Harry sat in the stands, watching Lewis's retreating figure, a trace of envy welling up in his heart.
"If only I had even half of Lewis's achievements."
"Harry, you're also a Quidditch star at Hogwarts, aren't you? You've performed excellently as a Seeker as well. In fact, I've heard that you're the youngest Seeker in a century."
Sirius warmly patted Harry on the shoulder, his voice full of encouragement.
Harry shook his head.
"Lewis, Shirella, Krum... They're all young, but they're much better than me. If Lewis had played Seeker in his first year, he'd be the youngest Seeker on record."
There was a trace of confusion in Harry's eyes.
Although he was famous throughout the wizarding world, his achievements at Hogwarts seemed rather ordinary, and he was constantly getting himself into trouble.
The halo of the "Chosen One" felt incredibly heavy to him.
All he wanted was to be regarded as an ordinary little wizard.
"Harry, everyone is unique. Everyone has their own path of growth, so there's no need to envy others. But there is one thing you should pay attention to."
Sirius Black looked at his godson, seeming to hesitate over what he wanted to say.
"What is it, Sirius?"
Harry's curiosity was immediately piqued.
"You should try making some new friends. For example, Diggory over there would be a good choice. He's a kind boy and always willing to help others. More importantly, I hear he's a Seeker just like you. I'm sure you'll have plenty to talk about."
Harry followed Sirius's pointing finger.
Cedric sat between his parents, wearing a friendly expression.
Of course Harry knew Cedric. The boy was very popular at school.
Throughout Hogwarts, perhaps only Lewis had more friends than him.
Neither Sirius nor Harry himself knew that Harry and Cedric actually had something else in common as well.
For example, they both liked the same girl, and neither of them had managed to win her heart.
Harry thought about Sirius's words, always feeling that there was something more behind them.
He couldn't help thinking about Ron, who had spent the entire evening badmouthing Lewis.
Harry knew very well how much Sirius admired Lewis Green.
Throughout the entire summer, he had heard no shortage of praise for that boy from his godfather.
Out of friendship, and out of gratitude for everything Lewis had done for him during the summer, Harry felt that he should persuade Ron to stop targeting Lewis.
After all, Lewis was so popular at school and so outstanding in his own right.
Ron would gain nothing from continuing to speak badly of him.
So Harry stood up and walked over to Ron. Using the excuse of going to buy some food, he pulled Ron out of the box.
He wanted to have a sincere conversation with Ron, helping him understand that Lewis's excellence did not diminish his own worth, but could instead motivate them to improve together.
"Krum lost so miserably. Lewis didn't show him any mercy at all..."
Ron continued to grumble.
"And they even kissed in front of everyone. What will Hermione think?"
"Ron."
Harry suddenly stopped and glanced around.
"Stop saying bad things about Lewis. He helped us a lot before. Think about it—he was the one who rescued us from the Chamber of Secrets."
"But, but..."
Ron stammered, wanting to say something.
Whenever he thought of Hermione dressed up so beautifully and looking so alluring, he regretted his past decisions so much that he wanted to strangle his six-month-younger self.
The jealousy he felt toward Lewis only grew stronger.
However, he couldn't simply ignore Harry's words.
This was the first time Harry had spoken to him so seriously...
"Fine... Fine. I understand."
He nodded silently.
But deep down, his resentment toward Lewis only grew stronger.
Harry was actually talking to him like this because of Lewis...
After Lewis stole Hermione from him, was he going to steal Harry from him too?
No one noticed Ron's disappointment.
Before long, the tide of people leaving the stadium and returning to the campsite surrounded them.
As Lewis and the others followed the lantern-lit path back, bursts of high-pitched roars came from the night sky.
It was England's mascot, the Fire Dragon, singing and roaring at the top of its voice.
For most wizards, this was their first time hearing a Fire Dragon's song.
Finally, they returned to their tent.
