The Impostor Moody, Highly Suspicious / Tail in Pursuit, A Pubside Windfall

That's why some people are just born stubborn. Draco Malfoy has a rare bit of intelligence, but he uses it all to figure out how to successfully act cheeky and pretentious in front of Harry, refusing to turn back even after hitting a brick wall.

However, Malfoy didn't expect that Harry would genuinely ignore him this time, but it was too late for him to back down now.

Because he has successfully ignited a powder keg that had reached its breaking point!

"Then I'm still better than you, you bastard!" Ron, already on the verge of exploding, finally lost his temper completely. "Hasn't your unfortunate father been missing for ages? It's laughable that you still have the nerve to meddle in other people's business?!"

"Damn it! What did you say? How dare you say such a thing?!"

Malfoy's pale face flushed crimson in an instant. His father had been missing for several months, and there was still no news of him. This matter had always been a thorn in his side.

Originally, being flattered and praised by Crabbe and others would have made him temporarily forget this fact, but Ron made no attempt to hide it and reopened this wound!

"You bastard... I'll never forgive you!!"

Completely losing his mind, Malfoy angrily lunged at Ron, his teeth clenched as if he wanted to snap Ron's neck.

Ron, equally enraged, charged forward and began wrestling with Malfoy without hesitation.

"Oh no, pull them apart quickly!"

"Oh no! Quick, go help Draco!"

Seeing the scene turn chaotic, the Weasley Brothers and Malfoy's henchmen rushed forward without prior arrangement. However, before they could make a move, a scorching white light beat them to it and exploded right near the two men who were wrestling!

After a loud bang, Ron lay on the ground, still shaken. But Malfoy, who had just been fighting with him, had vanished, replaced by a timid weasel.

"Don't do that, kid!"

A roar came from behind, and everyone turned around abruptly, only to see Moody limping towards them from a distance.

His demonic eye was shattered by lightning yesterday, leaving only a terrible hole where his eye used to be. Also, because he lost his prosthetic leg, he could only use a simple wooden crutch.

However, this did not prevent him from using his wand, and the tip of his wand remained pointed at the weasel.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Moody stormed forward, stepping over the silent crowd, and used his wooden crutch to pull Ron was lying on the ground, to his feet.

"Uh, no... we've only just started fighting." Ron was clearly frightened, and his expression was somewhat dazed.

"That's good." Moody snorted, then looked down at the weasel.

The weasel seemed to sense the danger at the same time; it let out a terrified scream and ran frantically towards the nearby corridor.

"You're not getting away!" However, Moody simply pointed his wand, and the weasel instantly rose more than three meters into the air, then crashed to the ground with a thud, before rising even higher again!

"What I can't stand the most are Death Eater brats like you who have no skills but are always causing trouble!" Moody cursed gruffly, while the weasel, under his control, rose higher and higher, constantly emitting painful screams.

"Arthur is such a humble and talented wizard, and you ungrateful wretch dare to slander him? Don't you know that your father, Lucius Malfoy, is a despicable and filthy coward?!"

With a flick of his wand, Moody lifted the weasel into the air, leaving it to struggle wildly with its legs flailing about.

Upon witnessing this scene, Harry was filled with deep doubt.

This Moody's is definitely not right.

It was clearly a fight between two people, but Moody only attacked Malfoy. Moreover, judging from what he said, it was less that he was disciplining a disobedient student, and more that he was taking his anger out on Malfoy's son because he harbored hatred for Malfoy's father.

Another thing was his injuries. Harry was surprised to find that the wounds Moody sustained from being struck by lightning yesterday seemed to have healed.

The scars on his body from the lightning strike disappeared almost entirely overnight, and his excessively depleted magic power had also recovered to about 70-80%!

This was absolutely incredible for Harry, who was trained by Snape and was also skilled in medical magic.

In his mind, such an effect, a veritable panacea for "regenerating flesh and bones," usually came with side effects that most wizards would absolutely not want to endure...

"Hmm?" Suddenly, as if sensing something, Harry looked at his left arm in confusion.

He discovered that his left hand had become clenched into a fist without him noticing, and even the veins on it were bulging out involuntarily, as if he were extremely angry.

Could it be...? Harry looked at Moody again, his eyes unconsciously narrowing.

"Professor Moody!" A surprised voice came from the corridor. Professor McGonagall, carrying a stack of books, jogged over to him.

"Hello, Professor McGonagall." Moody softened his expression upon seeing this, but still flicked his wand, causing the weasel to leap up again.

"What are you doing?" Professor McGonagall asked warily, looking at the weasel in mid-air.

