Slander, Pure Slander

BBC News: "Recently, the Greenwich Observatory observed velocity fluctuations in fragments of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, attracting widespread attention from Astronomy enthusiasts worldwide..."

"This comet was discovered by United States Astronomy Eugene and Carrow Shoemaker and Astronomy astronomer David Levy..."

"Initially, this comet broke away from the asteroid belt located in the outer solar system and entered the solar system, becoming a periodic comet. Based on calculations of its orbit, the comet broke into 21 fragments when it was 40,000 kilometers from Jupiter's surface due to strong tidal forces..."

The square-headed TV hanging in the air in the supermarket was broadcasting the previous day's news, but no one paid attention to the news content. Customers were busy picking out discounted items and daily necessities that could be redeemed with coupons. Fortunately, the store's security system was quite complete, and no one stole milk from the shelves or tried to bring in goods to get them for free.

While the Mr. and Mrs. Granger and Grandpa Bates were busy shopping for essential travel items, Loren and Hermione strolled leisurely around the neighborhood, occasionally tossing a box of snacks into the adults' shopping carts.

"Bee Sting Spinning Reel ... all-metal fishing reel..." Wendell held a box of metal products in plastic packaging and carefully read the product description.

"A must-have for sea fishing!"

Wendell's eyes narrowed. This was it. With him, they could definitely catch a big fish!

He glanced at Monica discreetly, then quietly put the fishing reel into the shopping cart.

Unfortunately, the plastic packaging collided with other items in the cart, making a soft click.

Monica withdrew her gaze from the shelf, glanced down at the fishing reel, and glared at him resentfully. "Is this something you should bring on a long trip, Wendell?"

"I think... right..." Wendell said softly, "Anyway, with the magic pocket, it's not a hassle to carry more things, what do you think?"

"Loren can use magic to conjure up fishing gear for you, so why buy it?"

"It's different..."

"What's different?"

"It's just different..."

After Wendell finished speaking, he secretly glanced at her expression, trying to guess what she was thinking.

Monica remained indifferent, too lazy to pay him any attention; this guy was hopeless.

Bates walked silently beside them, as if she hadn't heard their conversation, and casually picked up a box of sunscreen and put it in the cart.

He got a tan on his last trip to Egypt, and the sun might be even stronger at sea this time, so he'll need to prepare some.

Loren and Hermione walked down the aisle with a cup of sample ice cream in their hands. Loren would occasionally reach out and squeeze a bag of Chips from the supermarket. Hearing the Chips crack, he would scoop out a spoonful of ice cream, a happy expression on his face.

Hermione looked around warily, worried that supermarket security personnel might rush out at any moment and forcibly remove the man, thus implicating her.

Seeing the girl's expression, Loren asked seriously, "Do you think I'm indulging in my own perverse pleasures?"

"Isn't that right?" Hermione asked in surprise.

"Of course not!" Loren explained seriously. "Fun fact: the products that are placed in the most suitable positions on the shelves are all products that are about to expire. I'm not doing this to satisfy my own perverse sense of humor, but to warn consumers."

Hermione glanced at him with some skepticism, then reached for a bag of Chips on the shelf and checked the production date.

Huh?

It's actually true!

Loren shook his head and sighed, "Sigh, there aren't many kind people like me anymore."

"..." Hermione put the Chips back. "I still think you're just indulging in your perverse sense of humor."

"Tsk, it seems you still don't know me well enough."

"I only say this because I feel I know you well enough."

"Tch, you're slandering me."

After finishing his ice cream and throwing the trash into the bin, Loren took Hermione to get two sample packs of jelly. He then used the excuse that Hermione didn't like strawberry jelly to finish the sample pack for her.

After finishing two servings of jelly, Loren threw away the packaging and looked around for more samples, saying, "By the time we get back from the International Confederation of Wizards's trip to United States, we'll be close to the Quidditch World Cup final. What a fulfilling holiday!"

"Didn't you say you weren't interested in Quidditch?"

"But I'm interested in excitement. I'll be able to watch fans fight, players swear, and I'll also see many other races."

How did you know these would happen?

"Isn't that what the Quidditch World Cup is all about..." Loren's eyes darted around, and he nodded with satisfaction. "What a fulfilling holiday."

