Chapter 419: You Look Familiar

Chapter 419: You Look Familiar

The air around them grew silent.

After a few seconds, Harry looked around, puzzled, and asked, "That person... who are you talking about? Who do you mean?"

Lupin paused, then realized and silently gave a bitter smile.

When he was born, the emerging Voldemort had not yet become synonymous with 'terror'. Lupin grew up hearing stories of the dark wizard, Grindelwald, whose name left a deep impression in his memory.

But it was different for Harry and the other children; to them, Grindelwald was already a figure of history, perhaps no different from the demon Emeric or the fairy Norltye, all of which were troublesome knowledge points in their textbooks.

Because Grindelwald was still alive and the pure-blood supremacist party's influence remained hidden, the history class did not go into detail about that period. Instead, the focus of their studies was on fairy rebellions, giant wars, wizarding assemblies, and the evolution of laws.

Among the three children, only Vold showed a thoughtful expression after his initial shock, while Harry and Michael looked completely lost.

Suppressing the anxiety and unease in his heart, Lupin introduced the man to the children, "Gellert Grindelwald, one of the most powerful dark wizards in history... Dumbledore defeated him in 1945, after which he was imprisoned in Nurmengard Wizarding Prison. But now... he has escaped."

Recalling Grindelwald's atrocities across Europe and America, Lupin's heart raced.

"He's been in prison for... almost fifty years, right?" Harry calculated and exclaimed in surprise, "At his age, what could he possibly do?"

"Anything is possible, but he certainly won't be quietly enjoying his retirement," Lupin said worriedly. "Let's go, I'll take you back. Then I need to... find some people and discuss this."

Seeing his grave expression, Vold and the others naturally didn't object. They quickened their pace towards the exit of Diagon Alley.

The crowd in Diagon Alley had thinned significantly. The once bustling street now felt empty, and Mabel, hiding in a corner, unintentionally glanced over and spotted the person she had been desperately searching for.

She opened her mouth to call out, but seeing that he was with several companions, she closed her mouth, pulled her hood over her head, and hurried to catch up.

She wanted to find an opportunity to talk to Vold when he was alone.

As she watched the group about to pass through the archway, Mabel panicked and started jogging. In her haste, she kicked a cage displayed outside a pet shop and fell with a loud thud.

The shop owner, too preoccupied with the news of Grindelwald's escape, didn't scold her. He was pacing around his shop like a mouse looking for a hole to hide in.

Mabel lifted her head and saw the bricks of the archway quickly closing, and the figure behind the door walking away.

"Wait—"

She couldn't help but call out, but the archway had already completely transformed into a solid brick wall, seamless as if separating two worlds.

...

Vold vaguely heard a somewhat familiar voice and turned around instinctively, only to see a dirty wall with piles of unmelted snow in the corner.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked.

"Nothing..." Vold said, turning back and pulling his hood up.

Perhaps it was just the wind, he thought.

They entered the Leaky Cauldron again, but the previously noisy and lively crowd had disappeared, leaving only an old wizard with a bald head slowly drinking in the corner, and two seemingly drunk individuals sleeping on a table, their black robes wrapped tightly around them.

Tom, the owner, was muttering indistinct curses while waving his wand to return the disorganized tables and chairs to their proper places. Hearing footsteps, he glanced over without greeting them, his mood visibly sour.

But then, he spotted a somewhat familiar figure, and his face, which had looked as if someone owed him a thousand Galleons, suddenly broke into a smile.

"Oh, it's Mr. Potter!" Tom quickly made his way through the narrow passage between the tables and approached enthusiastically, "Damn, I didn't see you until now! Would you like a nice hot cup of chocolate?"

Harry had no choice but to stop and shake his hand, saying awkwardly, "No, thank you, we're heading back."

The old wizard in the corner lifted his eyes, his gaze sweeping across Harry's face before moving away to look at the others.

"Alright... alright..." Tom released Harry's hand, looking longingly at the group and saying regretfully, "I'll be waiting for your return, Mr. Potter."