"Teach them a lesson," Moody said nonchalantly.

"A lesson? Moody, could it be a student?" Professor McGonagall exclaimed in surprise, scattering the books she was holding onto the floor.

"That's right."

"Good heavens!" she exclaimed in surprise, and quickly pulled out her wand to break the spell on the weasel.

A moment later, with a series of crackling sounds, Draco Malfoy finally returned to normal.

However, he was no longer as arrogant as before. He just cowered on the ground, tears and snot streaming down his face. He was so frightened that he had completely lost control of his emotions.

"Moody, we never use Transfiguration as punishment!" Professor McGonagall retorted, exasperated and furious. "I'm sure Headmaster Dumbledore told you that, didn't he?"

"He mentioned it, but I think we need to give them a good scare..." Moody casually scratched his chin, but his single remaining eye suddenly glared at Crabbe and the group of Slytherin. "Especially those Death Eater bastards, we can't let our guard down!"

"Moody, don't bring your emotions into the school!" Professor McGonagall looked even angrier. "Regardless of their parents, they are first and foremost Hogwarts students! If they've done something wrong, we can put them in detention or report them to the head of their house, not resort to vigilante justice like you are!"

"Okay, okay, I understand..."

Knowing he was in the wrong, Moody muttered something, stuck out his tongue, and then fell silent.

Chapter 598 The Imposter Moody, Very Wary

"Alright, everyone, you can all leave now."

Seeing that Moody had backed down, Professor McGonagall didn't press the matter further. She turned around and dispersed the students who had gathered around to watch the commotion, while also tacitly allowing a group of terrified Slytherin House students to take Malfoy away.

When he left, Malfoy's dull blond hair was disheveled, and his eyes were almost filled with tears of pain and resentment.

Harry didn't bother analyzing the guy's mood at the moment, because whatever he had endured today was the bitter fruit he and his bastard father had sown themselves!

"Harry, you should have stopped this immediately!" After the commotion subsided, Professor McGonagall, still furious, approached Harry again. "Now that you're about to become a professor, you should remember to treat every student equally!"

"I will, Professor McGonagall. If the students from Slytherin House choose my class, I will certainly teach them all without discrimination," Harry promised humbly.

"That would be best. I believe many people are looking forward to what you're going to say."

Professor McGonagall finally smiled upon hearing this. She used her wand to gather the books scattered on the floor, offered Harry a few words of encouragement, and then turned and left.

However, after the other person left, Harry repeatedly asked the Weasley Brothers to inquire about the details of that night, and then hurriedly went to the underground classroom.

At this point, everything was just speculation, Harry couldn't readily share his guesses with Professor McGonagall, so he decided to consult with a reliable person.

And in the entire school, that person was undoubtedly the most reliable.

"Didn't you already guess?"

In the underground classroom, after listening to Harry's story, Snape didn't offer his own opinion, but instead asked quietly, "Do you think I would keep anything from you?"

"I just find it hard to believe that anyone would make the same choice as Voldemort," Harry sighed deeply. "Unicorn blood...why did he have to use something like that?"

That's right, Harry had already guessed it before he even came to see Severus Snape.

The only 'Potions' that can quickly heal injuries and replenish severely depleted magic power is Unicorn blood!

But why would Moody's do that?

Willing to bear the curse of the Unicorn, just to keep himself in top condition at all times?

Or perhaps she simply didn't want Madam Pomfrey to use her as an excuse to treat him?

"Granger, instead of worrying about why, you should think about who he is," Snape reminded him expressionlessly.

"The strange thing is, he is Moody." Harry pulled the Marauder's Map from his ring. "I just checked it, he..."

"Don't let me see that thing!"

Snape glared at Harry with a dark look; he clearly already knew that the Marauder's Map was covered with insults directed at him.

"Okay, it's my fault." Harry shrugged helplessly and put the map back down.

He had intended to tell Severus Snape that the other man's name on the Marauder's Map was Alastor Moody, but now it seemed unnecessary.

"He must have cast a disguise spell on his name. Clearly, your map isn't a secret to him." After a moment's thought, Snape seemed to conclude, "Our Mr. Lupin seems to be getting a little too carried away lately."

"Uh... your analysis is quite impressive, going through such a long and winding path."

Harry twitched his lips helplessly. He understood what Severus Snape meant: Lupin was telling Tonks, Moody, and the Fake Moody that Harry had a Marauder's Map made with Lupin's family spell.

See how clear the logic is?

"Furthermore, Alastor Moody is a key figure in the Order of the Phoenix. Before you take action against him, you'd better have solid evidence. Also, you should inform Dumbledore in advance."

