r18novel Chapter 416 The Truth... Revealed?
Chapter 416 The Truth... Revealed?
Chapter 416 The Truth... Revealed?
"Did you find anything?"
As Cedric and Harry reached the shore, the others immediately surrounded them. The most excited of them all was probably Fleur from Beauxbatons. Her face was pale, and even with water droplets constantly dripping from her forehead, she still bit her lip and looked at Harry with remarkable determination: "You—you found something?"
"————" Harry and Cedric exchanged a glance, both looking puzzled and confused, and they almost instinctively shook their heads.
"It seems we're the only ones who can do this." Krum looked at Siegfried beside him and said in German, "We can't be falsely accused of murder."
"————" Siegfried nodded silently, her gaze focused more on Loila, who was lying motionless on the ground.
Even at the very last moment before she entered the water, she was still looking at Loila.
Then came silence, a deathly silence that filled Harry and Cedric, their hearts filled with too much confusion.
Harry, in particular—he frowned, deep in thought about what had just happened, and then subconsciously looked at everyone present.
Dumbledore sat expressionlessly in the chair, his eyes closed, seemingly deep in thought.
Mrs. Maxim was the same; she leaned back in her chair with her brows furrowed and her eyes closed, seemingly lost in thought.
As for Karkaroff—he was still nowhere to be found, and no one knew where he had gone.
The professors' attitudes were almost identical to those of the principals, except for Snape, who looked preoccupied. He stood among everyone with a grim expression, appearing quite anxious.
Harry pursed his lips, his gaze following Snape's robes. His outer robes were completely covered up; they were dark black, almost the same color as the fabric found in the water.
But there were no marks on it.
"Do you think it's him?" Fleur's voice suddenly came, and she looked at Harry in a low voice, seemingly noticing Harry's gaze.
Do you think it's him?
She asked again.
"Ah—that—" Harry's thoughts were interrupted. He looked at Fleur, whose eyes were red-rimmed, and didn't know what to say. Snape was indeed a strong suspect.
But—this suspicion always made him feel uneasy—felt, strange.
Seeing Harry's silence, Fleur didn't say anything more. She just bit her lip and returned to Emma's side, where the usually timid girl gently patted her shoulder to comfort her.
"Splash!"
I don't know how long the silence lasted, maybe ten minutes, maybe just a few seconds, then the sound came from the water. Krum was the first to emerge, followed by Siegfried.
With the help of several Aurors, the two of them hurriedly climbed ashore and immediately headed toward Crouch without stopping.
"We have something to say, Mr. Crouch," Siegfried said in a low voice, speaking to Crouch amidst the somewhat surprised looks of the others.
"Are you sure?" Crouch's voice was much clearer.
"I'm sure," Siegfried said through gritted teeth. "It's definitely him!"
he?
Crouch paused for a few seconds, then slowly said, "I'm sorry, Miss Ansbach—I am not qualified to arrest a professor under these circumstances."
"professor?!"
His words caused an uproar among those present, and Dumbledore slowly opened his eyes.
But—it was just Harry's imagination—Dumbledore's eyes seemed to carry a certain—expected meaning?
"Who do you suspect is the murderer?" Furong asked immediately.
Krum pursed his lips and glanced at Siegfried. The two nodded and said simultaneously, "It was Severus Snape who did it!"
This answer did not surprise Harry—after all, Snape was indeed a strong suspect—but it seemed to surprise the professors present. They all stared at Snape in astonishment, speechless for a moment.
"Ha." Snape's expression was grim, but he still managed a cold laugh. "Have you all gone mad?"
He said, slowly and deliberately, "How could anyone have such a foolish idea?"
"Then how do you explain this thing we found underwater?" Krum gritted his teeth, pulled something out of his pocket, and held it high.
It was a pendant, a pendant that was emitting a faint green light.
"This is—" Harry and Cedric exchanged a glance. This was the one Snape had always worn, and he wasn't wearing it around his neck at the moment.
