Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Water Margin

Chapter 214 Eavesdropping: Former Death Eater

Chapter 214 Eavesdropping: Former Death Eater

As Harry and Ron walked to the edge of the rose bushes, they suddenly saw Snape and Karkaroff whispering to each other under the moonlight.

The two exchanged a glance, then concealed themselves and held their breath, mimicking the bats under the eaves listening intently.

Snape's face was ashen, like ice frozen in a deep pool; Karkaroff, on the other hand, was filled with anxiety, like a frightened bird, constantly pressing his left arm against Snape's face, saying anxiously, "Severus, you can't pretend none of this happened!"

"It's become increasingly obvious over the past few months; you can't possibly miss it. I'm very worried about 95 now."

"Then run away." Snape flicked his wrist away, saying impatiently, "I'll make an excuse for you, but I'm staying at Hogwarts."

Karkarov's eyes widened. "You're so bold! Hasn't yours changed at all?"

Having said that, she reached out and tried to tug at his sleeve, "Let me see yours."

Snape's face darkened, and he gripped Karkaroff's wrist tightly, gritting his teeth, "Have some self-respect, Karkaroff."

Harry and Ron listened to these words as if they were looking at flowers through a fog; they could clearly hear every word, but they just couldn't decipher the mystery behind them.

Harry thought to himself: What are these two rascals playing at? What's going on on that arm?

This mystery felt like twenty-five claws scratching at his heart, and Harry couldn't resist going to find out what was going on.

He had only peeked out halfway and taken a few steps when he heard a thunderous roar behind him.

"What are you two doing here!"

The sound was like a thunderclap in a clear sky, startling the birds roosting in the forest into a flurry of flight.

But from the shadowy trees, three or five pairs of wild mandarin ducks darted out in a panic. Some were holding up their waistbands, others were covering their skirts, just like startled birds, scattering and fleeing without looking back.

Hearing the shout, Snape remained motionless like an iron tower, merely glancing around with his snake-like eyes before raising his voice: "Fawcett! Ravenclaw, deduct ten points! Hufflepuff too, Stebbins!"

"Hey Durmstrang student, pull your pants up! Don't show me that horny body of yours!"

"Very clever, Miss Beauxbatons! Choosing to cover your face!"

Hearing the commotion, Ron couldn't help but peek out and saw a woman with a figure as white as silk, her body trembling wildly, her clothes barely covering her form, who was scurrying away with her head covered.

Karkarov was so startled that he took three steps back, staring intently at the newcomer.

Moody then swept past Harry with his iron feet, striding forward to stand directly in front of Snape and Karkaroff.

"Late at night, no one around, a perfect opportunity to tell secrets, hmm?"

When Nakarov saw that it was Modi, he was like a mouse encountering a cat. He made a few gurgling sounds in his throat, but couldn't utter a single word. He turned and left.

Snape, however, was bold. He smirked and said, "I don't think I need to inform you who I'm talking to, Moody."

Moody didn't answer, but pulled a curved bottle from his pocket, tilted his head back and took a swig, then said coldly, "Of course, we don't need it now."

"However, I still advise you to behave yourself. If I find out you're up to no good behind my back, you'd better prepare to go to Azkaban and say hello to your old friends!"

After saying that, he chuckled and said contemptuously, "Ah, I forgot, all your old friends are probably dead by now."

Snape, taken aback by his retort, didn't argue, but instead glared at Moody with his sinister eyes.

Suddenly, his sleeves billowed in the wind, like dark clouds rolling across the ground, and he strode away with light, quick steps.

Once Moody had gone some distance, he suddenly turned around, waved towards the rose bushes, and called out, "Come out, Mr. Weasley, and Mr. Potter over there."

Seeing that his hiding place had been exposed, Ron had no choice but to stand up from the thicket of thorns.

Harry also appeared, crossing his arms and asking suspiciously, "How did the professor manage to spot us?"

Moody tapped the spinning magic eye with his finger and said loudly, "This magic eye can see more."

Ron had no time to pay attention to the fake eye; he was preoccupied with Karkaroff and Snape's suspicious dealings, and anxiously asked, "Professor Moody, did you know Karkaroff and Snape before?"

"Oh, of course I know them, we've had quite a bit of dealing with each other." Moody said nonchalantly, scratching his chin. "After all, they're both Death Eaters."

As soon as he finished speaking, it was as if a thunderbolt had fallen from a clear sky, startling Harry and Ron into exchanging bewildered glances.

Harry frowned and said, "That Karkaroff was no good person to begin with; it's fine if he becomes a Death Eater."

