Old Blood at Hogwarts

After Fudge left, Dumbledore turned to look at the group of people in the room and said, "There is some work to be done...Molly, can I count on you and Arthur?"

"Of course there is no problem." Mrs. Weasley's face was pale and her lips were completely bloodless, but her expression was very determined, "We know what kind of person Fudge is. It is precisely because Arthur likes Muggles that it hinders him from doing so. Years of development at the Ministry of Magic. Fudge believed that Arthur lacked the dignity that a wizard should have."

"Well, I need to send a letter to Arthur." Dumbledore said. "To all those who can be persuaded to understand the situation by us, we must immediately inform that Arthur has access to those in the Ministry of Magic." Not someone as short-sighted as Connelly.”

"I'm going to find Dad." Bill stood up and said, "I'm going now."

"Great," said Dumbledore. "Tell him what happened. Say that I will be in touch with him directly soon. But he must proceed with caution. If Fudge thinks I am meddling with the Ministry..."

"No problem, leave it to me," Bill said.

He reached out and patted Aaron and Harry on the shoulders, kissed his mother on the cheek, then put on his cloak and strode out of the room.

"Minerva, I would like to see Hagrid in my office." Dumbledore turned to Professor McGonagall and said, "And...Mrs. Maxime, if she is willing to come too."

Professor McGonagall nodded and left without saying a word.

"Poppy, please, could you go into the maze on the grounds?" Dumbledore said to Madam Pomfrey. "There you will find a house elf named Winky who is in great pain. You can comfort her as much as possible. Comfort her and take her down to the kitchen. I think Dobby will take care of her for us."

"Okay... okay." Madam Pomfrey looked a little surprised, and then she left.

Dumbledore was sure that the door had been closed and Madam Pomfrey's footsteps had faded away before he spoke again: "Now, the two of us can know each other's true colors. Sirius, can you change back to yourself?" As usual?"

The big black dog looked up at Dumbledore, then transformed into a man.

Mrs. Weasley screamed and backed away from the bed.She pointed at him and screamed, "Sirius Black!"

"Mom, shut up! It's nothing!" Ron shouted.

Snape didn't scream or flinch, but the expression on his face was a mixture of anger and fear.He glared at Sirius and growled angrily, "What is he doing here?"

"I invited him here." Dumbledore said, looking at the two of them in turn. "The same goes for you, Severus. I trust both of you. Now you should put aside your old differences and trust each other."

Aaron thought Dumbledore was literally asking for a miracle.Sirius and Snape both stared at each other fiercely, with expressions of extreme hatred on their faces.

"In a short period of time, as long as you are not openly hostile to each other, I will be satisfied." Dumbledore said with a hint of impatience in his tone, "You might as well shake hands. Now you belong to the same camp. Time is tight, and we are a few Those who know the truth must unite, otherwise there is no hope for us all."

Sirius and Snape came forward very slowly and shook hands, but they still stared at each other fiercely, as if they wished the other misfortune.Then they quickly let go of their hands.

"That's more like it." Dumbledore said, standing between them again. "Now you both have a mission. Fudge's attitude, although we expected it, changed the entire situation. Sirius, I need You set off immediately to inform Remus Lupin, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher... those old guys. You hide in Lupin's place for the time being, and I will contact you there. .”

"But..." Harry said now.He didn't seem to want to say goodbye to Sirius so soon.

"You'll see me soon, Harry." Sirius turned to him and said, "I promise you. But I have to do my part, you understand, don't you?"

"Yes...yes." Harry said, "Of course I understand."

Sirius shook his hand quickly, nodded to Dumbledore, then transformed into the black dog again, ran to the door, twisted the doorknob with one paw, and disappeared in a blink of an eye.

"Severus, you know what I want to tell you." Dumbledore turned to Snape and said, "If you are okay with it, if you are ready..."

"No problem," Snape said.His face looked paler than usual, and his cold black eyes shone strangely.

"Well, good luck to you." Dumbledore had a hint of worry on his face, watching Snape follow Sirius without saying a word.

A few more minutes passed before Dumbledore spoke again: "I have to go downstairs and make some arrangements. Aaron, Harry, drink the rest of the potion. I'll come to visit you all later."

Dumbledore left, and Harry fell limply onto his pillow.Aaron also lay down on the bed again.

Mrs. Weasley reached for the potion bottle and the goblet and said: "Harry, Aaron, you must drink the remaining potion and sleep peacefully. Think of other things for the time being... I wonder what you are going to buy with the bonus!" She gently pushed the bag of gold coins on the bedside table.

"I don't want those gold coins." Harry said calmly, "Give them all to Aaron. He needs the money more than I do."

