Trial

Sirius and Lupin acted quickly, and the next day they began cleaning the Shrieking Shack.

As Kyle said, renovating a house that has been abandoned for many years is indeed not an easy task.

The place was teeming with Bundimun, gnats, and other pests; Lupin even found two Boggart in the top attic.

Sirius suggested tearing down the whole house and rebuilding it, which might be faster, but Lupin disagreed.

He thought the Shrieking Shack was still sturdy and it would be a waste to destroy it all. After arguing for a long time, the two finally decided on a compromise.

The house is kept, but nothing inside is left.

It will be much faster to clean up afterwards.

Kyle had come here once through the secret passage beneath the Whomping Willow.

Lupin and Sirius were busy as bees, and the shopkeepers of Hogsmeade, hearing the commotion, also gathered around to see what was happening.

Some kind-hearted people... like the Ambrosius Flume couple from Honeydukes, also helped clear the weeds and carnivorous slugs from the yard.

In addition, the other shop owners were also very friendly to them.

Hogsmeade is a small place with only a few shops, and they were happy to see new members joining them.

And the Shrieking Shack... well, although it's famous, the legends surrounding it are outdated, and its long-abandoned state and overgrown weeds somewhat tarnish the image of Hogsmeade.

Kyle didn't stay there for long; Lupin sent him back after only about half an hour.

According to him, cleaning is a small matter that doesn't require much help. Besides, today isn't Hogsmeade visiting day, and if the professor with Three Broomsticks and a drink sees Kyle, he'll definitely get points deducted, and might even be put in solitary confinement.

Kyle didn't insist, nodded, and went back.

After leaving the Whomping Willow Passage, Kyle encountered Harry, Hermione, and Ron... or so it should be.

Perhaps not wanting to be discovered, the three of them wore Harry's Invisibility Cloak, but they didn't realize that their feet were all sticking out, making the scene look rather eerie.

However, by this time they were almost at the Whomping Willow, so Kyle pretended not to see anything and walked straight past.

Dumbledore also returned to the castle on Monday morning.

Meanwhile, there was also a very brief sentence in the newspaper that day.

The legislation restricting Auror failed to pass.

This line of text is really small, and it's sandwiched between two articles; you probably wouldn't find it if you didn't look carefully.

Even so, Professor Moody was still furious. In the first Defence Against the Dark Arts that afternoon, he openly complained that the people in the Ministry of Magic were incompetent and that they only knew how to talk big but didn't understand what the Auror went through every day.

"I think the professor is right," Qiu nodded seriously below. "If the Ministry of Magic really passes that restrictive law, then I will never consider becoming Auror under any circumstances."

"Don't worry," Kyle said, "If they really pass... we'll see the news of the Auror resigning en masse tomorrow."

As he spoke, Kyle put the Marauder's Map back into his pocket.

After all, Professor Moody had been gone for a month, so Kyle brought the Marauder's Map with him before class.

The good news is that Professor Moody's name is still not on it, just like before.

However, just to be on the safe side, Kyle rushed out of the classroom as soon as class ended and caught up with Professor Moody hadn't gone far.

"Professor..." Kyle said calmly, "Didn't you say you wanted to check our mastery of the Shield Charm?"

I noticed you didn't mention this earlier, so is it for the next lesson?

"Shield Charm?"

Professor Moody's normal eyes and that blue demonic eye both looked over.

"I think you must have remembered it wrong."

He said with great certainty, "The Shield Charm is the first lesson, and I've already spent a lot of time teaching you it. Whether you learn it or not, I won't waste any more time on this charm; it's pointless."

"Perhaps I'm mistaken," Kyle said. "Maybe Professor Black was telling me; he'd been substituting for the past month."

"If that's the case, then you can completely forget about this." Professor Moody glanced at the students in the corridor. "At least during my classes, I will absolutely not waste any more time checking your Shield Charm."

"I understand, Professor," Kyle said, and then prepared to leave.

Professor Moody's blue magic eye followed Kyle's movement, and a somewhat frightening smile inexplicably appeared on his scarred face.

"I must say, you're quite alert, kid."

He said in a hoarse voice, "Those mediocre people in the Ministry of Magic are not even as good as a child. Not one of them suspected that I was someone else in disguise, and they didn't have the slightest suspicion."

"I don't understand what you're saying, Professor," Kyle said, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

Although she was indeed testing him, it would be a bit impolite to say it to his face.

However, Professor Moody seemed not to have heard Kyle's explanation and continued:

"Verifying my identity is essential." He patted the water bottle in his pocket. "Everyone knows I only drink the water I bring myself. If someone wants to impersonate me, they can simply put the Polyjuice Potion in the water bottle and take a sip every hour. It's that simple."

Kyle didn't say anything, mainly because he didn't know what to say, since some people actually did it.

"Interested in becoming Auror?" Professor Moody suddenly asked.

"Auror?" Kyle shook his head. "Not for now, but I might consider it later."

"Then you really should think about it," Professor Moody said, pointing to his Mystic Eye. "I trust my judgment. You are intelligent and more vigilant than most people, which is especially important. As I've said before, constant vigilance is an Auror's most powerful weapon."

And you are the one who possesses this weapon. I dare say that you will become a legendary Auror, just like your mother."

"My mother?" Kyle, who had only wanted to get rid of Professor Moody as quickly as possible, showed surprise and doubt for the first time. "But Professor, I think you must be mistaken. My mother is not Auror."

"Mistaken? No, not at all." Professor Moody laughed again. "Diana didn't just graduate and join the Department of Mysteries. She's one of the best and most promising Auror I've ever seen, ever since she joined."

"Before I retired, I once thought she would take over the Auror Office in the future, but unfortunately, she did not choose to stay here."

"But now it seems her decision was right. The Ministry of Magic is absolutely rotten these days... and that Fudge, he only cares about gaining more power, not how to be a good minister."

Professor Moody got angry again. He didn't say anything more to Kyle and limped toward his office.

Even though he had walked quite a distance, Kyle could still hear him cursing and swearing.