Chapter 275: The End of the Second Task
Three more Champions returned from the bottom of the lake one after another; they had also successfully rescued their targets, but they looked to be in poor condition and had exceeded the time limit.
The remaining Champions were brought out by the Merpeople. These Merpeople, surfacing from the lake, looked around warily, raising their spears as they emerged. In their midst was a female Merperson, taller than the average Merperson.
However, Ethan was somewhat impressed that these Merpeople dared to appear in such a state.
At the same time, Madam Pomfrey also rushed down from the stands, holding some Potions and followed by many blankets.
Upon reaching the Champions, Madam Pomfrey had the blankets distributed, then began to check the condition of each Champion one by one.
Many of them were forcibly given a bottle of Potion by Madam Pomfrey; only Ethan and the three BeauxbatonsChampions were spared.
This Potion was specifically for treating colds, and of course, it also had a preventative effect. Its demand was quite high every October and November.
Moreover, this Potion was personally brewed by Snape, so its taste was imaginable.
Ethan had no need for it at all. After transforming into his Animagus form, his resistance was quite high. This applied not only to physical and magic aspects but also to temperature, so the lake water simply couldn't affect Ethan.
As for the three from Beauxbatons, they had all drunk a Potion before entering the water and were not afraid of the cold lake.
Those Champions who drank the Potion wore pained expressions, and white steam emanated from their ears.
While the Champions rested and received treatment, the judges walked towards the Merpeople.
Although this was a world of magic, specialization was quite severe. At least, there was no magic that could clearly observe the movements at the bottom of the Black Lake from the stands.
This meant that, like the audience, they knew nothing about the specific performances below, except for the time each contestant came ashore, which left them with little basis for scoring.
Therefore, Dumbledore had long agreed with the Merpeople that they would inform him of the Champions' performances after the task ended.
Then, based on these performances, they would score.
Originally, Dumbledore was supposed to go and ask the Merpeople alone, but at Karkaroff's strong insistence, all the judges went together.
However, watching Dumbledore jabbering with the Merperson Queen, Karkaroff and Madam Maxime fell silent.
What kind of gibberish was that?
Normally, many humanoid Animals could speak human languages, though this was not an innate skill but learned later.
Apart from Goblins and House-elves, races that frequently interacted with Wizards, human languages were also quite common among Veela, Centaurs, Leprechauns, and Merpeople.
But they never expected the Merpeople in Hogwarts's Black Lake to be a bunch of bumpkins who couldn't speak human languages at all.
And Dumbledore, that old man, actually spoke the Merpeople's language. How could they argue with that?
Wouldn't whatever he said be taken as fact?
Could this also be part of Dumbledore's calculations? Karkaroff and Madam Maxime thought a lot in an instant.
They felt that ever since they entered Hogwarts, everything had been proceeding in a direction favorable to Hogwarts. Perhaps that red-haired kid was intentionally thrown out by Dumbledore to mislead them.
Meanwhile, Dumbledore was not discussing the Champions' performances with the Merperson Queen at all, but rather listening to her description of the black dragon that Ethan had transformed into.
At this moment, Dumbledore was somewhat relieved, fortunate that Ethan had some sense and didn't attack these Merpeople. Otherwise, even he wouldn't have been able to stop it in time, and then, even if some Merpeople survived, they would all have to move.
"Queen Murcus, I can guarantee that black dragon will not go down into the Black Lake again."
Dumbledore assured the Merperson Queen in the Merpeople's language.
He could see that Ethan had no interest in the Black Lake, especially in this group of Merpeople.
Their appearance truly didn't align with human aesthetics, and even less so for Ethan, a pervert.
If not for this Triwizard Tournament, Dumbledoreestimated that Ethan would never approach them in his lifetime.
So, under normal circumstances, Ethan naturally wouldn't go down into the Black Lake to interact with them, and thus the black dragon would naturally not appear before them again.
If this group of Merpeople were replaced by Sirens, Dumbledore would not dare to make such a guarantee.
He even suspected whether Ethan would transform into a black dragon and go down every now and then.
"Can you deal with it?"
Merperson Queen Murcus still held Dumbledore in high regard.
Mainly, these humanoid Animal tribes living near Hogwarts had made agreements with successive Hogwarts Principals, primarily to restrain these tribes. To live here, they had to obey his rules, and this process naturally required a display of strength.
Dumbledore was no exception; he had easily suppressed this Merperson Queen's mother, the previous MerpersonQueen.
But even knowing that Dumbledore was powerful enough, even one of the best among Wizards, she was still somewhat doubtful at this moment.
Mainly, that black dragon's oppressive aura was too strong, giving them an invincible feeling. It was not a normal creature at all, and there was no record in Merperson history of such a huge black dragon that could go underwater.
Moreover, the opponent could move freely in the water, and at that speed, if it attacked, these Merpeople wouldn't even be able to run.
"Not really, but this time the black dragon's appearance in the Black Lake is related to the Triwizard Tournament."
Hearing this, Merperson Queen Murcus finally breathed a sigh of relief. If it was related to the Triwizard Tournament, it meant it had no interest in Merpeople, no wonder it rescued a Wizard tied underwater.
But she quickly thought of something else and immediately stated firmly:
"We Merpeople will not participate in the Triwizard Tournament arrangements from now on."
After speaking, she looked at Dumbledore seriously. She didn't know how many Triwizard Tournaments there would be in the future, and if one came every few years, which Merperson could endure it?
When they encountered that black dragon underwater earlier, many Merpeople were greatly frightened, and some were even still hiding in caves or stone houses. If it weren't for wanting to communicate with Dumbledoreabout the black dragon, she herself wouldn't have come out.
Anyway, they would not join the so-called Triwizard Tournament events in the future.
"I can guarantee that during my tenure, I will not let you participate in the Triwizard Tournament events."
Dumbledore also knew that after this, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons would certainly not agree to host the Triwizard Tournament again for a short period, and even if they did, it wouldn't be at Hogwarts.
As for how many years later, who knew? Perhaps it would be suspended for a while and then restarted, just like now.
Moreover, he would not give any promise that could represent future Principals.
However, Merperson Queen Murcus naturally did not agree with Dumbledore's answer.
Given Dumbledore's age, how many more years could he live? Even if he was still alive, he might retire after a few years, so there was no real guarantee.
"This…"
Before Merperson Queen Murcus could finish speaking, Dumbledore interrupted her.
"Any future discussions should be directed to the current Principal. I have no right to make decisions for them."
"Now, tell me about the Champions' performances down below, Murcus!"
Looking at Dumbledore, who was unyielding, MerpersonQueen Murcus also remembered that their statuses were not equal, so she had no choice but to start describing the Champions' performances below. Of course, she could only say what she knew.
However, due to the black dragon's intrusion, they didn't know much, as most had hidden in fear and dared not observe from outside.
It was only because the black dragon had left the Black Lake and there had been no movement for a while that they dared to come out and rescue the Champions.
After understanding the situation, Dumbledore then dismissed Merperson Queen Murcus and turned to consult with the other judges.
Although they held doubts about Dumbledore's words, based on their actual observations from above, the situation was largely similar.
Therefore, Karkaroff and Madam Maxime did not refute him.
Soon, the discussion ended, but as a result, Karkaroff and Madam Maxime both looked rather displeased.
