Chapter 394 The safest place

"Dumbledore..." Amelia ran over quickly, her voice trembling due to her rapid breathing.

The tragic situation in front of her made her color change instantly, but her pace did not stop. She immediately ordered the Aurors to start investigating, her eyes firm and full of determination.

The Aurors gently untied the headless bodies from the trees, including even swaddling babies. The fear and disgust in their hearts gradually turned into burning rage, and they vowed to bring those dark wizards who committed such atrocities to justice.

"The investigation report is out." Amelia took the parchment report from an Auror and quickly scanned the contents. "Principal, we found that the murderer was a snake-like magical creature. Moreover, in The Aurors found the stone carvings in the village pub."

"Based on this information, we can conclude that the magical creature that attacked the villagers was a basilisk! The dark wizard who hatched it must be proficient in snake language..." Her tone couldn't help but become solemn, as if she had a premonition that the opponent was not simple.

"Voldemort." Dumbledore said firmly. His voice echoed in the minister's ears, and time seemed to stand still.

The reason why Dumbledore is so sure is not just because of the clues about the basilisk and the snake language. But because Sirius's wand was used. Although he rushed from far away Albania, he still could not prevent this tragedy from happening.

He recalled that after Sirius was arrested and imprisoned, he personally went to the Ministry of Magic and retrieved Sirius' wand. By casting a Flashback Charm, he looked at the spell Sirius had been using before his capture.

There was no record of the spell in the wand that caused the explosion, even if there was no guarantee that Sirius had not used wandless spells to cover up the crime. But from then on, Dumbledore began to suspect that someone else had betrayed the Jameses.

However, the Ministry of Magic ignored his views and insisted on imprisoning wizards without trial.

Dumbledore kept Black's wand, waiting for the chance to reveal the truth. However, Rogge's actions unexpectedly disrupted his plan.

When he stood in front of the Whomping Willow and saw Lupine getting rid of the werewolf virus and Sirius catching Peter, he felt vaguely that things were out of his control.

Dumbledore paid more attention to Harry Potter than Rogge, the kid who walked out of Azkaban. Because Harry once defeated Voldemort, he is the boy who confirms the prophecy of destiny and carries all the hopes of himself and the wizarding world.

Although Dumbledore knew that Harry's scar contained fragments of Voldemort's soul. But he still firmly believes that he can guide Harry to the right path and train him to become a future leader who protects the magical world.

Therefore, he tried his best to control the wizards who appeared around Harry, and subtly guided Harry to grow step by step according to his own plan.

During the Ministry meeting about Peter Pettigrew and Black, Dumbledore immediately recognized that Sirius was holding Bellatrix's wand. In the blink of an eye, a new plan formed in his mind.

He imagined that once Voldemort returned, the Death Eaters who had escaped from Azkaban would swarm to his command. Bella, who lost her wand, would probably use Sirius's wand in retaliation.

So he cast a locating charm on Sirius' wand. Once the wand is used, its location is sent to itself.

A few days ago, Dumbledore was in the forests of Albania. When he sensed the wand being used in England, he realized that Voldemort was no longer here.

Standing in the abandoned garden, he let out a sigh, Voldemort became more cruel and tyrannical than before.

Amelia waved the Aurors away. She looked at the headless corpses on the ground and asked seriously: "Headmaster, are you sure? This is not a trivial matter."

Dumbledore nodded and replied in a resolute voice: "Pettigrew faked his death and escaped from Azkaban. Immediately afterwards, Bella and Buck also escaped. I found many animals that starved to death in the Albanian forest. "

"Without exception, they are all soulless bodies. Coupled with the scene before us, it is enough to prove that he is back. Perhaps, he is still in the dark, choosing to hibernate because of his weakness."

Amelia licked her lips involuntarily, and she narrowed her eyes with a dangerous look in them.

"Voldemort is back!" she repeated in a low voice, a cold light flashing in her eyes. Then, she said harshly: "I will arrange for Aurors to search the entire magical world now."

"What you do will only cause panic, and you may even inadvertently send a message to the Death Eaters." Dumbledore shook his head, understanding that Amelia was temporarily dazzled by hatred.

He offered his opinion: "Do a good job in the aftermath and I will find them."

Voldemort and his followers escaped from Little Hangleton Village and hid under an unknown cliff. Moist sea fog filled the cave, and the weak bonfire reflected Voldemort's terrifying face.

"There is a traitor among us." He was held carefully by Peter, with a cruel smile on his lips, and said in a hoarse voice: "Complete the task I gave you, otherwise... Humph!" His words were full of emotion. threaten.

"Wormtail, take me out of here." He ordered the timid servant. Compared to the loyalty of other followers, Wormtail surrendered out of fear. This reality of seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages made Voldemort feel more at ease.

As Voldemort disappeared into the sea fog, the three Bellas immediately distanced themselves from each other. Their eyes shone with vigilance, and they suspected each other that the other might be a traitor who had defected to Dumbledore.

