[HP] Similar but different

However, it is obviously not a good idea to start at a stall with more and more people.The three of them squeezed each other's hands, and separated according to the previous plan - Ron guarded the gate, Harry and Hermione slipped in from left to right, outflanking the middle.

It took them a while to get in, but it was a little easier once the backs were up against the living room wall.Harry moved along the base of the wall, keeping his eyes fixed on the short man—

Gray hair, bald from the top of the head to the middle of the head, mouselike features in the pointy nose and small watery eyes; slouchy body, as if it was back to the screaming shack, but older.

This gave Harry reason to believe that Peter Pettigrew had not only had a very uncomfortable life recently, but it was also as bad as when he knew Sirius had escaped from prison earlier.He was a little disgusted, but also a little pity, and unconsciously pursed his lips.

No one spoke to Peter Pettigrew, and no one looked at him.He seemed a little annoyed and unwilling, but he was undoubtedly timid, and only dared to follow suit.Occasionally, the crowd burst into laughter, and he didn't know if he heard it clearly, so he laughed along with it.

Harry couldn't help looking away.At this moment, there was a small noise from the entrance, and a dozen people appeared.Among them was a strange man whom Mr. Malfoy was talking to enthusiastically.Draco Malfoy walked on the other side of the man, looking sideways, nodding now and then.

There was something new about the starry sky, and Harry looked more closely at the man he hadn't seen before.The other party was not tall, with short and thick curly brown hair and a short beard. He looked to be in his 30s, but his back was a bit strangely bent.

Harry thought and thought hard, but he still couldn't find someone with this look from any corner of his memory.Curious as hell, he forgot about Wormtail for a moment, and concentrated on the man.It was obvious that the telescopic ears could not be used at the reception, so he could only strain his ears, trying to hear the occasional words that drifted over.

"...what a wonderful arrangement," said Mr. Malfoy, "...amnestics...I swear, there's no one better suited for that position than you!"

The man laughed. "I'm not afraid to tell you that before I went to the Ministry of Magic, I always thought it was possible..." He shook his head disapprovingly, and then nodded again, "But I soon found out that the master was indeed right...At least half of the Ministry of Magic uses It’s not easy to forget everything, can you imagine?”

This remark caused everyone to laugh, full of sarcasm. "It's full of idiots, idiots, and scum! What's left? Oh, self-righteous Mudblood protector!"

Loud laughter echoed in the living room, and Harry shifted uncomfortably.He began to wonder where Hermione was, if she was irritated.

When he regained consciousness, Mr. Malfoy had already walked to the central dance floor. "Thank you for coming to Malfoy Manor today," he said loudly, opening his arms, "Please enjoy yourself!"

Everyone answered with the crisp sound of wine glasses colliding.The atmosphere of the banquet became lively, with a lot of voices and a lot of wine.

Harry jerked awake, realizing he'd just been out of his wits.He hurriedly searched for Pettigrew Peter again, and found that the other party was outside the largest circle—that is, the circle centered on Mr. Malfoy and that man.

It seems that although Wormtail is not popular, he also knows how to save his life - such as trying to get more inside information.Harry weighed the distance between them, and the obstacles in his path, and realized with almost despair that there was no way he could get anywhere near Wormtail without bumping into anyone.

This is troublesome, Harry gritted his teeth.But the trouble doesn't stop there.He soon discovered that the people present were either squeezing into the middle circle or hiding in remote places.He must always pay attention to whether someone has taken a fancy to the corner where he hides.

In just ten minutes, Harry was forced to change positions three times.Not long after standing still at the fourth spot, two more people walked towards him.He couldn't hold back his slander, but the approaching voice caught his attention.

"...It's just luck, so I'm so proud." A man in a silver-green robe was angrily.

His companion hurriedly looked back, making sure no one was paying attention, before turning back and saying, "That can't be helped, Selwyn. The master is probably interested in their ten years in Azkaban."

The man named Selwyn snorted. "Azkaban is indeed incomparable. Moreover, Mulciber is indeed a good hand of the Imperius Curse and the Oblivion Curse." He was a little bit annoyed, "But what about Wormtail? I heard that he will soon Become a knight."

... Mulciber?Imperius Curse and Oblivion Curse?Memory log off?

Harry couldn't help wondering if the man he didn't know was Mulciber?He moved cautiously, trying to hear better.

Servin's companion looked back again. "I know what you mean. Although he was the first to find his master, he just had to. If you can't talk about loyalty, how can you become a knight? The master should understand this better than anyone else." He paused, "said Maybe it's just a rumor?"

Selwyn's eyes lit up, then darkened again. "Who would dare to say that without the master's acquiescence? But you reminded me..." He suddenly became thoughtful, "If this is true, why didn't Lucius take Wormtail more seriously than before? His Kind of people..."

The two looked at each other and smiled tacitly.

"It seems that there is something hidden in it." After a while of silence, Selwyn said again, his tone more certain than before.

"You mean, Lucius made a mistake?" his companion asked in a low voice.

Selwyn nodded, shook his head again, and said nothing.

What the hell is this implying?Harry, holding his breath, was bewildered.

