Chapter 520: Departure
Chapter 520: Departure
In the compartment, several Aurors were chatting about recent events.
"Did you think the Dark Lord had no brains? Think again. How did he gather his first group of Death Eaters? If you think he only used force, you're dead wrong", Moody said hoarsely. "Overreliance on the Anti-Apparition Charm will only lead us into the enemy's trap. We must remain vigilant."
Hearing this, Dedalus couldn't help but snort.
"I was involved in the last war too. All I saw were the Dark Marks he and his Death Eaters left behind, and those shadows... The only impression he left on people was fear."
"The most profound impression", Moody roared, pulling out a curved flask and taking a hard swig.
"I was an experienced Auror from the very beginning, even before the Dark Lord publicly recruited Death Eaters... In the first two years of the war, Voldemort did a good job of hiding his cruel and vicious side. He spent most of his time promoting his radical ideas, recruiting people, and maintaining a low-level conflict with the Ministry of Magic. At that time, he didn't follow the Ministry's orders, doing things his own way... But the then-Minister was fooled by his facade, hoping to resolve the conflict peacefully. As a result, Wizards who openly opposed the Dark Lord kept disappearing, and dark creatures were secretly recruited... Minister Millicent finally saw the truth, but by then, it was too late to stop the Dark Lord's rise."
"So, you're saying he was a competent leader in the early stages of the war?" Felix interjected.
"It depends on how you look at it. He focused on the ancient Pureblood Families, gaining funds and followers from them. Yes, I use the term 'followers.' His actions did indeed deceive a number of people, a bunch of fools... They took out their hidden treasures to support him, like the Black Family", Moody's good eye glanced at Felix. "If it weren't for the Black Lady's poor health, I'd suspect she would have joined the Dark Lord's ranks, tying herself to him completely."
"So, when did Voldemort's character start to change? When did he become brutal?" Felix asked softly.
"Probably in the middle to late stages", Moody mumbled, smacking his lips. "It's hard to pinpoint exactly, but it felt like those years. He might have thought he had the upper hand, that it wouldn't be long before he ruled Britain, so he reverted to his true nature."
Felix had a different perspective.
Those years might have been when he frequently challenged Dumbledore. According to Dumbledore's explanations, he had repeatedly injured Voldemort, but Voldemort always bounced back quickly. Felix suspected Voldemort might have secretly used a Horcrux.
After all, based on the information Felix had gathered, Voldemort was extremely confident in his efforts to conquer death. If he hadn't experienced resurrection himself, it would be hard for him to be so self-assured.
At that moment, the Hogwarts Express was traveling through an open wilderness, with patches of varying shades of color sliding past their eyes.
Felix estimated the time and took out a silver pocket watch from his pocket.
With a "click", the lid popped open.
The Aurors' eyes all focused on it, and after a few seconds of silence, a pink snout poked out, followed by a black, furry head. Valen emerged from the watch's space, looking around in confusion.
"Chirp? (Is this the school?)"
"Not yet", Felix said. "But you've been asleep for almost a day. Come on, I'll take you for a walk. Hermione and Harry are in the compartment."
Valen perked up, first stretching lazily on Felix's lap, then leaping to the compartment door and eagerly beckoning him. Felix asked the others, "I might buy some food. Do you want me to bring you some?"
The others all shook their heads.
"We'll get it ourselves if we need it", Kingsley Shacklebolt said steadily, and Diggory nodded in agreement.
Felix didn't say anything more, opened the door, and stepped out.
"Help me find Harry", he said to Valen.
Valen's Niffler sniffed around, first to the east, then to the west, and finally stopped in front of a compartment. Felix, peering through the window, saw Harry, Neville, Ginny, and Luna sitting together. He smiled, "All familiar faces, this will be much more convenient."
Felix pulled open the compartment door, and Neville was just introducing his birthday gift to his friends.
"The Mimbulus Mimbletonia, it's a gift from my grandmother. She gave it to me when I returned home", he said, pointing to a plant that looked like a stunted cactus. However, instead of thorns, it was covered in small, pimple-like growths.
"It—um—what can it do?" Harry asked, staring at the plant. He found it hard to like it.
"It has many uses!" Neville said proudly. "It has an amazing self-defense mechanism. I plan to use it in my Daydream Charm; I just found a bit of a knack for it—"
"Daydream Charm?" Harry asked, genuinely hoping Neville would focus on that, but Neville was already eager to show off the peculiarities of his new pet. He pulled a quill from his pocket and leaned toward the plant.
Everyone's attention was drawn to his movements. Harry felt a sense of foreboding and leaned back in his seat; Luna, on the other hand, peeked out from behind her copy of The Quibbler with her large, protruding eyes.
"Could you wait until I leave to demonstrate?"
Felix's voice interrupted, and everyone looked up. Neville's hand froze in mid-air, and Harry felt a wave of relief.
"Professor Hup, why are you here, um, you said—leave?" Harry couldn't help but ask.
Felix nimbly slipped inside and pulled the compartment curtain shut. He put a finger to his lips and whispered, "Shh. Can I trust you?"
In the serious atmosphere, Harry, Ginny, and Neville nodded dumbly, while Luna, a bit slower, finally greeted him from behind her magazine, "Hi, Felix."
"Hello, Luna. Have you solved the riddle in the magazine?" Felix asked.
"Not yet—"
After the greeting, Felix got straight to the point.
"You may or may not know, but this train is protected by various protective charms, such as anti-Apparition—" He glanced out the window, where a faint mist could be seen, and in the distance, there were mountains and forests.
Felix drew out his new wand. "For certain reasons, I need to leave temporarily, and you will pretend you didn't see anything, alright?" Without waiting for their response, he waved his wand, and a small vent above the window popped open.
"Professor, is there anything I can do?" Harry asked, his hair getting tousled by the sudden gust of wind.
"Of course, close the vent after I'm out", Felix said, putting away his wand.
"But how will you get out? The vent is too small—" Harry nearly bit his tongue. Professor Hup's body began to shrink rapidly, like in slow motion. Harry could see every detail, but in an instant, the professor was gone, replaced by a Swift with long, narrow wings, hovering in the air before darting out of the compartment.
The four students were stunned. Luna blinked and looked out the window. The Swift lingered in their view for only a few seconds before disappearing.
"Are we dreaming?" Luna said in her light, airy voice.
"Luna, I think that must have been an Animagus, Professor Hup's Animagus", Ginny said.
Harry felt someone tugging at his clothes. He looked down and saw a Niffler, pointing at the open vent.
"Valen? Oh, right." Harry stood up and closed the vent. By then, Valen had already sat between Harry and Ginny, reaching into a silver pocket watch and pulling out a bag of cream cookies.
"Chirp?" it looked at Harry.
"Huh, I didn't hear that?"
Valen puffed up with frustration, gesturing emphatically with her small hands.
"I think she wants you to help her open the bag", Luna said. "Clever little one, she can even write."
There was one more thing, but it would have to wait a bit.
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(End of Chapter)
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