Chapter 395: Warriors' Relatives, Humanitarian Care
Creak!
The oak door suddenly opened.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Dumbledore said as he walked in, then looked in surprise at the two people standing in front of his Pensieve.
"Professor," Harry said, flustered, "I know I shouldn't mess with your things, but the cabinet door was open, and it was my first time seeing a Pensieve, so..."
"Curiosity is not a sin, but one should act cautiously," Dumbledore sighed helplessly. "How did you know it was called a Pensieve?"
"Uh... I have one too," Aaron said, raising his hand.
"I see," Dumbledore said, enlightened. "So before you fell into my thoughts, you had something to tell me, didn't you?"
The two exchanged glances, and Harry told Dumbledoreabout his dream in Divination Class.
"Aaron suspects Mr. Crouch was controlled by Lord Voldemort with Imperio, but he broke free from the mental control through his own will.
After escaping to Hogwarts, he might... In my dream, Lord Voldemort said he was already dead."
Hearing this, Dumbledore was silent for a while, then sighed emotionally, "It seems the Ministry of Magic's investigation is destined to come to nothing."
"Fudge always likes to deceive himself; he thinks Barty Crouch and Bertha Jorkins have mental problems, and their disappearance is normal," Aaron said, not hiding his contempt for Fudge. "The Ministry of Magic will only find two corpses, or perhaps not even corpses."
"Professor," Harry stammered, "Do you think Lord Voldemort is really getting stronger?"
Dumbledore paused, then hesitated and nodded, "All signs indicate that he is about to rise again, in a way I don't know, but undoubtedly his power is gradually recovering."
"There's something I might need to tell you," Aaron said meaningfully. "Some time ago, Professor Snape said he lost some African Serpentine Tree Bark and Lacewing Flies. These two are ingredients for Polyjuice Potion."
A flash of wisdom gleamed in Dumbledore's eyes, and many doubts were resolved in that instant. Lord Voldemort's subordinates were hiding in Hogwarts using Polyjuice Potion.
But more questions arose, because this meant that, except for a few people, everyone else was a suspect, even first-year Wizards were possible.
"Mr. Gaius, thank you for this information. It's very helpful."
"You're welcome," Aaron waved his hand and continued, "Lord Voldemort wants to kill Harry Potter. The third task is the best opportunity."
"Don't worry about that. I will have Moody continuously inspect the maze.
I believe by now you've also pretty much understood his abilities. While not foolproof, it's not far from it."
Hearing this, Harry breathed a sigh of relief.
Currently, at Hogwarts, besides Dumbledore, ProfessorMoody was the only one who could give him a sufficient sense of security.
"Alright, we should go," Aaron said, walking towards the oak door on his own.
Harry followed behind him. As he stepped out of the Principal's office, he seemed to remember something. "Sir, if it's convenient, please keep a closer eye on Fawkes."
Dumbledore was somewhat confused, then turned to look at the perch.
The next moment, he nearly popped his eyes out; his Fawkes was absolutely presentable.
"This... Aaron Gaius..." Dumbledore angrily wanted to curse, but only he and a Phoenix that had lost the will to live were left in the Principal's office.
Aaron and Abe, who were walking towards the common room, shivered unexpectedly. The man and the dragon looked back at the Principal's office in unison, as if seeing the entire building enveloped in a layer of black rage, and quickened their steps guiltily... The time came to June, and the third task was getting closer.
Due to the Triwizard Tournament, this year's holiday schedule was postponed, and the exam schedule was also postponed.
The several participating champions did not need to take the final exams, but the rest were rushing to review.
Every day, besides diligently signing in, Aaron practiced magic circles with the thought-form, occasionally sparring to increase combat experience and skills.
Hermione and Ron often helped Harry practice spells at school. Professor McGonagall, seeing this, gave them access to the Transfiguration Class classroom to serve as a dedicated training room.
Harry was also determined for this third task, training extra hours every day, mastering several spells in a short period.
Although the Shield Charm was still a bit unfamiliar, he was adept at using the Impediment Jinx, the Reductor Curse, and Stupefy.
This gave him more confidence for the maze; even if he couldn't defeat the creatures inside, he was confident in his ability to escape.
The day before the competition, as the five champions were tense, freshly printed copies of The Daily Prophet were delivered to Hogwarts.
Aaron had developed a good habit of reading the newspaper during this time, but seeing the headline, he couldn't help but secretly click his tongue.
Harry Potter — Distraught, Emotionally Dangerous.
The newspaper exaggeratedly described Harry's performance in Divination Class in vivid detail, and also included statements from certain experts who offered a series of distorted explanations for the pain in his forehead scar.
The final conclusion was that Harry Potter was a dangerous boy who liked to study Dark Arts and was prone to losing control.
