Chapter 274
"Mr. Crouch?"
Percy Weasley exclaimed in shock as he abruptly stood up from his seat.
But the middle-aged man before him no longer possessed the sharp, capable aura he once had.
It was as though he had stepped into old age far earlier than he should have.
His once jet-black hair had turned almost completely white, while the wrinkles and age spots on his face made him look visibly worn down by time.
Wearing a black suit, he slowly walked out from the conference room beside the Great Hall, looking utterly exhausted.
"Oh… Weatherby."
He merely grunted hoarsely and coughed twice, completely ignoring Percy's greeting as he walked straight toward Albus Dumbledore.
Dumbledore rose from his seat, gently patted Crouch on the shoulder, and quietly whispered a few words to him.
"That's incredibly rude," Percy muttered indignantly.
He felt the behavior of both men was completely improper for people of their status.
Soon, the award ceremony officially began.
This time, however, the host was no longer Ludo Bagman.
According to him, he had "extremely urgent and important matters" to handle.
Perhaps he was avoiding gambling debts.
No one knew for certain.
The responsibility naturally fell to Dumbledore instead.
The old man's deep voice echoed throughout the Great Hall.
"The Triwizard Tournament, which has lasted for half a year, officially came to an end not long ago."
"I believe both our guests from the other schools and the students of Hogwarts have all enjoyed this extraordinary competition."
"And the four brave champions have given us one thrilling match after another."
The four champions stood in the open space before the stage, waiting to receive their awards.
Thunderous applause immediately erupted from the audience.
The champions nodded politely toward the crowd from time to time.
Because this was the award ceremony, the champions' families had also been invited.
However, they had not dined with the students earlier.
Instead, they sat at another table reserved for honored guests.
"However…"
Dumbledore's tone suddenly became heavy.
His voice no longer carried the spirited warmth from moments before.
Those calm blue eyes slowly swept across the Great Hall, carrying an overwhelming sense of pressure.
"Listen, Minerva! I knew it! This must be the disaster I predicted!"
Sybill Trelawney said excitedly.
Professor Minerva McGonagall merely shot her a sidelong glance before revealing a distinctly unfriendly smile.
"I thought you were already used to our Headmaster's unfortunate habit of dramatics."
But in the very next instant—
Professor McGonagall's expression froze.
"Voldemort has returned."
Dumbledore's voice rang throughout the Great Hall.
Most people instinctively trembled the moment they heard the name.
Then their minds simply went blank.
Many students failed to even process the second half of the sentence.
What did Voldemort's name have to do with the Triwizard Tournament?
Had he once participated in something like this before?
Wild thoughts instantly filled countless minds.
Only a small portion of the students and professors fully understood what Dumbledore meant.
Those people stared at him in horror, utterly unable to believe what they had just heard.
Harry Potter quietly let out a long breath.
It felt as though a massive burden had finally been lifted from his shoulders.
At least he no longer needed to keep the secret alone.
Viktor Krum, meanwhile, remained as confused as most of the audience, apparently still unable to fully understand the situation.
As for Draco Malfoy—
He simply closed his eyes calmly, as though Dumbledore had merely told an unfunny joke.
Fleur, however, was caught in complete turmoil.
Her slender fingers tightened unconsciously as she looked toward the boy standing not far away, the one who still appeared entirely calm and ignorant.
It was as though she had finally made some sort of decision.
At that moment, another girl's words suddenly echoed in her mind.
"What you see may not necessarily be the truth."
"Besides intelligence, sometimes people should also listen to their hearts."
The girl who had "stolen" her dance partner.
After that unpleasant incident, Fleur had wandered around Hogwarts for days to calm herself.
Only aimlessly roaming the castle seemed capable of easing the strange resentment lingering in her heart.
And during those wanderings, she repeatedly encountered a peculiar girl named Luna Lovegood in all sorts of unexpected places.
At first, Fleur thought the girl was deliberately provoking her.
Later, she realized it was merely coincidence.
Luna always seemed accompanied by strange magical creatures.
Even creatures that looked dangerous would unconsciously become docile beneath the girl's gentle touch.
During their final private conversation, Luna had unexpectedly approached her first.
Fleur still did not understand why Luna had suddenly spoken those words to her—
But she wanted to believe that they were sincere guidance.
She could feel genuine kindness in the girl.
"Should I really trust my instincts?"
Fleur silently asked herself as she slowly closed her eyes.
"Voldemort has returned."
Dumbledore repeated the sentence once again.
This time, even the slowest students finally understood exactly what he meant.
Nervous whispers instantly erupted throughout the Great Hall.
"I'm sorry."
At some point, Dumbledore had already quietly stepped down from the stage.
The person standing there now was Barty Crouch Sr..
He bowed deeply toward the audience.
"I'm sorry," he repeated in a sorrowful voice.
"I failed in my duty as an official of the Ministry of Magic."
Percy's expression immediately became extremely awkward.
He could not understand why Mr. Crouch was suddenly apologizing to everyone.
For a moment, he looked utterly lost.
He glanced around instinctively, only to realize no one was paying attention to him at all.
"Soon, I will resign and accept the punishment I deserve."
"As for my mistakes…"
"I will confess them all today."
His voice grew lower and lower.
"Some of the older professors here must still remember those terrible years."
"Fortunately, that man eventually fell from power, and many Death Eaters were arrested."
"If you still remember…"
"Then perhaps you also remember that my useless son was among them."
He spoke slowly and calmly.
"At that time, I attempted to display fairness and impartiality."
"Unfortunately, it did nothing for my political future."
"At that time, I had been one of the strongest candidates for the position of Minister for Magic."
"But because of that incident, I lost all competitiveness and was eventually transferred to the Department of International Magical Cooperation."
"My selfishness pushed everything to the point of no return."
The middle-aged man's tone became increasingly heavy.
The audience stared at him in disbelief.
"I saved my son."
Crouch calmly revealed the shocking truth.
Instantly, whispers erupted throughout the Great Hall.
"That's impossible!"
"No one can escape from Azkaban!"
One student stood up in disbelief and shouted.
But almost immediately, he remembered the escape that had happened the previous year.
His face flushed red as he awkwardly sat back down.
"Yes…"
Crouch looked in that direction and nodded slowly.
"Almost no one can escape from Azkaban."
"To hide the truth from the Dementors…"
"A terrible price had to be paid."
His eyes gradually turned red, as though he had fallen completely into endless regret.