Volume 5: The Burning Golden Flame Chapter 330: Hagrid's Failure
The official start time of the Triwizard Tournament was announced just after dinner that day.
It was a sumptuous banquet. All seven referees were present, and reporters came from almost every newspaper office in the European magical society.
At the same time, it was announced that in order to ensure the smooth progress of the competition, Lucius led the Aurors to enter Hogwarts Castle and guarded all main passages in the castle as well as the entrances and exits of the secret passages that had been discovered.
Anyone who is not blind can tell who we are guarding against in this kind of strict defense.
Even at the dinner, Jon and his friends did not see any hemp-born students in the castle.
Their life trajectories were completely moved underground, and Voldemort would not allow them to have any intersection at any level until Dumbledore and his party left.
At the dinner, Jon also saw the three wizards from the International Confederation of Magic.
As for Matthew, George and Li had already told him about this man in the afternoon. As for the other two wizards, one wore a white turban, had a thick beard, and was tall and thin. He was obviously a Middle Eastern man, and the last one was a dark-skinned witch.
She was plump, with long wavy black hair, and looked no longer young. She was wearing a purple robe with strange patterns on it. After hearing her introduction, everyone present knew that she was the vice-president of another magic school from Africa.
They all looked very kind, and when Voldemort introduced them to everyone one by one at the beginning of the dinner, these three referees from the Federation smiled at both the students of Hogwarts Castle and Jon.
When the rules of the next competition were officially announced at the end of the dinner , Matthew served as the chief referee.
"The first competition will begin in a week. During this time, we also need to focus on setting up the venue. In addition, the warriors from the four schools must gather in the auditorium on time at 10 a.m. tomorrow. The wands you use need to undergo a unified test."
"Finally, let me emphasize again the rules of the upcoming Triwizard Tournament. First: In addition to the wand, each warrior is not allowed to bring any other magic props to all competition items. When the event officially begins, we will have someone to search. Once a violation is found, the person will be directly sentenced to the last place in the event being conducted."
"Second, players are allowed to attack each other during the competition, but are prohibited from using the Unforgivable Curses or any spells that could kill someone. If such a phenomenon is discovered, the team the warrior belongs to will be directly judged as the loser. Please note that the judgment here does not refer to a single event, but the loser of the entire Triwizard Tournament."
"Third: During the competition, the schools and camps to which the Warriors belong may not provide any additional assistance in any way. If this happens, the penalty will refer to Article 2."
"fourth……"
These rules are very comprehensive, covering almost every possible way to cheat, and were obviously approved by Voldemort and Dumbledore when they were finalized.
After all the rules were announced, Jon and his friends' first day at Hogwarts Castle finally came to an end.
When everyone left, the eight Aurors who had been guarding the door of the hall kept an eye on Dumbledore and his group, monitoring them to make sure that no one would sneak into other places in the castle after leaving the hall.
"These people are just like the hens my mother raised in the chicken coop." George made a face at one of the Aurors, and then whispered to Jon beside him, "They really treat this castle as their own nest, but in fact, they will be slaughtered sooner or later."
"Don't say such things here. If they hear you, they may attack you. Professor Dumbledore won't be able to react immediately."
As Jon spoke, he also looked at the Auror there.
Among these eight people, one always kept his eyes on Dumbledore, two were staring at Rosier, three were always staring at him, and the other two were casually observing the others.
These well-trained Aurors know very well who among this group of people is likely to cause trouble.
Dumbledore is indeed the strongest, but it is basically impossible for him to go into battle himself. Once such a situation occurs, it would be tantamount to a life-and-death battle with Voldemort. Letting someone watch him is just in case, which is considered a respect for the supreme leader.
Rosier was Grindelwald's man. Although the two were in the same camp of the wizarding world, they belonged to different factions. If Grindelwald wanted her to do something in the castle, even Dumbledore might not know about it, so he sent two people to keep an eye on her.
Jon, who was being stared at by three people at the same time, was naturally the focus of attention.
First of all, he was the champion of the Triwizard Tournament. As long as Voldemort wanted to continue the competition, he could not attack John. That would be tantamount to deliberately disrupting the progress of the competition and unilaterally breaking the blood oath he made with Dumbledore.
And John is not lacking in the ability to stir up trouble. Among the Death Eaters, he can be counted on the handful of people who dare to say that he is definitely stronger than Bella and Rodolphus.
Therefore, he is the most troublesome one and the one who needs the most attention from the Aurors.
But Jon wasn't in the mood to do anything, at least not now.
Although he was now in Hogwarts Castle, he was still concerned about the Animagus potion buried in Lyon. Before leaving, he specifically asked Neville to help pay attention to the weather in Lyon. If there were any signs of a thunderstorm, he would immediately ask Lupin, who stayed at school, to come to Hogwarts Castle and pass on the news.
The rainiest time of the year in Lyon is during these two or three months. If there is no good news during this period, there will be no hope this year.
After leaving Hogwarts Castle under surveillance, the other students returned to the carriage, and Jon came to the driving seat in the front of the carriage with a lunch box in his hand.
He didn't see Hagrid during the meal. Dumbledore said he was taking care of the Thestrals. Jon felt that if they missed the meal time, it would be difficult for Hagrid to enter the Great Hall again. So he packed some food for him to prevent him from having to eat only the rock cakes which were suitable for grinding his teeth.
However, when Jon came to the front of the car with his things, he did not see Hagrid.
The Thestrals were still strolling leisurely on the grass, and there was a plate of biscuits on the table in front of the driver's seat, but Hagrid was gone.
