"Thump... thump... thump..."
The strange knocking sound was a headache even in his dream, like someone was hammering his head.
Wade jolted awake, checked the time, and saw he'd only slept for less than two hours.
He was wondering if he'd had another nightmare when he actually heard a "thump"—very faint, completely different from the deafening sound in his dream.
Wade recognized the distinct footsteps were from a wooden prosthetic leg hitting the floor.
Moody was here.
It was only natural for Mr. and Mrs. Gray to ask an acquaintance from the Wizarding world about the Quidditch World Cup camp after such a big incident.
Wade lay back down, relieved. Two seconds after closing his eyes, he sat up sharply again.
He almost forgot, this year, Moody might not necessarily be Moody. He had to be careful whenever he encountered him.
Wade put on his bathrobe, got out of bed, and went to the window. He saw Moody limping into the yard, with Mr. and Mrs. Gray standing at the door to welcome him.
He carefully observed his neighbor again, and only after confirming it was indeed the man himself did Wade finally relax. He returned to bed, but couldn't fall asleep again.
Perhaps his suddenly tense nerves couldn't fully relax just yet.
Although Moody had long since retired, he knew many Aurors and had life-or-death connections with many people. Even if some thought he was crazy now, no one could deny that Moody remained the best Auror.
The Ministry of Magic still had many admirers of Moody; Ron's father, Arthur Weasley, spoke very highly of him.
So, if Moody wanted to inquire about something, those people would surely not keep anything from him.
Wade snapped his fingers. Soon after, the door cracked open, and a small Magic Golem slipped in, crawling onto Wade's pillow.
"What can I do for you, Master?" Ari asked, looking up.
Wade held the small Magic Golem in his palm and softly said, "Go listen to what Mr. Moody and my parents are saying. Come back and tell me."
"Okay," Ari nodded, jumped from his hand, landed silently on the floor, and slipped out through the door crack.
Wade rubbed his forehead. He had used Flame God twice in a short period and hadn't rested well. Just standing now, he felt his body swaying.
He simply pulled out a bottle of calming potion and drank it all. As soon as he lay down, he quickly entered a state of complete relaxation and deep sleep.
...
Ari quietly closed the door, then slid down the stair banister directly to the first floor. Mr. and Mrs. Gray were ushering Moody inside. The small Magic Golem jumped onto the table, eagerly helping to serve tea and water.
Dobby was busy in the kitchen, and the house was filled with the aroma of beef pasties.
"Look, last night's events are already in the Daily Prophet. These reporters are faster than a Golden Snitch."
Ferdinand held a freshly delivered newspaper, unfolding it for Moody to see.
Fiona leaned in beside him, looking at the text and black-and-white photos in the newspaper, and instinctively read the content aloud:
"Dark Magic Attack at Quidditch World Cup, Alliance Forces Unexpectedly Intervene... Ministry of Magic Confirms a Premeditated Dark Magic Curse... Caused at Least 17 Deaths, Over Two Hundred Injured... A Heinous and Vicious Incident..."
"During the attack, the Ministry of Magic was in a panic, virtually doing nothing... As for the forest curse incident, it can be confirmed that the Ministry of Magic's intelligence network received no prior warning, and no effective measures were taken at the time of the incident..."
"Ministry of Magic spokesperson Ms. Umbridge stated that the attack is currently under investigation, not ruling out the possibility of certain Dark Wizards orchestrating it themselves... Criminals not apprehended, Dark Wizards still at large... Ministry of Magic's performance greatly disappointing... Bringing shame to the nation..."
"Cursed mascots unable to recover in a short period... Bulgaria and Ireland demand compensation from the British Ministry of Magic... Minister Fudge stated he would not give up on holding both parties accountable... The two sides came to blows during the argument..."
Moody scoffed at this point, and Ferdinand sighed helplessly, putting down the newspaper.
"What's wrong? I haven't finished reading it yet!"
Fiona picked up the newspaper and sat aside, continuing to read.
Then she realized that the latter half of the news was all about who should bear the most responsibility for the incident, along with an accompanying picture of Fudge with a bloody nose after being beaten. Next to him, a short, stout witch, like a toad, was frantically jumping up and down, eager to wipe the blood from his face.
Perhaps the lingering image in the photo was braver than the person herself, as Fiona saw the plump witch suddenly leap up and press herself against Fudge, then use a handkerchief to wipe away his nosebleed.
She couldn't help but let out a little snort of laughter, then suddenly felt something was off—what about the follow-up investigation? What about the Ministry of Magic's actions? Even if they couldn't catch the culprits, what preventive measures would be taken next? Were there any warnings for the public?
But the article had ended.
Fiona turned the page, and immediately saw a picture of Krum catching the Golden Snitch, followed by an entire report on the Quidditch match.
Flipping further—Quidditch, Quidditch, Quidditch stars, Flying Broomstick advertisements...
Dobby snapped his fingers, making breakfast appear on the table, then busied himself tidying the stove.
Moody and Ferdinand seemed to have already guessed what the rest of the report would contain; neither paid any more attention.
"This situation is unusual; the Ministry of Magic was caught off guard," Moody pulled out an old flask from his pocket, took a swig, and then said, "But don't expect them to do anything useful in the future."
Ferdinand's voice was low. "I just hope they don't release the Dementors again."
"No, Fudge has big things to deal with. He'd love for people to forget about this quickly," Moody scoffed. "But unfortunately, those hyena-like reporters won't let the Ministry off easily this time."
"What do you think was the reason for this incident?" Ferdinand asked. "Was it really Grindelwald's people intentionally creating an attack to show their power?"
"While I despise those people, there's no doubt the newspapers are talking nonsense."
Moody stuck his knife into a pasty and said, "If Grindelwald orchestrated it himself, there wouldn't have been a second attack—he would have directly let the forest storm into the stadium, causing countless casualties, then arrived as a Savior! Not secretly dealing with the demonized trees outside the stadium."
"But..." Ferdinand frowned. "They received information beforehand but didn't notify the Ministry of Magic to prepare, they just went in themselves... Grindelwald wouldn't really turn into some selfless saint, would he?"
"Of course not."
Moody was amused by his statement, and the scars on his face twisted and distorted with his laughter.
"You saw that Magic, Ferdinand. Such a terrifying Spell didn't come from Grindelwald, but from the young man standing beside him."
Moody's expression darkened. He seemed to be recalling what he saw in the Streaming Mirror, and instinctively took another swig of strong liquor.
He said with a grim face, "Actually, I heard something before... a rumor... that Grindelwald found himself an heir..."
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