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Chapter 576: The Hog’s Head
🕑 Added 2025-03-04 11:54:00 +0000 UTCHogsmeade was unusually quiet, a stark contrast to its usual bustling atmosphere. With the Triwizard Tournament's final match—the most celebrated event in centuries—drawing everyone, even the shopkeepers, to Hogwarts, the village seemed almost deserted.
That tranquility was shattered moments ago by two shocking announcements: first, Harry Potter’s mysterious disappearance, and then the Champion of the Triwizard Tournament vanishing in front of the crowd.
This prompted an immediate need for inspections, but only among those who knew the truth of the matter. To most, these disappearances were puzzling but not alarming. When Kyle had vanished, many simply assumed it was another twist orchestrated by the judges.
At The Hog's Head, the situation was far less tranquil.
Sirius Black stood with his wand raised, his expression menacing as he faced the cranky old owner.
Remus Lupin was there as well, systematically lifting the hoods of the bar’s patrons to check their identities. The customers were unusually cooperative. But then again, not many would dare defy a fully transformed werewolf—especially one towering close to seven or eight feet tall.
Yes, it was a full moon.
Despite his transformation, Lupin had retained his human mind, thanks to the Wolfsbane Potion he had taken earlier. He’d been resting in the Shrieking Shack when Sirius brought him the troubling news about Harry and Kyle’s sudden disappearance. That was all it took for Lupin to abandon his rest and join Sirius in the search.
For the first time in decades, Lupin found himself not resenting his werewolf nature. In fact, it proved useful.
The grumpier customers who might otherwise have resisted Sirius’s inspection had immediately quieted upon Lupin’s arrival. Wands were hastily stowed, and they began cooperating with surprising enthusiasm. They were now as obedient as Hogwarts first-years at their Sorting.
The only exception was the owner, a tall, thin man with long gray hair and a beard. He seemed perpetually irritated and was holding a grimy glass that he was halfheartedly wiping with an equally dirty rag.
"Get out!" the man snapped at Sirius. "I don’t have whoever it is you’re looking for."
“You wouldn’t know that,” Sirius countered, unfazed. “Everyone knows The Hog’s Head is the best hiding spot in Hogsmeade.”
The owner’s face turned red with anger, and he launched into a string of insults. Yet, despite his outburst, he made no move to stop Lupin, who continued his search. All the while, the owner kept polishing the glass in his hand.
Sirius couldn’t help but frown. If anything, the glass seemed to grow filthier the more the man wiped it. The professors at Hogwarts weren’t wrong: anyone visiting The Hog’s Head was better off bringing their own glass.
“Pop!”
The sharp crack of Apparition from outside sliced through the tension like a knife. The sound carried clearly into the bar, and Sirius’s instincts kicked in immediately.
At the same moment, Lupin froze, his head snapping toward the door as he sniffed the air.
Without finishing his inspection, Lupin emitted a low whimpering sound at Sirius, then bolted outside, moving with inhuman speed.
They weren’t the first to arrive. As Sirius charged out of the bar, he spotted Professor Moody standing rigidly in front of the Shrieking Shack, his back to them.
“Stupefy!”
A jet of red light hit Lupin square in the chest, flinging him backward into the dirt.
“Wait, Professor Moody!” Sirius shouted urgently. “It’s Remus Lupin!”
Hearing Sirius’s voice, Moody hesitated. His wand tilted slightly, causing the second curse he’d been ready to fire to veer off course, striking the ground beside Lupin. A thunderous explosion left a five-foot crater in the clearing.
Cold sweat trickled down Sirius’s face. His mind reeled at the thought of what would have happened if that Blasting Curse had hit its target. Werewolf or not, Lupin wouldn’t have survived.
“Remus?” Moody turned his head, his blue magical eye swiveling in its socket.
“Yes,” Sirius confirmed quickly. “Thanks to Dumbledore’s efforts, the villagers agreed to let him live here. He’s had Wolfsbane Potion—he’s in control and here to help find Harry and Kyle.”
“I see,” Moody muttered, lowering his wand. “A werewolf’s sense of smell can be useful for tracking, but we won’t be needing it now.”
His magical eye darted behind him.
Sirius followed Moody’s gaze and froze.
There stood Kyle, steady and unharmed. Beside him lay Harry on the ground, pale and dazed, clearly in pain and clutching an injured leg.
“Thank Merlin you’re back!” Sirius exclaimed, forgetting Lupin entirely as he rushed toward them. “What happened? Are you all right? What’s going on?”
“That’s what I’d like to know,” Moody said, his voice low.
“Voldemort. He’s been resurrected,” Kyle stated plainly.
The words hung in the air, suffocating the group with their weight.
“That’s impossible... It’s impossible!” Sirius stammered, his voice trembling. He struggled to accept what he’d just heard. Memories of that fateful night—when James and Lily had died—flooded his mind.
Moody’s expression darkened. For once, he remained silent, his usual gruff demeanor replaced by a grim stillness.
“I don’t want to believe it either,” Kyle said, shaking his head. “But it’s true. Professor Dumbledore is fighting him right now, and that’s the only reason we were able to get back.”
“You saw him?”
A voice emerged from the shadows. Snape stepped forward, his face pale and tense, and seized Kyle by the shoulders. “Are you sure you saw the Dark Lord with your own eyes?”
“I’m certain, Professor,” Kyle replied firmly.
Snape’s hands trembled faintly as they rested on Kyle’s shoulders. His eyes flickered, betraying the storm of emotions beneath his usual stoic mask.
“He’s really back...” Snape murmured, almost to himself.
It took a long, heavy moment for Sirius and Moody to process the revelation. Though they knew Kyle wouldn’t lie about something so grave, the enormity of the claim—Voldemort’s return—was almost too much to accept.
What was equally unbelievable was that Kyle and Harry had escaped from Voldemort at all. They knew Dumbledore had only just arrived, summoned by Fawkes minutes after Kyle’s disappearance. Harry, meanwhile, had been taken even earlier, before the tournament’s start.
What had happened in that time?
Sirius’s chest tightened with unease. He walked to Harry, carefully helping him to his feet. Harry looked pale and exhausted, but alive.
It was then that Professor McGonagall arrived, hurrying toward them.
“By Merlin’s beard! What on earth happened here?”
Kyle repeated his explanation.
McGonagall stood frozen, her mouth trembling as she listened. Unlike Sirius and Moody, she didn’t hesitate to believe him.
“My, my... You-Know-Who...” Her voice wavered as she looked between Kyle and Harry. Her gaze lingered on Harry’s injured leg before she spoke again. “I’m so relieved you’re both alive. I’ll take you straight to the Hospital Wing.”
“I’m fine, Professor McGonagall,” Kyle insisted. “Please, take Harry first.”
“No way!” McGonagall said sharply. She wasn’t swayed by Kyle’s protests. “Both of you are going to the Hospital Wing, and that’s final.”
