Chapter 2724 Firebird Land (32)

The time for locking the gates of Hogwarts Castle is determined according to the sunset. It changes with the seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter, and there is no fixed time.

After the city gate is closed, neither visitors nor people in the castle can come and go at will, but students in the castle who are below grade 5 can move freely until 9:00 pm. They can go to the library for self-study, or find a corridor to chat, Play, but this rule changed after Harry entered school.

In the first year, the corridor on the third floor became a forbidden area, and no one was allowed to approach it. The next year was when the Chamber of Secrets was opened and nowhere was safe except the lounge. The third year was because of Sirius Black, after he tried unsuccessfully to enter the Gryffindor common room, all the house students slept in the school hall, it seemed that even the common room was not safe.

And then into the fourth year.

Pomona hiccupped and walked towards the small underground room that Neville discovered. After all this year, there were no restricted areas, no basilisks, dementors, and fugitives entered the school, but old Barty Crouch died. Yes, although he didn't die on campus, but on the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"You have no evidence to accuse Severus Snape of being connected to the murderer of Barty Crouch." In the headmaster's office, Albus told the Aurors investigating the Ministry of Magic in a dignified tone, "The murder happened He was at school that day and he couldn't get out after the gate was locked."

"But we have reasons to believe that there are some secret passages leading to the outside world in Hogwarts, and maybe Professor Snape knows some of them." Kingsley Shacklebolt looked at Snape who was standing quietly beside him, "Since he is often obliged to Help Mr Filch catch students who don't obey the school rules."

"He appeared in the Black Lake stands!" Igor Karkaroff said suddenly, "but he disappeared halfway, and no one knows where he went."

"But Minister Crouch was in the stands at that time." Mrs. Maxim said in French-sounding English, "There are many people who can prove this."

"That doesn't prove that he has nothing to do, he has a motive..." Igor Karkaroff said again.

"What about you, Igor?" Snape asked with a sarcastic smile.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, I just invite you to witness this incident, and I don't need your opinions." Albus looked at Madam Maxim and said.

"I understand, Principal Dumbledore." Madam Maxim also said politely, "I will be a quiet bystander."

"And you, Headmaster Karkaroff." Albus looked at the headmaster in Durmstrang.

Karkaroff glared at Snape for a while, then pursed his lips, looking ahead without saying a word.

"We're not here to investigate Professor Snape's whereabouts, we just want to check his wand." Kingsley Shacklebolt said, "Just use a flashback spell..."

"Your suspicions are ridiculous." Snape said to Kingsley, "Why should I kill someone who has nothing to do with me?"

"What do you want to say? Mr. Principal." Kingsley looked at Karkaroff.

Karkaroff, who had given out the names of several Death Eaters before the Inquisition, kept quiet.

"The followers of the Dark Lord are on the move." Kingsley looked at Albus again. "After many years of silence."

"We've all read the papers." Albus looked at Kingsley too. "So what did the Minister say?"

"Excuse me, what did you say?" Kingsley asked.

"This is the reason we gathered together. Will the Triwizard Tournament continue?" Dumbledore said, turning his gaze to Pomona. "If it is cancelled, there will be no need to arrange the third project."

All eyes were on Pomona.

She didn't like being the center of attention, and at that moment Severus stepped forward, blocking her behind.

"What do you want to say?" Kingsley asked.

"Why don't you want my alibi?" Snape stared at Kingsley.

"For someone like you, that doesn't make sense." Kingsley looked at Snape calmly. "You can apparition."

Snape sneered.

Even children in the wizarding world know about apparition, which allows a wizard to go anywhere he wants, regardless of distance, even if it is dangerous.

In Muggle detective novels, murderers often forge alibi. For example, due to distance or other factors, the suspect cannot arrive at the scene of the crime within 1 hour to complete the impossible murder. Ineffective for wizards.

Hogwarts cannot Apparate due to defensive magic, but once students reach their 6th year, they will undergo Apparition training from the Ministry of Magic, during which time they can Apparate.

Just like opening a "window", the "window" does not touch the ground, and they can come and go freely in the "window".

