Harry Potter and the Hidden Treasure (Volume 3)

Chapter 511 Unmarked

"Let us rest, Hermione!" said Ron, swallowing the food in his mouth. "You won't get them to rest and be paid by starving yourself."

Hermione remained silent, glaring angrily at everyone. Nevertheless, she refused to take another bite.

She looked pale and frustrated, undoubtedly due to the slave labor of the house-elves.

Harry glanced hurriedly at Evan for help, hoping he could persuade Hermione. Most of the time, he was the only one who could convince her.

However, Evan didn't know what to do either. He had discussed this issue with Hermione many times and knew he had no chance of persuading her.

Seeing Hermione looking at him in that way, he felt he couldn't eat anymore.

"Well, I won't eat either!" sighed Evan and said, "You need someone by your side."

"You are right to do so, Evan. The food was obtained through shameful slave labor. We must resist it..." Seeing Evan pause, Hermione nodded satisfactorily and turned to look at Harry and Ron.

The two did not follow Evan's lead and could only try not to look at Hermione.

Harry and Ron hung their heads to pick at the food in front of them, evident discomfort reflecting on their faces.

The rain continued to beat heavily against the tall, dark windows. Another thunderous roar shook the windows, and the stormy ceiling lit up, illuminating the golden dishes as the remnants of the first course vanished and were instantly replaced by desserts.

"Both of you can't stay like this!" said Harry, hesitating to take a piece of cake.

"Evan, Hermione, look at this treacle tart!" said Ron, deliberately wafting its scent towards them. "Currant bread, chocolate gateau, and..."

But Hermione gave him such a reminiscent look of Professor McGonagall that he desisted.

Finally, the desserts had also disappeared, and the last crumbs vanished from the plates, leaving them gleaming and clean.

At that moment, Dumbledore stood up again, ready to speak.

The murmuring conversations filling the Hall ceased almost immediately, leaving only the howling wind and the rain pounding.

Hermione also turned and glared at Dumbledore, as if he were the main culprit of mistreating the house-elves.

"So!" said Dumbledore, smiling at everyone. "Now that we are all satiated with food and drink, I must once again ask for your attention, as we bring some news!"

"Firstly, Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to inform you that the list of prohibited items within the castle has been extended this year to include Squeaking Yo-yos, Razor-edged Frisbees, and Constant Thwacking Boomerangs. The full list consists of about 437 items, I believe, and can be consulted at Mr. Filch's office if anyone wishes to check it."

Evan noticed that many of Fred and George's prank products were on it.

However, due to lack of time, the two were only in small-scale testing phases and could not move to mass production.

As a result, most of the new products had not been discovered by Filch yet.

"And as always, I would like to remind everyone that the Forbidden Forest on the castle grounds is off-limits to students, as is the village of Hogsmeade for all under third year." Dumbledore continued, looking at Evan.

Whether it was the Forbidden Forest or Hogsmeade, Evan was a frequent visitor there.

Last term, Evan, still a second-year, secretly stayed with Hermione in Hogsmeade on Christmas Day. Unfortunately, he encountered the dangerous werewolf Fenrir Greyback and fought him.

Evan had left an indelible mark on him, and that man must hate him to death by now.

Not to mention the Forbidden Forest, he ventured into it, late at night, to the colony of Centaurs, and fell under Voldemort's curse...

Because of this, Sirius had to step down and take on the brunt of the responsibility in this matter.

"It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-School Quidditch Cup will not take place this year," Dumbledore continued, "This is due to an event starting in October and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers' time and energy... but I am sure you will all greatly enjoy it. I am pleased to announce that this year at Hogwarts..."

But at that moment, a deafening thunder was heard, and the doors of the Great Hall burst open.

A man stood at the entrance, leaning on a long staff, wrapped in a black travel cloak.

All eyes in the Great Hall turned to the stranger. A lightning bolt streaked across the ceiling, leaving everyone in awe.

The lightning illuminated the man's face, and it was eerie.

It was as if someone had carved him from aged wood without a clear idea of how human faces should look, lacking finesse. Every inch of his skin seemed marked by scars. His mouth resembled a diagonal cleft, and a large chunk of his nose was missing. Yet, it was the man's eyes that made him so terrifying.

One of his eyes was small, dark, and gleaming. The other one was large, round like a coin, and of a vibrant electric blue.

The blue eye moved incessantly, unblinking, rolling up, down, and side to side, completely independent of the normal eye... until it rolled completely, pointing backward, revealing only whiteness.

The young witches and wizards covered their mouths with their hands, watching the man who had just burst in with fear.

Their impression exactly matched the image of the most dreadful villain in everyone's mind, like a dangerous Dark wizard.

"Who is he?" Hermione whispered.

"Mad-Eye Moody," Evan replied. "Alastor Moody, once the finest Auror."

"God, he's Mad-Eye, but why is he here...?"

"Because he is our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this semester. This year promises to be very interesting."

Evan observed the fake Moody closely as he walked past them to detect the difference between him and the real Mad-Eye.

But this imposter had evidently meticulously studied Moody's style and habits; no difference could be perceived from the outside.

However, Evan was already prepared and pulled out the Marauder's Map that Harry had lent him earlier.

The Marauder's Map was a magical map created by his father, Sirius, Professor Lupin, and Pettigrew. It displayed all the secret passageways and the people at Hogwarts. This map had been of great help to them when they ventured into the castle. Especially last semester, it played an unimaginable role in Sirius' rescue.

Evan spread the Marauder's Map on his lap, hiding it from view of the others.

He gently touched the map with his wand when no one was looking.

In the next instant, the Hogwarts Castle, drawn in ink, appeared at the top, with a dense amount of names.

Now, everyone was focused in the Great Hall, the names overlapping and appearing very convoluted.

Evan squinted, and his fingers moved slowly towards the teachers' table.

The fake Moody was shaking hands with Dumbledore, and Evan saw Dumbledore's name, but in front of him...

Evan blinked. He thought he would see Barty Crouch Jr.'s name, but he only saw a small black dot.

The name of the man in front of Dumbledore was not marked!