Jon walked forward and touched the black fur of the Thestrals. These animals had spent quite a while with him at sea, so they were not averse to him.
"Can you tell me where Hagrid is?"
The Thestral raised its head and snorted in the direction of the Forbidden Forest.
It was pitch black there, and apart from the occasional roar of some unknown animal, nothing else could be seen.
Jon frowned slightly.
When Snape brought them here, he made it very clear that entering the Forbidden Forest was forbidden, and that magic had been set up around the outskirts of the forest. Since he dared to say that and did not send people to guard it, it meant that he was very confident in the spell to protect the Forbidden Forest.
Jon could see that Hagrid had been distracted by the Forbidden Forest ever since he arrived at Hogwarts Castle, but if he rashly tried to force his way in, there would definitely be problems.
He stared in the direction of the Forbidden Forest for a few seconds and then put his dinner on the table. Just as he was about to go back to the carriage to find Dumbledore and ask him to help look for Hagrid outside, a staggering sound of footsteps suddenly came into his ears from afar.
Hagrid looked very disheveled. His already disheveled hair and beard were now covered with grass debris, and there was an obvious red mark on his face, as if he had been hit by something heavy. His robe also had several more torn holes than before.
"Are you all right, Hagrid?"
Hearing John's voice, Hagrid raised his dejected head. When he met John's calm eyes, he couldn't help feeling a little flustered.
"Ah... Of course I'm fine. I just went out for a walk. Uh... But you know, when people get older, it's easy to have trouble seeing in the dark. I accidentally tripped over a tree root. I was so careless..."
Jon didn't say anything, but just nodded while he explained, as if he believed everything he said unconditionally.
But it was his attitude that made it impossible for Hagrid to continue his story.
He sat down on the grass with a gloomy face. The moonlight sprinkled on him, making him look like a stupid bear who failed to steal honey and was stung all over.
"I lied, Jon. I just tried to enter these woods, but failed."
Jon didn't blame anyone, nor was he qualified to blame. He could see that Hagrid was in a very bad mood. Jon had never seen such a sad expression on his face since they met.
He walked over and sat down in front of Hagrid, not asking the reason, but choosing his words carefully.
"In fact, you can trust me and wait a little longer, Hagrid. Whatever you want to do in the Forbidden Forest, you have been able to wait for so many years in exile, so why can't you wait for less than a school year?"
"I trust you, Jon, just as I trust Dumbledore." Hagrid's voice was filled with tears.
"But after coming here, I really couldn't wait any longer, and I didn't dare to wait any longer. When Hogwarts Castle was captured by the Dark Lord that year, I had to go to help Dumbledore, so I could only take the youngest Beech and Fang with me. There were so many of my friends who stayed behind, and I abandoned them. After so many years, they could only have hidden in the Forbidden Forest. I had to make sure they were still alive. Aragog, Hoss, Morris, Parsons..."
He covered his face with his big hands and finally couldn't help crying when he said these names.
"Ya Ya would have died if he had followed me. He was the most timid one... But once when we were being chased, he rushed over to help me block a killing curse... He saved my life... I dare not think that they would die if they stayed in the forbidden forest... If I had let them all out..."
Jon sighed, standing up just enough to pat Hagrid on the shoulder.
"They are all magical animals, not pets that have lost their ability to survive. Hiding in the Forbidden Forest is the safest environment for them. You don't have to blame yourself."
Hagrid hugged Jon and cried like a child who had lost his friends and family.
For Hagrid, these animals are indeed his closest family. After being expelled from Hogwarts, he also lost his father . If Dumbledore had not taken him in and placed him in the Forbidden Forest as a gamekeeper, he would really have been homeless.
During the decades that he worked as a game keeper, the animals had the deepest feelings for him, not to mention that he had experienced the death of Yaya to save him.
This undoubtedly increased his sense of guilt, and he couldn't help but try to break into the Forbidden Forest to care about the safety of his animal friends when everyone else gathered in the auditorium tonight.
No matter how much Jon comforted Hagrid, it would not be able to heal the wound in Hagrid's heart. He patted Hagrid on the back, thought about it, and then continued.
"Actually, if you really can't wait to know how they live in the Forbidden Forest, I can help you."
Hagrid wiped the snot and tears from his face, but when he heard Jon's words, he shook his head firmly.
"This is my personal matter, Jon. I can't involve you. You still have to participate in the competition. You are pinning everyone's hopes on you . You shouldn't take risks for me."
"Don't worry, I won't break into the Forbidden Forest as you think," Jon consoled. "According to my and Professor Dumbledore's speculation, the first competition in a week will most likely be held in the Forbidden Forest. If there is a chance, I can go see your animal friends on your behalf."
Hagrid was obviously moved, but soon he shook his head and said.
"No! Even if you can enter the Forbidden Forest through the competition, it will interfere with you. You can't affect the competition just because you help me."
"You just said that you trust me as much as you trust Professor Dumbledore." Jon shrugged. "I am more sensible than anyone else. And I didn't make an absolute promise to you. I just said that if there is a chance, you shouldn't hold such high hopes right away."
Hagrid's eyes were red and he looked at Jon eagerly. After a long silence, he finally stopped refusing and held Jon's hand tightly and spoke in a trembling voice.
"Thank you... Thank you so much, Jon..."
"Why are we saying thank you to each other? Oh, by the way, I almost forgot that I'm here to deliver dinner. Apart from anything else, the house elves in the castle are really good at grilling sausages. I brought you two extra sausages."