But another person seemed to totally get it.He nodded too, looking serious.The two Death Eaters looked at the largest circle together. After a while, Selwyn gritted his teeth and said, "I should have been in the middle."

His companion turned his head amusedly. "You're kidding..."

"I should have been in the middle," Selwyn re-emphasized without waiting for the other party to finish speaking, "16 years ago, I arrived in Godric's Hollow earlier than anyone else."

……what? !

Harry had never dreamed of hearing such news and almost jumped up.Selwyn's companion was obviously also greatly frightened, his eyes widened: "Where were you at that time?"

"Yes, I happened to be nearby at the time." Selwyn said, with a face full of anger, "I heard the movement and noticed that the color of the sign changed." He pressed his left arm, "I rushed over immediately .The Potter house was almost in ruins, and there were two bodies - the man lying in the hall, the woman upstairs."

As if being strangled by an invisible hand, Harry was almost suffocating.He clasped his hands against the wall, afraid that he couldn't help rushing forward to ask for more details.

"I originally wanted to search again, but other people came, people from the Order of the Phoenix... I had no choice but to leave." Selwyn continued. "Of course I don't want to believe it, but anyone who sees that scene will think that the master..." He didn't finish the sentence, and his tone became resentful, "If I knew that the master is still alive, where is my turn now?" Got Wormtail?"

The other man stood transfixed, apparently trying to digest the new news.After a long time, he murmured: "Who knew someone could survive the death curse..."

This is not so much an answer as a soliloquy.There was another silence, and they walked back and forth.

Harry let go of his hand, and found that his body was sliding down uncontrollably, as if all his strength had been drained.He braced himself against the wall, breathing heavily.Just when he thought he should be able to regain his grip on his wand, something bumped his left shoulder.

"Harry?" Hermione asked in a low voice, a little nervous. "What are you doing here?"

There is no one around at the moment.Harry stood up straight, thankful that Hermione couldn't see the cold sweat dripping from the tip of his forehead and nose. "nothing."

Hermione hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Really?" She was a little skeptical, "Your tone sounds a little weird."

Harry was going to sidestep the question. "Do you know what to do?" he asked. "Now it looks like, unless we become air, we won't get in at all."

"I know," Hermione's attention was successfully diverted, "and they don't mean to end for a while." She paused, and hurriedly added: "But they are less vigilant after they enter the door. If We knock some Death Eater out in the bathroom, and maybe we can lure Wormtail away with his image."

Harry nodded, remembering again that Hermione couldn't see him nodding. "Did you bring Polyjuice Potion?"

"I brought a big bottle full," Hermione replied.

Harry could hear the tension in her voice, and she was just about to say something casual when a servant rushed in and whispered something in Mr. Malfoy's ear.Mr. Malfoy was chatting and laughing loudly with someone, his face changed when he heard this, and he walked out immediately.

Everyone noticed the change and looked towards the entrance curiously.The Death Eater who seemed to be working in the Ministry of Magic frowned slightly. After a few seconds, he seemed to have thought of something and started to walk out.

"What's the matter?" Hermione asked Harry, puzzled.

"No idea," Harry replied, sharp-eyed noticing that a number of people had started moving in the same direction, including Wormtail. "We'd better keep up." He said, wiped his face casually, and bent down to feel for the door.

Because of the crowd at the door, it took Harry even more effort to pass than before.It was also because of the delay that he had just stepped onto the corridor carpet when he heard whispers——

"Merlin's beard! Is that him?"

"Lucius didn't tell us before that he could invite the one most favored by the master!"

"Are you talking about Barty Crouch Jr.? Really?"

...Little Crouch?

To be honest, Harry was very interested in why Crouch Jr. came only now.But the problem was that, as soon as he heard Little Crouch's name, Wormtail, who had been crowded in the crowd, looked terrified and backed away abruptly.Someone was stepped on, and he didn't apologize, and turned around in a hurry, not looking in the direction of returning to the living room.

Here comes a Death Eater, what is Wormtail running for?

Harry had no time to take care of his own doubts, and quickly followed.Wormtail walked faster and faster, as if he knew someone was chasing him.Harry had only taken a few steps before realizing that they had to do something - the corridor ended at a bend, and the short man was already shrinking his neck, already showing a tendency to deform - but there were a lot of Death Eaters behind him -

Harry pulled out the invisibility cloak as quickly as he could, and covered himself under it indiscriminately.He didn't know where Ron and Hermione were, but he hoped they were nearby, and he took a last-minute chance to—

Three blue and white lights of different thicknesses hit Wormtail almost simultaneously.He twitched violently, before he could make a sound, he fell face down.

Harry rushed to the corner in three steps at a time, trying to hide both of them in the Invisibility Cloak before Wormtail landed.He did catch the other person, but there was a sudden silence behind him.

This is not a good sign.

Harry let go slowly, turning his head.The corridor was full of people, everyone was staring in his direction, but there was no sound.For the first two, Bedivere pointed his wand at Wormtail, and Mr. Malfoy's snake-headed wand was pointed at him.

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Explanation of the second setting: There is Serwen, but there is no such thing as Serwen.