There was a moment of silence before the air ahead shimmered. A boy with dark hair emerged from the distortion, his expression calm. "It's me, Mr. Moody," Alex said coolly, stepping into the light.
The young man looked utterly disheveled—his clothes, face, and hair were caked with dirt and streaked with blood. He pressed his right hand tightly over his left arm, clearly trying to suppress the pain of a serious injury.
Seeing this, Moody hurried forward, pulling a potion bottle from his robes. He carefully supported Alex's back, gently tilting the bottle to help him drink. Alex coughed a couple of times as the liquid slid down his throat. "Slowly, lad. Take it easy. Help is on the way. This potion should give you some strength. How bad is it? Are you hurt anywhere else?" Moody's usually gruff demeanor softened as he spoke.
After swallowing the potion, Alex's pale face began to regain a hint of color. "I'm fine, just a bit roughed up. My magic reserves are drained, and I'm pretty exhausted." Alex forced a small smile, though fatigue was etched into every feature.
Moody raised a skeptical brow. "Drained, huh? You look like you haven't had a wink of sleep."
Alex chuckled weakly. "That's because I haven't."
Moody's magical eye swiveled, scanning the surroundings. "Where are the Death Eaters who attacked you?
Alex straightened slightly. "I took down a few during the fight. I didn't want to draw attention from Muggles, so I used a Concealment Charm to hide them. Let me undo it."
He pulled out his wand and waved it at the empty space behind him. Instantly, five figures materialized, sprawled unconscious on the ground. Among them were Torquil, Goyle, Crabbe, Yaxley, and even Karkaroff.
Moody's visible eye widened as he stepped closer to inspect them. "Well, I'll be damned. Torquil, Goyle, Crabbe… even Karkaroff. And Yaxley, too. Dumbledore mentioned keeping an eye on him, but I didn't expect to find him here."
Moody knelt down to check the Death Eaters' conditions, his face growing more astonished. "Stunned. All of them. You did this?"
Alex nodded. "They didn't make it easy."
Moody straightened and gave Alex a pointed look. "You wrote in your letter that you were attacked by Death Eaters. But you left out the part where you single-handedly took them down. Care to explain?"
Alex shifted, looking a little sheepish. "It wasn't as impressive as it sounds. They caught me off guard. It was a tough fight, but I got lucky."
Moody's magical eye continued to whirl, searching for answers. "Still doesn't explain why they came after you in the first place. Any idea how they found you? And why were you here so early in the morning? Not to mention, how did you even get word to me so quickly?"
Alex exhaled, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. "Here's what happened..."
Alex recounted his story in detail. "Yesterday, I went to Diagon Alley to buy some gifts for Augusta and Neville. While I was there, I ran into Tom—you know, the innkeeper at the Leaky Cauldron."
Moody nodded. "You lived there before Hogwarts, right?"
"Exactly. We're old friends, and I hadn't seen him in ages, so I decided to stay the night and catch up. I sent Augusta a note to let her know, and since she replied using my owl, I kept Tailwind with me."
Moody grunted in acknowledgment. "Go on."
"That evening, I had dinner with Tom at the Leaky Cauldron. Plenty of people saw me there with Tailwind. It was a normal night."
Alex paused, letting the memory settle before continuing. "I have a habit of exercising early in the morning, so I decided to head to Regent's Park for a workout. I thought it would be a good chance to let Tailwind stretch his wings too."
Moody frowned. "And that's where you ran into the Death Eaters?"
Alex nodded grimly. "Exactly. As soon as I arrived and started warming up, I realized I was surrounded. I recognized Yaxley and Travers immediately."
Moody leaned in, his expression darkening. "Why would they target you?"
Alex hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "Back at Hogwarts, I've had run-ins with Yaxley and Travers. They hated that I'm Muggle-born and in Slytherin. I think that grudge is why they came after me."
Moody's frown deepened. "That's petty, even for Death Eaters. But five of them, all here to ambush you? This was no schoolyard grudge, lad. They wanted you dead." His tone was laced with suspicion.
Alex sighed, his shoulders sagging slightly. "There's more." He looked Moody in the eye, as though deciding whether to share. Finally, he gritted his teeth and continued. "It wasn't their first attempt. Just before Christmas, Yaxley and a group of pure-bloods tried to ambush me outside the castle. I managed to get away, but…"
"But what?" Moody's voice was sharp, his posture tense.
Alex took a deep breath. "Yaxley tried to use the Killing Curse on me."
Moody's face hardened, his magical eye freezing mid-spin. "Are you sure?"
"Positive. Dumbledore knows—or at least suspects. After that night, Yaxley didn't return to Hogwarts." Alex's voice grew quieter. "I don't think he'll stop until he succeeds."
"So that's it. Everything makes sense now," Moody said, his expression sharp with understanding. "I was wondering why Dumbledore would suddenly ask us to track Yaxley's whereabouts. Wasting manpower to monitor a seemingly irrelevant house didn't add up. But if they were truly hiding there, it's possible they were trying to find you after you visited Diagon Alley."
His face darkened as he turned to Alex, his gaze piercing. "Why didn't you report this sooner? Letting a dangerous Death Eater roam free is reckless! Do you realize how much trouble this could have caused?"
Alex's face flushed with regret. He bowed his head and said sincerely, "I'm sorry, it's my fault. Yaxley… he was my senior, the Slytherin prefect when I was a first-year. I couldn't bring myself to—"
"Kindness has no place when dealing with these bastards!" Moody interrupted with a snarl. "You gave him a chance, and what did you get in return? Hatred and endless attacks! You must never hesitate in the face of their kind."
While Moody's voice thundered, Alex remained silent, keeping his head lowered, his expression a mix of remorse and humility. Inside, however, his thoughts wandered. 'High-quality experimental materials, a stash of gold, a house… and, of course, some unintentional benefits.' He maintained his frightened demeanor, unwilling to let his thoughts betray him.
After a while, Moody's tone softened. The old Auror glanced at Alex, realizing he might have been too harsh. The boy was still young, and not long ago, he'd been fighting for his life against five Death Eaters. Alone. With his curiosity piqued, Moody leaned forward. "You mentioned being surrounded by five Death Eaters. How did you take them all down? These aren't amateurs—they're ruthless killers."
Alex exhaled deeply, as if reliving the harrowing ordeal. "It was thanks to Professor Flitwick's and Professor Bones' teachings… and a fair bit of luck," he admitted. "When they ambushed me, they were hiding in the woods. If it weren't for Tailwind—my owl—I wouldn't have noticed them in time. His excellent night vision and our long-standing bond saved me. He warned me before they could strike."
Moody nodded thoughtfully. "Your owl gave you the warning. What did you do next?"