It must be said that Rita Skeeter's timing for publishing her work was remarkably precise. Releasing such explosive news the day before the competition would definitely make the newspaper a bestseller.
Harry was much calmer when he saw this newspaper; after all, he had been ridiculed several times, so his mental fortitude should have improved.
"Compared to the previous two times, this is pretty good. At least I wasn't secretly crying alone in the dark."
"How did Rita Skeeter know your scar hurt during Divination Class?" Hermione asked, puzzled. "She couldn't have been present during class, could she?"
"Who knows? Maybe she was eavesdropping outside," Ronsaid. "Her professional ethics are absolutely zero. She would definitely do something like that."
"But the Divination Class classroom is on the top floor of the North Tower!" Hermione frowned. "Eavesdropping, she'd have to climb to the top-floor window. Isn't that too risky?"
"Flying would work," Aaron said out of the blue. "Unless she also has an Invisibility Cloak, there's only this one possibility.
But Dumbledore doesn't allow her to enter Hogwarts Castlefreely, so a broomstick can be ruled out."
Hermione paused for a moment, then seemed to realize something, and her pupils widened slightly. "Are you saying? That's impossible, right?
That's illegal. If she's caught..."
"As long as she's not caught, isn't that fine? She clearly has a lot of confidence in herself," Aaron said with an intriguing smile. "Can fly, won't attract attention, and her body shouldn't be very large. What do you think?"
"Exactly! I'll definitely catch her," Hermione said excitedly.
Harry and Ron exchanged glances, confused. "What are you talking about?"
"A major discovery. He's saying Rita Skeeter is..."
"I didn't say anything," Aaron interrupted. "I just simply dislike her.
To be fair, the content of the newspaper is indeed quite interesting, but the quality has declined severely. Sometimes I feel that reading the newspaper is a waste of time."
"That situation will change very soon, I promise," Hermionesaid confidently, then grabbed her bag and left the Great Hall.
"Where did she go?" Harry asked, puzzled.
"How should I know?"
"Champions, after dinner, gather in the meeting room next to the Great Hall," Professor McGonagall said as she walked over.
"Isn't the competition tomorrow afternoon?" Aaron asked. "Or is there some instruction?"
"The champions' relatives will be invited to watch the competition. You can meet them beforehand," Professor McGonagall said before leaving, leaving Harry and Aaron looking at each other.
"Relatives?" Aaron raised an eyebrow slightly. "I don't think my parents would come to watch this kind of competition. It's probably Gaines."
"The Dursleys definitely won't come," Harry murmured.
"That's not a bad thing for you."
"That's true," Harry forced a smile. If the Dursleys came, he would feel uncomfortable all over.
After breakfast, Aaron picked up Abe and walked towards the meeting room. Fleur Delacour, Cedric Diggory, and Viktor Krum also stood up from their respective long tables and followed.
Harry sat alone in his seat. He felt there was no need for him to go, because his relatives would definitely not come. He couldn't possibly call Sirius, could he?
Passing through several gates, the four champions arrived at the meeting room.
As Aaron expected, it was indeed his butler who came, but besides Gaines, there was also Adrian.
The other three were chatting and laughing with their parents; Fleur's parents even brought her younger sister, Gabrielle.
"Young Master, I personally suggest you still go and call Harry Potter."
"Oh?" Aaron became somewhat interested. "Harry Potter's Muggle relatives are willing to come?"
"No, but..." Gaines pointed to a man sitting in the corner, eating heartily. "Miss Adrian invited him. In a sense, he is also Harry's relative."
"Professor Lupin!" Aaron's lips curved slightly upward. "It's really difficult for you, Big Sister, to invite him over."
"After all, he's a judge, so humanitarian concern is necessary," Adrian explained. "Originally, I planned to call Weasley, but Mrs. Weasley seems to have discovered a large investment from Leon for George and Fred. She doesn't think highly of the twins' toy shop, and Mr. Weasley is trying to persuade her gently."
"Understood," Aaron nodded and slowly walked up to Professor Lupin. "Long time no see, Professor."
"Long time no see, Mr. Gaius," Lupin said while eating. "Thank you very much for your sister inviting me. She's really a very, very good person.
She provided me with a batch of Wolfsbane Potion, enough for me for a year or two.
Besides that, she also gave me a thousand Galleons as an appearance fee. Honestly, I really couldn't refuse this kind of alternative charity.
Um... could you help me call Harry? I haven't seen him in a long time."
"Yes," Aaron immediately nodded. "But before that, shouldn't you explain to me that letter you wrote to Moody, slandering me by saying I could use Crucio? That's a bit unkind, isn't it?"
Lupin:...