CHAPTER 59: A FLICKER OF MADNESS
Matthew Potter's abduction during the last task of the tournament is now known to all, and the investigation into the portkey spell on the tournament cup is ongoing, but no suspect has yet been apprehended and arrested. However, we know nothing about what might have happened to him once transported outside the maze, and truthfully, only he can speak about it. But we know from Dumbledore himself that Potter was subjected for a long time to the Cruciatus Curse, which, as we remind you, is punishable by life imprisonment in Azkaban for its caster. Dumbledore also seems to believe in his student's ramblings and took the liberty, at the final banquet closing the tournament, to announce to the audience the return of the Dark Lord. Already, the ministry naturally refutes the headmaster of Hogwarts' statements and doubts Matthew Potter's declarations. Others already have doubts about the mental health of the chosen one, just like his own classmates who have coexisted with him for many years.
"He's disturbed," confirmed Draco Malfoy, a fourth-year Slytherin student. "We always suspected him of opening the Chamber of Secrets in our second year, but Dumbledore immediately defended his favorite student at the expense of the safety of the other students at Hogwarts. And in our first year, one of our teachers disappeared, and the headmaster claimed that Potter had actually stopped him before he took something for the Dark Lord... But we always thought he just killed him."
"He has no friends," added Pansy Parkinson, also a fourth-year Slytherin. "People are afraid of him, and not even Gryffindor students dare to approach him. Strange things happen around him, so for our safety, we avoid being around him outside of classes."
A solitary student, suspected of assaulting his peers under the gaze of an indulgent headmaster preferring to turn a blind eye to his student's past and present misdeeds, can he even have any credibility? For now, we have not been able to approach the infirmary where Matthew Potter has been hiding for nearly a week now, but isn't this silence surrounding his health condition in itself an indication of his state? Could he have had the illusion of facing "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" under torture? Could his mental issues have a more distant origin dating back to the evening when, by a miracle known to the present actors, he managed to defeat the Dark Lord and his killing curse? We'll leave it to Professor Dumbledore to conclude this article: "No comment!"
No comment. Maybe for him, but for us, we have the right to question the true personality of the one presented until now as the one who defeated the greatest dark wizard of the last century.
"Anything interesting to tell us there?" Juliette queried as he finished reading.
"Well... Not much, really..." he said distractedly as he handed the newspaper to Nicolas's already outstretched hand.
"But what else?" she mischievously pressed.
"The Triwizard Tournament is over, and unfortunately, my friend Fleur didn't win..."
"Good thing," commented Nicolas as he flipped through the pages. "What a shame it would be if a boy were beaten by a girl!"
"I beg your pardon?" their friend thundered, turning toward him.
"Some might give you trouble, Nicolas," Harry affirmed. "Mother could defeat you in less than a minute if she wanted to."
"Yeah, well..." he mumbled apologetically.
"So, who won the tournament if it wasn't Beauxbatons?" Juliette asked once the awkward moment had passed.
"One of the champions from Hogwarts, the one I faced at the Yule Ball," he said casually. "Apparently, there was a problem during the last task, and he was kidnapped, but he later returned claiming to have witnessed the resurrection of a dark wizard who tortured him."
"Things are happening at Hogwarts," remarked his friend. "A dark wizard, of all things!"
Harry could only agree with her, and compared to the English wizarding school, he could almost affirm that their own academy was certainly a haven of peace and tranquility... Well, if you disregarded the irritable caretaker, the bullies like Boulanger, and the exhausting school activities... Oh, and the wars they get involved in.
"However, this could be quite useful for us," Juliette added.
"What do you mean by that?" he immediately inquired as Nicolas also lost interest in his newspaper to listen.
"Well, if this return turns out to be true, the English authorities will have their hands full once again dealing with this dark wizard, and they'll be far too busy to contemplate hatching new plans against us."
"Do you think the English government would mobilize some of its troops to defeat Vol... this new threat?" Harry asked as he inwardly reprimanded himself for almost revealing Voldemort's identity.
"Perhaps," she nodded. "They wouldn't consider anything against the empire if something else directly threatened them on their own lands."
A distraction in itself, and the idea wasn't honestly ridiculous to Harry. Moreover, the relationship between his adopted country and England was still not at its best, and with the continental blockade imposed by the emperor to destroy English trade in Europe, they were clearly not improving. But if the military option was a possible solution to this problem, Voldemort's revival could delay the onset of a conflict by a few months or even a few years... only if they took the threat seriously, which clearly wasn't the case from reading the wizarding gazette. But above all, the English crown never intervened in the affairs of wizards unless the situation demanded it, and like in the last war led by Voldemort against the Ministry of Magic and Dumbledore, it probably wouldn't be the case this time either.
"You're forgetting one detail," suddenly interjected Nicolas in a serious tone. "This dark wizard, no one else has seen him reappear except a boy claiming to have witnessed his return, so there's nothing to confirm what he's saying."
Surprised, Juliette looked at her friend with an astonished expression, shocked by this rare moment of lucidity that was generally foreign to him, while Harry pondered his words. Yes, Matthew was indeed the only one who had seen Voldemort return from the dead, and judging by the article in the gazette and his brother's personality, he could easily imagine that he might have invented such a lie just to appear greater than he really was. But on the other hand... Why invent something like that? The risk was so great that he couldn't imagine Matthew lying about it without drawing the ire of the entire magical community in Great Britain. His image didn't seem bright already, but discovering that he had made it all up for a reason known only to him would be even more dangerous than simple disputes between students at Hogwarts.