But Snape, that scoundrel, Professor Dumbledore's personally recruited mentor, actually did such a thing?

Moody spat, "Ha! Those two were Voldemort's favorite brats back in the day!"

"But as soon as Voldemort fell, both of them claimed they had been cursed with the Imperius Curse. Clearly, Dumbledore believed them, and even personally invited Snape to become a professor at the school—"

Moody briefly recounted his past, and Ron, listening nearby, felt a chill run down his spine. Recalling his past conflicts with Snape, he felt a cold sweat rising from the back of his neck.

Upon hearing this, Harry's suspicions deepened, and he thought to himself: What kind of scheme is Dumbledore up to now, allowing such ravenous bastards to roam the school?

As he pondered this, Moody gave him no time to think. The two, one real and one fake, stared intently at Harry and suddenly spoke up: "Speaking of which, Mr. Potter, I heard you split that golden egg in two, is that true?"

This question jolted Harry out of his thoughts, and he replied with his arms crossed, "What advice does the professor have for me?"

"Those idiots at the Ministry of Magic!" Moody suddenly cursed, "They're even dumber than when I retired!"

Before Harry could ask any more questions, Moody placed his large, iron-like hand on his shoulder and whispered, "Try putting that golden egg in the water and listen to the sound of the lake."

Harry didn't seem pleased; instead, his brows furrowed. "Was this instruction given only to me, or to all the warriors?"

"If I were to receive it all by myself, it would be unfair."

"You deserve this, kid!" Moody boomed, his voice rough and forceful. "You were sent to jail right after your first project ended, and you don't even know your score!"

"Even if Bagman and Crouch question me, I'll have a good talk with them!"

Moody continued cursing and slapped Harry on the back again. "Go on, Harry, don't forget what I just said."

After finishing his sentence, Moody picked up the bottle, tilted his head back, and took a few gulps of liquor. He then staggered and disappeared into the night.

Ron watched the man with the limp walk away, clicked his tongue, and sighed, "I'm starting to regret being so rude to Professor Moody in my first Defense Against the Dark Arts class."

Harry frowned and pondered, feeling that something was amiss, but he couldn't figure it out. He could only suppress his doubts for the time being and take out the Marauder's Map from his pocket.

"We can discuss these matters later; let's go find my elder sister first."

The two leaned in to examine the map closely, and were both surprised to see Hermione's name prominently displayed in the Great Hall's location.

Without further hesitation, they both lifted their robes and strode towards the auditorium.

He pushed open the door and looked around. He saw Hermione leaning back in her chair, sipping a bottle of Flaming Whisky.

Beside him sat Grindelwald, his face ashen. Though there was not a single wound, he resembled a dying man whose soul had departed.

Harry glanced at the old man, then darted over, bowed to Hermione, and hurriedly asked, "Where did you go, elder sister? Did you encounter any danger? Why are you only returning now?"

When Hermione saw that it was Harry, her scattered thoughts returned to her senses. She straightened her hair and skirt, and a look of shame appeared on her face.

"Sorry, Harry, I'm late—I thought I could make it back in time—"

"But Hermione, what exactly were you doing?" Ron couldn't contain himself and asked curiously, "Harry and I only saw you constantly in the underground classroom—"

—

Before he could finish speaking, Ron suddenly saw Grindelwald give him a quick wink, his head swaying like a candle in the wind.

No sooner said than done, Hermione was suddenly enveloped in a three-foot-high aura of resentment, as if possessed by a demon.

A delicate hand gripped the old man's nape like an iron clamp, turning him to the side, and said in a sinister tone, "Why haven't you finished that wine cup yet?"

"Do you expect me to ask Professor Dumbledore to feed you?"

Grindelwald taught her to choke, making a gurgling sound in her throat, and gasped, "Give me some time, Hermione, be kind to the elderly—"

"

After Hermione's explanation, Harry looked in the direction of the voice and saw a glass goblet on the table with a few tooth marks and chips on the rim.

Seeing their state, Harry was surprised and asked, "What crime has Grindelwald committed to make Eldest Sister so angry?"

It would have been better if they hadn't mentioned it at all; the moment the matter was brought up, Hermione's face darkened even more.

Before she could speak, Grindelwald let out a long sigh. "This is my problem. I valued power too much."

Then he gave a dejected laugh, "My life has been a constant cycle of repeating the same mistakes—that's how Al came to be my antithesis—"

"I ignored his feelings."

