Hermione, let's start a revolution from Hogwarts!

A sickly smile appeared on his face, as if this was the happiest time of his life.

"How merciful he was, he even forgave those cowards—traitors! But it doesn't matter, when the master pried open Bertha's mouth and found out I was still alive, he personally brought the recently escaped Wormtail to rescue me."

This is how Voldemort is seen by his fanatics: even his compromise with pure-bloods for the sake of war is seen as a form of mercy.

After all, who in the wizarding world would associate with Voldemort these days?

In comparison, wizards would certainly prefer to follow Nietzsche, at least they could get a generous amount of Galleons and gain the respect of ordinary people, unlike the Death Eaters who were always afraid that Voldemort would turn against them one day.

“What does Voldemort want Harry to do?” Nietzsche asked.

Could it be that the other side already knows Harry is a Horcrux? Impossible, only he, Riddle, and Dumbledore know this.

“Potter is what he needs most to revive,” Crouch said softly. “And Glendale always talked about his best student when school started, so I just threw Granger in, so I don’t have to worry about Potter dying in the game.”

Nietzsche looked down at Barty Crouch Jr. with more disgust than anyone else, and wished he could kill him immediately.

He asked coldly, "How many people were involved in this?"

“Avery, McNeil, Nott, Crabbe, Goyle, Malfoy…” Little Barty’s face showed surprise that didn’t match his tone. “I heard that two Mudbloods have caused quite a stir, and they are more united than ever.”

With each utterance, the weight on his body increased, and the owls inside the cabin remained unusually quiet.

Animals are more alert than humans; they either hide away long ago or fly away despite the cold wind, never staying here.

Finally, unable to withstand the pressure, Little Barty fainted, his energy completely depleted by the Revival Charm and Truth Potion.

Professor Snape grabbed his stiff arm, shook his head slightly, then raised his wand, and several ropes flew out, binding Barty Crouch Jr. and dragging him out of the Owlshaw.

The crimson light made Rita tremble, fearing that Nietzsche would turn around and strike her.

"Did you hear that?" He took a deep breath. He said softly, "You wrote down all those names?"

"I've written it down."

“Very good, I will have Lockhart set aside some money for you. Thank you for your hard work.”

Chapter 262 The Ace Spy Officially Joins the Team

The real Moody was brought out and placed in a private room in the school infirmary by Dumbledore, where he was cared for by Madam Pomfrey.

Although the situation at school has been safely resolved, the question remains: should the competition continue?

Two matches have already been completed. This competition was supposed to closely link the three schools, but now that it has reached this crucial point, there seems to be no reason to suddenly stop the competition.

Dumbledore indeed did not release any information about pausing the game...

Riddle was also unusual; he surprisingly supported the principal's view—to continue the game.

He wrote in his diary: 'I've disliked that snake-faced man for a long time, and isn't Dumbledore trying to create conflict between us?'

Over the next week or so, as Easter was drawing to a close, Hermione received a call from Ludo Bagman informing her that she and the remaining warriors had to go to the venue for the third event to hear the rules and details of the competition.

"It's obviously Voldemort's conspiracy, but the headmaster still wants Potter to go and die." She complained as she parted ways with Nietzsche in the stairwell.

Normally, Nietzsche would be focused on his studies at this time, but things are different now. This time, only Hermione will be going with Harry into the lion's den, which means twice the risk.

During the Easter break, he also had Mercury deliver a few letters to Lockhart and Quirrell.

These are the only people we can count on now.

That night, everyone was too excited to sleep, crowding together in the common area to speculate about what would happen in the competition.

Warrington calmly analyzed, "There's only one trophy. If the final match is a free-for-all of five, I'll definitely bet on Granger to win..."

“But if that’s the case, what’s the point of the previous scores?” Cho Chang interjected. “That’s impossible. What if it’s something else? As far as I know, Granger isn’t good at Quidditch or similar sports.”

