[121] Before the Roar

The cold voice rang out: "Who are you? How dare you meddle in my business!"

Hall raised his chin. "Who I am is not for you to know. Now get out here, or don't blame me for being impolite."

"Arrogant brat!"

"I'll give you three seconds. If you don't come out, I'll destroy your lair."

Hall waved his wand. A golden-red light shot toward the hole. The ground trembled. Cracks spread.

A dark shadow flew out of the hole, hovering in mid-air. It was a giant spider — larger than a carriage — with eight scarlet eyes and dripping green mandibles. The green liquid hit the ground and corroded a small hole.

The spider lunged at Hall. He didn't flinch. He waved his wand, and a dragon made of golden-red fire soared into the air behind him, roaring as it charged.

Fire and spider collided. The explosion levelled the surrounding trees. When the flames subsided, Hall stood unharmed. The spider was reduced to ashes.

In the distance, lights flickered in Hogwarts Castle. Someone was coming.

Hall turned to Krum and Fleur. "Now. Can you tell me what's going on?"

They exchanged a glance. Krum stammered, fidgeting. Fleur remained silent.

Hall watched them patiently.

"Alright, I'll talk." Krum's voice trembled. "We wanted to — "

"Krum!" Fleur interrupted.

"Fleur, now is not the time to hide it. Hall already knows. There's no point."

Fleur bit her lip, a fierce struggle in her eyes. Finally she relented. "Alright. I'll tell you. But you must promise not to tell anyone else."

Hall nodded.

Fleur took a deep breath. "We've been investigating the first task. A few days ago, Krum and I were in the library when we overheard Bagman and Madame Maxime discussing it. Bagman had too much to drink. He mentioned the first task would be extremely dangerous — we'd face a very powerful magical creature."

"We followed him," Krum continued, "but he shook us off. So we investigated on our own. We found clues that the first task is linked to an ancient ruin in the Forbidden Forest. A powerful magical creature is sealed inside it. We have to seize a treasure from that creature."

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"So you came to the Forbidden Forest to find that ruin?" Hall asked.

Hall's fingers stroked his wand. He was calculating the odds of subduing the two in front of him.

They both knew these were incredibly powerful magical creatures, yet they'd come unprepared.

Now he understood why Krum had arranged the meeting for ten o'clock at night — he'd hoped to figure out the first task before telling Hall.

"That's right," Krum said, glancing at the black ashes on the ground. "We found this place based on the clues, but we didn't expect..."

"That black spider — is it the magical creature guarding the ruins?" Hall asked.

If he wasn't mistaken, it was a descendant of Aragog — Hagrid's pet Acromantula. But Aragog had a pact with Hagrid not to harm humans. This one had shown no such restraint.

"It must be," Fleur said fearfully. "We hadn't even found the entrance before it discovered us."

"Do you have any other clues?"

Krum and Fleur both shook their heads.

"It seems we have no choice but to go in and take a look," Hall said, walking towards the enormous ancient tree.

"You're going in?" Krum and Fleur were startled. "It's too dangerous!"

Fleur grabbed Hall's arm, her hand trembling.

Hall glanced back. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."

He approached the tree. Its trunk was covered in the marks of time. Hall reached out and touched it. A chill ran from his fingertips through his body. He examined the trunk carefully, searching for the entrance.

He noticed an inconspicuous groove at the base — oddly shaped, like an eye. He pressed his finger against it.

Click.

A crack appeared in the trunk, widening into an archway. Beyond it lay a deep, dark tunnel.

"You can wait here, or leave now," Hall said.

"We'll go with you," Krum said.

Fleur nodded. "Yes. We can't leave you here alone."

Hall turned and walked into the tunnel. It was pitch black. He drew his wand and lit it with Lumos. The tunnel was long and quiet — only the sound of their footsteps echoed.

After about ten minutes, light appeared ahead. Hall quickened his pace. The tunnel opened into a vast underground space, brightly lit. It was a massive arena with tiered stands capable of holding tens of thousands of spectators.

At the centre stood a tall stone pillar. Atop it rested a gleaming golden trophy — the Triwizard Tournament trophy.

A commotion arose at the arena entrance. A group of people filed in. Leading them was Dumbledore, followed by Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, Professor Flitwick, and other Hogwarts professors, along with Madame Maxime and Karkaroff.

Hall frowned. He was absolutely certain the person before him wasn't Dumbledore. He looked at the man he knew was not Professor Snape. These were impostors.

Fleur tried to call out to Madame Maxime, but Hall grabbed her arm.

"The show is about to begin," Hall said, a cold smile on his lips.

The false Dumbledore walked to the centre of the arena and raised his hands. "Welcome to Hogwarts, everyone, for the Triwizard Tournament!" His voice echoed through the arena, hollow and sinister. "After a fierce competition in three events, we have finally reached the final!"

The professors below erupted in applause. Their faces wore stiff smiles, like puppets.

"Before the final begins, I'd like to introduce a special guest..."

A tall, thin figure emerged from behind. He wore a long black robe and a silver mask that obscured his face. A chilling aura emanated from him.

"Who is he?" Krum whispered, his teeth chattering.

"I don't know," Fleur said.

Hall studied the masked man. He felt he'd seen this person somewhere before, but couldn't place him.

The masked man walked to Dumbledore's side. "Headmaster Dumbledore. I've come as agreed."

The false Dumbledore nodded, his smile ingratiating. "Thank you, esteemed..."

He paused, unsure how to address the man.

"You can call me..." The masked man's voice was icy.

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