novelnext Chapter 425 Turmoil
Chapter 425 Turmoil
Chapter 425 Turmoil
A new week began, but soon after, Hogwarts was plunged into turmoil.
"Have you heard? Karkarov is dead!"
At breakfast that morning, Ron shouted about it.
"Huh?!" Harry was stunned for a moment and then subconsciously said, "Are you sure this isn't another hero's match?"
""
The match in which Professor Hamilton faked his death left an indelible impression on Harry; his nightmares now revolve around various ways Professor Hamilton might die, instead of Voldemort.
Will they switch to Karkaroff again in the future?
However—I haven't seen Karkaroff for a while—didn't we agree to go find Sirius together?
"Of course this isn't a competition!" Seeing that Harry didn't believe him, Ron immediately slammed the newspaper in his arms onto the table. As soon as he did, a large group of young wizards surrounded him. In addition to the students from Hogwarts, even students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons gathered around.
The Daily Prophet's front-page headline reads: Durmstrang's principal, Karkaroff, was found dead in the Forbidden Forest; the perpetrator is believed to be Sirius Black, the notorious fugitive from Azkaban!
The newspaper's headlines and content were incredibly sensational, causing all the young wizards to gasp in surprise almost instantly.
"This—how is this possible?" Hermione stared at the newspaper in disbelief, while Krum, who had somehow squeezed next to her, also widened his eyes.
"What's wrong with Principal Karkaroff—" Such voices were heard incessantly, and for a moment the entire auditorium was plunged into a strange atmosphere.
"Didn't the Ministry of Magic send Dementors? Didn't they have any trouble either?" a young wizard muttered.
"Are you stupid? Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban, where there are definitely more Dementors than around Hogwarts!"
The Hogwarts students' discussion was limited to these topics, while the Durmstrang students' discussion was not so friendly.
"What's wrong with these British guys?!" several Durmstrang students muttered in German. "Can't they even protect our headmaster?"
"Can we really expect them to protect us?"
"Headmaster Karkaroff may be very unpopular, but he is still our Headmaster of Durmstrang. The people of Hogwarts and the British must give us an explanation!" It is unclear which Durmstrang student dared to shout this out, but his words quickly gained the approval of most of the Durmstrang students.
"Without Headmaster Karkaroff, what's the point of this competition?" a student slammed his fist on the table, looking at the Hogwarts students. "They'll definitely do everything they can to make their hero win!"
"Not only was the content of the second match kept secret, but Principal Karkarov also disappeared afterward!"
"These British and Frenchmen have definitely teamed up!"
The Durmstrang students' discussions grew louder and louder, drawing the attention of the Hogwarts students.
"What are they talking about?" Ron couldn't help but mutter to himself.
"They're saying they're going to drag all the Mudbloods down to be buried with Karkaroff," Malfoy replied with a cold laugh in his obnoxious voice.
Ron responded with a look of disdain.
Aside from people like Malfoy who make wild guesses, there are other students at Hogwarts who don't understand German.
"They say they want an explanation from Headmaster Dumbledore," a Hogwarts student said, pursing his lips. "They also say it's a conspiracy by us to win the Goblet of Fire."
"What kind of conspiracy is this? Killing someone just for a competition?" Hermione couldn't help but ask.
"That's just what they think," Krum suddenly said, standing next to Hermione. "I don't believe Hogwarts did it—"
"What are you doing standing here?" Ron frowned instinctively when he saw him standing next to Hermione. "Aren't you one of Durmstrang's?"
"Can't Durmstrangers stand here?" Krum said in broken English. "And I'm on your side—"
"Really?" Ron sneered. "You've got your eye on Hermione, haven't you? You're trying to win her over this way, aren't you?"
"I didn't—" Krum's face immediately turned ugly: "I just think that's unlikely—"
"What did you say, Ron!" Hermione couldn't help but retort before Krum could finish speaking, "Don't steer the conversation in that direction."
"How could I possibly—" Ron said through gritted teeth, "So you're taking his side now?"
"What are you talking about?!" Harry, standing in the middle of them, felt completely bewildered. Such a huge thing had just happened—why were they steer the conversation towards such a strange topic?
However, his words clearly did not stop the conflict between Hermione, Ron, and Krum, especially between Krum and Ron.
Just then, one of Durmstrang's students witnessed this scene. He immediately ran to Krum and said, "Are you Hogwarts students trying to bully people?"
"They're bullying Krum just because our principal isn't here?"
"Who bullied him? I just—" Even Ron knew things were getting out of hand, so he quickly said, "We were talking about Hermione—anyway, not Karkaroff."
"Why not?!" The students on Durmstrang's side noticed the situation and became agitated. These wizards, who had just lost their headmaster and had nowhere to vent their dissatisfaction, were excited.
They glared at the Hogwarts students, while the Hogwarts students were equally dissatisfied. They didn't believe it was a conspiracy, and they couldn't tolerate the Durmstrang students' attacks on Hogwarts and their own country.
For a moment, the students from both sides crowded into the auditorium, neither willing to give way, and the tension in their words grew increasingly palpable.
"Have you Germans forgotten what happened fifty years ago?" some Muggle-born Hogwarts students said. "Be careful, or you Durmstrang might end up in two pieces too!"
"You Brits, that's enough! Everyone knows you love to stab people in the back. Want to fight me one-on-one?"
As the situation teetered on the brink of chaos, with some even drawing their wands, a small mouse emerged from a corner amidst the commotion and cautiously observed the scene unfold.
Those dark eyes seemed to be brewing some extraordinary idea.