Watching Ludo step onto the platform, preparing to announce the results, the noisy audience clenched their fists.
At the same time, the Champions were also extremely nervous, especially those who had exceeded the time limit and still hadn't successfully rescued their partners.
Even though they knew their Principal would never give them a zero, what if!
Wouldn't they become a joke like that red-haired one?
Under the gaze of almost everyone present, Ludo cast a Sonorus Charm on himself.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have finally made our decision. The Merperson Chief, Murcus, has told us everything that happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have decided to score the Champions out of fifty points as follows…"
"Ethan Adrien, his outstanding Transfigurationastonished us. He rescued the hostage in less than half the allotted time, so we award him a perfect score of fifty points."
A cheer erupted from the stands. Ethan's perfect score was indeed beyond question.
If it weren't a perfect score, they would suspect some foul play.
Next, Ludo announced again.
"Fleur Delacour, she conquered the Grindylows with her charm and also rescued the hostage in less than half the time, therefore, we award her forty-seven points!"
A warm cheer erupted from the Beauxbatons side. Forty-seven points was also excellent, only three points less than Ethan, which truly couldn't be beaten.
And they also knew the reason for the deduction; it must have been because Fleur consumed a Potion during the task.
"Harry Potter, although he consumed Gillywater, he successfully rescued the hostage before the task ended, so we award him thirty-eight points."
The Hogwarts young Wizards applauded enthusiastically. Although not as good as Ethan, he still got points, didn't he? This performance was good enough, what more could you ask for?
Even Harry himself breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this score. He knew his performance; if it weren't for Ethan's reminder, it would undoubtedly have been a zero. Now, to be able to get above thirty points, what more could he be dissatisfied with?
"Viktor Krum used Transfiguration. Although incomplete, it was still very effective. He also rescued the hostage within the allotted time, therefore, we award him forty-two points."
Sparse applause broke out, mainly from a few of Krum's fans. Even those from Durmstrang were too embarrassed to applaud. What was there to applaud about being behind Hogwarts and Beauxbatons?
Most of Krum's fans at Hogwarts were unmoved. Mainly, anyone with eyes could see that this was definitely the meddling of those shameless two Principals. Otherwise, how could Krum get four more points than Harry, whose score came in even later than his?
"Field Durr, he used incomplete Transfiguration, exceeded the task time limit by one minute, and successfully rescued the hostage. We award him thirty-four points."
"Richardson Clarence, he also used incomplete Transfiguration, exceeded the task time limit by two minutes, and successfully rescued the hostage. We award him thirty-three points."
"Hesel Godwin, she consumed a Polyjuice Potion. Although she successfully rescued the hostage, she exceeded the task time limit by five minutes. We award her thirty points!"
Finally, for Ron and Hilda Donahue, who failed to rescue their hostages, Ludo also gave them a score of twelve points.
This was also the result Dumbledore fought for. In the previous task, he was already a bit displeased. Everyone got nothing, so why did his school's student get a zero while Champions from other schools received points? If it continued like this, would he still be able to be Principal?
Under Dumbledore's strong demand that either everyone get zero points or everyone get points, Karkaroff and Madam Maxime had to compromise. Otherwise, if Dumbledore started to disregard the rules, with three judges on their side, it would ultimately be their side that suffered.
After Ludo finished announcing all the Champions' scores.
The 81 points on the Hogwarts plaque standing on the high platform continuously jumped, finally settling on the number 181.
The Beauxbatons plaque, originally showing 93 points, also jumped continuously until it settled at 182.
Durmstrang's 54 became 163 points.
This result was also the reason why Karkaroff and Madam Maxime looked rather displeased.
Although Beauxbatons was still in first place, this score was no longer safe, being only one point higher than Hogwarts, and could be surpassed at any time. They also scored the least in this task.
They had originally hoped to further expand their lead, but the result was what it was now.
Although Durmstrang gained the most points in this task, compared to Beauxbatons and Hogwarts, there was still a gap of more than twenty points. Karkaroff had no confidence whether they could catch up in the final task.
Chapter 276: Moody's Reminder
Time came to June, and there was only one major event during this period: Barty Crouch, as Ethan did not intervene, had the same fate as in the original work.
At the same time, by this time, the atmosphere in Hogwarts Castle had become tense and excited again.
Fifth-years were already starting their O.W.Ls, and seventh-years were also taking the N.E.W.T. exams, which were crucial for their future development.
At the same time, seventh-years were about to graduate and needed to prepare for future employment, requiring participation in each Dean's career guidance.
But all of this had nothing to do with Ethan, as Ethan was only a fourth-year this year.
Similarly, the final task of the Triwizard Tournament was held one week before the holidays.
Due to his participation in the Triwizard Tournament, Ethan did not need to take the final exams this year. His final grades would be determined by the Professors of each subject based on his daily performance.
Ethan wasn't worried about getting a low score this year, as his daily performance, even in Potion Class, left Snapewith nothing to fault. This was even more true for other subjects.
Plus, Ethan was participating in the Triwizard Tournament and had achieved perfect scores in two tasks. If his scores were low, it would be a slap in their own faces.
Therefore, Ethan didn't need to worry about his grades this year at all.
Ethan had free time, but the other Champions were quite pressed. Taking Harry and Ron as examples, they spent every day in the practice room practicing spells. It was much the same for Beauxbatons and Durmstrang.
Fleur spent less time out these days. Every evening, she had two hours of practice with Madam Maxime.
Moreover, from who knows where, news spread that the third task would be a maze.
The date came to June 24th, which was the last day of the Triwizard Tournament.
The Great Hall was exceptionally lively in the morning. Ethan and a few roommates were enjoying breakfast at the Ravenclaw table. The task was at night, so there was no rush.
But after Professor McGonagall said something to Harryand Ron at the Gryffindor table, she walked towards the Ravenclaw table.
"Adrian, Champions, gather in the conference room next to the Great Hall after breakfast."
Professor McGonagall came over to Ethan and said seriously.
"Understood!"
After informing him, Professor McGonagall also turned and left; she also had to arrange the upcoming matters.
Looking at Ethan who continued to eat breakfast, Terryasked curiously:
"Ethan, what did Professor McGonagall inform you about this time?"
"The relatives of the Triwizard Tournament champions have been invited to attend the final; we are going to meet them now."
Ethan said indifferently while eating his breakfast.
"So, your parents are here too?"
Terry said excitedly. As they were both from Mugglefamilies, he also wanted to see what kind of people Ethan's parents were and how outstanding they were to allow Ethan to surpass all pure-blood Wizards.
"No, they didn't come!"
Before the invitation, Dumbledore had asked Ethan if he wanted to invite his parents.
Unlike other champions who directly invited their parents, Dumbledore was cautious with Ethan, asking him first.
But Ethan flatly refused.
Muggles have the Muggle World, and Wizards have the Wizarding World.
Although the Statute of Secrecy had been modified, allowing Muggle-born Wizards' parents to know some things about the Wizarding World, it was better not to get involved if possible.
There was absolutely no benefit in having his parents come to watch the Triwizard Tournament; they wouldn't know anyone there, would feel uncomfortable, and might even overthink things, so it was completely unnecessary.
Currently, his parents were living quite well in the MuggleWorld and lacked no money.