Nietzsche shifted his seat irritably, craning his neck to search for Draco Malfoy.

But those guys have been like snakes that have over-hibernated lately. Apart from going to class, they spend the rest of their time hiding in their dorm rooms plotting something... Maybe they've already heard about Voldemort.

"Holmes, I need to speak with you." Snape stormed into the Great Hall and rushed through the common study area.

He looked furious, and Nietzsche guessed that the dean had probably had another argument with someone.

He was then pulled outside the hall, where he saw that there was another person behind Snape, Headmaster Karkaroff, whose face was as pale as his furry robe and whose expression was anxious.

"Avoid listening by plugging your ears."

After the dean simply cast what appeared to be an anti-eavesdropping spell, Karkaroff was about to speak.

"Severus, why did you call a student over here?" Principal Karkaroff glanced to the side after every half-sentence, indicating that he was extremely sensitive and felt a deep sense of insecurity.

They always addressed each other by their given names, except when they met in formal settings.

"What did Mrs. Maxime say? Does she agree to cancel the match?" Snape ignored him and asked impatiently.

"No—it's no use. She and her students almost came to blows." Karkarov frowned and said, his voice trembling. "You understand, those Frenchmen thought I was lying to them, but am I supposed to just show them...that thing?"

Even without Snape saying it, Nietzsche could guess that he was referring to the Dark Mark on his body.

How could he not be afraid? As a Death Eater who had betrayed Voldemort and was now the headmaster of a magic school, the news had probably already reached Voldemort's ears, and he might even be on the death list.

Coupled with the already burning dark mark, the information Snape privately revealed to him was the final straw that broke the camel's back.

"You are very opposed to Dumbledore?" Nietzsche said.

“I don’t object to anything, Potter is like a pig he’s fattened up!” Snape said softly. “Karkaroff wants to ask you and Granger a favor… He wants Krum out as soon as possible, the sooner the better.”

Karkaroff nodded repeatedly, panting heavily, and said, "I can't just let him die, can I? Viktor is Durmstrang's cash cow. What good would it do me to harm him?"

Without the background of Voldemort, this would sound absurd—a headmaster who would be happy for his students to lose.

But if the loser survives, that would be perfectly normal.

It seems Snape is against Dumbledore's idea of ​​continuing the game. He seems to really value Potter... no, to be precise, he values ​​Lily's son's life.

“Stop pretending. You don’t want the match to continue either,” Snape said. “We can all be sure that it’s only a matter of time before Miss Granger is in danger, and she’s going to face more than just one or two Death Eaters.”

“And we can help you…” Karkaroff added.

Durmstrang's headmaster was acting in his own reputation and for the students, while Snape wanted to save Harry Potter's life.

And they didn't choose the wrong person. Nietzsche was most worried about Hermione. He hoped that she could break through the encirclement of a group of Death Eaters and Voldemort, but he hoped that Voldemort would go easy on her because of their first-year relationship.

"The Champions League is a door key; are you planning to destroy it?"

“Barty Jr. switched the Champions Cup a long time ago, and now that the tournament has started, it’s been well protected by Scrimgeour, so we plan to make another door key,” Snape said calmly.

It seems that he and Karkaroff had already made part of the plan, and Nietzsche was just waiting to fill the gap.

A door key is a magical item that can quickly teleport a person to another location. Most importantly, it is stable and can easily facilitate intercontinental travel.

The incantation is simple, but the difficulty lies in positioning the space.

“As the headmaster of Durmstrang, I have the authority to use these spells. As long as you can determine what Granger is wearing, I can create a portal key that can guide you,” Karkaroff stammered.

Clothing is fine too; there are no restrictions on the items that can be brought into the door key.

The main problem was that he couldn't be sure which wizard's robe Hermione would wear during the competition... but if it was her undergarments, that would be a bit too hentai.

“No problem, I can get it.” Nietzsche immediately thought of the diamond-shaped necklace around Hermione’s neck.

