Mad-Eye, the Foolishly Loyal Warrior

Because Nicolas Flamel's mobility issues seemed to occur suddenly, without the gradual development of a small problem into a chronic condition.

Thinking back carefully, it seems that before I embarked on my journey to another dimension, my teacher suddenly fell ill, and I didn't get to see him when I left.

Even after the trip ended, the teacher saw him less and less, and every time they met, he was either in a wheelchair or in bed, as if he could no longer move freely...

Sigh, after this battle with Voldemort is over, I'll have to check on my teacher's condition properly.

Harry really wanted to do something for Nicolas Flamel, especially since he had just retrieved that item from another dimension, which he believed would definitely come in handy.

But now, he must focus his attention on this final match.

Because if nothing goes wrong, it seems Voldemort intends to carry out his plan during the competition, just like in the 'original story'!

"Hermione, you must be extra careful during tonight's matches, especially the Triwizard Cup in the very center of the maze!" Harry solemnly instructed Hermione. "Voldemort and his gang might make their move at the very last moment of the matches. If anything changes, I will be the first to act, and you and Luna Lovegood will be responsible for bringing our people to the battlefield at the same time!"

Ever since he learned that Barty Crouch Jr. Crouch. could fly, he had been extremely vigilant about the safety of Hermione and Luna Lovegood, including the Triwizard Cup, which now seemed impossible to tamper with!

After all... with staffless flight and the Disillusionment Charm, Barty Crouch Jr. Crouch Jr. could easily sneak to the center of the maze!

"Don't worry, I'll be careful," Hermione with a confident smile and a nod.

Not only Harry, but Hermione had also been looking forward to this battle, as had Luna Lovegood and everyone on Harry's side!

They had already rehearsed countless times in their minds what role each of them would play and how they would cooperate with Harry to defeat these enemies, all for the sake of this moment that was about to arrive!

"Okay... Also, starting this afternoon, I might be restricted from having much contact with you. Mad-Eye Moody has been spying on me lately, and he's even started doing it openly!" Harry added as a final instruction. "However, I'll find a way to shake him off during the match, and I'll use magic to notify you immediately in case of any emergency!"

They spent the whole morning pushing Perenelle around the school, and the three of them also finalized their plans for the evening.

They didn't return to the Great Hall until the scorching sun was directly overhead, where they had lunch.

"That's... the Weasley family are all here?" Hermione was surprised to find all nine members of the Weasley family dining at the Gryffindor long table!

Yes, two adults and seven children, nine people in total.

"Mr. Weasley is the acting Minister for Ministry of Magic now, and one of the judges for the final match, so he's allowed to bring his family to watch the game," Harry explained quietly. "The Weasley Brothers told me about it, and when I went to the magazine office earlier, I also got Percy a day off."

Well... the truth is, Percy actually felt awkward and didn't want to come, and Harry's leave was forced upon him... and it was even paid!

Given the Weasley family's past wealth, they've rarely had such a glorious time. Now that they can finally go out as a family, what's the point of missing Percy?

Harry knew what Percy was worried about: Harry's strained relationship with the Ministry of Magic, and as an employee, he needed to avoid any appearance of impropriety... But Harry didn't care about any of that.

He was not only the boss of the Weasley family' three children, but also their friend, so naturally he had to consider their needs.

So Harry didn't bother them, but quietly escorted his teacher's wife back to the nursing home after lunch.

However, Harry didn't notice... after they left, Percy, who had been eating with his head down, unconsciously stuck his tongue out at the Great Hall door...

Chapter 828 Mad-Eye Moody, Blindly Loyal Champion

In the afternoon, when Harry returned to the castle, Luna Lovegood told him that Hermione and the other three Champion had been called away by Albus Dumbledore and other members of the organizing committee.

"They said it was to ensure the quality of the game tonight, and to keep them from running around too much, and they said they needed to check their wands and stuff... Basically, they just used this as an excuse to keep an eye on the Know-it-all," Luna Lovegood said, shrugging. "But thankfully, they didn't have any reason to spy on me."

"They don't need a reason to spy on people anymore, don't you think... Mr. Moody?"

Harry smiled dismissively, glancing indifferently at the corner of the Great Hall corridor. Soon, Mad-Eye Moody appeared, limping out.

"You've always been quite perceptive, haven't you?" Moody said in a low voice.

"With a formidable enemy at hand, it's better to be vigilant," Harry sneered. "At least I won't be like some people who are neglecting their duties... wearing a Mystic Eye but not using it to monitor the Death Eater who might invade at any moment."

"Say what you will," Moody shrugged indifferently, but remained standing still.

Well, looks like he's going to have to become a tough nut to crack.

Harry knew perfectly well that Moody was now willing to risk everything to keep an eye on him.

He did this so that he could keep track of his movements at all times and help the Order of the Phoenix seize credit as soon as possible.

This is Harry's first direct confrontation with Voldemort, and Harry has a very high chance of winning... This fact had already been leaked to the Order of the Phoenix by Lupin.

Regardless of whether Albus Dumbledore believed this intelligence or not, he would inevitably involve the Order of the Phoenix!

