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Chapter 618: A Conversation with Mad-Eye Moody
Chapter 618: A Conversation with Mad-Eye Moody
"I believe I explained before that enchanting a powerful Magic Item is no easy task..." Ivan furrowed his brow.
"But you can do it, can't you?" Mad-Eye Moody cut Ivan off abruptly.
"I didn't tamper with the Triwizard Cup. If you insist on suspecting me, there's nothing I can do about it!" Ivan glanced at the "Golden Antenna" on the table, avoiding a direct answer.
Mad-Eye Moody stared at him for a moment before turning his magic eye away. His tone softened slightly. "Of course, I'm willing to believe you! Otherwise, I wouldn't be having this conversation with you. Dumbledore also thinks it wasn't you..."
Ivan let out a sigh of relief. He couldn't explain this situation, and if Mad-Eye Moody kept pressing, it would have been troublesome.
"Since you've identified three suspects, what are your next steps?" Ivan continued.
Mad-Eye Moody spoke with confidence:
"I've already interrogated Snape and Karkaroff over the past few days, but I couldn't get anything out of them. So, I plan to approach Crouch next!
He's not in the castle now, but he will definitely return for the first Triwizard Cup event. I'll arrange to meet him alone and see if I can find out where he's been!"
"However, I always prepare for the worst. Barty Crouch is not an easy opponent. I know his capabilities. If there's a confrontation, I might not be able to handle him alone, so I need a partner..." Mad-Eye Moody added.
"If you need help, I can assist you!" Ivan said straightforwardly. He was looking for a reason to investigate Crouch, and Mad-Eye Moody had just presented him with the perfect opportunity.
"Your help would be greatly appreciated!" Mad-Eye Moody was pleased. Crouch's position was significant, and Dumbledore would not approve of his investigation, meaning he couldn't get assistance from other Professors in the castle.
Ivan's strength, as demonstrated in Defense Against the Dark Arts, was formidable. Even Mad-Eye Moody couldn't easily subdue him.
"Still... Mr. Crouch is your superior, isn't he? Is it really a good idea to confront him like this?" Ivan hesitated, looking at Mad-Eye Moody.
"I'm not an Auror anymore, and he's no longer the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement!" Mad-Eye Moody played it smooth.
But Ivan doubted that even if Crouch were still Mad-Eye Moody's superior, this legendary Auror would still have the nerve to investigate him!
"By the way, there's something I forgot to show you!" Mad-Eye Moody suddenly remembered. He hobbled over to the corner of the office on his wooden leg, opened one of the boxes, and pulled out a piece of parchment with charred edges.
"Recognize it?" Mad-Eye Moody handed the parchment to Ivan.
"What is it?" Ivan took it and saw that it was the piece of paper the Triwizard Cup had spat out, bearing Harry's name.
"The handwriting! I mean the handwriting! You should understand what I'm getting at..." Mad-Eye Moody said impatiently.
Ivan looked at the handwriting on the parchment again, noting its unique style. He realized Mad-Eye Moody intended to trace the culprit through the handwriting.
Mad-Eye Moody was indeed meticulous, always noticing details others overlooked. Ivan had not considered that the handwriting could be a clue to the mastermind behind the incident.
"I'm sorry, I've never seen this kind of handwriting before! It doesn't match anyone I know..." Ivan carefully recalled, but he couldn't place it.
Mad-Eye Moody looked somewhat disappointed. He sighed and said, "I spent some time collecting handwriting samples from all the students in the school and compared them one by one, but no one matches!"
Handwriting from everyone in the school?
Ivan looked at Mad-Eye Moody with surprise, wondering how he managed to collect all those samples...
Wait, could it be from the homework assignments he collects regularly?!
Ivan's expression became quite peculiar.
Being a professor certainly has its advantages. Mad-Eye Moody could easily obtain handwriting samples from all the students by assigning a few classroom tasks.
It was quite clever of Mad-Eye Moody to think of such a method. If not for his reminder, Ivan wouldn't have realized his handwriting had been investigated.
"What about Crouch's handwriting? Have you confirmed it?" Ivan asked.
"I've seen his handwriting when I worked under him. The style is completely different! However, he might have had someone else write it in advance and brought it along!" Mad-Eye Moody gruffly replied.
Ivan nodded. That meant they had no choice but to try to get information from Crouch. No wonder Mad-Eye Moody was willing to confront his former boss.
"Anyway, we'll meet with Crouch after the first task. I'll let you know the exact time!" Mad-Eye Moody said.
Their conversation lasted for over half an hour. By the time Ivan left Mad-Eye Moody's office, the sky was already beginning to lighten.
Cold and hungry, Ivan patted his empty stomach. He ultimately decided against going to the kitchen to find a house-elf. It was already this late, so he didn't want to bother them and decided to just have breakfast instead.
...
The next morning, after a brief nap, Ivan yawned and joined the others in the Great Hall for breakfast.
Harry was also looking quite groggy.
Due to witnessing the Dragon's power and ferocity the previous night, the immense psychological pressure kept Harry from getting any sleep. He even had nightmares about the Dragon, which spewed scorching flames and swallowed him whole.
After Harry recounted his experience to Hermione, she couldn't help but scream, "Has the Ministry of Magic gone mad? They actually plan to make you face..."
"Face a Dragon!" Hermione forced herself to lower her voice to avoid being overheard by others.
"Who knows? Maybe the Ministry of Magic thinks it's more exciting this way!" Ivan said as he stuffed a large piece of butter biscuit into his mouth, his words muffled.
"Exciting? That could get you killed! Not many Wizards have the ability to subdue a Dragon on their own..." Hermione was clearly upset.
"What can we do? We can't change the content of the task... We need to think about how to deal with it."
Harry's face was full of worry. He had no appetite and kept flipping through his copy of *How to Handle Dangerous Creatures*, hoping to find a way out.
"What about using a Stunning Spell? Professor McGonagall used it to subdue Norbert!" Hermione suggested.
"Dragons have high magical resistance. If Norbert wasn't so young, the Stunning Spell wouldn't have worked. You can't expect Harry to have Professor McGonagall's level of magical skill..." Ivan reminded her.
(End of Chapter)
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