Chapter 418: Unsolved Mystery, Dumbledore's Speech
The next day.
Aaron woke up naturally in the infirmary bed, the first time he had slept in so late since starting school.
He glanced at the others who were already awake, then his gaze fell on the opposite side, where a one-eyed, limping patient was looking him over with interest.
"It's really Professor Alastor Moody," Cedric explained in a low voice. "Dumbledore visited him last night, and since then, he's been very interested in you."
"Heh heh! I'm not interested in men," Aaron said indifferently, then pulled a lollipop from Abe's pocket and unceremoniously stuck it in his mouth.
"Not interested in men, so are you interested in women?" Fleur asked, looking at him playfully.
Aaron raised an eyebrow and said, speechless, "Miss Delacour, I admit you are beautiful, but I'm not interested in you.
After all, I'm just a handsome fifteen-year-old boy and haven't considered women yet."
"Such a prude. Sometimes it's hard to tell if you're being serious or not."
"It's definitely not serious," Harry said, enjoying the drama. "Last night, Adrian just said…"
"Shut up, Harry," Aaron immediately interrupted. "Don't forget I saved your life."
Hearing this, Harry awkwardly shut his mouth.
However, Fleur seemed to have misunderstood something, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved into a smile.
Just then, the door to the Hospital Wing suddenly opened, and Madam Pomfrey, accompanied by two House-elves, brought breakfast to the injured.
"You are basically fine and can be discharged today.
However, Cedric, it's best not to do any heavy work for a week; it's not good for your shoulder's recovery."
"Understood, Madam Pomfrey."
"Alright, I won't disturb your meal. Let me know when you leave," Madam Pomfrey said before turning and leaving the room.
Harry picked up a bowl of pumpkin porridge, eating it while absentmindedly asking, "What do you think You-Know-Who will do?"
"What else can he do?" Aaron said nonchalantly. "Break into Azkaban to rescue his loyal servants, then recruit a group of powerful magical creatures… Trolls, Giants, Werewolves, Vampires, and so on.
This way, he can restore his former power as quickly as possible, perhaps even surpassing it.
After all, this time he's not starting from scratch but retracing a path to success."
Harry immediately lost his appetite. "What… can we do?"
"Pfft! Cough, cough!"
Aaron almost spat out his half-eaten sandwich. He looked at Harry helplessly. "Don't think too much. Dumbledorealready made arrangements last night.
As for you… you can't do anything, at least not yet."
"That's true," Harry forced a smile and continued eating his breakfast.
"Oh, I forgot to give you this," Aaron suddenly slapped his forehead, looked at Abe, and without a word, picked him up, pulling a bag of gold coins from his pocket.
"The Triwizard Tournament prize money. I'll take half, and you all split the rest."
"That's not appropriate," Krum said with a serious face, and the other four immediately expressed their agreement.
It was Merlin's blessing that they even made it out alive; they absolutely couldn't accept the money. They weren't that shameless.
Seeing their firm attitude, Aaron didn't force them. After all, he also needed raw materials to make those enchanted bullets.
After breakfast, the group left the Hospital Wing.
Krum and Fleur returned to Durmstrang's ship and Beauxbatons' carriage, respectively. They needed to report their safety to their parents, teachers, and classmates.
Cedric went to see his parents and Professor Sprout, the Dean of Hufflepuff, while Harry and Aaron returned to the Gryffindor and Slytherin common rooms.
As soon as he passed through the archway, Aaron attracted the attention of the Slytherins.
"Where were you yesterday?" Draco asked curiously. "Something must have gone wrong with the last task. That Mad-Eye, Professor Alastor Moody, might be a Death Eater."
"This… I really don't know," Aaron said, feigning confusion and pausing for a moment. "I only know that the trophy was a Portkey, and I lost consciousness after landing.
When I woke up again, I was in Hogsmeade Village."
"Really?" Draco said with a regretful look. "I bet you missed something very important."
"Alright, Draco," Neller said, walking over. "Professor Snapesaid Aaron was very frightened, and no one is to ask him any questions."
"Understood, understood."
"It seems the Dean understands me best," Aaron shrugged and walked into his single dormitory, reaching the Hall of Resonance through a secret passage.
The thought-form was diligently carving a magic circle on a stone table. Seeing the main body approach, he decisively stopped his movements. "You should rest a bit longer."
"The Hospital Wing is not as comfortable as our Hall of Resonance," Aaron sat down opposite the thought-form. "Where's the Dog Talisman?"
The thought-form snapped his fingers, and a Shadow Ninja handed over a wooden box. Inside the box was indeed the Dog Talisman, but the dog pattern was gray-white.
"The power of immortality has been completely absorbed, not a trace left," the thought-form sighed. "To have the Shadow Ninja bring the Talisman over, I can't believe you thought of that method."
