Chapter 882 Asking for an explanation
The Order of the Phoenix had returned the previous afternoon.
Since the mysterious man has left the Hexadiles, they don't need to worry about what happens next.
The first thing they did after returning to England was to go to Diagon Alley to buy themselves a new wand.
Although Ollivander looked very angry and scolded them for not taking good care of their wands, everyone could see that he was probably very happy in his heart.
More than a dozen wands at full price without discounts, this is a big deal. Ollivander's originally pale face became much rosier. Although he was cursing, he took the wand box very skillfully.
After all, he also needed Garlon to live, and he couldn't make any money from the freshmen. If this continued, he would not even be able to afford the materials for the wand core.
After changing their wands, everyone left. Although this experience was special, the Order of the Phoenix dealt with Death Eaters on a daily basis, so they were no longer surprised.
I just feel bad about spending a dozen Galleons on the wand.
Mr. Weasley had not wanted Fred and George to help with the money, but he was really short of money, and after searching for a long time, he could only find three Galleons and a Knut.
This amount of money is not enough even for a discounted magic wand for a freshman.
"It's okay, Dad." Fred handed a bag of Galleons to Ollivander. "You'll always need a good wand to face the Death Eaters and the You-Know-Who."
"Yes, this is also for your safety."
"At worst, you can just help stop mom from twisting our ears next time."
Fred and George didn't think it was a big deal. They had two salaries, and it was only seventeen Galleons, which was no big deal.
After finishing all this, they returned to the Ministry of Magic.
Mr. Weasley needed to sort out the records of the Hesperidian Islands, and Fred and George had other things to do.
They sneaked out today and still have a lot of work to do. In order to avoid having their salary deducted, they have to go back and finish it.
It was not until it was completely dark that the two finally left the office and picked up the letter from Mr. Bob in the lobby.
A letter from Austria addressed to them in their names.
However, when the letter was delivered, they were still in Diagon Alley, so it could only be temporarily stored with Mr. Bob.
And this letter also opened a new door for them.
At the Burrow, Fred and George's eyes lit up when they saw Kyle jumping out of the envelope. It was the first time they knew that owls could not only deliver letters, but also deliver living people.
Although the conditions were a bit harsh, they allowed them to perfectly avoid the Ministry of Magic and travel freely between countries.
This is a new approach. If used well, they might be able to promote Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes to the entire wizarding world.
Fred and George were eager to try and wanted to make a replacement for Kyle's box immediately.
This mood lasted until the next morning.
Nymphadora Tonks is back, and she has terrible news.
Alastor Moody is dead.
The Burrow was eerily quiet in the morning. Almost all the members of the Order of the Phoenix had arrived, looking at the cobbled-together blue magic eye on the table with complicated expressions.
"Lanis... admitted that he killed Alastor." Tonks buried her face in her arms, tears streaming down her face.
"Mad-Eye... is dead?" Bill looked at the magic eye on the table and leaned against the shelf in disbelief. "This is impossible."
"The blasting spell... many people saw it..." Tonks' voice was intermittent.
"Let me tell you."
Lupin looked at his grieving wife, took the initiative to step forward and said, "According to the information we have learned, Mad-Eye was tracking Barty Crouch Jr., but in the end he was exposed for some unknown reason and was surrounded by Death Eaters and wandering wizards in the woods that served as a quarantine zone."
"That shouldn't be the case." Bill still didn't understand. "With Mad-Eye's strength, even ten wandering wizards can't stop him."
"What if there are more?" Lupin sighed, "Wandering wizards, Death Eaters, and Barty Crouch Jr. are all chasing him... Although Mad-Eye tried his best to kill more than a dozen wandering wizards, he still couldn't escape and died from the blasting curse."
"Exploding Spell..." Mrs. Weasley said with a choked voice, her heart in her throat.
She had understood what Lupin meant. This meant that Mad-Eye had left nothing behind, not even a corpse.
"That Lanis regarded the Demon Eye as his trophy and hung it on his body to show off. We tried our best to get it back."
There was a sad silence, no one spoke, and Fred and George had lost their usual cheerfulness and sat in a corner with their heads down.
And Mr. Weasley, even though he had known the news for a long time, still found it difficult to accept after confirming the truth.
"Prepare for the funeral."
Finally, it was Sirius who broke the silence.
"We had spread the news before coming here. I believe that others will rush to the Ministry of Magic soon... The tombstone was completed a day ago."
"A day ago?" Mrs. Weasley looked up. "Wait, what does this mean?"
"We learned of Mad-Eye's death a few days ago," Mr. Weasley explained. "Kyle told us himself."
"Kyle said that? Why don't we know that!" Fred asked.
"Because Kyle only brought back a piece of bandage." Mr. Weasley rubbed his forehead, "We still have a glimmer of hope in our hearts, thinking that maybe Kyle saw it wrong, what if Mad-Eye is still alive."