"Would Voldemort really be back? This prospect in itself was hardly reassuring, especially if this dark wizard decided to chase after him; Why would he do that? There seemed to be no apparent reason except trying to reach Matthew by attacking his loved ones, but perhaps the dark wizard wasn't even aware of the family problems that had arisen since his little visit...
So... Would Voldemort go after him? Even if he did... How could he find him? He wasn't even a Potter anymore! He had no ties left in England except his future union with Daphne, and that information certainly wasn't known to the Dark Lord... Yes, Harry felt relatively safe here, and with his years of experience with Marie-Louise and Pajol, he felt well-prepared to face Voldemort if, by some stroke of luck, he managed to get hold of him.
But this scenario itself seemed completely surreal, impossible even to consider, and a large part of his mind agreed that, like this journalist and Matthew's detractors, he was just a habitual liar taking after his foolish father to always go further in his fabrications to stay in the limelight.
"Whether it's true or not doesn't matter," he cut in, looking at Juliette. "In the past, this dark wizard had already committed numerous crimes against English wizards and Muggles, and yet, the British Crown has never sent any contingent to monitor the actions of this wizard and his followers. It was far too busy sending troops to its former colonies in North America and quelling the rebels there to care about a dark wizard whose only line of conduct is the supremacy of wizards over Muggles. They... got rid of the problem by entrusting it to the Minister of Magic of the time and occasionally allocating a certain sum as financial compensation, that's all. So if this boy's allegations are true, which I highly doubt due to his track record of being a proven liar whose only aim is seeking glory, you'll never see George III demobilize any of his troops on the battlefield to help the wizards living in his country."
A silence followed his words, each weighing the pros and cons of what was said, but also due to their friend's unkind comments regarding the tournament champion. While both wondered about this apparent aversion, neither deemed it useful to ask him, for which he was very grateful.
Harry himself pondered every word he had spoken, and in all honesty, he couldn't care less about this possible situation; if his brother came begging for help, if Dumbledore or James even dared to approach him with the intention of outlining an alliance between them, he already knew the answer he would give them: a firm and categorical no. Let them go to hell!
"We'll have to be very careful then..." Nicolas said, crossing his hands behind his head.
"Why?" their friend immediately inquired suspiciously.
"Well... They also have red uniforms, so it'll be difficult to distinguish us in the midst of a battle," he wisely argued. "Imagine if I shot a comrade, mistaking him for a blasted Englishman?"
"I think in the midst of battles, no one would realize you might have mistaken the target," Harry reassured. "And besides, to err is human; we won't blame you for it... unless, of course, you shoot at us, then you'll need more than apologies to be forgiven, especially if we survive your clumsiness!"
Both chuckled heartily, although a twinge of concern grew in their minds at the thought of potentially shooting at each other. At that moment, the school bell suddenly rang, interrupting Harry in his thoughts, and as he turned his head, he saw that most of the students, looking defeated and resigned, were getting up from their seats and moving sluggishly towards the exit... and their future exam rooms.
"It's time," sighed Juliette, leaning over the table to close Nicolas's book as she passed.
"I'm not ready!" grumbled his friend, still packing his textbook in his bag.
"You would be if you had taken your revisions seriously," she calmly argued as she stood up from her bench.
"Come on, my friend, it's not as terrifying as that," Harry said to him as he put an arm around his shoulders. "It's not numbers that will vanquish the dreaded Nicolas Fleury, the very one who, by his courage and daring alone, managed to trap our beloved caretaker in the toilet cabin by roping him in! These numbers are just caretakers waiting to be vanquished by the blade of your pen!"
"And that's supposed to comfort me?" his friend asked, slightly squinting.
"Sorry, I couldn't think of anything else to give you an idea of the battle you'll wage this afternoon against your worst enemy: Algebra," he replied apologetically.
"Put that way, I think I can better envision this exam," affirmed Nicolas, putting his hand on the hilt of his saber. "I'll cut straight to the heart of the matter!"
And that's where it ends! How did the story strike you so far?
The three of them made their way towards the exit, their bags slung over their shoulders, and a much more confident air about them, particularly Nicolas. However, as they cast one final glance at their table, Juliette halted them by seizing Harry's arm.
"You seem to have forgotten one of your letters, I believe," she said, pointing to the unopened envelope still lying on their table.
Harry rushed back immediately, though he suspected it might be the letter his mother referred to in hers. Growing curiosity overtook him as he reached for it, turning it over and swiftly breaking the seal, briefly examining the symbol stamped in red wax, one that was no stranger to him:
To Mr. B. In Paris, this 11th of June. Sir,
You will agree with me on the non-academic nature of our approach, but to avoid enlightening the curious on our enterprise, permit me to address you thus in case this letter falls into the wrong hands.
Our business progresses, and with my influence, I can assure you that you will soon be in the clutches of the eagle. Your quarters have already been assigned, but to prevent jealousy and gossip, you will be lodged in the same manner as your comrades; comfort is not a matter for discussion at the moment, and it would be curious to see a mere soldier living in idleness due to his parentage.
The duties assigned to you will only be known upon your arrival on a date to be communicated later, but we shall frequently meet to discuss matters that could greatly benefit our mutual Friend. Rest assured, it is out of duty to him that I take such risks for you.
Destroy this letter once you have read it, and speak of it to no one; your cover depends on it.
Obediently, Harry immediately destroyed the parchment with a simple "Incendio." The pieces had barely finished burning when he had already turned on his heels and rejoined his friends, his mind nonetheless occupied by that letter and the person who had written it. One thought kept recurring in his mind as he made his way through the academy to his exam room: The coming months were going to be eventful! As for Voldemort, he had already slipped from his mind.
But for how long?
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