"Whoever fails to complete the master's mission is a traitor." Little Barty said with a sneer, and the other two nodded in agreement. Immediately afterwards, they disapparated almost simultaneously and left the scene.

Dumbledore, who arrived later, looked at the swaying bonfire in the cave, his face gradually becoming solemn. From the remaining magic fluctuations, he realized that the other party had deliberately dispersed. In a short time, catching the cunning Tom Riddle becomes more difficult.

"Master, it's really not me!" After Dumbledore disappeared, Peter Pettigrew knelt in front of Voldemort on the sea, begging for his life.

"I only have to move my toes to know it's not you." Voldemort's sharp voice echoed in the waves, making people shudder.

He stared at the stars in the darkness, the bonfire still burning in the cave. Just now, he did not leave directly, but secretly monitored the actions of his men.

Bellatrix, Buck, and Barty Jr. behaved normally, showing no signs of betrayal. However, once they left, Dumbledore quickly arrived on the scene.

"Is all this just a coincidence?" Voldemort ordered Wormtail to stand up. He smiled coldly, his tone full of doubt: "Huh, what a coincidence."

"Master, where are we going now?"

"Go back." Voldemort's answer was brief but firm.

"Go back to the cave?" Wormtail asked in a low voice.

"Idiot, it's the old man." Voldemort sighed tiredly, as if he was impatient with Wormtail's slowness. However, except for Peter Pettigrew, he now had no one he could trust. "I still need another meal at night."

"Master, I'm afraid there are Aurors there." Wormtail reminded.

"When you walk back, they have all withdrawn." Voldemort's cold voice echoed in the tide. "At the end of the Quidditch World Cup, those Aurors will leave automatically. Moreover, there is nothing better than being beaten by Dumbledore and Aurors. Have they checked somewhere safer?"

"Now, hold me and walk back." He ordered.

"Let's go?" Wormtail looked at his tattered shoes and asked cautiously, "Can't you use Apparition?"

Voldemort raised his head and looked at him with a playful look: "What do you think?"

Under Voldemort's almost murderous gaze, Wormtail did not dare to question or refute, or even have a question in his heart. He hugged Voldemort in fear and stepped into the deep darkness.

As the event approaches, more and more wizards are flocking to the British wizarding community in anticipation of watching the upcoming Quidditch World Cup. The Ministry of Magic soon felt the pressure of staff shortages after large-scale layoffs. Even before the Death Eaters started causing trouble, the Ministry had to withdraw the investigating Aurors from Little Hangleton.

At the same time, officials responsible for Muggle affairs took a series of measures to completely wipe the entire village from Muggle maps and files. It was as if the village did not exist at all, let alone the atrocities committed by the dark wizard to massacre the village.

"The secondary league is about to begin!"

"Come and buy it, Hogwarts pays five for one!"

"Hey, isn't this a massacre?"

Outside the bustling stadium, the Wizards were discussing the upcoming secondary league. In the eyes of most people, the outcome of this game seems to have been determined.

Durmstrang's Seeker Krum, as a professional player for the Bulgarian national team, performed extremely well in the group stage and became the undisputed star player. The Bulgarian team he leads is also regarded as a strong contender for the World Cup.

In comparison, the Hogwarts school team looks much immature. Most of the team members are children, and some are even less tall than their broomsticks. Facing such an opponent, they seemed to have the only fate of being massacred.

Therefore, major betting markets outside the stadium have offered extremely high odds. Some private betting markets have even offered odds of 1:50 for Hogwarts, attracting many wizards to place bets.

In the corner outside the arena, an inconspicuous newsstand stood quietly. This was actually the entrance to the casino run by the goblins. For every such event, they would invite powerful wizards from around the world to participate in this high-stakes gamble.

The stakes here are not just a few or hundreds of galleons, the lowest bet is ten thousand galleons. Some wizards are even willing to stake their family coffers. A poor pureblood like Weasley is not even qualified to know about this bet.

"Who did you buy?" Sirius stood outside the newsstand, his eyes following the betting certificate in Rogge's hand and stuffing it into his pocket.

"Hogwarts." Rogge replied, with a trace of confidence on his lips.

"Lost?" Sirius asked tentatively. After all, the gap between the two sides is so big, the result of the game seems obvious.

"Ha, of course I win." Rogge curled his lips and said in a nonchalant tone: "I staked vault No. 687. It doesn't matter if I lose."

The corners of Sirius' mouth twitched slightly. Vault 687 originally belonged to Harry. However, during that incident at the Screaming Shack, Rogue took it away.

"What about you? How much did you deposit?" Rogge looked at the paper ticket in Sirius' hand curiously, but Sirius quickly covered his voucher.

He frowned and said firmly: "This is none of your business!"

