days at Hogwarts

Chapter 498 The bustling Little Hangleton Cemetery

The stars and moon have been swallowed up by the sudden black clouds, leaving only a few hanging in the distant sky. Although there are bonfires and candles, the entire arena is still much dimmer, and the little wizards no longer shout at the top of their lungs.

On the referee's bench, Bagman stretched his neck again and looked at the maze longingly. He realized that it was still pitch black and couldn't see anything clearly and sighed.

Maxim and Fontana were a little confused. Why did the commentator look more anxious than their principal?
Dumbledore slowly picked up the teapot and added tea to himself and Crouch beside him. The tea used for entertaining guests was of good quality. The tea soup was clear and rosy in color. Taking a deep breath of the fragrant tea seemed to make him feel slightly sweet.

"Give me a drink too."

Bagman, who was so anxious that he almost wanted to pull his hair, picked up the hot tea and put it to his mouth. He didn't care about the steam, grinning from the heat, and didn't slow down. The burning pain on his tongue made him feel much better.

He put down the tea cup and smacked it on the table, exhaled a breath of hot air, and said roughly: "I don't know what's so good about this. I see you guys have been drinking it all night."

Crouch licked his upper lip and chuckled: "The weather is too dry."

"Yeah, it's much drier here than Durmstrang." Karkaroff responded while looking around, trying to pretend to be chatting, "By the way, Albus, you guys are potion masters. Where is Professor Pu? Why didn’t I see him tonight?”

Dumbledore turned his head and looked at him, his blue eyes showing a completely different penetrating power than before, and slowly said: "He is unwell and is resting in the school doctor's office."

"Really? This is really unlucky, but it happens tonight."

"Who says it's not?"

"..."

The night is getting darker.

The lion head hats were placed randomly on the unoccupied seats. The four of them held Coke bottles in their hands, leaning back on the seats and sometimes counting the stars and sometimes looking at the maze.

Loren grabbed Hermione's hand and looked at the watch. It was already half past ten. He pondered for a moment and asked, "If the game lasts until midnight, does this count as a group night out and we still leave the castle?"

Hermione held the straw in her mouth, turned her eyes to the side and glanced at him, her eyes a little complicated.

Rolf's ears twitched, and when he saw the interested expression on the little girl next to him, it seemed that he really wanted to discuss this issue with him, so he quickly fed her a cashew nut.

Luna was chewing cashew nuts and it was difficult to talk, so she continued to stare at the moon in trance.

The narrow hook was half covered by dark clouds, and the light was dim.

Loren glanced back and saw the figure next to the barrier shrinking into the shadows again. He sniffed again, smelling the smell of lacewings coming from the referee's seat, curled his lips and turned his head: "I Go back to the castle and use the restroom.”

Hermione glanced at him but said nothing.

……

Little Hangleton.

Unknown weeds grow on the wilderness cemetery. The yew tree with a thick trunk but withered branches and leaves, like the nearby tombstones, stands alone on the field. A stone sculpture of the angel of redemption holding a long sickle has fallen to the ground.

With the help of the faint starlight, you can vaguely see the remains of various stone sculptures scattered around, like an abandoned chapel. On the hillside to the left, the outline of Riddle House is looming.

The cemetery that had been undisturbed for more than ten years suddenly experienced a wave of fluctuation. The space dozens of feet around it suddenly collapsed and then expanded suddenly. The light and shadow of the maze surrounded by hedges flashed away like a mirage.

In the blink of an eye, three figures suddenly appeared, and the exquisite trophy fell at the feet of the angel statue.

Harry felt his feet hit the ground, staggered involuntarily, let go of the trophy, and noticed that the surrounding environment was completely different from Hogwarts. He subconsciously asked in shock: "Where are we?"

There was silence in the gloomy cemetery. The withered yellow leaves were moved by the breeze and made a rustling sound. A strange feeling surrounded the two of them, as if someone was watching them.

"do not know……"

Cedric looked down at the trophy: "It's a portkey, Harry. Did anyone tell you that this trophy is a portkey?"

"No." Harry recalled the scene he saw before being taken away by the portkey, standing side by side with Cedric, looking warily at the lame Defense Against the Dark Arts professor opposite with a ferocious face, and said in a deep voice, " I think Professor Moody can definitely give us the answer, right?"