What's more, there is also the special flying technique for Death Eaters, which allows the user to fly into the sky as if "launching", and the short distance from the castle to the Forbidden Forest is only a matter of seconds.

Why did Severus kill Barty Crouch? Although Igor Karkaroff accused him, he was protected by Albus' testimony, and old Barty Crouch didn't want him to be brought to justice like Moody...

There was a knock on the door.

"The minister is here, Dumbledore." Moody's voice sounded outside the door, and she didn't know if it was her illusion, but she felt that the voice sounded lower than usual.

"Look what I found!"

A familiar, brisk voice sounded from inside the door.

Pomona came to her senses at this moment, she was no longer in the principal's office, but had come to the dungeon.

The speaker was Lee Jordan. He had presided over the Quidditch Academy Cup for so many years, so his voice was naturally very familiar. The reason why he appeared here was because he helped Neville.

Due to the Triwizard Tournament held at Hogwarts, the Quidditch pitch was used, and Lee Jordan is currently "unemployed". He often joins the Weasley twins, exploring adventures with them or making some newer, more child-friendly magical toys, and the three of them can often be seen playing with homemade magical fireworks in the atrium.

But as the twins tried to cheat the age line with aging agents and failed to put their names into the Goblet of Fire, they went to the medical wing to treat their "beard problems". "Companion" is gone.

He was so free and Neville needed help, so here he was.

George and Fred's birthday is April 1st, and there are only 6 months before the deadline for registration for the Goblet of Fire. They certainly feel that it is extremely unfair.

These two people are the "leaders" of Gryffindor, and there are so many "criminal files" that they need to use a special drawer, but it is not a problem in Gryffindor.

If they can successfully put their names into the Goblet of Fire, then others will follow suit. It only takes a drop of Aging Potion to grow a year. There is a whole bottle on the long table in Gryffindor, enough for them all, Including first-year freshmen joined.

"Snake eggs?" said Neville.

"It's not an egg, it's a shell, and it's empty inside." Li Qiaodan said.

"Where did you find it?" Neville asked.

"It's on the shelf," Lee Jordan said, shaking it again, and the eggshell seemed to be placed in the box. "Do you think the Triwizard Tournament will continue?"

Pomona covered her mouth to keep the hiccups from disturbing those inside.

"Why do you ask that?" said Neville.

"Someone died," Lee Jordan said.

"Maybe." Neville said perfunctorily, for a spectator like him, it was just a little less exciting to watch.

"My dad bet on Ireland to win the Quidditch World Cup, and Ludo Bagoman owes him a lot of money." Li Jordan said, "He said to wait for the result of the Triwizard Tournament. Relied."

Neville didn't speak, and Lee Jordan shook the box in his hand again.

"I'll show it to Fred and George," Lee Jordan said.

Pomona quickly dodged aside into the darkness, and then the door opened, and Lee Jordan came out of the room holding a Christmas present box.

It wasn't until it was determined that he would not return that Pomona re-emerged from the darkness.

Neville looked so depressed that he didn't even realize Pomona was at the door.

"Don't you think you didn't stop him?" Pomona said from the door.

Neville looked at her in surprise.

"professor……"

"I remember you were in the first grade at that time, and you were only this tall." Pomona gestured at Neville's height at that time, and he was shorter than the short Pomona. Taller."

She looked up at Neville, "Albus added points for you, how much?"

"Ten points." Neville replied obediently, but looked unhappy.

Pomona found a stool and sat down.

"It takes courage to deal with enemies, but it takes more courage to stick to principles with friends..."

"But I didn't!" Neville shouted without waiting for Pomona to finish, "These things belong to..."

"A ghost." Pomona also interrupted Neville, "I don't think these things are of any use to Professor Cassino."

Neville stared at her.

"When you leave school, you will know that 'help' is not always free, not to mention that Lee Jordan just took it for a look, and didn't say that he wanted to keep it for himself." Pomona said.

"How long have you been out?" Neville asked.

"Since he found the bird snake egg." Pomona said wearily. "You are not a sphinx. You have to guard the property of wizards. Do you remember what Article 61 of the Gryffindor Rules is?"

"We are not the sun, enthusiasm is not free." Neville whispered.