Ethan only needed to ensure his parents lived long, healthy, and happy lives.
Once he reached a certain age, he would then give them a few children to look after.
"Your parents aren't coming, but you still have to go?"
Terry was still a bit confused about this. If Ethan's parents weren't coming, why would he go?
"Hmm, since Professor McGonagall came to inform me, do you think I can not go?"
Ethan gave him a look as if he were an idiot, then continued eating his breakfast.
When Ethan finished breakfast, Fleur, holding Gabrielle's hand, stood up and said to Ethan:
"Let's go, Madam Maxime told me this morning when she left."
Saying that, Fleur hooked one arm through Ethan's and simultaneously held Gabrielle's hand, walking towards the meeting room. Her appearance was exactly like bringing her husband and child home to meet her parents.
Cassandra, at the next table, even broke her spoon.
Passing through the Great Hall and arriving at the meeting room, they pushed open the door to find many people already there.
The Durmstrang trio had all arrived. Krum was speaking Bulgarian with his parents; his father, like Krum, had black hair and a hooked nose.
As for the other two, they were speaking German. After all, Durmstrang, located in Northern Europe, had a very wide recruitment area, and its students were the most numerous among the three European schools of magic.
As soon as Gabrielle entered the meeting room, she threw herself into Apolline De la Cour's arms. After such a long time apart, she was still quite homesick, being so young and having never been away from her family for so long.
Seeing this, Fleur also pulled Ethan over, supporting the reunion of the mature woman, young woman, and loli trio.
However, Fleur had already matured and passed the stage of a young girl, so calling her that now was somewhat inappropriate.
Madam De la Cour was also quite excited to see her two daughters, but after only a couple of sentences, her gaze turned to Ethan.
Not long after Ethan and the others entered, Harry and Ron also arrived, one after the other.
This time, Harry's entire Dursley family came: his overweight uncle, his cousin, and his thin aunt were all present.
Ethan wasn't surprised by this. In the original story, the Dursley family didn't come because their relationship with Harry wasn't good. Now, they got along quite harmoniously.
Furthermore, Harry's aunt had always longed for the Wizarding World and had even written to Dumbledore to enroll, but unfortunately, she had no talent.
Being able to come to Hogwarts now was like fulfilling her original dream, so she certainly couldn't refuse.
Ron also walked towards his parents. They had come for the first task, but due to Ron's embarrassing performance, they hadn't come for the second task.
Now, upon receiving the invitation, after some thought, they decided to come. After all, he was their child, and even if his performance was mediocre, they didn't want to hurt his feelings.
At the same time, they had another objective.
After chatting with Ron for a few moments, Madam Weasley enthusiastically came over to Harry.
"Long time no see, Harry!"
"We've come to watch your competition."
Another purpose of their trip was to try and mend the relationship between the Weasley family and Harry.
They genuinely liked Harry, but Harry's relationship with their family had drifted apart over the past two years.
During the summer of his first year, Harry stayed with them for a long time. In the summer of his second year, although he didn't stay, their correspondence was quite frequent. But ever since Harry and Ron entered their third year, everything changed after the second semester.
Although they didn't know exactly what happened, the Weasleys knew the reason must lie with their youngest son.
They had intended to ask the last time they came, but due to Ron's embarrassing performance, they left before the competition ended, so they naturally had no time to see Harry.
They couldn't miss this opportunity.
Harry, who was chatting with his cousin, heard the voice behind him, turned around, and saw Madam Weasley, his face breaking into a smile as he stepped forward to greet her.
Although Ron's actions were unforgivable, Harry had no complaints about the rest of the Weasley family, especially Madam Weasley. He felt a motherly presence from her.
However, because of Ron, Harry didn't know how to interact with the Weasley family.
In response to Harry's reaction, Madam Weasley, delighted, leaned down and kissed Harry's cheek.
It seemed this child had no intention of distancing himself from her.
Meanwhile, Ethan had already taken Fleur and the others, along with Madam De la Cour, to tour Hogwarts.
This year's competition was in the evening, so the champions had nothing to do all day. This time was arranged for them to spend with their families.
Looking at Ethan, who was chatting and laughing with her two daughters ahead, Madam De la Cour's eyes narrowed.
Although she had initially intended to let Ethan get close to Fleur, and even helped them along.
But Gabrielle, Gabrielle!
Both of her daughters were falling for him. Who exactly had Veela blood?
Even during the Quidditch World Cup, she had noticed some signs. Compared to herself and her husband, Gabrielle was even closer to Ethan.
0 Requesting flowers
Although Ethan's performance during this period had dazzled everyone, it was a foregone conclusion that he would reach the pinnacle of the Wizarding World.
This also proved that her initial judgment was correct.
But these were her two daughters…
Thinking of this, Apolline De la Cour felt a headache coming on.
As evening approached, dinner was much more elaborate than usual. Ethan didn't know if the other champions had an appetite, but he certainly ate with gusto.
However, the young Wizard who was replacing Barty Crouch today did not come. Sitting at the staff table was Cornelius Fudge.
Unlike Ludo, who seemed quite happy, Cornelius Fudge, sitting next to Madam Maxime, had a strained face and remained silent.
Ever since the Quidditch World Cup incident last year, Fudge had rarely appeared in public. Now, he suddenly showed up, and it was unclear why. Wasn't he afraid of being ridiculed and shamed?
When the enchanted ceiling turned from blue to a dark purple twilight, Dumbledore stood up by the staff table. Everyone quieted down, knowing the main event was about to begin.
"Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes, I shall ask you to proceed to the Quidditch Pitch for the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Champions, please follow Mr. Bagman onto the grounds now."
Ethan and the others stood up amidst the cheers of the crowd, following Ludo out of the Great Hall.
0 .... 0
Arriving at the Quidditch Pitch, it was now completely unrecognizable.
A twenty-foot-high hedge surrounded the edge of the field, and in front of them was a dark, somewhat frightening opening leading into a passage.
Undoubtedly, the competition would take place inside this area.
Five minutes later, people began to enter the stands.
Hundreds of students streamed into their seats, and the air was filled with excited chatter and the shuffling of feet.
Hagrid, Professor Moody, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Flitwick walked onto the grounds, approaching Bagman and the champions.
Their hats were adorned with glittering scarlet stars, except for Hagrid, whose red star was on the back of his moleskin waistcoat.
Professor McGonagall stepped forward and addressed everyone:
"We will be patrolling the outside of the maze. If you encounter difficulties and wish to be rescued, send up red sparks into the air, and someone will come to help you. Understood?"
The champions nodded in unison.
Subsequently, Ludo walked towards the stands, while Professor McGonagall and the other three walked in different directions. Each of them guarded one direction, ensuring the safety of every champion as much as possible.
Of course, this was only if the champion sent up red sparks, signaling their withdrawal.
Just then, from the shadows of a corner, Moody emerged, his magical eye gleaming.
"Harry, come here, I have something to tell you."
Moody completely disregarded the thoughts of others, directly waving to Harry, not caring about rules or etiquette.
Harry hesitated for only a moment before jogging over to Moody.
Harry still had a good impression of Moody. Although he was a bit eccentric in class, he was good to Harry and was one of Dumbledore's people, considered trustworthy.
