94 Diagon Alley

To our popular show: Friends of Potter. "

Lupin patted Fred on the shoulder, passed between the twins, and took the microphone from Kingsley: "Thank you, Lao/Jiang."

"Veteran, do you still think Harry Potter is still alive as you always do on the show?"

"Yes," said Lupin firmly, "I have no doubt that if he were to die, the Death Eaters would trumpet it, for it would be fatal to those who resisted the new regime. The blow. 'The Boy Who Lived' still symbolizes everything we fought for: the triumph of justice, the power of purity, and the need to continue to resist."

"If Harry was listening, veteran, what would you say to him?"

"I would say to him: We are with you," Lupin said, then hesitated a little, "and said to him: Follow your intuition, your intuition is Yes, and almost always true."

"As usual, I have to ask, is there any new news that Harry Potter's friends suffered because of loyalty?" Li said.

"Well, as longtime listeners will know, several friends of Harry Potter's outspoken support have been arrested and jailed, including The Quibble's editor-in-chief Xenophilius Lovegu. De—" Lupin said. "We got word a few hours ago that Rubeus Hagrid—" Gwen gasped, barely heard the second half "—the famous gamekeeper at Hogwarts, who narrowly escaped capture on campus Arrested because of rumors he was hosting a 'Harry Potter' party at his home. But Hagrid was not taken into custody and we believe he is on the run."

"Why weren't we invited to this party?" Fred gestured to George.

"Because he's afraid that we can't help some incompetent 'professors' shoot guns." George answered silently, and was amused by himself.

"I guess it would help if you had a sixteen-foot half-brother when escaping Death Eaters?" Lee asked.

"There may be a slight advantage," replied Lupin solemnly, "while we at Potter Lookout appreciate Hagrid's spirit, allow me to add that even Harry's most loyal And don't follow Hagrid's example. In this climate, it would be unwise to host a 'Harry Potter' party."

"It's true, veteran," Lee said, "so I suggest you keep listening to Potter's Lookout to show your love for the guy with the lightning scar! A wizard as elusive as Harry Potter, we like to call him 'Death Eater Number One'. To dissect some of the wilder rumors about him, I'm introducing a new correspondent, Rat."

Now it was Gwen's turn to laugh, and she said into George's ear, "Your brother's name is Rat, you can call him Racoon."

George also blew into Gwen's ear in revenge, making her itchy. "I can give you a good codename, Robin."

"I'm not a mouse, no, I told you I'm going to be Lao Jian!" Fred angrily slapped his buddy with his elbow.

"Oh, that's fine. Lao Jian, can you tell us what you think about the various stories about the number one Death Eater circulating outside?" Gas said.

"Okay, old/Jiang." Fred said, "As long as the listeners are not hiding at the bottom of a garden pond or something, they will know that the mysterious man continues to hide in the dark. It's creating a lovely atmosphere of panic. Mind you, if everyone who claims to have seen him is telling the truth, there must be at least nineteen mysterious people around us."

"It certainly suits him," Kingsley said. "The atmosphere of mystery is more frightening than his presence in person."

"Agreed," said Fred, "so let's try to be calm, friends. Don't add fiction, it's bad enough. The Mysterious Man dies at a glance. That's a basilisk, listeners. An easy way to tell the difference: check if the thing staring at you has feet. If it does, it's safe to look into its eyes, but if it's a mystery Man, that's still probably the last thing you do."

Everyone in the room laughed, a rare relief from weeks of pent-up tension. Like the great Harry Potter said, the Weasley twins always bring laughter in the dark.

"Are there rumors that he is often seen abroad?" Li asked.

"Who doesn't want to have a small, beautiful vacation after a frightening game?" Fred asked, "The problem is, friends, don't think he's going abroad, just think It's safe. He may or may not be out of the country, but the truth is he'll run faster than Severus Snape when he sees the shampoo if he wants to. If there's going to be an adventure, don't count on it He's far, far away. I never thought I'd hear myself say that, anyway, safety first!"

