"An evil presence has invaded Hogwarts," Dumbledore said gravely. His expression became more severe than Adrian had ever seen it.
"He—or rather, they—are extremely cunning and experienced, leaving almost no traces and hiding themselves perfectly, but I'm certain... someone has already gotten inside the grounds. Multiple someones, perhaps. I've felt disturbances in the wards."
The night air suddenly felt colder.
"There's an intruder?" Professor McGonagall exclaimed sharply, her voice rising despite their need for discretion.
Her hand instantly tightened around her wand, and her whole body was tensing into a defensive posture.
For Hogwarts to be infiltrated at this particular time, during a major international event with hundreds of witnesses and visiting dignitaries, meant it was absolutely connected to the Triwizard Tournament somehow. This wasn't random.
"How did they get past the wards?" Adrian asked immediately, his mind racing through possibilities and scenarios. "The protective enchantments should have alerted us immediately. The detection spells alone—"
Just then, interrupting his analysis, a figure came hurrying over somewhat clumsily from the direction of the judges' stand, nearly tripping over his own robes in his haste—it was Ludo Bagman, breathing heavily and looking panicked.
It seemed he had noticed Dumbledore's quiet, suspicious departure from the judges' stand and had rushed to follow, probably worried about being left out of important decisions or perhaps sensing trouble.
"An intruder?!" Ludo's eyes widened enormously, nearly bulging from his flushed head, having clearly overheard at least part of their conversation.
His gaze darted frantically between Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Adrian like a trapped, cornered animal, cold sweat already flushing at his temples and running down the sides of his face.
"What intruder? Where exactly are they? When did this happen? Merlin's beard! How is this even possible? Isn't Hogwarts supposed to be the safest place in the entire wizarding world? Safer than Gringotts!"
His voice had gone high and panicked.
Seeing Ludo in this increasingly agitated state, watching the man's terror, Adrian felt with growing certainty that the intruder Dumbledore mentioned must be somehow directly connected to him.
Dumbledore slowly turned around, his sharp blue gaze settling directly on Ludo's panic-stricken, sweating face with the intensity of a spotlight.
Rather than directly answering his frantic question, rather than providing any reassurance, he inquired gently,
"Ludo, do you still have that emergency Portkey in your possession? The one I personally provided you months ago when we began preparations? If I remember correctly, you've been using that Portkey to travel quickly to Hogwarts for all your tournament organizational work."
This seemingly blameless question struck Ludo like a bolt of lightning.
His entire body stiffened abruptly and unnaturally, going stiff, the color drained from his ruddy face in an instant, leaving him pale as parchment, then faintly greenish.
Adrian crossed his arms slowly, watching with interest as Ludo practically froze in place like a statue, like a child caught stealing.
He knew this detail as well—Ludo possessed a special emergency Portkey directly to Hogwarts that Dumbledore had personally created and keyed to bypass the wards for the Triwizard Tournament organizational work.
"I... I..." Ludo's lips trembled violently, unable to form clear words or complete sentences.
His hands were shaking at his sides. "The Portkey... of course... it's completely safe... it's with me...."
His voice grew smaller and smaller with each word, trailing off into almost nothing.
Without a doubt, this was the behavior of someone with a deeply guilty conscience, someone who knew they'd done something terrible and was about to be caught.
"Tell us the truth, Mr. Bagman," Adrian sighed heavily, his patience clearly wearing thin. "Who did you give the Portkey to? And don't even think about lying—we'll find out anyway, and it will be worse for you if you make us waste time."
Ludo fell silent for a moment, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.
"I... I didn't think much of it at the time," He finally said tremblingly, the words tumbling out in a desperate rush.
"He's the owner of the Sleekeazy's Hair Potion company, very reputable business with shops all over Britain! You know the brand, everyone knows it! Everyone uses their products!
He said he just wanted to experience the atmosphere of the Triwizard Tournament up close as a fan of the games, that he absolutely wouldn't cause any trouble at all, just wanted to watch!"
Ludo swallowed hard and continued.
