation was ultimately scrapped. The rules and the number of participants had been significantly altered.
—No age limit. No school restriction. As long as you qualify, anyone can participate.
The Eleven-School's Inter-School Magic Tournament is coming!
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