Post-Match Review

Cedric peered through the crack in the rock, his eyes wide, his throat sore and bloodshot, not wanting to miss a single moment of the exciting duel. Whether it was Dumbledore or Voldemort, the dueling techniques they displayed were completely different from what the professor had previously described.

He couldn't learn the Killing Curse that rained down from the sky and the overwhelming flames, but the thick, eerie black mist and the angel statues that were good at both offense and defense were very inspiring to him.

In terms of offense, one side is a blazing sword that burns through space, and the other side is a deadly Killing Curse that kills upon contact. In terms of defense, one side is a flame that devours everything, and the other side is an unbreakable, gleaming Silver Shield.

The two people secretly observing were mesmerized; this was truly Legendary Wizard at the pinnacle of the Wizarding World.

Loren watched silently as the flames and black smoke gradually dissipated. The thick clouds that had obscured the stars and moon had vanished without him noticing. The silvery light was faint, and the night breeze was cool. Voldemort was nowhere to be seen.

The white-bearded headmaster, who had just finished a great battle, was not disappointed when he looked at the empty, Wild Graveyard. Instead, he noticed the cracked grave of Tom Riddle, waved his wand, and the surrounding earth and rocks automatically rushed towards the crack without any wind, quickly repairing the grave to its original state.

Dumbledore walked to Crouch's body. The former Director of the International Cooperation Division, who had once been most concerned about his image, was now a withered, bloody skeleton, a mere empty shell hanging on a skull, dying without any dignity.

He sighed almost imperceptibly:

"How long do you two plan to hide?"

In a daze, Harry saw a sword formed of flames slashing down at him. A mysterious and distant voice pierced his consciousness, dragging him out of the deep dream.

"Harry, Harry..."

Mrs. Weasley's gentle voice rang in his ears, and scenes from before he lost consciousness flashed before his eyes: Voldemort's mysterious Resurrection Ritual, the Death Eater ' gathering, and the Souls surrounding him...

A burning pain shot through the scar, and fragmented images flashed before his eyes. The final image froze on Cedric's lifeless, limp legs.

"Cedric, no!"

Harry sat up abruptly in bed, panting heavily, a thin layer of cold sweat clinging to his forehead.

"Harry, it's alright, it's alright..."

The bright and clean Hospital Wing came into view, and the unease in his heart dissipated the moment he realized he was in Hogwarts. Mrs. Weasley's gentle pats gradually relaxed him.

Hermione was fiddling with a crudely made silver coin, Hagrid and Professor Moody stood on the outer circle.

Sirius Black pushed open the door and led Madam Pomfrey in. Pushing aside the group of Bill, George, Fred, Ron, and Ginny who were gathered around, Madam Pomfrey calmly said, "Your arm seems to have been slightly injured, but the healing magic is excellent, and it's fully healed. The only problem is that you've exhausted a lot of energy and Magic Power; you'll need to rest for a few days. Don't worry too much..."

Sirius Black ruffled Harry's hair, his eyes slightly red, but he didn't say anything more.

The emotions Harry had been desperately suppressing and controlling since leaving the maze suddenly surged up, causing him to feel a burning sting in his eyes. However, under everyone's gaze, he did not cry.

"Voldemort is back, Cedric has been..." Harry couldn't finish the cruel news, his eyes glistening with tears and his voice choked with emotion.

Professor Moody's eyebrows furrowed, and his blue magic eyes darted around, seemingly disbelieving the news. The Weasley family, who were nearby, all wore expressions of horror, with Madam Pomfrey and Hagrid being particularly uneasy.

"This, this..."

"Cedric is fine, chatting with Dumbledore in the Headmaster's office." Hermione's unhurried voice sounded even more melodious than Mermaid's song to the people in the ward. She spread out her right hand to show off a small silver coin, her small face expressionless. "Loren said that if Harry wakes up, he can go to the Headmaster's office."

This... Cedric ...he clearly saw it with his own eyes...

Harry's mind was a little foggy, his expression gradually became blank, and he began to doubt himself.

"I'll go with Harry!" Ron quickly said.

"I'm going too!"

"Me too!"

"What are you two doing?" Seeing the Twins yelling and screaming, Molly couldn't help but tap them on the head. She then turned and calmly made a decision, "Sirius Black and Alastor, take Harry to the office. You guys go back and get some sleep."