But it still wasn't time to sleep.
The joy of winning the match was certainly profound, but more important was how to arrange the defenses for tonight in preparation for the danger that was about to unfold.
To prevent any accidents, Lewis didn't have time to appease the jealous girls. Instead, he persuaded Zhang Qiu, Luna, and Hermione to return to the tower through [Mansion Spell] and rest.
Before going inside, Hermione didn't forget to bring along her pet, Crookshanks.
As for Aiwu, the little dragon's strength was bound to Lewis's.
Although she usually behaved adorably, playing around and causing trouble, when it came to a real fight, mere Death Eaters were no match for her.
At the same time, Gianna Proudmoore began summoning her subordinates.
She decisively and calmly divided up the various tasks under the pretext of conducting a precautionary drill.
The entire defensive operation proceeded in an orderly manner.
Before long, singing and strange crashing sounds came from the other end of the campsite. The noises echoed through the night sky for a long time.
Faintly, they could also hear people's screams and the sounds of people running about in panic.
Everything was exactly as Lewis had "predicted."
The disturbance had begun.
"Everyone, act according to the orders we discussed earlier."
Mrs. Proudmoore gave the final command.
Military orders were absolute.
The Aurors immediately rushed out of their tents.
They were facing an unknown darkness and potentially dangerous enemies, but their objective was clear and unwavering—to protect the campsite and repel the enemy.
Lewis quietly left the tent.
Like a ghost in the night, he waited invisibly outside the entrance of the luxurious tent next door.
Inside, Lucius had deliberately put on a black cloak. Its hood cleverly concealed his pale blond hair.
Beside him, his wife, Narcissa Black Malfoy, anxiously held his hand.
"Lucius, be careful."
"Darling, take good care of Draco."
Lucius gently kissed his wife's cheek before resolutely walking out of the tent.
When the man stepped outside, Lewis approached and lightly tapped him on the shoulder.
The sudden touch made the middle-aged man stiffen.
"It's me," Lewis whispered. "According to the plan we agreed on, I'll remain invisible and follow behind you."
He paused before reminding him,
"Don't give yourself away."
Lucius nodded slightly, and his rigid body instantly relaxed.
Only then did he realize that after leaving the tent, he hadn't sensed Lewis's presence at all.
Even the protective magic around the tent hadn't reacted.
At the thought of this, Lewis seemed even more unfathomable in Lucius's eyes.
It also made him even more grateful that he had betrayed the Dark Lord.
Lucius then left according to the Death Eaters' plan.
Lewis followed silently behind him like a shadow.
"Someone's caught a Muggle family at the campsite..."
A man wearing a hood and a mask over his face hurried over to Lucius, excitement evident in his voice.
Lucius immediately quickened his pace and rushed toward the campsite.
Above their heads, four struggling figures floated in midair, their bodies twisted into all kinds of grotesque shapes.
It was as though the masked wizards on the ground were puppeteers, while the people above them were marionettes controlled by invisible strings extending from their wands.
Lewis noticed that two of the figures were very small.
They appeared to be children.
Lewis witnessed everything.
He saw the rioters use their wands to turn a woman's body upside down. Her pajamas slipped down, exposing a garish pair of underwear and provoking cheers and screams from the crowd below.
The woman struggled desperately to cover herself, but to no avail.
Lewis saw them raise their wands.
High in the air, the smallest Muggle child—floating sixty feet above the ground—began spinning like a top.
His head hung limply, lolling first to one side and then the other.
Even after his trip to Rwanda, seeing something like this again still filled Lewis with intense discomfort.
But he forcefully suppressed his anger and did not intervene.
Instead, he secretly marked the wizards before him.
Today was not the day for him to show off.
"According to the plan, everyone start moving. The main group will continue causing destruction throughout the campsite. Everyone else, act independently and disrupt the Aurors' ability to respond. Make sure to keep changing positions. Don't get caught."