"In addition to a quick mind, extraordinary courage and firm belief, you must also have a heart of gold." Pomona hiccupped again here.

"When you learn to empathize, you grow up." Pomona stood up. "I know it's not very pleasant, but we have to face it, just like facing fear and darkness."

After she finished speaking, she left the room and closed the door, blocking the warm orange candlelight by the way.

"It seems that you have learned the true story of the old fool." Severus' voice came from the darkness.

She looked in that direction, and he slowly walked out of the shadows.

"Hic." She hiccupped again, and then she felt a change in her body, and the witch's robe became baggy.

There was a hiss of snakes, and if she had seen a poisonous snake, she would have taken out her wand and driven it away.

She is not afraid at all.

"What are you refunding?" he asked in a low voice.

'I'm not scared at all. '

She heard a voice next to her ear.

He didn't speak for a long time, only the whistling wind of the dungeon could be heard.

"You were there that day." He said in a strange tone. "On the day Barty Crouch was killed, we were at the Forbidden Forest..."

"Stop it!" she said tremblingly.

"I've found that you're more honest when you're out of your mind," he said viciously. "Do you remember what you did?"

She wanted to cover her ears.

"You 'saints' are really hypocritical." He said disdainfully.

"Since you think I'm hypocritical, why come to me again!" She said angrily, "You obviously like Lily!"

"Who told you that?" He said with a stiff face.

"I saw it." She said indifferently.

And Dumbledore's reminder, he showed her his memory, let her see how Severus Snape knelt down, begged Albus not to kill him, and could agree to any conditions for Lily .

He didn't say anything, not even that it was a child.

"When you say we are hypocritical, shouldn't you also evaluate yourself!" She said coldly, turning around to leave.

But at this moment, he turned into a cloud of black smoke and rushed towards her, then wrapped her around and flew to the depths of the dungeon.

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The two medicinal materials of the aging agent, one is salamander spleen, which can also be used to make intelligence-enhancing potions. Its function is to make people think clearly, but it cannot improve intelligence. It is often used as a solution to the confusion spell medicine.

People usually think that when they are old, they will be full of wisdom and think more clearly than young people, so wise people often take the image of old people.

Bananas look mottled and black on the outside, but are white inside like fresh bananas; it is also possible that the outside looks fresh, but the inside has begun to turn black.

However, many things are not as they appear.

Pomona took out a necklace, which she made in imitation of Albus and Grindelwald's blood oath, and gave it to the interns when they built the maze.

There is a poisonous plant called "bad woman", which is covered with spikes and secretes corrosive liquid, but it has a characteristic, if insects and birds carry the same pollen as it, it will It will not attack and let the birds and insects go away by themselves.

She took advantage of this and made the tinder bush treat the interns as "one of my own".

She used to think that Patricia Linnaeus would not steal things because of her wealthy family, but Harry and Ron had witnessed Draco Malfoy take a "no owner" as their own, and sometimes she also watched On the news, a noble lady was caught stealing a few dollars worth of goods on purpose so that her busy son could bail her out at the police station.

She didn't know Barty Crouch Jr., and although she had been his dean for four years, he had always been a reassuring child and never caused trouble.

But she couldn't believe like everyone else that he killed old Barty Crouch.

"come out faster!"

She heard the yelling, immediately put the necklace back into the flannel pocket, and walked out of the room.

Severus was standing in the clearing in front of the house and when he looked up he could see the horrific scar on his neck.

She immediately turned her head and raised her head together with him. Under the glare of the early summer sun, she could see that the ruined house of the peasants in the north had been repaired. At least there was no need to worry about rain leaking on the roof.

"You're awesome!" Pomona tiptoed and kissed him on the cheek.

"At least we're not homeless anymore." He said calmly, as if he wasn't very satisfied with this humble residence.

But she thought that was good enough, the house reminded her of the Burrow, even though it had burned down.

"Let's go, it's too hot outside." After admiring his "masterpiece" for a while, he pulled Pomona back into the house, as if he was still used to the darkness and shade.

But Pomona was reluctant to let go of the sunshine outside, until a kiss fell, which made her unable to bear to close her eyes, like a blind person, unable to see anything.