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Chapter 434: Moody's Assignment
Chapter 434: Moody’s Assignment
Lavender Brown muttered something under her breath.
"What was that? I didn't hear you", Moody growled, taking a few steps closer.
Lavender was startled, her body instinctively leaning back. The book on her lap fell to the ground with a thud, and she quickly picked it up and put it back in her desk.
"I, uh, I just said, maybe it wasn't me he was after", she said, her face turning red.
The classroom erupted in low laughter.
Moody didn't laugh. A few students—Harry, Ron, and Hermione—didn't laugh either, as they already knew the answer.
"Did you find that answer particularly brilliant?" Moody said softly. "What if you happened to get in the way of his plans? What would happen then?"
The air in the classroom seemed to freeze. Moody dragged his wooden leg a few steps forward, stopping in front of Lavender. Her body began to tremble violently.
Parvati, sitting next to her, mustered the courage to speak up. "Professor Moody, I think... the Dark Wizard who infiltrated the school must have had a specific purpose, right? We encountered a similar situation in our first year when a Dark Wizard tried to get his hands on the... um, the Philosopher's Stone?"
"It's the Philosopher's Stone", Hermione whispered, glancing at the back of the room with the others.
Moody's good eye turned to Parvati, while his magical eye remained fixed on Lavender Brown.
"Miss Patil, you're correct. A Dark Wizard who infiltrates a school always has a specific purpose and must proceed with caution until that goal is achieved. But that's assuming everything goes according to plan..."
"But what if it doesn't?" His broken nostril twitched. "Like now, a book caught my attention, and if 'I' were that Dark Wizard, and if 'I' wanted to divert attention... what would happen then?"
Moody suddenly drew his wand, and a brilliant burst of flame shot from the tip, shattering the classroom windows. A series of screams echoed through the room.
He calmly waved his wand, and the broken glass and window frames repaired themselves.
"To a Dark Wizard, a window and a human life are of equal value. If he decides that a couple of people should die in the school at a certain moment, and those people are insignificant... why shouldn't you be one of them?
Moreover, we're not dealing with an ordinary Dark Wizard, but with more dangerous Death Eaters, fanatically loyal to the Dark Lord, who are plotting his resurrection with all their might—"
"Professor, the Dark Lord is dead!" a student said fearfully, looking at Moody as if he had finally lost his mind.
"Is he?" Moody grinned. "During the war, the Dark Lord would occasionally vanish for a while, and some believed he was dead. But he always returned, announcing his presence with a series of bloody massacres. Perhaps he enjoys the dramatic flair."
He extended his rough hand. "Miss Brown?"
"Wh-what?"
"The book", Moody said calmly.
Lavender stood up, trembling as she handed him the newly purchased copy of "Defying the Dark Terror."
Moody flipped through a few pages, his face contorting with disgust, and then returned the book to her. He limped back to the podium, sifting through a stack of parchment. "Before I begin my story, there's something I need to do. I suddenly realized a problem: you are too far removed from the war, and you have no concept of it..."
"Fortunately, I didn't idle during the holidays and compiled some materials", Moody said, pointing to his head. "Professor Hup suggested I write down everything I could remember from the past six months, to piece together a coherent narrative, which might help me recover some lost memories..."
"I refused to write it on paper, but I still spent a considerable amount of time reflecting on my past experiences, and in doing so, I recalled even older events. I believe some of these are valuable and can be used in teaching... Miss Brown, could you read this for me?"
He pointed his wand at the podium, and a few pieces of parchment floated over. Lavender Brown took them and glanced at the contents, her face turning pale.
"Miss Brown?" Moody glared at her menacingly.
"Oh, I... okay." Lavender's expression was on the verge of tears as she shakily read aloud:
"Bellatrix Lestrange, Death Eater, tortured countless Muggles and those who opposed the Dark Lord during the Wizarding War. She has a particular fondness for the Cruciatus Curse. She is involved in at least 137 terrorist acts, with 206 known Muggle victims and 29 known Wizard victims. The list of victims includes: Pock Keane, who died from the Cruciatus Curse, along with his wife Winnie and their five-year-old son Bousni; Solzbury Joushur, who died from the Incendio Curse... Bellatrix Lestrange was ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment."
"Rodolphus Lestrange, Death Eater, participated in most of the actions carried out by his wife, Bellatrix Lestrange, and his brother, Rabastan Lestrange... sentenced to life imprisonment."
"An-Anonin Dolohov, Death Eater, participated in the brutal murder of Fabian and Gideon Prewett, who dared to resist the Dark Lord's rule... the list of victims... sentenced to life imprisonment."
"Evan Rosier... killed by Aurors during the Dark Lord's downfall."
"Mulciber, Death Eater... died during the war."
