Chapter 760
Even Aurors Have Good Solutions
Chapter 760 Even Aurors Have Good Solutions
Dobby trembled as he accepted the pencil case that represented Wade's safety. After his initial elation subsided, worry immediately welled up again.
“But…but, Mr. Wade Gray…if Dobby takes the pencil case, the puppet inside won’t be able to protect you all the time! It’s too dangerous for you to be alone!”
Seeing the unease in Dobby's eyes, Wade smiled and said, "Don't worry, Dobby, I have other plans..."
Just then, there was a rapid knocking on the door, and Fiona quickly ran to open it.
A moment later, Alastor Moody's scarred face appeared in the study doorway, his sharp, demonic eyes darting around as if determined to see every corner clearly.
They've been neighbors for years, but even now, Moody occasionally displays this skeptical, almost hysterical, state when he enters the Gray's house, as if the coffee tray might suddenly jump up and explode.
Then, Moody stared at the pencil case in Dobby's hand with both eyes, his normal eye narrowed, and the scars on the sides of his nose distorted slightly due to the tension in his facial muscles.
"Wade, you're planning to entrust something this important to a... house-elf?"
"Listen," Moody said gruffly, "Dobby's a master at cleaning, but this... is beyond his capabilities!"
Although he verbally expressed doubt about Dobby's abilities, Vader instantly understood a deeper meaning from his tense tone and scrutinizing gaze—
What Moody truly doubted was Dobby's loyalty.
……
Shortly after Dobby was officially hired by the Greys, he made his first appearance before Moody, who almost couldn't resist giving him an explosive curse.
Later, Moody learned about Dobby's background and mentioned it to Wid or Ferdinand more than once.
"Get that little thing out of here right now! That's a Malfoy family house-elf!"
"Do you really believe it can betray its original master?"
"It wants a salary? I've never seen such a rebellious house-elf! There's definitely something wrong with it!"
However, the Gray family's attitude remained unaffected by Moody; on the contrary, they subtly advised him to accept Dobby's existence.
Fiona said, "My goodness, dear Alastor, you should see how capable Dobby is! And so adorable, he's an angel!"
Ferdinand said, "Dobby is family. Once you spend more time with him, you'll see that he's a really good kid."
Gray said, "I believe in Dobby. He's not like Malfoy; he's a kind boy."
Moody: "..."
Has your whole family been cursed with some kind of soul-stealing spell by that wicked little elf?
Go check it out! Really, St. Mungo isn't far!
……
In any case, Moody has now given up on persuading the Grays to get rid of Dobby, and he has even expressed his distrust in a more subtle way.
However, Moody did not let his facial features follow suit; the cold look in his eyes clearly expressed his attitude.
Dobby gaped in astonishment, his eyes instantly welling up with tears. He looked at Wade, then at Moody, and lowered his head, his pointed ears drooping limply.
Wade said, "I believe he can do it, Professor Moody. Dobby is definitely more reliable than most wizards you know." At that moment, Dobby stared intently at his new socks with their unusual patterns, tears welling up in his eyes, and he gripped his pencil case even tighter.
"...Believe? Believe again? Ha! You'll pay a heavy price for this sooner or later!"
Moody scoffed, clearly unimpressed.
But he knew it was pointless to reason with him, so he gave up trying to persuade Wade and instead grinned with a strangely smug smile that was both menacing and triumphant.
"Alright, kid... but before you insist on trusting this little thing, let's see what I'm going to do!"
"Professor, did you also devise a plan to 'smuggle' my pencil case into the United States?"
"Wade asked in surprise," Professor Moody said. "Professor Moody's thoughtfulness is truly beyond my expectations."
"Of course, without that thing, your safety would be reduced by at least half, so of course I'll try to think of a good solution for you—something only I can do!"
Moody stomped his foot on the floor. As Wade's eyes widened and his expression gradually turned strange, Moody had already skillfully removed his prosthetic leg, making a teeth-grinding "click" and "creak" sound at the joint.
"Wait... Professor... what are you doing?"
"Wade asked hurriedly."
—No way? It's not what he thinks, is it?
"Can't you tell, kid?"
Moody sat on the stool, laboriously continuing to unscrew his prosthetic leg from the joint:
“Important things should be carried with you at all times! Who would expect me to hide something in this thing? Even if they did... do you think I'd take my leg off to show them?”
Wade: ...So that's really what you were planning?
As he spoke, Moody split the prosthetic leg in half, revealing a hollow cavity inside, resembling a water glass.
He tapped the ground with the detached foot part, making a hollow "thump-thump" sound, and said, "Come on! Put that little bag in there, I promise it will be foolproof!"
Wade said, half-laughing and half-crying, "I'm afraid that won't work, Professor. You're traveling with me, so you'll definitely be a focus of attention for others... They won't be stupid enough to ignore such a big leg."
Moody's magic eyes darted around, revealing a sly smile: "Who said this leg would be on me?"
Wade: "It...isn't on you?"
"It's still there now, but that might not be the case tomorrow."
Moody looked exceptionally reliable at that moment. He glanced at Dobby, and the house-elf jumped up and said, "I...I'll go prepare dinner!"
Before Wade could stop him, he carefully put down his pencil case and then disappeared with a snap.
Then, Moody cast a silencing spell on the doorway before saying, "I'll use my prosthetic legs to take that thing out the door, and then... Sylvanus will also get prosthetic legs, two more! He'll set off a few days earlier and bring them to you without anyone noticing!"
Vader: "Silvanus?"
The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had heard it before.
“Oh, you probably don’t know him either… Sylvanas Kettleburn, who taught the protection of magical creatures at Hogwarts for decades, but he retired before you took that class.”
Moody said approvingly, "Although that old guy only has one arm and half a leg left, he's absolutely reliable! You can rest assured when you entrust the things to him."
(End of this chapter)