bioinnovel Chapter 265 Suspicion
Chapter 265 Suspicion
Chapter 265 Suspicion
If scars are a man's badge of honor, then Alastor Moody, covered in scars, could easily be considered a hero.
Every inch of his face was scarred, his mouth was crooked like a big gash, and his nose was sunken where it should have been.
While his face can stop a child from crying at night, he is also missing a leg and needs the support of a wooden prosthesis to walk normally.
Apart from Professor Kettleburn, Alastor Moody was the most physically challenged and determined person Belvina had ever met.
However, Moody's eyes are the most terrifying part of him.
One of his eyes was normal, black, and small, while the other eye was large and bright blue.
It kept moving around in its eye sockets.
Previously, Belvina didn't understand what it meant to have one eye on guard duty and the other on watch, but the moment she saw Moody, Belvina understood.
Moody's two eyes are completely unrelated; his bright blue demonic eyes are what earned him the nickname "Mad-Eye Moody."
"Alastor, can you tell me about the attack this morning?" Belvina asked; she hadn't come here just for fun.
Despite having recounted the events of this morning many times, Moody showed no sign of displeasure.
Perhaps there was some reluctance, but Belvina couldn't tell. Moody's scarred face was really not suited to conveying emotions.
"Before dawn, I heard someone break into the yard, and the peephole also gave a warning," Moody said in a low voice. "I quietly went out to check, and then the roadside dumpster ambushed me."
His voice sounded somewhat unpleasant, like the sound of a carving knife cutting through rotten wood.
Not only was his voice unpleasant, but what he said sounded like utter nonsense. An ambush of a wizard in a dumpster was considered a strange occurrence even in wizarding society.
"Besides the person who ambushed your dumpster, did you see anyone acting suspiciously?" Belvina pressed.
Despite it sounding like nonsense, Belvina chose to believe Moody's lies, convinced that the Black Magic Mark at the World Cup camp was just the beginning.
"No, I only saw the group of Muggles who live nearby," Moody said gruffly. "You're just like everyone else outside, you don't believe me, right?"
As he spoke, Moody roughly put the wooden prosthetic leg in place, then shouted, "If you don't believe me either..."
Then please leave immediately!
"Alastor, calm down. We all believe in you, and no one here will attack you," Mr. Weasley quickly reassured him.
"Right, Belvina, you believe in Alastor too," he said to Belvina.
"Of course, otherwise I wouldn't have come all this way," Belvina said nonchalantly. "I believe someone did attack you, which is why I was in a hurry to see you before you return to Hogwarts."
Having said that, Belvina forced herself to look directly into Moody's bright blue demonic eye, despite her discomfort.
"You're suspecting that the Alastor Moody standing before you might be someone else in disguise," Moody said. "Am I right? You're suspecting me!"
Belvina nodded without hesitation.
She said calmly, "Yes, I do suspect you. Isn't it suspicious that you were attacked so suddenly, just as you were about to depart for Hogwarts?"
Other Ministry of Magic staff did not believe Alastor Moody because Moody had a history of making blunders, like the boy crying wolf.
Once or twice, people might still believe that Moody may have been attacked.
Over time, even if Moody were to be attacked one day, no one would believe him.
That's the situation today.
Hopkirk and Pisgood, neither of them believed Moody's account at all, thinking he was just scaring himself again.
Belvina chose to believe Alastor Moody's ravings not because she trusted the distinguished Auror so much, but because she had recently become somewhat suspicious.
With the Triwizard Tournament just around the corner, the new Hogwarts professor is suddenly attacked. Even if the attacker isn't Moody, Belvina will still personally go to the scene to put her mind at ease.
"I need to verify your identity, Alastor," Belvina said. "It'll be over quickly with a little trickery. I assure you."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Weasley frowned, realizing that such a simple trick was definitely not simple at all.
However, Mr. Weasley did not stop Belvina, and her concerns were not unfounded: what if someone infiltrated Hogwarts and tried to cause trouble?
The Quidditch World Cup story must not be repeated at Hogwarts.
"I disagree. I don't trust you," Moody said rudely. "Who knows what curses you might cast on me?"
Who knows if you'll poison me?
As he spoke, he walked slowly and deliberately through the living room, his bright blue magic eyes fixed on Belvina's every move.
It seems that Alastor Moody will not hesitate to act if Belvina makes any unusual move.
If Mr. Weasley hadn't been sitting in the room, Moody would probably have kicked Belvina out of the house long ago.
The two were stuck in this awkward situation, one wanting to confirm the other's identity, the other feeling that the other harbored ill intentions, and the level of trust between them was almost zero.
Belvina had anticipated that the trip might not go smoothly, but she hadn't expected it to be this difficult.
Perhaps it was due to his military career and the many enemies he had made, or perhaps it was simply his nature, but Moody was a difficult person to communicate with and almost instinctively suspected everyone.
However, Moody's identity must be verified, otherwise Belvina will suffer from insomnia, constantly worrying about the attack on Moody and remaining suspicious of his identity.
