bioinnovel Chapter 356 A Deception That Can't Be Fooled
Chapter 356 A Deception That Can't Be Fooled
Chapter 356 A Deception That Can't Be Fooled
"You've lost," Dumbledore said with a smile.
"I lost," Belvina readily admitted that she had lost the bet.
In an instant, the air in the principal's office froze, and even time seemed to stand still.
After a while, time started flowing again in the office, the air circulated again, and everything returned to normal.
Professor Moody, leaning on his cane, shook his gray head. Snape let out a barely audible hum, and Professor McGonagall's eyebrows almost touched her hair.
"Albus, I need a reasonable explanation," Professor McGonagall said sternly. "What do you mean by 'Belvina lost'? What did she lose?"
"My dear professor, in fact, Igor Karkaroff is not missing," Dumbledore said. "He is simply not fit to be at Hogwarts for the time being."
Then, Dumbledore explained the background of Karkaroff's disappearance, with Belvina adding details from the side.
"Last night, Karkaroff tried to escape, but Sirius and Remus intercepted him," Belvina said. "Then,"
They had a minor argument.
She looked at Moody and explained the signs of a struggle in the second-floor corridor.
"Although they had a disagreement, they quickly reached an agreement and left the castle together," Belvina continued. "Presumably, they were seen by the portrait as they left."
She then looked at Professor McGonagall and explained the eyewitness testimony regarding the portrait.
"Why?" Professor McGonagall asked. "Why do this? Karkaroff's disappearance will have extremely negative consequences; the Triwizard Tournament could be forcibly terminated!"
It's clear that Professor McGonagall doesn't care about Karkaroff; she's worried about the aftermath of his disappearance.
Even if he was unpopular with students, Igor Karkaroff was still the principal of Durmstrang, not some insignificant nobody like Bertha Jorkins.
Bertha Jorkins has been missing for months, and the Ministry of Magic has only conducted a symbolic search, with even her department, the Department of Magical Sports and Practical Games, showing little concern for her fate.
But Igor Karkaroff is different; his disappearance would immediately attract a lot of attention, and the Ministry of Magic wouldn't treat Karkaroff the way it treated Bertha Jorkins.
At this point, Professor McGonagall's expression grew even more serious. She continued, "No matter how many people choose to believe the absurd story of the Death Eaters breaking into Hogwarts, this matter will be used against us and will be very detrimental to us."
"My dear professor, don't worry too much about temporary gains and losses. We have more important things to do," Dumbledore said calmly. "If all goes well, Karkaroff will be back with us soon."
"What if things don't go well?" Snape suddenly interjected. "If I may be so bold, I don't think such a clumsy plan will fool the person you're trying to fool."
The potions professor spoke while looking at Belvina.
Without a doubt, this idea must have come from Belvina.
“It doesn’t matter if we can’t fool him. As long as we can’t find Karkaroff, then he’s missing,” Belvina said. “With Headmaster Durmstrang missing at Hogwarts, the Triwizard Tournament will definitely be affected.”
"If that's the case, why intercept Karkaroff? Wasn't he planning to escape anyway?" Professor McGonagall asked. "Intercepting him and taking him away—isn't that just asking for trouble?"
"Because it's more advantageous to have Karkaroff in our hands," Belvina explained. "Besides, we can't really force the three-way battle to end."
At that moment, Alastor Moody suddenly tapped his cane and said, "Have you considered Fudge? Have you thought about how to deal with him?"
Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic, is a character no one can ignore.
"Karkaroff's disappearance is a double-edged sword for him; it could hurt him or it could hurt Dumbledore," Moody continued. "Whether it's hurting himself or hurting Dumbledore, everyone knows which choice is in his best interest."
“That’s right!” Professor McGonagall immediately chimed in. “Following in the footsteps of Dumbledore, he might just use that as an excuse to expel you from the school, Albus.”
They attacked Dumbledore, making the Hogwarts headmaster bear most of the blame, thus expelling him from Hogwarts.
In this way, Fudge can both protect himself and reduce Dumbledore's influence, a win-win situation.
"I will only truly leave Hogwarts when everyone here betrays me," Dumbledore said, speaking slowly and clearly so that everyone could hear him.
