Repairing the Constellation Society would cost a fortune, especially the areas that had been burned by the Fiendfyre.
After class, Malfoy eagerly performed beyond expectations, but this time, he managed to avoid getting caught by Moody.
John fell into deep thought—who exactly was that person?
Polyjuice Potion? Or some kind of Transfiguration?"
The fact that the person had taken Percy's form meant they knew about Percy and John's relationship.
What was their goal in entering the Constellation Society's chamber?
The amulet and the unregistered wand—this person had come prepared, possibly having dealings with Silverhand Johnny.
John had already sent Tommy to investigate the serial number on the amulet, but the result was disappointing.
The amulet belonged to an Enforcer, and that Enforcer had reported it missing.
"The time of the loss isn't far off from when old Barty was attacked."
John frowned—it seemed like there was a connection between the two events.
He recalled that old Barty had been attacked and that the amulet had saved his life.
"Could it be that the person who attacked old Barty is the same one?"
If that were the case, then the suspicion on Moody seemed to be cleared.
Even during the holidays, Moody never left the school.
Heinrich could vouch for that.
If it wasn't Moody, then how did that person manage to enter and exit the school so freely?
They left to attack old Barty and then returned to infiltrate the Constellation Society.
John felt a bit frustrated. "We missed the chance to catch them this time. Next time, it'll be even harder."
For now, the only thing John could do was wait for the person to show up again.
But it was unlikely to happen anytime soon.
He gathered the members of the Constellation Society and informed them of the situation.
Upon hearing that the person had taken Percy's form, Heinrich's eyes flashed as he said, "It could be a Metamorphmagus."
After all, Heinrich's uncle was a Metamorphmagus, so he had some knowledge in this area.
Unlike Animagi, Metamorphmagi could alter their facial features but couldn't fully transform into animals.
Their changes were mostly limited to hair color and facial structure.
"Even though the suspicion on Moody has lessened, we still can't let our guard down," John told them. "From now on, for safety, everyone must move in pairs—except for Percy."
Cedric and Heinrich, Fleur and Daphne, Neville and Malfoy.
They needed to stay in contact to prevent any unexpected incidents.
And the champions had to protect each other as well—at least until the final task.
Since that person knew about the connections within the Constellation Society, they might also target its members.
John checked everyone's protective amulets. After confirming there were no issues, he let them leave.
He then went to the location where he had set his traps. Since the traps had been triggered, that person couldn't have escaped unscathed.
"They're injured—and seriously, too."
John's traps suppressed magical flow. That person had abandoned their wand in the end because their magic had been drained.
This kind of condition wouldn't recover quickly. Even so, they had fought at an incredibly high level. John estimated that their magic level had likely reached Level Six.
At Hogwarts, only the Heads of Houses could achieve that level of power.
"With such strength, there aren't many possible suspects in the wizarding world."
A few names flashed through his mind, but they either lacked motive or had no way to infiltrate Hogwarts.
"The good thing is, they're wounded. They won't appear again anytime soon. With the Triwizard Tournament coming up, security will be tighter, making it even harder for them to act."
With that thought, John finally let out a breath of relief.
The third task had been announced.
The venue was set at the Quidditch pitch—it was a maze.
The champions had to navigate the maze and find the Triwizard Cup, overcoming numerous obstacles along the way.
The obstacles were likely magical creatures, as Hagrid had been seen constantly bringing various things into the maze.
Whoever overcame the obstacles and reached the Triwizard Cup the fastest would be crowned champion.
But it wasn't just the obstacles—there was also the possibility of the champions scheming against each other.
That being said, from what John had observed, that scenario was unlikely to happen this year.
None of the four champions seemed like the type to play dirty.
So, the main challenge would be getting past the obstacles as quickly as possible.
The previous tasks weren't pointless either. The current standings determined the order in which the champions would enter the maze.
That meant Cedric would go in first, followed by Harry, then Fleur, and finally Krum.
In theory, entering first was an advantage.
But there was always the chance that someone lucky could find a shortcut and get ahead—so in a way, it was still fair.
...
The results of Moody's supervision had been released.
This also meant that Dumbledore's office was spared from being flooded with letters again.
Though the outcome was good, the aftermath wasn't so pleasant.
Moody's teaching attitude, especially his clear bias against Slytherin, had drawn serious criticism from Mr. Greengrass.
