Long Peace

"That's outrageous! He wasn't injured by Voldemort and the Death Eater, but he got injured by you."

"..."

"Corporal punishment of students should be moderate. I'm so old, and you're still hitting me..."

"..."

As Loren walked out of the Abandoned Classroom, the pain from his swollen wound caused him to gasp and hiss, making the little Witch who had been fighting him blush with embarrassment and turn her head away awkwardly.

Hermione looked at the person beside her walking unsteadily. She knew he was faking his pitiful state, but she still softened. Without making a sound, she took his arm and helped him walk towards the dormitory.

It was already quite late, but thankfully the Fat Lady had just been woken up and hadn't fallen back asleep yet, so she wasn't grumbling. After entering the Portrait Hole and passing through the dimly lit Common Room, the remaining stairs had to be climbed by oneself.

Some people, having gotten a good deal, acted innocent. As they said goodnight on the stairs, one of them quickly pecked the girl on the lips and ran off to the dormitory in the attic, completely ignoring the pain he had just been grimacing at.

Hermione pursed her lips and tried to keep a straight face, but in the end she couldn't hold back and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

Pushing open the bedroom door, Harry and Ron were already back. It seemed that Mrs. Weasley had been understanding about Harry's busy schedule all night and wanted him to come back and rest early.

"You're back, Loren?"

"You're back. How are you feeling, Harry? Didn't you go to the Hospital Wing?"

"No, I told Madam Pomfrey that I would be more comfortable sleeping in my dorm room."

Madam Pomfrey had clearly trusted the wrong person. Not only did Harry not get a good night's sleep, but Ron also dragged him along to Seamus and Neville to chatter about Voldemort's return. Ron described the whole thing so vividly, his excited and thrilled expression making it seem as if he, not Harry, was the one who had experienced it firsthand.

While Loren washed up, he listened to Dumbledore's eloquent speech. Dumbledore explained things very tactfully, without mentioning that everything was part of Dumbledore's plan. He only focused on how Voldemort was resurrected with Bellatrix's help, without mentioning the names of the Death Eater.

The account of Harry and Cedric's escape is vague, making no mention of the Twin Wands or the protective magic left by Harry's mother, nor of Loren's involvement.

After washing up, Loren lay down on the bed, but his unusual sleeping position kept him awake for a while. The curtains on the four-poster bed didn't block out sound, and the chattering of Ron and the others drifted in, which was actually quite pleasant.

Seamus lamented that he was still a student who hadn't graduated, and that Hogwarts was far from the battlefield. He claimed to have many ideas for dealing with the Dark Lord and the Death Eater, but unfortunately, they were not going to be of any use.

Neville said he could relay the message to his parents, and also recount the stories he had heard from his father about the struggle against the Death Eater.

When Voldemort and the Death Eater last ravaged the Wizarding World, there were frequent dropouts at Hogwarts. Students could attend classes safely in the Castle, but while dining in the Great Hall, they could receive news at any moment that their family members had been attacked.

Professors usually advise students to persevere despite the pain, because if they drop out and go home, they might end up on the obituary list the next morning.

"Throughout the Britain Wizarding World, all non- Pure-blood wizard are shrouded in a shadow of fear and unease..." Neville said.

This statement is not entirely accurate, because Pure-blood Aurors also need to remain vigilant at all times, and those with the means may even protect them with magic, entrusting the secret of the Fidelius Charm to an absolutely reliable person.

Compared to the Death Eater openly wear hoods and masks, Augustus Lestrange is far more terrifying. He is a Death Eater spy who infiltrated the Ministry of Magic, bribing and buying off many Ministry of Magic employees to build a meticulous intelligence network and pass on valuable information to the Death Eater.

Many people had their hiding places exposed because of Lestrange's methods, resulting in the destruction of their families and the deaths of many.

"..."

Harry touched the scar on his forehead, wondering if Wormtail Peter had also been a member of Lestrange's intelligence network. Otherwise, how could that cowardly fellow have gotten involved with the vicious Death Eater? It couldn't have been Voldemort who personally found him and persuaded him to join.

Harry stared blankly at the dimly lit candlestick and asked softly, "Will we go through this too...? Is the war about to start again?"