"I will, Severus Snape."

Harry nodded; Snape's reminder was undoubtedly a crucial point he needed to keep in mind when he acted.

Moody is a staunch supporter of Dumbledore, so this incident of Fake Moody Hogwarts, regardless of his actual purpose, involves core members of the Order of the Phoenix.

So the Severus Snape was reminding Harry that although they and the Order of the Phoenix shared Voldemort as a common enemy, they were now clearly two separate forces. It was best not to cross the line, lest Albus Dumbledore have something to say about it later.

After leaving the underground classroom, Harry knew what he had to do.

He first sent a secret letter to the Greengrass Family, ordering the Greengrass Ghost, who had been helping him collect information on the Pure-blood Family, to rush to Hogwarts and begin 24-hour surveillance of the Fake Moody, with the main goal of finding out where he had Mad-Eye Moody!

Harry later verified the name several more times using the Homonculous Charm, and found that the other person's name was always 'Alastor Moody', and there was only one Moody in Hogwarts.

It now seems that either the other party cast a disguise spell on their own name, or they also cast a concealment spell on the real Moody —a spell that can completely hide a person, so that even an owl cannot find the hidden wizard once it is cast.

Since the Fake Moody was strong enough to subdue Moody and resist Harry's Homonculous Charm detection, his skill in spells was obviously quite high, and it was very likely that he could cast a powerful shielding charm.

Of course, there is another possibility: the real Moody might not be at Hogwarts at the moment, which would be a bit more troublesome.

The Weasley Brothers later forwarded Arthur's letter to Harry, and after reading it carefully, Harry did indeed discover some problems.

On the night of the incident, Moody blew up a dumpster, but there were actually several traces of spellcasting at the scene. However, Mr. Weasley was in a hurry to erase the memories of those ordinary police officers, so he did not examine them in detail.

Moreover, Moody himself said at the time that it was a false alarm... so if the real Moody was already under control at that time, he could very well have been imprisoned in his own home!

"It seems the key to solving the problem still lies with that Fake Moody..."

From Friday to Sunday, Harry Greengrass's ghost stalked Moody for more than two days, but failed to obtain any useful clues.

This imposter was unusually wary. Not only was he extremely careful to clean up any loose hair, but he also kept his drinking flask with him even while sleeping. Although many parts of his body were damaged by lightning, he didn't rush to replace his demonic eyes and prosthetic legs. Instead, he immediately replaced his drinking flask with an identical one, and he always drank the 'wine' he brought with him.

Of course, Harry now knows perfectly well what's actually inside.

But he still lacks one crucial piece of evidence that would convince Albus Dumbledore to cooperate in apprehending the Fake Moody!

"Lord Granger, that fellow left the office and headed towards the school gate!"

Just as Harry was Harry how to deal with this guy, the Ghost brought him the latest news about Moody.

"Outside of school? Then I'll go and meet him myself." As he spoke, Harry had already put on his Invisibility Cloak.

Well then, since this guy is so alert, I might as well go and find out for myself.

Chapter 599 Stalking and Surveillance, Bar Harvest

On the main road of Hogsmeade Village, Harry, wearing the Invisibility Cloak, trailed far behind the Fake Moody.

He dared not approach too closely. Even without the Magic Eye, the Fake Moody was still a wizard with keen senses, and getting too close would easily alert him.

However, the Fake Moody didn't go anywhere special, nor did he make any effort to hide his whereabouts.

He first went to Devis-Bans at the end of the village, where he bought a more comfortable and finely crafted magical prosthetic limb, but instead of changing into it immediately, he took it to the Hog's Head Inn.

"Mad-Eye Moody? What are you doing here... and where did your Demon Eye go?"

In the morning, there wasn't a single customer in the Hog's Head Inn. Aberforth Dumbledore, who was wiping glasses behind the bar, was stunned for a moment when he saw the Fake Moody, and then quickly put down what he was doing.

Upon closer inspection, however, he discovered that his comrade was missing many parts, not only the demon eye, but also a broken crutch instead of the prosthetic leg... though he was carrying a new prosthetic leg in his hand.

"There was a bit of an accident. That Potter family kid messed up while he was performing his lightning-charging act, and my Magic Eye and prosthetic leg were shattered." Fake Moody helplessly waved the prosthetic leg in his hand. "So, I just managed to find some time to go to Devis-Bans and get a new one, but the eye can't be repaired anytime soon."

"That makes sense." Aberforth Dumbledore in understanding. Moody's Eye was a high-end product created by a master alchemist. Even a general magic item shop like Devis-Bans couldn't make one even if it were custom-made.