Hermione, who was listening to these words, saw that he was indeed remorseful, and also thought that the old man had not held back his magical skills throughout the semester, so she couldn't help but soften her heart a little.

Although today's incident was extremely frustrating, we must acknowledge the importance of skillful tactics. If we were to fight Bellatrix again with the Killing Curse, we would not be as pathetic as before.

Thinking of this, Hermione's resentment lessened by half. She released her grip, took her wand, cast a spell to dispel foreign objects on him, and sighed, "Alright, you don't need to eat anymore."

As the magic took effect, Grindelwald's face, previously clouded withered, seemed to spring back to life, his eyes regaining their brilliance. He felt the nausea in his stomach vanish as the fog dissipated. Just as he was about to offer some praise, Colin rushed over like a swallow flitting through the forest, holding up the photograph and excitedly exclaiming, "Mr. Grindelwald! I've developed the living photograph!"

Upon hearing the mention of a "living photograph," Grindelwald's expression changed drastically. He abruptly stood up, straightened his clothes, and said, "Please excuse me for a moment, children. Professor Dumbledore and I have something to discuss."

"Ah! Harry! You're here too! Come see the photos I took of you and your dance partner!"

Upon hearing this, Hermione stood up as if she were a towering mountain, gently pushed Grindelwald back into his seat, and said with a smile, "Thank you for your trouble, Colin. Just give me the photos."

Colin was taken aback when he first saw Hermione. When he glanced at Grindelwald, he saw the old man sitting upright like a bell, his face still bearing a gentle smile, but his withered hand under his sleeve was secretly making a pair of middle fingers.

Harry swallowed hard, quickly handed the photograph to Hermione, and then, finding an excuse, dashed off like a whirlwind.

Hermione took the photograph and examined it closely. She saw Harry and Rowena dancing and whispering intimate words in the picture.

When Rowena saw Hermione, she gave her a flirtatious look and whistled as a greeting.

Hermione grabbed Grindelwald by the back of the neck and turned to ask Harry.

"Harry, who is this?"

Harry crossed his arms and chuckled, "Big sister, you don't know, this is none other than our beloved teacher, Rowena Ravenclaw."

"You should know that all those vicious curses we have are attributed to Sister Rowena. In terms of seniority, she is the founding ancestor of all the sisters and brothers of the Boxer Rebellion."

Hermione was taken aback by this. "This is Mrs. Ravenclaw?!"

Grindelwald, standing nearby, exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't that one of the founders of Hogwarts?"

"What's it to you?" Hermione snapped her neck around, her voice cold. "Drink your wine first, then we'll talk."

Having finished speaking, he caught a glimpse of Rowena in the painting still winking and making faces. He immediately slammed the photograph face down on the table, exclaiming in surprise, "Ms. Ravenclaw—how did she end up in the modern world?"

He had barely finished speaking when he realized his mistake. He glanced sideways at Grindelwald beside him, released his grip, and said, "Didn't you say you had something to say to Professor Dumbledore, Mr. Grindelwald?"

The old man, however, seemed rooted to the spot, picking up his wine cup and taking a few crunching sips. He stared at Harry with interest and said, "I can talk to him later."

Hermione nodded upon hearing this, and without saying anything more, she took out her wand from her sleeve and pointed it directly at Grindelwald's forehead.

He collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

A flash of white light appeared, and Grindelwald collapsed onto the table with a "whoosh," motionless once more.

Hermione didn't even turn her head, picked up the flaming whiskey, took another sip, and rested her chin on her hand, saying, "Now we can continue."

7

Ron's eyelids twitched as he watched; Hermione's resentment was extraordinary.

Harry, however, paid no attention. He poured himself a glass of wine to moisten his throat and then explained in detail how Rowena had traveled through time.

These words were so powerful that the candlelight flickered red and the moon moved to its zenith.

By the time the story was finished, Hermione was completely mesmerized. She sat there for a long while before finally snapping out of her daze and muttering, "Is it really that... bizarre?"

Ron snorted and said mysteriously, "There's something even stranger tonight."

"Guess what I overheard when Harry and I went out? Snape used to be a Death Eater!"

He immediately added three parts color to the scene of Snape and Karkaroff's secret meeting, making it seven parts painting.

Those illicit lovers who had been making love all became swordsmen wielding magic wands, and the two who had been steadily concealing themselves were now in danger of revealing their weaknesses.

Hermione was not surprised by his eloquent and eloquent speech. Instead, she frowned, pondered for a long time, and suddenly said, "Something's not right. I have a feeling that there's something wrong with Moody."