Harry felt a dull pain in his scar. He seemed to understand something. He held his breath and moved in small steps. He whispered to Cedric: "Go back to the trophy, go back to the trophy..."

"Of course! You will know the answer, of course you should know!" The man said this to Harry. He seemed to completely ignore Cedric's existence and looked to the side, speaking loudly and coldly. Said, "Come out."

Harry and Cedric squinted their eyes nervously and looked into the darkness. A figure came out from among the tombstones and walked toward them step by step. His face could not be seen clearly in the darkness. Judging from his gait and arm posture, it seemed that It's a woman.

The man stopped in front of a towering marble tombstone. She raised her wand lightly, and a flame suddenly burst out in the center of the not-so-large space.

Fire appeared in the dark wilderness, and Harry and Cedric discovered that there was a black crucible not far away. It was more like a stone urn than a crucible, and it was spacious enough to accommodate an adult sitting in it.

A crackling flame burst out below the crucible, continuously cooking the medicinal materials inside. The boiling bubbles burst, and the sound of splashing water could be faintly heard.

Harry also took the opportunity to see the face of the figure opposite him clearly, and pronounced her name with a tight throat: "Bellatrix Lestrange."

Of course Cedric had heard the name of this wanted fugitive, a cold sweat broke out on his back, and his wand was pointed at her.

"I know you must be full of doubts..."

Moody's voice was completely different from usual, high-pitched and shrill. On the face covered with scars, a smile appeared on his crooked mouth, like a poisonous snake showing its fangs and letting out a chill. A frightening change occurred——

Those scars and pits began to grow flesh, and were filled up bit by bit. The bright blue magic eye suddenly turned upward and fell out of the eye socket. The wooden prosthetic leg fell to the ground, and one was intact. The legs grew out of the fracture.

Professor Moody was right in front of them, gradually transforming into Crouch!
Crouch, who looked extremely pale, twisted his neck and continued: "When we finish our business, Harry Potter, I will answer everything for you."

"Mr. Crouch?!" Cedric was surprised and he immediately raised his wand, "No, you are not Mr. Crouch, and you are not Professor Moody. Who are you and what are you going to do!?"

Crouch didn't even look at him, and walked towards the crucible on his own, lightly leaving instructions: "Get rid of those who are in the way first."

There was a whoosh, then a high-pitched shout tore through the night. "【Avada Kedavra】"

A strong green light pierced Harry's eyelids. Professor Moody had also demonstrated the Death Curse, but this green light was different from all the spells he had seen before. It seemed to contain countless sad and sad words. A desperate cry.

"No, please..."

"Let my child go!"

"what!"

Through the green light, this second seemed to be endless, and his scar began to hurt violently, as if a sharp steel needle had pierced his skull and his head was about to explode. He vaguely saw that long-ago night, in that desperate house, a couple had also faced such despair.

……

Loren stood behind the railing in the last row of the auditorium, watching Dumbledore and Crouch on the referee's bench pouring tea for each other and chatting and laughing. The wind blowing in front of them was mixed with the faint smell of tea and Polyjuice Potion. .

"Wheat, are you there?"

After the words fell, a clear muffled sound sounded in the air, and the figure of the house elf appeared in front of Loren.

Wheat raised his head and looked at him anxiously with his black eyes: "Mr. Morgan, Mr. Potter and Mr. Diggory were taken away by Professor Moody! Is this normal? Should we notify the principal?"

"I think Professor Dumbledore already knows." Loren lowered his head and looked into Xiaomai's big eyes. "This is a conspiracy by someone pretending to be Professor Moody. It may also be part of Dumbledore's plan. The referee is still sitting there. There is a Death Eater accomplice, and I don't know if I should expose him now."

Hearing this, Xiaomai was so anxious that he wanted to cry: "What should we do now? We have to do something! The elves at Hogwarts have the obligation to protect every student!"

"I really want to do something, and I need your help." Loren took a breath, held the wand in his hand, and put his other hand on Mai's shoulder.

"The magic of house elves is different from that of wizards. School-wide defensive magic will not work on you..." Loren paused, "Do you know the village of Little Hangleton?"

Xiaomai was stunned for a moment, his expression blank.

