Bab 92: Emergency meeting at Hogwarts
Grounds, Hogwarts Castle;
Outside the maze, students, as well as the teachers, are anxiously waiting for the emergence of the Triwizard Champion.
So far, red sparks were shot in the air twice.
Fleur was rescued by Moody, long ago, and Krum was rescued by Professor McGonagall who is patrolling around the maze after the newly appointed teacher suddenly left his post due to feeling unwell, a headache of that sort.
It was quite a lame excuse but no one, neither Dumbledore nor McGonagall has any reason to doubt him. They thought the preparations taxed on him.
More than 15 minutes passed away since the last rescue but so far, there were no movements on either Neal or Harry. Dumbledore started to get worried.
All of a sudden, a matured blue phoenix appeared right in front of Dumbledore, taking everyone by surprise.
Not many people know that Neal also possessed a blue phoenix, which he received as an egg when he last visited china. Even his friends and relatives had no idea about it.
Except for Tracey, only Dumbledore was aware of its existence.
Tracey stood on her feet in worry, right away when she saw that. Dumbledore furrowed his brows when he saw a letter hanging between the beaks of the blue phoenix.
As it is a known fact that Dumbledore possessed a phoenix named Fawkes, although its appearance is unknown, the students didn't feel alarmed at the sight.
Some of them ignored it while some of them, especially girls, appreciated the beauty of the phoenix.
Dumbledore opened the letter and read it. His frown deepened.
Dumbledore stood up from his seat and put the wand near to side of his throat, "Sonoros"
He unleashed the voice amplification spell. Everyone's attention was instantly grabbed by him.
"Due to an unexpected turn of events, we are calling off the tournament. Mr. Slytherin and Mr. Potter were stranded somewhere but is safe and sound. They will return to the castle, soon enough.
For now, the students be dismissed and will not roam around until further notice. Prefects, please lead them to your respective house dormitories.
Professors, please follow me to the staffroom." Dumbledore dropped a nuke on everyone, creating tension among everyone. They started leaving. But then again, such strange scenes became quite common ever since Harry Potter and Neal Slytherin entered the magic school.
First, it was because of Troll. Then, it was the killing of Norris and warnings about the return of the monster, then, the war between the other tribes in the forbidden forest, after that, the escape of Sirius Black and the entry of Dementors, and now, they wondered what emergency incident forced their headmaster to call off the tournament entirely.
Most of the students in Gryffindor hate Harry and his two friends for losing their house points for the past couple of years. However, his inclusion in the Triwizard tournament as the fourth champion made them forgive him.
Usually, they would develop even a grudge on him for taking a potential spot from one of his housemates by cheating but then, as Harry was nominated to the fourth champion while the other one was Neal, they couldn't help but cheer and support Harry.
Harry's stature at Gryffindor turned around swiftly. Ron and Hermione weren't also isolated like before but Hermione wasn't as active in the group as before. Despite the reunion of the trio, Hermione was concentrating more on studies and friendships with like-minded Ravenclaws.
Of course, Harry had to thank her for helping him woo Cho Chang but that's another story to tell.
Back to the present, the Gryffindors were discontent with the decision of their headmaster. For the past decade, the Slytherin House is dominating the house cup. Their only comfort was the Quidditch.
However, after Neal entered into the Slytherin's Quidditch team, even that was taken away from the Gryffindor. Adding on top of that, Neal also topped the academics, leaving them no ray of hope.
In midst of this, the Triwizard cup came. It was an opportunity for Gryffindor to redeem its stature as the true rival of Slytherin and also the symbol of righteousness.
For Gryffindors, their win over Slytherin is the same as winning against evil and darkness. It might be a foolish thought but that's what kept this bunch of reckless people from falling into despair.
And now that two of the competitors were disqualified, the Gryffindors were quite hopeful of Harry's win. Dumbledore's announcement shattered their hopes.
Meanwhile, the guests from abroad were cheering in their hearts for their champions were ousted from the tournament. They comfortably left to their allotted dormitories, Drumstrang to the Slytherin dungeons, and Beuxbatons to Hufflepuff Basement.
Tracey and Daphne appeared to be worried about Neal. Draco Malfoy convinced them that nothing can happen to Neal as long as he possessed the Void bracelet. All of them know that Oakley had turned the bracelet into portkey to escape in crisis. The rest of the bracelets were also portkeys, although their respective locations are different from Neal's.
Hermione, Ron, and Cho Chang started worrying about Harry's safety. Unlike Neal, he's weak and knows fewer spells in their opinion. With their sour relationship, Neal is unlikely to help out Harry. So, their worries are quite legitimate.
Meanwhile, the professors made their way towards the staff room. It is a long, paneled room with mismatched dark wooden chairs. There was a wardrobe in the corner, which is home to a Boggart for some reason.
Dumbledore and the others sat down. Madame Maxime, the headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy also participated in the meeting. As for Karkaroff, he's already left the castle, long ago, currently hiding at the village of Tagues.
Upon making a deal with Neal, sending over several dark magic books to Oakley, the Avery Family offered him the protection.
"Albus, so what is this emergency?" Madame Maxime asked him.
"What am I about to say might bring a shock to all of you must be prepared yourselves mentally," Dumbledore said in a serious tone.
"What is it?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"The return of dark lord," Dumbledore said in a loud whisper. "There were signs before but no one took it seriously. If the letter sent by Neal Slytherin and Harry Potter is true, then, it is too late. Soon, the wizarding world will see the darkness once again."
"No, that's not possible…" The Professors gasped in shock.
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