"Oh..." the Weasley siblings replied reluctantly.

Sirius Black and Moody exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement.

And so, Harry, still dazed, was helped by the two men to walk toward the Headmaster's office. When he came out, his expression was still blank, and his mind was a complete mess.

Ginny watched the three of them walk away, then noticed a curly-haired little Witch following behind and couldn't help but ask, "Hey, Hermione, what are you doing following them?"

"I'm going to find Loren," the Witch replied coolly, her voice carrying an inexplicable chill.

Ron's eyes darted around, and he followed along the wall, his voice carrying far after he had run off:

"I'll go find Loren too."

"Thump... thump..."

The wooden prosthetic leg of the retired Aurors, adorned with a magical eye, creaked in the empty corridor. Harry, looking dazed, was helped along by Sirius Black. The person involved didn't speak, and the others didn't ask any questions. Anyone who had experienced such a thrilling night would be unable to calm down. They waited for Harry to sort out his thoughts, leaving all questions for later in the Headmaster's office.

The little Witch walking beside her held a silver coin in her right hand across her lower abdomen. Her serious little face was full of coldness, her lips were tightly pursed into a slit, and the wide sleeves and hem of her magic robe swung in the wind. At such a young age, she already had some of Professor McGonagall's demeanor.

No one knew that this seemingly serious, Miss Know-It-All was actually thinking about how to beat someone up.

As for the timid Weasley family boys who came after them, I can't bear to look at them, and I don't want to mention them.

Arriving at the familiar statue on the Third Floor, Sirius Black and Moody made way for each other, and Hermione stepped forward and said softly, "Caramel Cookie."

The statue moved aside in response, and the doors automatically opened to reveal the passageway behind. The group silently stood on the spiral staircase and went up.

Before they could get close, a muffled voice came through the Oak Door: "Cedric, although I have no intention of hiding what happened tonight, it involves... In order to prevent your parents and family from being targeted, please be careful before revealing anything to others."

"Thank you, Professor. Actually, I... I didn't intend to tell anyone about tonight's events, not even my parents..."

Cedric's voice was filled with undisguised exhaustion after a whole night of tossing and turning without a proper rest, but Harry recognized the familiar tone instantly, his pupils contracting sharply in his wide eyes.

He clearly saw Cedric fall victim to Bellatrix's Killing Curse; his body should be cold by now!

That's right, it's Polyjuice Potion! Someone's impersonating Cedric!

It's a Death Eater plot!

Harry's mind cleared instantly, and his grief transformed into anger, but within that raging rage, a sliver of hope lingered...

"Don't be embarrassed. Choosing to keep the secret for the sake of your family is a choice that takes courage and wisdom."

"It may be a long time before I can express my gratitude to you, Loren."

"Keep it a secret; I don't want to cause trouble."

Hearing Loren's languid voice, Hermione's expression grew even colder. She stepped forward and knocked on the Oak Door: "Headmaster Dumbledore, Harry has come with us."

"Please come in."

Pushing open the door, I found the office lit only by a few dim candles. Fawkes the Phoenix perched on a branch by the door, its head buried in its right wing. The portraits of past principals on the wall were turned over, and the desk presented a peaceful scene, with three glasses of golden Pumpkin Juice still steaming.

Cedric sat upright across the desk, his clothes disheveled and torn in several places, yet this did not diminish his Hufflepuff Prefect demeanor. His face was somewhat pale, while Loren, standing beside him, turned and smiled at them.

Dumbledore nodded to Cedric: "That's all for tonight. If you really can't fall asleep, you can go see Madam Pomfrey. I highly recommend that you use hypnosis to temporarily forget the adventures of this night..."

"Good night, Headmaster Dumbledore, good night, Loren..."

Cedric stood up politely, nodded to the group, and said, "Good evening, everyone."

As Harry brushed past Cedric, he saw him wink at him. Every feature of Cedric was exactly like him, and the holes in his clothes were from his battle with the Acromantula. He looked very familiar.

The Death Eater disguised as Cedric stripped him of his clothes, so meticulously that he even removed his undergarments.

