Chapter 377 - Unbelievable? !
Diagon Alley, a carpet shop with its door closed.
The originally warm orange light of the shop was now covered by a heavy golden light, as if even the air had become heavy.
Outside the window, the huge golden cloth floating in the air was slowly gathering the gold coins, and the reflected light shone into the shop, making the whole room present a strange brilliance.
"Hermione... let's leave quickly..."
Ron sat on a chair also covered with gold foil, tapping his fingers nervously on the edge of the chair that had been erased by strange magic, and looked at the girl beside him nervously.
"Deverot can solve everything."
His voice had a hint of forcing himself to believe, as if as long as he kept repeating this sentence, the uneasiness in his heart could be dispelled.
But Hermione did not respond.
She stared straight out the window, her eyes fixed on the huge golden cloth that was still gathering the gold coins, and her brown eyes reflected the flowing golden light, with complex emotions intertwined in them.
After a long time, she slowly turned her head and looked at Ron.
"If Deveraux... and Harry don't go with us, then I won't go anywhere."
Her tone was calm, but it revealed an unquestionable firmness.
Ron opened his mouth, as if he wanted to refute, but in the end he just scratched his head in distress and sighed.
"To be honest, I thought I would say this myself..."
He muttered in a low voice, with a bit of self-mockery and helplessness in his tone.
At this time, the rustling sound of a feather pen quickly scratching on parchment came from the corner.
Tonks was leaning over the counter, writing furiously. Her knuckles were slightly white due to excessive force, obviously wanting to record everything and not miss any details.
Hearing the conversation between Hermione and Ron, she raised her head slightly and her eyes stayed on Hermione for a moment.
"Hermione, do you know more about Harry Potter's arrival in Diagon Alley?"
Hermione shook her head, her tone crisp and decisive.
"We've told you everything we know."
Tonks nodded, frowning as she continued to write on the parchment. The ink shimmered under the light, and lines of text quickly filled the paper.
Hermione was still looking out the window, the floating golden cloth was still collecting gold coins, flashing a cold glow.
Ron leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes in frustration, his shoulders slightly tense, his fingers unconsciously clenched into fists, as if this could calm him down.
Lupin walked up, patted Ron's shoulder gently, then squatted down, looked him in the eye, and said gently:
"Don't worry, Ron, we're not leaving now, but we haven't found a way to leave Diagon Alley yet. Once we find a way, we will send you to a safe place as soon as possible. Tonks...sister is trying to find a way."
He deliberately slowed down his tone, trying to reassure Ron.
However, these words did not make Ron relax. He frowned even more and asked in confusion:
"Then why don't we use Floo powder to leave?"
Lupin smiled slightly and shook his head gently.
"No, someone tried it before, and Floo powder doesn't work now."
As soon as this sentence came out, Ron and Hermione opened their eyes almost at the same time and looked at Lupin in surprise.
Lupin was stunned by their reaction and blinked in confusion.
"What's wrong, kids?"
Ron opened his mouth, as if he was sorting out his thoughts, and said hesitantly after a moment:
"But... we used Floo powder to get here?"
His tone was full of confusion, even with a bit of disbelief.
Hermione also frowned, nodded slightly, and added.
"Just half an hour ago, we used Floo powder in the fireplace of the Leaky Cauldron to get in. Otherwise, how do you think we got here?"
Lupin's expression froze instantly, and a trace of shock flashed in his eyes.
His lips parted slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but he was speechless for a moment.
Then, he turned his head sharply to look at Tonks.
Tonks was also stunned, the quill in her hand stopped on the parchment, and the ink spread a small spot on the paper.
The two stared at each other blankly for a while, and the air seemed to freeze for a moment.
...Something wrong quietly spread in the room.
Hermione then recounted their experiences in detail - from using Floo powder to reach the Leaky Cauldron in Hogwarts, to the unexpected encounter with Deveraux.
She spoke very quickly, as if she was afraid of missing any details, especially the part about the notice issued by the Ministry of Magic - all passages have been blocked and cannot be used.
After listening to this, Lupin sighed slowly, rubbed his brows with his hand, and a hint of helplessness appeared in his voice:
"To be honest, when I saw you guys with Deveraux, I never thought about how you got here."
His tone was half serious and half teasing, as if he was annoyed by his negligence, but also with a hint of acceptance.
The air was silent for a moment.
Ron tried to liven up the atmosphere, shrugged his shoulders, forced a stiff smile, and said:
"Maybe the Floo fans saw that we were too pitiful, so they made an exception and opened a back door?"
Unfortunately, no one laughed.
Tonks didn't react at all. She had a grim face, her knuckles were white as she grasped the quill, her eyes were fixed on the parchment in her hand, as if she wanted to carve the words on it into her mind. She kept repeating in a low voice:
"Notice from the Ministry of Magic... All passages have been closed..."
Her brows furrowed even more, as if she was trying to sort out some confusing clues.
But if the notice from the Ministry of Magic was correct, then how did Hermione and Ron get in?
If there was something wrong with this notice...
This thing... is wrong.
Lupin took a deep breath, as if he had finally digested this sudden information thoroughly.
His expression regained its composure, and he walked steadily to Tonks' side, his voice slow but firm:
"In this case, I have to try it myself to see if the Floo powder can really still be used."
His eyes swept over the young people in the room, and there was a sense of comfort in his eyes.
"Tonks, you stay here and take care of the children."
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and walked towards the door.
However, before he took a step, Tonks suddenly reached out and grabbed his wrist.
"Remus,"
Her eyes were sharp and her tone was unusually anxious.
"What's your plan?"
Lupin was stunned for a moment, then answered:
"If Floo powder can really still be used, I will go to the Ministry of Magic immediately, tell them the news, and then-"
"No!"
Tonks interrupted him, her tone suddenly raised, as if she was afraid that Lupin would say another word.
Her fingertips tightened unconsciously, and she lowered her voice, but with unquestionable anxiety:
"You must not go to the Ministry of Magic! The people there... can't be trusted."
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