A muffled voice sounded from within the crowd.
Lewis quietly followed them, magically marking every wizard he encountered.
Like a hunting tiger, he silently closed in on his prey, waiting for that crucial moment to arrive.
At the same time, Gianna heard the singing coming from the other side of the campsite, along with strange crashing sounds echoing through the night sky.
Faintly, they could also hear screams and the sounds of people running about in panic, as though something terrifying was happening.
"That's it. Move!"
Mrs. Proudmoore gave the decisive order, and everyone immediately rushed out of their tents.
Using the light from the still-burning campfire, Tonks saw people fleeing toward the woods, as though they were trying to escape some terrifying thing moving through the campsite.
The thing flashed with strange light and made sounds like gunshots.
Then came loud jeering, wild laughter, and drunken shouting, all drawing closer to them.
Tonks's heart began pounding rapidly.
An ominous feeling enveloped her.
Suddenly, a brilliant green light flashed, illuminating everything around them.
Tonks saw it clearly.
It was a gigantic skull composed of countless emerald-green, star-like lights.
A huge serpent emerged from the skull's mouth like a tongue.
Under the eyes of the entire crowd, the skull rose higher and higher, shining brilliantly amid the glowing green smoke.
Against the pitch-black night sky, it looked like a brand-new constellation.
Yet this "constellation" brought nothing but endless terror.
Penelope remained stationed beneath the iron-gray giant eagle statue.
This was her observation post, and she could not leave without authorization.
Familiar silver mist flickered, and a figure appeared beside her.
Penelope didn't even turn her head.
She knew exactly who it was.
After all, she had seen this method of appearing countless times during Auror training. She was far too familiar with it.
"You finally came, Shiri."
Penelope asked with concern,
"It must feel pretty good kissing him in front of everyone, huh?"
Upon hearing this, Shirella's previously composed expression suddenly became somewhat uncomfortable.
She lowered her head, not knowing how to answer for a moment.
"Th-that was only because everyone was cheering us on."
Shirella quietly defended herself, unusually showing a shy expression.
"I really didn't mean to do that on purpose. You know what the situation was like. Everyone was just fooling around, and I acted on impulse and..."
Seeing Shirella like this, Penelope laughed softly.
She stepped forward and gently patted Shirella on the shoulder.
"Relax, Shiri. It's really not a big deal. Everyone was teasing you because the two of you look so good together. You don't need to worry too much about the details."
"Thank you, Penelope."
Shirella nodded.
Her best friend's reassurance made her feel much better.
Although she had always been bold, she had never experienced anything quite this thrilling before.
Shirella didn't notice the trace of envy that flashed through Penelope's eyes.
Just then, a voice suddenly came from Shirella's badge.
The same thing happened with Penelope's badge.
The two best friends, who had still been chatting about their love lives moments ago, instantly became serious.
They both lowered their heads to confirm the information transmitted through their badges, then exchanged a glance.
Shirella reached out and grabbed Penelope's hand.
With a flash of silver mist, the two disappeared from the spot simultaneously.
Darkness.
The colorful lights that had previously illuminated the path to the stadium had gone out, plunging the entire campsite into darkness.
Shadowy figures stumbled through the woods.
Children cried and screamed.
Nervous, anxious shouts and voices echoed through the cold night air, adding to the chaos and unease.
At the campsite, the crowd beneath the Muggles was even larger than before.
They were helplessly packed together, fear rendering them unable to move.
Some Ministry employees desperately tried to rush in and approach the hooded wizards in the center.
However, they encountered enormous difficulties.
They seemed afraid to cast magic recklessly, terrified that they might cause the Muggles floating above them to fall.
This only intensified the tension at the scene.
At this critical moment, the orderly and rhythmic sound of boots, accompanied by the scraping of metal, came from the distance.
It rapidly approached.
The sound was like the beat of a drum.
It seemed to herald the end of the dark night.
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