Chapter 293: Chapter 293: He's Back
Harry felt himself crash to the ground, his face buried in the grass, the scent of fresh earth filling his nose.
He had kept his eyes closed while the Portkey carried him away, and now he still didn't move, feigning unconsciousness.
Even when Alaric brought him to the trophy, he didn't open his eyes.
It felt like all his strength had drained away.
His head was spinning, and the ground beneath him swayed like the deck of a ship.
Fear and exhaustion pinned him to the ground as he inhaled the scent of grass, waiting… waiting for someone to do something… waiting for something to happen…
Meanwhile, the scar on his forehead throbbed with a dull, burning pain…
A wave of noise washed over him, confusing and overwhelming.
There were footsteps, shouts…
He furrowed his brows tightly, as if this were just a nightmare that would soon pass…
He felt a hand on his shoulder, strong and firm, lifting him up effortlessly.
"We're safe now, Harry. You don't have to play dead anymore," a male voice whispered in his ear.
He recognized it immediately—Alaric's voice.
He had heard Alaric's voice earlier when he was pretending to be unconscious, along with the voices of Hermione and Fleur casting spells.
He knew they must have come to rescue him.
That familiar sensation was much like the one he felt when he was taken to the graveyard earlier, which meant that he had probably been brought back to Hogwarts through the Portkey.
With this thought, Harry opened his eyes.
Above him was a night sky dotted with stars.
Alaric and two female champions stood beside him.
Surrounding them were shadowy figures, all pressing in on him, with Dumbledore at the forefront.
Harry could feel the ground beneath his head trembling slightly with their footsteps.
He was back at the edge of the maze, and he could see the tall stands surrounding them, with people moving about above.
The stars twinkled overhead.
Suddenly, a silver-haired little girl and a black-haired girl rushed toward them.
The little girl flung herself into Fleur's arms, while the black-haired girl embraced Alaric.
Both girls had tears in their eyes.
It was Gabrielle and Cho Chang.
Soon after, Cho hugged Hermione, while Gabrielle ran into Alaric's arms.
Harry glanced at Cho with a complicated expression, then looked at Alaric, his face darkening.
However, since he had just "died" once, his face was already pale, so no one noticed.
"What happened, Alaric?" Dumbledore asked anxiously.
"At the place where you left the signal, we found Professors Flitwick and McGonagall unconscious, and Krum as well.
Professor Moody is missing. What's going on?"
"Moody was an imposter," Alaric said quietly.
"His real identity was Barty Crouch Jr.
He tampered with the Triwizard Cup, turning it into a Portkey that brought Harry to a graveyard."
Dumbledore's expression froze, and the others gathered around were equally stunned.
"So it was him!" Snape said darkly.
"Stealing my Boomslang Skin , attacking me from behind, murdering old Barty Crouch—I should have known."
"This is outrageous!" Karkaroff blurted out.
"Could this be your Hogwarts' way of trying to win the tournament?"
He looked to Madame Maxime of Beauxbatons, hoping for her support.
But before Alaric could respond, Hermione spoke up.
"Just now, in the maze, the fake Moody used the Imperius Curse to control Krum," the girl said quickly.
"Krum attacked Fleur with the Cruciatus Curse.
If it weren't for Alaric's magical tools, Fleur would have been seriously injured."
"Miss Delacour, are you alright?"
Hearing that her prized student had been harmed, Madame Maxime forgot all about the tournament and hurried over to check on Fleur.
Being hit by the Cruciatus Curse was no small matter.
Even a slightly severe case could cause irreversible psychological damage, or worse, madness.
"Don't worry, Poppy will provide Miss Delacour with all the help she needs," Dumbledore reminded, as Madam Pomfrey stepped forward.
She had been tending to Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Krum, who had not yet regained consciousness.
"No, I'm fine," Fleur shook her head.
"Yes, of course she's fine," Karkaroff interjected.
"What 'Imperius Curse'? What 'Cruciatus Curse'? Just a convenient excuse from these children, I think…"
"You can use the Priori Incantatem on Krum's wand!" Fleur said angrily. "If you do, you'll find he's cast the Cruciatus Curse more than once."
Karkaroff's face stiffened.
A champion using the Cruciatus Curse on another champion—there was no need to explain what that meant.
If it was proven true, his only defense would be that Krum had been under the Imperius Curse.
"And then what?" Madam Bones spoke up this time.
She had been sharp enough to realize why Alaric had invited her to take charge of the Triwizard Tournament, and now she decided to cooperate.
"I noticed that you, Miss Granger, and Miss Delacour arrived here with Mr. Potter.
You mentioned that the Cup's Portkey destination was altered. Could it be that…"
"Yes, you're right," Alaric nodded, secretly praising Madam Bones for her quick thinking.
"Although I couldn't stop Barty Crouch Jr. in time, I followed them to the graveyard. As for Miss Granger and Miss Delacour…"
He glanced at the two girls and continued, "Although rescuing Harry was my duty as a patroller, these two champions insisted on coming along.
Even though Harry was their competitor, they couldn't stand by and watch him be taken by dark wizards, so I brought them with me."
The two girls shot Alaric a knowing glare.
He had just blatantly lied. In truth, he had let Crouch and Harry go on purpose to bait a bigger catch, and they had only come along to help because of Alaric, not Potter.
But after Alaric's words, everyone around them looked at the girls with admiration, and Harry himself gave them a grateful look.
"How could you take them to such a dangerous place!" Madame Maxime exclaimed.
"Taking them to such a place—they're just children…"
Her words trailed off as she suddenly realized that Alaric was also a child—much younger than Fleur, in fact.
It dawned on her that Alaric's strength and maturity had led them to treat him as an adult all this time.
"This wasn't Alaric's fault," Fleur stepped forward to explain.
"Hermione and I insisted on going."
"Miss Granger and Miss Delacour truly embody the spirit of champions from Hogwarts and Beauxbatons," Madam Bones said, nodding approvingly.
She looked at the two girls with newfound respect.
"They are indeed worthy of the title of champions.
So, back to the main issue, do you know what Crouch's goal was?
What exactly happened in that graveyard?"
Alaric looked around. Everyone's attention was fixed on him, waiting expectantly.
He cleared his throat and then solemnly announced.
"The one who must not be named… he's back."
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