Protective Light
Just as Hagrid left with the real Moody, Fudge was about to speak when Dumbledore waved him off.
Fudge's displeasure flashed across his face for a moment, then he put on a smile again.
From Harry's perspective, Dumbledore's brow was slightly furrowed, his gaze fixed intently on the maze— Harry was puzzled; what was so interesting about a maze? It was completely empty...
After returning from the cemetery, Harry had been hoping to speak with Dumbledore, but Dumbledore wasn't there. Sure enough, even though what he said about Voldemort's resurrection was clearly true, Bagman obviously didn't believe a word of it, and even McGonagall and Hagrid were at most skeptical and didn't take it seriously.
Later, Dumbledore returned.
Then Flitwick appeared with the results of his investigation, and Dumbledore successfully rescued the real Professor Moody.
Harry thought that after Dumbledore rescued Moody, it would be time for him to come and check on him. He had a thousand things he wanted to say to Dumbledore, but with everyone else present, Harry could only force himself to wait patiently, no matter how anxious he was. But Dumbledore still didn't show any intention of talking to him.
Voldemort has risen from the dead! Such a momentous event—shouldn't Dumbledore immediately seek my confirmation of the details? Unless... he doesn't trust me either?
Harry couldn't believe Dumbledore would be so foolish. He struggled to his feet (he had just taken a rag from Hagrid and magically covered the hole in his robes with it) and walked toward where Dumbledore and the others were.
Suddenly, a loud Phoenix cry came from the distant horizon.
The faint reflection of firelight shone in the sky above the center of the maze.
After the Goblet of Fire was touched, several maze patrollers dispelled the magic cast inside the maze, including various obstacles, illusions, and even the animation spell that moved the hedges. However, those hedges were genuine magical plants cultivated by Hagrid, not created by magic, so they didn't disappear. They can only be cleared away when Hagrid has time, restoring the area to the grassy ground used for Quidditch Match.
At this moment, because the maze hedges were still in place, no one could see what was happening inside the maze, and they could only make guesses in their minds. In the audience, soft rustling sounds rose and fell.
Suddenly, the winding maze came to life, as if it had come back to life.
With a series of rumbling sounds, the hedge wall retreated to both sides like a greedy snake, until the entire maze disintegrated, revealing a ten-meter-wide path in the middle, exposing the open space hidden in the very center of the maze.
In the dimly lit open space, a figure could be vaguely seen standing upright in the shadows, seemingly carrying another person in his arms.
As the figure began to move, a faint silvery-white aura slowly seeped from his body, as if he were enveloped in a soft halo, exuding a captivating aura.
It was as if an indescribable power was radiating outward from that figure, dispelling the darkness and coldness surrounding him.
Just watching that figure from afar inexplicably brought a sense of peace to everyone present.
The audience seats, which were originally filled with various jokes and noises, fell into an eerie silence.
"Is that Skylar?" Astoria asked softly.
Daphne, who had followed Skylar the longest, recognized the figure she could never forget with just a glance from afar. She nodded, and her hands, which had been tightly clasped together, were finally able to loosen.
"That's... the Lumos? Why do I feel... a warm feeling inside... an indescribable comfort and peace..." Lucius murmured. After saying that, he and Narcissa exchanged a glance, both of them looking at each other with unspeakable solemnity. They finally understood the extent to which their second son had reached in the field of Charms.
"Hmm..." Daphne explained, "Skylar said that almost all the spells circulating in the wizarding world can be used in higher-level forms. What he is using now is the highest level of the Lumos — 'Protective Light,' which can dispel fear and darkness in the heart and even make the recipient immune to negative emotions such as 'fear,' 'sadness,' and 'confusion.'"
As the figure approached, the light around him gradually intensified, the halo bright but not dazzling. Miraculously, the outdoor area of Hogwarts Castle in the Scottish Highlands began to warm up.
This was not an illusion for the wizards present; the damp mist in the air was indeed dissipating slowly at a visible rate, and the temperature was indeed rising.
As the shadows faded, the outline of the figure was gradually revealed.
Skylar Malfoy!
He was holding Hermione Granger from Gryffindor in his arms!
What happened? When did Hermione enter the maze?
It was only then that Ron and the other lion cubs realized that Hermione had disappeared from the audience without a sound at some point.