Snape stepped forward and said, "What if Barty Crouch doesn't take the bait? What if the Triwizard Tournament is canceled, the headmaster leaves the school, or he just does nothing?"
Barty Crouch remained unmoved, which was probably one of the worst possible outcomes.
All plans have fallen through, and the mess left by implementing them must be cleaned up by oneself, with all consequences borne by oneself.
"Delay it," Dumbledore said. "Time is on our side. We can patiently wait until the end of the school year, until summer, but Crouch cannot."
Dumbledore's gaze slowly shifted to the golden perch behind the wooden door, where Fawkes the phoenix stood, preening his magnificent feathers with his sharp beak.
Dumbledore continued, "If he is delayed again and again, his plot will not succeed, and he may never be able to return."
Is this still referring to Barty Crouch?
Belvina believes that Dumbledore was likely referring to Voldemort.
If Voldemort's Horcruxes were destroyed before he was reborn, could his remaining soul still be preserved?
However, fantasy is beautiful, but reality is cruel. The whereabouts of the Horcruxes are still unknown, and we can't even find a trace of them, let alone destroy them.
"Is the place where Karkaroff is being held safe?" Moody asked gruffly. "If someone finds him, or lets him escape, your plan will fail."
"That's a place that people wouldn't easily associate with," Dumbledore replied. "The man in charge of guarding Karkaroff is someone I trust, and he would never let Karkaroff sneak out."
Moody, leaning on his cane, thought for a moment and then said, "That is indeed a place that is easily overlooked. I don't think that scumbag Karkaroff can escape."
The place that wouldn't be easily associated with is the Hog's Head pub in Hogsmeade.
Pig Head Bar has always been a mixed bag, with all sorts of people coming and going. It's a place that seems to be getting special attention, but is actually easy to overlook.
It could be said that the Hog's Head pub in Hogsmeade perfectly fits the category of "the darkest place is under the lamp."
The person I trust is naturally the male waiter at Pig's Head Bar, a grumpy old man with an eccentric temper, a bad temper, and a straightforward style of doing things.
The older waiter was tall and thin, with strands of metallic gray hair and a beard. He also had blue eyes and wore glasses.
It wasn't until the waiter stood next to Dumbledore that Belvina was certain she wasn't mistaken; the rough and eccentric waiter at the Hog's Head pub did indeed bear a resemblance to Dumbledore.
Then Dumbledore told Belvina the truth: the waiter at the Hog's Head was his younger brother, Aberforth Dumbledore.
Merlin's briefs!
Who would have thought that the waiter at the Hog's Head was actually Albus Dumbledore's younger brother!
For a fleeting moment, Belvina was in a daze, because the last time she heard the name Aberforth was back in her distant student days. At that time, Belvina was still obediently staying at Hogwarts, fighting wits with the new headmaster Snape as a student, and resisting oppression with practical actions.
At that time, Aberforth Dumbledore was being prosecuted by the Wizengamots for abusing his magic on a goat, which caused a great uproar and was widely reported in the newspapers.
What Belvina didn't expect was that Aberforth not only knew Sirius and Lupin who came with him, but they also acted very familiar with each other. It turned out that the three of them had known each other for a long time and were all original members of the Order of the Phoenix!
During their meeting at the Pig's Head Bar that day, Belvina was almost completely bewildered; she was the only one who was kept in the dark and knew nothing about it.
The terrible feeling was so unforgettable that she decided to let others experience it too.
Then, Belvina persuaded Dumbledore to keep the kidnapping of Karkaroff a secret for the time being and not tell anyone.
The result was disappointing; neither Moody nor Snape really believed that the Death Eaters would kidnap Karkaroff, and the only one who was fooled was the innocent Professor McGonagall.
Belvina lost; she lost her plan and her bet, and she lost completely.
The kidnapping of Karkaroff probably won't fool Barty Crouch, at best it might fool that idiot Cornelius Fudge.
However, it doesn't matter if Barty Crouch doesn't believe it. As long as Igor Karkaroff doesn't appear in public, then he is missing, without a doubt.
Now it remains to be seen what Buddy Crouch will choose: to remain unmoved or to devise another plan.