"I don't need your charity, Harry." Aaron said softly, "The trophy you and I picked up together should share the prize money equally with me."

"It's because of the help of Barty Crouch Jr. that I was able to get the trophy." Harry said, "I didn't get the Triwizard Cup through my own efforts. I shouldn't get these bonuses."

"There's nothing you shouldn't get," Aaron said, "No matter how you win the game. But since you encountered the Triwizard Cup, you should have a share of the prize money."

At this moment, there was a sudden banging sound from the side.Aaron turned around and saw Hermione standing by the window, holding something tightly in her hand.She turned back and whispered, "I'm sorry."

"Your potion." Mrs. Weasley handed the poured potions to Aaron and Harry respectively.

Aaron drank the potion in one gulp.The effect is immediate.A heavy, irresistible dreamless sleep immediately enveloped him, and he fell back onto his pillow, thinking of nothing.

It wasn't until the next night that Aaron and Harry returned to Gryffindor Tower.According to Hermione and Ron, Dumbledore said a few words to the entire school during breakfast in the morning.He just asked everyone not to disturb Aaron and Harry, and not to allow anyone to ask them questions or pester them to tell them what happened in the maze that day.Aaron noticed that most people walked around him in the hallways, avoiding his eyes.Some put their hands over their mouths and whispered to each other as he passed.

Soon, the time came to the end of the semester.

At the leaving party, Aaron meets the real Mad-Eye Moody again.He was now sitting at the staff table, looking extremely nervous and jumping every time anyone spoke to him.Aaron knew he couldn't be blamed.Moody's ten months in a box must have heightened his fear of attack.

Karkaroff's seat was empty.Madame Maxime was still there, sitting next to Hagrid.They were talking quietly about something.

After the dinner officially started, Professor Dumbledore stood up from the staff table. The auditorium, which was already much quieter than the usual departure banquet, immediately became even more silent.

"Another year is over." Dumbledore looked at everyone and said, "Tonight, I have a lot to say to you all. First of all, I want to tell you that Voldemort is back."

There were murmurs of panic in the auditorium.Everyone stared at Dumbledore in horror and disbelief.He seemed very calm, watching the students whispering reminders to each other, and finally fell silent.

"The Ministry of Magic doesn't want me to tell you this." Dumbledore continued. "Some parents may be shocked by what I did, either because they don't want to believe that Voldemort is really back, or because they think I shouldn't tell you this, after all, you are still young. However, I believe that telling the truth is always better than lying, and I think you should have a correct understanding of the current situation."

At this time, every face in the auditorium was facing Dumbledore, with shock and fear written on every face... Oh, not every face.Aaron saw Draco Malfoy whispering to Clark and Goyle at the Slytherin table.

"Speaking of Voldemort, we have to mention two other people." Dumbledore continued, "Yes, they are Harry Potter and Aaron Elf. They escaped the clutches of Voldemort and lived in various places. They have shown a fearless spirit in all aspects, and few wizards can show this kind of spirit when facing the power of Voldemort. For this, I pay tribute to them."

Dumbledore turned solemnly to Aaron and Harry and raised his goblet.Everyone stood up one after another, and the sound of benches moving was heard in the auditorium.They all raised their goblets and whispered Aaron's and Harry's names in a toast to them.However, through the gaps in the standing crowd, Aaron saw Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle, as well as many others in Slytherin, sitting stubbornly without moving, not touching their glasses.

After everyone sat down, Dumbledore continued: "The purpose of the Triwizard Tournament is to enhance and promote mutual understanding in the wizarding world. In view of what is happening now, and in view of Voldemort's reappearance, this connection is more important than ever. important."

Dumbledore looked at Madame Maxime and Hagrid, at Fleur Delacour and her fellow Beauxbatons alumni, and at Viktor Krum and Dem at the Slytherin table. Strong's classmate.Aaron saw that Krum looked nervous, even a little scared.He seemed to expect Dumbledore to say something harsh.

But Dumbledore kept his eyes on Durmstrang's classmates and said: "Every guest in this auditorium will be welcome at any time as long as he is willing to come back. I say to you all again, in view of Voldemort's resurrection. We will only be strong if we are united. If we are divided, we will be vulnerable. Voldemort's methods of creating conflict and hostility are very clever. Only by showing the same unbreakable friendship and trust can we fight against him to the end. I believe that as long as we We have the same goal, open minds, and differences in habits and language will not be obstacles. Some people in this hall have been harmed by Voldemort, and many of your families have been torn apart. When you have to make a decision between the right path and the shortcut When making your choice, please don’t forget those who suffered a tragic fate because of Voldemort, and please don’t forget that there are many upright, kind and brave people fighting against evil.”