Dumbledore looked at Crouch's haggard face, a glimmer of worry flashing in his eyes.
"Barty, why don't you rest here at Hogwarts tonight? You look very exhausted."
Crouch shook his head mechanically.
"No, I must return to the Ministry of Magic. It is a busy time right now, and I have left Weatherby in charge temporarily; he is too young and cannot handle it for long."
Hearing that name, Charlie almost lost his composure.
Percy had been working at the Ministry of Magic for months, yet Crouch still hadn't remembered his name.
Dumbledore nodded and turned to the others.
"Would anyone else like a drink?"
Karkaroff snorted coldly and left with Krum without looking back.
Madam Maxime also raised her chin and strode away, leading Fleur.
Their backs were filled with dissatisfaction.
Bagman, however, had his eyes light up and immediately crowded next to Dumbledore.
"Have a drink, Dumbledore! Let's celebrate this memorable moment. Although the process had some twists and turns, the result is not bad, is it?"
Dumbledore just looked at him with a smile, not speaking.
Those blue eyes gazed calmly at Bagman through his half-moon spectacles.
Bagman's voice gradually faded, and the smile on his face froze.
"Er... I think I'll go get a drink myself."
He retreated a few steps with a sheepish smile, then turned and walked quickly out of the room.
Dumbledore turned to Professor McGonagall and Snape.
"Minerva, Severus, Moody, please take Harry back to rest early."
"Charlie, stay behind. I have some things I want to discuss with you."
Harry breathed a sigh of relief; he just wanted to leave this suffocating room now.
Professor McGonagall walked over to Harry and patted his shoulder.
"Let's go, Potter."
Snape glanced at Harry, said nothing, and turned to walk toward the door.
After they had all left, only Dumbledore and Charlie remained in the room.
Dumbledore walked to the window and looked at the pitch-black night sky outside.
"Charlie, regarding the events at the Quidditch World Cup, it is thanks to you."
Charlie nodded and asked, following Dumbledore's topic.
"What happened to those Death Eaters?" Charlie asked.
"Did they reveal anything about Lord Voldemort?"
Dumbledore shook his head and sat down by a chair.
"No. Right now, the core members of the Death Eaters are all in Azkaban, and those remaining outside are some who are not so loyal to Lord Voldemort. Therefore, the smart ones did not appear that night."
He paused, his tone calm.
"Those who were caught were just peripheral members; they did not know much."
Charlie nodded; this was not surprising.
Dumbledore continued.
"But it is foreseeable that Lord Voldemort is already planning a comeback."
Charlie looked at him.
"Do you think what happened to Harry tonight is related to Lord Voldemort?"
Dumbledore nodded.
"Do you remember that diary from your second year?"
Charlie certainly remembered; that diary was being kept by Dumbledore for research.
"That was a Horcrux of Lord Voldemort." Dumbledore's voice was very low.
"According to my guess, he has more than one Horcrux."
"And Horcruxes not only allow his soul to be immortal but can also allow him to resurrect after death."
Dumbledore looked deeply at Charlie; after several years of getting along, he judged that Charlie would not be interested in magic like Horcruxes, so he told Charlie everything.
"If he wants to resurrect with the help of a Horcrux, he needs three things—the bone of his father, the blood of his enemy, and the flesh of his servant."
Charlie frowned.
"So Lord Voldemort wants Harry's blood?"
He paused, feeling that the logic was a bit off.
"Why bother? Wouldn't it be fine for him to just find someone to make an enemy of? Why must he fixate on Harry?"
Dumbledore gave Charlie a look; did he want to hear what he was saying? Finding someone to make an enemy of—wouldn't that person be a bit wronged?
Charlie shrugged; he just thought Lord Voldemort's obsession was a bit inexplicable.
Dumbledore sighed and spoke.
"The night Lord Voldemort wanted to kill Harry, the Killing Curse was rebounded, and he was hit by his own Spell instead. But the real reason the Spell rebounded was Harry's mother, Lily."
He paused, his tone becoming grave.
"At the last moment of her life, Lily's intense desire to protect her child inadvertently triggered a very ancient blood magic. This magic still protects Harry to this day."
Charlie sighed inwardly; it was worthy of being an idealistic magic world where, if the will was strong enough, coupled with a mother willing to sacrifice her life, a protection mechanism would be triggered.
Dumbledore continued.
"This blood magic makes it impossible for Lord Voldemort to touch Harry. Once he touches him forcibly, his soul will be scorched."
Charlie frowned.
"So Lord Voldemort needs Harry's blood to resurrect?"
"Correct." Dumbledore nodded.
"If he resurrects using Harry's blood, then Harry's blood will flow within him. By doing so—of course, this is just my guess—he might be able to bypass the influence of the blood magic and even touch Harry directly."
Charlie was stunned for a moment; Lord Voldemort would have Harry's blood flowing inside him?
Pass it on: Lord Voldemort wants to acknowledge Harry as his father in order to resurrect.
Jokes aside, Charlie was still a bit confused about why Dumbledore had asked him to stay.
So he asked.
"So this semester will be dangerous, and you want me to protect Harry?"
Dumbledore shook his head, his eyes looking deeply at Charlie.
"I want you to protect yourself well."
Charlie was slightly taken aback.
"Rest assured, Professor." He smiled gently.
"I will protect myself well."
...
On the other side, Harry returned to the Gryffindor common room with a feeling of trepidation.
The oppressive atmosphere in the Great Hall was still vivid in his mind.
When Dumbledore read his name, everyone doubted him.
They all thought he had secretly entered his name and that he was a glory-seeking liar.
Harry walked down the corridor, his heart heavy.
Perhaps only Ron and Hermione would believe him? After all, they were the ones who knew him best.
And Professor Moody said someone wanted to kill him.
Harry thought of the dream he had during the summer vacation, where Lord Voldemort was plotting something in his dream, and his scar had hurt particularly badly after waking up.
Charlie had suggested he ask Dumbledore at the time, but he had forgotten about it after school started.
It seemed he still had to find an opportunity to ask Dumbledore.
Harry took a deep breath and spoke the password to the portrait of the fat lady.
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