"But we also know that Kyle wouldn't joke about such things." The door was pushed open from the outside, and Kingsley, looking haggard, walked in.
"Let's go. Everything is ready. Let's go and see Mad-Eye off for the last time."
"By the way, where's Kyle?" Charlie looked around and asked, "Why isn't he here?"
"Kyle isn't home," Fred said. "We looked for him before, but he seemed to have left for something, and so did Mr. Chopper."
"Chris should have gone to the Hesperidian Islands with Mr. Scamander," Mr. Weasley said softly.
"It doesn't matter, things over there are more important," Kingsley said.
Without saying anything else, everyone walked out of the Burrow silently and followed Kingsley to the Ministry of Magic.
The atmosphere in the Ministry of Magic was equally solemn.
The news of Alastor Moody's murder spread throughout the Ministry of Magic like a fierce flame in a very short time.
Although most people think that Mad-Eye, who is suspicious, a little neurotic and prone to sabotage after retirement, is a real trouble, he is also a legendary Auror who fills up half of Azkaban.
Everyone felt heavy-hearted about his death.
But this is war.
Led by Kingsley, they came to a cemetery reserved for Aurors near the Ministry of Magic, which was already filled with dozens of chairs.
After gradually calming down, Kingsley accepted this fact and silently prepared everything.
This time, the news Tonks brought was more like a signal or a notification.
There were a lot of people coming, and by the time the Weasleys arrived, more than half of the chairs were already occupied.
Most were Aurors, most had worked with Moody, and some were members of the Order of the Phoenix.
Sturgis was once attacked by Death Eaters together with Sirius Black. He was seriously injured and sent to St. Mungo's. He was saved by the basilisk's special petrification ability.
After being discharged from the hospital, he quit the Order of the Phoenix and recuperated at home. Now he is here, sitting in a chair in the back row, and no one knows what he is thinking.
Minister of Magic Amelia Bones did not come, but Scrimgeour, Head of the Auror Office, came. He sat at the front with a solemn expression.
It seemed like everyone was waiting for them.
Tonks walked forward and put a few things in with trembling hands.
A stopped magic eye, half of a cracked wooden leg, and a broken magic wand were all Mad-Eye's things.
That was all she could find.
A short wizard with thick hair and dressed in a simple black robe stood up from his seat, stood in front of the grave, and solemnly read the eulogy.
Most of them recounted Alastor Moody's achievements, praising his bravery and fearlessness of darkness...
There were bursts of sobbing around, but not many, only from a few sentimental witches, including Mrs. Weasley.
Perhaps for most Aurors, this was already a common scene. After all, in addition to Mad-Eye, the funerals of several other Aurors were held here at the same time.
It’s just that Mad-Eye is the most famous one, and most people come for him.
The little man finally finished and returned to his seat, the tomb was closed, and everyone present raised their wands at the same time, sending sparks into the air.
"Maybe we could use real fireworks," Fred whispered. "We could sponsor them as a favor."
"You can try. Professor Moody won't mind, but I can't say for the other Aurors."
"Yeah George, did you say... huh?"
Fred suddenly realized that the person who had just spoken didn't seem to be George.
He turned his head sharply.
"Kyle? When did you get here?"
“A while,” Kyle said.
He had heard about this when he arrived at the Ministry of Magic, and had followed a few Aurors to find this place, just in time to see the little wizard stand up from his seat.
During this period, he stayed at the back and didn't say a word.
The main reason was that he didn't dare to move forward. He was afraid that he would not be able to hold back his laughter and then be beaten up by others.
I have to say that Professor Moody was really willing to destroy his precious magic eye.
Kyle just took a look from a distance and saw that the thing had been completely blown to pieces by the blasting spell and was only pieced together with the sticking spell. It would probably be impossible to repair it.
But it was precisely because of this that Tonks and the others were convinced that Moody was dead.
As for the scale of this funeral... to be honest, it wasn't that great. It was completely standard Auror procedure, and there weren't even a few people of sufficient importance attending. It was far from the 'grand' that Moody had requested.
There was nothing that could be done about it. Kyle had wanted to do it himself, but the previous incident left him unable to extricate himself. He had just returned and the matter was already over. He couldn't just tear down the grave and build another one.
If he dared to say that, he would probably be beaten up by the surrounding Aurors, and Mr. Weasley would not be able to help him.
Forget it, it doesn’t matter if it’s simple. Anyway, their purpose should have been achieved.
Professor Moody wanted more people to know that he was dead. The more grand the funeral was, the faster the news would spread.
In the current situation...if nothing unexpected happens, the Death Eaters lurking in the Ministry of Magic should have received the news. Given their hatred for Moody, they will probably publicize this matter widely.
As long as Voldemort and the Death Eaters believe it.
And it would be a bit strange if the funeral was too grand. After all, after Voldemort came to the light, Aurors were sacrificed almost every day.
Moody was just a retired Auror with a very small social circle. If he acted too differently from others, it would easily arouse Voldemort's suspicion and might even backfire.