"Thank you very much for your good words, old sword!" Li said, "Listener friends, it's time to say goodbye to everyone at Potter's Lookout in this issue. I don't know when we will be able to One more broadcast, don't worry, we'll be back. Please turn the tuner often: next time the code will be 'Fox'. Stay safe, everyone. Good night."

The tuner of the radio turned once, and the indicator light on the panel went out.

Gwen and George kissed goodbye and sent off the other main forces of Potter's Lookout. She would love to spend more time with her boyfriend, but the longer they leave the safe house, the more likely they are to be caught by a malicious search party.

What's more, Gwen's temple is starting to hurt again - although it has happened since Voldemort took over the Ministry of Magic - but tonight the current in the temple is disturbing her.

The forest in the distance.

"Not bad?" Ron asked happily.

"It's amazing," said Harry.

"They're brave," Hermione exclaimed, "if found out..."

"They change places a lot, don't they?" said Ron, "like us."

"But did you hear what Fred said?" Harry asked excitedly, after the broadcast, his mind returned to the persistent thought, "He's abroad! Still looking for that wand, I knew it was! I saw it!"

"Harry—"

"Oops, Hermione, why are you so adamant about admitting it? V-"

"Harry, don't say it!"

"—Old Demon is looking for the Elder Wand!"

"That name is taboo!" Ron roared, jumping up, and a deafening bang came from outside the tent, "I told you, Harry, I told you, Can't say it anymore - we need to fix the protection magic quickly - quick - that's how they found out -"

Ron suddenly stopped, Harry knew why. The speculum on the table lit up and began to spin. They heard the voice coming closer: a rude, excited voice. Ron took the light extinguisher out of his pocket and pressed it, and the light went out.

"Raise your hands and come out from the inside!" A harsh voice came from the dark night, "We know you're inside! There are six or seven wands pointed at you, and we don't care if the spell will hit you. Who!"

Harry glanced at his two companions, only silhouettes could be seen in the darkness. He saw Hermione's wand pointed at his face, not out. With a bang, a white light burst, and he bent down in pain, unable to open his eyes, feeling that the face covered by his hands was rapidly expanding, and at this time the sound of heavy footsteps had surrounded him.

"Rise, vermin!"

The unfamiliar hand roughly pulled Harry off the ground. Before he could stop it, someone had already searched his pockets and took the sloe wand. Harry clutched his aching cheeks tightly, feeling the face beneath his fingers unrecognizable, taut and bulging, like a severe allergic reaction. There was only one slit left in his eyes, and he could barely see out. The glasses fell off as he was pushed out of the tent, and he could only vaguely see four or five figures scrambling with Ron and Hermione.

"Don't-touch-her!" Ron shouted. Then there was a clear sound of fists hitting his body, Ron groaned in pain, and Hermione screamed, "No! Don't hit him, don't hit him!"

"If your boyfriend's name is on my list, he'll be even worse." said a piercing voice that was terribly familiar, "Sweet little girl...what a good meal...my favorite. I like tender meat..."

Harry felt nauseated in his stomach. He knew who it was: Fenrir Greyback, the werewolf hired for his brutality and allowed to wear Death Eater robes.

"Soso inside the tent!" said another voice.

Harry was thrown face down on the ground. A muffled sound told him that Ron was also thrown aside. They heard footsteps and banging, and the people who searched the tent overturned chairs.

"Okay, let's see who we caught." Greyback's triumphant voice came from overhead, and Harry was turned over. Greyback laughed when the light of a wand hit his face.

"Looks like I can't swallow this with a butterbeer. How did you do it, ugly?"

"Stung," Harry muttered, "stung."

"Yes, it looks like it," said another voice.

"What's your name?" Greyback roared.

"Dudley," said Harry.

"Full name?"

"I - Vernon. Vernon Dudley."

"Check the list, Scabio