The two remained deadlocked for a while. Alastor Moody still refused to cooperate, while Belvina softened and put on a smiling face.
"Since you refuse to be inspected, can't I at least ask you a few questions?" she said in a gentle tone.
It seems they have given up on verifying Moody's identity.
Moody nodded almost imperceptibly.
"You've been retired for a long time, why would Professor Dumbledore ask you to come back?" Belvina asked. "To be honest, you're not suited to be a teacher at the school."
As he grew older, Alastor Moody became increasingly suspicious, and this suspicion caused him great trouble in his life.
Hogwarts is a magic school with hundreds of students, and the overly cautious Moody might very well suspect every single one of them. If that were the case, he'd scare himself to death sooner or later.
Alastor Moody did not answer the question immediately, but after a while he said in a low voice, "The Triwizard Tournament."
He turned around, his eyes fixed on Belvina, and continued, "Igor Karkarov,"
"I need to keep an eye on that despicable man. Crouch shouldn't have let that scum go in the first place."
When Igor Karkaroff, the Death Eater who betrayed the Death Eaters, was mentioned, Moody's expression became extremely terrifying, and his tone was filled with intense disgust.
"I told you long ago, after hearing that scumbag's information, we'd throw him back to the Dementors," Moody continued muttering. "Making a deal with scum like that is a disgrace!"
According to Belvina, it took Moody a full six months to bring Karkaroff to justice.
However, Crouch made a deal with Karkaroff: if Karkaroff could reveal enough accomplices, Crouch would be spared.
Dumbledore invited Moody, who had been retired for many years, back into the game, specifically to keep an eye on Igor Karkaroff.
To prevent this scum from taking the opportunity to cause trouble at Hogwarts.
"Besides that, are there any other reasons?" Belvina asked calmly, completely oblivious to the fact that she was being treated as an unwelcome guest.
Thud thud thud!
The wooden prosthetic leg made a dull thud as it stepped on the floor.
Alastor Moody walked over step by step and stood in front of Belvina, his normal eye narrowing into a slit.
He said in a deep voice, enunciating each word clearly, "You're bluffing me. But it doesn't matter, I might as well tell you directly, besides that scumbag Karkaroff, I also plan to keep an eye on your and Snape's every move. Dumbledore trusts you, but I don't."
Distrusting the pure-blood Black and the former Death Eater Snape is very Moody-esque; his suspicion is heavier than a mountain.
Belvina remained silent, her slender fingers fidgeting as if she were pondering some important question.
After a long while, Belvina slowly stood up and took her leave.
She said, "See you at Hogwarts, Alastor. I hope we can get along well for the next year."
As soon as she finished speaking, Belvina turned and walked away.
As she stepped out of the living room and was about to enter the narrow porch, she suddenly stopped.
"By the way, I also really dislike Severus; we're in agreement on that," she said. "And, hopefully, you're not the first Defense Against the Dark Arts professor to die from paranoia."
After uttering this rather impolite blessing, Belvina walked out of the house full of peepholes, quickly crossed the small yard in front of the door, and only stopped again when she was far away from the residential area.
Belvina casually found a bench by the roadside, sat down, closed her eyes, and kept replaying the scene at Moody's house in her mind.
If Belvina intended to impersonate someone, she would definitely investigate that person's personality and habits beforehand.
And also the other person's interpersonal relationships.
At the same time, one must try one's best to imitate this person's demeanor, gait, tone of voice, etc., so that one will not be discovered to be an imposter and can continue to pretend.
Therefore, Belvina's question was a pretense; her real purpose was to observe Moody.
However, given that she had no prior personal relationship with Moody's and knew little about him, she had to find another way to make her judgment.
Alastor Moody is a disabled person who has had one eye replaced by a magic eye and wears a wooden prosthetic leg.
Belvina believes that it is difficult for a healthy person with all four limbs to adapt to the magic eye and prosthetics in a short period of time, and they will inevitably appear unfamiliar with using them.
Appearance can be improved with compound decoctions, and interpersonal relationships can be investigated in advance, but you can't adapt to magic eyes and prosthetics in advance!
To impersonate Moody, one would gouge out an eyeball and remove a leg beforehand; the cost of this impersonation is simply too high.
Although the method of judgment seemed rather hasty, Belvina was only seeking peace of mind; her assessment of Moody was merely a preliminary one, not a definitive conclusion.
Based solely on their current interactions, Belvina personally believes that Alastor Moody is not an imposter.
He is very skilled at using prostheses.
Next up is Dumbledore's matter, since the headmaster is the one who knows Alastor Moody best.
Just as Belvina temporarily put aside her worries, Mr. Weasley caught up with her.
As soon as he approached, Mr. Weasley impatiently asked, "What's your reason? What makes you suspect someone is impersonating Alastor?"
Belvina thought for a moment, then said uncertainly, "Perhaps it's—a gut feeling?"