Hermione glanced at him casually and said slowly, "By the way, when we travel to United States, I'll bring all your homework and assignments with me, so we won't be bored on the ship."

"You're a really strange person!"

Loren frowned and stared straight at her. "You can bring your own homework, why do you have to bring mine too?"

Hermione said slowly, "Because if I don't have you do your homework with me, you'll use the excuse of not having enough time to copy my homework when we get back, and I'm afraid I'll be fooled by you."

"!"

Loren was startled and reached out to cover her eyes. "You actually used Legilimency spy on my thoughts? When did you learn that?"

Hermione pulled his hand away. "It's not Legilimency, it's based on my understanding of you."

"Oh! So you're slandering me!" Loren pointed at her.

"You just admitted it."

Hermione pulled his hand down again, this time holding it tightly to prevent him from doing anything else and also to stop him from squeezing the Chips.

"I didn't! You're slandering me!"

"You admit it."

"You're slandering me!"

"..."

"Not going to talk? Don't think I'll forgive you just because you're holding my hand without saying a word. Where's your lawyer? I'm suing you for defamation!"

"There are no lawyers in the Wizarding World."

"Anyway, I'm going to sue you for defamation."

"..."

The group prepared what they might need for their journey, bought fishing gear, and exchanged some US dollars. Over the next few days, Hermione pressured Loren to finish his Transfiguration and Charms assignments, leaving the A History of Magic assignments for later. Hermione's reason was that after witnessing the International Confederation of Wizards, he might gain new insights into the subject of A History of Magic.

Grandpa Bates had someone buy the ferry tickets for a luxury cruise ship. They entered the country through normal channels and didn't need to apply for a visa.

All preparations for the trip are now complete.

Just waiting to depart.

New York, Brooklyn.

As the most populous of the five boroughs of United States New York State, New York City, it is sometimes called a melting pot of immigrants. As the name suggests, it accommodates many outsiders, some of whom are native residents and others who have just arrived.

In the dilapidated, low-rise residential area, every household had its doors tightly locked, making it even quieter than the dead of night, a silence that sent chills down one's spine.

This used to be the cheapest area in the neighborhood, a top choice for newcomers to New York, but now real estate agents rarely recommend it to their clients—starting two years ago, a number of eccentric people have been moving in.

They never contacted their neighbors, and they never showed themselves at night, especially when the moon was full. Strange noises would always come from their rooms, like someone smashing things or scratching the walls with a sharp dagger.

There have even been reports of wolves howling; yes, those strange guys kept wolves in their homes.

Some suspected they were drug dealers, others suspected they were cult members. The middlemen were always extremely secretive when asked.

In a dark house in the southwest corner of the community.

"Remus, are you sure this stuff is Wolfsbane Potion?"

A young man, thin as a skeleton but full of energy, lay on the table, one eye wide open, looking closely at a fist-sized ball of mud in front of him, his face full of distrust.

"I told you, Jimmy, you should call me John here, John Moon..."

Lupin muttered to himself, looking at the mud ball in front of him. He wasn't entirely sure. But Snape had given it to him before he left, so it probably wasn't a prank.

Jimmy was Werewolf companion he met while wandering in England. He used to have a stable job cleaning up animal feces at a wizard pet shop owned by his uncle, so it was relatively peaceful.

When he transforms on Full Moon Night, his uncle locks him tightly in a cage with wild beasts, so that any inexplicable injuries can be explained away by the animals.

Perhaps due to the support of his family, Jimmy did not develop a paranoid and violent personality like other Werewolf. Instead, he was somewhat childish, carefree, and easygoing.

Last year, influenced by the Anti-Werewolf Law, Jimmy's uncle insisted that Jimmy register his Werewolf identity with the Ministry of Magic, but Jimmy refused. The two argued for several days, and it ended with Jimmy leaving for another place.

After arriving in the United States, Lupin immediately contacted Jimmy and, with Jimmy's help, infiltrated the Werewolf community in Brooklyn.

Lupin feigned composure and said, "It's an improved version of the Wolfsbane Potion. One pill will be effective for six months, but the restriction is that it cannot be chewed."

"You call this a 'one'?" the Werewolf Jimmy looked up indignantly. "This is big enough to play baseball!"

