A day at Hogwarts.

Chapter 591 The Audience

"Lukewood Castle?"

When Dumbledore announced the details and venue of today's Triwizard Tournament final, the students had more question marks on their heads than candles under the ceiling.

Seeing Charles nod slightly, Seamus immediately asked, "Charles, do you know where that castle is?"

Charles, while eating his fried egg, said, "It's in the southwest, not too far. I considered buying it there to start a company before, but it was too far from Hogsmeade, so I chose Farbatton Castle."

His expression was calm; he was simply focused on eating his breakfast, as if he were talking about something so ordinary it couldn't be more so.

Ron said worriedly, "I've heard that many people died there a hundred years ago."

Charles nodded as he ate the grilled sausage; the old man had made it.

Ron continued, "It seems that only one member of the Lukwood family is left now, and he's become a Death Eater."

Charles continued nodding as he ate his cake; the man was an undercover agent at Farbatton Castle.

"Why was the finals held there?" Simo said with a strange expression.

With both dead people and Death Eaters, it all seems incredibly ominous.

After finishing the last sip of his oatmeal porridge, Charles said calmly, "Because that place is about to be put into use, and a new research institution will be established there."

After he finished speaking, he turned to Hermione and said, "I've mentioned it to you before, and I suggest you work there after you graduate."

Hermione thought for a moment and asked, "Is it the research institute you mentioned that studies magic?"

Charles took a slice of toast, spread some cherry jam that Dobby and the others had made on it, and said, “Yes, I only found out last night by secretly following Professor Dumbledore.”

Harry grabbed a slice of toast and rubbed it with cherry sauce, saying dejectedly, "Why didn't you call me? If I were here, we might not have been discovered."

He was very confident in his invisibility cloak and believed he would not be detected.

Charles, eating his toast, said, "If you go, the nature of the situation will change."

He was actually following Barty Jr., and sure enough, he made a discovery, which was then discovered by Dumbledore.

Some things are bound to happen. Rather than sabotaging them and having the other party come up with new tricks, it's better to keep them within your own "memory".

Simo said nonchalantly, "It's okay, we're just going for a stroll anyway."

He assumed that Charles had gone to find out about the final match for his own sake.

Charles, eating a roasted tomato, said, "The right thing to do is run away when things seem wrong."

Simo nodded seriously.

Charles picked up a Yorkshire pudding and whispered, "By the way, if anything unexpected happens to you..."

"Oh, come and see our warrior!" Nick, who was almost headless, interrupted Charles and came over to encourage Seamus.

Charles said nothing more, picked up a few slices of fried bacon and started eating.

After breakfast, the contestants left first, and then the students proceeded to the lobby by grade.

A huge carpet was laid out in the lobby. After standing on it for a while, it felt like using a key to a door. The world spun around, and when I came to my senses, I was in a mountainside filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers.

The audience seating was located on a mountaintop, with a dilapidated castle not far away opposite, surrounded by white mist.

The Goblet of Fire is located in the highest tower of the castle; the first warrior to touch it is the winner.

"Huh? Where's Charles?"

Ginny figured Charles must have brought a lot of snacks and was looking for him to share, but she couldn't find him. Ron also looked around and shook his head, saying, "I just saw him."

Dean, who was standing nearby, said, "Could he have sneaked into the castle?"

Many people think this makes sense.

Meanwhile, Lucius Malfoy was furiously yelling at a Death Eater: "Has your head been stepped on by a troll?"

"Why wasn't this important matter checked beforehand!"

Just as the ceremony was about to begin, they discovered a tiny crack in the bottom of the giant stone crucible that was leaking water.

The potion used today is extremely precise and cannot be contaminated with even the slightest bit of magic, so it cannot be repaired with magic.

Old Gore was trembling uncontrollably. If the Dark Lord found out about this, or even if the other Death Eaters did, they would be tortured to death by the Cruciatus Curse.

Lucius was furious. He was in charge of this part and had to take leadership responsibility. He might not escape being caught red-handed.

“It’s not a big problem.” Charles’s voice came from beside the crucible. “I’ll fix it for you, consider it a favor you owe me.”

Lucius was only slightly surprised, not at all taken aback by Charles's sudden appearance, and even assumed that the Dark Lord had sent him to inspect the work.

Charles took a roll of aluminum foil tape from the bag and taped the crack shut from the inside, figuring it wouldn't be noticeable after the medicine was applied.

"Don't say I was here." He smiled slightly and disappeared from Riddle's mansion.

Lucius breathed a sigh of relief; it was all fixed, and he wouldn't be cursed by the Avada Kedavra.

Today, the Muggles of Little Hangleton seemed to have suddenly remembered many important things they needed to do, and they all left, leaving the Hanged Man's Tavern eerily quiet.

Grindelwald, holding a bottle of wine, said, "There's nothing good here, just make do with this."

Jack was scratching Ruby's head when he nodded.

When Charles arrived, he brought out his own soda.

"Hehe..." He looked at the old man with a wicked grin, "I'm better than you at magic."

If this were said in private, Jack would have said "Oh, right, right," but with Grindelwald around, he couldn't lose face, so he replied with a straight face, "You can still talk nonsense after drinking this?"

Charles, with a smug and irritating look, said, "Don't be so unconvinced, Professor Marchbank said it himself!"

"She said she was certain you could never do what I can do!"

"Yo ho!" Jack laughed out of anger, immediately realizing that if Charles wanted to show off in front of him, this year's final exams were his only chance, because he would be in fifth grade next year and would be outdone by him in everything he did in magic.

"You little brat, you've got some nerve, huh? You're trying to intimidate me with Professor Machiban now."

"I was wondering why you wanted to take the exam. Turns out you just wanted to show off in front of me."

Chavez said modestly, "I have to thank Mr. Grindelwald for this. If he hadn't helped me register, I wouldn't have been able to take the exam."

Jack smiled and looked at Grindelwald. So that's how it is. No wonder he helped write a letter to Professor Marchban. It turns out that the two of them conspired to bully him.

He had no doubt that Grindelwald had helped Charles register for the substitute exam; for Grindelwald, it was just a matter of telling Dumbledore.

Grindelwald looked at Charles with a puzzled expression, frowning as he asked, "When did I register you?"

Charles thought he was afraid of getting a beating from the old man, so he exaggeratedly said, "Oh, maybe I remembered wrong."

Jack chuckled twice, said nothing more, and took a sip of his drink.

(End of this chapter)