Chapter 414: The Savior's Request to Conceal Part of the Truth
Whoosh!
A flash of colorful light, and Harry, along with the Triwizard Cup, vanished.
"No."
Lord Voldemort roared to the heavens. The duck, roasted, sliced, and already in his mouth, had flown away. His fury was unimaginable.
"It's over." Aaron took a deep breath. "Let's go."
A group of Death Eaters immediately surrounded them, each with a cold glint in their eyes, but none directly made a move.
"Alas!" Gaines sighed deeply, scoffing, "The Dark Lord may not keep his promises, but Salazar Slytherin's descendant should at least have some grace!"
"Let them go," Lord Voldemort asked, gritting his teeth.
"But..." Barty Crouch Jr. looked troubled.
"I said, let them go," Lord Voldemort emphasized. "My word is my bond."
The Death Eaters scattered, clearing the path.
Gaines smiled slightly, turned, and gave Lord Voldemort a simple bow, then, with the other six guards, apparated away with Aaron and Cedric.
Hogsmeade Village.
The eleven of them landed steadily, appearing in an open space outside the village.
Looking at the familiar streets and shops, Cedric and the others finally realized they were out of danger.
"Hogwarts is not convenient for Apparition, so here is just right," Gaines said, then looked at his hand. "Mission accomplished, you can go back."
"Wait," Aaron said. "At least introduce me to them!"
"It's been over ten years, and I still haven't met everyone. That's a bit unreasonable, isn't it?"
"It's not time yet." Gaines said calmly, "There's no benefit in getting too familiar with them before you have sufficient self-preservation abilities, young master."
Hearing this, Aaron was speechless and no longer stopped them from leaving.
When unfamiliar, they could be guards or even willing martyrs, but once they became close, they might act on impulse. At least he wouldn't treat them as martyrs.
"Thank you very much," Cedric said with heartfelt gratitude. "Thanks to you, we got our lives back."
"You're welcome, saving you was just a bonus," Gaines said very bluntly. "Besides, I don't particularly like you, because your father insisted on having me arrested by the Ministry of Magic at the Quidditch World Cup last year."
Cedric:...Dad is quite brave. This big shot can even briefly contend with the Dark Lord!
"Young master, are you going back to Hogwarts by yourself or should I escort you further?"
"What do you think?" Aaron said, annoyed.
"Understood."
Gaines raised an eyebrow, then turned and walked towards Hogsmeade Village.
Today was quite exciting, so it was only right to go to the Three Broomsticks for a drink to calm his nerves.
"So... shall we go back to Hogwarts now?" Fleur asked, looking at Aaron.
"Of course, I don't want to sleep outside in the middle of the night." Aaron nodded, then changed the subject. "But before that, the three of you have to promise me a few things."
"What is it?" Krum said. "As long as we can do it, we won't refuse."
"Smart." Aaron praised. "First, let's call a truce on all our past grievances. Although I'm reluctant to admit it, touching the cup together was my idea after all. Saving your lives will make us even."
"This... isn't appropriate!" Cedric chuckled awkwardly. "If it weren't for your idea, we might not have even made it to the Portkey, and Barty would have killed us in the maze."
Fleur and Krum nodded in agreement. The favor they owed this time was no ordinary one.
Wiping the slate clean sounded easy, but they all found this way of taking advantage a bit hard to accept.
"Let's just leave it at that!" Aaron said indifferently.
It wasn't that he looked down on the three of them, but with their talents and backgrounds, they wouldn't be able to repay this life-saving kindness even if they lived to old age.
Since that was the case, it was better to just let it go; at least both sides could be more at ease.
But the next moment, Aaron's expression became extremely solemn, and he continued, "Secondly, what happened tonight, you absolutely must keep it a secret."
"At least don't spread my achievements, otherwise my future school life will probably not be peaceful."
The three looked at each other, not understanding Aaron's meaning.
After a long pause, Fleur said with some difficulty, "This... what do we say if others ask?"
"You just say you fainted and woke up in HogsmeadeVillage," Aaron said without thinking.
This answer was quite perfunctory, but it was very powerful.
You can never wake a person who is pretending to be asleep; even if you know it's a pretense, there's nothing you can do.
"What about Harry Potter?" Krum's expression was a bit unnatural. "He returned to school a step before us, and he might have already told the judges what happened."
"Don't worry about him," Aaron said, feeling weary. "In short, you all have to pretend not to know anything."
"As for him... he's purely talking nonsense. I'm just an ordinary fourth-year Wizard. How could I possibly be a match for so many Death Eaters?"
Cedric hesitated for a moment, frowning slightly, "We can help you cover it up, but after all, it's a serious matter. The news of You-Know-Who's resurrection can't be concealed, can it?"
