"I... well..."
Lupin didn't know how to explain himself, looking into Harry's green eyes.
"Hey, Harry, Wade!"
A cheerful voice interrupted Lupin. Michael was standing not far away, holding a jar full of water, looking at them. "You're finally here... Just a moment, I'll put this water down and be right there!"
Michael hurried off. With this interruption, Lupin had time to think of an excuse.
"That's Barty Crouch... I imagine you remember the name."
Harry thought for a moment, then frowned. "The one who sent Sirius to prison without a trial."
"Yes." Lupin patted his shoulder. "So you should understand that he doesn't want to see us, and Sirius and I don't want to see him either."
Harry nodded, his face grim.
Although Harry knew that Sirius himself bore a large part of the responsibility for being imprisoned in Azkaban for over a decade, it didn't stop Harry from disliking other Ministry of Magic officials who had failed in their duties.
Lupin breathed a sigh of relief, looking down at Harry's expression. While he felt some apology, his heart was also full of worry and confusion.
After Sirius brought back the overheard information, they had investigated the Crouch family tomb. They found a young male skeleton in Mrs. Crouch's grave, but Barty Crouch Jr.'s tomb was empty.
This seemed to confirm their suspicion—
Barty Crouch Jr. was indeed not dead and was serving Voldemort.
The truth was: Barty Jr.'s mother had drunk Polyjuice Potion years ago, transformed into her son, and then died in Barty Crouch Jr.'s likeness, in exchange for her only son's release from prison.
If that was the case, Barty Crouch must have been aware of it, or even the mastermind.
The man who was once seen as a standard-bearer, a warrior against darkness, now had his stance become blurred.
However, after some investigation and probing, Dumbledore concluded that even if Barty Crouch had momentarily softened and smuggled Barty Jr. out of Azkaban, he had not fully sided with Voldemort.
In fact, the man had been mentally exhausted lately, and many people found his behavior strange, sometimes seeming to be looking for something. Some also thought Barty Crouch was simply giving up, seeing no future in his career.
Of course, Lupin and Sirius weren't concerned with Barty Crouch's stance; they were only worried about Harry, who was targeted by Voldemort.
Compared to James Potter's family, who were also targets, the Order of the Phoenix's protection of Harry was surprisingly rudimentary—
No concealment, no Fidelius Charm, they weren't even allowed to tell Harry the truth, and they still let him attend crowded, chaotic events like the Quidditch World Cup.
While this could be argued as being for Harry's healthy growth, and that Voldemort only had two or three people he could use, a far cry from the Death Eaters' heyday, Lupin still felt something was off.
They could only guard him with extra caution, lest Harry be snatched by Voldemort's people and turned into a blood bag for his resurrection.
A short while later, Michael returned empty-handed, taking Wade and the others around.
"Even though we came for the World Cup, who really just watches the matches?"
Michael said incredulously, "Guys, have you ever seen so many wizards from different countries gathered together before? Don't you think these people are more interesting to look at than the Quidditch match itself?"
Harry didn't quite agree, but as Michael led them around, his thoughts unknowingly wavered.
They saw the mascots of the Irish national team, wizards who could suddenly transform into cheetahs, and an Eastern wizard with a beautiful Phoenix King Bird.
"Look, I guess they're students from Castelobruxo."
Michael pointed from a distance at a few young wizards gathered together. Their skin was brown, most of their hair was curly, they wore linen robes, and open-toed sandals.
"Castelobruxo?" Harry didn't understand.
"I heard that's a magic school in Brazil," Wade said. "They say their castle is built of golden stones and looks like a temple."
Unfortunately, these students hadn't brought their castle with them, so Wade and the others just glanced at them curiously and moved on.
After passing through layers upon layers of tents, they saw another group of young people wearing similar uniforms.
"Those are Beauxbatons robes!" Michael gasped, exclaiming, "Merlin! Why didn't I see them before!"
Wade and Harry looked over and immediately understood why Michael looked like he was about to drool.
Several girls in silk robes were sitting on the grass, chatting. Although each one was exquisitely beautiful, as if painted, one of them was still exceptionally stunning.
The girl had a waterfall of silvery, shimmering long hair, porcelain-white skin with a pearlescent glow, a slender figure, and perfect features. A slight smile from her possessed a breathtaking charm.
Michael instinctively walked towards the girl, but Wade grabbed him by the back of his collar and pulled him back.
"What are you doing?" Wade asked.
"I... I'm going to introduce myself to her." Michael grinned foolishly, reaching up to run a hand through his hair. "Do you want to meet her too? I have to say, Wade, in this one area, you're completely outmatched by me."
"Alright, go on then," Wade said. "Just a heads-up, there's definitely a reason why a girl that beautiful isn't surrounded by admirers right now."
"I know, most people would feel self-conscious just seeing her, but I'm different."
As Michael spoke, he actually pulled a small mirror from his pocket, carefully tidied his wind-blown hair, and even checked conscientiously for any dirt on his face. Then he tucked the mirror back into his pocket and walked confidently towards the girls.
"Will Michael succeed in striking up a conversation?" Harry asked curiously.
He too had been thoroughly amazed by the girl's beauty, but Harry's mind was currently filled with thoughts of Cho Chang, so he wasn't as flustered as Michael.
"Who knows?" Wade said. "I'd like to know too."
The two watched Michael approach, getting closer and closer, until the girls noticed him.
They watched Michael with smiles, saying nothing, not driving him away, as if waiting to see a good show.
Michael nervously tugged at his cuff and cleared his throat, about to speak, when he suddenly felt something was amiss.
An exceptionally tall shadow loomed over him from behind, bringing with it an immense pressure, suffocating him like storm clouds gathering overhead.
Michael slowly turned his head to see a woman nearly as tall as Hagrid standing behind him, looking down at him. Her gaze was cold, and her voice deep as she asked, "Kid, are you lost?"
Michael: "..."
...
When Michael walked back, looking dejected, Wade and Harry's faces were red from holding back laughter, their shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
"Oh, go ahead and laugh," Michael said, feigning indifference. "At least I tried."
The two burst into unrestrained laughter. Michael, the target of their mockery, stood with hands on his hips, glaring at them. After a moment, he started laughing too.
"Oh, by the way, I also found out where the Bulgarian national team is staying," Michael said. "Do you want to go see Krum? The famous Seeker, some say he might be the best in the world!"
"Of course!" Harry's eyes immediately lit up, and he agreed without hesitation.
Wade was about to speak when he suddenly saw someone leaning against a gray tent nearby, gesturing to him.
The smile on his face faltered slightly, then he chuckled, "You two go ahead, I need to use the restroom."
After watching them leave, Wade walked towards the gray tent. Seeing him approach, the wizard with long curly hair revealed a very sunny smile.
"It's been half a year, hasn't it, Wade?" the wizard said with a smile. "You never answer my calls, I thought you'd forgotten about us!"
"Whose fault is it that you always bother me during class?" Wade glanced at the tent behind him and asked, "Antoine, did Mr. Grindelwald also come to watch the match?"
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