Under Harry's gaze, the Cedric who should have died miraculously remained unharmed.
The figure that had been pierced gradually dissolved into mist and disappeared.
A mirage.
The magic created for the first task had just saved Cedric's life.
"Harry, be careful."
Cedric's expression grew serious as he looked at the man who had effortlessly deflected both spells.
"What an interesting little trick."
With a light chuckle, the man turned his gaze in another direction and said, "But I didn't expect you to chase me all the way here. That was rather reckless of you."
Heinrich stepped out from the shadows, gripping his wand tightly, his voice cold. "So this was all your doing. Ardolph Edgar."
His eyes locked onto the man, who merely smiled.
Neatly groomed black hair, sharp and handsome features.
He looked like the type of aristocrat who would lounge in a wine cellar, swirling a glass of fine wine. Time had left little trace on his face.
But the hideous burn scar at the corner of his brow marred that perfection.
"My dear little Edgar, won't you even call me uncle anymore? It seems you've taken the gift I left for the lucky one."
"You should be dead. That fire killed plenty of Death Eaters." Heinrich questioned.
Ardolph Edgar shrugged. "Your father was much smarter than you. He never believed I'd be so generous as to die like that."
At the mention of his younger brother, a trace of warmth flickered in Ardolph's eyes. He chuckled softly. "He even kept my wine cellar untouched. My favorite bottles—he never drank a single one."
"As for that fire you spoke of—it was real, and so were the Death Eaters who perished in it."
Completely unfazed by the fact that he was still carrying the master of those Death Eaters, Ardolph let out a deep chuckle. "I told those spineless cowards that we needed to take over this place as a bargaining chip with the Ministry of Magic. Pfft~ And they actually believed me."
"The day the Ministry raided Rook Village, they wanted to surrender. So, I dragged them all into the abyss with a single fire."
His voice was like an icicle hanging from the eaves, waiting to stab into the skull of a passing stranger.
"Bahahaha~~ Those fools had no value, but they were a perfect means for my escape."
He laughed.
Ardolph Edgar—he had inherited all the obsession and madness of the Edgars. He was a lunatic.
A refined artist, painting scenes of storm and hell with his brush.
Listening to all this, Harry thought this man sounded exactly like a madman.
"How did you tamper with the maze?" Harry asked in confusion. The professors had checked everything—how could something like this have happened?
Ardolph looked at Harry with great interest and said, "It's very simple. All it takes is a little bit of magic."
As he spoke, his facial features began to shift and wriggle.
His originally handsome face morphed into Moody's, then twisted again—this time into an exact copy of Harry's.
Harry was stunned, but he immediately realized what was going on and shouted, "It was you! You put my name into the Goblet of Fire!"
"This ability is quite fascinating, isn't it?" Ardolph, now wearing Harry's face, raised an eyebrow.
A voice came from his arms—Voldemort's impatient tone rang out. "Ardolph, finish the task."
"Of course, my master." Ardolph's lips curved into a smirk, his wand hanging lazily at his side.
Only now did the others notice what Ardolph was actually holding.
That voice—Harry had a terrible feeling about it.
Heinrich said coldly, "It's useless. I've already contacted the others. The Ministry of Magic will be here soon."
"But not soon enough, right?" Ardolph replied lazily. "There's still plenty of time."
His dark golden eyes swept over the three of them.
Harry felt like he was being watched by a vicious beast.
The next second, Ardolph moved.
Even while holding Voldemort, Ardolph's strength remained overwhelming.
Harry saw him turn into a swirl of black smoke and surge forward. Before Harry could react, a Charm struck him, sending him flying backward.
Cedric was startled, but thankfully, he had sparred with John before and reacted quickly, casting a Disarming Charm.
Ardolph flicked away the attack with ease. Just as he was about to strike again, a spell shot toward him from behind. He raised an eyebrow and, with a loud pop, Apparated twenty feet away before swiping his wand.
Heinrich's feet suddenly lost contact with the ground—he was levitated into the air.
The moment his body floated upward, he countered swiftly, casting a Shield Charm to block a Disarming Charm.
Cedric transfigured stones into tripping hazards, but Ardolph leaped effortlessly over them and waved his wand.
A statue on a nearby tombstone swung its scythe—barely missing Cedric's head.
Exchanging a glance, Cedric and Heinrich attacked in perfect sync.
"Blazing Inferno!"
"Barrage of Bullets!"
With a flick of Heinrich's wand, fire erupted, forming a towering wall of flames.
Cedric transformed loose stones into a storm of flying bullets.
Ardolph flicked his wrist in a circular motion, and a tombstone flew in front of him, blocking the incoming stones.
He then cast an Extinguishing Charm at the wall of fire—flames vanished instantly.
"Good! Very good! Now—"
"Acccckkk!—thud" A Cruciatus Curse struck Cedric, sending him collapsing to the ground in agony, followed by a Stupefy that knocked Heinrich unconscious.
A complete defeat.
Against the former Dark Lord's right-hand man, the gap between them was far too vast.
A crushing sense of helplessness.
With a flick of his wand, Ardolph bound Harry in tight ropes, stopping him from moving.
Cedric writhed in pain, veins bulging visibly across his face.
"Hurry up," Voldemort's voice carried a note of impatience.
