Chapter 578: Sirius' Reasoning

"I think someone tried to stop Moody from coming to Hogwarts," Sirius said, "It must have been Death Eaters or vampires, and Karkaroff may have been involved. I'm not too sure about that.... Knowing Karkaroff, unless he's sure that Voldemort is strong enough to protect him, he won't rush back to his side."

He sat on the rotting step of the Shrieking House, frowning and thinking.

"But it is undeniable that Death Eaters and vampires are more active than usual. Voldemort is behind these things. You must know that." Sirius continued. "They must be planning to do something during the Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts. That's why they tried to stop Moody, because they knew it would be much harder with him around. Mad-Eye has sniffed out intruders far too often. But that doesn't mean he can detect them now. Moody was the best auror the Ministry had years ago."

Sirius' reasoning was very good, but unfortunately he didn't know about Barty Crouch Jr. Or, more accurately, he didn't believe Barty Crouch Jr. was still alive.

Ivan had told him earlier, but Sirius and Mr. Weasley, who were present at the time, thought it was just Ivan imagining things.

Moody, the only one who thought Ivan was right, had already been attacked and locked in a box.

Of course, none of this mattered. What really mattered to Ivan was what Sirius was saying about what the vampires were doing on the outside. These things had escaped Ivan's control and were developing in an unpredictable direction.

For a while, no one spoke; everyone was digesting what Sirius had just said.

Gabrielle wasn't talking either and her little face was full of worry. She sat next to Hermione and listened quietly to those frightening things.

Just now Ivan and the others were confident that Gabrielle wouldn't divulge the secret, and that she could stay with them.

"Sirius, you mean..." Hermione said slowly, "it was Karkaroff or some Death Eater or vampire who got mixed up at Hogwarts and put Ron's name in the Goblet of Fire."

"For now, that's what I think, yeah!" Sirius nodded.

"Why would they do that?!" Ron bristled, like a cat whose tail had been stomped on, and said angrily, "What's the point of making me champion and then letting the dragon kill me?"

"Obviously, their purpose is Harry or Ivan!" said Sirius, "They probably want to kill Harry, avenge Voldemort, or fulfill other purposes. As for Ivan, Voldemort probably wants his philosopher's stone!"

"I'm the one who became champion! I'm the one who's going to face the dragon!" shouted Ron. "Not both of you!"

He looked at Harry and Ivan and turned to Sirius again. He couldn't believe that he had been made champion and was going to face the fire dragon because someone wanted something with Harry and Ivan.

"The exact reason is not known. One can only guess. Ivan and Harry have been under surveillance by Dumbledore and other professors. It was hard for the guy hiding in the dark to start with them," said Sirius, "but it was much easier to put his name in the Goblet of Fire. I'm sure something will happen at the tournament involving the two of them."

Hearing Sirius' reminder, Ivan suddenly thought of the second task the champion would have to perform on his nearest and dearest.

He wasn't worried about him, but if Ron chose Harry....

What was going on under the water of the second task wasn't too easy.

"I'm more inclined to think they'd target Harry rather than Ivan!" Sirius turned his head, looking at Harry with concern, "You're not strong enough yet. If someone wants to kill you and make it all look like an accident, this tournament is a great opportunity."

"Now that's a seamless plan!" Harry grinned reluctantly.

Ron gasped as well and sat down dejectedly. Sirius' words were clear. If there was any accident, they would bury him with it. Or maybe there wouldn't be so much of a problem; he probably wouldn't even make it past the dragon and would soon be torn to pieces.

"If that's the case, what are those people going to do?" asked Hermione. She was more sober than Harry and Ron.

"I don't know!" Sirius shook his head and continued. "Be careful of strangers around you, especially the Durmstrang champion and Karkaroff. If anything happens, you can go to Dumbledore or Moody."

He cast a suspicious glance at Gabrielle and quickly averted his gaze.

"Sirius, you should tell me how to deal with those fire dragons!" Ron said suddenly.

"Right... those dragons," Sirius said, "There is a way to deal with them. Don't be tempted to try a stun spell. Dragons are strong and too magically powerful to be taken down by a single stun spell, it takes about seven or eight wizards at a time to defeat a dragon."

"Great!" said Ron, "How am I going to have the magic of seven or eight people!"

"Of course you can't, but you can do it alone," said Sirius, "There is a way, and a simple spell is all you need. Aim for his eyes and use the Conjunctivitis Curse, Ron, that's his weakness."

"Conjunctivitis Curse?!" rushed Ron, "Ivan taught it to me, but I haven't learned it yet. The spell is very difficult, so if I master this spell, will I be able to deal with the dragon?!"

"It will only cause a temporary loss of sight. The eyes are the most vulnerable part of the dragon's body." Sirius waved his hand. "It's a long way from defeating or killing them completely, but it's enough to get you through the assigned tasks."

They then discussed the Conjunctivitis Curse for a while, and Ivan demonstrated it personally several times.

Ron seemed to regard it as a life-saving straw, and studied it very seriously.

But the result was disastrous, as he was unsuccessful. Magic was too difficult for him.

Ivan suspected that even if Ron learned the spell, it would be a matter of him having the courage to use it.

In the face of the terrible dragon, fear could paralyze him outright.

"Your movements are too stiff, Ron, and you don't read the spell fast enough." Said Ivan, pointing out Ron's mistake, "The posture of waving the wand is not correct, your right hand is a little low."

While Ivan, Hermione and Gabrielle were urging Ron to practice the Conjunctivitis Curse, Sirius was also teaching Harry.

He believes the ultimate goal of this incident was Harry, and of course, he needed to get stronger as soon as possible.