"There should be a period of peace ahead. The rest depends on how the Ministry of Magic responds." Loren rested his chin on the pillow, his voice languid.

"Why? Hasn't Voldemort already been resurrected?"

"Because the Death Eater ' power has not fully recovered..." Loren replied casually. "The Death Eater we can gather now are less than half of what they used to be. If they foolishly stand up against the Ministry of Magic, they will be easily crushed by the Aurors forces... It's not so bad that we only lose wizards, but the hypocritical group that escaped the trial back then are all very wealthy. Their wealth will become resources to fight against Voldemort."

"So they'll try to find a way to release the Death Eater imprisoned in Azkaban?" Ron speculated uncertainly.

"This requires careful planning. Voldemort must remain hidden until his suffering comrades are rescued." Loren, noticing their confused expressions, paused and explained, "Think about it: if the Ministry of Magic confirms Voldemort's return, that there are a group of vicious thugs in the prison, and that the Dementor guarding Azkaban are natural allies of the Death Eater, what should be their first priority?"

"Deal with... prisoners of Azkaban?" Seamus opened his mouth, his eyes widening. Both Harry and Seamus found it hard to believe.

Ron thought about it for a moment, then added in a low voice, "They might also re-examine those who escaped trial back then."

"So the Death Eater will lie low and wait for the right opportunity to restore their power to deter the Wizarding World." Loren paused for a moment, then continued, "In addition, because the plot to kill Harry went wrong, and because he was wary of Dumbledore, Voldemort will also try to strengthen his power, or... find another way to deal with Dumbledore."

"He couldn't beat Headmaster Dumbledore a decade ago, and he's even less likely to do so now!" Ron said firmly.

"So cherish it, we still have a fairly long period of stable life ahead of us."

As Loren drew his conclusions to the above analysis, his roommates breathed a sigh of relief. Harry felt even more at ease, and smugly imagined, "Now that the Ministry of Magic has our warning, they'll definitely be able to prepare in advance. Maybe they'll soon be able to dismantle all the Death Eater ' forces, leaving Voldemort all alone, and then the Aurors, led by Dumbledore, will besiege Voldemort..."

"No matter how powerful he is, can he possibly take on hundreds of wizards at the same time?"

Neville and Ron envisioned the same scene. "At that point, as long as Headmaster Dumbledore can hold off his attack, the rest of us can overwhelm Voldemort with a single spell each..."

Lost in their simple and beautiful fantasies, the roommates gradually drifted off to sleep.

The candle in the candlestick by the wall burned to the marked mark, and the thin bronze pick fell down to cover the wick, quietly extinguishing the faint flame.

Loren gazed at the room plunging into darkness and smiled softly. Yes, it was such an easy thing to do.

The stern-faced Slytherin Head of House stood beside the workbench in the storeroom, filled with Potions equipment, a clear glass vial in his hand. If it weren't for the crimson liquid inside being evenly poured onto the toad specimen, his motionless posture might have made him appear as a statue in the Castle corridor.

The shriveled and stiff specimen became plump again, and the sound of a heart pumping blood could even be heard from inside. Then the "Resurrected Toad" mechanically licked the liquid spilled on the outside, without chirping, jumping, or even blinking. This mass of flesh and blood seemed to be just an empty shell.

It can only make flesh and blood move, but it has no vitality.

He considered himself a wizard with little empathy, never offering undue pity. During his childhood, he lived in Spinner's End and endured enough insults and beatings, but it was also there that he met the person he would remember for the rest of his life... Later, he drifted further and further away from her, and his closest friend married and had children with the person he hated the most. He then implicated her, causing her family to be destroyed and leaving behind only a stupid son.

After that night, his Patronus changed.

But he never felt that he and Dumbledore were the same kind of people. He was once an ambitious Slytherin graduate, a vicious Death Eater... and a harsh Potions Master. He believed that he hadn't changed much over the decades.

If he could use other people's corpses to conduct experiments and make even the slightest contribution to the Resurrection Potion he so desperately wanted, he wouldn't hesitate for a moment.

Barty Crouch's fresh corpse was excellent experimental material. His soul had been devoured by Dementor, and his body had been left empty for nearly ten months until tonight when Voldemort devoured all the life force within him, turning him into a emaciated skeleton.

