Chapter 941: Mad-Eye's New Home
Chapter 941: Mad-Eye's New Home
After leaving the Great Hall, Kyle didn't go anywhere else but headed straight back to his wooden hut next to the Forbidden Forest.
Having fought throughout the night and with barely an hour of rest, Kyle was already exhausted from being on the move again from dawn to dusk due to various trivial matters.
Upon returning to his hut, he didn't even change his clothes but collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep slumber.
However, there were those who didn't want Kyle to sleep, such as the wizards who were adept at scheming.
These individuals came from various backgrounds and professions. They were nowhere to be seen during Hogwarts' battle against the Death Eaters, but now that the war was over, they emerged one by one, roaming the castle and eagerly showing concern for those injured in the conflict.
As the primary force fighting against Voldemort alone, Kyle naturally became their target. However, they hadn't found an opportunity to approach him privately due to his constant engagements.
But now, everyone was gradually settling down.
So, these individuals arrived at the hut with various unspoken intentions, hoping to establish a quick familiarity with Kyle.
Most of them, however, were stopped by the Alchemical Fog etched on the door.
Some managed to get past it.
They looked at the others spinning in place, feeling delighted beyond words.
But before they could relish the moment for long, a pair of purple eyes lit up in the dark hut.
Then, they turned around awkwardly and joined the group spinning in circles, only to be shooed away by Hagrid, who had heard the commotion.
...
When Kyle woke up, it was almost noon the next day.
As he stepped out of the hut, the first thing he saw was Hagrid working diligently in the pumpkin patch.
The Death Eaters had previously destroyed his patch, and the new seeds had only been planted by Hagrid the night before.
Next to the patch stood another wizard, chattering incessantly.
He was a stranger, and from Hagrid's impatient expression, it was clear he wasn't very welcome.
But before Kyle could say anything, the stranger noticed him... or rather, while talking to Hagrid, the man's peripheral vision had been fixed on the other wooden hut.
"Oh, isn't that Kyle?"
He approached cheerfully, his face beaming with a radiant smile.
For some reason, Kyle suddenly thought of a former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor... Gilderoy Lockhart, who also had a perpetual smile on his face, as if permanently displaying his teeth.
However, Gilderoy Lockhart's smile seemed more natural than this man's.
"Going by your expression, you don't recognize me?" the man said, seeming to notice Kyle's confusion and striking up a conversation, "I'm an old friend of Chris'. Fudge used to talk about you all the time, and everyone envied him for finding such a capable assistant." Kyle raised an eyebrow.
It was confirmed; the man was from the Ministry of Magic, but it wasn't clear which department he belonged to.
But Kyle didn't think Chris would befriend someone so fake.
"I..."
"Oh!"
Just as Kyle opened his mouth, before he could say a word, the man suddenly let out a loud cry, as if he had been stepped on by a Three-Headed Dog, and jumped up in place.
His cry was so loud that even Hagrid, in the distance, looked up and glanced their way.
Kyle was startled by this sudden scene, and his mind involuntarily flashed back to the previous night's confrontation with Voldemort. Instinctively, he drew his wand.
"Bang!" A muffled sound echoed.
A person rapidly retreated backward and crashed headfirst into the pumpkin patch.
"My mixed fertilizer!" Hagrid's trembling voice was filled with pain, "You idiot! I finally managed to get some good stuff from Pomona, and you wasted an entire bucket of it!"
Hagrid bent over, frantically tidying up, but Kyle couldn't see what he was doing clearly due to the distance.
However, from the brief words, Kyle could guess what was happening.
"Heh, useless fool!" a cold snort came from behind, "The Ministry is filled with such incompetents, no wonder half of them were easily replaced by Death Eaters."
The voice was familiar.
Kyle turned around and exclaimed in surprise, "Mad-Eye... you're alive!"
Now he understood why the man had cried out earlier.
Since he was from the Ministry, he must know Alastor Moody, but in everyone's perception, this legendary and renowned Auror had long passed away, and he might have even attended his funeral.
It wasn't surprising to be startled by seeing someone presumed dead suddenly appear before you, and those with weaker mental fortitude might even faint on the spot.
But his actions also startled Kyle, who then instinctively blasted him away with a spell.