"Wilkes, Death Eater... died during the war."
"Mulciber Jr. was accused of using the Imperius Curse on multiple individuals, forcing them to commit terrible acts, causing ongoing chaos and terror... Sentenced to life imprisonment."
"Fenrir Greyback, a werewolf and leader of the werewolf community, is notorious for his fondness of attacking children. He is dedicated to turning more people into werewolves, hoping to build a powerful army to fight against wizards... During the war, he followed the Dark Lord, and the Ministry of Magic issued a warrant for his arrest, but he remains at large..."
The bell rang, signaling the end of the class, but Lavender hadn't finished reading. She looked pale, as if she had just suffered a severe illness.
Moody calmly rolled up the parchment. "We'll continue next class. I think this lesson was very meaningful. For homework, find the names of as many Death Eaters as you can and list what they did... I’ve already given you an example, haven’t I?"
"I can also give you a hint about next class—something I just thought of—those who sacrificed themselves during the war to resist the Dark Lord’s rule. You can start researching and preparing in advance."
Moody left the classroom with heavy steps.
The students quietly packed their things, too shaken to speak. Lavender let out a dry heave and ran out of the classroom, crying. Parvati followed behind, carrying both of their belongings.
Ron stared after them, uneasy. "She really had it tough today. I thought this term would be a bit easier for us..."
Harry sat in his seat, his face pale.
"Harry, are you okay?" Ron asked, looking at Harry. Hermione shook her head at him, and he suddenly remembered that Harry's parents had been killed during the war. He patted Harry's shoulder.
"Fenrir Greyback", Harry said suddenly.
"What?" Ron and Hermione looked at him in shock.
"Fenrir Greyback", Harry swallowed, "Sirius Black told me that Remus was bitten by a werewolf named ‘Fenrir Greyback’ when he was a child. I thought that werewolf was locked up in Azkaban, but it turns out he escaped punishment!"
Ron was initially startled, then his expression cleared. He consoled, "Don’t worry, he won’t get away with it. If we ever run into him, we’ll catch him."
His tone was as if he was talking about a Kneazle that bit people, and all he had to do was kick it away when he encountered it.
Harry, however, laughed. Hermione, irritated, said, "We should focus on learning the Warming Charm first. By the time the ice on the Black Lake melts, we’ll need to practice swimming!"
"Swimming in the weather of January and February?" Ron’s mouth dropped open, as if he had never considered this before.
"I’ve planned a series of spells: the Water-Repelling Charm, the Warming Charm, the Disarming Charm, the Bubble-Head Charm or the Human-Form Armoring Charm, and some basic spells..." Hermione ignored Ron and continued, "We should aim to complete these by the end of January, leaving enough time to prepare for any unexpected situations—"
"Have you set a time with Fred and George Weasley yet?" She turned to Ron.
Ron stammered, "N-no, not yet."
"Then what are you waiting for?" Hermione put her hands on her hips, looking intimidating. Harry and Ron shrunk back, looking a bit fearful.
The last few students left the classroom. Draco Malfoy looked troubled, his face not much better than Lavender’s.
Ron said sharply, "Maybe he’ll get an excellent grade on this assignment. He just needs to write a letter home and ask his father and those Death Eater friends what they did back then..."
Harry noticed Malfoy’s steps pause, guessing he must have heard. But strangely, this time he didn’t show his usual mocking smile. Instead, he walked away without looking back.
Harry turned around and saw Hermione picking up a book from the back table.
"Oh, it’s Lavender’s. I think she might not have the energy to pack up... I’ll bring it to her", Hermione said, her gaze lingering on the author’s name on the cover. She hesitated for a moment, "Of course, we could take a look at it first."
...
In the evening, in the Ancient Runes office.
A beetle crawled in through a crack in the window and slowly transformed back into human form. Rita Skeeter panted heavily. She particularly disliked meeting Felix alone, but she had no choice. She was about to be driven mad.
Her new home—had shown signs of being broken into the day before yesterday. She didn’t know if it was the work of a deranged Death Eater. She couldn’t imagine that the fugitive ‘Barty Crouch Jr.’ would risk appearing near her house when wanted posters were plastered everywhere.
‘Maybe it was an overzealous fan...’
But she couldn’t convince herself of that. Besides, that black-haired man was desperately trying to find out about her. Damn it, she hadn’t even mentioned the surname ‘Black’ in her new book. At most, she had hinted at it in the title and character backgrounds...
The lights in the room suddenly turned on.
Rita Skeeter jumped, her eyes wide as she barely made out the figure sitting on the couch. Her heart raced.
"Rita, I’ve been waiting for you."
Felix spoke softly, holding Waren, the Niffler, who was looking at her with curious eyes.
"Chirp (the beetle turned into a human)?"
(End of Chapter)
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