Chapter 801
The Person Who Leaked Their Whereabouts
Chapter 801 The Person Who Leaked Their Whereabouts
As Lupin recounted what had happened, images flashed through Wade's mind.
Such a curse could never be set up with a wave of the hand.
It would take at least five to ten minutes for the person doing it to complete the task.
Although the street was secluded, it wasn't entirely deserted, especially since there were quite a few wizards in the nearby hotels.
Even if the other tenants were accomplices of the attackers, Sirius Black and the Weasleys were still there. If they were aware of the situation, they wouldn't just stand by and watch someone set a trap.
While Muggles could be driven away with spells like the Confusion Charm or the Exorcism Charm, Vader did not find any remnants of such spells nearby, and the number of Muggles on the streets was not much less than usual before their arrival.
and so……
The person who takes action doesn't care whether they accidentally hurt Muggles; this is typical of the cold-blooded behavior of dark wizards.
But it can completely prevent Muggles from accidentally stepping into traps while wandering around...
Just as everyone suspected, the other party must have been able to accurately grasp the timing of their attack and knew the whereabouts of Wade and the others.
But the only ones who could do this completely were Moody and Lupin, who had always been with him, and these two were the least likely to betray him.
Excluding one's own companions...
Faces flashed through Wade's mind.
Ms. Piquellie, Stella, the bodyguards and maids, Elijah Watkins standing outside the iron gate, the taxi driver, the shopkeepers on both sides of the hotel, the panicked passersby...
If you look at someone with suspicion, everyone seems suspicious.
But upon closer examination, no one has the means to keep tracking them indefinitely.
Sure enough, after hearing the whole story, Salina looked at Lupin with suspicion in her eyes.
"Please forgive me..." she said carefully, "What were Professor Dumbledore's considerations... in entrusting Mr. Lupin with the protection of Mr. Wade Grey?"
Lupin was taken aback, then his expression darkened and he gave a bitter smile. He understood what Salina hadn't said aloud—
The opponent's target is most likely Wade.
But Wade wouldn't cast such a terrible curse on himself, and Moody, as the one who resolved the crisis, was spared direct suspicion.
And he...
He hadn't noticed anything unusual beforehand, and through close contact, these American Aurors must have vaguely guessed his identity—
Werewolf!
People who develop wolf-like symptoms from a young age will have subtle differences in appearance compared to normal people, even before they undergo physical transformation.
For example, the pupils will be slightly narrower, the teeth will be slightly sharper, and there will be bite scars on the body, as well as marks left by the transformation and madness, etc.
If someone has a keen enough sense of smell and is familiar with potions, they can also smell a lingering scent on him—the smell of wolfsbane.
Despite Lupin's efforts to appear "normal," the subtle traces that ordinary people couldn't detect ultimately couldn't escape the notice of these sharp-eyed, experienced Aurors.
Lupin's heart clenched as if gripped by an icy hand, and his fists, resting on his knees, tightened. A familiar emotion welled up within him—
Bitterness, helplessness, embarrassment...
Just like when he vaguely sensed the suspicion and alienation of the people in the Order of the Phoenix.
Lupin subconsciously lowered his eyes to avoid that gaze, and even his lips appeared somewhat pale.
He said wearily, "This is because..."
"Ms. Goldstein!"
Just then, Vader's calm yet unusually firm voice rang out: "It could not possibly be Remus who leaked our whereabouts."
He paused, looked at Lupin, then back at Salina, and said, word by word:
"Of course... it couldn't be Mr. Moody either."
"I trust my companions."
"Moreover... if they were going to attack me, they wouldn't need to resort to such a clumsy method."
"Please don't get the investigation going in the wrong direction."
These words were like a warm current, instantly dispelling the cold, stinging pain in Lu Ping's heart. Then he heard another young voice:
"What? You're doubting Remus?"
Harry, who had just figured out what was going on, angrily exclaimed, "This is absolutely impossible! He's the person we trust most!"
Upon seeing Sirius, Ron, Hermione, Michael, and others, Harry quickly added, "...one of them!"
Michael was actually harboring a cold suspicion in his heart at this moment, but after hearing Wade's defense and Harry's clumsy attempt to serve water, he couldn't help but laugh.
“Mr. Lupin is a very close and trusted friend of ours.”
Michael said, "Please believe me, ma'am, those of us who spend every day with him certainly know him better than you who have only met him a few times."
The fact that several children—especially Wade, who almost became a “victim”—speak out in unison slightly lessened the suspicion in Salina’s eyes.
