Chapter 238: End of October

After being threatened by Alaric, Barty Jr. became increasingly paranoid. He deeply suspected that his disguise as Moody had been discovered by this genius.

For several days, he lived in high tension, unable to sleep, constantly worried that Dumbledore would come looking for him.

However, to his relief, Dumbledore did not express any suspicion towards him.

This could either mean he was overthinking, or the genius suspected but for some reason hadn't revealed the truth to Dumbledore. Regardless of the reason, he was safe for the time being...

Since then, he held a deep reverence for Alaric and always kept his distance, fearing that he might inadvertently provoke him and expose his true identity.

In the subsequent Defense Against the Dark Arts class, he continued with his routine, letting the young wizards of Hogwarts experience the Unforgivable Curses firsthand—though he dared not use the Killing Curse, the Cruciatus Curse, or the Imperius Curse.

During the class, he had students take turns trying the Imperius Curse. Harry noticed that under the curse's influence, students began to act unusually. 

For example, Dean Thomas danced around the classroom singing the national anthem, while Lavender Brown mimicked a squirrel. Neville performed a series of astonishing gymnastic moves, something he couldn't do under normal circumstances.

Yet, he never dared to ask Alaric to come forward and experience the Imperius Curse, and he did not even dare to provoke Hermione, which only added credibility to the rumor among students that. 

"Professor Moody is afraid of Alaric."

Hermione was actually somewhat dissatisfied with the current situation. Miss Know-It-All would rather drink pus from bubotuber pus than miss such a class. 

Moody's attitude towards her made her very frustrated. However, she knew that Alaric had threatened Moody purely to defend her, so she wouldn't blame Alaric and could only sulk on her own.

It wasn't until Alaric assured her that in her dragon form, she wouldn't be affected by the Imperius Curse that she felt much better.

Although Hermione, Cho Chang, and Penelope's magical resistance in human form couldn't compare to their dragon forms, when it came to mental and soul-related magic, it was another matter.

By late October, the workload for young wizards became increasingly heavy, and all fourth-year students noticed a significant increase in their assignments for this semester.

According to the professors, they were entering a crucial period of magical education, as their O.W.L. exams were approaching—though they were in fifth year, the young wizards needed to start preparing early.

Professor Binns—the ghost who taught them History of Magic—assigned them an essay on the Fairy Rebellions of the 18th century.

Professor Snape pushed them to research antidotes, warning that he would poison one of them before Christmas to test their antidotes' efficacy.

Professor Flitwick required them to read three additional books to prepare for learning the Levitation Charm, and even Hagrid added to their burdens.

Most young wizards complained about this, but there was still some good news.

A large notice was posted in the Entrance Hall:

Triwizard Tournament

Representatives from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will arrive on Friday, October 30th, at 6:00 PM. Afternoon classes will end half an hour earlier.

This notice had a noticeable impact on those living in the castle.

In the following week, wherever Alaric went, people seemed to be talking about one thing: the Triwizard Tournament.

Rumors spread among students like a highly contagious virus: who would compete as Hogwarts' champion, what events would be in the tournament, and how students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang differed from them.

Among these, Roger Davies from Ravenclaw and Cedric Diggory from Hufflepuff had the strongest support.

In addition, students looked at Alaric with pity, as if his decision not to participate in the Triwizard Tournament was a huge mistake.

Older wizards with more business acumen began selling aging potions to junior wizards. 

Many young wizards who considered themselves somewhat capable eagerly paid for them. As if, besides age, they were more powerful than those senior wizards.

Furthermore, the castle seemed to be undergoing a thorough cleaning. Several dirty portraits were scrubbed clean, much to the dissatisfaction of the occupants. 

They sat in their frames, sulking and grumbling, each touch to their newly exposed pink flesh causing them pain. The armor in the castle suddenly became shiny, no longer creaking when moved.

Argus Filch, the caretaker, thundered furiously at any student who forgot to clean their shoes, frightening two first-year girls into hysterics.

On the morning of October 30th, when they went downstairs for breakfast, they found the Great Hall transformed overnight.

Huge silk banners hung on the walls, each representing one of Hogwarts' houses: Gryffindor with a red background and a gold lion, Ravenclaw with a blue background and a bronze eagle, Hufflepuff with a yellow background and a black badger, and Slytherin with a green background and a silver serpent.

Behind the teachers' table hung the largest banner, displaying the Hogwarts crest: a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake intertwined around a large letter H.

That day, there was an air of eager anticipation. In classes, no one paid attention; everyone was thinking about the arrival of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang in the evening. 

Even Potions class was bearable because it would end half an hour early.

When the bell rang early, young wizards hurried back to their common room towers as instructed, dropped their bags and textbooks, donned their cloaks, and then rushed down the stairs in anticipation to the Entrance Hall.

The heads of the houses were commanding their students to line up.

They filed down the steps, forming lines in front of the castle. It was a chilly, crisp evening, dusk settling in with a pristine, translucent moon already hanging over the Forbidden Forest.

The young wizards excitedly discussed how Beauxbatons and Durmstrang would arrive.

As prefect, Cho Chang stood at the forefront. She checked her watch, looked towards the driveway leading to the front doors, and turned to her companions, asking.

"How do you think they'll arrive? By carriage?"

"I don't think so," Hermione said.

"Then how? Brooms?" Cho Chang looked up at the starry sky, speculating.

"I don't think... from such a far place..."

"The Portkey?" Marietta interjected, "Or maybe they can Apparate—maybe where they are, those under seventeen are allowed to Apparate?"

"You're not allowed to use Apparition within Hogwarts grounds, I remember reminding you," Cho Chang said.

They eagerly scanned the darkening grounds but saw no sign of activity. Everything was quiet and peaceful, no different from usual.

Just as the girls were becoming impatient, Alaric suddenly spoke up, "If I'm not mistaken, they're here."

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