Harry was once again caught in an endless dilemma, his uncertain expectations intertwined with his doubts about Cedric's identity, leaving his mind in complete turmoil.

Dumbledore gestured for several chairs from the cubicle, then leisurely brought out a tea set, seemingly wanting to ask the group what they would like to drink, "I know you all have a lot to say—"

"Let's get down to business, Albus," Moody said casually.

Loren didn't detect any hint of Polyjuice Potion in Professor Moody. He realized that this was a genuine retired professor who had been rehired, even though he had others cover for him for the entire year. But when it came time to collect his year-end bonus, he stepped forward.

Dumbledore coughed and poured the remaining Pumpkin Juice from the teapot for each of them, making Moody frown. Even in retirement, the elite Aurors retained his fiery temper; a year of lying low and trying to extract information from Barty Crouch Barty Jr.. had already made Moody impatient, and his patience was long gone.

Loren watched with delight, when suddenly he heard the little Witch's soft voice beside him. "Tonight's adventure is sure to be exciting, isn't it?"

Loren's heart skipped a beat, but he calmly handed Hermione the Pumpkin Juice that Dumbledore had poured. "I'll explain it to you in detail later."

The little Witch's eyes were narrowed to slits, her long eyelashes fluttering, giving one the creeps.

Harry, holding the steaming hot Pumpkin Juice, couldn't resist asking cautiously, "Headmaster, I... Cedric... he..."

Dumbledore seemed to understand his unease and doubt, and said with a smile, "Cedric told me part of the truth about what happened tonight, and also conveyed the greetings of Mr. Diggory. and Mrs. Diggory. He talked about many of the difficulties and fun things about being Prefect, and about how you all walked to the end of the maze together and shared the championship of this competition."

Harry's heart eased. If Cedric was really dead, the disguised Death Eater wouldn't know so much about the past. But he still couldn't understand. "But..."

"Before explaining this, I need to make sure everyone here understands the whole story..."

As Dumbledore gently began to speak, a long and intricate story slowly unfolded before them. "Let me think... it should begin with Mr. Crouch. I think you already know from Severus that thirteen years ago, Crouch personally sent his own son to Azkaban. There's another story behind it, a story of hidden and profound love..."

Mrs. Crouch, dragging her ailing body, replaced her son who was serving time in Azkaban. Mr. Crouch had imprisoned his son for nearly ten years, but on the night of the Quidditch World Cup, he lost control due to the turmoil and was even attacked and murdered by Voldemort at the instigation of his own son, becoming a puppet possessed by Voldemort. Barty Jr.. eventually disguised himself as Moody and infiltrated Hogwarts...

Upon hearing the Crouch family's story, all the young wizards except for Loren and Sirius Black were stunned, their thoughts so complex they couldn't even sort them out themselves.

"No wonder there was Winky at the Dark Mark site, no wonder she was so hesitant to mention the Crouch family ..." Harry murmured.

Hermione couldn't help but glance at Loren. She wasn't sure if Loren already knew all this, which was why he made the promise with Winky...

"These Death Eater deserve a Dementor's Kiss!" Moody roared. "Thank goodness they still need to extract information from me and use my hair for Polyjuice Potion, otherwise they would have killed me too!"

Sirius Black looked at Harry with lingering fear. He knew that Barty Jr. Crouch Jr., disguised as Moody, had countless opportunities to harm Harry. Harry had already been hit by the Imperius Curse hundreds of times in class; what if it were the Killing Curse one of those times...?

Harry and Ron also felt a chill run down their spines.

Dumbledore sipped his Pumpkin Juice and continued, "And so, Barty Jr. Crouch Jr. disguised himself as Alastor and infiltrated Hogwarts. The good news is, on the very second day of school, Loren and Hermione discovered his deception..."

Harry and Ron glared at the two men, but swallowed their anger and decided to settle the score with them privately.

"Severus and I found Alastor imprisoned in the Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts's office. After careful consideration, we decided not to expose him immediately, but to have Alastor lie low and exchange information with Barty Jr. Crouch Jr. every night..."

"After the opening ceremony of the Triwizard Tournament, Barty Jr. Crouch Jr. threw Harry's name into the Goblet of Fire... Combining the information Alastor obtained with Harry's dream, we deduced their plan..."