Chapter 286
Remus Lupin's gaze settled on a pair of travelers.
While searching for suspicious individuals, he had overheard a woman mention Celestina Warbeck's song You Stole My Heart With Magic.
That immediately caught his attention.
Celestina Warbeck was one of the most famous singers in the wizarding world.
Among Muggles, however, she was completely unknown.
Lupin casually walked past their seats, pretending not to notice them while discreetly studying their appearances before continuing onward.
The man has black hair, and he's pretending to sleep.
The woman has darker skin and black hair.
Lupin silently compared their appearances with the photographs he had memorized earlier.
The differences were enormous.
Fleur's silver hair and pale complexion were unmistakable.
Draco's blond hair was equally iconic.
Yet the two passengers before him looked nothing like them.
Still—
The target was Draco Malfoy.
A talented wizard.
Changing appearances was hardly difficult for him.
At the very least, Lupin believed the boy capable of such things.
His thoughts unconsciously drifted back to his days teaching at Hogwarts.
Normally, wizards rarely used Muggle transportation unless absolutely necessary.
But that alone proved nothing.
He still lacked concrete evidence.
"Sir, do you need assistance?"
A tall conductor noticed Lupin wandering through the carriage and approached politely.
Lupin hesitated.
His face showed obvious internal struggle.
"It's our responsibility to help passengers," the conductor added kindly.
"I may need to borrow some of your hair," Lupin replied seriously.
The conductor froze in confusion.
Then his eyes rolled back.
He collapsed unconscious against the wall.
"I'm sorry."
Lupin sighed apologetically.
Sometimes innocent people had to make small sacrifices during missions.
Several minutes later—
Lupin returned wearing the conductor's uniform.
Under the effects of Polyjuice Potion, he now perfectly resembled the man.
"Excuse me."
"Routine inspection."
"Please show me your tickets and visas."
"Thank you for your cooperation."
He stopped beside Draco and Fleur's seats.
Fleur's heartbeat immediately quickened.
"It's in his bag."
She tilted her head toward Draco while secretly nudging him awake beneath the table.
Draco slowly opened his eyes.
"Sir, please show your ticket and visa."
"Routine inspection."
"Thank you for your cooperation."
Lupin maintained a polite professional tone.
"Of course."
Draco Malfoy calmly retrieved several documents from his briefcase and handed them over.
Lupin carefully examined every page.
Everything appeared flawless.
Yet strangely—
His suspicion only deepened.
This was instinct.
A wizard's instinct.
"Thank you for your cooperation," Lupin finally said with a smile.
"You're welcome."
Draco calmly accepted the documents back.
Lupin returned toward the junction between carriages before quietly reviving the unconscious conductor.
A concealment charm had hidden the area from nearby passengers.
No one noticed anything unusual.
"Sorry…"
"I zoned out for a moment."
"What did you need again?"
"Hair?"
The conductor looked embarrassed, completely unaware he had lost consciousness.
"No."
"I meant beer."
"Can you buy it somewhere on the train?"
Lupin improvised smoothly.
"Oh, then you'll need the dining carriage farther ahead."
The conductor pointed helpfully.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Back inside the compartment—
"I wonder how long this trip will take," Fleur Delacour muttered while staring out the window.
"We're already being monitored by Aurors," Draco suddenly said quietly.
"What?!"
Fleur instantly became nervous and looked around.
"No need."
"He already left."
"It was the conductor."
Draco spoke calmly.
"His imitation wasn't bad."
"Still lacking, though."
"Very similar to a certain girl who impulsively tried saving someone without considering the consequences."
It was rare for Draco to tease her directly.
Fleur's cheeks immediately reddened beneath the disguise mask.
"When we boarded this train, we had already passed customs checks."
"At that point, our visas had already been inspected."
"He had a valid reason to request tickets."
"But not visas."
Draco explained casually.
To avoid future complications, he had deliberately avoided using memory charms or concealment spells on Muggles.
Instead, he had painstakingly acquired complete forged Muggle identities through underground channels.
Tampering with Muggle memories often created lingering evidence.
If Aurors later restored those memories, the traces became obvious.
Forged identities were far cleaner.
Encountering Lupin this time had simply been bad luck.
"I really don't understand all these complicated Muggle procedures," Fleur muttered softly.
"So what do we do now?"
"It's not a major problem."
"Get some rest."
"I'll handle it later."
"And stop casually mentioning wizarding-world topics in public from now on."
Draco closed his eyes again, deliberately avoiding further explanation.
Meanwhile—
In another carriage.
Nymphadora Tonks leaned closer eagerly.
"How did it go, Remus?"
"It's suspicious."
Lupin sat down heavily and closed his eyes in thought.
"There's a pair of travelers."
"A man and a woman."
"They're definitely wizards."
"I overheard them discussing wizarding-world gossip."
"I tested them personally."
"But I couldn't find any obvious flaws."
"If they're truly ordinary wizard travelers…"
"Then we have no legal reason to interfere with their journey."