Harry Potter and the Obscurus

Chapter 108 The Three Warriors Battle for Supremacy

Neville Longbottom's memory has never been very good; in fact, it's bordering on amnesia. Like many who have only seen the Harry Potter film series, Mo Ran has always taken this as a character design choice made by J.K. Rowling.

However, as a baby boy who was also born at the end of July, was Longbottom, who was not chosen by Voldemort as his nemesis, really so cowardly and useless?

Thirteen years ago, while most wizards were celebrating wildly because of Voldemort's downfall, Frank Longbottom and Alice Longbottom, feeling relieved, were ambushed and kidnapped because they let their guard down.

Led by Bellatrix Lestrange, the Death Eaters were desperately searching for the missing Voldemort. In order to force the Longbottoms to reveal where Voldemort might be hiding, these ruthless individuals used the Cruciatus Curse on them for several hours.

Frank and Alice were not Peter Pettigrew; as Aurors and original members of the Order of the Phoenix, they did not reveal a single word of information under torture. Unfortunately, however, the brutal interrogation methods they endured completely destroyed their minds.

Some say that those caught in the current of life are often powerless to control their own destiny.

The Longbottoms, who had been fighting against the Dark Lord since 1970, had a legendary tale of escaping Voldemort's clutches three times. But who could have imagined that a mere shadow after dawn would inflict such immense harm upon them?

Since then, major news such as Voldemort's downfall, the boy who survived defeating the Dark Lord, and the arrival of a golden age in the European wizarding world has become ubiquitous.

The two "less important" heroes did not receive any special compensation or relief after being admitted to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries.

That was a very painful time.

Frank's injuries were quite severe; he was almost unable to speak and didn't recognize his own son. Six-year-old Neville brought his father a drawing he had made out of plant leaves, but Frank didn't react at all.

That same year, Frank's wife Alice's condition improved. Although she couldn't recognize Neville, her maternal instincts made her feel that she liked him. She collected many Bubble Gum wrappers at the hospital and gave them to Neville as a gift when he visited her the following year.

Despite being heroes, Frank Longbottom and Alice Longbottom seem to have vanished into the annals of history like nameless figures. Aside from the occasional visit from members of the Order of the Phoenix, the Longbottom family consisted only of the elderly couple constantly traveling between St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries and Sicknesses. It was during this time that, to prevent young Neville from suffering psychological trauma, his grandmother was forced to cast a forgetting spell on him, indirectly causing Neville to suffer memory damage and frequently forget things.

Mo Ran noticed Professor Moody's special attention to Neville during his Defense Against the Dark Arts class, but before he used Legilimency to explore Neville's mind, he had no idea that the boy who often held a toad as a pet had such a story behind him.

He didn't tell Harry Neville's secret, and even felt guilty about his spying.

Once upon a time, Mo Ran, like many moviegoers, regarded Neville Longbottom as a comedic character. But how could someone who ultimately wields the Gryffindor sword to sever Nagini's head suddenly become a hero without warning?

It turns out that everything was foreshadowed all along.

......

Hogwarts' term life continued as usual. In the following weeks, apart from Snape's increasingly grim expression as he was unable to deduct points from Gryffindor, all other courses proceeded as scheduled.

Moody was undoubtedly the most popular student in Defense Against the Dark Arts class. His act of directly demonstrating the Unforgivable Curse in class did not cause him to be ostracized by the students; on the contrary, it greatly aroused everyone's interest.

Soon, the day arrived for the Goblet of Fire to determine the three strongest warriors to compete for the title.

The auditorium was filled with magical decorations of pumpkin heads and bats because Halloween was approaching. The Gryffindor lion cubs, who were most enthusiastic about the warrior selection ceremony, rushed to the first floor from their respective classrooms early and chattered incessantly.

“I heard from older students that Warrington got up very early this morning and put his name in.”

"Warrington? Which one is Warrington?"

"Slytherin's Chaser, the one who's huge, bigger than Crabbe and Goyle, but looks like a sloth."

"Pfft...Does he really think he has even the slightest chance of becoming a Hogwarts champion? Even if Harry withdraws from the competition, there's still Cedric Diggory ahead of him."

"Cedric? That pretty boy? I thought he wouldn't risk his good looks. When did he sign up?"

"I don't know, it might be quite a while, after all, Hufflepuff's classmates have been discussing for a long time whether he can take the champion's title from Harry... Wait, Harry's here!"

The students near the entrance of the auditorium suddenly fell silent, and slowly, all eyes turned to the trio who had just returned from Hagrid's hut.

"Thanks to Ms. Maxim of Beauxbatons for bringing those Pegasus horses, Hagrid would definitely have gone to breed more Blasttails if he didn't have to take care of them. Ugh... those things are just as bad as the giant spiders, and what is his clothes and his braided hairstyle? It's a complete mess."

“Didn’t you notice, Ron? Think back to how Hagrid looked at Madam Maxim earlier. I dare say it was more affectionate than when he looked at Norbert the dragon a few years ago.”

"What? You mean... Hagrid has fallen in love with her? Ah! By Merlin's eyes! If they have children in the future, won't each one weigh at least a ton?"

