great-warnovel Chapter 178 Closed-Door Meeting
Chapter 178 Closed-Door Meeting
Chapter 178 Closed-Door Meeting
The White Wizard's unusual firmness caused the event to end in a less than perfect manner.
Reporters jostled and pushed their way through the fireplace, eager to be the first to release this explosive news.
The politicians, however, did not leave. They gathered in twos and threes in the Great Hall, whispering and talking amongst themselves, each group wanting to find Dumbledore alone afterward to discuss other matters in detail.
But Dumbledore left the school first. To repay Barty Jr. for his decisive support, he rushed over with the newly forged golden cup as soon as he learned that Barty Sr. was cursed.
Although he was quite skeptical, he had previously been asked to come over when an elder of Barty was cursed and the curse was resolved without much effort, but this time the enemy seemed to be very powerful, with the curse intensity even approaching Grindelwald's level.
At first, he also thought that this was Barty Jr.'s own doing, or even Crouch Sr.'s scheme to destroy the Hogwarts Brightstone.
But now it seems there really is a hidden enemy who doesn't want the Crouch family to have an easy time.
He never imagined that Barty Jr. would be Voldemort's man. If Lucius might cooperate with Voldemort for power, then Barty Jr.'s cooperation made no sense at all.
His life has been smooth sailing. His father is now the leader of the world's largest wizarding city, and he himself has already taken on a powerful position as the Director of the Department of Law Enforcement at a young age. It can be said that as long as he doesn't make any foolish mistakes and steadily advances step by step, it will be no problem for him to take over his father's position. He is quite outstanding, and there is no one among the new generation of nobles who can compete with him.
What reason would a child like this have to side with Voldemort? For that false immortality? Look at the fate of the Carol siblings. Dumbledore told everyone how they died. If Carol on Grindelwald's side had no descendants, the Twenty-Eight Purebloods would have lost another member.
In Dumbledore's eyes, Barty Crouch Jr. was a typical Slytherin, a noble wizard from Malfoy Castle, ambitious and cunning enough to know how to use power and shirk responsibility.
He may not agree with Hogwarts on many points, but that doesn't mean he's a completely bad person. After all, even someone like Lucius served as the headmaster of the school for several years, and Dumbledore has been able to tolerate dissenting opinions and become allies for decades.
Coincidentally, if it had been a few days earlier, Hogwarts would not have been able to lift such a powerful curse, since Dumbledore hadn't actually come back to life. But Hermione had just changed the Hufflepuff Cup, and now the elixir inside, rich in the powerful life force of phoenix tears, also had the ability to break the death curse, so it was a good opportunity to give it a try.
Unfortunately, not long after, he returned to the castle alone.
"We arrived too late," the White Wizard sighed, shaking his head.
"The elixir of resurrection was indeed powerful enough to quickly dissolve the curse within Old Barty's body, but his body was damaged too badly. The moment the curse was lifted, he died due to the rapid deterioration of his bodily functions. He was simply unable to absorb the life force of the Phoenix Tears."
This is not good news. The death of Barty the Elder means a power vacuum in Malfoyburg, and the current Barty the Younger is clearly not yet ready to bridge the gaps and rise to power through balancing tactics like his father.
This also means that Barty Jr., who was close to Hogwarts, will be completely excluded from the power circle after this incident. The struggle that was originally behind the scenes in Malfoy Castle will become more intense and may even develop into an open war.
This is not good news for Hogwarts, which is seeking stability and rebuilding.
"I'm afraid the Diviner's Daily won't have enough headlines tomorrow, they're all big news." Hermione shook her head.
She was sitting in a chair in the headmaster's office, surrounded by all the school's faculty and staff. This was an internal meeting of Hogwarts, and Professor McGonagall had asked her to attend as a member of the board of trustees.
The deans of the four colleges, and even Lockhart, who should have been resting, were all sitting in soft chairs.
There are also professors from various disciplines: Lily, Mrs. Hodge, the introverted Quirrell, the crazy Trelawney, the serious centaur Ferenze, and Kettleburn with his prosthetic limbs.
And the school's faculty and staff—Ms. Pomfrey, the somewhat reserved Narcissa, Filch in his crisp butler's uniform, and Hagrid, who had shrunk himself down—
The headmaster's office was packed with people, including many elective professors Hermione didn't recognize, all sitting in chairs and waiting for Dumbledore to speak.
The oil paintings of past principals on the wall seemed to be whispering among themselves; they were excited, knowing that the school was going to return to its original location.
"As you all know, Hogwarts has decided to return to the Scottish Highlands, back to the castle's homeland," Dumbledore said, looking at the crowd.
"This was not a sudden decision. In fact, Minerva and I had this idea at the beginning of the school year."
"But the road home is fraught with thorns, and it is destined to be a difficult journey." He said with a serious expression.
"The obstruction from the nobles, the high concentration of radiation on the original site, and those mutated creatures lurking in the shadows—"
"Even if we successfully return to the shores of Black Lake, how to keep the school running remains a problem."
The professors looked at each other with some doubt in their eyes, but they did not question Dumbledore's decision. Over the years, the old man had never done anything to harm the school or its teachers and students.
"As luck would have it, Voldemort's plot to attack Professor Lockhart was discovered in advance."
"And using this as bait, we'll set a trap, waiting for the Death Eaters and the Basilisk to walk right into it—this is a trial." He looked at everyone frankly, not minding revealing his plan.
"Our defense professor and several second-year students did a great job. They defeated a powerful enemy without any intervention from Minerva and me, who were hiding in the shadows. I was amazed by their tenacity and strength in the face of this sudden danger."
Lockhart smiled wryly. He only realized afterward that what he thought was a flawless concealment had actually been discovered by the principals long ago.
Narcissa was a little nervous, but seeing that Dumbledore showed no intention of pursuing Draco, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Lily, on the other hand, seemed proud of her son's excellent performance in the trial. After begging McGonagall to retrieve his memories for her to see, she was also proud of her son's achievements.
"It was their performance that dispelled my doubts. With such excellent professors and such talented children, what do we have to worry about?"
Dumbledore smiled, as if envisioning a bright future.
"The future may indeed be treacherous, but our school and our children are resilient enough. What doesn't kill us only makes us stronger!"
He looked directly at the crowd and said, "Hogwarts will soon cross the Dover Strait and arrive in the Scottish Highlands in the next school year."
"A fierce battle awaits us then. Malfoy may reduce or even cut off supplies to us. We will face pressure from all sides, but we will pull through. I firmly believe it!"