A single sentence from Kai suddenly eased the tense atmosphere in the Headmaster's Office. Even Dumbledore, who had been quite serious, couldn't help but chuckle.
But admittedly, the idea was indeed tempting.
"Alastor, Kai is only in his fifth year," Dumbledore said. "Perhaps we should discuss this after he graduates."
"Perhaps you're right, Dumbledore." Professor Moody glanced at Kai and then changed the subject, "Should we inform Fudge about this? I imagine he hasn't left yet."
"Of course," Dumbledore replied. "Voldemort's resurgence concerns the entire Magic Realm; we can't handle this alone."
"Severus." He turned to Snape. "Please go to the grounds, find our Minister, and bring him to this office. We need to have a serious discussion."
Snape nodded silently and quickly left the room.
"Professor," Kai suddenly said, "I believe Fudge wouldn't want to hear this news.
"Moreover, without concrete evidence showing Voldemort's identity, your conversation is likely to end unpleasantly."
"Perhaps you're right; no one wants to hear about Voldemort's resurgence, and I'm deeply convinced of that."
Dumbledore said in a calm tone, "But as I just mentioned, we can't handle Voldemort alone."
"Dumbledore, have you caught any Death Eaters?" Professor Moody asked.
"Regrettably not." Dumbledore shook his head. "They fled quickly, and I couldn't afford to split my focus."
Once again, the mood grew heavy.
Alright, with no evidence, just words... Kai could already imagine the scene of Fudge and Dumbledore parting ways.
As for using the Pensieve to restore Dumbledore's memory... It's a good method, but Fudge wouldn't look.
Even if Dumbledore forced him to watch it, Fudge would find all kinds of excuses to dismiss it as a fake memory.
No one spoke.
Fawkes flew down from its perch and landed on Kai's lap.
Kai stroked its golden-red feathers.
I must admit, the Phoenix is a truly magical creature. Because of the tail feather Fawkes gave him on Christmas, Kai had the confidence to touch the Triwizard Cup in the maze.
If it hadn't been for Dumbledore, he might have escaped from the mountaintop, but it would have been much more dire.
"Alright, Fudge will be here soon," Dumbledore suddenly glanced at Kai and Harry, saying, "I assume you wouldn't want to be part of the upcoming discussion, right?"
"Goodbye, Professor." Kai was the first to stand up and head to the door.
Fawkes brushed against his hand before returning to its perch.
"Goodbye, Professor." Harry seemed to react and said as well.
"Goodbye... Oh, right, make sure you go see Madam Pomfrey," Dumbledore reminded. "She'll give you a bottle of Dreamless Sleep Potion; it'll do you good."
"Alright."
...
The group gradually left the office.
As Kai crossed the door behind the Gargoyle, he happened upon Snape leading a cheerful Fudge this way.
"Kai, my boy, Dumbledore must be so excited he can't sleep, right?" he said with a hearty laugh. "I brought a bottle of Ogden's Aged Flaming Whiskey. You should join us; I believe you're old enough for a taste of this drink."
"Thank you, Minister," Kai said, "but I'm too exhausted right now. I just want to go back and have a good night's sleep."
"Yes, indeed, you should rest well," Fudge nodded. "Very well, I'll have Albus save a glass for you—if he doesn't drink it all himself..."
Fudge laughed and walked past them.
But Kai felt that soon he wouldn't be in the mood for whiskey.
After leaving the Headmaster's Office, Kai didn't head directly back to the common room but decided to accompany Harry to the Hospital Wing to get the Dreamless Sleep Potion.
Dumbledore was right. After seeing Voldemort resurrect with his own blood, Harry certainly needed it.
As the two reached the vicinity of the first-floor foyer, they came across Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey.
A stretcher floated beside them, with the unconscious Filch lying on it.
"Professor," Kai walked over, "what happened to him?"
"He was hit by a Stunning Spell and casually tossed into a box in his office," Professor McGonagall said. "Fortunately, there's no life-threatening danger."
At this moment, Madam Pomfrey was hurriedly taking the stretcher away, and Professor McGonagall quickly followed. She needed to ask Filch some questions when he awoke.
Harry followed after them as well.
Kai glanced at Filch's office, which had become quite disordered. A cabinet leaned against the wall, its contents scattered everywhere.
"Meow..."
Just then, a cat staggered out from under the table and wailed at Kai.
Judging by Mrs. Norris's limping appearance, she hadn't escaped Barty Crouch Jr.'s attack either.
Of course, to target Filch, one couldn't bypass Mrs. Norris...
Wait a moment.
A sudden thought struck Kai.
During Christmas, Karkaroff inexplicably had a conflict with Filch, insisting on locking up Mrs. Norris and not allowing her in the school...
Could it be that they intended to use Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Filch back then?
It made sense, after all. Mrs. Norris had some Kneazle blood, and even if Polyjuice Potion was used, she could still identify whether the "Filch" in front of her was real.
And these two companions were always together, making her the only obstacle in impersonating Filch. Could it be that Karkaroff was preparing for Barty Crouch Jr.'s actions back then?
But that doesn't seem right... Kai shook his head.
The difference between a Wizard and a Squib is significant; merely changing a face wouldn't suffice. Even if students didn't notice, there's Professor Moody, who would never overlook it.
Kai shook his head again, thinking perhaps he was overthinking it, that it was just a personal grievance between Karkaroff and Filch.
Or maybe they intended to act, but upon discovering Filch was a Squib, they abandoned the original plan and chose to strike at Harry at the last moment, just when all the professors had left the castle.
Just as he was pondering this, Mrs. Norris darted past Kai, limping as she caught up with Filch ahead.
Kai walked at the back, contemplating deeply.
In retrospect, Voldemort's resurrection had too many oddities.
He was certain that, before Harry was captured, everyone at the school was real, including the judges, and no one had used Polyjuice Potion. He confirmed this several times with the Marauder's Map.
But how did Barty Crouch Jr. conveniently appear at the perfect moment, using Filch's identity to capture Harry?
And as for the Triwizard Cup, how was it swapped into a Portkey? Only the judges had access to it, so it must have been Karkaroff who helped him.
Moreover, this has already been confirmed.
But when Karkaroff heard the news of Voldemort's resurrection, shouldn't he have fled immediately? After all, he had betrayed many people to save himself back then.
If there were anyone who most dreaded Voldemort's return, Karkaroff would definitely be one of them. How could he wholeheartedly aid Barty Crouch Jr., it just doesn't add up.