Dumbledore's Helplessness

Fudge nodded seriously and said, "So it all makes sense now... Barty Crouch Jr. somehow managed to escape from prison and successfully contacted some of the Death Eaters who escaped back then. The Death Eaters planned to kidnap the Boy Who Lived and take him to their secret base, where they would kill Potter to avenge their former master."

Dumbledore remained silent, but his piercing gaze was fixed on Fudge, as if for the first time he had seen right through him.

Ignoring Dumbledore's gaze, Fudge continued his eloquent speech, "And Skylar's involvement in this incident was purely accidental—these cunning Death Eaters had made two preparations—after all, no one could be certain that Potter would be the first to touch the Goblet of Fire, so in addition to the Goblet of Fire, they also placed a book on the ground nearby..."

Finally, Fudge concluded with a confident expression. "As a result, the book was triggered by Potter, successfully Skylar Potter the graveyard. Unexpectedly, Barty Crouch Jr.., before he could cancel the trap on the Goblet of Fire, encountered Skylar there, fought with Skylar triggered the Goblet of Fire, sending this unexpected figure to the graveyard as well—" Fudge turned to Scrimgeour and asked, "Rufus, what do you think of my deduction? Is it entirely reasonable?"

A glint of light flashed in Scrimgeour's eyes. He pondered for a long time with feigned seriousness before nodding and saying, "This deduction is spot on, and it explains why Potter and Malfoy both returned here unharmed..."

He continued, "The Mysterious Man Potter mentioned who had been resurrected was probably just a powerful black wizard at best. He tried to kill Potter, but was interrupted by Malfoy's unexpected appearance... It's not hard to guess that they then had a fierce battle—taking advantage of the intensity of the fight, Potter seized the opportunity to escape, and Malfoy, despite his best efforts, also managed to escape..."

"After all..." Scrimgeour offered an explanation that no one could refute, "If it were truly the resurrection of the Mysterious Man, I think none of you here would believe that Potter and Malfoy could return here safely, right?"

"So... Cornelius, Scrimgeour," Dumbledore said calmly, "You both think Potter lied, don't you?"

An awkward atmosphere ensued.

Just then, Harry walked up behind Dumbledore and overheard their entire conversation.

"Listen to me, Dumbledore," Fudge said, Harry was surprised to see a faint smile appear on his face. "You—you can't really believe all this, can you? The Mysterious Man —is back? You must be joking, you must be joking..."

With Dumbledore there, Harry finally dared to tell the whole story. He shouted, "I'm not lying—I witnessed Voldemort's resurrection! When I touched that damned book, I was sent straight to Voldemort, I saw Pettigrew... that Potions that brought Voldemort back to life, the one that was sparkling with Mars..."

Harry recounted the entire incident in detail. When he described Wormtail stabbed his arm with a dagger, Dumbledore suddenly turned around, startling Harry. Dumbledore told Harry to extend his arm. Harry did as he was told, showing his torn robe and the wound beneath it.

"He said my blood would work better than anyone else's, that it would make him stronger," Harry said. "He said he wanted that protective power—the power my mother left in me—he was right—and the next time he touched me, he wouldn't get hurt. He touched my face."

For a fleeting moment, Harry thought he saw a glimmer of joy in Dumbledore's eyes. But Harry quickly concluded that he must have been seeing things, because in that instant Dumbledore looked as old and tired as Harry always had.

"Very well," said Dumbledore. "Voldemort has overcome that extraordinary obstacle. Harry, please continue."

Harry continued. He recounted how Voldemort emerged from the cauldron and told them what he remembered Voldemort saying to the Death Eaters. Then he told them how Voldemort untied him, returned his wand, and prepared to duel him.

"Then..." Harry blushed slightly, "Malfoy suddenly appeared, and he also called Voldemort 'Master,' though it sounded a bit like a joke... Then he used a spell to send me flying, and I just happened to bump into the Goblet of Fire, which teleported me back here..."

Skylar chuckled. "Sorry, Potter, I really didn't mean it. Is your butt alright?"

