This was an ordinary-looking home, with a layout and decor not much different from those of a typical Muggle household. The only unusual things were the many blurry mirrors and glowing spinning tops scattered around the room. They were Sneakoscopes used by wizards.
Sneakoscopes were magical objects in the wizarding world that worked somewhat like detectors. They could detect danger. When a Sneakoscope made a sound, or when the dark figure inside the mirror became clearly visible, you had better be careful, because someone was up to no good against you.
When Voldemort was in power, Sneakoscopes were almost a necessity in every household. In the post-Voldemort era, only some Aurors still kept these things at home.
But having this many of them was probably something unique to Moody.
Looking at the sheer number of Sneakoscopes scattered around Moody's house, Eda wondered just how afraid he was of being attacked. Anyone who knew would recognize this as Alastor Moody's house. Anyone who did not would probably think this was Moody's Sneakoscope shop.
The real Dumbledore and Eda stood in a corner of the room, while the Dumbledore in the memory sat on the sofa and extended an invitation to Moody.
"Alastor, I need your help," Dumbledore said directly. He got straight to the point. He and Moody had known each other for many years, so there was no need for pointless formalities.
Moody's voice was rough and hoarse. Whether it had always been that way or was the result of an old injury, Eda did not know. He replied, "I'm already a useless old man, and a miserable old man who spends all day seeing enemies everywhere. Albus, what can I possibly help you with... I can't even help myself."
There was a sense of loneliness in those words. Heroes growing old and beauties growing old were simply unavoidable tragedies of life. Moody was a hero in his twilight years. The once highly decorated Auror was now ignored by everyone and treated as though he were a madman.
In Eda's eyes, Moody's constant suspicion seemed somewhat like PTSD. It was like those veterans who had participated in wars. After returning to normal society, they could not make their minds return to normal with them.
Anxiety, nervousness, and excessive stress had led to his constant suspicion, making him feel as though someone was always trying to harm him.
"Alastor, this meeting makes you seem somewhat unfamiliar to me," the Dumbledore in the memory said. "You were not like this before. What made you become the way you are today?"
Moody muttered something, but no one could make out what he had said.
He paused before saying, "Perhaps you're right. I really have changed, into the sort of person I hate. I hate boring, repetitive lives. I hate being watched, and I hate the retired version of myself."
"But what can I do about it!" Moody continued. "The Dark wizards I went through hell to capture get released by the Ministry of Magic just because they despicably sold out a few of their accomplices. What is that supposed to mean! What do these injuries on my body mean! And what about all those people who died because of them!"
Eda, standing in the corner of the room, looked up at Dumbledore in confusion. The Dumbledore beside her nodded, confirming her suspicion. It seemed that the Dark wizard Moody was talking about was Karkaroff.
Perhaps there was more than just Karkaroff. The Ministry of Magic really did know how to make a hero bleed and cry.
However, Eda was not really in a position to say that. Strictly speaking, her grandmother's situation was quite similar to Karkaroff's. Both of them should have been imprisoned to reflect on their crimes, but both had been released by the authorities for other reasons.
The Dumbledore in the memory said, "Alastor, Hogwarts will be hosting the Triwizard Tournament after the start of the school year. As the headmaster of Durmstrang, Igor Karkaroff will inevitably come to Hogwarts. I need you to help me keep an eye on him."
"Karkaroff? That coward can't cause much trouble. Even if you gave him more courage, he still wouldn't dare," Moody said with absolute confidence. "It took me six months to catch him back then. That little bastard kept hiding and running, never daring to face me directly."
His record of filling half the cells in Azkaban was enough to demonstrate Moody's strength. There was no doubt about his combat ability. He was definitely among the top tier.
With Karkaroff being such a coward, it would be stranger if he actually dared to confront Moody.
The Dumbledore in the memory remained silent. He looked out the window. The sun was setting, and the entire world seemed to darken with it.
"Wait, you don't think..." Moody trailed off. His rough fingers tugged at what little hair he had left, making him look somewhat comical.
He continued, "You don't think Karkaroff is merely a piece of cheese placed in plain sight to draw our attention, while there are other people behind everything, do you?"
Dumbledore nodded, confirming Moody's guess.
"You're mad, Albus. You're mad!" Moody said with an exaggerated expression. "Those Ministry officials will think you're a lunatic! Just like me!"
"Alastor, neither you nor I are mad," Dumbledore said. "We are simply the only ones who have remained clear-headed, who have not become intoxicated by this superficial peace. We are the only ones who know that he will return."
When everyone is drunk while I alone remain sober, it is often at times like this that the clear-headed person seems the most absurd. Because they can see through things so clearly, those who view the world through drunken eyes will regard them as mad, mock them, and ostracize them.
Others laugh at me for being too crazy, while I laugh at them for failing to see through things.
Eda did not know why Moody had left the Ministry of Magic back then. Perhaps he had retired after accomplishing everything he could, perhaps he had been ostracized, or perhaps he had been forced out by his superiors. But judging from the conversation between the two in the memory, Moody clearly knew that Voldemort's defeat was only temporary.
"What do you need me to do? Take over that unfortunate position?" Moody pondered for a while before saying, "You need someone to keep an eye on Karkaroff, or whoever is behind the scenes, and you also need someone to protect Harry Potter, right?"
The Dumbledore in the memory withdrew his gaze from the window and said, "That's right. I need your experience. Your experience will be an asset to us, and Harry also needs to learn a few more things. We are running a little short on time."
Moody suddenly burst into loud laughter. His laughter was wild, as though he had heard something particularly amusing. He wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes and said, "So there are things you can't predict either. Or are you planning to leave everything to Harry Potter?"
"Of course there are things I cannot predict. If everything always went according to my wishes, this world would have far fewer tragedies." Dumbledore said, "Alastor, I originally thought I could wait until Harry grew up, until he became a little more mature. But things are always so difficult to predict."
Moody fell silent again. He twitched his nose, as though he had caught the scent of food coming from the next room. Moody said, "Albus, it seems these old bones of mine really do need to get some proper exercise."
The memory once again faded like smoke, and the scene turned black again. Eda felt Dumbledore beside her support her arm, and then she returned to the Headmaster's office.
The sudden light before her made Eda shield her eyes. Taking advantage of the moment, the former headmasters in the portraits once again fell into "sleep."
Dumbledore sat down on the steps of the office, his long white beard almost reaching the floor. Eda picked up the cup of juice that was no longer giving off a chill and sat down on the steps as well.
These two memories had left Eda deeply confused. She felt as though she had touched upon the truth, yet at the same time, she felt as though she had not touched it at all. The two memories seemed unrelated. Was there some connection between them?
"Professor, don't you think Professor Moody is a little strange?" Eda asked doubtfully. She had always felt that there was something strange about Moody, but she could not say exactly what it was.
Dumbledore looked at Eda with satisfaction and said, "This is your first time meeting Alastor, and being able to sense that something is strange about him is already a remarkable discovery."
"You think he's strange too?" Eda asked again.
"No, Alastor isn't strange at all," Dumbledore said. "His behavior is very much in line with... how should I put it... yes, it fits perfectly with his image as a madman."
The old man in front of her was making Eda even more confused. If Dumbledore did not think Moody was strange, then why had he shown her his memories with Moody?
Dumbledore suddenly changed the direction of the conversation and continued, "A madman can do all sorts of strange and bizarre things, and that would be perfectly normal. But our Professor Moody seems to be a little too normal."
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