The Witcher: The Journey to Transcendence from Marvel.

Chapter 87 Why did the professor change again?

"That's it!!" someone shouted in horror.

"The mysterious man! The mysterious man is back!!" A panicked shout broke out in the crowd.

There have been various rumors circulating in the wizarding world, one of which is that Voldemort is not dead and will eventually make a comeback.

The stadium was like hot oil that was poured with a basin of cold water, and it exploded all of a sudden.

People kept pushing outside, and more than half of the people were pushed down. Some people took out their flying brooms, and others followed suit, until the sky and the ground were completely crowded with people.

The host tried to calm everyone down, but no one listened. The hundred thousand wizards were a mixed bag, and some began to take advantage of the situation, looting, stealing things, and even playing pranks, making the situation even more chaotic.

The source of all this was just a Dark Mark in the sky. The European wizarding community's fear of Voldemort was deeply rooted in their bones.
When Weiss returned to Hogwarts, Dumbledore had been waiting in the headmaster's office for a long time. The room was filled with a faint fragrance, and the flames in the fireplace danced, reflecting on Dumbledore's silver beard.

"how?"

"It was just a bunch of rabble," Weiss shrugged. "I killed a few Death Eaters, and the rest ran away when they saw things were going badly. Moody stayed there to clean up the mess, and then someone cast the Dark Mark and started a riot."

Dumbledore's eyes sharpened. "Do you know who it is?"

Weiss thought about the scene and didn't see anyone suspicious. "It shouldn't be that group of Death Eaters."

However, in the original novel, it was Barty Crouch Jr. who took the opportunity to send out the Dark Mark. Thinking of this, he reminded Dumbledore: "If Moody takes action this time, the Death Eaters will not let him go."

Dumbledore nodded. "Moody has always been very suspicious. He trusts very few people."

"We also need to pay attention to the person who released the Dark Mark. There is no such person on the list provided by Lucius."

Weiss's words made Dumbledore fall into silence. The appearance of this mysterious man was indeed a tricky problem.

"Azkaban isn't impenetrable. Didn't Sirius escape from it last year?"

Dumbledore raised his head and looked Weiss straight in the eye. "Are you saying that a Death Eater has escaped?"

Weiss didn't directly answer Dumbledore's question: "You have a lot of acquaintances in the Ministry of Magic, so you can find out if you check."

After saying this, he turned and left. Dumbledore looked at his back thoughtfully.

Weiss didn't care about Dumbledore's next arrangements. With his reminder, if Barty Crouch Jr. could still sneak into Hogwarts, then Dumbledore would really be senile.

The appearance of the Dark Mark at the Quidditch World Cup was not reported in the newspapers, apparently suppressed by the Ministry of Magic, but there were so many witnesses that rumors spread throughout the wizarding world.

A grand event for the wizarding world was completely ruined by a mere Dark Mark. Cornelius Fudge's position as Minister was shaky, and the Ministry of Magic was in turmoil.

Fortunately, Hogwarts was not affected at all and school started as scheduled.

However, the students' discussion was dominated by the Quidditch World Cup, and the Sorting ceremony passed unnoticed, with everyone's attention focused on that event. When Dumbledore announced that Alastor Moody would be the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, the entire hall fell silent.

None of the little wizards applauded to welcome him. Everyone was frightened by Moody's terrifying appearance. Even some professors stayed away from Moody.

Weiss stared at Moody in a trance. [I wonder if he's the real Moody, or someone else in disguise.]

In the meeting room, everyone who was stared at by Moody's artificial eye lowered their heads involuntarily, not daring to look him in the eye. The scene was very awkward for a while.

"Classmates," Dumbledore's voice echoed through the hall, "please welcome our new professor, Alastor Moody."

Moody standing next to Dumbledore is a truly chilling sight.

"I know my appearance may scare you," Moody said in a low, powerful voice, "but you need to know that Defense Against the Dark Arts is not an easy course. You will learn how to protect yourself and how to face the forces of darkness here."

Weiss observed Moody, trying to find any flaws in his words and actions. He knew that Barty Crouch Jr. might use this opportunity to infiltrate Hogwarts, and Moody would be a perfect target. But if this person was indeed Moody, his presence would undoubtedly greatly strengthen the school's defenses.

When Moody finished his speech, there was a moment of silence in the venue. It was not until Dumbledore led the applause that sparse applause began to be heard in the hall.

Moody might be one of the most unpopular professors in Hogwarts history, but Moody himself didn't seem to care. He plopped down next to Weiss and said, "If you hadn't warned me, I would have been ambushed by the Death Eaters."

"And last time, luckily Dumbledore arrived in time and scared the other person away, otherwise I would have lost my life."

"You're welcome. You're very strong. Dumbledore praised you highly."

The two of them talked in low voices in the professor's seat, and Weiss finally confirmed that this Moody was real and not an imposter.

As the students' voices grew louder, their conversation was interrupted.

"Really, Headmaster?" the twin brothers Fred and George cried out. "You've got to be kidding."

Dumbledore was distracted by the twins' words. "Speaking of jokes, I have a very funny one in mind. One day, a troll, a hag, and a leprechaun walked into a bar together..."

Seeing Dumbledore talking about something irrelevant, Professor McGonagall, who was sitting in the chair, cleared her throat, trying to remind him to get back to the topic. However, Dumbledore seemed not to hear, and Professor McGonagall had no choice but to knock on the cup with a spoon.

Dumbledore came back to his senses and turned to all the students: "Excuse me, students, but I actually have a very important announcement to make."

He looked around to make sure everyone was listening carefully, then continued, "This year, Hogwarts will be hosting a special competition—the Triwizard Tournament."

The students immediately became excited and started talking.

Although the Muggle-born students did not know what was going on, they joined in the celebration after hearing that this was a grand ceremony that had not been held for a hundred years. Then, Dumbledore announced that all Quidditch matches for the year would be cancelled because of the Triwizard Tournament.

This made the students a little disappointed, but when they thought about the bigger celebration waiting for them, they quickly put this unpleasantness behind them.

(End of this chapter)