"Heh." Snape sneered. "Is this what you call evidence?"
"The content of the second match was originally related to me, so it was perfectly reasonable for me to go into the water, wasn't it?"
"This is where we found it, in the direction Professor Hamilton went missing."
“Of course,” Snape interrupted Krum, shaking his head. “Because according to the rules of the match, she is supposed to meet up with me and leave Black Lake together.”
"It's perfectly normal for my pendant to be there, isn't it?"
Harry, watching the argument surrounding the pendant, pursed his lips and looked at Cedric, asking quietly, "Have we found it?"
"No—" Cedric recalled, "It was very dark in the water—it's normal that we didn't find it."
Indeed—Harry nodded knowingly. So it seems that the murderer really is—Snape?
"All I can say is—to think I'm the murderer because of something like this—you're all incredibly stupid," Snape said sarcastically. "Or are you just eager to avenge your senior?"
His sudden mention of the deceased made Krum clench his fists immediately, while Siegfried, standing to the side, looked—expressionless, as if she had maintained that expression ever since this incident began.
But they weren't the only two present.
"What are you saying?!" Fleur rushed forward excitedly upon hearing this, gripping her wand as if about to do something, but before she could make a move, she was stopped by Madam Maxim.
"Don't get agitated!" Mrs. Maxime hugged her tightly to comfort her. "We can't be so sure that Professor Snape did it."
"He and Miss Hamilton are colleagues, after all—"
"It's definitely him!" Fleur's voice trembled with tears. "Harry—Harry, produce your proof! You know it's him!"
"————" Harry felt a tightness in his body when he was suddenly called out, and all eyes in the room turned to him.
"Harry—" Cedric pursed his lips and finally nodded.
Seeing Cedric nod, Harry, though still confused, slowly took the tattered strip of cloth from his pocket.
"This is what we found," he said slowly. "It's—a strip of cloth the exact same color as Snape's robes."
"It really is you, Snape!" Fleur became excited again upon seeing this, and the others who saw the strip of cloth also looked surprised.
"Is it really you, Severus?" Dumbledore asked slowly, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.
"————" Snape stared at the strip of cloth for a few seconds, then gritted his teeth and said, "My robes are perfectly intact."
"Bott, you didn't pick this up somewhere, did you?!"
"And what about your lining!" Hibiscus retorted. "This fabric is clearly not for a robe; it's a lining!"
Lining?
Harry stared blankly at the strip of cloth in his hand. It seemed that neither he nor Cedric knew much about clothing—they both subconsciously assumed it was an overcoat.
But wait a minute—if it's a lining.
"So—you all think Snape saw it?" Crouch asked slowly, looking around. As he spoke, the Aurors all raised their wands and pointed them at Snape.
"I'm sure!" Krum shouted immediately, "It's him!"
"I'm sure too!" Fleur gritted her teeth and glared at Snape. If Madam Maxime hadn't stopped her, she probably would have rushed up and bitten Snape.
"I—" Cedric was about to nod, but Harry suddenly stopped him.
"Wait—Cedric!" he cried out instinctively. "Something's not right—"
"What do you mean?!" Fleur glared at Harry immediately upon hearing this. She subconsciously thought that Harry was going to defend Snape, but as soon as she opened her mouth, Emma grabbed her sleeve.
"Wait—wait a minute, Fleur—" she said, biting her lip, "Let's hear—let's hear Harry's thoughts first."
Q
"I also feel—something's not right." Siegfried, who hadn't spoken until now, finally spoke. She seemed to have been thinking the whole time, and only now did she say, "This matter is definitely not that simple—"
"Harry—" Dumbledore finally spoke, his tone changing slightly for the first time. He said gently and slowly, "Harry—since you have a different opinion, then speak it out."
"After all, we can't wrong any innocent person, can we?"
"Hmm—" Harry nodded with Dumbledore's encouragement, then gritted his teeth and said something that shocked everyone present.
"I think—"
"Professor Loila Hamilton is not dead at all."
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