Lupin led the group through the bar and out the door. As they exited, Vold felt a chill on his forehead.

He looked up and saw that the snowflakes, like goose feathers, were finally falling gracefully.

The dark clouds seemed to have reached the top of the tall buildings, and within them, there were faint black shadows moving about, clearly not normal birds or clouds.

Harry's face suddenly turned pale, and the bone-chilling cold made his hands and feet icy. He almost cried out, "Dementors!"

Lupin glanced up and said, "They're not after us, probably just on a regular patrol... Let's go!"

He stood by the roadside, hailing a cab, and explained, "The Ministry of Magic forbids them from causing large-scale disturbances, so these guys either move with the clouds or patrol at night.

A deep blue taxi slowly pulled up alongside them, and under Lupin's urging, Vold and the others quickly piled in. The vehicle started, and in the blink of an eye, it sped off into the distance.

Vold leaned against the window, wiping away the condensation, and glanced back.

He always felt that the height of the Dementors seemed to be continuously decreasing... Were they taking advantage of the snowfall to absorb the happy emotions of people who couldn't see clearly?

Christmas was approaching, and ordinary people had no idea about the escape of the Dark Wizard. The entire city was filled with festive cheer, and cheerful Christmas songs echoed everywhere.

This atmosphere was undoubtedly tempting for the Dementors.

However, before Voldemort began his rampage, the Ministry of Magic had a firm control over the Dementors.

Those guys had been roaming the island for almost ten days, and apart from the attack on the Hogwarts Express, they had behaved quite properly.

Vold withdrew his gaze and turned his head when he heard Harry ask Michael in a low voice, "Are we still going to the department store?"

"We can go tomorrow morning," Michael replied casually. "I just remembered that I've heard of Grindelwald before. But even at the height of his power, he couldn't conquer Britain."

Harry nodded, relieved. He still hadn't finished buying his Christmas gifts, and he didn't want to hastily grab a few things to send out tomorrow.

The two didn't consider Grindelwald's escape to be a serious matter—just as if Hitler were to rise again, people on the other side of the earth would still have to live their lives, unable to drop everything and immerse themselves in constant fear and anxiety.

If Voldemort had made a high-profile announcement of his resurrection, that would indeed be terrifying, as Harry Potter would undoubtedly become Voldemort's primary target.

But when Grindelwald was locked up, not to mention Harry, even his parents hadn't been born yet. There was no grudge between them, let alone a life-or-death situation.

Lupin, sitting in the front, suddenly realized that he had been too tense—perhaps the attitudes of those around him had influenced his judgment, causing him to exaggerate the severity of the situation.

Upon careful recollection, most of the wizards who reacted most strongly to the news were from overseas... The British wizards only became aware and left later.

Lupin slowly exhaled, secretly mocking himself for being less calm than the children.

However, it was Dumbledore who had defeated Grindelwald in the past... Perhaps this time, that person would make Britain his primary target.

But he had just escaped, and whether it was gathering people or planning something, he needed time...

...

Mabel knelt on the ground, dazed and at a loss, not knowing where to go.

A pair of arms lifted her up from the ground, and she heard a gentle voice in her ear, "Are you okay, child?"

Mabel was so startled that she was effortlessly lifted off the ground by the other person. By the time she realized what was happening, it was too late to pull her hood back down.

"Oh no! He saw my face!" Mabel panicked, lowering her head and not daring to look at the kind-hearted wizard, waiting for him to recognize her and scream.

Black mist swirled at her feet, but she suppressed it.

Even though the wizard had only shown her a little kindness, Mabel didn't want to harm him.

At that moment, the Dementor hovering high above, as if drawn by something, abruptly changed course and flew straight down towards them!

"You seem vaguely familiar..."

Where do you live? I'll take you home."

Mabel stared at this man in disbelief, suspecting that he was making fun of her.

Hadn't he noticed her photo on the wall while looking around? Although Mabel was thinner now than in the photo, her hair was tied up, and her clothes were different... But her appearance hadn't changed drastically, how could he not recognize her?

