Chapter 657 Unexpected Expansion
"A portkey?!"
"This news is absolutely true. As for the specific measures of Barty Crouch, he did not mention them, and I did not inquire," Caresius continued. "Nevertheless, I never get an answer when I ask. I just need to do what I am supposed to do."
Hogwarts Castle was protected from intrusions by various types of magic. Wizards could not apparate here.
Therefore, the portkey was the only way to get Harry out of the school in plain view.
Evan did not know what Barty Crouch Jr.'s original plan was, what he intended by making Ron a champion. Since the plan had changed, all of that had become insignificant.
What was certain now was that he was ready to act in the second task and use a portkey to take Harry out of Hogwarts.
Was he planning to directly involve Harry in the task? Or would he attack him by surprise while everyone watched the game?
The second task involved the champions going to the lake to find the people closest to them. The person closest to Ron should be Harry.
Doing it in the depths of the lake could indeed go unnoticed.
Since Voldemort did not want news about him regaining strength and returning to spread quickly throughout the magical world, it was necessary to maintain proper secrecy.
Working under the lake could also decrease Dumbledore's responsiveness.
Some time ago, Barty Crouch Jr. had taken advantage of the accident in the first task and suggested that the Ministry of Magic send people to organize the place and that Hogwarts could not intervene. It seemed he had planned everything in advance.
Seizing the opportunity to prepare the place, he hid the portkey underwater and attempted to take Harry away.
The whole process was problem-free, but Evan still had one more question to clarify. Why was Voldemort suddenly so anxious that Bartemius Crouch Jr. had to change his plan? Even risking being discovered, he came to Hogwarts through the Floo Network to inform Caresius about the matter.
He had been hidden in the forests of Albania for so many years and now could not even wait a short time.
"Why is Voldemort in such a hurry?" Evan asked. "What happened?"
"Bad news unfolds. We are unaware of the specific situation. The Dark Lord will not share his plan with me. Therefore, this is just speculation, would you like to hear it?" Caresius said, finishing the rest of the dragon's blood in the cup.
He looked at Evan and licked the blood at the corner of his lips, which seemed extraordinarily peculiar.
Although he remained Moody, at that moment, Evan felt his blue eyes flashing red.
Just that scene alone was enough to classify vampires as monsters, more wicked than dark wizards.
Just imagine if the cup was not filled with dragon's blood but with human blood...
The blood of a powerful wizard was much more appealing to vampires than dragon's blood.
"Tell me," Evan and Caresius locked eyes.
"It's just my own idea. I think the issue could be the statue brought from the Centaur ruins."
"The statue of the evil god?" Evan said, astonished, sensing something ominous.
"Oh, do you call that monster an evil god?" Caresius looked at Evan and said slowly, "It is a terrible creature left from ancient times. In a certain sense, indeed, it can be called a god, because its power is far above that of humans."
"What did Voldemort do with the statue?" Evan asked. "He's not going to summon the evil god, is he?"
"I do not know," Caresius shook his head. "It is only a possibility to summon the monster from the statue, but I believe he will not do it because he does not have enough power to control the monster. Summoning it would be self-destruction."
Indeed, Voldemort was not one of those fallen Centaurs. He would not foolishly believe in evil spirits and call upon them.
If he did, there would be no benefit for Voldemort himself.
Evil gods required massive amounts of flesh and blood and destruction, and they were enemies of all humanity.
Voldemort needed to rule the magical world and even the entire world, to make others submit to him, rather than destroy them completely.
Caresius commented: 'He should have communicated with the evil god in the statue through some secret technique, reached some agreement, or learned something, that's why he seemed so anxious. Speaking of which, it is also my fault. When I brought the statue back, I checked it. At that time, it had no power. It was just a common wooden statue. I did not expect that...'.
In the ruins of the fallen Centaurs, Evan had entered the spiritual realm created by the malevolent god.
"At the last moment, The Book of Abraham led the dreadful malevolent god to the seal of the power of the real world, cutting the connection between the statue and the malevolent god in the void. The statue had turned into a common wooden carving."
"But as the only way the malevolent god could communicate with the real world, there might be some remaining secrets in it, which Voldemort discovered."
"Similarly, the malevolent god, who had faced successive failures, also needed Voldemort's help to reach the world."
"A mutual usage should be required, and ultimately, it would depend on whose means were superior."
"Evan had previously speculated that Voldemort would join forces with the malevolent god to become stronger. Now it seemed that things were indeed heading in the worst direction. He recalled the prediction Professor Trelawney made last year: Voldemort, who had returned, would gain unimaginable power..."
"Could it be the power of the malevolent god?!"
It would truly be astounding for the world, directly turning Voldemort, the most dangerous dark wizard in history, into a monster.
Voldemort, who had created the Horcruxes, was reason enough for Evan and Dumbledore to strive to their utmost to destroy them.
If the power of the malevolent god were added, Evan could only pin his hopes on the secret treasure left by the Four Founders.
"Some time ago, he asked my people to search for information left by ancient wizards in relics from around the world," Caresius continued. "They brought him many ancient tablets filled with ancestral magical inscriptions. He might have learned something from them. I'm worried..."
"What did your people bring Voldemort, you don't know?!"
"In fact, I really don't know!" Caresius smiled bitterly, his pale face showing traces of fatigue. "My ethnic group is not monolithic. How to put it... faced with that guy's attitude, and in confronting the struggle with other vampire clans, many think my approach is a bit too conservative, and they're not entirely in agreement. This time, they took the initiative to contact the Dark Lord..."