The Witcher: The Journey to Transcendence from Marvel...

Chapter 87 Why the new professor again?

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

"The mysterious man! The mysterious man is back!!" A panicked shout erupted from the crowd.

Various rumors have been circulating in the wizarding world, one of which is that Voldemort is not dead and will eventually return.

The stadium erupted as if hot oil had been doused with cold water.

People kept pushing and shoving to get out, and most of them were knocked over. Some people took out flying brooms, and others followed suit, and the sky and the ground were packed with people.

The host tried to calm everyone down, but no one listened. The 100,000 wizards were a mixed bag, and some even took advantage of the chaos to loot, steal, or play pranks, making the situation increasingly chaotic.

The root of it all was a dark mark in the sky; the fear of Voldemort had seeped into the very bones of the European wizarding world.

When Wes returned to Hogwarts, Dumbledore had already been waiting for him in the headmaster's office for some time. A faint fragrance filled the room, and the firelight from the fireplace flickered, reflecting off Dumbledore's silver beard.

"how?"

"They were just a bunch of rabble," Wes shrugged. "I killed a few Death Eaters, and the rest ran away when they saw things were going badly. Moody stayed behind to clean up the mess, and then someone sent out the Dark Mark and started a riot."

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

Wes reviewed the scene and found no suspicious individuals. "It shouldn't be that group of Death Eaters."

However, in the original story, it was Barty Crouch Jr. who seized the opportunity to issue the Dark Mark. Thinking of this, he reminded Dumbledore, "The Death Eaters won't let Moody get away with this."

Dumbledore nodded: "Moody has always been very suspicious, and he trusts very few people."

"We also need to be careful about the person who released the Dark Mark; there's no such person on the list Lucius provided."

Wes's words silenced Dumbledore; the appearance of this mysterious man was indeed a thorny issue.

"Azkaban is not impregnable; Sirius Black just escaped from there last year."

Dumbledore looked up, meeting Wes's eyes directly. "You mean, a Death Eater has escaped?"

Wes didn't answer Dumbledore's question directly: "Don't you have a lot of acquaintances in the Ministry of Magic? Just go and check."

After saying that, he turned and left, and Dumbledore watched his retreating figure thoughtfully.

Wes wasn't concerned about Dumbledore's next plans. With his reminder, if Barty Crouch Jr. could still sneak into Hogwarts, then Dumbledore would truly be senile.

The appearance of the Dark Mark at the Quidditch World Cup didn't make the news, clearly suppressed by the Ministry of Magic. But there were too many witnesses, and all sorts of rumors spread throughout the wizarding world.

A perfectly good magical event was completely ruined by a mere Dark Mark, Cornelius Fudge's position as Minister of Magic was teetering on the brink of collapse, and the Ministry of Magic was in a state of panic.

Fortunately, Hogwarts was not affected in any way and started school as scheduled.

However, the students' discussions revolved around that scene at the Quidditch World Cup, and few paid attention to the Sorting Ceremony; everyone's minds were on that event.

When Dumbledore announced that Alastor Moody would be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, the entire hall fell silent.

Not a single junior wizard applauded in welcome; everyone was terrified by Moody's terrifying appearance, and even some professors kept their distance.

Wes stared at Moody, somewhat lost in thought. [He wondered if Moody was the real Moody, or someone else in disguise.]

In the hall, everyone who was being stared at by Moody's prosthetic eye involuntarily lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze, making the scene quite awkward.

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

Moody standing next to Dumbledore certainly gave off a chilling aura.

"I know my appearance may frighten you," Moody's voice was deep and powerful, "but you need to know that Defense Against the Dark Arts is not an easy course. Here you will learn how to protect yourselves and how to confront the forces of darkness."

Wes observed Moody, trying to find clues in his words and actions. He knew that Barty Crouch Jr. might use this opportunity to infiltrate Hogwarts, and Moody was an ideal target. But if this person really was Moody, then his addition would undoubtedly greatly enhance the school's defenses.

After Moody finished his speech, the hall fell silent for a moment. It was only after Dumbledore led the applause that a few scattered claps began to ring out in the hall.

Moody is probably one of the most unpopular professors in Hogwarts history, but he doesn't seem to care. He plopped down next to Wes: "If it weren't for your reminder, I probably would have been ambushed by the Death Eaters."

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

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

"You're welcome. You're very strong, and Dumbledore speaks highly of you."

The two spoke in hushed tones on the professor's desk, and Weiss finally confirmed that this Moody was real and not some imposter.

The students' voices grew louder, interrupting their conversation.

"Really, Headmaster?" the twin brothers Fred and George asked loudly. "You're not kidding, are you?"

Dumbledore, swayed by the twins' conversation, said, "Since we're on the topic of jokes, I'm reminded of a very funny one. One day, a troll, a she-devil, and a goblin walked into a pub together..."

Seeing Dumbledore rambling on about trivial matters, Professor McGonagall, sitting in her chair, cleared her throat, trying to remind him to get back to the point. However, Dumbledore seemed not to hear her, and in desperation, Professor McGonagall tapped her cup with her spoon.

Dumbledore snapped out of his reverie and turned to the students: "Excuse me, students, but actually, I have some very important news to announce."

He looked around to make sure everyone was listening attentively, then continued, "This year, Hogwarts will host a special tournament—the Triwizard Tournament."

The students immediately erupted in excitement, and discussions arose everywhere.

The Muggle-born students, unaware of what was happening, joined the celebrations after hearing it was a grand event not held in a century. Then, Dumbledore announced the cancellation of all Quidditch matches for the year due to the Triwizard Tournament.

This disappointed the students somewhat, but they quickly put the unpleasantness behind them, thinking that a bigger celebration awaited them.

(End of this chapter)