However, in a way, Kyle was lucky because, due to just waking up, he randomly chose the Repelling Charm, the least harmful spell among the few he was most familiar with.
If he had been a little less fortunate, he would likely have faced even more powerful curses.
"It's been a while, Kyle," Alastor Moody said, tapping his magical eye. "Who told you I was dead?"
"No one said that," Kyle shrugged. "But I saw the body of the leader of the Wanderers, the one you impersonated... What was his name, Lex?"
"It's Lenis," Moody corrected him. "You're being unprofessional by not even remembering the name of your opponent."
"It doesn't matter," Kyle waved his hand dismissively. "I'm just an ordinary Ancient Runes professor, not an Auror. Why should I remember the names of all my opponents? Besides, he's dead anyway."
Kyle suddenly sighed. "When I first heard the news, I thought it was you. But since I didn't see you, and couldn't find you, I figured you were taken away by the Ministry along with those dead Death Eaters."
"That wasn't me, but the real Lenis," Moody said calmly. "Lenis incited the Wanderers to betray the Death Eaters and dealt them a fatal blow. It's only natural for him to face retaliation."
"Oh, Merlin!"
At that moment, Kyle felt the ground shake slightly.
Hagrid, holding a wooden spoon, came running from the pumpkin patch, and a pungent smell filled the air.
"Is it the Mad-Eye?"
"By Merlin's beard, is this true? They all said you were dead!"
"Hello, Rubeus," Moody said. "This is indeed true."
Without hiding his intentions, Moody quickly convinced Hagrid that he had spread the news of his death to carry out Dumbledore's secret mission.
"Please don't tell anyone else," Moody urged. "My mission isn't over yet."
"Don't worry," Hagrid patted his chest firmly. "My lips are sealed. I won't tell anyone."
Kyle looked at Hagrid with unspoken words, and sighed softly.
Well, Harry and the others probably wouldn't be interested in the Wanderers or Moody, unless someone specifically asked about it. Hagrid didn't seem like the type to reveal secrets easily... or so it seemed.
After a brief greeting, Hagrid decided to provide cover for Moody outside while Kyle followed him into the hut to continue their previous conversation.
"You killed Lenis, didn't you?" Kyle asked.
"Yes," Moody replied. "If someone investigated carefully, they would find that Lenis had been doing many illogical things recently. To betray the Death Eaters, he made too many promises to his followers, many of which were impossible to fulfill... So, the Death Eaters killed him."
"Were they really Death Eaters?"
"Yes."
"What about the remaining Wanderers?"
"Some died, but not many." Moody sighed. "I had hoped to let them annihilate the Death Eaters together, but I overestimated Lenis's influence.
"Moreover, the Wanderers and Death Eaters are fundamentally different. The Wanderers have no faith and are only loyal to money."
"Lenis could lure them to betray the Death Eaters with false promises, but he couldn't keep them crazed forever. Once they realized the danger, they chose to flee at the first opportunity."
"I only managed to send out the Death Eaters' attack route before the battle and took out some of them who were trying to sneak attack the castle from the direction of the Forbidden Forest."
"Isn't that enough?" Kyle looked at him.
Although the Wanderers weren't top-tier fighters, they were still better than most of the Death Eaters who served as cannon fodder.
If these Wanderers had stormed the castle, the casualties would have been much higher.
For Moody to achieve this much was already quite remarkable.
"I just feel like I could have done better," Moody tapped his magical eye again.
Kyle finally noticed his action and asked in confusion, "Wait, isn't this supposed to be buried... Oh, you didn't dig it out, did you?"
"This is a spare one I made myself," Moody explained, his tone becoming increasingly irritated. "But the materials are too poor, it keeps jamming... Damn it, it's not working again."
Moody poked at his magical eye, making it creak.
Kyle took a closer look and realized that the blue eye in Moody's eye socket lacked the liveliness of the previous magical eye. It was stiff and rigid, looking like a stone polished into a round shape.
Apparently, the problem with the magical eye wasn't just the materials, but also the craftsmanship of the maker, which couldn't be ignored.
Moreover, Kyle didn't think Moody, an Auror known for his prowess, would use alchemy.
It was likely that he had indeed crafted it from stone...
"Forget about your magical eye for now," Kyle said, unable to bear the creaking sound any longer. He changed the subject, "What are your plans from now on? I happen to know someone from the Daily Prophet, and I can arrange a solo interview for you."
