Harry squinted in the darkness between the brooms; it was pitch black, only a few wands emitted a faint glow.
Three people stood closest to them - Angelina, the Quidditch team captain, and two others Harry vaguely recognized from the odd couple he saw in the midday hall. He couldn't figure out how they knew Angelina or why they were hiding in the broom cupboard, attempting to pull them in.
"Angelina, what's going on? And who are they?" Harry asked, feeling Hermione nudge him discreetly. He then noticed three or four more figures in the corner, their faces blending with the boxes, brooms, and cleaning tools, their outlines barely visible, resembling creatures with multiple arms and limbs.
"Angelina?" Ron chid in suddenly. "Watch out, it might not be her, she might have taken Polyjuice." Harry thought Ron had a point, feeling his heart skip a beat.
Soone chuckled in the darkness, and Harry noticed one of the larger figures stooping down, looking at sothing.
"Don't be paranoid, kids," the tall figure, head lowered, stepped closer, and Harry gripped his wand, recognizing this body type usually found in the Slytherin team. If Ron hadn't just warned him that Angelina might be fake, he might have even suspected collusion between the two team captains.
In the darkness, the speaker's silhouette bent slightly and placed sothing on the ground. Harry realized it was a magical lamp, and the next mont, the room lit up.
The soft, bright light illuminated the cramped broom cupboard entirely.
At that mont, Harry, Ron, and Hermione finally got a clear view of everyone in the room.
Counting them, there were a total of eight people. Three on their side... Harry involuntarily considered how they might win if things turned physical. Although the others currently showed no hostility, Harry was sure the 'Angelina' in front of him was not the team captain he knew.
"It's , Tonks," 'Angelina' said, closing her eyes and assuming a thoughtful expression. Her face gradually transford into soone else's, her hair turning pink.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were left gaping.
"It's really you! Then, they—" Harry stuttered.
Tonks seed in good spirits, pointing to the two people Harry felt familiar with. "These are Frank and Alice. You saw them earlier at the Order of the Phoenix, though now they sport different faces..." She gestured toward the people in the corner. "That's Alastor and Kingsley."
These people greeted them warmly.
"Sorry if we startled you," Alice Longbottom said. "But you're impressive." She pointed to the bruises on her wrist, then with a flick of her wand, they vanished instantly.
Harry found today's events surreal but at least solved one mystery: the two people at the dining table across were the Longbottoms, not observing him but Neville beside him... Yet, more questions arose. Why were they collectively appearing at school, masquerading as students?
Hermione drew in a sudden breath. "Are you after Umbridge and Avery?"
Harry and Ron instantly caught on.
"Sharp girl," a big student dressed in Slytherin robes said, reminding Harry of Moody's gait. He raised a piece of parchnt covered in lines and dots.
"Is that the Marauder's Map?" Harry exclaid.
"You recognize it? No wonder, heard you have a similar one, the original version—this one's from Felix," Moody said. His voice sounded younger, and the blue false eye was missing from his eye socket, making Harry uncomfortable. But the next mont, his intact, much younger-looking eyes fixated on them. "You kids nearly ssed up the plan." ????N????ΕS??
The trio tensed imdiately.
"Don't scare them, Mad-Eye," Kingsley said with a smile. He still had his dark face, with several small braids on his head, reminiscent of Quidditch comntator Lee Jordan, although Harry knew him to be bald.
Harry felt like he was in a masquerade.
"But we're here concerning Umbridge and Avery, but also on other missions," Kingsley said mildly.
"What other missions?" Ron eagerly asked.
Kingsley shook his head slightly.
"Involving Voldemort? Do you need help?" Harry proposed, combining what he overheard in the abandoned girls' lavatory earlier.
Kingsley winked at him.
"Alright, alright, plenty of ti for reminiscing later—let's focus on the task at hand," Moody said, his gaze fixed on Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Though it was a completely different face, even more respectable than Moody's face, they still felt an unspoken pressure.
"I've seen it all on the map. That ghost Myrtle led you to the girls' lavatory, right?" He waved the Marauder's Map, and the trio nodded. Moody huffed and paced in a small circle. "Your school life seems eventful, but you shouldn't have stirred things up."
"But they forced Malfoy to make an unbreakable vow—" Hermione urgently interjected.
"An unbreakable vow? That thing is downright dangerous," Ron said. "Can't believe it."
"Yeah, we can't just stand by and—" Harry murmured.
Moody stopped pacing, others showing surprise.
"That's unexpected," Moody stared at them, skepticism still on his face. "Tell us what you know, we'll analyze it together. Granger, you start," he pointed to Hermione.
"Oh, alright, Professor Moody," Hermione looked surprised.
Moody grinned silently, and Harry was sure that grin was intimidating no matter whose face it adorned.
"I was your teacher once, though only for half a year, but your essay left an impression. Honestly, I wish I had an assistant like you when I worked; at least I wouldn't have worried about reports."
"Professor Lupin probably thought the sa," Ron muttered under his breath.
"I helped with a few of your reports, Alastor," Tonks kindly reminded. "You gave
extra credit for it."
"Yeah," Moody said. "It's strange I didn't seek you out later."
After so banter, Hermione cleared her throat and began recounting their experience. "Um—we were returning from the library, around eight o'clock—I an, we encountered the 'crying Myrtle' halfway. She told us—"
Hermione finished her tale.
There was silence in the broom cupboard for a while as everyone sank into contemplation. Harry, Ron, and Hermione couldn't quite gauge their reactions. Hermione softly asked, "Um... did we do sothing wrong?" She thought of Moody ntioning a 'plan' earlier, worried she accidentally disrupted it.
"No, you did well," Kingsley reassured her. "We had already been monitoring Umbridge and Avery for a while, suspecting other collaborators in the school. So, we've been using the map these days, hoping to follow the trail like tonight. But we couldn't hover over them, hear what they were saying, let alone know they were forcing students into unbreakable vows... You saved that kid."
"A Death Eater spawn," Moody sneered.
"But still a student at the school," Kingsley nodded. "He might turn into a Death Eater like his father and uncle."
"You better clarify it's the aunt married to Lestrange
," Tonks happily added, "To avoid confusion."
"Oh, my apologies," Moody said irritably.
Harry wanted to laugh. He rembered Sirius talking about the 'pure-blood dilemma', pulling out a thread that led to a string... But it wasn't the ti to laugh; the atmosphere in the broom cupboard was sowhat serious. Frank, who had been quiet, interjected, "But the kid isn't a Death Eater yet. If we work hard enough, he won't even get the chance to 'inherit the family business.'"
"Let's hope so," Moody's young face showed so fading enthusiasm.
"Alastor talks big, but his principles are stronger than all of us," Kingsley reassured Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who looked puzzled. "He'd make the sa choice in your position, so don't feel pressured. You did a good deed today. I heard your relationship with Malfoy isn't great? That's even more comndable. Get a good night's sleep—"
At that mont, there was a knock on the door. Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned in terror. "Do you have soone else here?"
"It's probably Emilin," Moody muttered, picking up his wand, signaling others to be quiet.
The door opened, and a girl with straw-colored hair and a round face walked in, carrying a cloth bag. "The food in the kitchen is more than I expected," she said cheerfully. Harry felt like he had seen her face sowhere; he guessed she was from a higher grade, much like 'Angelina'.
"Oh, are you guys here too? Want so?" Emilin Vance asked, taking out food from her bag to share with others.
"No, thank you," Harry said. Ron and Hermione shook their heads. "By the way," Harry turned to Tonks, "Where's the real Angelina?"
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