Trocas saw the seemingly terrified girl refuse to utter a word, and he couldn't help but rub his temples in frustration.

Sigh... After all, she was going to be his future student. He couldn't just leave her here alone; what if she encountered some trouble... How could he face being a professor at Hogwarts then?

Trocas had thought that Mabel was chasing after her family, and he silently criticized her irresponsible guardian. He forced a smile and said, "Don't worry, I'm not a bad person. Shall I take you to the Leaky Cauldron? Perhaps your parents will look for you there."

Mabel hesitated and nodded.

If this person was trying to trick her... She wasn't without her own means of retaliation.

Trocas was pleased to see her finally respond, and he smiled, pulling Mabel towards the entrance of Diagon Alley.

His gaze swept over the wanted posters on the wall, and he felt a vague sense of familiarity, but he couldn't quite place it.

He had felt this way several times today—including with the child who bumped into him at the bookstore. Trocas also felt like he had seen that child somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place it.

Children's appearances... They're probably all similar...

As Trocas thought this, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

The temperature around them dropped rapidly, chilling them to the bone. All the joy seemed to have left them, and only despair and sadness remained in their hearts...

He looked up and saw hundreds of Dementors descending from above, rushing straight towards the two of them!

Mabel also witnessed this terrifying scene and realized that they were the 'special unit' sent by the Ministry of Magic to capture her. She was about to jump up and run, but her arm was suddenly grabbed tightly!

"Let go of me!" she screamed, and half of her body instantly turned into black mist.

Trocas, however, didn't see this scene. He was staring intently at the Dementor leading the pack, and with a swift motion, he pulled Mabel close to him. As his foot slipped, he began to spin with her in his grasp.

"Boom!"

In the midst of the deafening blast, the vampire wizard, along with the Silent One, vanished from their original spot!

The Dementors missed their target, and the ones at the front crashed into the ground. Without a target, they searched the streets for a few circles before fading into nothingness, their withered and corrupt forms filled with anger.

...

Mabel's body swayed, and before she could steady herself, she heard the vampire beside her say angrily, "Why did the Ministry release these damn things? This is already the second time they've attacked innocent passersby! It's clear that the previous attack on the Hogwarts Express was also due to Dementor chaos. I almost believed their nonsense!"

Trocas complained angrily, and seeing the little girl staring at him in shock, he gently reassured her, "Sorry, child. It was an emergency, so I brought you back here first. Wait for a few hours, and after those monsters leave, I'll take you back to Diagon Alley, okay?"

Mabel remained silent, exercising caution.

Trocas was already accustomed to her silence, taking it as her consent. He smiled and said, "You can sit anywhere, have some snacks, and I'll write a letter... Gar—"

Trocas raised his voice and called out to his nephew, who was in the bedroom, "Gar— Come and entertain this child for me."

"Okay, Uncle Ryan—"

Gar replied loudly from behind the bedroom door.

Ryan Trocas heard the sound of footsteps and smiled at Mabel, then returned to his study with relief.

He didn't have much energy, but he could still complain to Professor Dumbledore!

After another minute or two, Gar finally emerged from the bedroom, yawning and putting on a sweater.

He ran his fingers through his messy hair, opened the refrigerator, and asked, "What would you like to drink? Water, cola, or tea?"

As he spoke, he turned and glanced casually at his uncle's young guest, and his eyes widened in shock. The cola he had just taken out clattered to the floor.

Gar opened his mouth to shout, but he was suddenly pinned to the ground by a force like black paint, his neck constricted, and his breath seemed to be taken away!

"What was that sound, Gar?"

Gilderoy Lockhart, who was in the bathroom doing skincare, opened the door without seeing the scene outside. He was pulled over and pinned to the ground by a powerful force, becoming Gar's unfortunate companion.

The frail girl stood in the center of the living room, her eyes now completely white. Half of her body had transformed into a massive black shadow, like a beast pinning the two men down, leaving them unable to move!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end