Harry, the Target

For Dumbledore, and for most of the professors, tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.

The next day, Kyle discovered that many people were suddenly missing from the castle.

Sirius is gone, but Snape and Professor Moody are gone too.

Hagrid and Madame Maxime of Beauxbatons also appeared to have gone to the Headmaster's Office.

"We could have stayed a few more days," Phoebe said, "But Madame Maxime insisted on leaving today. She seems to have something important to do. I asked her, but she wouldn't tell me."

They were outside the castle, preparing to see Beauxbatons ' students off.

Hagrid's Hut was locked up tight, and the tall Abraxan pulled wagons the size of houses, which were parked in an open space not far in front of him.

As for Durmstrang's students... perhaps they received some news, because early in the morning, another professor who was traveling with them sailed back on that ship, taking with him the injured Viktor Krum.

Soon, all the Beauxbatons students boarded the carriages, leaning out of the doors and windows to wave goodbye to their newly met friends.

After helping Gabrielle and a suitcase onto the carriage, Phoebe turned and hugged Kanna.

She was actually quite reluctant to leave; her year at Hogwarts was the best school experience she had ever had.

She also felt extremely reluctant to leave her Hufflepuff House, where most people were very sincere and there was absolutely no ulterior motive in their interactions.

Although the boys were inevitably influenced by her Veela bloodline, they did not do anything impolite or annoying.

Furthermore, it's rare to see expressions of jealousy in the girls' eyes.

The influence of the Half-Veela was minimized here.

Phoebe didn't know about the other three houses, but Hufflepuff was definitely the house she wanted most.

Unfortunately, the Triwizard Tournament has ended, and she has to go back. Fortunately, she will graduate this year and can come back anytime.

At that moment, Professor Locknir's urging voice could be heard from inside the carriage.

After giving Kyle one last hug, Phoebe hurriedly turned and ran back to the carriage.

A few minutes later, the enormous Abraxan took to the air, pulling the carriage away into the distance.

The carriage grew smaller and smaller until it was no longer visible, at which point the people on the ground returned to the castle.

Although there were only twenty or so fewer students, the Great Hall suddenly seemed much emptier.

"I still don't realize that the Triwizard Tournament is over just like that."

"Yes, Hogwarts is really lively this year..."

"I hope there will be more competitions like this in the future. I think it's much more exciting than Quidditch."

"What did you say?"

"Even the Triwizard Tournament can't compare to Quidditch!"

Similar murmurs could be heard from every corner of the castle, but some people were not in the mood for them.

Cedric, Cho, Fred, and George all looked preoccupied from the morning.

"Kyle, are you sure you're not joking? The You-Know-Who really is back?"

"I'm quite sure, Fred," Kyle said. "You've asked three times in the last hour, and Mrs. Weasley knows about it too. You could easily write a letter home."

"Of course we believe you..." George said, "But this is just too incredible. You'll have to give us some time to accept it."

Kyle glanced at them. "Honestly, I always thought you guys would be a little better than Cedric, but he only asked twice."

"Our reaction is quite normal, isn't it?" Fred said, somewhat exaggeratedly. "That's You-Know-Who, after all. Who in the entire Wizarding World can calmly accept his comeback?"

"Not a single one," George said firmly.

"Will we not be able to come to school next year?"

At this moment, Qiu, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, "If Voldemort attacks Hogwarts, the school will definitely be shut down, right...?"

"You can rest assured about that," Kyle waved his hand and said, "Even more than a decade ago, when the Death Eaters were at their most powerful, Hogwarts never closed. Back then, it was the only place that could provide shelter for students, unless they chose not to come..."

"Besides, the situation you described is unlikely to happen anytime soon, after all, Voldemort has only just been resurrected..."

"Oh, please, Kyle, can you please not say that name?" Fred said with a pained expression. "My leg shakes every time you say it."

"Hmm... okay."

Kyle thought about it and suddenly realized that this was indeed something he needed to be careful about... Voldemort had cast a spell on that name, so once someone said it, he could immediately know where that person was.

Kyle wasn't afraid, but there were other people around, and it wouldn't be good to implicate them.

"The You-Know-Who ..." Kyle continued, "He has only just been resurrected and has many things to do... to gather his subordinates and expand his power. He can't attend to this place for the time being."

"Furthermore, Professor Dumbledore gave him a surprise yesterday, so he shouldn't dare to cause trouble at Hogwarts anytime soon."

"What a pity," George sighed softly. "Why didn't Dumbledore kill him again back then?"

"Because Voldemort... You-Know-Who isn't stupid," Kyle said. "He wouldn't go and fight Professor Dumbledore right after he was resurrected."

"I know..." George muttered, "I was just thinking it, but it would be great if it really were true."

"Who can argue with that?" Fred sighed as well.

The Ministry of Magic acted even faster than Kyle had anticipated.

The next morning, a new Daily Prophet was delivered to Hogwarts.

However, the article didn't mention anything about Voldemort, but rather about Harry. Perhaps at Fudge's request, the newspaper portrayed Harry as mentally unstable.

He also said that in order to show off, he made up an outrageous story, claiming that he had been kidnapped by Death Eaters, in an attempt to gain attention by using the scar on his forehead and Voldemort.

Then, when it was time for dinner, Dumbledore arrived. He first denied the Daily Prophet's slander against Harry, and then asked everyone not to disturb Harry and not to ask him any questions.

In the days that followed, no one discussed the recently concluded Triwizard Tournament or the other two schools that had already left. Everyone was talking about the contents of the newspapers, or whether Harry was really trying to gain attention.

However, Dumbledore's words had an effect; at his request, no one bothered Harry with questions.

However, this effect was a bit too good. Most people have been avoiding Harry lately, and when they occasionally meet him in the corridor, they walk around him while covering their mouths and whispering to each other.

Without exception, these people leaned more towards the account in the Daily Prophet, believing that Harry was upset about not becoming Champion and thus came up with this excuse to show off.

However, Harry himself didn't care; as long as Hermione and Ron didn't suspect him, that was enough for him.

Just as Kyle told Kanna and Cedric the truth, Harry didn't hide anything from his friends either.

Fortunately, they all believed it.

Fudge thought it was a joke that his scars would ache, and he refused to believe it no matter what. But Hermione and Ron didn't think so. Back in the dorm, Ron even called Fudge an idiot.

This made Harry very happy.