"It's an improved version."

"Who made this modification?" Jimmy yelled. "That Potions should be locked up in Azkaban!"

Lupin nodded in agreement, saying, "I support you, but right now, you should be thinking about how to eat it."

"And what about you?"

"I've learned Animagus, I don't need to eat anymore."

Jimmy immediately felt uncomfortable and couldn't help but squint and ask, "Where did you go last year? You learned Animagus, got your hands on the improved version of Wolfsbane Potion, and most importantly, you even managed to get so many roasted chicken legs!"

"I understand..." Lupin nodded. "Next week is the Full Moon Night. If you eat this now, you can eat as many roasted chicken legs as you want for the next week."

"Are you referring to the roasted chicken legs?"

Do you want some?

"..."

Jimmy picked up the baseball-shaped "Wolfsbane Potion" and struggled to put it into his mouth.

"Heh... heh..."

With a sickening swallowing sound, Jimmy ate a baseball with a ferocious expression, without chewing.

"I think... I'm full—"

Jimmy suddenly stopped. He felt the mud ball change in his stomach, as if a layer of it had melted, and then a sticky liquid seeped out from the baseball mud ball.

It felt icy cold, which was a strange sensation.

"Belch!"

Jimmy couldn't help but burp, and a strong odor surged up his esophagus, entered his trachea through his mouth, and then his nose. Thanks to his sensitive Werewolf nose, Jimmy's face turned green instantly.

His eyes and eyebrows furrowed, his nose wrinkled, and his mouth stretched downward as he inhaled repeatedly, his expression contorted as if he were about to transform on the spot.

Lupin watched as he lay convulsing on the table, his face turning from green to red, and then gradually losing all color and turning pale.

He vaguely recalled some unpleasant memories and asked with concern:

"Are you... alright?"

"..."

Jimmy slumped weakly on the table, slowly raised his right hand, and made an international greeting gesture, bending four fingers into his palm, leaving only his middle finger upright.

This is something he learned after coming to this community.

Half an hour later, Jimmy slowly recovered and sat down at the table with Lupin. Plates of steaming hot roasted chicken legs were taken out of his backpack. Jimmy glanced at the backpack, then at the chicken legs on the table, and wisely did not ask any questions.

"Give me a detailed introduction to the Werewolf here."

Jimmy swallowed the meat in his mouth and let out a sigh of relief, "As you can see, they are roughly divided into two groups. One is the Werewolf who originally lived in this country. Their leader is a Werewolf named Tyler Lautner, and they are very united."

"I heard from one of the little guys that they didn't originally live here. They did carpentry and painting work on the border of this country. They only recently moved here... They probably still have some savings. They can eat their fill of bread and milk that are close to their expiration date. They even gave us clothes last winter."

"The other group is like us, who fled here and are more loosely organized. Fenrir Greyback has gathered a bunch of restless guys to rob Muggle —no, we call them Muggle here—for their money and food. Those who don't want to work for him can only do illegal jobs."

After Jimmy finished speaking, he lowered his head and continued to focus on the roasted chicken leg.

Lupin looked at Jimmy thoughtfully, sketching out a rough outline of the community in his mind.

The person behind Fenrir must be Voldemort.

The next step is to win over the Werewolf who crave stability.

Besides people like Jimmy, it seems like you could also try contacting local Werewolf.

Lupin suddenly looked up and asked, "Won't the Magical Congress here notice if they rob Muggle and Muggle?"

"The Aurors of the American Magical Congress have been very busy lately, you know. The International Confederation of Wizards is about to begin. And this place is already chaotic; Muggle getting robbed is a common occurrence..."

Jimmy raised his hand to scratch his head, then remembered that he hadn't washed his hair in months, so he put his hand down again. "Besides, they didn't use magic in the robbery, so they weren't so easy to notice."

"I see..."

Lupin glanced at his head, and the idea of scratching it for him vanished instantly. He muttered disdainfully, "It's dirtier than Snape's head."

Who is Snape?

"Never mind that," Lupin waved his hand dismissively. "Can you get in touch with Chief Taylor Lautner? I want to see him..."

"I've only spoken to one of the little ones, but... I'll give it a try."

"..."