"Minerva, Filius, send all students back to their dormitories. Clear the stands. I'll explain to the judges—have them wait in the empty conference room beside the Great Hall," Dumbledore commanded with calm authority, power radiating from him like heat from a flame.
"Get Sirius Black here immediately. He's to stay with Harry."
Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick nodded briefly and vanished.
"Hagrid, search the maze. You've already brought Krum and Fleur out, yes?"
Hagrid nodded his massive head.
"What about Alastor?" Dumbledore asked.
"We split up after the tournament started," Hagrid replied.
Dumbledore's gaze fell on the "Cedric" on the ground—now fully transformed into a middle-aged man who was grinning malevolently at everyone present.
"Find the real Cedric," Dumbledore instructed Hagrid. "And take all the champions to the hospital wing."
"No, Professor, I don't want to go! What's happening here?" Harry shouted. After so long without explanation, he was completely bewildered. He stared desperately at Orli, hoping she'd say something.
Orli remained silent. She simply helped Harry to his feet, her fingers gripping his arm tightly, her mind completely blank.
Hagrid left, and Dumbledore didn't force him to take Harry away.
"Evan Avery," Snape's voice was colder than the depths of the Black Lake. He stared at the man on the ground—filthy, emaciated, deathly pale, with dirty gray curls and sunken eyes, like a walking skeleton.
"Severus. It's been quite some time," the man called Avery replied, his voice carrying a deeply unpleasant oily quality.
"Veritaserum, Severus," Dumbledore said curtly.
Snape said nothing more. He produced a small vial of clear liquid and, despite Avery's struggles and resistance, forced it down his throat.
Soon, his eyes grew vacant and unfocused, his cheeks slackening as he entered a trance-like state.
Harry seemed to understand. The last time he and Orli had witnessed such a scene was during Peter Pettigrew's interrogation. Sirius arrived just then, taking Harry from Orli's arms and letting the boy lean against him for support as they waited for Dumbledore to speak.
"Can you hear me?" Dumbledore asked calmly.
Avery's eyelids fluttered.
"I can," he murmured.
"I want you to tell us," Dumbledore continued gently, "how did you infiltrate Hogwarts?"
Avery shuddered, taking a deep breath, then began speaking in a flat, emotionless monotone.
"After the Quidditch World Cup incident, things got too dangerous. I went home, planning to lay low for a while. Then... one day—the Master, the Dark Lord, came for me."
He shook his head, fear twisting his features:
"One night, Wormtail carried him to my house. He said he'd originally planned to find Barty Jr.—he'd captured Bertha Jorkins. He tortured her, made her reveal all sorts of information. She told him about the Triwizard Tournament, that old Auror Moody would be teaching at Hogwarts... and that Barty Jr. hadn't actually been executed all those years ago."
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