Why wasn't his body used?

To avoid the Ministry of Magic discovering anything unusual during the examination of the body and causing unnecessary trouble?

In order to avoid attracting the attention of Barty Jr. Crouch Jr.?

"..."

Severus Snape asked himself these questions for a long time, but he could not find the answer.

With a wave of the wand, the toad died again and was burned to ashes. An invisible whirlwind swept the ashes into the waste bin, where they mingled with other Potions residue, appearing completely normal.

Snape's black eyes flickered, and he walked expressionlessly into the shadows that enveloped him.

There was only one thing he was very clear about:

I will die again and again, to realize that life is endless.

Early morning, in the Headmaster's office.

"Albus, today is a rare weekend. I hope you have a convincing reason for so hastily ending my holiday and calling me to Hogwarts this morning!" Cornelius Fudge, dressed in a pinstripe suit, handed his purple top hat to the staff behind him, waved them out of the office and waited outside, and shouted impatiently.

Dumbledore gave Professor McGonagall a look, signaling her to leave with the others, and soon only the two of them remained in the spacious office.

"Some unexpected events have occurred in the Third Task of the Goblet of Fire Triwizard Tournament..."

Dumbledore, wearing crescent-shaped glasses, his deep blue eyes revealing nothing, spoke slowly and steadily, "In last night's match, one of the Champion, Harry, was kidnapped by Voldemort disguised as Alastor... Harry seized a golden opportunity and managed to return to the school to tell us the truth."

Fudge was still reeling from the shock that lingered on his face. He glared at the white-bearded headmaster and yelled, "What kind of amusement is this? Don't be ridiculous... I must tell you, Dumbledore, this is horrible!"

Dumbledore long time, watching the comical expression on Harry's face through his crescent-shaped glasses, and said in a deep voice, "Harry can undoubtedly recount this experience in more detail, and can even use the Pensieve to show this memory... Crouch's body is still in Little Hangleton Crouch Jr.'s grave. If you still don't believe it, you can open Barty Jr. Crouch.'s grave and see! Let me tell you, Barty Jr. Crouch. has helped Voldemort regain his physical body, and he has returned."

"What can memories prove? There are Memory Charm and False Memory Charm. I interned in the Memory Erasure Team for a while, so no one knows more about them than me..."

Fudge muttered under his breath, his eyes darting around, a thin layer of sweat even beading on his forehead. He scrutinized Dumbledore long time, a faint smile appearing on his face, "You can't really believe all this, Dumbledore. Don't be ridiculous. Perhaps the evidence you've presented does exist, but that only proves Crouch's mistakes..."

"How can you accept everything a child says? You know, little wizards this age are always thinking about showing off..." Fudge's face remained etched with a strange smile. "Stop talking, I'll go back and investigate!"

"..."

Dumbledore sat in the chair behind his desk. It had been an hour since Cornelius Fudge had left, but his comical smile and those words kept replaying in the white-bearded headmaster's mind.

He thought he should probably retrieve this memory; it was taking up too much of his mind and even made him feel a slight throbbing pain in his temples.

Although he had anticipated this outcome and thus concealed all his plans in his narrative, he was still inevitably disappointed in Fudge.

The early-rising young wizards discovered that the Great Hall of the Castle had been redecorated, with magnificent banners of Hogwarts hanging on the walls, dazzling red and gold ribbons fluttering in the air, and various beautiful lights and falling snowflakes constantly being created in the dome.

Looking at the Great Hall decorated in the Gryffindor style, Seamus brought exciting news: the Goblet of Goblet of Fire awards ceremony and the year-end party would be held together, and tonight would be a grand feast.

The young wizards Beauxbatons and Ilvermorny, were excitedly anticipating their school's similar year-end party.

The young wizards from Durmstrang looked grim. They had just received devastating news: their Headmaster Karkaroff had claimed to have urgent business to attend to and had left them in the care of Hogwarts. They would be led back to Durmstrang by Professor Ravenclaw, the Head of House of Professor Flitwick.

After breakfast, the constant comings and goings of Ministry of Magic staff at the Castle made them even more uneasy.

I hope Principal Karkaroff hasn't been arrested for breaking the law!