"You guys... you weren't all waiting for me, were you?" The boy's hearty laughter was as cheerful as ever. His platinum blonde hair was neatly combed, and his wizard robes were spotless, as if he had just returned from a relaxing and pleasant journey, rather than experiencing a fierce life-or-death battle.
Dumbledore pointed his wand to his throat and shouted, "Quiet! Everyone, please be quiet! Professors, please maintain order!"
"Cornelius, Scrimgeour, Bagman, Minerva, Filius, come on, let's go over there." Dumbledore called to the five of them and strode towards Skylar.
"Skylar, what exactly happened? Where did you go? And why is Granger in your hands?" Professor McGonagall and Skylar had always had a good relationship, so it didn't seem aggressive of her to speak first.
Scrimgeour coughed softly and said, "Mr. Malfoy, before you arrived, we discovered that you had a confrontation with someone impersonating Moody in the maze. Can you explain the details—why did you fight him? Where did you go afterward? Where is the Fake Moody now? I believe this incident involves magical crime, exceeding Hogwarts' jurisdiction. You need to provide an explanation to the Ministry of Magic."
At first glance, it sounds a lot like Scrimgeour's aggressive style, making it easier to get the feeling that he is actually speaking up for Fudge, who is unable to speak out, and trying to seize the power of investigation and trial from Hogwarts to the Ministry of Ministry of Magic.
But Skylar knew in his heart that this cunning old man had already silently revealed to him the results of the discussion before his appearance.
"Professors, Minister and Directors of the Ministry of Magic, greetings," Skylar greeted them casually before saying, "You have too many questions; let me answer them one by one—"
"You all already know that Moody is an imposter—he was Barty Crouch Jr. Crouch. in disguise—yes, that guy isn't dead, and he escaped from Azkaban, and it was he who put Potter's name in the Goblet of Fire and kidnapped Potter from the labyrinth; it was all his plan."
"By the way," Professor McGonagall, eager to verify, blurted out Harry's testimony without thinking, "Potter said he was transported to a cemetery where he met you and the Mysterious Man. Is that true?"
Skylar knew he'd caused too much trouble in Little Hangleton and couldn't keep it a secret any longer, so he simply told the truth, "It's true. Send some people to the Little Hangleton Graveyard; they should be able to find out quite a bit— the Goblet of Fire is a Portkey, and Barty Crouch Jr.. changed the teleportation point there. That's where I met Potter and the Mysterious Man..."
"Skylar, don't blame your uncle for being nosy..." After all Skylar's illustrious family background and status were undeniable, and even if Fudge was dissatisfied, he didn't dare to call him a lunatic like he did with Harry in the original story. "Did the Mysterious Man really come back to life? You're not mistaken, are you? Could it be some Death Eaters who slipped through the net and is impersonating him? You see, if even a wizard as powerful as Moody can be replaced by an imposter, who says the Mysterious Man can't?"
Skylar smiled. Now was not the time to break ties with the Ministry of Magic. He still needed to rely on the Ministry of Magic to counterbalance Dumbledore and weaken the Order of the Order of the Phoenix in the next school year. So, he made a decision in an instant. "This is not something a minor wizard like me can see through, Uncle Kang. Perhaps you are right, but I cannot give you a definite answer..."
"All I can tell you is—" Skylar's gaze turned cold as he said in a deep voice, "That Dark Lord —whether real or fake, is an extremely powerful dark wizard. I fought him fiercely, using almost every means at my disposal, and barely managed to escape alive. I'm only doing this thanks to the escape tools Professor Dumbledore prepared for me beforehand; otherwise, I don't know if I'd be standing here safely right now!"
Dumbledore's lips twitched. These words might fool others, but Skylar's current appearance showed no sign of having just survived a near-death experience. Moreover, if it were true, as he claimed, that he had fought his way back with great difficulty, how had he managed to bring back even the unconscious Hermione safely?
The most ridiculous thing is that Scrimgeour and Fudge actually nodded, seemingly believing the kid's nonsense without a doubt.
"I see..." Scrimgeour said, picking up the conch shell communicator that was emitting various strange sounds. He said seriously, "I can confirm that what Mr. Malfoy said about the Little Hangleton Graveyard is true— the Auror have arrived at the scene. A magical battle did indeed take place there. Although most of the traces of the battle have been erased by some means, the Muggle living nearby have indeed heard various sounds like explosions and seen various colored flames in the sky, which were clearly magically created fire effects."