Kyle stroked his chin. "How about a hero who hides in the shadows and walks alone? Then you can reappear before everyone."
What Kyle didn't expect was Moody's rejection of his suggestion.
"No, I don't think it's necessary," Moody replied.
"I know you don't like the people from the Daily Prophet, but going out like this will scare others, just like that man earlier... By the way, who was he?"
"The Director of the Office of Emergency Magical Malfunctions," Moody said, "I don't know him well, but I know he used to be Cornelius Fudge's man."
"Oh, okay," Kyle said nonchalantly, then turned back to Moody, "How about this, you don't have to show up, just tell me what happened during this time, and I'll take care of the rest."
"You misunderstood," Moody said, looking out the window at the distant Hogwarts Castle. "I think it's fine as it is."
"I've been a hero many times, and it doesn't matter if I do it once more or less. Plus, this way, I can reduce a lot of trouble."
"Are you saying you won't clear up the misunderstanding about your death?"
"Yes," Moody nodded, "That's why I came to you. Since Alastor Moody is already dead, there's no need to put on a show of resurrection."
"And I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. Retiring in this manner is also a good choice."
As he spoke, Moody opened the collar of his robe, revealing a long scar near his neck that was still bleeding.
Moody had many scars, but this one was new and oozing blood. Yet, he acted as if he felt nothing and closed the collar again.
"I've come close to death several times," Moody said, his voice calm as if he were talking about someone else.
"My wand is also broken," he added, holding up a broken wand with its core exposed.
"I think retiring in this way is not bad."
"I still think you should consider it," Kyle said.
It wasn't that he didn't want Mad-Eye to retire; it was because of his suspicious nature.
Before this, the Ministry officials had to visit him an average of eight times a week to deal with issues ranging from repairing trash cans, chimneys, pipes, and streetlights damaged by magic to treating Muggle neighbors who were scared and modifying their memories.
The inherently suspicious Alastor Moody was almost a walking disaster; wherever he lived, he brought trouble.
Although it was a bit of a nuisance, the Ministry had become accustomed to helping this legendary Auror with his daily troubles.
But what if such troubles occurred again?
Kyle didn't think Moody could change his suspicious nature.
If an unsuspecting Ministry official came knocking, only to find the long-dead Alastor Moody... That would be much more troublesome and harder to explain.
"I know what you're thinking," Moody said, looking up at Kyle.
"I'm doing this for your sake," Kyle shrugged. "As long as you have the habit of suspicion, this matter can't be hidden."
"I've thought about it, and a person like me shouldn't live in a quiet neighborhood; it's not suitable for me."
"That's true," Kyle said after a moment's thought. "How about St. Kilda then? If you really want to retire in this way, just move here.
"Although there are Muggles in this village, they are all on the other side. You can live with us."
"I'm glad you're willing to accept me, but I don't want to go there."
"Why?" Kyle asked.
"Because I've found a better place, a retirement paradise tailored for me."
Moody cracked a smile, his scarred face contorting a bit, which was a bit frightening.
"Where?" Kyle asked, startled.
"Cornwall, at the Wanderer Wizard Pier," Moody's eyes glazed over. "I've come to love that familiar feeling; that's where I should retire."
"Wait," Kyle interrupted. "I understand your thoughts, but Lenis is dead. How will you get there?"
"There are more wandering wizards alive," Moody said, as if he had made up his mind. He stood up and walked towards the door.
"The existence of wandering wizards has always been disrupting the stability of the British Wizarding World and is also one of the places with the most Dark Magic."
"I'll pass on some messages to you from time to time, but you don't need to worry about the specifics. You don't need to help me... or rather, don't drag me down."
"What if you're in danger?" Kyle asked.
"That's because you did something," Moody said matter-of-factly.
Kyle tugged at the corner of his mouth, unsure of what to say.
"The magic on your door is not bad," Moody said, turning to look at the wooden door. "But the killing power is not enough."
"This is Hogwarts," Kyle said helplessly.
However, at this moment, Moody had already disappeared.
It wasn't a Disapparating spell; Hogwarts prohibited Disapparating. But just like when he appeared, Kyle didn't know how he did it.
...
(End of Chapter)
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