"He paid me a fortune... a small fortune..." Ludo's voice dropped. "And I've been so desperately strapped for cash lately, completely broke, those blasted goblins have been hounding me constantly for my debts, showing up at my home at all hours of the day and night, pounding on my door, threatening legal action and worse, driving me absolutely mad with their demands..."
Ludo rambled in his defense, his words tripping over each other, his face showing a mixture of fear, shame, and desperate justification.
'The owner of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion company?'
Adrian seemed to recall having seen that person at the Quidditch World Cup months ago, though only briefly in passing. He tried to conjure the memory from that chaotic day.
He only remembered the man was completely bald, which had struck him as deeply ironic given his product.
"I only lent him the Portkey for a little while... really! Just for today! Just for the final task!" Ludo continued his frantic explanation. "He specifically said he'd return it to me before the match started, promised on his honor..."
"So, where is the Portkey right now?" Adrian interrupted coldly, cutting through the pathetic excuses.
Ludo's eyes shifted evasively, unable to meet anyone's gaze directly. "He... he didn't return it to me as promised... I can't reach him at all...."
For a long moment, everyone fell into stunned, disbelieving silence.
The only sounds were the distant noise of the oblivious crowd and Ludo's heavy, panicked breathing.
Adrian was somewhat speechless, struggling to process this level of staggering incompetence and stupidity. This fellow had been severely harmed by his gambling addiction, his judgment was completely destroyed by debt and desperation.
How could anyone, anyone with even half a brain casually give someone the Portkey to Hogwarts?
Moreover, to a merchant of dubious origin whose only real qualification was having money to spend.
Even if the Sleekeazy's Boss was genuinely a decent fellow with innocent intentions, there was absolutely no guarantee he hadn't been controlled by someone else through magical compulsion or blackmail or threats.
For Dark wizards, using the Imperius Curse on innocent people carried absolutely no psychological burden at all. It was a tool they used as casually as others used Summoning Charms.
Indeed, people who owed massive gambling debts doing outrageous, desperate, criminally stupid things was all too normal in Adrian's experience. He'd seen it before during his travels and heard similar cautionary tales. Desperation made people reckless.
Dumbledore drew a deep breath, equally exasperated by Ludo's staggering foolishness and disastrously poor judgment.
He closed his eyes briefly, as if gathering patience from some deep well.
Professor McGonagall also felt a profound sense of helplessness and anger rising over her. Her jaw clenched so hard Adrian could hear her teeth grind.
"The intruders must be connected to Voldemort," Adrian said flatly, looking toward Dumbledore for confirmation. "What should we do? We need to act quickly before they accomplish whatever they came here for."
Hearing Voldemort's name spoken aloud so casually, Ludo visibly shuddered and went even paler.
"Impossible!" He cried out desperately, his voice cracking and breaking. "What possible connection could this have to You-Know-Who? That's completely absurd! The man was a businessman! A potion seller! He just wanted to watch the tournament! He paid good money!!"
Adrian gave him a cold, contemptuous glance, a look that silenced him immediately. "Mr. Bagman, we don't have time to explain any further to you or hold your hand through this. You've done more than enough damage already. Stand aside."
"Adrian is absolutely right," Dumbledore said gravely, shaking his head with disappointment. "This is far more serious than—"
Just then, cutting sharply through the tense air, an owl swooped down from the black sky above, diving straight toward Dumbledore with remarkable speed and clear purpose.
As if anticipating this arrival, Dumbledore raised his hand calmly and caught the owl's leg precisely mid-flight, neatly retrieving a small, tightly rolled piece of parchment from its beak with ease.
The owl hooted once, a tired sound, and flew off immediately into the darkness.
Adrian didn't know who this clearly exhausted, panting owl belonged to, but who would be sending Dumbledore an urgent letter at this specific time, during the middle of the task?
Nothing good, certainly.
Good news didn't arrive by exhausted owl at night.
Dumbledore unfolded the parchment carefully, his fingers were working the seal, his eyes quickly scanning the hastily scrawled words written there in what looked like panicked handwriting.