"Hmm..." Aaron tapped his chin, pondering. "The five champions of the Triwizard Tournament were taken by a Portkey to a graveyard, trapped and captured alive by Lord Voldemort and his servants."
"Gaius was unlucky and was stunned by Stupefy, while the remaining four witnessed his entire resurrection process."
"And because the Dark Lord's magic was too powerful, you suddenly fell unconscious. As for the rest... what could you know if you were unconscious?"
The three:... Hogwarts, Quidditch Pitch.
Harry fell hard, feeling pain all over his body, and his head was spinning.
He was too tired, had no strength at all, and could only wait for someone to find him.
After a while, a figure walked up to him, but his eyes were so tired they were almost slits, and he couldn't clearly see who it was, only that it felt somewhat familiar.
A warm white light shone on Harry, and he felt as if he were in a hot spring. The injuries on his body and his mental fatigue were rapidly recovering.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Hadrian's flawless face.
She appeared incredibly sacred in the white glow, immediately making him forget his near-death experience, and he couldn't bear to look away.
"Has no one told you that staring at a girl is very rude?" Hadrian raised an eyebrow.
Gulp!
Harry subconsciously swallowed, his face red, and stammered, "Sorry, I just, I just..."
"Alright, you should be fine now." Hadrian patted Abby's head contentedly. "I don't know where Aaron got this little guy from; its healing abilities are no less than a Phoenix's."
"By the way, Lord Voldemort has resurrected, and Aaron and the others are still there..." Harry looked anxious, but his voice trailed off halfway through, because Hadrian seemed completely unconcerned.
"You... aren't worried?"
"Not worried at all! If you can come back, there's even less to say about my brother."
"Besides, Uncle Gaines has already gone. The few of them combined could hold off even a Grand Magister for a while."
Harry's mouth twitched slightly, and he was immediately speechless.
Lupin ran over quickly. The white light emitted by Abby during the healing process was too bright in the night, and he immediately noticed what was happening.
A big hug almost suffocated Harry. Lupin cupped his face, crying with joy, "Thank Merlin, you've returned safely."
"Thank you for your concern, Professor."
"Where are the others?" Lupin asked, confused. "Didn't they come back with you?"
"They..."
"They must be fine." Hadrian said confidently. "I know my brother too well; he always keeps his promises."
"I suggest you look around nearby. If Hogwarts wasn't un-Apparationable, they should have returned by now."
Harry nodded blankly, "Professor Dumbledore?"
"I have something very important to tell him: Lord Voldemort has resurrected."
"What?" Lupin exclaimed, aghast. "Are you sure?"
"It's true, Professor Lupin, I saw it with my own eyes."
Lupin took a deep breath, suppressing the horror in his heart, and aimed his wand at the sky, firing a white spark.
Bang!
The white spark exploded in the night sky.
Not long after, Dumbledore rushed over, with Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape following behind him.
"Professor, what we've always feared has finally happened," Lupin said gravely. "You-Know-Who has returned."
Dumbledore nodded, saying in a deep voice, "Severus found out."
"Are you the only one who came back?" Snape asked, looking at Harry with a grim face. "Where are the others? Where's Gaius?"
"They should be fine." Harry said, not very confidently. He wasn't sure if Lord Voldemort would keep his promise and let the others go.
"Should? You're telling me'should'?"
"Aaron will definitely be fine." Harry quickly added, "The others should be fine."
"Calm down, Severus," Dumbledore comforted. "Shouldn't we first ask Harry exactly what happened?"
"Now?" Lupin looked at Dumbledore pleadingly. "At least let Harry rest for a bit!"
"I'm sure my office is much more comfortable than the grass, and besides, someone is waiting for him there."
"You-Know-Who it is; his concern for Harry is no less than yours."
Lupin nodded slightly at this, carefully helping Harry up.
"Minerva, please notify Madam Pomfrey to send Alastor to the infirmary."
"Also, prepare a few more beds; there might be more than one patient tonight."
"Severus, you go notify Fudge and tell him to come to my office."
"And while you're at it, find Filch and tell him to guard the Castle entrance. Once he spots Aaron and the others, bring them to my office as well."
"Understood." Professor McGonagall nodded immediately. Snape glared at Harry, then turned and left.
"Professor Moody was found?" Harry asked.
"Abby found him. If all goes well, you'll see him in the infirmary later," Hadrian said with a smile. "Aaron's disappearance really worried it. It furiously ran to the Defense Against the Dark Arts Class office."
"It originally wanted to find some of Moody's personal belongings to track him by scent, but by chance, it discovered a particularly tightly locked box."
"After spitting a dragon's flame, it found an Alastor Moodylocked in the box."
"Perhaps because he needed to brew Polyjuice Potion, he wasn't in mortal danger, just under Imperio and very weak, with half his hair pulled out."