"A last resort. I have to find a way to put myself in an invincible position, right?"
"Rough words, but not unreasonable. It's just a bit risky."
"You know the situation at the time. I couldn't be a hundred percent sure that Gines and the others would appear in time.
With the power of immortality, even if Lord Voldemortreally wanted to kill me, I could feign death and escape."
The thought-form nodded noncommittally. "What should we do with this Talisman?"
Aaron hesitated for a moment, the pattern of a dog appearing in his pupils, but quickly receding moments later.
The Dog Talisman returned to its original color, but it was just a decoration, devoid of any magical power.
"Alright, put it on the shelf!" Aaron said. A Shadow Ninja took the Talisman and its wooden box, placing it next to the wooden box containing the Tiger Talisman.
The thought-form smiled faintly, giving the main body a thumbs up. "You really know how to play!"
"Just in case," Aaron waved his hand. "The Hall of Resonance was, after all, converted from the SlytherinChamber of Secrets. Lord Voldemort has already resurrected.
He might not care about this place, but he might come back. If he does, he's bound to discover these two Talismans. The Tiger Talisman can separate good and evil, so why would the Dog Talisman be unremarkable?"
"But it is unremarkable," the thought-form spread his hands. "Wasting any more time on it is meaningless.
But have a little faith in the Hall of Resonance, alright? A Forbidden Spell has been set up here."
"So I said, just in case. After all, Lord Voldemort has multiple Horcruxes, and a Forbidden Spell might not necessarily kill him."
...The farewell feast the day before leaving school. All the teachers and students from the three schools gathered in the Great Hall.
Alastor Moody had recovered well and made his official appearance that night, though he looked somewhat overly nervous.
After being imprisoned for a year, his paranoia had worsened a few degrees.
Hagrid and Maxime sat together, constantly whispering, their relationship very harmonious.
Aaron saw this scene and knew that Dumbledore was probably going to have them both try to win over the Giantrace, but he didn't have much hope for it.
Dumbledore had enough prestige in the Wizarding World, but he didn't have enough power.
Lord Voldemort could offer Giants freedom and rights, while Dumbledore could offer peace and friendship.
Both were offering a pipe dream, but supporting Lord Voldemort made it easier to gain benefits, and the Dark Lord's style of action was more in line with the Giants' preferences.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Professor McGonagall tapped her cup, and the Great Hallimmediately fell silent.
Dumbledore stood up from his seat. "Another year has come to an end.
Tonight, I have many things to say to you all. This is a decision I have pondered for a long time, even though the Ministry of Magic does not want me to tell you this."
"Lord Voldemort… has resurrected, on the very night the Triwizard Tournament ended.
Several of our champions witnessed it with their own eyes. He, and his Death Eaters, have returned to the Wizarding World, and the order we painstakingly built for thirteen years is suffering a terrible impact."
As his words fell, gasps of shock rose and fell.
A dense murmur of nervous whispers filled the Great Hall. Many people's eyes showed terror, and students closer to the champions eagerly sought confirmation of Lord Voldemort's resurrection.
In response, the five champions nodded tacitly, not denying Lord Voldemort's return.
"Do not doubt, this is the truth.
Our five champions only narrowly escaped his clutches due to good luck." Dumbledore's old face flushed slightly. He wasn't incapable of lying, and was even quite skilled at it, but lying in front of the people involved was indeed a bit awkward.
"Phew!"
Dumbledore paused for a while, and when the whispers below quieted down a bit, he swept his gaze meaningfully over the five champions and continued, "The purpose of the Triwizard Tournament is to enhance and promote mutual understanding in the Wizarding World. Due to Lord Voldemort's resurrection, this connection is more meaningful than ever.
I truly wish I were wrong, that Lord Voldemort had not returned, but the undeniable facts are before us. We will all face a darkness and hardship no less than thirteen years ago. In this Great Hall alone, many families have been torn apart by Lord Voldemort.
But I want to say that every guest in this Great Hall, if they wish to return, will be welcome at any time.
Even if we come from different places and speak different languages, we still need to unite.
Lord Voldemort is very skilled at creating conflict and hostility. Only through unity can we hope to fight against him, while division will make us vulnerable…"
It must be said that Dumbledore's speech moved many people. Even some of the younger students, after drinking this chicken soup, couldn't help but shed tears.
Aaron was indifferent to this. Compared to inspirational speeches, he was more concerned with reality.
He admitted that Dumbledore's words had some truth, but beyond that, there was another purpose: he likely wanted to use these students to convey the news of Lord Voldemort's resurrection to their parents.
One telling ten, ten telling a hundred, the Wizarding Worldwould naturally be put on alert, and Fudge and the Ministry of Magic wouldn't be able to suppress the news even if they wanted to.