Chapter 344 Eavesdropping

Whatever the school rules say, they probably don't apply to Aurors - especially a powerful Auror who is glaring at you with disapproval.

Faced with Mad-Eye's ferocious appearance, even Filch seemed a little frightened. He muttered reluctantly and walked away, without mentioning anything like "hanging from the ceiling by his ankles" or "locking him in a cabinet full of spikes."

"Bah!" Mad-Eye said harshly and disdainfully, "Sneaky little man!" He stared at Filch's back, while the other magic eye was spinning rapidly in his eye socket. Anthony wasn't sure if that meant he wanted to roll his eyes.

"It's not the first day you've met him, Alastor." Kingsley said, taking out his pocket watch and looking at it, "It's time for us to leave."

Mad-Eye sneered: "I didn't like him from the first day I met him. You know, what does this mean..." He turned his magic eyes and looked at several pairs of armors by the wall suspiciously.

At this moment, with a creak, the door of a classroom next to them opened. Umbridge's artificial, whispering voice drifted out from the crack in the door. Mad-Eye showed a mixture of disgust, vigilance and excitement, as if he was holding up his slippers to a fly parked on the window.

"After we see the results of O.W.Ls and N.E.W.Ts, you will receive this survey report... Oh, by the way, there will also be a summary report for all surveys, dear." The gap became slightly wider. , a few stubby fingers with rings on them rested on the inner door handle, "However, I must say, I'm afraid the results will not be very good. We regret to find that during the entire investigation, you did not adjust based on the feedback at all. your teaching.”

"Why, Dolores," said Lockhart's voice, "that's an unfair accusation! You should know that I am always willing to listen to helpful suggestions..."

Umbridge interrupted him softly: "Well, I hope you are aware of the consequences of ignoring that advice. I'm looking forward to this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts pass rate. I'm sure it will give others A heads up, professors.”

She opened the door and stepped out with an uncomfortable, smug smile on her face.

Her contented expression faded when she saw Scrimgeour, Mad-Eye and Kingsley, but then an even more fake smile appeared on her face.

"Rufus? It's great to see you here. Of course, I didn't expect - Oh, Kingsley!" She looked around in feigned surprise, "Why, there's Mr. Moody ! What happened?"

Mad-Eye said nothing. Scrimgeour smiled dryly: "That's the thing you know, Umbridge. Well, good. We're off. See you at the Ministry."

"Oh, that matter." Umbridge said, tilting her head slightly in suspicion, "But if it involves any matters in Hogwarts... you know that I am the Senior Investigator, right? You can always To me—"

"Henry!" Lockhart said happily, squeezing out between Umbridge and the door frame, "It seems that you have proctored the Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L., right? Those little guys did well, right? ? Haha, of course you can't expect them to fight against a whole group of Voldemort bats alone like me, but as long as they use those little tricks correctly, they should be able to impress the examiners..."

Anthony reminded: "The practical exam is in the afternoon, Professor Lockhart."

"Of course I know." Lockhart frowned, "What's wrong with you, Henry? You don't think I will forget the student's exam time because I am too busy, right? Then you underestimate me! Of course, others You may find it unimaginable what I have to deal with...writing books, answering letters, declining interviews. Visit invitations, provide help to eager new adventurers, answer difficult questions about Defense Against the Dark Arts sent from all over the world, and prepare students for exams... But for Gilderoy Lockhart, this is nothing more than It's a piece of cake. You should have seen me when I was in Bulgaria..."

"We really need to go," Scrimgeour said.

Umbridge said immediately: "Let me see you out."

Scrimgeour hesitated, but Umbridge had already made a gesture that could not be refused and walked to his side. Kingsley nodded to Umbridge and followed Scrimgeour forward. Mad-Eye limped after him, his evil eye still scanning the entire castle with distrust.

Anthony pretended that he just wanted to get some fresh air outside the castle, and followed him, fully expecting that Lockhart would give up his plan to go with him because of Umbridge's presence - Mad-Eye stared at him fiercely for several times. Eyes - but Lockhart spoke louder and more animatedly, almost as if he wanted Scrimgeour, who was talking to Umbridge, to come and listen.

"...Oh, such a miserable scene, I simply can't bear to think about it..."

Kingsley slowed down slightly and walked side by side with Mad-Eye: "Did you find anything worth noting?"

"...If you hadn't met me..."