With just any excuse—say, to rescue Harry who's imprisoned— the Order of the Phoenix can get involved with Harry and beat Voldemort together, and they'll likely take the lion's share of the immense credit and fame that follows.

But with the match approaching, Harry can't really do anything to Moody. If he beats him up and things escalate, Albus Dumbledore will definitely come looking for trouble; as for killing him outright, that wouldn't be easy to explain to Tonks either...

But it's okay, Harry won't go through all that trouble to do something that benefits someone else.

He had previously told Hermione that he wanted to act alone, not only to mislead Voldemort and the Death Eater, but also to prepare the battlefield in advance and keep Albus Dumbledore and the Order of the Order of the Phoenix out of the fray!

Besides, he doesn't only have two Granger on his side.

In front of Moody, Harry gave Luna Lovegood a wink, and she swaggered away from the two of them.

Moody hesitated for a moment upon seeing this, but ultimately decided to stay by Harry's side.

"Oh, did you also send someone to keep an eye on Luna Lovegood?" Harry asked with a sneer. "Could it be Kingsley Shacklebolt Shacklebolt?"

"No, it's Mundungus Fletcher Fletcher who's in charge of keeping an eye on her... but I don't think he can keep an eye on that girl." Moody shook his head, saying with some concern, "As for Kingsley Shacklebolt ... he's been in a bad mood lately, so he's staying at the Ministry of Magic for now."

To mislead Harry, Kingsley Shacklebolt Shacklebolt has been feigning madness lately, but Moody is worried that something else seems to have happened to him; he appears to have suddenly become extremely depressed, and it doesn't seem like he's simply acting.

Another thing that puzzled Moody was that Kingsley Shacklebolt hadn't visited his nephew in the last two weeks, whereas he used to visit him at least two or three times a week.

However, he currently only assumes that Kingsley Shacklebolt is overwhelmed with grief, which is why he is behaving this way.

Moody felt he could understand Kingsley Shacklebolt's feelings, because he also had younger brothers to worry about... only they were now on the side of this kid in front of him.

"Fine, then you can keep watching." Harry snorted coldly, no longer wanting to deal with this persistent pest.

However, Moody seemed somewhat hesitant to speak...

"Granger... I'd be very grateful if you could help take care of Tonks and Lupin."

"What did you say?" Harry frowned at Mad-Eye Moody, and for the first time ever, he saw a vulnerable expression on the man's face. "Mr. Moody, these words shouldn't be in your surveillance footage, should they?"

"Just some random sentimentality..." Moody smiled wearily, even the gruesome scars on his face seemed to soften with a touch of melancholy. "I have no children, and I'm mentally unstable, so I basically have no family or friends... Now, the only thing I can't let go of is probably those two kids..."

"Tonks and Lupin ..." Harry sighed and shook his head. "Mr. Moody, do you know... how much suffering your actions have caused them?"

"I know... I've always felt bad about it, so I can only ask that you take good care of them in the future..." Moody sighed softly. "I know it might sound strange to ask you this, but... you're really much more reliable than us old folks."

"If you're really so conflicted, why not just quit?" Harry asked, frowning. "If you don't want Tonks and the others to be caught in the middle, why not just leave the Order of the Phoenix and stop interfering in my and the Headmaster's affairs? Or do you really believe that all his decisions are necessarily correct?!"

"No... I don't think so." Moody shook his head. "Everyone makes mistakes, you and I, Albus no exception. It's just that I've gotten used to following his orders, and I can't change it. Besides, Albus different from you; he's always been lonely, and sometimes even his own brothers don't understand him. So... he needs support, even if his decisions are truly wrong!"

"Heh... then you should support him." Harry shook his head; he had no desire to comment on Moody anymore.

Alastor Moody, the legendary Mad-Eye Moody, was an undisputed Champion and a devoted teacher...

But he was an extremely loyal fellow; even knowing it was wrong, he insisted on following Albus Dumbledore down the same path to the bitter end!

Moody, shameless as ever, stared at Harry for the entire afternoon, including at the dinner party, where he brazenly ate his meal at Eagle House's table.

Until the banquet ended, all the students, organized by their respective house heads, went together to the Quidditch Pitch. Moody, however, never let Harry go, staying close by his side the whole time.

For this reason, Albus Dumbledore did not even arrange for him to serve as a patrol guard, but instead had Madam Hooch, the professor of the Flying Class, take his place and, together with the other three deans, guard the four directions.

The stars twinkled in the deep blue night sky, and excited shouts emanated from the stands filled with spectators. But Moody stood silently behind Harry, like a stone statue.

Even as Hermione and the other three Champion took their positions at the maze entrance, his gaze never left Harry.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to announce the start of the competition! Based on the previous results, Hermione Granger, who currently has the highest total score, will be the first to enter the maze, followed by Cedric Diggory, Viktor Krum, and Phoebe Delacour!"

Amidst applause and cheers, Mr. Weasley put a whistle to his lips, as if to blow it...

"Mr. Moody, can you fly?"

"What did you say... Oh no!"

"Bah!"

After a loud eagle cry, Harry transformed into a soaring eagle as he took to the air!

"Oh no..." Moody exclaimed in alarm, and hurriedly began searching for Harry.

At the same time, a loud whistle blew from the stands, guiding Hermione to charge into the maze!