#419 - Chapter 419 Unexpected Visitor

The afternoon sun streamed through the windows of the Muggle Studies office. As always, the office was neat and orderly. Sebastian leaned back in his chair, eyes closed, running through the possible scenarios of the evening in his mind.

A gentle knock preceded Lucius Malfoy's entrance. He wore his usual black robes, and his familiar snake-head cane added to his imposing presence.

A relaxed expression graced his face, suggesting he'd enjoyed his family time that morning.

"Senior," Sebastian said, looking up with a slight smile. "Not spending more time with your family? Where are Narcissa and Draco?"

"Mr. Swan," Lucius said with a precise bow, before sitting down opposite Sebastian. "They went to relax by the Black Lake. I came to see if you had any further instructions."

"Don't be so formal," Sebastian chuckled, pointing his wand at the office door and casting a Muffliato charm. "Is everything ready on your end?"

"Rest assured, all is prepared," Lucius replied. "During dinner, a fire will break out in one of the Malfoy family's material warehouses, giving me a legitimate reason to leave Hogwarts."

"I see..." Sebastian sighed softly. "What a pity about that warehouse full of alchemical ingredients."

"The materials are nothing," Lucius said dismissively, a hint of indifference in his tone. "Merely the contents of a small warehouse, worth no more than a few tens of thousands of Galleons."

A flicker of regret crossed his face: "I'm only somewhat disappointed that I won't be able to watch the competition in person and witness Draco's victory."

Though his voice remained calm, his tone betrayed an undeniable certainty.

He had almost absolute faith in his son, not only because of Draco's own strength but also because he knew perfectly well that the Hogwarts champion team was very strong. That Potter boy had been personally trained by the man in front of him, and that Cedric was also good. The whole team could be said to have no weaknesses.

Add to that the pre-prepared maze map and the information on the other schools' champions, and Hogwarts winning this unprecedented International Wizarding Schools Tournament was almost a certainty.

"This is the Triwizard Tournament, restarted after more than two hundred years, and with five magic schools competing together," Lucius said softly, a hint of excitement in his voice. "The weight of the championship is naturally incomparable to what it was in the past."

He paused slightly, his gaze drifting to the window as if picturing Draco standing on the podium, raising the trophy in triumph.

He especially wanted to be there, to witness Draco lifting the championship trophy with Narcissa, but Sebastian's news had completely changed his mind.

"Mr. Swan," he said, unwillingly, "That person... is that person really returning tonight?"

"I'm afraid so, Senior. According to the information I have, there's a ninety percent or higher chance that person will be resurrected tonight."

Sebastian understood Lucius's desire to be with his family, but after Voldemort's resurrection, there would inevitably be calls for his old followers, and it would be troublesome if Lucius was still at Hogwarts then. It was better to leave in advance.

"Senior, I have nothing else here. Why don't you take advantage of the good weather to spend more time with your family? It'll be hard to have such a leisurely time after tonight."

............

By afternoon, the Great Hall had been transformed. The flags of the five magical schools hung in the air, creating an atmosphere of grandeur.

Dinner was more lavish than usual, with tables laden with delicious dishes and desserts. However, Harry barely touched his food. Just thinking about what he had to face that night made his stomach clench.

Although he had assured Sebastian that he wasn't afraid and that the other man didn't need to worry too much, he couldn't help but feel nervous as the time drew near.

He could only use the Occlumency techniques to dispel the distracting thoughts in his mind, trying to calm himself down.

At the professors' table, Sebastian didn't sit with Mia. Instead, he went to Ludo Bagman's side. After using a few magical tricks to make sure no one else could hear, he smiled and said.

"I was wondering who helped Bagman pay off his debts, preventing me from finding any clues. So it was you, after all. Is it fun pretending to be him?"

Although the Bagman in front of him seemed flawless on the surface, the familiar magical fluctuations told Sebastian that this person was actually Grindelwald in disguise.

"By the way, does the Headmaster know?" Sebastian glanced at the Headmaster's seat, finding that Dumbledore smiled at him. "So he does. In that case, the visitor's pass was also arranged by the Headmaster for you. How did you come up with this idea?"

Seeing that he had been exposed, Grindelwald gently pointed to his eyes: "I saw some scenes. Hogwarts will become especially lively tonight."

He chuckled. "When you get old, you like to watch exciting things. So, I found Bagman in advance and bought his identity by helping him pay off his debts, as long as he cooperates with me at a crucial moment."

"That man is very interesting. He doesn't care who I am at all. As soon as he heard that I was willing to help him pay off his debts, he took the initiative to make a magical contract with me."

"You see, I came here openly, didn't I?"

The two men chatted and laughed. To outsiders, this was just a conversation between the sports commentator and the security officer, nothing unexpected.

Sebastian took a sip of his drink and asked casually, "So, what did you see?"

"Some fragments. Don't worry, nothing majorly regrettable happened," Grindelwald said, swallowing the food in his mouth. "Actually, according to my idea, you, me, and Albus should just work together and catch that Tom directly. As for the Horcruxes, we can find them slowly."

Sebastian curled his lip. He had thought of this idea too, but in that case, Old Voldy's value couldn't be maximized.

"The time isn't ripe yet. That person's existence has its own value. For example, we can put some dirty water on him. Don't you think his length and size are just right? As long as he's still around, we can always stay clean."

"You black-hearted kid," Grindelwald chuckled. "Then we have to squeeze Tom's value dry."

As the last young wizard put down their knife and fork, leaning back contentedly in their chair, Dumbledore stood up and cleared his throat gently. The entire Great Hall instantly fell silent, all eyes focused on him.

"Ladies and gentlemen," his voice was deep and warm, "In five minutes, I will invite you all to the Quidditch pitch to witness the final event of the Triwizard Tournament."

The Great Hall immediately erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers. Dumbledore smiled slightly, raised his hand to signal for silence, and continued.

"Now, please, the champions from each school should follow Mr. Bagman to the competition venue."