The two spoke for a while, then Moody disappeared around the corner, and Harry returned to the group.
Ludo, back on the high platform, began his actions, pointing his wand at his throat and uttering "Sonorus," whereupon his magically amplified voice echoed through the stands.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin!"
"The rules for this task are different. We will not score the contestants, but rather calculate based on the trophies."
"In the field ahead, there are three areas, and each area has a trophy. The goblet of fire represents one hundred points, the silver trophy eighty points, and the bronze trophy sixty points. Each person can only obtain one trophy."
"I will now announce the current scores! First place, Beauxbatons Academy—182 points! Second place, Hogwarts School—181 points! Third place, DurmstrangInstitute—163 points!"
"Who will win this Triwizard Tournament? Let us wait and see. Now… Hogwarts champions, listen for my whistle!"
With a short whistle, Ethan, Harry, and Ron walked into the dark passage ahead.
Chapter 277: Karkaroff Not in Form
After walking about fifty meters through the dark passage, the trio stopped at a crossroads.
Here, the three of them had to split up.
Just as Ethan was about to head down the middle passage, Harry's voice sounded from behind him.
"Ethan!"
"What is it?"
Ethan stopped and turned around, looking at Harry, who was deep in thought.
"Professor Moody just told me that the goblet of fire is in the middle, and he said for you to get that. The bronze one is on the right, and he said for me to get that, so Hogwarts can win."
Harry hurriedly relayed what Professor Moody had just told him; there wasn't much time left.
This was also the best way for Hogwarts to achieve victory.
According to the current scores, the difference between Beauxbatons and Hogwarts was negligible, and Durmstrang wasn't too far behind either.
To win, the safest way was to obtain two trophies. Regardless of which two trophies, any school that acquired them would directly win the championship.
If each school obtained one trophy, the school between Hogwarts and Beauxbatons that obtained the goblet of fire would win the championship.
With Ethan's ability, he could definitely snatch one trophy, but Harry couldn't guarantee that the remaining two trophies wouldn't be obtained by the same school.
So, following Moody's arrangement was indeed the most secure method.
However, Harry also wasn't sure if he could snatch a trophy. If he couldn't, it would still be useless.
"Alright, I understand."
Ethan already knew what Harry was going to say.
A few days ago, Ethan used Legilimency in Defense Against the Dark Arts Class to read Moody's mind.
When Barty Crouch Jr. used the Imperio Curse to control Crouch, he made this arrangement to prevent Ethan from being brought over and ruining Lord Voldemort's resurrection plan, specifically setting the third trophy as a Portkey and planning to activate it before the game, and also using suggestive language to guide Harry to the correct location.
However, Ethan had no intention of disrupting Lord Voldemort's activities, as he still needed Lord Voldemortto bring him gryffindor's sword after his resurrection.
Just as Harry was about to say something, Ludo's whistle blew again, indicating that the second team was about to enter the maze.
Ethan immediately walked into the middle passage, and Harry paused for a moment before running into the path on the right.
Ron stood in place, hesitating for a while, then gritted his teeth and followed Harry.
There was nothing he could do; so far, he had the lowest score, and although he was no longer at the bottom of his fourth year, he was by no means outstanding.
He knew that competing with those adult Wizards, he definitely wouldn't be a match for them.
He had learned this during the first task of stealing the Dragon egg; the gap was indeed significant, both in terms of spell-casting proficiency and magical power.
Now, by following Harry, if he successfully obtained the trophy, he would certainly get some credit, and if he failed, Harry would take the fall, which was the best option.
It would be even better if he could snatch the trophy from Harry's hands.
Krum and his two teammates jogged over, also stopping at this fork in the path.
Unlike Harry, who had Moody to warn him, they had no idea about the situation inside.
Karkaroff, due to the existence of a contract, absolutely could not give such a warning, and besides, in these past two months, he had no mind to deal with it.
During this time, the long-dormant Dark Mark had reacted again, and he knew exactly what that meant.
If Lord Voldemort returned, he would absolutely not let him off, because he had sold out the Death Eaters to escape the retirement life of Azkaban, which was absolutely the biggest traitor since the Death Eaters were established.
As a result, his mind was now completely occupied with what he should do if Lord Voldemort truly returned; everything else was thrown to the back of his mind.
After standing there and thinking for a while, Krum made a decision.
"I'll go this way, Field, you go the middle, Richardson, you go the right."
"As long as it's not Ethan Adrien we encounter, we'll do our best to win the trophy."
Krum was well aware of his team's disadvantage; their scores were not enough, and if they only got one trophy, they certainly wouldn't win the championship. This time, they definitely had to get two.
Unlike the previous two competition items, this competition, while also having a certain element of luck, placed a greater emphasis on individual strength.
As long as they didn't encounter Ethan, he believed his three teammates would have an absolute advantage.
At the same time, he had a hidden agenda: the middle path was very likely where the goblet of fire was located, and Ethan Adrien would most likely go there. He didn't want to encounter Ethan; it would be a completely unwinnable fight.
As for the remaining two trophies, it made no difference to Durmstrang; he could take either one.
Although Field Durr and Richardson Clarence were somewhat annoyed by Krum's commanding, they were indeed not as strong as him, so they could only accept it.
They immediately acted according to Krum's arrangements.
Finally, the three champions of Beauxbatons, who remained on the Field, also entered the arena at the sound of Ludo's whistle.
Unlike Durmstrang, the three had no communication whatsoever, each choosing a path and walking straight in.
And Fleur was taking the middle one.
Walking alone on the secluded path, Fleur took a small whistle from her chest and unhesitatingly put it to her mouth and blew.
Unlike the sound produced by Ludo's whistle, this one was deeper.
Just as she blew the whistle, it wasn't long before Fleurheard a rustling sound in her ears, and combined with the current environment, it made Fleur shiver involuntarily.
Feeling something above her head, Fleur stiffly looked up and saw a somewhat horrifying scene.
A large, hairy, black-shelled spider the size of an elephant, with fist-sized eyes, was staring intently at her.
"Phew!"
Fleur let out a long sigh of relief. So it was this fellow!
During this time, Ethan had taken her to the Forbidden Forest many times. She had become acquainted with Thunderbirds, Dragons, Unicorns, and Thestrals, and even Acromantulas, which almost no girl liked, she had visited their nests many times.
Mainly to help Ethan collect Acromantula venom, Fleuralso knew that this stuff was very valuable.
She didn't expect that the whistle Ethan gave her would summon this creature.
No wonder he wouldn't tell her what the whistle was for, no matter how many times she asked.
After this enormous Acromantula crawled down from the wall made of vines, Fleur hesitated for a moment and used a Levitation Charm on herself, directly sitting on its back like Ethan.
At this time, several other Acromantulas also crawled from other directions, and finally, under the escort of five spiders, they turned and ran to the left, their eight long legs moving very quickly.
Ethan, not far ahead, heard the unique whistle and knew that Fleur had already summoned the Acromantulas.
After reading Moody's mind through Legilimency, Ethan had arranged all of this.
These Acromantulas, compared to Hagrid, except for Aragog, were more obedient to Ethan.
With these internal Animals arranged inside, Ethan could get whatever trophy he wanted. Just the day before yesterday, Ethan went to the Acromantula's stronghold and arranged all of this.