Even he, usually so controlled and unflustered, frowned deeply upon reading the letter's contents, his expression was darkening further.
"It's an urgent message from Fudge," Dumbledore's voice was somewhat heavy and grim as he looked up at Adrian and Professor McGonagall. "There's been a mass breakout from Azkaban prison earlier this evening. Multiple prisoners. At least a dozen, possibly more. Some of the Dementors have apparently turned traitor and aided the escape."
"Death Eaters?" Adrian asked, though he already knew the answer with certainty.
"If Fudge's information is correct, and I have no reason to doubt it," Dumbledore nodded in confirmation, his voice tight. "Yes. Multiple Death Eaters. Some of Voldemort's most loyal and dangerous followers from the first war."
After receiving this terrible confirmation, Professor McGonagall drew in a sharp, hissing breath, her eyes filling with shock and fear.
Her hand flew to her mouth. "Merlin's mercy... the children..."
Adrian merely shrugged. "Looks like we know the identity of our Hogwarts intruders then."
Without a doubt, it must be those escaped Death Eaters, using Bagman's carelessly given Portkey to bypass all the protections that should have kept them out.
As for Ludo, the moment he heard the words "Azkaban" and "Death Eaters" spoken aloud, his body went completely limp.
He staggered, catching himself on a nearby tent pole.
He seemed to have... caused enormous, catastrophic trouble.
But at this critical moment, no one had the attention or sympathy to spare for him or his problems.
"We must evacuate the crowd immediately," Professor McGonagall's voice was urgent, snapping into crisis mode. "Get everyone to safety. The children first. All the children."
"Yes, Minerva, do it at once!" Dumbledore didn't hesitate for a second. "Notify all the professors immediately through Patronus, activate emergency evacuation protocols, prioritize escorting students back to the Great Hall in the castle—there are strong protective enchantments there that should hold against attack! Have Filius and Pomona assist you. Tell Severus... to make all necessary preparations for defense."
Professor McGonagall didn't hesitate for even a second, didn't ask for explanation or confirmation. She immediately turned and ran toward the judges' stand and spectator seating.
"Adrian," Dumbledore said quietly, gripping his shoulder. "Come with me to the courtyard. We need to see where they arrived."
Adrian followed Dumbledore away from the maze in the opposite direction, toward the castle, to inspect the courtyard—that was where the Portkey's designated arrival point was located, where the intruders would have first appeared on Hogwarts grounds.
Around the maze.
Professor McGonagall's voice, amplified by a powerful Sonorus Charm, carried throughout the entire area with clarity and authority.
"Everyone, your attention please! This is an emergency!"
She stood on a slightly raised up stone platform near the judges' stand, her wand was pointed at her throat, her expression absolutely stern.
"Hostile wizards have infiltrated Hogwarts grounds. All students and spectators are required to immediately and orderly follow your House prefects and professors back to the Great Hall in the castle's main building!
I repeat—!"
The crowd instantly erupted in confused commotion and panic.
The excited tournament discussions turned immediately into confused and uneasy whispers and shouts as many people looked around in alarm, not knowing what was happening or where the danger was coming from.
"What's going on?"
"Is this part of the tournament?"
"Where's the danger?"
"I want to leave! Now!"
"Where are the champions?"
"Someone said Death Eaters—"
Madame Maxime rose from her specially reinforced oversized chair, her face was filled with surprise and deep suspicion.
"What's happened?" Her voice was booming and demanding, clearly audible even amid the growing commotion and panic. "Where is Dumbledore? Ludo? What is this about intruders? Explain yourself, Minerva!"
From the moment the alert had begun, both Dumbledore and Ludo had completely vanished from the judges' stand, and she had naturally noticed this highly suspicious situation immediately.
"I'll explain everything in detail later, Olympe," Professor McGonagall said sternly, her voice cutting through the noise. "Right now, our only priority is ensuring everyone's safety. Please help organize the Beauxbatons students and get them to safety immediately."
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