Hogwarts: I will not become the Dark Lord

Jerry and his group followed Mr. Weasley back to the campsite. The masked Death Eaters were gone, leaving behind a scene of devastation—most of the tents were burned, and several Aurors from the Ministry of Magic were near Jerry's group's tent, dealing with the corpses of the Death Eaters Jerry had burned to death.

"Did any of you see who killed this Death Eater?" Mr. Weasley asked, turning around.

Everyone exchanged confused glances and shook their heads. From Harry's perspective, the evil Death Eater had suddenly collapsed and died in agony. They were completely unable to detect that Jerry had killed the Death Eater right in front of them!

"If that's the case, forget about it," Mr. Weasley sighed softly, then stepped into his family's tent.

"Dad, you're finally back! We got separated from Harry and the others in the dark. We were so worried!" Ginny exclaimed anxiously as soon as she saw her father.

"Ginny, dear, don't worry. I've brought them all back safely," Mr. Weasley reassured her. Jerry, Hermione, Harry, and Ron also entered the tent.

"That's wonderful! You're all safe and sound!" The twins were relieved, the weight lifted from their hearts.

Inside the tent, the atmosphere was heavy and tense. Bill sat at the simple small table, a bloodstained sheet tightly wrapped around his injured arm, blood still seeping through the fabric. Charlie's shirt was torn, and Percy was wiping the blood from his nose with his sleeve. All three looked rather disheveled.

"Here, this is Dittany," Jerry quickly took out a potion from his bag and handed it to Bill. "Did you run into the Death Eaters again?"

"Thanks, Jerry!" Bill gratefully accepted it. He carefully unwrapped the sheet from his wound, and Mr. Weasley immediately stepped forward, carefully applying the Dittany to the wound to relieve pain and promote healing.

"Those Death Eaters Disapparated as soon as things looked bad!" Bill looked at Mr. Weasley, his eyes full of resentment. "Dad, how was your side? Did you catch any of the Death Eaters causing trouble? And what about the person who cast the Dark Mark?"

"Alas, the Death Eaters scattered the moment they saw the Dark Mark. We couldn't track them at all," Mr. Weasley shook his head helplessly. "However, we accidentally found Mr. Crouch's house-elf, Winky, below the Dark Mark. She was holding Harry's wand at the time. But as for who used Harry's wand to cast that evil mark, we still don't know."

Upon hearing this, Bill, Charlie, and Percy were shocked and exclaimed in unison, "What?"

"Mr. Crouch's house-elf?" Percy's voice trembled slightly with shock as he repeated the words, his chest heaving with anger, as if he was about to explode.

Seeing this, Mr. Weasley recounted the sudden incident in the forest and all the details they had discovered to everyone. After he finished speaking, the tent was silent except for Percy's heavy breathing, which sounded particularly jarring in the quiet.

"In my opinion, Mr. Crouch should severely punish such a disobedient house-elf!" Percy said angrily. "The master explicitly ordered her to stay put, but she left without permission, and in full view of everyone, especially in front of so many Ministry of Magic officials, she embarrassed her master. If she were to be sent to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures for trial, it would be a great shame for Mr. Crouch…"

"Winky is innocent! She was just unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time!" Hermione suddenly interrupted Percy sharply, defending Winky, which surprised everyone.

At Hogwarts, Hermione and Percy had a good relationship, at least better than with the mischievous Weasley twins, because their personalities were quite similar in some ways!

"Hermione, you need to understand that Mr. Crouch is the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. If his house-elf is running around causing trouble with a wand, how can he bear the responsibility?" Percy explained.

"She didn't cause any trouble!" Hermione retorted eagerly. "She just picked up Harry's lost wand from the ground!"

"Alright, everyone, I understand your emotions," Mr. Weasley interjected in a timely manner. Although he agreed with Hermione's point of view, now was not the time to discuss these things.

"Dad, was that terrifying green skull in the sky really the Dark Lord's mark?" Ron's voice was filled with uncertainty and fear.

"Don't say that name, Jerry," Mr. Weasley and the others sitting around him shuddered involuntarily. "You haven't experienced those dark times, so it's hard to understand. Imagine one day, on your way home, preparing to reunite with your family, you suddenly look up and see that chilling mark hovering over your home. How would you feel? Your family might… It's a deep-seated fear, the nightmare that everyone wants to avoid the most."

Everyone fell silent. Mr. Weasley sighed softly and continued, "Alas, whoever conjured that mark tonight has undoubtedly caused us a lot of trouble. The Death Eaters scattered like frightened birds at the sight of it, and we didn't even have time to unmask them. But fortunately, we managed to rescue the Roberts family in time, preventing them from suffering more serious harm. Now, their memories are being modified by the Obliviators from the Ministry of Magic."

"These Death Eaters… what was their purpose in doing this tonight?" Harry's voice was full of unease. He recalled that the scar on his forehead had suddenly started to hurt a few days ago, and tonight Voldemort's mark appeared in the sky. Could there be a connection between these two things?

"Purpose?" Mr. Weasley smiled bitterly. "Harry, that's where their twisted pleasure lies. Back when the Dark Lord was alive, these lackeys killed Muggles, often just to seek excitement and pleasure. I guess tonight they couldn't resist showing off—they are still lurking in the shadows, numerous and active. It's a 'pleasant' little gathering for them, but it makes all of us uneasy."

"Alright, kids, there are still a few hours until dawn. Everyone try to rest for a while and regain your strength. We'll leave the campsite early tomorrow morning," Mr. Weasley tried to cheer himself up. "Tonight, we'll all squeeze into one tent to sleep. Although the conditions are simple, we can look after each other."

They left the room and beds for the girls, but halfway through the night, Hermione hugged her pillow and tiptoed to Jerry's side to sleep.

"What's wrong? Still worried about Winky?" Jerry whispered, afraid of waking the others.

"No," Hermione gently rested her head on Jerry's shoulder, gazing at him with thoughtful eyes. "I was just wondering, why did those Death Eaters Disapparate in a hurry as soon as they saw the Dark Mark? Logically speaking, shouldn't they be excited about it?"

"Use your little brain and think about it," Jerry turned to her, a gentle smile on his face. "If those people tonight really were Death Eaters, since the Dark Lord's downfall, they must have tried every means to escape the Ministry of Magic's reckoning. To avoid being locked up in Azkaban, they would have gone to any lengths to fabricate lies, claiming that they were coerced by the Dark Lord to commit crimes."

"In fact, they may be more afraid of the Dark Lord's return than anyone else. After all, after the Dark Lord's fall, they were eager to distance themselves from him, and they must have put all the blame on the Dark Lord. Imagine, if the Dark Lord really comes back, how will he treat those who once betrayed him?"

"That's true…" Hermione listened to Jerry's analysis, her gaze shifting across his face, sometimes focused, sometimes absent-minded. Then, she yawned, her eyes gradually becoming drowsy, and eventually fell asleep soundly beside Jerry.