"You, you... you bastard!" Harry was furious, but he didn't know what to say. Malfoy had clearly done it on purpose, but in the end, he had still saved his life.

"Did you hear that, Fudge? Harry witnessed Voldemort's resurrection with his own eyes. Are you still going to deny it?" Dumbledore said coldly, his tone already tinged with icy intimacy.

Fudge was shocked, as if he had been struck in the face. He blinked dazedly, staring Dazed at Dumbledore, seemingly unable to fully believe what he had just heard. He stammered, his eyes still fixed on Dumbledore.

He glanced at Harry, then turned his gaze back to Dumbledore, and said, "You—uh—you're going to take everything Harry says at face value, aren't you, Dumbledore?"

A moment of silence.

"Of course I believe Harry," Dumbledore said, his eyes shining brightly.

Fudge still wore that strange smile. He glanced at Harry again before replying, "You're prepared to believe Voldemort is back, to listen to a child, and this child... he..."

Fudge glanced quickly at Harry again, and Harry immediately understood what he meant.

"You must be reading Rita Skeeter's writing, Mr. Fudge," he said softly.

Fudge blushed slightly, but then a defiant and stubborn expression appeared on his face.

"Furthermore," he said, looking at Dumbledore, "I've noticed that you've been withholding information about this child from me. He's a Parseltongue, isn't he? His behavior is strange in every way—"

"I suppose you mean the pain from the scar that Harry has been feeling all along?" Dumbledore said coldly.

"So you admit he's been experiencing these aches and pains?" Fudge said quickly. "Headaches? Nightmares? And probably—hallucinations?"

"Listen to me, Cornelius," Dumbledore said, taking a step toward Fudge. "Harry is as clear-headed and rational as you and I are. The scar on his forehead hasn't clouded his judgment. I believe Harry's scar will only hurt when Voldemort is lurking nearby or when he's particularly intent on killing someone."

Fudge took a half step back from Dumbledore, but his expression remained stubborn.

"Excuse me, Dumbledore, I've never heard of cursed scars acting like an alarm bell before..."

"I saw Voldemort back with my own eyes!" Harry shouted. "I saw the Death Eaters with my own eyes! I can name them! Avery— "

"I'm sorry, I have to interrupt— Avery is dead..." Skylar began.

"What?!" Fudge, Scrimgeour, McGonagall, Flitwick exclaimed simultaneously.

"Don't look at me like that—" Skylar said, "I was acting in legitimate self-defense—you know, I was surrounded by at least ten powerful black wizards, and if I hadn't used my full strength, I probably would be dead there."

"Then... so..." Fudge stammered, "You mean, Potter said is true?"

"Uh... just as Potter described, when I arrived, I didn't see any mysterious resurrection ritual... I only saw a black wizard wanting to duel Potter, and about ten masked black-robed wizards surrounding him..." Skylar added, "If Avery's name hadn't been called out at that moment, I wouldn't even have known who was who!"

"Aha!" Fudge snapped his fingers. "I knew it—regardless of whether Avery is a true Death Eaters or not, let's assume he is, that doesn't prove the first part of what Harry said is true... Skylar didn't see that scene, and that so-called resurrected the Mysterious Man couldn't even stop Skylar and Potter!"

Seeing that both sides were sticking to their own arguments and the two sides were deadlocked, McGonagall and Flitwick also began to feel that their brains were not working properly.

Deep down, they were more willing to believe Dumbledore's judgment and every word Harry said, but reason told them it was illogical—no matter how strong Skylar was, it was impossible for him to escape from Voldemort unscathed.

Not to mention Skylar, even McGonagall and Flitwick themselves weren't confident they could do it.

It should be noted that while it is possible for the two professors to escape successfully, given their abilities, the key point is that it is impossible for them to escape unscathed, with their robes showing no signs of combat whatsoever.

Dumbledore glanced at McGonagall and Flitwick, and sighed inwardly.

Unlike the original story, this Dumbledore knows that he can't accomplish anything on his own. Now, he can't even convince Fudge, let alone the two professors who have followed him for so many years.