As Ginny asked her question, Mafalda’s attention focused on her for the first time, and the two, one taller and one shorter, sized each other up.
Harry noticed that both girls had a slight resemblance to Mrs. Weasley, and both also had reddish hair, but again they had many differences. Ginny’s flame-like hair stood out most distinctively, even among the seven Weasley children, and she didn’t look at people with aggressive eyes most of the time – though right now is an exception, she looked like a hot turkey that would soon be served on the Halloween table with her hair flaring up.
“I’ve met Aunt Molly, just once.” Mafalda said, “But I met your father more often, and he took me to Diagon Alley to shop around and get some things in advance. He even gave me an owl, and when I went back I wrote to him, and he answered diligently at first, but then he became slower.”
“Maybe it’s because he’s busy, or maybe you’re asking too many questions.” Ginny said in one breath.
“Maybe, but I don’t need him to take me with him anymore, I can do it alone.” Mafalda said, “I convinced Mum and Dad to allow me to go to Diagon Alley, what’s that line … getting to know the wizarding world.”
“I became interested in everything in Diagon Alley. Old Tom at the Leaky Cauldron had lost all his teeth, but he made good food; when I enquired about Madam Malkin’s marital status she threw me out … I also persuaded the clerk at the Flourish and Blotts Bookshop to allow me to sit in the corner and read, my favourite being Easy Spells to Fool Muggles and the seven-book series of Gilderoy Lockhart’s adventures. In the former, I picked out a few spells to learn, and they work quite well, while the latter has been an eye-opener …”
“Wait!” Harry felt that her statement was so ridiculous that he had to interrupt, and he wasn’t the only one who thought so, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all shouted out at the same time as Mafalda glared at them, the scene was a bit comical and the crowd looked at each other for a moment.
“Okay, one at a time.” Hermione sighed, she knew since the moment this young girl approached her and said she had great information about the Death Eaters that this is not a student who follows the rules, and sure enough they were all taken aback.
She looked at Mafalda and asked patiently, “Miss Prewett, I believe Mr. Weasley would have told your parents that the magical world is not peaceful right now, so how did you convince them to let you go to Diagon Alley alone?” She actually wanted to accuse Mafalda’s parents of being irresponsible more than anything else.
“They do not interact with each other much,” Mafalda gestured to herself and Ginny as a way of indicating both parents, “My father and Aunt Molly are related, but I think they aren’t on very good terms, which is evident from the stiff conversation between them – -”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Ron interjected as the others looked at him, so he swallowed and murmured, “Mum does have a distant cousin, but she seldom mentions him in the family …”
“Dad’s a Squib, works as an accountant now, and occasionally trades equities. Mum’s a muggle and neither of them had much involvement with the magical community before.” Mafalda said, “Except for me.” She added.
“But-” Hermione was torn, “even if that were the case, there’s no way Mr. Weasley wouldn’t have warned-”
“Oh, that’s easy, I’ll just tell Mum and Dad – someone is waiting for me behind the door in Diagon Alley, like Bill Weasley, I know he works in Diagon Alley.” Mafalda said with a slight smug look on her face.
Hermione looked shocked. Ginny let out a cat-like purr in anger.
“So you were tricking them?”
Mafalda shrugged, the answer is obvious.
There was a moment of silence in the abandoned classroom and Harry asked, “You know that Lockhart is a, a …” he hesitated.
“A liar?” Mafalda asked and Harry nodded as she said calmly, “I like the way he tells stories, that’s all.”
That was the end of the cross-examination, and even though Ron and Ginny didn’t like Mafalda much, they still have to pinch their noses since she is their relative.
“What’s the purpose of your visit today?” Ginny asked with a stern face, “You should know that Gryffindor House and Slytherin House are deadly rivals, if anyone finds out …”
“That’s why I sneaked over here,” Mafalda said with a jolt, as she pulled a green notebook out of her pocket – Harry could tell from some of the details that it’s a product of the Muggle world – and she turned the page, but instead of showing it to them, she closed it in front of them and said. “I can give you information about Slytherin House, about the Death Eaters … but in exchange-”
“Death Eaters?” Harry, Ron, and Ginny said in disbelief.
The three looked at Hermione, who hastily waved her hand, “I don’t know any more than you do, she – er -” Hermione spotted the problem, a young girl from a Muggle family who had previously had no inkling about the wizarding world and only been here for a short while, what kind of information could she know?
“Oh?” Mafalda looked at them curiously, ” Is it clear, did you understand me? Then I will continue – I certainly won’t do this for free, I want you guys to become one of the leads in my story in exchange for it.”
Harry looked at her in confusion, what the heck was this all about.
“The, what in your story?”
“The lead role in my story,” Mafalda jiggled her finger at him, “haven’t I told you, I love history and I love to write, you know Bathilda Bagshot?”
Harry nodded reluctantly, he knew the person, a brilliant historian, she wrote the textbook that is now used in History of Magic classes, she retired and lived in Godric’s Hollow. Godric’s Hollow … his heart clenched.
