Not everyone has the courage or confidence to ignore the Minister for Magic, and in a rage, Cornelius Fudge dismissed all Ministry of Magic officials and made a near-threatening statement, which unsettled Professor McGonagall, Madame Pomfrey. Even Harry and his two friends on the hospital bed were at a loss for what to do next.
Bluster!
"Ruining everything!" screamed Sirius loudly, as he turned on the Ministry of Magic officials in anger.
"I'd like to see what he plans to do!"
Harry wasn't sure whether he should continue or not. His recent account had only mentioned Voldemort's return, but there were more important matters that followed.
"Albus."
Mrs. Maxima rose to her feet, well aware of the weight of the Minister's threat, and she spoke in a low, anxious tone.
"The mysterious person has really returned. If you need help, Hogwarts will stand firmly by your side."
The weight of that promise was significant, and Dumbledore spoke with a serious expression of gratitude.
"Thank you, Ollivanders, for standing on the side of what is right."
"It is what Hogwarts should do. Without you, I believe that the mysterious person would cause even greater harm to the European magical community——" Mrs. Maxime rumbled, "helping you is helping ourselves."
Harry had neither a great liking nor disliking for the headmistress of Hogwarts before this, but she was awfully impressed by her words.
"Given the current circumstances, Albus, do you believe the Triwizard Tournament should be terminated?"
Hesitating, Mrs. Maxime spoke hesitantly.
Dumbledore remained silent, this was not an easy decision to make, and he found himself hesitating.
"Why?"
To everyone's surprise, Amortens, who had greatly concealed his presence, stepped forward. He spoke calmly.
"Why should we terminate the Triwizard Tournament? Its successful hosting is the result of joint efforts from many, is it not?"
"Amortens--"
"Remus couldn't contain himself any longer, and he spoke worriedly."
"But the one who had previously hidden himself has come back. It can be imagined what will happen next."
"Wasn't that what Voldemort hoped to see?" Amortens smiled, as if he was the only one not affected by this.
"Voldemort wants people to be in a state of panic, for the entire magical society to be consumed by fear due to his return, for normal life to be disrupted, for wizards to hide and flee. It's easy for him to make everything worse without even lifting a finger. Therefore, at this moment, we should maintain composure; we cannot fall into the rhythm set by our enemies."
This is indeed an unassailable reason, and even Mrs. Maxime, who had mentioned this matter, unconsciously nodded.
"I'm sorry."
"Cromwell raised his hand at this moment, looking very uneasy, as he met the gaze of everyone under the pressure."
"But -- our headmaster, I mean, Professor Kakaloff"
Cromwell looked at Harry, even though he already had an answer in his mind. If the mysterious person was indeed as violent as rumors suggested.
"He is dead."
"He is dead," Harry gave a cold answer, but immediately realized that Crom and Kakaloff were not the same thing. He forced himself to speak with a softer tone, adding,
"It wasn't Voldemort who personally attacked him, it was the Death Eaters called by Voldemort. Each of them had released a Cruciatus Curse on him, and he...didn't make it."
Cromwell's already pale cheeks had lost all trace of color.
Dumbledore looked at Amortens, "If there was no headmaster in Durmstrang, it would be difficult for the Triwizard Tournament to continue."
"I'll take care of it."
Amortens said calmly, looking at Cromwell and pausing for a moment.
"I want to talk to you privately, Viktor."
Ignoring the surprise that Cromwell showed, Amortens turned to Mrs. Maxime and deliberately conveyed a hint of uncertainty.
"Gabrielle and Fleur need better rest——"
Mrs. Maxime immediately understood, and she looked at Madam Pomfrey.
"Could you please arrange for a separate ward for us?"
"Oh, certainly!"
Madam Pomfrey also came to her senses, and she and Mrs. Maxime pushed Gabrielle's ward into a separate room. Although Fleur wanted to stay, she knew very well that she shouldn't.
"I'm going to have something to eat, Professor Bran - "
Cromwell also knew that he should leave temporarily, and with a perceptive reason, he received Amortens' permission before limping away.
Now, the only people left in the ward are the three of us.