She nodded and said, "I understand. I will start the investigation from other directions first."
She did not apologize, nor did she completely rule out suspicion, but at least she temporarily shifted the focus of the investigation away from Lupin.
Lu Ping slowly exhaled, unable to describe the feeling in his heart.
"Sorry to bother you."
A brown-haired man stood in the doorway, his slightly hunched posture conveying a sense of humility. He said with a troubled expression, "If you don't mind, could you please let me know what's going on here?"
“Mr. Watkins,” Wade said, rising to his feet, “it’s nice to see you again.”
“Yes…” Elijah Watkins sighed, “I knew this day would come sooner or later, from the moment you checked into this hotel…”
"Wait, who are you?" Moody frowned and asked rudely.
"Ah, sorry."
Elijah Watkins bowed slightly and said, "I am Elijah Watkins from the Magical Accidents and Disasters Division of the Magical Congress, in the Reversal of Accidental Events Group, mainly responsible for handling... similar incidents."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Weasley stepped forward, extending his hand with a friendly smile:
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Watkins! I am Arthur Weasley, from the Department for the Prevention of the Misuse of Muggle Items, Ministry of Magic, England.”
He blinked and said, "Our jobs are very similar; we both deal with endless troubles."
"Different."
Watkins' gaze swept across the room full of redheads, and he said slowly:
“Mr. Weasley still has time to take his family on trips, while I… I haven’t had a proper vacation in three years.”
Mr. Weasley paused for a moment before realizing that the other person seemed to be displaying a kind of teasing humor.
He paused for a moment, chuckled twice, skipped the topic of his job responsibilities, and quickly recounted what had happened.
"Oh...so that's how it is..."
Watkins quickly grasped the key point:
"The person most likely to leak your whereabouts is, in your opinion, the least likely to do so... right?"
“That’s right,” Salina said sternly, “but I won’t rule anyone out as a suspect until the attacker is found!”
"Of course, of course, I understand."
Elijah Watkins said, "However, there is another possibility that we also need to rule out."
He drew his wand and faced Vader: "Please forgive my adventure, Mr. Vader Grey."
"What do you want to do?" Moody asked warily, standing in front of Wade.
Watkins said, "It's just a small checkup."
"It's alright, Alastor."
Wade patted Moody's arm and stepped out, saying, "I believe Mr. Watkins meant no harm."
Most importantly, the group was not only surrounded by Vader's companions and Aurors from the Magic Council, but also by tenants who had been watching the proceedings for some unknown reason. The composition of the group was very complex, and even if there were accomplices of the attackers among them, this was not a good time to make a move.
However, Vader, who is possessed by a puppet, is not as vulnerable as he appears.
He stood confidently in front of Watkins and said, "Go ahead and examine me... Is there anything I can do to cooperate?"
"No need, please stand."
Watkins waved his wand, and beams of silvery incantation light fell upon Vader.
Two seconds later, one of his shoes suddenly lit up slightly.
“I knew it.” Watkins sighed. “An old and practical method… most people wouldn’t change their shoes even if they changed their clothes three times a day, especially when traveling…”
Wade looked down at his shoes, his face grim.
"What is this?" Ron asked when no one spoke.
Watkins waved his wand, and a small, shimmering silver object flew out from under Wade's shoes.
When the light disappeared, everyone could see that it was a very small piece of paper, about the size of a grain of rice. Under normal circumstances, even if someone saw it, they would overlook it.
Watkins looked at Wade with an expression of expectation and said softly:
"This is a tracking and location-based friend book. Aslan Magic Workshop once said that it is for family and friends who want to know each other's whereabouts and are sure that the other person is aware of it before they can buy it, but inevitably... some people use it for inappropriate purposes."
"I'm sorry," Wade said in a low voice, his face grim. "This thing must have caused you a lot of trouble."
That's why we have sophisticated testing methods.
"Easy to say."
Watkins continued in his slow, deliberate tone: "We actually use it too, and it works quite well when tracking suspicious individuals."
“I think this incident should also serve as a reminder to Mr. Gray—the creation of any new product has the potential to have negative consequences.”
"So think about it, think about it more... Don't stand from your own or ordinary people's perspective, but from the perspective of bad people, and think about what convenience it can bring to them to do bad things."
"I've learned a lot!" Wade said, bowing slightly.
"It's not really advice, I'm just sharing my own thoughts."
Watkins looked at Salina: "Well... I'll go visit some Muggles in the neighborhood. Hopefully, there won't be too many memories for me to deal with."
Salina nodded: "We will continue our investigation."
(End of this chapter)