"Small gambling makes you happy, but big gambling hurts your health." Rogge sneered, and then said: "You rely entirely on the inheritance of the Black family. If you lose all, you will have no choice but to sleep on the street."

"Who, who is living off the inheritance!" Blake shouted angrily, as if he had been stabbed in a painful spot: "It's all left by my uncle... Anyway, you don't need to worry about it! I will definitely not lose!"

He bet all the Galleons of the Black family on the championship of this minor league. Like Rogge, Sirius also firmly believed that Harry could defeat the arrogant Krum.

However, their mentality is completely different. For Rogge, Vault No. 687 was just a small windfall. It didn't matter if he lost, so he felt particularly relaxed sitting in the box. On the other hand, Sirius was bent over, holding his hands together, staring at everything on the field.

Perhaps, at first, he wanted to show his support for Harry through the huge bet. But once he becomes a pure gambling dog, winning or losing becomes the only thing that matters.

"Wish us good luck." Rogge waved his hand, he believed in Harry's luck. As long as he plays, everything will be fine.

"Let us welcome players from Hogwarts and Durmstrang." Ludo, Director of Sports Department, shouted with his passionate voice. Fox waved its wings and led Harry and other players on the field. Flying up into the sky.

The Durmstrang team was not to be outdone. After the performance at Hogwarts, the formation headed by Krum formed a black ship and crashed the phantom of the Phoenix.

They used their exquisite flight to interpret the black ship vividly. Afterwards, Klum took the lead and flew around the arena with his right hand clenched into a fist.

"Krum, Krum!"

Most of the audience here are Quidditch fans. They chanted Klum's name and pumped their fists with him.

As for the Hogwarts team, except for Phoenix's performance, which is eye-catching, there don't seem to be many highlights in other aspects. Harry Potter, what is that? The name is not that important here and is not well known.

Krum's extreme popularity has put a lot of pressure on the Hogwarts team members. Although captain Cedric tried many times to boost morale, everyone still seemed to be unable to arouse the desire to fight.

"That's Krum, my idol!" a substitute shouted excitedly.

Mrs. Hooch took a deep breath and managed to cheer up: "We have worked hard for so long, from the Scottish Highlands to Iwo Jima, from the Mountain of the Moon to... now, we are finally here! The highest palace of Quidditch, the World Cup Arena!”

"We have lost to Durmstrang twice, but what are we afraid of? Have you forgotten what Rogge said?"

"Failure is not terrible. What is terrible is having a heart that is afraid of failure." The team members answered in unison. Even Harry, who had a tense relationship with Roger, felt that this sentence was full of courage to never admit defeat.

"If we are destined to fail, then before we fail, let the world's audience see the fiery and brave hearts in our chests!" Mrs. Huo Qi's encouragement had an effect. In the sadness of failure, everyone embraced With determination to go all out, he raised the broom in his hand.

The auditorium was in such a mess that you couldn't hear what they were shouting at all. Everyone only saw that the Hogwarts players seemed to suddenly become different after raising their brooms.

However, the venue that can accommodate 100,000 people almost turned into a sea of ​​red. Red is the main color of Durmstrang's uniforms. Countless wizards waved flags and sent them warm cheers and cheers.

Hogwarts supporters only have a small area, like disharmonious spots of different colors, looking insignificant and out of place. Despite this, Professor McGonagall led everyone to withstand the pressure and persevered in cheering for the team.

Hassan Mouss, president of the International Quidditch Federation, stood on the podium and waved his magic wand, and the entire stadium gradually fell silent.

"I declare that the Quidditch Minor League..." He looked around the energetic arena with a smile, and then announced in the loudest voice: "The first finals begins now!"

He picked up the hammer and rang the bell to start the game. The Hogwarts and Durmstrang players quickly activated their broomsticks.

"As expected, Durmstrang's Chasers grabbed the Quaffle first..."

Before the first commentator finished speaking, the companion next to him immediately jumped in and said, "It can be seen that they had no pressure when they got the Quaffle."

"I don't know how long the children of Hogwarts can hold on. According to their past records of games with Durmstrang, they lasted up to half an hour." The second commentator did not hide his sarcasm. Obviously, he Is a big fan of Klum.

"Although it seems to be a long time, that is because Krum did not play. It is undeniable that Hogwarts and Durmstrang are both very excellent magic schools in Europe.

However, in comparison, Hogwarts' flying sports lag far behind its opponents. As far as I know, flying classes at this school are only offered in the first grade. "

"I don't know if this is due to their lack of education funds or because they don't have senior professors to teach. Maybe it's because British wizards like the convenience of magic carpets..."

"This guy's tone is so annoying. It reminds me of Gryffindor's Lee Jordan." The students at Hogwarts said angrily.

"Even more disgusting than Li Qiaodan! I really want to rush over and beat him up right now!"

The British wizards looked at the commentary platform. Their eyes seemed to have flames burning, and they had a strong urge to burn the place with fierce fire.