"Continue, Harry, tell us what you saw." Amortens looked at Harry.
Harry took a deep breath and recounted every event that had occurred after Voldemort's return.
He mentioned that Voldemort had summoned his Death Eaters, and listed out the names of the Death Eaters he had heard and seen.
He talked about Kakaloff's demise, and the mention of his body being swallowed by a giant snake named Nagini made Hermione look uncomfortable. It was clear that she couldn't accept such a gruesome death, despite her own dislike for Kakaloff who had betrayed them. Ron, on the other hand, looked enraged at the memory of Kakaloff aiming his wand at his head.
"Deserved," whispered Sirius.
Then there was the story of Barty Crouch Sr. and Jr.
When he said that Barty Crouch Sr. had slit his own throat with magic to prevent Voldemort from succeeding and not to fight with his son, a tense silence fell over the public ward.
Hermione opened her mouth, she didn't expect this cold-hearted Ministry official to let go of his pride and accept Snape as his own family in the last moments of his life.
Sirius' expression was complicated; he was the most resentful towards Crouch in the room, but he had to admit that old Barty's last act was commendable. He had maintained his dignity, and the dignity of a wizard.
Dumbledore closed his eyes and Harry could see a hint of pain in the lines between his eyebrows.
"Please continue, Harry--"
But after a moment, Dumbledore composed himself and spoke in a steady voice.
Then Harry said that his confrontation with Voldemort was still vivid, and the sense of despair and excitement could still be felt. He had prepared himself for death, but when the light appeared, an old man and the ghost of Bertha Jokenks appeared from the wand, he deduced that Hermione and Ron were still alive. Then he choked out, "I saw my mother, I saw my father."
Snape's body swayed, and he leaned against the railing at the back of the bed to stay standing, but his complexion remained pale. Sirius and Remus also looked disoriented.
"Lily and James."
Sirius' voice was hoarse, and his gaze moved between Brian and Dumbledore, knowing that they could answer this question.
"Why?"
Sirius asked.
Amortens looked at Dumbledore, and then Dumbledore explained,
"An anapoto."
"Can it produce the effect of a playback spell?" Sirius asked next.
"Very correct," Dumbledore said. "Harry's wand and Voldemort's wand have the same wand core. The feathers they contain come from the same phoenix, truthfully, it's the Phoenix."
"Fawkes?" Harry asked blankly, not expecting his wand's core to come from Fawkes. He had known for a long time that his wand's core was the same as Voldemort's, but he didn't recall remembering it from the time he bought his wand. In fact, he remembered Oliver Wood mentioning this when he purchased his wand.
"Yes," Dumbledore nodded, "Four years ago, just after you left Mr. Oliver Wood's shop, he wrote to inform me that the second wand had been purchased. Generally speaking, such wands do not attack each other normally; if their owners force them into a duel, one wand will compel the other to repeat the spells it has cast from recent to distant in time."
"So--"
Harry didn't know why Snape's voice was also hoarse, and there seemed to be something hopeful in his dark eyes as he looked at Dumbledore.
"So, she... they've reappeared as ghosts?"
"No, Severus--"
Dumbledore said heavily,
"It's not, Severus—just a kind of reversed playback phenomenon, an imprint. Harry, what did these apparitions do?"
Harry told Dumbledore that his parents had confirmed that Ron and Hermione were still alive, and they told him that Snape could take him away, and they surrounded Voldemort to buy time for him.
Severus, Sirius and Remus - perhaps only now did the two parties who had been at odds for years share the same feelings.
Sirius covered his face, and Harry couldn't see his expression, but he saw that Remus's fists were tightly clenched, with the nails digging into the flesh, and his body was trembling. Snape, for his part, avoided the look Harry threw at him and curiously lifted his head to gaze at the white ceiling... Harry was filled with anger and thought Snape might be laughing in secret!
Then it was back to the present, and Snape had been hit by Barty Jr., unconscious, then. Harry looked at Professor Brian, who winked at him, and taking a deep breath, Harry said.
"--I thought I wouldn't be able to return, but then the Slytherin uniform glowed, and we were brought back."
(Chapter completed)