As if he thought it was impossible for Anthony to hear them in this situation, Mad-Eye complained in a low voice: "It's everywhere. Weird statues, invisible walls, translucent rooms, messy pipes, piles of The cabinet of rubbish...that's why I hate coming to Hogwarts. I've long advised Albus to clean up the castle..."

"...What else can I do? I couldn't turn a blind eye to something like this, so I pulled out my wand..."

Kingsley asked, "Can you see his office?"

"There's nothing we're looking for," said Mad-Eye.

"...Only a simple spell was used. Simple, but practical..."

"I mean the one next to me," Kingsley said. "Defence Against the Dark Arts."

Mad-Eye stopped. As Lockhart passed by the two of them while talking loudly, Anthony couldn't help but look back. Mad-Eye's normal eye was slightly closed, and his magic eye was turned upward, as if he could see the scene above them through the ceiling.

Suddenly, Mad-Eye opened his normal eye and stared at Anthony: "What are you looking at?" The electric blue magic eye also turned back quickly.

"Nothing." Anthony said, taking a few steps quickly. Lockhart, meanwhile, was describing how he had pushed the hapless unknown dark creature—whose name Anthony did not even catch—into the sink.

"Of course, Rufus, I will tell the minister," Umbridge said in a cooing voice, "I am planning to go back next Monday to talk to him about the results of my investigation."

She had no intention of lowering her voice. Either she didn't care about being heard, or Lockhart, who also thought no one could chatter around, heard what she was saying.

If she had been on better terms with the rest of Hogwarts, someone would have told her that after nearly a year of training, all professors had learned how to ignore the accompaniment of their dear colleagues in order to hear what they really were saying. If interested. If her relationship with Lockhart had been better, she might have discovered this for herself.

"He must be impatient," said Scrimgeour flatly.

"I believe it is," said Umbridge kindly. "Some will say it's shocking, others - the wiser ones - might say it's deserved. At any rate, it at least proves Someone should supervise Hogwarts...necessary supervision, of course, to eliminate those that shouldn't be there..."

Scrimgeour said impatiently: "Preserve those precious ones, thereby polishing the tradition and letting the glorious light of wizards shine again. I have heard this, Umbridge."

Lockhart began to tell how he subdued a ferocious lame three-headed dog and gave it to an old French wizard as a pet.

Anthony heard Kingsley ask: "No looking glass? Not even alchemical products?"

"No, no, nothing." Mad-Eye said, "It's cleaner than a Muggle house. There's just a lot of paper... What kind of adventurer is this?" He snorted with disdain, loudly. It didn't take Anthony's concentration to hear.

The two people behind them were silent for a while.

"What about Anthony?" Kingsley asked in a low voice, "Can he be trusted?"

Anthony secretly pricked his ears, but he heard nothing except Mad-Eye's limping footsteps.

Mad-Eye probably did something. "That's not too surprising," Kingsley said.

"He has a lot of good stuff." Mad-Eye said hoarsely, "But, hum, I know what Albus will say..."

"Don't worry so much, Alastor, you're retired. Besides, I thought it was Ms. Umbridge's job to search for Dark Arts items."

"Her? Even if Stourge's hat and the guillotine were put in front of her eyes, she couldn't tell the difference. But she must have realized something... When she told us where to find traces of Anthony's dark magic, She is quite determined.”

"By the way, did you find anything in that bathroom?"

"A row of toilets, if that's what you're asking," Mad-Eye said venomously. "And a nervous ghost who died from the basilisk. It would be strange if there wasn't any black magic there. "

"The same bathroom where Myrtle Warren died? No wonder."

Mad-Eye whispered dissatisfiedly: "If you hadn't said all that nonsense with Rufus about 'that's the girls' bathroom,' but had just shut up and walked in, you would have realized that!"

"None of us expected you to walk in," Kingsley said quietly. "To you it was just a matter of looking at it."

Mad-Eye sounded even more annoyed: "No matter how many detection methods you have, it's not as good as going over to confirm it in person! Do you know how many great wizards were killed by their own magic experiments just because they ignored this? Moreover, I I will never peek into the student bathroom!”

Lockhart turned his head: "Oh, who was killed? It's a pity that I wasn't there at that time! You know, I once found a few wizards in a basement in Cairo. They just wanted to study mummies at first... "

Scrimgeour said perfunctorily to Umbridge: "Of course, of course, we'll be watching...just biding our time, but always with our eyes above the water...like...well, crocodiles in the Nile... "