Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 266 Stay Vigilant
"Peter Pettigrew, facing the Death Eater Black alone, killed twelve Muggles in the explosions of the battle, and used his life to hold Black back. It's unbelievable."

"He fought until he only had one finger left. If he hadn't risked his life to stop them, who knows how many more people would have died..."

"Damn Sirius Black! Now that Alice and I are fully recovered and discharged from the hospital, we'll definitely bring him back once we rejoin the team and give him a Dementor's kiss!"

Melvin shook his head slightly as he passed by the group of Aurors who were chatting animatedly. Tonight would probably be a sleepless night, as the party was attended by wizards from all walks of life, including the entire Department of Law Enforcement and even retired Aurors.

Since Voldemort's whereabouts were revealed two years ago, a shadow has been hanging over many people's hearts. The escape of the Death Eater Black has caused even more panic. The resurrected Auror couple has dealt a blow to their arrogance and greatly boosted morale.

The wizard trusted the Aurors' abilities and believed that it wouldn't be long before Black was brought to justice, and the wizarding world would return to its peaceful and stable state.

Melvin didn't find it noisy. The truth about Godric's Hollow, the generational feud, and this farce would take some time to unravel. He was simply looking forward to the show that was about to unfold.

He picked up a glass of wine, raised it to Dean Spring and Ms. Burns, and stood alone in a corner of the banquet for a while. As he swirled his wine, he saw through the reflection of the slightly billowing curtains that there was an old Auror inside who did not want to join in the fun.

In a corner of the round hall by the window, a figure leaning on a cane huddled behind the curtains, head bowed, gazing out the window, his head full of dry white hair.

Instead of accepting the drinks offered at the banquet, he took the curved wine jug off his leggings and tilted his head back to gulp it down.

The curtains were half-drawn, illuminating the dim light of a magic candle. A single eye patch held in place by a black cloth strip revealed a face covered in hideous and terrifying scars.

"Everyone else must get themselves drunk, then each ride in a coachmanless carriage, crossing half of Britain from hundreds of feet in the air to go home, only to be caught by bats lurking in the clouds and fall down without a scratch."

A rough, hoarse voice said, "Young man, don't get involved with them."

"To celebrate an old friend's recovery, are you really not going to have a few drinks?" Melvin smiled, taking a sip of the wine in his hand. "I remember Mr. Moody was their colleague, wasn't he?"

The obstructive curtains were drawn back, and the dim candlelight illuminated the scarred face, missing an eye, the nose split horizontally in the middle, almost broken in two, and the right trouser leg was empty below.

“This eye was blinded by a dark wizard with a broken club when I was rushing to take care of my injured colleague.” Mad-Eye pointed to the eye, then to the almost severed flesh of his nose. “The nose, ignoring a frail girl without a wand, was broken by her with a poisonous horn. This leg was removed by a Death Eater using a Split Charm.”

The retired Auror recounted these scars in a muffled voice, his tone fluctuating but his voice calm: "If these experiences have taught me any lesson, it is... to always be vigilant!"

The second half of the sentence suddenly became impassioned and soaring. Many guests nearby heard it and turned to look at it with strange curiosity. When they saw that it was Mad-Eye Moody, they all looked away, seemingly not finding it strange at all.

"Sorry sorry..."

A light, cheerful voice came running from the side of the cold table and stood next to Moody. Pink, curly hair bounced around like bubblegum. A young Auror witch stood beside her, indeed chewing bubblegum. The whole process was practiced and swift: waving, explaining, and apologizing.

"Tonks".

Melvin, holding a wine glass, extended his hand and gave a light handshake as a greeting.

“This is Alastor Moody, a very experienced veteran Auror who has been coaching young Aurors and batters for the past two years, but he’s too old and hasn’t been doing well here lately.” Tonks pointed to his head.

“I’m just being vigilant. My spyglass and I have smelled conspiracy and malice!” Mad-Eye Moody said loudly, the curved flask swaying with the movement, making a dull clattering sound.

"After Frank and Alice had a few months of peaceful life after having their baby, they became lax and carefree, forgetting all the discipline and rules they learned during their Auror training, which is why Bella was able to ambush them."

"If they don't learn their lesson, this is their fate."

He looks like a drunken old man, rambling on and on, a bit crazy.

Not far away, Lupin kept glancing sideways. Melvin noticed that his gaze fell on Tonks' pink curly hair several times, and then, as if scorched by the summer sun, he quickly looked away, straightened his chest to cover the rental sign on the back of his neck, and tightened his grip on his wine glass slightly.

“Oh, stop talking. You’re retired now, no one’s going to harm you.” Tonks, oblivious to Lupin, whispered to Moody, “At least don’t say it at their party. This is a celebration of recovering from a thirteen-year-old illness.” Mad-Eye frowned, his expression stubborn.

“I think Mr. Moody makes a good point.”

Melvin suddenly spoke up to break the deadlock, "Voldemort's remnant soul is missing, the Death Eaters are on the run, and there are the new dark wizards that have emerged in recent years. The wizarding world really needs to be on high alert at all times."

A sinister smile appeared in Mad-Eyes's single eye.

“Our school has hired a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor who is very experienced in dealing with all kinds of magical creatures, but he may still have some shortcomings in dealing with dark wizards. I would like you to talk to him about the security issues at Hogwarts and how to provide students with acceptable dark wizard safety education.”

Seeing that the two Aurors were still somewhat bewildered, Melvin waved to the other side, "Remus, come here quickly."

"?"

Lu Ping looked completely bewildered.

……

The crystal chandelier slowly rotated, casting shadowy light in the banquet hall. The venue returned to normal order, and the guests raised their glasses to toast each other again. However, some people refused to look away, their expressions gradually darkening as they watched the two Aurors and the two professors talking together.

"They're all Dumbledore's lackeys!"

The short, plump witch in the pink dress muttered curses in a low voice, though her tone was that of a delicate young girl, her words were vicious and offensive.

Fudge straightened the bulge in his dress and said insincerely, "Don't say that. The Aurors are the cornerstone of the Ministry of Magic, and I have complete faith in their loyalty."

"Well, only a wizard like the minister has such a broad mind."

Umbridge forced a smile and took a glass of whiskey from the table next to him, handing it to Fudge.

Ludo Bagman, the head of the sports department who was not far away, shuddered when he heard the sweet voice and had to drink half a glass of mulled wine to calm himself down.

He sighed, shook his head, trying to ignore the minister and senior deputy minister over there, and raised his glass to clink with the director of the International Affairs Department in front of him: "Let's find a place to sit down and rest for a while, Barty. Let's talk about next year's Quidditch World Cup final. Is it confirmed that it will be held in Devon County?"

“Dartmore Wilderness,” Crouch, dressed in a black tuxedo, said, his words brief and concise.

“That’s Muggle territory.”

"The decision of the event organizing committee."

"..."

The two walked towards the outer corridor. Before leaving the venue, Crouch turned to look at the four professors and Aurors gathered together.

Moody's recent contact with Bertha Jorkins, coupled with the Longbottoms' medical records, suggests he has keenly sensed some gaps in the witch's memory, raising his vigilance regarding the Ministry of Magic's internal affairs.

Fortunately, no one has suspected him yet.

Crouch was about to look away when he suddenly saw the young professor turn his head and look at him, a gentle and polite smile curving his lips.

(End of this chapter)