Hogwarts: Don't call me the Staff Maker

Chapter 742 The Snake and Voldemort

Upon hearing the sound from the black magic detector, the three of them stopped in their tracks.

Fred glanced down at it but didn't pay any more attention and continued walking.

The sound was too soft, which means the black magic was weak. It's highly likely that the remaining traces of black magic hadn't completely dissipated and had just been detected.

As the entrance to Diagon Alley, the Leaky Cauldron is a gathering place for all sorts of wizards every day. Even in these tense times, there are still drunkards who come here for a drink every day.

It's perfectly normal for one or two of these people to be dark wizards or something.

Xilun didn't pay attention at first, until he subconsciously glanced at the direction of the pointer on the instrument.

It was a corner in the backyard, right behind the trash can that served as a landmark, a place that few people would normally notice.

Then Xilun stopped.

"It's fine if you wait here for us." Fred also noticed that Celen had stopped and assumed that he didn't want to go into the bar.

After all, Apparitions are possible inside the Leaky Cauldron, so it would be troublesome if Death Eaters suddenly appeared and blocked the entrance to Diagon Alley while they were buying whiskey.

"You've thought of everything."

"We'll be there soon."

The two quickened their pace and entered the bar.

But when they came out with the Flaming Whiskey, they found that Siron wasn't waiting at the entrance, but was standing next to the trash can, seemingly observing something.

"What are you looking at?" the two asked as they approached.

"This," Xilun pointed to the ground next to the trash can.

It hasn't rained for the past few days, and there are very few people coming to Diagon Alley, so the ground is covered with a thick layer of dust.

But there are several long dents on this dust, which are particularly noticeable.

"It looks like something crawled over and left this mark," George whispered.

"It's a snake." Xiren picked up a small, translucent piece of snakeskin from the side. "I think I know where the mysterious man's informant is."

"Where?" Fred asked hastily, but he quickly realized something and looked at Siron with disbelief. "Don't tell me it's a snake."

"It's very likely," Siren said. "The mysterious man speaks Parsleyan; he can talk to snakes, and he also possesses a lot of black magic related to snakes. Perhaps he has some kind of method for sharing information."

"And here—" Xiren pointed to the trash can and an open space opposite.

"It happens to be the Apparition spot, and it's also the only way to reach the fireplace if you want to use Floo Network."

“I understand what you mean; this is indeed a good place for surveillance,” Fred said after a moment’s hesitation. “But a snake—can it see us? Or rather, can it recognize who we are?”

"As long as the mysterious man is willing," Siren said.

Although there was no direct evidence, he trusted his gut feeling and believed it was definitely true.

As for why Voldemort didn't just let the Death Eaters take over the Leaky Cauldron—it's probably because they hadn't completely taken over the Ministry of Magic yet.

The Leaky Cauldron is the entrance to Diagon Alley, and the Aurors and Strikers won't let the Death Eaters take over here.

Of course, this was only temporary, because Voldemort had not shown himself, which allowed the Ministry of Magic and the Order of the Phoenix to temporarily suppress the Death Eaters and prevent them from making any rash moves.

But if Voldemort were to take action himself, it would be hard to say what the outcome would be.

The group then left the Breaking Cauldron bar.

Fred and George originally wanted to find the snake, but Siron did not.

If things are as suspected, Voldemort will definitely notice them after they kill the snake, and he will probably send people to Diagon Alley again.

It could be another snake, or it could be a Death Eater, but neither would be any better than the current situation.

Even if we were to do something, now wouldn't be the time.

When Xiren returned to the wand shop, he heard a loud phone ringing inside before he even entered.

"You're finally back." Garrick, his hair a mess, peeked out from between the shelves. "It's been ringing for ten minutes. Which button do I press to turn it off?"

Garrick had always been used to working in a quiet environment, and the ringing of the telephone was far too noisy for him—like a shouting letter that couldn't actually swear.

"It's not a button, you just need to pick it up, like this." Xiren picked up the microphone, and the loud ringing stopped immediately.

"I'll definitely remember next time," Garrick said, instantly relaxing.

"You said the same thing last time."

"What? Did I say something last time?" Harry's puzzled voice came through the microphone.

-

“Nothing, Harry. I’m talking to my grandfather. He hasn’t learned how to answer the phone,” Celen said. “You know, he’s never used any Muggle products before.”

In fact, aside from wands, Garrick rarely has the opportunity to come into contact with anything else. Even if he knew how to use a telephone now, he would probably forget it completely after he finished making a wand.

"What's wrong?" Siron asked. "Have Dementors appeared on Privet Drive again?"

"No, not this time," Harry said.

He also knew about what happened a few days ago; the news reports about the liquid nitrogen leak couldn't fool him. That kind of aloofness, as if it could penetrate the depths of one's soul, could only be achieved by a Dementor.

He couldn't see what was happening; his Uncle Vernon and Aunt Penny wouldn't allow him to leave the attic, let alone go outside into the street.

And a few years ago, some of the Weasley boys had picked him up from the attic in a flying car and brought him to the Burrow. Since then, Uncle Vernon had sealed up the only window in the attic, leaving only a small section untouched. Harry had a hard time seeing what was happening outside.

This spot wasn't left out to keep Harry entertained, but rather to let sunlight in. That way, Harry wouldn't have a reason to turn on the lights during the day, saving a lot on electricity bills.

So even though Harry could guess that there were Dementors around, he couldn't see anything. He only found out what was happening around him by calling Siron.

"I wanted to tell you that the Dursleys have agreed to leave," Harry said on the phone. "It took some effort, but they finally realize how dangerous it is to stay—especially after Dumbledore was killed."

It has to be said that Harry's adaptability is truly remarkable. Just a few days ago, he was unwilling to admit it, but now he can calmly say it out loud.

"The Dursleys are leaving tomorrow, and the Order of the Phoenix will come to pick them up. Am I leaving with them? Or is there another arrangement?" Harry's tone became urgent, as if he couldn't wait to leave that cage-like place.

"I don't know, Harry," Siron said honestly. "Nobody knows exactly when or how they'll pick you up, except Mad-Eye Moody."

According to him, this was for security reasons.

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