This was also to prevent Fleur from stumbling into Lord Voldemort's script.
It just felt like Ethan was a bit like a nanny in this competition!
But who made him so base, coveting her body!
"De la Cour, you, you..."
Fallen to the ground, leaning against the vine-covered wall, Hesel Godwin trembled as she pointed at Fleur on the spider's back, somewhat incredulously.
Having just encountered these big creatures, she thought she was doomed. She didn't even have time to wait for rescue if she sent out a signal flare now, let alone other Animals.
But who knew, these spiders had no interest in her at all, not even a symbolic scare. What was even more unbelievable was that Fleur was on the backs of these spiders.
"Oh, I conquered these Acromantulas, and now they will take me to find the trophy. Is there a problem?"
Fleur looked down at Hesel Godwin from above, saying with an indifferent attitude.
Their relationship was not good, and Fleur had no mood to explain anything.
"Didn't you take the middle path?"
Fleur rode the big spider over to her side, so what was she supposed to do?
She wasn't afraid to compete with Fleur, but this big spider...
"Oh, they brought me over. No more talking, I'm going to get the trophy first."
Fleur said, patting the Acromantula's back, and then, led by the Acromantula, she disappeared from Hesel Godwin's sight in the blink of an eye.
Seeing Fleur walk away, Hesel Godwin cursed and prepared to stand up.
Since Fleur had come to her side, and she couldn't compete, she could only go to the middle path.
What's going on?
She struggled several times and found that she couldn't stand up. Looking closely at herself, she discovered that the vines on the wall she was leaning against had entangled her, and they were getting tighter and tighter!
"Fleur De la Cour..."
Hearing the shrill scream coming from behind, Fleurturned her head in confusion.0 ...
Fleur naturally recognized the voice as her teammate Hesel Godwin, but she hadn't done anything to her!
Why was she making such a sound?
Was it some kind of trap in this maze?
Thinking of this possibility, Fleur decided to ignore it, patting the spider's back beneath her. This made the Acromantula run even faster.
Ethan, with his powerful perception, also had a smooth journey. The maze and fog seemed to be non-existent.
The Animals he encountered on the way ran faster than they came the moment they saw Ethan.
For example, Hagrid's beloved Blast-Ended Skrewt, the moment it saw Ethan, immediately sprayed fire from its rear, propelling itself away quickly with a powerful thrust.
As for the Dementors, Ethan unceremoniously took them in.
Until he encountered an incredibly strange creature on a long, straight path.
Its body was like a terrifyingly large lion: huge claws, a long yellow tail with a tuft of hair at the tip, but its head was a woman.
The Sphinx, a different kind of Animal, from Egypt, has been used by Wizards for over a thousand years to guard their precious items and secret places. It is quite intelligent, loves riddles and puzzles, and can speak human language.
Ethan remembered that in the original story, this creature blocked Harry's path, and only after answering its question did it let Harry pass, so was it going to ask him a question now?
Although he felt this wouldn't stump him, Ethan had no interest in answering a riddle posed by an Animal.
Just as the Sphinx blocked the path and was about to ask something.
Ethan directly released his pressure. The Sphinx's body suddenly trembled, then it immediately knelt to the ground, rolled its entire body, and moved to the other side, clearing the path.
Seeing such a sensible Sphinx, Ethan didn't make things difficult for it and walked inside along the path it cleared.
After Ethan walked away, the Sphinx dared to stand up shakily, then ran off in another direction without looking back.
Walking out of the path guarded by the Sphinx, there was another fork ahead. Under his perception, Ethan clearly headed to the right.
Not long after, he saw a faint light flickering ahead, which was coming from the base of the goblet of fire.
"goblet of fire, Accio!"
The moment he caught the swiftly approaching goblet of fire, Ethan's entire figure immediately distorted, and Ethan did not resist.
These three trophies all had Portkey abilities; originally, they were all supposed to return to the Triwizard Tournament's location, but the brass-colored one had been tampered with, while the other two had no problems.
When his vision returned to normal, Ethan was greeted by the cheers of a sea of people.
"Ethan Adrien is the second to return, bringing back the goblet of fire! For this, Hogwarts gets one hundred points!"
Ludo, who was presiding on the high platform, immediately announced loudly the moment he saw Ethan and the cup in Ethan's hand.
Ethan also raised the goblet of fire high in his hand, but he was the second?
He turned to look around and realized that Fleur had already arrived first.
Well, that was not surprising. If he didn't use magic, even if Ethan had the Earth Walk talent, allowing him to move faster on the ground, he certainly couldn't outrun a running Acromantula.
"Now only the last brass-colored trophy remains! Who will be the final winner?"
"Let's wait and see!"
Hearing Ludo's words, Madam Maxime's face also showed a hint of nervousness.
Durmstrang was already certainly out. With three trophies, her Beauxbatons and Hogwarts each had one, so even if they got the last one, it wouldn't help them.
However, Ethan Adrien had obtained the goblet of fire, which gave more bonus points than hers; currently, he had already surpassed Beauxbatons by nineteen points.
Hogwarts' remaining two were not a threat. Although their savior Harry Potter could get good scores in every competition, his strength was just average, and he won every time by trickery. The real concern was whether Durmstrang would get it.
And her teammate Karkaroff, at this moment, his mind was not on this at all, still sitting in his seat with a bitter face.
Honor was nothing but a pile of dog crap in the face of a life threat.
Chapter 278: Harry and Ron
Time passed by minute by minute, and champions were successively brought out of the maze by Professor McGonagall and others.
At this moment, only four people remained in the maze.
Field Durr and Richardson Clarence of Durmstrang, and Harry Potter and Ron Weasley of Hogwarts.
Therefore, the young Wizards on Hogwarts' side all had uncontrollable smiles on their faces, celebrating in advance. No matter which side won the trophy, the championship was already theirs.
At the same time, Madam Maxime also sighed heavily, it had indeed failed.
She immediately beckoned to Fleur and the others. She just couldn't understand how her two students were eliminated when the Hogwarts people hadn't been eliminated.
And Durmstrang's: the strongest, Krum, was out, but the other two remained.
Receiving Madam Maxime's summons, Fleur and the other two dared not delay and quickly jogged over.
Soon, at Madam Maxime's inquiry, the three began to recount their experiences in the maze.
When Hesel Godwin stated the reason for her forced withdrawal, Madam Maxime glanced at Fleur but said nothing more.
Riding an Acromantula, no wonder she won a trophy so quickly.
As for Hesel Godwin saying that Fleur had tamed it, Madam Maxime was not stupid; how could she believe that?
Even a pure-blood Veela couldn't tame an Acromantulaof that level, let alone Fleur, a half-blood Veela.
And if there were no surprises, Fleur's path should have been chosen by Ethan. Although it led to one person being eliminated, overall it was still a gain, because if she took the same path as Ethan, she wouldn't be able to win.
As Madam Maxime's gaze fell upon Hilda Donahue, she began to explain the reason for her withdrawal.
She had been ambushed by Krum with a Crucio from behind, and having never endured such pain, she was utterly incapable of continuing, leaving her no option but to withdraw.
07 She then saw Krum knocked unconscious by Harry's ambush, so both of them withdrew.
Upon hearing this, Madam Maxime glanced at Karkaroffbeside her, noticing that his mind was completely elsewhere, without even a hint of reaction.
