Shafiq

When Eli entered the headmaster's office, he happened to see Lupin sitting off to the side, watching him.

"Professor Lupin?"

"I heard you were almost ready, so I specifically invited Lupin over. You don't blame me for contacting your shop manager behind your back, do you?" Dumbledore said.

Eli smiled on the outside. "Not at all. How could I?" Inside, he was already cursing. Blame you? Who would dare? So much work, no commission...

Eli pulled out a chair and sat down. Dumbledore's expression turned serious. "Fudge came to see me just now."

"It's about Crouch, isn't it?" Eli said. Dumbledore nodded.

"Crouch? Barty Crouch? What happened to him?" Lupin still did not know about Barty Crouch. News of Barty Crouch's death was currently being suppressed, though it probably would not stay hidden for long.

"This afternoon, Eli found him dead in the Forbidden Forest. The moment Fudge received the news, he came to see me. He refused to suspend the competition." Dumbledore remained expressionless, as if nothing Fudge did could surprise him anymore.

"He's dead? Who did it?" Lupin looked at Eli in shock. Deaths in the Triwizard Tournament might not have been surprising, but he had never expected the victim to be a Ministry of Magic official outside the event.

Lupin immediately realized that this matter could not be so simple.

"I only saw his body. From the looks of it, he most likely died from the Killing Curse."

"We have no idea who killed Crouch or why. The contestants' lives can no longer be guaranteed, and we cannot rule out the possibility that this is Voldemort's plan." At the mention of Voldemort, a trace of worry flashed through Dumbledore's eyes.

"Now that everything is ready, when do you plan to begin?" Dumbledore asked.

Eli thought for a