As he thought, Kael followed Professor McGonagall and the others through the silent entrance hall, and soon they arrived at the Hospital Wing.
Filch was laid on the innermost bed, and Mrs Norris immediately jumped onto it as well. In the neighboring bed lay Viktor Krum.
"Professor, why is Krum here too?" Harry asked curiously, since he hadn't watched the match and didn't know what had happened at the time.
"He ran into the Three-Headed Dog," Professor McGonagall said softly. "If he hadn't fired the red signal into the sky in time, I'm afraid it would have been far more than just passing out.
"I've said before, with Eight-eyed Giant Spiders and Manticores in the maze, that was already enough—there was no need to throw in a Three-Headed Dog as well."
At this, Madam Pomfrey, who had just walked over, twitched at the corners of her mouth. Every time Professor McGonagall mentioned another Fantastic Beast, she felt her nerves being pulled further taut.
Although Madam Pomfrey knew this was the Triwizard Tournament and danger was to be expected, that didn't mean she could calmly accept it.
In fact, ever since the first task began, her complaints about Dumbledore had never stopped.
"I really hope they don't hold this sort of activity again... at least not at Hogwarts," Madam Pomfrey came over, muttering under her breath. "Those dangerous things really shouldn't be allowed at school."
"Quite right,"
Professor McGonagall nodded emphatically. "But don't worry—the Triwizard Tournament is only held every five years, and the three schools take turns hosting. It'll be another fifteen years before it comes back to Hogwarts...
"Assuming, of course, they don't cancel the tournament." Professor McGonagall added as an afterthought.
The Triwizard Cup had been turned into a Portkey, taking the Champions straight out of the arena—after something so major, and with Voldemort having returned... it was hard to say whether the event would be canceled again.
Still, Kael didn't care either way; he had already won the championship once, so it hardly mattered now if they canceled it or not.
Harry beside him felt the same. He was already in fourth year—next time the tournament came round, he wouldn't be eligible anyway.
"This is for you."
Madam Pomfrey walked over to Harry and handed him a bottle of purple potion.
"You need to drink all of it," she said. "This potion will let you have a sound, restful sleep."
Harry took the bottle and swallowed a few mouthfuls.
The Magic Potion worked wonders—he immediately slipped into a hazy, drowsy state, groped over to the nearest bed, and fell asleep as soon as he lay down.
"Now then, this one's yours."
Madam Pomfrey took out another identical bottle, turning to look at Kael.
"Thank you." Kael tucked the bottle into his pocket, intending to drink it back in his dormitory later.
Madam Pomfrey gave Kael a once-over, and seeing that he looked perfectly fine, said nothing further.
Just then, the Hospital Wing door was pushed open again, and Chris and Diana walked in one after the other.
"Better go on then," Professor McGonagall said, "I imagine they have quite a few things they want to say to you, though this obviously isn't the best place for a chat."
Kael nodded and turned to leave the Hospital Wing.
The three made their way into the courtyard outside.
"So what exactly happened?" Chris couldn't contain himself. "When you touched the Triwizard Cup, why did you suddenly disappear? There's nothing about that in the tournament rules."
"It was Karkaroff. He switched the Cup for a Portkey," said Kael.
He then gave a brief account of what had happened up on the hilltop.
At the news that Voldemort had returned, Chris visibly shuddered.
"Is that true?" he couldn't help asking.
"Professor Dumbledore saw it too, and right now he's talking about it with Minister Fudge," said Kael.
Surprisingly, the two of them took the news in stride after only a moment.
"No wonder Karkaroff was so eager to have the Cup placed in the maze," Chris said quietly. "So that was his plan all along."
"Are you alright?" Diana grabbed Kael and checked him over carefully.
"I'm fine, Mum," Kael said, "I used the Phoenix Feather, and Professor Dumbledore showed up—he got Harry and me out of there straight away."
"And I've also got this..." He opened his hand, revealing a ring.
Diana finally let out a breath of relief; just now, hearing Voldemort's name, she'd actually forgotten this.
The magic on this ring allowed Kael to Apparate at any time; so long as he didn't go to a magically restricted place like Hogwarts, he could escape instantly whenever he wished.
"You didn't even realize the Cup had been switched? What were you judges doing?" Diana now turned her ire on Chris. "And Dumbledore, too—how could he let Death Eaters take someone right under his nose... Since when did his vigilance get so lax?"
Chris knew he was in the wrong and didn't argue.
If he'd known this was going to happen, he'd never have let Karkaroff near the Cup. Problem was, no one saw it coming.
So when faced with his wife's anger, all he could do was lower his head and keep silent.
Kael, too, kept quiet.
His instincts told him if he tried to stick up for Chris now, he'd only get scolded too. Best stay silent until Diana's fury burned itself out—and as long as her anger wasn't aimed his way, he was safe.
Luckily, a moment later, an owl suddenly swooped through the pitch-black night sky and landed in front of Diana.
Unlike other owls, its eyes were blue, and there was no letter tied to its claw.
When it saw Diana, it opened and closed its beak, as though speaking.
But oddly enough, Kael heard no sound at all.
"That's a task owl from the Department of Mysteries," Chris explained in a low voice. "Only an Unspeakable can hear what they say."
Kael nodded.
With that, the owl shut its beak and soared off again into the night.
Diana looked a bit agitated,
"I have to go," she said. "Your questions will have to wait." She shot Chris a glare, then turned to Kael.
"And you as well. I don't care what you've discovered or what ideas you have, but until the holidays, you'd better behave and stay inside the castle. Nowhere else. Or else..."
Diana narrowed her eyes, and Kael felt the air around him drop in temperature. He quickly nodded and said:
"Don't worry, I'll stay at school; I won't go anywhere."
"Good," Diana said, her gaze softening. "Things are different now—be careful in everything..."
She stepped forward and planted a gentle kiss on Kael's forehead.
But just as Kael was about to say something more, he noticed Diana's expression change once again.
"You tell me the truth!" Her voice was stern. "Did you kill a Death Eater on that hilltop?"
This...
Kael's heart skipped a beat.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, he'd told no one about this—not even Harry, who he'd especially warned when they first got back.
And Harry understood how serious this was, so whether faced with Dumbledore or Sirius, he'd just said Kael had driven the Death Eaters back with fire, and left it at that.
But how did Diana know... She didn't even sound suspicious—she was sure.
"Well? Was it true or not?" Diana pressed again.
"Yes..." Seeing there was no hope of hiding it, Kael could only mutter, "But it wasn't my fault—he ran too fast. And I was just defending myself. The Aurors aren't going to get me in trouble for it, right..."
"If it really was a Death Eater, then that's fine," Diana waved a hand, cutting Kael off.
She frowned in thought for a moment, seeming to grow more annoyed the more she considered it. She shot Chris another fierce glare and said through gritted teeth: "Look what you've done!"
"I..." Chris opened his mouth, then just sighed ruefully at last.
To be honest, this was something he hadn't anticipated either, and he didn't want Kael dragged into these matters at such a young age.
Even if they really did have to endure another war, to face Voldemort and the Death Eaters again, it wasn't right for Kael to be involved—not when he hadn't even graduated yet.
"Enough, we'll talk about this later," Diana said, glancing at the time. "I have to go now. Remember—whatever happens, do not leave Hogwarts till the holidays."
She reminded Kael once more, then vanished on the spot in the blink of an eye.
Kael stared for a moment, blurting, "Has the Apparition ban been lifted at school?"
"No, that wasn't Apparition," Chris shook his head. "It's a special Four-Point Spell that lets Unspeakables return instantly to the Department of Mysteries, but it's very limited—you can only use it when you've received a task owl."