Mafalda didn’t notice Harry’s difference as she went along with the previous words, “Bathilda Bagshot wrote History of Magic, and there’s a quote from her that I particularly agree with, that the happiest thing for a chronicler of history is to be able to talk to history itself.”
“You know what that means?” Hermione raised an eyebrow.
“This thing I’m doing right now is.” Mafalda said.
Ron mulled it over and said slowly, “So you’re writing us into your story? Um – you just said you liked the Lockhart books?” He shot a knowing look at all of them, “Think about it.”
“Harry’s not going to agree to that!” Ginny said with a raised eyebrow, looking at Harry uncertainly, “Right?”
“Of course.” Harry nodded firmly, he didn’t want a heel behind him, the Creevey brothers are more than enough for him to handle. With a firm attitude, he said to Mafalda, “Sorry, I’ve got a lot on my plate this year, O.W.Ls exams, Quidditch, clubs … no time to play house with you.”
Mafalda blinked and just when Harry thought she would give up, she lowered her head and stared at the notebook which she had just opened and read out one name after another, “Nott, Avery, Selwyn, Crabbe, Goyle, Malfoy … Well, I am not certain about him, do I have to keep reading? ”
Harry’s mouth dropped open, Ron’s mouth not much smaller than his, and Hermione looked at her with a shocked expression.
Mafalda stared at their faces and smiled.
“So they really are related to the Death Eaters?”
“How did you guess-” Harry asked with difficulty, these are the names he had heard Voldemort himself say in the graveyard, each of them holding a significant position in the wizarding world. But they were humbled to the dirt before Voldemort and had to kiss Voldemort’s robes to gain forgiveness.
Sirius told him that because there is no evidence, the Ministry of Magic can’t arrest them, and for now, they can only employ surveillance. Of course, that wasn’t his exact words, Sirius was just as annoyed as Harry about it: “Amelia doesn’t agree with the idea of arresting them and giving them two pounds of Veritaserum…” afterward, when he had calmed down, he personally admitted that idea is implausible, “Unless we intend to cause chaos in the wizarding world, or if we’ll get arrested first, the moment we try to arrest them…” he said gloomily, “That’s the way it is with purebloods, if there’s no actual proof, one arrest will bring all of them together to pressure us. ”
Mafalda smiled like a fox, “The family name Prewett, it surprisingly has not so bad reputation and is not as eye-catching as Weasley. So what do you guys think? Would I make an excellent undercover agent for … the righteous cause?”
“I disagree.” Harry said quietly.
“Why?” Mafalda asked in surprise, she never expected to be rejected even after she had shown her capabilities.
“Harry, if there’s a Slytherin House student willing to help us, even if …” Ron said.
“No.” Harry said, “No!” He repeated once again, “What if she gets found out?”
“Don’t worry,” Mafalda interjected, “From what I’ve seen over the past month, Slytherin House isn’t what it was rumoured to be, it changed …”
“Do you know what you’re doing? You’re dealing with not just some bad students, but a possible real Death Eater! If any Slytherin student mentions you in their house and investigates you behind your back … will your little smartass still be useful?” Harry glared at her, as a wave of unwarranted anger welled up inside him, “You’re pulling your own family into a dangerous situation, and they can’t even use magic.”
Mafalda pointed unconvincingly at Hermione, “As far as I know, her family circumstances are no different from mine.”
Hermione remained silent.
“Because she didn’t have a choice-” The blood in Harry’s heart rushed to his face.
“I know you’re referring to Muggle status-”
“More than that, it’s also because she’s my friend.” Harry said in a low voice, looking at Mafalda with a gasp, “That’s right, she’s a friend of the Great-Harry-Potter, and Ron also had no choice, from the time he sided with me in the first year … I had even less choice, being forced to get involved with Voldemort when I was just a baby, and there’s a chance for one of us to die, or even die together as a whole.”
Mafalda’s body suddenly froze.
“I didn’t-”
“I don’t know what you have mistaken undercover for, if it was just a prank it would be fine, but you’re capable, I can see that. Which is even worse, I suppose you never imagined that one day you’d see a picture of your house in ruins with a dark mark over it in the newspaper?”
” I… no- you’re wrong!”
“Then tell me the truth.” Harry said, gazing down into her eyes.
Mafalda glared back at him without giving up, her eyes glistening with mist, “Just YOU wait!” She gave them a hateful look and turned to run away.
Harry stared at her back, but all he could think of in his mind is the picture of Godric’s Hollow he had seen in the old newspaper, a picture of the ruins, just as Moody had told him … except for some white flowers and candles on the edge of the ruins, which were left by some wizards who had admired them, “With sorrowful condolences …” The tome said, but Harry felt it was all meaningless, as those words and condolences not going to make his family come back.
Sometimes Harry would just lie in bed and think, if only he could get the Resurrection Stone, even if it couldn’t bring back the dead like Luna said it could, just the features in the story of the three brothers that allowed them to see the souls of their loved ones is enough … instead of just a green flash in his head and his mother’s pleading voice …
“Harry, you better be careful, she doesn’t look like someone to mess with.” Ron said as he looked in the direction of the classroom door.
“I don’t care.” Harry said stiffly.