Madam Maxime immediately became furious.
They had agreed to cooperate, but he had resorted to underhanded tactics; although there were no teammates in this competition and everyone wanted to win the trophy, if he no longer had that ambition, couldn't he at least do her a favor?
Meanwhile, Ethan had also returned to the Ravenclawstands; there was no point in standing foolishly below.
Terry and the others immediately surrounded him when they saw him.
Even George and Fred ran over from Gryffindor, having been instructed by their parents to come and gather information.
It was known that Ron and Harry were still inside, and past Triwizard Tournaments had always been quite dangerous; this year was no exception, facing a Dragon in the first task and the Black Lake in the second, it was only good luck that no one had suffered serious injuries.
Now, in this third task, the danger would be no less than the previous two; they would rather see their two children eliminated than suffer injury inside.
Terry and the others, however, simply wanted to know what was inside the third task.
Though they were spectators, they actually saw nothing, even less than the second task, where at least they could see the champions enter the water; now, they could only stare at the dark maze, knowing nothing about what was within.
One could only say that this Triwizard Tournament was severely lacking in standards, with no entertainment value whatsoever; even the commentator was like a mute, neither speaking about the champions' situations inside nor explaining the environment and dangers they would face in this task.
However, as Ethan chatted with them, he also discovered a problem.
There were Dementors in this task, though not many; Ethan had only encountered two.
But could Harry truly face these creatures now?
In the original story, Harry, under Professor Lupin's guidance, faced Dementors multiple times and eventually erupted with a Patronus Charm; by this time, he could easily repel multiple Dementors, so there would naturally be no problem in this challenge.
But now, due to Ethan, Dementors had only been at Hogwarts for a few months; it was unknown how well Harry had learned from Lupin, and it hadn't been tested, plus Dementors had a special advantage against Harry.
However, Harry hadn't withdrawn yet, so it should be fine!
At this moment, even Ethan was no longer entirely sure.
Inside the maze, Harry gripped his wand tightly, letting out a sigh of relief as the shadowy figure retreated into the distance; he had finally defeated the Dementor.
Although the Patronus Charm hadn't fully succeeded, he had repelled a Dementor on his first attempt; he should tell Professor Lupin after this task, who would surely be pleased.
After a quick glance to ensure there was no danger around, Harry quickly ran down the path that the Dementor had been guarding.
He truly didn't want to stay in here for another moment; the mist of illusions, Blast-Ended Skrewts, giant spiders, and now the Dementor—who knew what else he would encounter next.
Just as he rounded the corner, he saw a faint white light ahead; upon closer inspection, it was the base of a trophy glowing—he had found it.
Thinking this, Harry's steps involuntarily quickened.
Ron, following behind Harry, naturally heard Harry's footsteps, which were now slightly different from before, and he also quickened his pace.
Ron was quite fortunate for his choice; neither the terrifying giant spiders nor the Dementors he had just faced were something he could handle.
If he had been alone, he definitely wouldn't have lasted until now; perhaps he would have fired a signal flare the moment he saw the spiders.
Turning into this path, Ron naturally also saw that faint white light.
The trophy was right before his eyes!
Now, there were two paths before him: Harry winning the championship and receiving all the acclaim, with himself as merely a supporting character following behind him.
The other path was to snatch the trophy from Harry's hands, thus making himself the one to receive the cheers.
Perhaps the shame of his zero points in the first task could be washed away.
Thinking this, Ron had already made his decision in his heart.
"Impedimenta!"
Hearing the movement behind him, Harry immediately ducked down, dodging the white spell.
He turned around, looking at Ron with some disbelief; had he really attacked him to snatch the trophy?
Harry had always known Ron was following him, but both were from Hogwarts, and no matter who won, the points would be added to Hogwarts' total, so he hadn't paid much attention, letting him follow.
If their relationship had been as it was, Harry might have even given the trophy to Ron, but now...
Not only had they already fallen out, but Ron had also let Peter, the culprit behind his parents' deaths, escape, and now he was even attacking him; did he really think he had no temper?
"Petrificus Totalus!"
"Expelliarmus!"
Ultimately, Harry's signature spell proved superior.
A red flash struck the wand in Ron's hand; under the burst of magic, Ron couldn't hold onto his wand, causing it to explode and fall directly into Harry's hand.
Harry glanced at Ron, but had no intention of continuing the attack; gripping both wands, he immediately ran with all his might towards the trophy.
Having lost his wand, Ron gritted his teeth, looking at Harry's retreating back with some resentment; he used to be Harry's sidekick, but never again!
Immediately, Ron ran with all his might; as long as he could still move, he would never give up, even without his wand!
Harry ignored everything else, striding quickly to the trophy and bending down to pick it up.
Victory belonged to Hogwarts; he had gotten the trophy, and Ethan must have succeeded too, perhaps even already returned to the arena.
But just then, Harry suddenly felt as if he was being pulled from behind his navel, and his feet left the ground, but he couldn't release his grip on the Triwizard Cup, being dragged forward by the trophy in his hand amidst whistling wind and swirling colors.
This feeling, why was it so much like a Portkey, exactly like what he experienced when he went to see the Quidditch World Cup last summer?
But Harry soon felt someone pulling him, and turning his head, he found Ron had come up behind him at some point and grabbed his Wizard robe.
Seeing Harry turn around, Ron even flashed a provocative smile.
Now that he had him, they would arrive at the arena together, and this honor would surely be partly his.
Harry ignored Ron's smile; he was wondering where the trophy was taking him.
He hadn't heard that this thing also had Portkey functionality!
But in an instant, Harry felt his feet hit the ground; he was already exhausted from the maze, and now his legs gave out, causing him to fall to the ground, even the trophy in his hand rolling away.
Ron, who was pulling Harry's clothes, was no better off; the sudden change also dragged him to the ground.
Too busy to mind Ron, Harry looked at his surroundings with some surprise.
Where on earth was this?
Even the mountains surrounding the Castle were now out of sight, clearly indicating that this place was quite a distance from Hogwarts.
They were now in a dark, overgrown graveyard, and to their right, behind a tall yew tree, they could see the black silhouette of a small chapel.
To their left was a hillside, with an exquisite old house on its slope.
Harry was certain he had never been here before.
Ron, who had picked himself up from the ground, also looked at the surroundings with a bewildered expression; where was the arena they were promised?
"Where are we now?"
Harry ignored Ron, but still returned his wand to him; clearly, Harry also felt that something here was not normal.
Was this the trap he had been guarding against all along?
He had analyzed so much with Sirius, but he hadn't expected those Death Eaters to tamper with things here; how did they do it?
Just as Harry and Ron were on guard, they saw a figure emerge from the darkness, walking step by step towards them between the graves, with no intention of hiding.
The approaching person was small in stature, wearing a hooded cloak that obscured their face; from their gait and the way they held their arms, it seemed they were carrying something.
As the distance continuously shortened, they realized that what the person was carrying looked like a baby, or perhaps just a bundle of clothes?
Before Harry could react, he felt an intense pain in the scar on his forehead.
Although it had hurt twice during this period, this time was far beyond anything before, so much so that he couldn't even hold his wand, which slipped to the ground.
