Chapter 419
You Look Familiar
Chapter 419 You Look Familiar
The air around was quiet.
After a few seconds, Harry looked around and asked in confusion: "That person...which person? Who are you talking about?"
Lupin was stunned for a moment, then he understood and smiled bitterly silently.
When he was born, the emerging Voldemort had not yet become synonymous with "terror". Lupin grew up listening to the stories of the dark wizard Grindelwald, and that man's name left a deep mark in his memory.
But it was different for kids like Harry. To them, Grindelwald was already a historical figure, probably no different from the devil Emeric or the goblin Nortje. They were both a headache-inducing piece of knowledge in the textbooks.
Even because Grindelwald is still alive and the power of the Wizarding Party is still lurking, the History of Magic course does not go into detail about that period of history. The focus of school learning is still on the goblin rebellion, the giant war, the wizarding council, the evolution of the law, etc.
Among the three children, except for Wade who looked thoughtful after being shocked, Harry and Michael looked confused.
Lupin suppressed his anxiety and uneasiness and introduced to the children:
"Gellert Grindelwald is one of the most powerful dark wizards in history... Dumbledore defeated him in 1945, and since then he has been imprisoned in Nurmengard Wizarding Prison. But now... he has escaped from prison."
Thinking of Grindelwald's atrocities throughout Europe and the United States, Lupin's heart beat faster.
"He's been in prison for nearly . . . fifty years?" Harry calculated, and said in amazement. "What can he do now that he's that old?"
"Anything is possible, but it certainly won't be a quiet retirement." Lupin said worriedly: "Come on, I'll take you back. Then I have to... find some people and discuss it."
Seeing that he looked very serious, Wade and his companions naturally had no objection. They quickened their pace and walked towards the entrance of Diagon Alley.
At this time, there were fewer people in Diagon Alley, and the crowded street suddenly seemed empty. Mabel, who was hiding in the corner, turned her head inadvertently and saw the person she had been looking for.
She opened her mouth to shout, but seeing that he had several companions with him, Mabel closed her mouth again, pulled her hood up, and hurried after him.
She wanted to find a time when Vader was alone to talk to him again.
Seeing that those people were about to pass through the archway, Mabel became anxious and simply jogged. She accidentally kicked a cage outside the pet shop and fell down with a "thump".
The owner of the store had no time to scold her. He had also heard the news of Grindelwald's prison escape. He was now wandering around the store in a panic, like a mouse trying to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Mabel looked up and saw the bricks of the arch closing rapidly and the figure behind the door walking away.
"and many more--"
She couldn't help but shout, but the archway had completely turned into a brick wall, fitting together so seamlessly that it seemed to separate two worlds.
……
Vader vaguely heard a familiar voice and turned back subconsciously, only to see dirty walls with unmelted snow piled in the corners.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked.
"Nothing..." Vader said, turning his head and pulling up his hood.
It was probably the sound of the wind?
he thinks.
They entered the Leaky Cauldron again. The noisy and lively crowd had disappeared. There was only a bald old wizard sitting in the corner drinking slowly, and two people who seemed to be drunk and sleeping on the table, wrapped tightly in black robes.
Tom, the boss, cursed incoherently while waving his wand to return the messy tables and chairs to their proper positions. When he heard the footsteps, he just glanced over without saying hello, and it was obvious that he was in a very bad mood.
But then, he saw a familiar figure, and his face, which had been as if someone owed him a thousand Galleons, suddenly broke into a smile.
"Oh, it's Mr. Potter!" Tom said enthusiastically, walking quickly through the narrow passage between the tables. "Damn it, I didn't see you until now! Would you like a cup of hot chocolate?"
Harry had no choice but to stop, shake his hand, and said awkwardly: "No, thank you, we are ready to go back."
The old wizard in the corner raised his eyes and scanned Harry's face, then looked away and looked at the people next to him.
"Okay... okay..." Tom let go of Harry's hand, looked at the group of people eagerly, and said regretfully: "I'll be waiting for you anytime, Mr. Potter."
Lupin led a few people through the bar, and as they walked out, Vader felt a chill on his forehead.
He raised his head and saw goose-feather-like snowflakes finally fluttering down.
The dark clouds seemed to be approaching the top of the tall building, and there were faint black shadows flying back and forth among them, which were obviously not normal birds or dark clouds.