A large stone cauldron soared into place.
An unbearable pain shot through Harry's scar.
Ardolph pointed his wand at the base of the cauldron, igniting a fire beneath it. The liquid inside began to bubble and roil.
Unwrapping the bundle in his arms, Ardolph finally revealed what he had been carrying.
Harry's breath caught.
It was a grotesque, malformed creature.
The moment it appeared, his scar burned even more intensely.
Ardolph didn't let Harry look for long—he simply tossed the thing into the cauldron, as if he were dropping a dead chicken into a stew pot.
Muttering an incantation, he recited solemnly, "Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will restore your son~"
The grave beneath Harry's feet cracked open, and a small handful of dust floated up before gently settling into the cauldron.
Scarlet sparks erupted from the bubbling potion.
"Flesh of the servant, willingly given, you will revive your master. Heh~"
Without hesitation, Ardolph sliced off the ring finger of his left hand and let it drop into the cauldron.
The potion turned a deep red, glowing so brightly that it stung Harry's eyes.
The bleeding stopped instantly. Throughout the entire process, Ardolph's smug expression didn't change in the slightest.
Madman.
Harry struggled wildly—he didn't know exactly what they were trying to do, but every instinct screamed that he had to stop it.
"Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe."
Harry's sleeve tore open, followed by a deep gash appearing on his arm, fresh blood pouring out.
The blood lifted into the air and floated toward Ardolph's waiting hand.
With a slight tilt, he let it drip into the cauldron.
The liquid inside instantly turned a blinding white.
After completing the ritual, Ardolph leisurely rolled up the sleeve of his left arm.
On his forearm was the mark Harry had seen during the Quidditch World Cup.
The mark began to darken.
At the same time, the bubbling in the cauldron ceased.
A thick white mist blurred their vision, and from within it emerged the figure of a tall, skeletal man cloaked in black.
As soon as he appeared, Ardolph picked up the robe he had prepared beforehand and draped it over him.
Taking a few steps back, Ardolph knelt on one knee, gazing up at the man with fervent reverence.
"Ahaha~ Finally! My Lord, you have finally returned!"
Harry could now clearly see the man's face—one that had haunted his nightmares for the past three years.
Paler than a skull, with glowing red eyes and a flat, snake-like nose, with only two thin slits for nostrils.
Oh. He had no nose.
That left no room for doubt.
Voldemort had resurrected!!
Looking at Ardolph, Voldemort's lips curled into a rare smile.
"Ardolph, my most loyal follower. I once thought you had abandoned me."
Ardolph chuckled.
"Of course not. If it weren't for my nephew going to Hogwarts, we might have missed this opportunity."
Voldemort looked pleased.
With an eerie tone, he said, "Let's see who still remains loyal to me."
Ardolph shrugged—he had already sent out the summons.
The waiting, however, left Voldemort quite displeased.
They were too slow.
So, he resorted to a classic villainous technique.
Monologuing.
"Harry Potter, you are standing on my father's bones."
Voldemort hissed softly, "He was a Muggle and a fool, just like your dear mother—"
Before he could finish his sentence, a faint noise interrupted him.
Crack.
Something had broken.
Voldemort turned toward the sound.
A staggering figure was rising to his feet.
Watching with interest, he remarked to Ardolph, "Another Edgar. He's just like you."
"Haah.. haah.. haah.." Heinrich stood up, his mind still hazy.
In his left hand, he clutched a blue gemstone.
With his right, he grabbed a necklace and yanked it hard.
Looking toward the slowly recovering Cedric, Heinrich shouted,
"Cedric!"
Cedric struggled to look over and saw Heinrich yank off the necklace.
"Sovereign's Authority!"
A surge of immense magical power engulfed the entire graveyard.
The next second—The silver ring on Heinrich's right hand spread up his arm as he raised his wand.
Five magical crystals poured their power into it with reckless intensity.
"Fiendfyre!"
Magic turned into fuel, and the Philosopher's Stone amplified it tenfold.
Blazing red flames took the shape of a galloping stallion.
The sheer force of the spell sent blood trickling from the corner of Heinrich's eyes, while the golden hue in them blazed even brighter against the fire's glow.
The flaming horse charged forward, dragging the Fiendfyre between Voldemort and Ardolph, forcing them apart.
Cedric pushed his battered body forward, slicing through Harry's bindings with a Severing Charm before bolting toward Heinrich.
"Heinrich!!" he shouted.
He seemed to realize what Heinrich was about to do—And he wanted to stop him.
Heinrich maintained his stance, forcing words through clenched teeth: "I am not like him."
Ardolph's Fiendfyre burned his allies.
But Heinrich's Fiendfyre—would save his friends.
Flashes of memories flickered through his mind, finally settling on the Constellation Society's gatherings.
They had raised their golden goblets together... That light he had pursued was so warm, so radiant.
Gripping his wand with both hands, Heinrich roared:
"For eternal glory!"
The fiery stallion neighed, its hooves stamping flames across the ground, encircling the two enemies in an inferno.
Trapped within the raging Fiendfyre, Voldemort's calm façade finally cracked.
"Anti-Apparition Jinx!"
Today! I, Heinrich Edgar, would clear every obstacle in John Wick's path!
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