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Chapter 412: Portkey!!
Darren went to bed very late that night.
Mrs. Weasley had been badly shaken by his words.
She cried for a long time.
This made Darren regret everything.
If he had known, he wouldn't have acted so pitiful.
In the end, he could only keep comforting her.
Fortunately, Mrs. Weasley finally remembered that they were leaving for the Quidditch World Cup the next morning.
She hurried everyone back to bed.
---
Darren felt as if he had just closed his eyes—
When suddenly Mrs. Weasley was shaking him awake.
"Oh, Darren! Hurry up, it's time to go!"
He packed half-asleep.
When he came downstairs, he found that everyone looked equally miserable.
Everyone was yawning.
Even Ginny and Hermione leaned against their chairs with sleepy expressions.
Mrs. Weasley was rushing back and forth, packing bags.
She stuffed in large amounts of food and supplies.
The Burrow was quiet in the early morning.
Then Fred and George came out.
And instantly, everything became noisy.
They were carrying a large stack of toffees that they had made.
Toffees that caused your tongue to swell until it became enormous.
Mrs. Weasley immediately exploded.
She demanded that they destroy them all on the spot.
She insisted those joke products were ruining their future.
The twins fought back.
The argument erupted.
Darren watched lazily from his chair—
Then fell asleep while watching.
When he woke again, they were already ready to leave.
"Oh, Darren, we were just about to wake you!"
Hermione said cheerfully.
She grabbed his arm.
---
They walked for a long time.
Until they reached a hillside.
Two people were already standing there.
Cedric Diggory.
And his father.
Cedric had red hair and was tall.
Taller than both Harry and Darren.
He wasn't as good-looking as Darren—
But he had beaten Harry in a Quidditch match.
Mr. Weasley looked around.
"We need to find the Portkey first."
---
Portkey.
The word made Harry tense instantly.
He hated that word.
In second year, Darren had vanished in the dormitory.
Gone for two full days.
Without warning.
Without explanation.
It was later discovered that a Portkey had been used.
Someone had planted a Portkey in Darren's dormitory.
Just to take him.
When Darren returned, he was covered in wounds.
Half-dead.
To this day, no one knew who did it.
And the Ministry never gave Darren an explanation.
Harry burned with anger just thinking about it.
Instinctively, he looked at Darren.
Then he noticed—
Everyone was looking at Darren.
Even Fred and George had stopped joking.
There was worry in all their eyes.
Darren met their gaze gently.
"Don't worry."
"I don't remember what happened."
"You said I was covered in wounds…"
"But I didn't feel anything afterward."
"So you don't need to worry about me."
He smiled.
As if nothing had ever happened.
But that only made it worse.
They all knew—
Those injuries had been enough to kill a normal person.
Something unspeakably horrifying must have happened during those two days.
So terrible—
That Darren had erased his own memory.
Even Dumbledore believed Darren had done it himself.
And so—
No one ever dared to examine Darren's wand.
They were afraid.
Afraid of discovering something that would break them completely.
And Darren—
Could still smile after all that.
It made Harry's chest ache.
---
"Let me introduce you!"
Mr. Weasley said, breaking the silence.
"This is Amos Diggory from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures!"
Amos laughed loudly.
"Everyone, hello! I'm Amos!"
"This is my son Cedric."
"You should all know him, yes?"
"Very famous at Hogwarts."
"Excellent in both grades and character!"
"And I heard the only one better than him is Harry Potter's younger brother—Darren Potter!"
He shoved Cedric forward proudly.
Cedric turned red and hurriedly greeted them.
Then Amos laughed again and said to Arthur:
"All your children?"
"You're lucky."
"I didn't expect someone like you could produce so many good seeds."
"Oh? Is that the youngest?"
"Handsome kid."
"I can already see his future admirers!"
Arthur grimaced.
"Diggory, don't talk nonsense in front of the kids!"
"They're still young!"
"Of course that's Darren Potter."
"He's not my son, but I treat him like one!"
Arthur laughed.
Amos looked at Darren closely.
Then suddenly froze.
"Wait… Darren Potter?!"
He hurried forward and shook Darren's hand excitedly.
"Oh, my wife met you in court!"
"She became your biggest fan!"
"She talks about you every day!"
"She always says you're better than Cedric!"
"But I don't agree. Cedric's Quidditch is clearly stronger—"
Cedric nearly died of embarrassment.
"Dad!"
"I told you—Darren is really good at flying too!"
"He just isn't on the Slytherin team!"
Amos waved dismissively.
"That proves you're excellent! You're on Hufflepuff's team!"
Darren listened silently—
Then sighed.
Good grief.
Why does everyone compare their child to me?
He raised his head and looked at Cedric seriously.
Then said softly:
"Senior is really amazing."
"I can feel how much your father loves you."
"My brother and I don't have one."
"Our father exchanged his life for my brother's survival…"
"And bought more than ten years of peace for the wizarding world."
"So, senior…"
"Please treasure your father."
"Okay?"
[Ding, Father value +70]
[Ding, Father value +60]
[Ding, Father value +80]
[Ding...…]
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