Harry's face suddenly turned pale, and the biting cold made his hands and feet cold. He almost shouted: "Dementors!"
Lupin looked up and said, "They're not coming for us. They're probably just patrolling normally... Let's go!"
He stood on the street and hailed a taxi, explaining:
"The Ministry of Magic has forbidden them from causing large-scale disturbances, so these guys now either move with the clouds or start patrolling at night."
A dark blue taxi slowly stopped beside them. Wade and the others quickly got in the car at Lupin's urging. Then the car started and rushed out for a distance in a blink of an eye.
Wade leaned against the window, wiped the mist off the glass, and looked back.
He always felt that the height of the Dementors seemed to be continuously decreasing... Were they trying to take advantage of the snow and the fact that no one could see clearly, and take the opportunity to absorb a wave of happy emotions?
Christmas is coming soon. Ordinary people don’t know about the dark wizard’s prison break. The whole city is filled with a festive atmosphere and cheerful Christmas songs can be heard everywhere.
This kind of atmosphere must be full of temptation for Dementors.
But before Voldemort began to wreak havoc, the Ministry of Magic still had strong control over the Dementors.
Those guys had been wandering around the island for nearly ten days, and except for the time when they attacked the Hogwarts train, they had behaved very well.
So Wade retracted his gaze, and when he turned his head, he heard Harry whispered to Michael: "Are we still going to the department store?"
"You can go tomorrow morning." Michael said casually, "I just remembered that I have heard of Grindelwald before. But even when he was at his most powerful, he was unable to capture Britain."
Harry nodded, relieved - he hadn't bought all his Christmas presents yet, and he didn't want to have to scramble to post a few random things tomorrow.
The two did not think that Grindelwald's escape from prison was a serious matter - just like even if Hitler was resurrected, people on the other side of the earth would still have to live their lives as usual, and it would be impossible for them to give up everything and immerse themselves in anxiety and fear all day long.
If Voldemort announced his resurrection in a high-profile manner, it would indeed be worth being afraid of, because Harry Potter would inevitably become Voldemort's primary target.
But when Grindelwald was imprisoned, not to mention Harry, even Harry's parents were not born yet. There was no hatred between them, let alone any life-and-death relationship.
Lupin, who was sitting in the front, heard the conversation between the two and suddenly realized that he was too nervous - perhaps the attitudes of the people around him affected his judgment and made him exaggerate the seriousness of the matter.
Thinking back carefully, most of the people who reacted most violently to the news were foreign wizards... The British wizards were the ones who realized it later and left.
Lupin let out a breath slowly, secretly laughing at himself for not being as calm as the children.
But it was Dumbledore who defeated Grindelwald after all... Maybe this time, that man will take Britain as his first target. But he just escaped from prison, and it will take time to gather people or do something...
……
Mabel knelt on the ground, at a loss, not knowing where to go.
A pair of arms lifted her up from the ground, and she heard a gentle voice in her ears: "Are you okay, kid?"
Mabel was stunned when the other person easily lifted her up from the ground. By the time she realized what was happening and tried to pull her hood, it was too late.
——Oops! My face has been seen!
Mabel was extremely panicked. She lowered her head and dared not look at the kind wizard, waiting for him to recognize her and scream.
Black mist surged around her feet, but she suppressed it.
Even if the other party only showed her a little kindness...Mabel didn't want to hurt him.
At this moment, the Dementors hovering in the sky seemed to be attracted by something. They were originally floating aimlessly, but now they suddenly turned around and flew straight downwards!
"You seem familiar..."
On the street, the wizard recalled for a moment and smiled: "Are you one of the children in the bookstore just now? Where are your parents?"
Mabel: “…” Didn’t recognize you?
How can it be?
Her picture was plastered all over the streets...it was on the front page of newspapers for days, and even in Muggle news!
She suddenly looked up and discovered that the wizard was actually the owner of the house where she had been hiding for several days.
If I remember correctly, his name is Ryan Trocca, and he is a vampire who does not drink human blood.
But at that time, Mabel only occasionally went to the kitchen to steal some food or steal a newspaper to read, and basically never met the people in the house.
Mabel was so nervous that her hair stood on end. She stared at Troka intently, but saw that he was holding her arm and looking around, as if trying to find her non-existent "parents".
Troka lowered his head and asked, "Have you lost your family? Where is your home? I'll take you back."