“Since Severus insists on choosing you, then I believe you.” Karkaroff pressed down on his shoulder nervously. “Now I’m definitely being targeted by the Dark Lord. Remember, kill as many Death Eaters as you can.”

Judging from this, he certainly put Voldemort in a lot of trouble when he surrendered back then.

He saw several students walking out chatting and laughing. After glancing at them curiously, he immediately straightened up, hurriedly left Hogwarts Castle, grabbed a flying broom, and flew towards his ship.

However, Snape did not let him leave immediately, but stared at his gray-blue eyes and pondered for a moment.

“I remember you seem to have some resistance to the Veela’s allure. That’s fine. Starting tomorrow, come to my office every night… You must learn to use Occlumency to hide yourself.”

Chapter 263 Blood Pact Necklace

The next day, Nietzsche walked into the alchemy elective classroom and stared intently at Hermione.

“I said, you’ve been like this since class started. Is there something dirty on my face?” She smoothed her hair, unbuttoned her school robe to reveal a burgundy women’s trench coat underneath, and turned to Nietzsche with a smile.

Nietzsche reached out, his palm running through her hair and passing under her cheek, and Hermione visibly flinched.

Just when the other person thought he was going to touch her cheek, he stopped. Nietzsche didn't do anything much, unlike Cedric and Cho Chang who were always embracing each other. He just pinched the necklace hanging around Hermione's neck.

"The things the professor gave you can't just be pretty, right? Maybe they're alchemical artifacts." He blinked his eyes, which were full of curiosity.

"I don't know." Hermione turned her head away in disappointment and gave him an impatient glare.

“Look, it’s engraved with a ‘?’ (Z). Maybe you should try to activate it.” Nietzsche took the magnifying glass from the desk and examined it against her collar.

Before he could see clearly, Hermione covered her collar in shock and took a deep breath.

If it were Nietzsche before the Christmas ball, she would have slapped her long ago. But Nietzsche knew that with the two of them now, Hermione would never do that... even though she was very impatient.

“I tried it a long time ago, and it turned out to be just a crack,” Hermione said coldly. “Please don’t stare at my chest.”

“So, this must be a damaged alchemical device,” Nietzsche said, opening the translation book. “The professor just said that alchemical devices are related to ancient runes. Let me look…?… It means elk.”

"It is fate, but in wizarding culture, fate is also related to 'protection'."

Hermione corrected his rambling without even turning her head; it seemed she had memorized the entire translation.

“But if the professor gave you something, it must be useful, right?” Nietzsche’s fingers, which were turning the pages, paused, and his eyes stared blankly at the blank spaces between the letters. “Maybe I can fix it.”

"That's possible. He mentioned before that I might need it..."

Hermione hesitated for a moment, then untied the necklace and gently placed it in Nietzsche's palm.

Only then could Nietzsche truly see what the diamond-shaped pendant looked like: a hollow sphere in the middle, resembling a miniature glass house, with a tiny hole at the top that seemed to lead directly inside.

The rune was indeed a crack, and it spread from the bottom of the rhombus, looking like a golden tree.

"Do you have a way to fix it?" Hermione asked tactfully. "You know, it was already broken when it was given to me."

This shows that even the old professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts couldn't fix it.

“Perhaps he didn’t make this himself, my dear, or perhaps his knowledge of alchemy wasn’t that profound,” Nietzsche said meaningfully. “After all, the leading figure in alchemy, Nicolas Lemaître, was French.”

What bothered him was that Headmaster Dumbledore was friends with the old professor, so why didn't he just fix the thing before giving it to Hermione?

The bell rang, and Nietzsche, clutching Hermione's pendant, parted ways at the classroom door.

The last class in the afternoon was Charms, but his day felt incredibly long. While helping Professor Flitwick patrol the classroom and explaining key points to students who hadn't yet grasped the concepts, he would often anxiously glance at his watch.