A few days later, Errol, the Weasley family's owl, crashed into the Common Room window with a clang.
A thick letter in reply.
Ron took the letter and found Hermione in a corner of the Library.
He thrust it at her, wearing a smug "I told you so" look.
"Hermione, look. My dad checked everything he could."
Hermione unfolded the parchment.
Mr. Arthur Weasley's handwriting was just like the man himself, gentle and meticulous.
The letter was filled with details of Mad-Eye Moody's life:
A legendary Auror with an illustrious record, who had single-handedly doubled the number of prisoners in Azkaban.
He had captured countless notorious Death Eaters, including Evan Rosier and Avery.
Years of combat had left him extremely paranoid and suspicious, convinced that Dark Wizards were everywhere.
He had been gravely wounded and nearly killed on his last mission before retirement, forcing him to leave his post.
At the end of the letter, Arthur had added a special note: "Moody is a hero, Ron. It is an honor for Harry and all of you to have his guidance."
"See?" Ron pointed at the letter and sighed with relief. "Everything matches up. He's that hero, Moody. He couldn't possibly..."
Ron never said the words "be a thief."
That would have been an insult to a hero.
Hermione tightened her grip on the letter, creasing the edges of the parchment.
Flawless.
This disguise was flawless.
Even the Ministry of Magic's core records revealed no cracks.
She had tried the most basic approach.
Following Moody after class, hoping to catch him slipping up.
But every time, the moment she hid behind a suit of armor at a corridor corner, Moody's uncanny magical eye would pierce through the walls from dozens of feet away and pin her in place.
Then Moody would