Mabel looked at the man in confusion, suspecting he was making fun of her.
Didn't he see his own picture on the wall when he looked around?
Although Mabel is now a lot thinner than in the photo, with her hair tied up and her clothes different... her appearance hasn't changed drastically, so is it still possible to not recognize her?
Seeing that the girl seemed frightened and refused to say a word, Troka couldn't help rubbing his eyebrows in annoyance.
Alas... after all, he is his future student. I can’t leave him here alone. What if he runs into some bad guy... Does he still have the nerve to go to Hogwarts to be a professor?
Troka thought that Mabel was chasing after her family. She could not help but condemn her irresponsible guardian in her heart and tried to smile.
"Don't worry, I'm not a bad person. Can I take you to the Leaky Cauldron? Maybe your parents will come to look for you there."
Mabel hesitated, then nodded.
If this person wanted to trick her back...she was not without the ability to fight back.
Seeing that she finally responded to him, Trocca couldn't help but smile and pulled Mabel towards the entrance of Diagon Alley.
His eyes swept over the wanted poster on the wall and felt vaguely familiar with it, but he couldn't remember where he had seen it.
He had had this feeling several times today - including the child who bumped into him in the bookstore. Troka also felt like he had seen him somewhere, but he had no impression of him.
The children all look similar...
Troka thought so and suddenly stopped.
The temperature around them dropped rapidly, making them shiver with cold. All the happiness seemed to have left them, leaving only despair and sadness in their hearts...
He looked up and saw hundreds of Dementors falling from the sky, heading straight towards the two of them!
Mabel also saw the horrifying scene and knew that it was the "special forces" sent by the Ministry of Magic to capture her. She was about to jump up and run away, but her arm suddenly tightened!
"let me go!"
She screamed, and half of her body instantly turned into black mist.
Troka did not see this scene. He was staring at a Dementor that was rushing in the front. He suddenly pulled Mabel towards him, slid on his toes and started to spin with her.
"boom!"
Amidst the huge explosion, the vampire wizard and Mo Moran disappeared from the spot in an instant!
The Dementors missed their target, and the first few crashed directly to the ground. Without a target, they searched back and forth on the street for a few rounds, their withered and corrupted figures filled with anger, and soon there was only nothingness.
……
Mabel's body swayed, and before she could stand still, she heard the vampire next to her say angrily:
"Why did the Ministry of Magic release these damn guys? This is the second time they have attacked innocent passers-by! It seems that the last attack on the Hogwarts train must have been caused by the Dementors out of control. I almost believed their lies!"
Troka complained angrily, and seeing the little girl staring at him blankly, he thought that she must be frightened, so he comforted her softly:
"I'm sorry, kid. It's an emergency, so I brought you back here first. After a few hours, when the monsters leave, I'll take you back to Diagon Alley, okay?"
Mabel was careful not to speak.
Troka was already somewhat accustomed to her silence. He took it as the girl's agreement and said with a smile: "Please sit down and have some snacks. I'll go write a letter... Gal——"
Trocca raised his voice and called to his nephew, who was doing nothing in the bedroom, "Gar—come and entertain this child for me."
"Okay, Uncle Ryan—"
Gal shouted back through the door.
Ryan Trocca heard the sound of footsteps, smiled at Mabel, and returned to the study with peace of mind.
He himself doesn't have much power, but he can complain to Headmaster Dumbledore!
Another minute or two passed before Gal came out of the bedroom, yawning and putting on his sweater.
He combed his messy hair with his fingers, walked directly to the refrigerator, and asked, "What would you like to drink? Water, Coke, or black tea?"
While speaking, he turned his head and casually glanced at the little guest his uncle brought back. His eyes suddenly widened and the Coke he had just taken out fell to the ground with a "bang".
Gar opened his mouth to shout, but was suddenly pressed to the ground by something like black paint. His neck was stuck and even his breath seemed to be taken away!
"What's that noise, Gal?"
Lockhart, who was doing skin care in the bathroom, opened the door. Before he could see the scene outside clearly, he was pulled over by a huge force and pressed to the ground, becoming Gal's brother in distress.
The thin girl stood in the middle of the living room, her eyes had turned white, and half of her body turned into a huge black shadow, suppressing the two men like a giant beast and making them unable to move!
(End of this chapter)