Something suddenly occurred to him, Luna firmly believed in the Deathly Hallows, is there someone she desperately wanted to see as well? She could also see Thestrals.
“She seems quite intelligent,” Ron said hesitantly, “and we’ve accepted other students into the dueling study group. I am sure they would not refuse to fight a Death Eater-”
“She’s only eleven.” Harry said coldly and Ron shut his mouth. After a moment, Harry asked as an afterthought, “She said Slytherin House had become different … What’s going on?”
Ron said without a smile, “The only one who knows has just been thrown out by you. Why don’t we go ask Malfoy?”
Harry cringed a little, he should have asked first.
…
At night, Felix continued his promising job as a bounty hunter, except for the first time he entered the Hog’s Head Inn and had a slight disagreement with the barman, the other times he just stood in the doorway with a black weatherproof cloak, and before long his target would ‘walk’ out on their own.
Hogsmeade has recently gained an additional legend of a powerful ghost.
Of course, because the missing people were all dark wizards, and the worst of the lot, not many people really cared as they had thought – the men would have been hiding their identities, probably just had left because of a sudden urgent matter.
Some of the wizards swore that they had seen a ghost that had extremely powerful magical powers and could take a person’s soul away with just a wave of the hand.
“He is the embodiment of death.” Said an old wizard obsessed with horror stories.
His performance drew a roar of approval and the old wizard earned himself a glass of hot Firewhisky. The barman at the Hog’s Head Inn snorted dismissively and continued to keep his head down and wipe his goblet with a dirty rag.
Felix occasionally found time to visit the premises, which had yet to be completed.
In a clearing in the middle of Hogsmeade village, there is a huge pile of building materials, black and white marble arranged in a circular pattern with a mysterious star design on top. Felix stood with interest in the center of the star and looked around, the whole wizarding village is shrouded by a deep curtain of night, with only a few sparse starlights shining.
Felix stared into the darkness where a faint sound approached, like footsteps, but it was too soft.
The unknown creature’s body seemed blurry in Thestrals perspective, indistinguishable from the darkness, and all he could see is a blurry glimmer of bright light that faintly pieced together the appearance of a thin, house-elf.
This view is very distinct from the regular perspectives and visions, even from the magical ones, and if he had to define it, he seemed to be able to see a glowing soul.
” Hello, Mr. Hap, Bondi presents his regards.”
The house-elf said in a sharp voice, stopping far away and bowing to Felix. He then looked up into Felix’s silvery grey eyes and couldn’t help but shiver, the eyes made him shudder.
“What can I do for you, Bondi?”
“Mr. Hap, Bondi brought a letter for you. Forgive Bondi, Bondi was unable to get into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,” the house-elf bowed deeply again as he spoke, “Bondi, Bondi has been waiting around for days to finally meet you.”
Felix always found the scene at hand somewhat familiar, but the last time the letter had been delivered by a small child, bringing a letter of invitation to battle from Voldemort to boot. He took the letter, and on the envelope, there is a triangle seal: with a circle and a vertical line inside. He stared at the pattern for a few seconds, and his mind grew more than a little suspicious, “Nurmengard?”
The house-elf bent its body even lower.
Felix opened the letter which didn’t have a hint of magic attached to it, and there is a simple line written on it, “You’re lying, the Elder Wand is not with you.”
Felix smiled involuntarily, “The Elder Wand doesn’t belong to me, but it doesn’t belong to you either, Mr. Dark Lord.” So he asked Bondi the house-elf probingly, “Can I have a meeting with Mr. Grindelwald?”
“Sir needs the permission of authority, and Mr. Grindelwald also has no plans to meet with a guest at present.” Bondi said respectfully.
Felix smacked his lips, it seemed that Gellert Grindelwald is still locked up and can’t get out, but at least he can communicate with the outside world. And writing letters to accuse him of …
Is this the end of the first Dark Lord?
Dumbledore was too merciful, and Felix felt he would not let Voldemort have a chance to enjoy the same treatment.
He wrote a short reply, his tone filled with regret (or was it mockery?) at not being able to meet with him, and then he handed it to the house-elf along with a couple of books from the ring, “Pass them on to Mr. Grindelwald for me and tell him to um … pass some time with it, and if he’s interested then we can communicate by correspondence later.”
He then handed the house-elf a Copper Knut, “You can contact me through this.”
When the house-elf, Bondi, disappeared, Felix began to look forward to it, what would be the magical path of this Dark Lord? And what kind of magic does he possess?
After lingering in place for a moment, he started to worry if the wording of his reply was too sarcastic and what if the Dark Lord is a serious guy? He then just laughed at the thought and turned to leave.
…
The last two weeks of October were full of violent storms and towards the end, a cool, and cold rain brought the temperature plummeting even more and the young wizards changed into thick clothes to ward off the knife-like chill.
Many of the students wore gloves even during class time, but their minds were getting more and more active: Halloween, the first game of Quidditch, and the Ancient Runes exchange would be coming up in the following week successively.
As Halloween approached, the castle was once again hung with colourful decorations and the school atmosphere lightened up for the occasion.
Finally, the day of 27 October arrived.
————
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