He spoke with Dumbledore, stating that while he was willing to show respect, it was on the condition that Moody remained fair.
At the same time, he would report this matter truthfully to the school board, making it almost certain that Moody's tenure as a professor would soon come to an end.
In response, Dumbledore assured him that he would arrange for a new professor to take over next term as soon as possible.
For the time being, The Daily Prophet had quieted down, giving Dumbledore a brief sigh of relief.
Though he didn't care much about the negative press, the flood of complaint letters from parents had been giving him a headache.
The school year was nearing its end.
Exam week was approaching.
The academic workload had grown heavier for everyone—except for the four champions.
Even Hermione and Ron had put aside their exam revision to help Harry practice various spells for the third task.
During this time, Harry was called to Dumbledore's office once, though no one knew what was discussed.
...
June arrived.
Exam week had just ended.
The third task would include an invitation for the champions' families to come and watch the competition.
At school, John spotted a group of red-haired people.
It was the Weasley family—seemed like the Dursleys wouldn't be attending this grand event.
Aside from them, the families of the other three champions had also been invited.
The recent period of calm had made John slightly lower his guard.
That person had not reappeared, and John was beginning to feel that the final task might not be as dangerous as he had initially feared.
Besides the champions' families, representatives from the Ministry of Magic had also arrived.
Having been attacked before, Barty Crouch Sr. looked rather unwell.
Percy stood beside him and greeted his family from a distance.
Mrs. Weasley beamed with pride for her son, while the twins, as always, were up to their usual antics.
Barty Crouch Sr. soon left with Percy—because standing behind him was someone he didn't want to see.
Amelia Bones.
That woman was his strongest political rival.
If he showed her a pleasant expression, that would be truly suspicious.
Anyone with sharp eyes could see that this was Barty Crouch Sr.'s chance to make a comeback. Amelia Bones showing up at this time? There was no way she was here to help him.
The merpeople incident still had lingering effects, so the professors had conducted a thorough inspection of the maze.
Only after confirming that nothing unexpected would happen did they allow students to enter.
John had originally planned to watch the competition.
But a single letter shattered that possibility.
"Something happened?"
He took the envelope brought by Riddle, and his expression froze instantly.
"One of our men died..."
Reading the contents, his face turned grim.
The people he had stationed at the possible Horcrux cave site had met with an accident.
Two security team members were killed on the spot. Tommy had already gone to take control of the situation, but from the looks of it, things were escalating fast.
"Heinrich, I need to leave for a bit."
John found Heinrich and instructed him, "I have a bad feeling something's going to happen. Stay on high alert."
An inexplicable sense of unease had settled in his chest because of this matter.
He warned Heinrich repeatedly—he had to be extra careful.
Heinrich nodded in agreement, and after giving a few instructions, John hurriedly left.
Before leaving, he temporarily handed the Gauntlet to Heinrich.
No matter what happened, with this in hand, things shouldn't go too wrong.
John exited the school through the Whomping Willow, passed through Hogsmeade, and used Apparition to reach his office.
On the desk lay a glove—it was a Portkey.
Using it for transportation, John arrived at an open area.
Standing atop a cliff facing the sea, he looked down.
Below, Tommy wore a grim expression.
John descended and asked in a low voice, "Who triggered the thing inside?"
Tommy's face was dark as he said, "It wasn't us. Something inside keeps emitting a brain-piercing scream."
Not the security team.
Which meant it was most likely the Death Eaters.
John's expression sank. It seemed Voldemort had found out he was here to destroy the Horcrux.
The only thing unknown—who had come?
The security team stationed here was mostly composed of werewolves. Their willpower wasn't as strong as that of ordinary people, making them highly susceptible to the effects of the screams.
John ordered them to retreat and stand guard around the perimeter.
Originally, he had planned to lead a full-force assault on the cave, but it seemed the enemy had anticipated this.
If they didn't put a stop to it soon, the nearby lifeforms might all be killed by the screams.
John exchanged a glance with Tommy, and the two prepared to enter.
At the same time, back at Hogwarts, the third task had begun.
_________
Couldn't upload yesterday... Took my niece to see the Snow White live action... yeah, I'm a guy who just reads novels and watches movies like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, etc.. didn't knew about the wokeness... My brain melted, my niece is now crying.. those fking CGI dwarfs and that actress.. ugh. Well, here is the chapter!
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