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Chapter 578: Sirius's Reasoning
🕑 Added 2019-09-01 01:08:51 +0000 UTC"I think someone tried to stop Moody from coming to Hogwarts," said Sirius, "It must have been the Death Eaters or vampires, and Karkaroff might have been involved. I'm not really sure about that.... Knowing Karkaroff, unless he’s sure that Voldemort is strong enough to protect him, he won't rush back to his side."
He sat down at the rotten step of the Shrieking Shack, frowning and thinking.
"But it's undeniable that the Death Eaters and the Vampires are more active than usual. There's Voldemort behind these things. You must know this." Sirius continued. "They must be planning to do something during the Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts. That’s why they tried to stop Moody, because they knew it would be much harder with him around. And no one is going to look into it closely; Mad-Eye has heard intruders a bit too often. But that doesn’t mean he can’t still spot the real thing. Moody was the best Auror the Ministry ever had.”
Sirius’s reasoning was really good, but unfortunately he didn’t know about Barty Crouch Jr. Or more precisely, he didn’t believe that Barty Crouch Jr. was still alive.
Evan had told him before, but Sirius and Mr. Weasley, who were present at the time, thought it was just Evan imagining things.
Moody, the only one who thought Evan was right, had already been attacked and locked in a box.
Of course, none of this mattered. What really mattered to Evan was what Sirius said about what vampires did abroad. These things had gone beyond Evan’s control and were developing in an unpredictable direction.
For a while, no one talked; everyone was digesting what Sirius has just said.
Gabrielle did not speak either, and her little face was full of worries. She sat down next to Hermione and listened silently to these appalling things.
Just now Evan and the others guaranteed that Gabrielle would not divulge the secret, and she could stay with them.
"Sirius, do you mean ..." Hermione said slowly, "it was Karkaroff or some Death Eater or vampire who mixed into Hogwarts and put Ron's name into the goblet of fire."
"For now, that’s what I think, yes!" Sirius nodded.
"Why would they do that?!" Ron stood up straight, like a cat whose tail had been trampled on, and said angrily, "What's the point of making me a champion and then letting the dragon kill me?"
"Obviously, their purpose is Harry or Evan!" said Sirius, "They probably want to kill Harry, avenge Voldemort or accomplish other purposes. As for Evan, Voldemort probably wants His Philosopher’s Stone!”
“It’s me who became a champion! It’s me who’s going to face the dragon!” Ron shouted. “Not the two of them!”
He looked at Harry and Evan and turned to Sirius again. He couldn't believe that he was made a champion and would face the fire dragon because someone wanted to do something with Harry and Evan.
"The exact reason is not known. This can only be guessed. Evan and Harry have been under the watch of Dumbledore and other professors. It was difficult for the guy hiding in the dark to start with them," said Sirius "But it was much easier to put your name in the Goblet of Fire. There will definitely be something happening in the tournament, involving the two of them."
Hearing Sirius’s reminder, Evan suddenly thought that the second task would require the champion to complete with dearest to them.
He wasn’t worried about himself, but if Ron chose Harry...
What happened under the water of the second task was not too easy.
"I'm more inclined to think they would target Harry more than Evan!" Sirius turned his head, looking at Harry with concern, "You’re still not strong enough. If anyone wants to kill you and make everything look like an accident, then this tournament is a great opportunity."
“That's really a seamless plan!" Harry smiled reluctantly.
Ron also gasped and sat down dejectedly. Sirius's words were clear. If there were any accident, then he would be buried with him. Or maybe there would not be so much trouble; he probably wouldn’t even get through the dragon and would be soon torn to pieces.
"If that's the case, what are those people going to do?!" Hermione asked. She was more sober than Harry and Ron.
"I don't know!" Sirius shook his head and continued. "Be careful of the strangers around you, especially the champion of Karkaroff and Durmstrang. If anything happens, you can go to Dumbledore or Moody."
He gave Gabrielle a suspicious look and quickly turned his gaze away.
"Sirius, you should tell me how to deal with those fire dragons!" Ron suddenly said.
"Right … these dragons," said Sirius, "There is a way to deal with them. Don't be tempted to try a Stunning Spell. Dragons are strong and too powerful magically to be knocked out by a single Stunner, you need about seven or eight wizards at a time to overcome a dragon.”
"Great!" said Ron, "How can I have the magic of seven or eight people!"
"Of course you can’t, but you can do it alone," said Sirius, "There is a way, and a simple spell is all you need. Aim at their eyes and use the Conjunctivitis Curse, Ron, that’s their weakness."
"Conjunctivitis Curse?! Ron hurriedly said, "Evan taught me that, but I haven't learned it yet. The spell is very difficult. So if I master this spell, I can deal with the dragon?!"
"It will cause just a temporary loss of sight. Eyes are the most vulnerable part of the dragon's body." Sirius waved his hand. "It's too far from completely defeating or killing them, but it's enough for you to accomplish the tasks assigned to you."
Next, they discussed the Conjunctivitis Curse for a while, and Evan personally demonstrated it several times.
Ron seemed to regard this as a life-saving straw, and he studied very seriously.
But the result was disastrous, as he had been unsuccessful. The magic was too difficult for him.
And Evan suspected that even if Ron learned the spell, it would be a question of whether he had the courage to use it.
In the face of the terrible dragon, he might be paralyzed by fear directly.
"Your movements are too stiff, Ron, and don't read the spell fast enough." Said Evan, pointing out Ron's mistake, "The posture of waving the wand is not right, your right hand is a little low."
While Evan, Hermione and Gabrielle urged Ron to practice the Conjunctivitis Curse, Sirius was also teaching Harry.
He believes that the ultimate goal of this incident was Harry, and of course, he should be made stronger as soon as possible.
