Chapter 183
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"But you can't treat an innocent person like that! You could have refused politely."
Hermione argued stubbornly. She clearly wasn't satisfied with Moody's casual apology. In her opinion, his attitude lacked sincerity.
"Miss Granger."
Moody's magical eye and normal eye both turned toward her at the same time.
"I've already said I made a mistake because I was nervous," he replied in his hoarse voice.
"I've apologized. Or do you expect some kind of compensation?"
His tone became slightly heavier at the end.
"There's no need, sir," the elderly trolley witch quickly said.
"Just helping me pick everything up is enough."
Since the victim herself chose to let the matter go, Hermione could only sigh and remain silent.
"If there's nothing else, I'll return to my seat."
Moody scratched his chin, glanced around the corridor, and limped away.
---
"He's so cool," Ron said with admiration, although his body was still slightly trembling.
"I don't see what's cool about that," Hermione replied indignantly.
"Power should be used to protect the weak and fight evil."
Her chest rose and fell with anger. Clearly she still couldn't accept what had happened.
"He already apologized. Why are you still making a big deal out of it?" Ron defended Moody.
"Do all Aurors have such strange tempers?" Harry asked curiously, trying to ease the tension between them.
"Of course not," Ron answered.
"He's probably the strangest Auror there is. The Aurors my dad knows are all normal people."
He glanced at Moody's retreating figure before continuing in a lowered voice.
"But why is he here? Didn't everything get settled last semester?"
"Maybe he's chasing another fugitive," Harry guessed.
"I don't think so," Hermione said.
"Aurors have their own investigation methods. They wouldn't reveal themselves like this—it would make it harder for them to track suspects."
"Besides, you said he's retired."
"Then why is he on the train?" Ron asked.
Hermione gave him a meaningful look.
"Other than students, who else is usually on this train?"
"The driver!" Ron said immediately.
Then he froze.
"But… Hogwarts Express doesn't really have a driver, right? Isn't it powered by magic?"
His expression grew even more confused.
"Could he be a teacher?" Harry suggested cautiously.
"I think so," Hermione said confidently, recalling her brief encounter with Moody the previous year.
"What subject would he teach?" Ron asked.
Then he realized the obvious answer.
"Defense Against the Dark Arts!"
Ron and Harry exchanged looks.
"Defense Against the Dark Arts!"
They said it at the same time.
---
While the three of them were discussing excitedly, Moody passed by Malfoy and Luna.
Luna instinctively stepped back slightly.
Her face showed discomfort and faint fear.
"Why does he feel different from last time?" Luna murmured quietly.
Her intuition had always been unusually sharp.
The man in front of her gave her a strange feeling.
"Sir," Luna asked suddenly, her expression blank, "is there a buzzing fly near your ear?"
Moody looked puzzled.
Clearly he didn't quite follow Luna's unusual train of thought.
Instead, he turned to Malfoy.
"Isn't this Mr. Malfoy? We worked together last time."
He patted Malfoy's shoulder in a friendly manner.
"Hello, Mr. Moody," Malfoy said politely.
Then he leaned slightly closer and whispered so quietly that even Luna couldn't hear it.
"Be careful."
"Of course," Moody replied in an even lower voice.
Then he suddenly raised his voice.
"Good luck!"
With that, he limped away down the corridor.
---
Luna tilted her head as she watched him leave.
"Why do I feel like he's different from the last time I saw him?"
"It's just your imagination," Malfoy replied casually, trying to dismiss the thought.
---
The rest of the journey passed without incident.
Rain began to fall outside the windows.
Eventually the train slowed and stopped at the dark Hogsmeade Station.
The doors opened.
Thunder rumbled across the sky as students began stepping off the train.
Luna didn't seem bothered by the rain at all.
Instead, she skipped cheerfully toward the line of Thestral-drawn carriages.
"Hello!"
She bent down in front of a Thestral, studying the invisible creature carefully.
Standing on tiptoe, she reached out toward its bat-like wings.
The Thestral lowered its head gently, sensing the kindness in the girl.
"Look at that crazy girl," some students whispered nearby.
"There's nothing there."
They pointed at Luna's behavior mockingly.
"Don't you think it's rude to talk about people behind their backs?"
Hermione's voice suddenly cut in sharply.
She glared at the older students.
The group reluctantly dispersed, though they muttered complaints under their breath.
"She's always meddling…"
"At least we didn't cause trouble for anyone."
"If it weren't for her, maybe Peter Pettigrew would still be in Azkaban."
"Worry about yourself first," one senior student said dismissively.
He stepped into a carriage and slammed the door shut.
"Hermione? What's wrong?" Harry asked.
"Nothing."
Hermione forced a small smile.
"Let's go."
But her mood had clearly darkened.
Suddenly, memories from the past three years surfaced in her mind.
Every school year seemed to end in disaster.
In first year, there had been Voldemort and the Philosopher's Stone.
In second year, the Basilisk had attacked students.
She herself had nearly died from it.
Even now, the memory still lingered clearly in her mind.
She couldn't tell anyone about it.
And now…
For some reason, the start of this new school year didn't excite her the way it used to.
Instead, she felt a strange uneasiness.