Chapter 282

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"Molly, have you heard from Alastor?"

Mrs. Weasley immediately realized the point of the question and remembered that the kitchen was not the only thing to occupy her attention.

"No. Maybe something happened?"

"I think," the Headmaster ran his hand over his beard, "Alastor is competent enough to avoid any potential trouble. And the second group should help them in case of unforeseen situations."

The rumble of the front door swinging open reached the kitchen, and with it the familiar voice of Moody, but from the small details, it was obvious that another person was speaking.

"I told you!" grumbled Moody loudly and angrily, knocking on the floor with his prosthesis while walking. "Constant vigilance! And you?! Rookies!"

"Let's take a seat," the Headmaster said quietly, taking the first seat at the table where everyone would see him.

Sirius jumped up, shining like a polished galleon.

"You'll see him after the meeting," the Headmaster smiled softly at Black.

"But..."

"Later."

Sirius slumped back into his chair, but he didn't look so worried anymore, drinking a glass of whiskey in one gulp.

"Disgusting... too much water," Black grimaced. "Oh! Max!"

"Amazing..."

Judging by the voices, someone sent Harry Potter upstairs, and there he was already greeted by the noisy twins, Ron and Ginny. The wizards gradually entered the kitchen, gloomy and a little shabby but in one piece. There were people I knew, as well as those whose identities I could only guess.

When the eight wizards, some thoughtful, some angry, and some just Moody, came in and sat down at the tables, the Headmaster spoke.

"I would like to know what delayed you? No one got hurt?"

"Oh, nonsense..." Tonks lowered her head, slamming her forehead obscenely against the table.

"And lack of vigilance!" Moody, dressed in his old hiking suit and battered coat, slammed his staff on the floor. "They knocked out everyone in seconds, even second group! We were thrown into the shit of our incompetence! And the worst thing that worries us most is that no one was hurt, no one was touched, no other influences! They gave us a thick hint that they were turning us on the di... "

"Alastor..." Dumbledore interrupted the retired auror.

"Twisted as they wanted!" Moody angrily looked around at the wizards, and half of them lowered their heads.

"Well… I think we will discuss this issue later. And now, while we are all waiting for another wizard, I would like to introduce this young man to you. Everyone here can turn to him for help in matters of magic, not very popular and approved."

"Dark Magic, or what?" grunted stern Moody and leaned forward slightly on the chair, hanging over the table. He had an artificial eye, but clearly different, newer. "What could such a brat know about dark magic? And about magic in general?"

Needless to say, the wizards around quietly began to grumble about everything.

"Do you think I don't know much about magic?" a slight grin came out on my face by itself. "I hope you liked my Stupefy, which so cheerfully knocked you all out in Little Whinging?"

I was not going to make a secret of my escapade.

"What?!" the wizards shouted in different ways, and some even jumped up from their seats.

"Please calm down," the Headmaster raised his hands, and everyone sat down, but now their heads were not lowered, and their gaze was directed directly at me. Someone looked with curiosity, someone with indignation. Tonks just smiled and waved her hand ridiculously.

The Headmaster looked at me sitting next to him.

"Could you shed some light on the meaning of your words, Mr. Knight?"

"I've been wandering here and there, looking for some adventure. Of course, breaking laws now and then, casting invisible spells to find something interesting. Of course, I found that something. Two large groups of wizards were moving purposefully toward Little Whinging."

"And how did you know that this was where we were heading, huh?" Moody leaned forward again, trying to put pressure with his scarred appearance.

"The two groups of wizards were moving along an azimuth without even changing direction, and I know the map of England by heart. It was easy to calculate the presumed point. Anyway, I followed the two groups at a decent distance, and when they all landed in the same area, I figured this was the adventure."

" Ugh... " Moody almost spat on the floor, and a big dark-skinned man in a purple robe and clearly national clothes just shook his head.

"In order to trace, I used spells to search for magical objects. Such charms are unsuitable in the magical world because of the saturation of it with magic but in the ordinary one… I put Marks on the discovered sources of magic. When one of the marks launched red lights into the sky and the others regrouped, I realized that this was the first signal. The signal for readiness. When the second lights shot up, it became clear that this was a signal to start. Being at a decent distance, I used spells for cartographers, getting data about the terrain and landscape. Having created an oversaturated Stupefy, I turned it into controlled projectiles and mentally controlled each one to the target, focusing on the map in my head and the positions of the Marks on it."

"But that's..." Tonks shifted her dumbfounded gaze from one wizard to the other. "That's... I have no words! How did your head not burst, Max?!

"The brain, dear Nymphadora, is an amazing thing. If you develop it, of course, and not just eat with your head."