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Patrë-on/Se7enX
Yeah! Here's the new chapter!
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'Wait a minute...' Sarah paused for a mont, trying to calm herself after her initial mont of panic.
'We all saw Ethan arriving at the center of the maze. And even though he disappeared along with Harry and Fleur, he was obviously still alive and well up until that mont,' she quickly analyzed the situation.
As disturbing as the situation was, those fleeting seconds in which Ethan appeared were concrete proof that, up until the mont he was teleported sowhere else, he was fine.
And realizing that her son was okay, Sarah cald down a little, feeling her racing heart start to beat softly again.
However, this relief soon dissipated in the face of an even more disturbing truth.
There was no way to ignore the disconcerting fact that her son had been in the exact spot where a dead body now lay.
'He was there... in the sa place where that dead man was found' Sarah thought, her expression turning dark.
Between the ti the magic mirrors stopped working and the mont Ethan reached the cup, soone was murdered inside the maze. And according to the information revealed so far, the only person present at that location during the interval of the cri... was her son.
Sarah swallowed hard.
The more she thought about it, the more certain she beca that her son was sohow involved in this disastrous situation.
And as much as her mother's heart wanted to deny it, her instinct scread sothing else. She knew Ethan, she knew the fire that burned inside him.
He was no ordinary boy. From an early age, he had displayed an unusual intensity, an energy that oscillated between genius and savagery.
And she knew that, when necessary or faced with a dangerous situation, he would be capable of doing things that many people would, without hesitation and without much thought, judge as wrong or bad.
Looking at her husband beside her, she saw that Joshua seed lost in thought. His brow was furrowed, an apprehensive expression on his face.
Joshua then seed to feel Sarah's gaze on him, turning to her with concern in his eyes.
And at that mont, when the gazes of the two worried and anxious parents t, there was no need to say a single word.
They had co to the sa conclusion... A cruel and inevitable conclusion.
''Ethan was involved in that man's death!''
They weren't the only ones who realized this. Remus, Androda, Dumbledore, Professor Flitwick... They all felt that the man's death was caused by Ethan, directly or indirectly.
Of course, no one said anything out loud, but their suspicion hung thick and tense in the air.
And those who knew Ethan's fierce, brutal and decisive personality more deeply, like Nick, Penny and Sirius - the latter having even been threatened with death by the wild boy in the third year - were sure that it was he who had killed this man.
The three of them, as well as Sarah and Joshua, trusted Ethan unconditionally, and knew that there must be a reason why he killed that man. However, even with their trust and loyalty to the Ravenclaw wizard, they were still curious, wanting to know why he had gone to this extre.
And besides, there were also other nagging questions about this situation that needed answers.
Who was that dead man? Why was he inside the maze while the task was taking place? And why was he wearing Alastor Moody's clothes?
These questions ran through everyone's mind, creating confusion and chaos.
However, while everyone was trying to put the pieces of this obscure puzzle together, Nick looked ahead towards the entrance of the maze, spotting sothing coming from afar.
"They're coming," Nick comnted, pulling everyone out of their thoughts and breaking the tension for a mont.
And looking towards the entrance of the maze as well, everyone saw the ministry wizards and witches who had entered the maze to retrieve the corpse, approaching while levitating two large things behind them.
"Teddy," Sarah began, turning to the muggle-born wizard, "Could you please take Cele sowhere quieter and safer? I don't want her to be here when the ministry officials arrive with that dead body," she requested, pursing her lips slightly.
Her plea wasn't just maternal, it was a cry for emotional self-preservation. Cele didn't need to see that... No child did.
"Please take Gabi too," Apolline quickly chid in, obviously shaken, "She's seen enough disturbing things today."
And hearing the request of the two mothers, Teddy saw no reason to refuse, especially because he also knew that the children should not be there at that mont.
"Okay," he nodded.
He then approached the two children who were standing next to their fathers, smiling friendly at them as he crouched down to their level.
"So Cele and Gabi, how about we wait for your parents sowhere else while they sort out so complicated adult issues?" he suggested to the two girls.
"Okay, Uncle Teddy" and Cele, who was already quite familiar with Teddy, nodded easily.
And seeing her new friend agree, Gabi nodded too.
"Pomona, go with them, please." Professor McGonagall turned to her friend and co-worker, concern in her eyes, "Take them to the dical tent, and when you're there, tell Poppy to be on standby in case she's needed here."
"Of course Minerva," the Head of Hufflepuff replied with a small, reassuring smile, before heading towards Teddy and the two little girls.
After Professor Sprout waved to Teddy and greeted the two children cheerfully, the four then began to head towards the dical tent, which was near the entrance to the Quidditch Pitch.
And watching them leave, the two worried mothers couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
'One less thing to worry about' Sarah thought.
Sarah had asked Teddy to look after Cele because she knew he was trustworthy and kind, as well as very patient and caring with children. However, that was only the secondary reason behind her request.
The real reason she made this request specifically for Teddy was much simpler and more obvious.
Of all the people there, Teddy was the only one who didn't have a direct or deep emotional connection to the missing champions. He wasn't a father, mother, godfather, guardian, or brother. This made him the best person to step away from the scene without carrying the burden of direct responsibility.
As for the others... it was unthinkable that they would leave.
Sarah and Joshua were Ethan's parents, and Nick and Penny were his adoptive grandparents.
Apolline and Jean were Fleur's parents.
Sirius, besides being Harry's godfather, could also be considered a kind of father to the green-eyed boy, while Remus, even though he was not a blood relative, was practically an uncle to him.
Androda, in turn, was Harry's aunt, both through the Black blood they shared and through her connection to Sirius, his guardian.
And Dora was Harry's cousin and, as a student of Moody - whose clothes were being worn by the man found dead -, she needed to remain at the scene to give her perspective on the situation.
So considering all this, it made sense that Teddy would be the best suited to take care of the children at that mont, while the others were left to deal with the current big problem, which could only be described as a succession of tragedies and mysteries.
In the ti it took for Teddy and Professor Sprout to lead Cele and Gabi away, the ministry officials who had entered the maze finally arrived in front of Headmaster Dumbledore and the large group of worried relatives.
"Headmaster Dumbledore, Minister Fudge. We have recovered the body of the dead person from the maze, and we have also rescued the Durmstrang champion," said the wizard who led the squad of witches and wizards from the ministry.
"Good. Take Mr. Krum to the dical tent, and as for the body, leave it here on the ground," Headmaster Dumbledore said, not giving Fudge ti to even open his mouth to say anything to his employee.
"Yes sir," the ministry wizard nodded.
He then, with a wave of his wand, brought forward one of the bodies he levitated behind him – the one covered in a black cloth –, before depositing it on the ground in front of the Headmaster.
With a respectful nod to the Headmaster, the man walked away, sending half the squad to accompany the unconscious Krum to the dical tent, while the rest of the wizards and witches returned to the maze in search of more clues as to the whereabouts of Ethan, Harry, and Fleur.
After this ministry official left, a tense and somber silence fell over the group and that area of the Quidditch pitch.
Everyone's gaze, be it the concerned relatives, the tournant judges, or the teachers, fell on the covered corpse in front of them.
The dark cloth covering him felt heavier than it should have, as if he were carrying not only a corpse but also the answers to a hundred unasked questions.
End.
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