Loren was not disappointed and continued: "I know where they are. You have to take me out of Hogwarts first, and leave the rest to me."

Without any hesitation, Xiaomai raised his right hand and pinched his middle finger and thumb together. After a soft sound, the two disappeared.

……

Loren was hiding behind the collapsed stone wall of the church. Next to him was a tombstone with a blurred inscription. A firewood crackled not far in front of him, and the flames licked the black crucible vigorously. On both sides of the crucible, Loren I saw four people standing opposite each other.

Moody's clothes were worn on Crouch. Compared with the neat suits and elegant and solemn dresses in the past, the tattered robes and trousers with one leg exposed looked a bit tattered. His eyes looked at the crucible with joy.

In the crucible, the bubbles were buzzing, and it was boiling more and more violently, splashing out sparks like magma, but the water surface was not crimson red, but as bright silver as diamonds.

"Get rid of the obstruction first."

The man's light voice fell, and Bellatrix beside him quickly threw out a green light and headed straight for Cedric.

Loren thought, and the magic power as transparent as lake water flowed into the wand, revealing the tip of the wand. The magic power undulated and swayed in the dark night, and instantly spread to Cedric, who was twenty feet away. The water-like magic power instantly Freeze and divide into two parts.

A magical shield that turned into an invisible and transparent body collided head-on with the Death Curse, and a stream of light that turned into a slightly lighter green suddenly crashed into Cedric.

Cedric only felt a flash of green light. Before he could carefully perceive the details of the Death Curse, a powerful impact knocked him away and crashed into the pile of leaves. Then his body froze and he was unable to move.

……

In a daze, he heard the sound of glass breaking, and something flew away heavily beside him. Harry turned his head and stared blankly at Cedric's body, which was thrown twenty feet away and half buried in the haystack. , two legs hanging limply outside, lifeless.

Harry's brain couldn't accept the sight before him. He seemed to have entered the state of controlling Legilimency in the underground potions classroom again. Apart from a vague feeling of disbelief, he felt no other feelings, no sadness, no fear, no anger. , as indifferent as a bystander.

The hooded witch pointed her wand at his chest, and the invisible force dragged him off the ground, pushed him around, and hit the base of the statue of the Scythe Angel. The stone sculpture bound him under the influence of the transfiguration spell.

The cold sickle pole strangled his chest, Harry gasped hard, and his green eyes took everything around him into his mind:
It was Bellatrix who killed Cedric, so the one who could touch his scar was Voldemort, who was planning to be resurrected... He had to find a way to leave, no, he had to find a way to escape.

Tom Riddle's name is written on the tombstone next to it... Glittering in the starlight is the Contest trophy, which is a portkey. A little further on, with two legs exposed outside the pile of leaves, is Cedric's. corpse.

……

"No! No!"

Hidden behind the haystacks and the remains of the stone statue, leaving only a narrow slit to peek out, Cedric's face turned blue. Even under the petrification effect of the binding spell, his cheeks were still twitching crazily. He was trying hard to use every part of his body. The only part that can move expresses itself:
Go save people, hurry up and save Harry!
"What, your face is cramped?"

Loren squatted behind the remains of the stone statue, his eyes close to the small slit, and his voice only spread within a few feet of space around him.

"Be calm. If I hadn't arrived in time, it would be your father, Mr. Amos Diggory, who would be cramping now."

Cedric tilted his head, his expression clearly expressing his question: Why does his father have cramps?
"Cry and convulse... I was looking forward to the glorious return of my son with joy, but what happened was a corpse. Do you think your parents will cry until they convulse?"

Loren blinked. In his eyes, crystal blue light and cloud-like shadows were intertwined, as if everything in his sight had faded away, leaving only countless thin white lines. Outline.

It was him who rushed to save Cedric. It would have been fine if Dumbledore didn't know Voldemort's plan, but he had exposed Professor Moody's true identity early, so he couldn't have been unprepared.

There was only one truth. Dumbledore was definitely hiding somewhere nearby and knew he was coming.

We must find this old man!
"..."

The humanoid silhouette bound in mid-air represents Harry. The magic power in his whole body is in a strange state, flowing at a steady pace; Bellatrix standing in front of him has normal magic power.

The most eye-catching person is Crouch, or in other words, Voldemort, who is standing in front of the crucible.

(End of this chapter)