Clutching his face with both hands, his legs buckled, and he fell to the ground; Harry felt as if he couldn't see anything before his eyes, and his head ached as if it were about to explode.
"Get rid of the nuisance."
A cold voice came from above.
Who was he going to get rid of? Me?
Harry had no time to think now; he wanted to dodge, but his body was completely beyond his control.
I can't dodge, I'm going to die!
"Did you not hear what I said?"
From that voice, Harry detected a hint of anger.
Was this an internal conflict, or...?
"Master, this... this..."
Peter's hand, holding his wand, trembled slightly.
He hadn't expected Ron, this unexpected fellow, to come; if it had been anyone else, he could have unhesitatingly given him a Killing Curse.
But Ron, he couldn't bring himself to do it!
Whether it was the time he spent with Ron when he was a rat, or the period after he took the potion, or finally, Ronsparing his life.
No matter which, Ron was special to him.
Why did you have to follow along?
Peter was also in a fierce internal struggle.
"Peter?"
At the same time, Ron's hand, holding his wand, also trembled as he looked at the person before him with disbelief.
This stature and build, and the hand missing a finger—who else could it be but Peter?
Hearing the name Peter, Harry, enduring the pain, raised his head; he truly hated this person.
He was the one who caused his parents' deaths and forced Sirius to be a fugitive, constantly hiding from the Ministry of Magic.
The moment he saw Peter's face while lying on the ground, Harry seemed to forget even the pain in his forehead; he struggled to get up and reach for his wand.
But how could Peter let him have his way? With a flick of his wand, a rope immediately bound Harry to a tombstone; Harry, without his wand, could only be at his mercy.
"Ron, you brought me here, didn't you!"
"You're with him."
Harry's mind was in chaos now; although he and Ron had fallen out, he had never wronged him.
Why would he harm him?
This made Harry recall scene after scene, from meeting Ron on the Hogwarts Express until Ron let Peter go, and they fell out.
He never imagined that his best friend from back then would now join the Death Eaters and want his life.
"No, it's not, I didn't conspire with him to harm you!"
Ron, startled by Harry's shout, yelled back at the top of his lungs.
Although he had indeed let Peter go back then, he truly hadn't contacted Peter.
Nor had he lured Harry here, nor had he ever thought of truly killing Harry.
Although he was jealous of Harry and had some grievances against him, he truly hadn't thought of killing him.
He was completely unaware of all this; he was also a victim.
Until now, they both thought that when that voice said "get rid of the nuisance," it was referring to Ron.
Chapter 279: Harry's Prayer
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Just as Peter had just gagged Harry, a grayish-white spell shot from behind.
However, Peter, with his inherently cautious nature, had taken precautions even though he hadn't acted against Ron.
A blue barrier easily blocked the grayish-white spell, and with a flick of his wrist, a Stunning Spell knocked Ron to the ground.
The difference between the two was simply too great.
Peter, what exactly are you trying to do?"
Ron, who had fallen to the ground, couldn't help but shout.
Although he was jealous of this and that, and really wanted to show off, he genuinely didn't want to get involved with Peter, nor did he want Harry's life, and even less did he want to join the Death Eaters.
Several of his uncles had died at the hands of the Death Eaters. If his mother found out about this, the consequences would be unimaginable; it wasn't impossible for him to be kicked out of Weasley.
He hadn't even dared to tell his family that he had let Peter go, mainly because only a few people knew, and as long as he didn't say anything, no one would know.
But now, if something happened to Harry, all these things might be uncovered, and Ron didn't dare to imagine the consequences.
Facing Ron's roar, Peter didn't want to say a word. His boss, Lord Voldemort, was already in his arms, and he had just expressed considerable displeasure that Peterhadn't killed Ron. He didn't know how Lord Voldemortwould torment him later, so how could he dare to argue with Ron now?
Immediately, he cast a Tongue-Tying Curse, and then, just like he had bound Harry, he bound Ron as well.
After doing all this, Peter no longer paid attention to the two. He gently placed the bundle in his arms on the ground and began to prepare for Lord Voldemort's resurrection.
Harry, whose mouth was gagged, couldn't quite understand the developments on the field. Which side was Ron on, exactly?
He was the one who had let Peter go, and now he was with Harry in this dreadful place. Logically speaking, Ronwas the most likely suspect to have harmed Harry.
Perhaps he had conspired with Peter, allowing Peter to come to Hogwarts and throw the parchment with Harry's name into the goblet of fire, which led to Harry being chosen, and then orchestrated all of this.
But Ron's behavior just now didn't seem like that of the culprit!
Just as Harry was racking his brain, wondering if something had gone wrong, a sound from nearby drew his attention.
It turned out that Peter had pushed a stone cauldron over. The cauldron seemed to be filled with water, and Harryhad heard splashing sounds when it was being pushed.
Moreover, this cauldron was larger than all the cauldrons Harry had ever used; one could even bathe in it without a problem.
At the same time, the contents of the bundle Peter had just placed on the ground also became active, as if trying to break free.
Seeing this, Peter dared not delay. He busied himself drawing lines at the bottom of the cauldron with his wand, and suddenly, crackling flames shot up from beneath the cauldron.
Harry and Ron could only watch all of this, helpless, making muffled sounds.
Before long, the liquid in the cauldron began to boil, and sparks flew, as if it were on fire.
The steam grew thicker and thicker, and Peter's figure, tending the flames, became blurred.
Inside the enormous stone cauldron, the entire surface of the water shimmered with sparks, as if studded with diamonds.
Upon seeing this, the bundle moved even more frantically.
Harry heard that sharp, cold voice again.
"Quick!"
Quick what?
Harry looked at this scene somewhat blankly. What was going on?
At first, it said someone was to be killed, so why didn't Peter act?
"It's ready, Master."
Peter dared not delay and quickly replied.
"Now…"
The cold voice said.
Master! He hadn't noticed before, but now that he thought about it, who was Peter the Death Eater's Master? If he hadn't been unable to make a sound, Harrywould have screamed.
Lord Voldemort, besides Lord Voldemort, who else was the Master of the Death Eaters?
Peter, who betrayed his parents, and Lord Voldemort, who killed his parents, were all here now.
But he was helpless.
No, he couldn't even save his own life.
Although Lord Voldemort couldn't harm him because of the spell his mother had cast on him, Peter could.
Just as Harry thought Peter would attack him, he bypassed him directly and went to the bundle, which was his Master, Lord Voldemort.
As Peter pulled back the outer covering, Harry finally saw Lord Voldemort's true appearance: disgusting, so disgusting he didn't know how to describe it.
Its external appearance was like a curled-up infant, hairless, with what looked like scales on its body, and skin that was dark and reddish, like injured raw flesh. Its arms and legs were thin and weak, and its face was a flat, snake-like face with no nose, only two holes, above which were a pair of glowing red eyes.
However, if one looked closely, there was indeed a faint shadow of the Lord Voldemort he had seen in the Chamber of Secrets.
And now, Lord Voldemort looked completely helpless. He raised his thin arms and wrapped them around Peter's neck.
But Peter's next actions made Harry somewhat confused, followed immediately by excitement.
He placed Lord Voldemort into the boiling cauldron. With a hiss, Lord Voldemort sank.
Harry heard the soft thud of its body hitting the bottom of the cauldron.
