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Chapter 240: Mad-Eye Moody Integrates into the Castle
Chapter 240: Mad-Eye Moody Integrates into the Castle
After the first Defense Against the Dark Arts class of the fourth year, every student left the classroom with a heavy heart.
They walked out of the classroom, their minds preoccupied, and as they saw the other young wizards in the castle corridors laughing and chatting, they felt a sense of disconnection from the world around them.
Sherlock didn't give them any grand speeches, only simply explaining that what they had seen was just one of the many memories in the mind of the former Auror who now served as the castle's caretaker at Hogwarts.
There were other, even more distressing memories that he chose not to show them.
After assigning the homework, Sherlock reminded them that the upcoming classes would be conducted similarly, with firsthand observations of the Imperius Curse and the Killing Curse, before dismissing the class.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione left the classroom together, but none of them felt like speaking first. They exchanged a look and silently made their way toward the Gryffindor common room.
On the way, they encountered Neville, who looked as though he had been thoroughly frightened. His face was pale, and he was walking back in silence.
Ron called out to him, and Neville responded with his usual stammer, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
This prompted Ron to whisper to Harry and Hermione.
"I thought Neville would be more shaken up. I bet he and the Hufflepuffs didn't dare to watch that wizard being tortured by the Cruciatus Curse."
After the class, as Sherlock was about to enter his office, he saw Silke waiting for him at the door.
He asked, puzzled.
"I thought you had another class next. What brings you here?"
Silke's face was stern as she replied.
"Fidelius, who was imprisoned in the German Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries, has escaped again."
Sherlock looked surprised.
"Escaped again? Isn't the security at your old place lax? It just walks out whenever it wants?"
"Someone used the Imperius Curse to control a Silencer, who then helped Fidelius escape from its cell. The German Ministry of Magic hasn't found the person responsible, but my former boss, the head of the Department of Mysteries, wrote to me, suspecting that Fidelius might come after us."
Sherlock stroked his chin, pushed open the door to his office, and walked in with Silke.
"Seeking revenge? That seems like a pretty straightforward motive."
Silke shook her head solemnly.
"I was the one responsible for guarding it, so I know it better than anyone else. It's a vengeful creature. If it had the power, the first thing it would do upon escaping would be to destroy the Department of Mysteries that imprisoned it for over a century. But it clearly doesn't have that power. If it's looking for revenge, it will most likely come after us first."
Sherlock's lips twitched at her words.
"Alright, even if it's vengeful, are we really that easy to deal with? Last time, we were the ones who caught it, which made things a bit tricky. But this time, if it comes to us, what makes it think it stands a chance against me?"
"I haven't divined it", Silke shook her head lightly. "But things are definitely not that simple, especially the person who freed Fidelius. Their goal is the key, and I have a feeling their target is actually you."
Sherlock's expression changed slightly, and he narrowed his eyes, as if a thought had struck him.
“The target is me. That’s quite rare, I don’t have many enemies in the Wizarding World.”
Silke didn’t stay with Sherlock for long; she had a sixth-year class to attend.
“If it really wants to seek revenge, then its main target will definitely be you. You need to be extra careful in the coming days.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t leave Hogwarts unless it’s absolutely necessary,” Sherlock replied with a smile, waving his hand to reassure her.
After Silke left, Sherlock’s expression gradually turned serious, his eyes deep and contemplative, lost in thought.
The following days at Hogwarts were peaceful.
The Triwizard Tournament was set to begin just a few days before Halloween at the end of October. The students remained enthusiastic about the upcoming competition, but life and studies in the castle continued as usual.
Harry had recently noticed that George and Fred seemed to be up to something. They rarely made a spectacle of themselves in the Gryffindor common room anymore. Instead, they often huddled over a piece of parchment, whispering to each other and avoiding everyone else.
According to information Ron had gathered, the Weasley twins were now focused on finding a way to make themselves appear a few months older, so they could meet the age requirement of 17 to enter the Triwizard Tournament.
Harry thought their chances of success were slim. If they could just waltz through, the tournament would be in chaos.
After the first Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Sherlock continued with two more lessons on the Imperius Curse and the Killing Curse, showing the students memories from Mad-Eye Moody’s mind.
Now, whenever fourth-year students saw Mad-Eye Moody in the castle, they would instinctively straighten their backs and look at him with a mix of respect and awe, a stark contrast to their previous tendency to avoid him.
Some of the more daring students, whose greatest ambition was to join the Ministry of Magic as Aurors, even approached Mad-Eye Moody to ask about life at the Auror Headquarters.
Despite his rough exterior, Mad-Eye Moody had a kind heart. One of his most famous deeds was persuading several Aurors who had been wavering between the Ministry of Magic and the Death Eaters to return to the right path—without ever threatening them with a wand, but simply through his words.
He was always willing to chat with Hogwarts students who sought him out and was happy to point out their weaknesses in spellcasting.
This made him quite popular among the students, a stark contrast to the other caretaker of the castle, Filch, who was widely disliked by young wizards.
On the first day of October, the start of the Triwizard Tournament was drawing near.
That evening, as Harry and his friends were walking back to the common room from Potions class, they stopped at a corner in the dungeon corridor.
“What’s that?”
Harry looked at an empty classroom that was rarely used. Through the window, he felt something was watching him.
Ron and Hermione followed his gaze but saw nothing. However, Harry remained unconvinced. He pushed open the door to the empty classroom, and the three of them stepped inside.
The room was empty, with no one around. The only thing out of place was a withered straw on one of the desks, which might have been blown in by the wind or left behind by someone.
(End of Chapter)
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