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Chapter 279: Moody, the Neighbor
Chapter 279: Moody, the Neighbor
In the early morning, a chilly breeze swept across the grass, and sunlight filtered through sparse leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
In the once quiet garden, there were four or five people gathered around a small tombstone, surrounded by an assortment of nuts, seeds, and corn.
Ferdinand, dressed in a priestly manner, spoke in a deep voice,
"Today, we gather here to bid farewell to a tiny life. In her brief two years, she brought us much peace and joy."
"And now, she has departed for another world, leaving us with everlasting memories."
"Dear Millie, may you run freely in that world, may you have an abundance of food, and may there always be warm sunshine."
"Rest in peace, friend."
Fiona sniffled, and tears fell, pattering to the ground.
Well, she hadn't been that sad initially because she had known from the start that hamsters like this had short lifespans.
But perhaps Ferdinand's eulogy was so touching that it evoked her empathy, causing Fiona's tears to flow.
It wasn't until the funeral ended and they returned to the living room that she finally calmed herself.
"Sorry, I couldn't hold it in..."
Fiona choked up, "Now that I think about it, Millie was so well-behaved... Even later, when she couldn't run in her wheel, she would crawl into my palm..."
"It's normal to feel sad about losing a friend... Millie has merely escaped an aging and heavy body. In heaven, she'll be a beautiful and healthy little hamster..."
Ferdinand comforted Fiona by embracing her shoulders. Ved felt he had no room to interject, so he walked over to the only guest standing by the window, who was staring outside with a serious expression.
In the kitchen, several small dolls were busy cooking, filling the room with the sound of pots and pans, giving it a lively atmosphere.
"Mr. Moody," Ved approached and asked, "What are you looking at?"
"Just now, a Muggle-dressed man rode past on the road outside, passing by the truck parked on the side of the road."
Moody spoke solemnly and gravely.
Ved glanced outside once more.
The place they were currently staying at was not a suburb of London but the house next to Moody's. It was located near a regular town, and the road often had passing vehicles.
By the roadside, there was an ordinary red truck, and a few ordinary pedestrians were walking by.
"Um... Is there a problem with someone riding past?" Ved asked cautiously.
"Of course!"
Moody slowly drew his wand, his tone grave. "At that guy's speed, he should have appeared on the other side of the truck forty seconds ago... But I never saw his figure."
Ved looked outside again; everything was calm and peaceful, with no abnormalities.
Moody scoffed, "Hmph, disguising as Muggles, what a clever idea. Too bad I'm more cautious than they think. But be careful, the pedestrians might be their accomplices!"
He glanced at Ved, who was standing with a relaxed posture, and whispered,
"Stay alert, kid!"
"Although the attacker might be targeting me... They could also be after you. Compared to your parents, you're an easier target, and someone might even want to kidnap you..."
Before Moody finished speaking, a young man emerged from behind the truck.
His clothes were dusty, and he leaned on a deformed bicycle with both hands, his left leg covered in scrapes and blood, limping as he walked.
Apparently, the reason he hadn't appeared on time earlier was because he had accidentally fallen.
Moody stared at the man with a suspicious gaze for a good while until he disappeared from sight.
Then, he swallowed the rest of his words, naturally changing the subject as if he hadn't just engaged in a battle of wits with the air itself:
"I heard that Lockhart even taught you guys?"
"Yes," Vold said. "He taught us Dark Arts Defense for half a year before he was exposed and taken away by the Aurors. He was replaced by Professor Abigail."
"What did he teach you?" Moody asked, limping over to sit in a nearby chair.
"Nothing useful, really," Vold replied. "He mostly talked about his past heroic deeds—which we now know were false—and had us perform plays."
"Plays?" Moody asked, puzzled as to how this related to Dark Arts Defense.
Vold then proceeded to describe Lockhart's teaching methods.
The retired old Auror fell silent for a moment before speaking, "He sounds like a useless fool... Based on this alone, it's hard to imagine how he managed to escape from Azkaban, isn't it?"
His magical blue eye, along with his normal one, turned to the newspaper on the small table.
It was the Daily Prophet.
Ferdinand had insisted on subscribing to this newspaper to better understand Vold's world.
The front page of this particular issue featured the news of an Azkaban prison break, and not just one, but three escapees! This caused quite a stir in the magical community.
For the past two weeks, Fudge had been making frequent, flustered assurances on camera, promising that the Ministry would swiftly recapture the escapees and ensure everyone's safety.
But two weeks had passed, and all three were still at large, with the Ministry failing to apprehend any of them.
Public criticism was mounting, and it seemed like the words were about to be thrown in Fudge's face. He had no choice but to expand the search efforts, and even Muggle news outlets were displaying the fugitives' faces.
Some began to criticize Fudge for sharing magical affairs with the Muggle Prime Minister.
The two sides engaged in a daily back-and-forth of accusations and explanations in the newspapers, reminding the public of the evil and cunning nature of the three fugitives, especially Peter Pettigrew.
"Beware of every rat near you! They could be Peter Pettigrew!" the Ministry warned in the newspapers, emphasizing Pettigrew's Animagus form.
At the bottom of the page, several advertisements for rat-catching potions followed.
...
When Vold saw the newspaper, he realized he had made a hasty assumption.
He had assumed that Peter Pettigrew, like Sirius in the story, had used his Animagus form to escape Azkaban, evading the Dementors' watchful eyes.
Animagus transformations were not common, and without the necessary magical materials, like Mandrake leaves, it was difficult to teach others.
So, it was already impressive that Peter managed to escape on his own, and Vold hadn't considered that he might have accomplices.
Two of them, to be precise.
Aside from Lockhart, who was clearly incompetent, what was the identity of the man named Gal? The Ministry's information only stated that he was arrested for violating the Statute of Secrecy and harming a Muggle hospital worker, without providing further details or an assessment of his magical abilities.
Perhaps because his crimes were not particularly noteworthy and he didn't resist much during his capture, the Ministry had limited information about him.
The focus of the reports remained on "Peter Pettigrew, the right-hand man of the mysterious person."
Where were Gal and Lockhart when Vold found Peter? Did they know the cause of Peter's death?
Vold pondered these questions in his mind.
(End of Chapter)
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