Now, Harry had only one thought: drown it, scald it.
Although he didn't know why Peter was doing this, Harryvery much hoped it would happen.
But just then, Peter moved again, his voice trembling as if he were terrified out of his mind.
He raised his wand, closed his eyes, and said to the night sky, "Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!"
The grave at their feet suddenly cracked open, and Harrywatched in horror as a small handful of white bones responded to Peter's summons, rising into the air and gently falling into the cauldron.
The diamond-like surface of the liquid broke, hissing and spewing sparks, and the liquid turned a vivid blue.
After doing all this, Peter was seen pulling a long, thin, shimmering silver dagger from his cloak.
His voice suddenly turned into a terrified sob: "Flesh — of the servant — willingly given — you will revive — your Master."
He extended his right hand, the one missing a finger, and then tightly gripped the dagger with his left hand, swinging it at his right hand.
As the severed hand fell into the cauldron, the potion turned fiery red.
At the same time, based on Peter's two statements, Harrycame to a startling conclusion: he was going to resurrect Lord Voldemort.
Looking at the previous phrases, it was either 'renew' or 'revive'.
Having read many records in the past and knowing the horror of the Dark Arts, Harry realized that he might be the final sacrifice.
Thinking of this, Harry began to struggle violently. He would rather die than be a sacrifice for Lord Voldemort's resurrection.
Just then, Peter had walked up to him, his face filled with pain.
He raised the shimmering silver dagger.
"Blood — of the enemy… forcibly taken… you will resurrect… your foe."
Harry couldn't stop him at all; he was tied too tightly, and no amount of struggling was any use.
He could only watch, wide-eyed, as Peter, trembling, brought the shimmering silver dagger towards him. The sharp tip of the dagger pierced his arm, and blood flowed down his torn sleeve.
Peter, enduring the pain, fumbled a small glass bottle from his pocket with trembling hands and placed it next to Harry's wound. A small amount of blood flowed into the bottle.
Not a sacrifice?
But Peter paid no attention to Harry's thoughts. He staggered towards the cauldron with Harry's blood and poured it in.
The liquid in the cauldron immediately turned a dazzling white.
Having completed his task, Peter knelt beside the cauldron, then slumped to the ground, cradling his bleeding severed arm, gasping and sobbing.
He still didn't know how Lord Voldemort would treat him later.
Was everything he had done truly right?
But he had no turning back now.
Harry, meanwhile, stared unblinkingly at the enormous stone cauldron, praying incessantly, hoping Lord Voldemort had drowned, that it must fail, absolutely must not succeed.
As Harry prayed, the cauldron was about to boil, and diamond-like sparks flew outwards, so bright and dazzling that everything around turned a black velvet color.
Suddenly, the sparks on the cauldron extinguished, and a plume of white steam rose from the cauldron, obscuring everything in front of him.
Harry, who could only see a vast expanse of white steam, felt his heart in his throat, constantly shouting internally, "It won't succeed… It's drowned… Please… Please let it die!"
But Harry's prayer was destined to fail, for he saw a man slowly rising from the enormous cauldron, a tall, thin, black figure, like a skeleton.
Lord Voldemort, he had been resurrected!
"Give me my robes."
Upon hearing that cold, sharp voice, Peter sobbed and moaned, still cradling his stump, hastily grabbing the black robes that had wrapped the bundle from the ground, standing up, and with one hand, pulling them over his Master's head.
After putting on his Wizard robes, Lord Voldemortimpatiently began to examine his body: his chest, arms, face. With each touch, his red eyes brightened a bit.
This was the feeling, a true body, and even more powerful than before.
His already ugly and deformed face now showed signs of madness.
Flamedeer, I look forward to our next meeting. That day is not far off.
Then he took two steps forward, coming before Harry. This was his last Horcrux!
Harry saw the face that had often appeared in his nightmares for three years: paler than a skeleton, two large red eyes, a nose as flat as a snake's, with nostrils like slits.
It was him, absolutely no mistake, just as he had seen three years ago.
After circling Harry once, Lord Voldemort plunged his unnaturally long fingers into a deep pocket and pulled out a wand.
He gently stroked the wand, then raised it, pointing it at Peter, lifting him from the ground and throwing him onto the tombstone where Harry was tied.
Peter fell beside the tombstone, slumped there crying, his robes, which covered his severed arm, already soaked with blood.
Lord Voldemort turned his scarlet eyes to Harry, letting out a cold, sharp, sinister laugh.
"'Master, Master… You promised… You promised…'"
Peter looked at Lord Voldemort with some fear, choking out the words.
He had known for a long time that Lord Voldemort was insane, and he had just defied his orders. Now, he was probably…
Peter no longer dared to think further, only hoping that Lord Voldemort would forgive him this time, considering how much he had contributed to his resurrection…
"Yes, I promised you, but why won't you listen to me!"
Lord Voldemort murmured to himself, "Loyalty that isn't absolute is absolute disloyalty."
If he could defy his orders once, it would happen many more times.
Besides, now that he was resurrected, what use was he?
Most importantly, he had never intended to let him go!
Neither Peter nor the other two Death Eaters who had witnessed his transaction with Flamedeer here last time.
As the strongest Dark Lord, how could he be coerced by anyone?
Right?
"Master, Master, listen to me…"
Peter knelt down directly, muttering continuously, even trying to kiss Lord Voldemort's feet. He already understood Lord Voldemort's intentions…
"Avada Kedavra!"
A strong green light illuminated the dim graveyard. He watched the scene before him with some horror.
Peter lay curled on the ground. He was dead.
Peter, who had just resurrected Lord Voldemort, was dead. Was Lord Voldemort insane?
Who was next?
"Now it's your turn!"
Having done all this, Lord Voldemort turned around and came towards Ron.
Did he have the right to witness his resurrection?
Annoying fellow!
He raised his wand, aiming it in Ron's direction.
Amidst Harry and Ron's expressions of terror, helplessness, and despair.
"Avada Kedavra!"
The dim graveyard was once again filled with a soft green light. Harry closed his eyes, not daring to look at any of it.
It must be his turn next!
No, Lord Voldemort can't hurt himself. Now that Peter is dead, then...
Thinking of this, Harry opened his eyes again.
The first thing he saw was Ron, tied up and slumped, his face pale, his eyes grayish-white, and his mouth half-open.
Turning his head, Lord Voldemort looked at Harry, who seemed to have gathered his courage.
Lord Voldemort laughed maniacally:
"I know what you're thinking. The spell your mother left you protected you, deflecting my curse back onto me, preventing me from touching you."
"But now... hehe!"
Harry felt the cold fingertips of the long, pale fingers touch his skin, and his head immediately throbbed as if it would explode.
Lord Voldemort chuckled softly in his ear, then moved his fingers away.
Then he raised his wand again.
"Crucio!"
Harry had never endured such agonizing torment. He felt every bone in his body burning, and his head must have split along his scar. He wished for it to stop quickly... wished he would pass out... die...
Although he couldn't kill Harry, tormenting him was still necessary.
After casting Crucio twice more, Lord Voldemort looked at Harry, who was slumped against the tombstone, then raised his head and stared at the stars in the sky with glowing red eyes, murmuring:
"After feeling it, how many will have the courage to return?"
"And how many will be foolish enough not to come?"