bioinnovel Chapter 397 begins
Chapter 397 begins
Chapter 397 begins
In the blink of an eye, June is coming to an end, and the 1994-1995 academic year is also about to conclude.
Final exams have become the hottest topic at Hogwarts recently. No one mentions the Triwizard Tournament anymore, and Barty Crouch and his son have been forgotten. All the students are overwhelmed with worries about the final exams.
The tense atmosphere in the castle continued until the end of the exams, but before the students could fully enjoy the last moments of the school year, farewell quietly arrived.
The first to leave were Durmstrang's students, who would set off home under the guidance of Viktor Krum.
As for Igor Karkaroff, he has resigned from his position as headmaster of Durmstrang and is determined to stay at Hogwarts; no one can get rid of him.
Dumbledore had also subtly reminded Karkaroff that summer vacation was approaching and he should make plans in advance, but Karkaroff still shamelessly stayed in the castle, pretending not to understand Dumbledore's reminder.
The day the Durmstrang students left was a pleasant summer day, and the entire school came to the Black Lake to see them off.
Before parting, Viktor Krum spoke with Hermione alone for a while.
Although Ron, the jealous king of Gryffindor, was extremely jealous, he didn't complain this time. In the end, he even asked Krum for an autograph.
Hermione was relieved that Ron was finally not throwing a tantrum like a child; Krum was both surprised and pleased, and he readily signed Ron's name on a piece of parchment.
The day after Durmstrang left, the Beauxbatons students were also leaving.
Once again, all the Hogwarts students turned out and gathered around the giant carriage to bid a reluctant farewell.
Despite losing the Triwizard Tournament, Fleur Delacour was still the most eye-catching person in the crowd.
Fleur's silvery hair rippled like waves in the sunlight. She walked over to Harry, said goodbye, and thanked Ron.
Unable to resist the beauty's advances, Ron betrayed her early on, telling Fleur everything he knew about Bill without holding anything back.
With the help of the little traitor Ron, Fleur successfully established contact with Bill. She wrote to Bill under the pretext that she wanted to find a job in England, and most importantly, she wanted to learn English.
Your English is good! You should learn English.
As twelve divine rune horses pulled the giant chariot into the sky, Beauxbatons' students departed, along with Rupert Hagrid.
Since Voldemort's resurgence, Dumbledore has been trying to build a friendship with the giants and prevent them from falling back under Voldemort's control.
Therefore, Dumbledore sent Hagrid, a half-giant, to Europe to find the tribe of giants hidden in the mountains.
However, the Ministry of Magic repeatedly prevented Hagrid from leaving the country for various reasons, preventing him from setting off to find the giants.
Just when Hagrid was at his wit's end, Mrs. Maxime offered to help. In her capacity as the principal of Beauxbatons, she invited Hagrid to visit Beauxbatons, thus resolving Hagrid's inability to leave the country.
Once Hagrid arrives across the Channel with Beauxbatons' carriage, his next destination is no longer under the control of the British Ministry of Magic.
The last few days of the 1994-1995 school year flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the students had only one night left to spend at school.
That evening, at the year-end banquet, the Great Hall was decorated as always, with gold and red ribbons hanging everywhere, and a huge Gryffindor lion banner hanging on the wall to celebrate Gryffindor's successful defense of the College Cup.
As the banquet drew to a close, Dumbledore suddenly stood up, and the noisy Great Hall fell silent.
"Another year has come to an end." Dumbledore looked at all the students. "I had so much to say to you all."
Belvina, sitting in the faculty section, put down her fork. She knew exactly what Dumbledore wanted to say, something Cornelius Fudge absolutely didn't want to hear.
Dumbledore's gaze fell on the long table in Gryffindor, on Harry, but he quickly looked away.
"The Ministry of Magic doesn't want me to tell you this," Dumbledore continued, "but after much deliberation, I've decided to tell you the truth."
A buzzing murmur immediately filled the hall as everyone whispered about the "truth" Dumbledore had spoken of.
Some say the truth is definitely related to the Buddy Crouch father and son, as this matter has caused the most uproar this year; others say it's definitely related to the Triwizard Tournament, which featured four warriors this year.
Whether it's Barty Crouch and his son, or the four champions of the Triwizard Tournament, they all have to do with one person: Harry Potter.
Soon, all the students in the Great Hall turned to look at Harry at the Gryffindor table.
Harry, however, kept looking at Dumbledore, waiting for him to reveal the unbearable truth.
"I must tell you the truth," Dumbledore continued, "Voldemort has returned with the help of Barty Crouch Jr.
Instantly, all the students in the Great Hall looked at Dumbledore, their faces filled with shock and fear. Even some from Slytherin were trembling with fear.
Immediately afterward, a cacophony of whispers arose among the students. They couldn't believe Dumbledore's words, couldn't believe Voldemort had returned. Many instinctively began to deny it—how could Voldemort possibly be back!
Of course, not all students were in a hurry to deny the truth. There were a few people around the Slytherin table who seemed very excited and welcomed Voldemort's return.
Unbeknownst to these Slytherin students, their fathers back home were currently in a state of great anxiety, fearing that Voldemort would seek revenge later.
When Dumbledore spoke again, the whispering stopped, and the Great Hall fell silent once more.
"The Ministry of Magic doesn't want me to tell the truth, and your parents might be shocked by what I've done, but I still believe that telling the truth is always better than lying."
Dumbledore continued, "Given Voldemort's resurrection—I hope it's not true, but I'm just an old man talking nonsense—I believe that as long as we show unbreakable friendship and trust, we can get through this difficult time together. As long as we share the same goal, we can fight the darkness to the very end—"
Then, Dumbledore said a lot more.
He hoped that everyone could unite and work together towards a common goal; he hoped that everyone could overcome their fears and face them head-on; he hoped that everyone could safely get through the difficult and dark period that was about to come.
However, not everyone can overcome their fear, not everyone can muster the courage to fight against Voldemort, and not everyone is willing to fight against Voldemort.
Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw—some faces were filled with fear, some with confusion, and others shook their heads incessantly, unable to accept reality.
Some Slytherin members were bewildered, while others were suppressing their excitement. They didn't understand Voldemort and the Death Eaters, let alone the bloodshed and cruelty of war.
Belvina, sitting in the faculty section, looked at Dumbledore with a complicated expression. She could roughly guess why Dumbledore insisted on telling the truth.
Dumbledore was sounding the alarm for the entire wizarding community. He wanted to tell everyone to prepare to fight Voldemort as soon as possible, especially those with foresight, telling them that war was coming.
At the same time, Dumbledore was still pressuring the Ministry of Magic, wanting it to face reality, tell the truth to the public, and organize everyone to resist.
Even if Cornelius Fudge and the Ministry of Magic were determined to cover it up, Dumbledore's voice had at least reached the public. Those who were willing to believe in him would naturally be prepared to fight back and wouldn't be caught off guard by Voldemort.
As for those who are unwilling to believe Dumbledore, at least they know about it, and when Voldemort stops hiding in the future, these people will be somewhat prepared.
Belvina smiled and shook her head. The war, which had been suspended for thirteen years, had resumed. Some people had already cried out, while others were still indulging in the illusion of peace and were unwilling to wake up.
Perhaps this is why Voldemort chose to hide.