Harry couldn't help but smile as Ron and Hermione discussed something, but the young Hogwarts wizard interpreted his smile as confidence and assurance.

Suddenly, the previously noisy auditorium erupted in applause.

"Well done, Harry!"

We all support you!

"Leave the honor at Hogwarts!"

The sudden cheers startled Ron and Hermione. Having little experience of being in the spotlight, they could only smile awkwardly at their classmates before quickly walking to the Gryffindor table and sitting down, leaving Harry to handle the situation.

The cheers lasted for about three minutes. Once Harry had skillfully calmed the crowd's excitement, Ron couldn't help but ask his good friend:

"The selection results haven't come out yet, so why is everyone congratulating you? You weren't really chosen beforehand, were you?"

Harry couldn't give Ron a reasonable explanation, and in some ways, even he felt that his classmates' reactions were a bit excessive. Fortunately, Hermione, as a girl, had a more sensitive side than the boys.

She lowered her voice and said:

"I guess it's because the other two schools have created too much hype for their leaders. You see, the students at Beauxbatons clearly idolize Fleur Delacour; and Durmstrang, needless to say, Viktor Krum is a superstar among professional Quidditch players even if he doesn't play."

"But Harry is the boy who survived!"

Ron immediately realized his slip of the tongue as soon as he blurted it out, but when he looked at Harry embarrassedly, he found that his good friend didn't seem to care at all.

The Halloween dinner officially began after the Ministry of Magic officials and professors took their seats.

Unlike the usual joyful atmosphere, this year the young wizards seemed less interested in the elaborately prepared dishes. They constantly looked up towards the Goblet of Fire, their faces, regardless of school, etched with anxiety. And when the main course was finished and dessert began to appear on the long table, some of the restless young wizards were already standing on their stools. Their eyes were fixed on Dumbledore, afraid to miss even the slightest sign that he had finished eating.

Finally, the exquisite plates disappeared, restored to their spotless state, and the conversation in the auditorium suddenly rose and then immediately fell silent.

Dumbledore stood up!

"Alright, kids, I hope you've all eaten your fill."

A gentle yet resonant voice echoed throughout every corner of the Great Hall. Karkaroff and Maxim both tensed up as they looked at Dumbledore, dressed in a wizard's robe adorned with planetary patterns, standing in the center of the faculty seating area.

Having lived so long and seen so much of the world, Dumbledore wasn't particularly excited. However, as an outstanding educator in the wizarding world, he still raised his voice as much as possible before continuing:

"Tonight, the Goblet of Fire will make its decision. I expect the warriors to walk from the long table to the top of the auditorium after hearing their names announced, then down the classroom table to the next room where the initial instructions for the Triwizard Tournament are given."

Swish!

As soon as he finished speaking, the Elder Wand slid out of his sleeve and was swung with great force. Instantly, the candles in the pumpkin lanterns went out, and the bats circling the ceiling folded their wings in unison, hanging upside down from the beams. The Great Hall was instantly plunged into a highly atmospheric, half-lit state.

No one made a sound. The teachers and students from the three schools watched silently as the goblet burst forth with dazzling blue-white flames, awaiting the final moment.

Crackling and popping!

The flame in the Goblet of Fire suddenly turned a dazzling red, and it spat out a tongue of fire, blowing out a piece of parchment that was half-burnt.

"Demstrang Warriors!"

Dumbledore, having caught the parchment, read it aloud in a clear and forceful tone:

"Viktor Krum!"

Applause and cheers erupted first from the Slytherin table, then quickly swept across the entire Great Hall. Amidst the thunderous commotion, Karkaroff roared at the top of his lungs:

"That's fantastic, Viktor! I knew you were destined to be Durmstrang's warrior!"

The near-frenzied celebration subsided after Krum went into the next room. Now, the attention of every student and teacher was once again focused on the Goblet of Fire. Just seconds later, another flash of red light appeared, and the second parchment shot out, propelled by the blazing flames.

"Beauxbaton Warrior - Fleur Delacour!"

A deafening roar, loud enough to shake the Great Hall, followed Dumbledore's recitation of the champion's name, and a shapely Veela gracefully rose from beside the Ravenclaw table.

In the dim light, Hibiscus's hair seemed even more beautiful than when she came to get the French mixed fish soup. Watching her gracefully walk to the Warriors' private room, many boys felt as if they had just admired the beautiful scenery of "the moon dancing in the lake".

Soon, the auditorium fell silent again.

Unlike before, this silence was tinged with an palpable excitement. Because next time, the Goblet of Fire would reveal the champion of Hogwarts!

Time seemed to slow down.

Harry, who was in Seeker mode due to his high level of concentration, saw the entire process of the blue and white flame turning red, as well as the trajectory of the parchment tumbling in the air.

"Hogwarts Champions!"

Dumbledore, catching the third parchment, paused deliberately and said:

"Harry Potter!"

Harry couldn't hear anything; Ron, Hermione, and the other Gryffindor students at the long table were practically lifting the Great Hall off the ground. As he rose from his seat and walked toward the next room, he felt everyone jumping around, screaming, and stomping their feet.