Chapter 161: The Owl’s Letter

CORRECTION EDIT: The evil sorcerer here is no Mad-eye but rather Moddox, an OC I think.

...

Time flew by, and over a month had passed.

George stood in the living room, holding his wand, focusing his mental energy as he recalled all the joyful moments from both his past and present lives, including his main and duplicate selves. He concentrated deeply and chanted the incantation:

"Expecto Patronum!"

As the incantation was completed, a faint white light began to emerge from the tip of his wand. The light grew stronger and stronger until it coalesced into a silvery, semi-transparent creature.

"A panda? Could it be because one of my duplicates is a panda?"

Seeing that his Patronus was a panda, George couldn't help but show a trace of surprise.

Across the room, Amy, wearing just her nightwear and holding a bottle of wine, leaped up from the sofa in shock.

"George, well done! You've actually managed to summon a corporeal Patronus!

It seems I truly have a knack for teaching. What do you think? Should I send my résumé to Dumbledore in a few days and apply to be a teacher at Hogwarts?"

In just over a month, George had not only mastered Apparition but had also learned the Patronus Charm under her guidance. This made Amy incredibly confident in her teaching abilities.

She now believed that her previous students had been the problem—they were just too dull. George's brilliance only further highlighted her skill as a teacher.

"This year? I don't think it's likely. Next year, though, you might have a shot," George replied as he directed his Patronus to fly around the room.

This year's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was Lupin, and Dumbledore had likely already finalized the position. Sending a résumé now would probably be a long shot.

As for next year, the official choice was supposed to be "Mad-Eye" Moody, though in reality, it was Barty Crouch Jr. in disguise. His sole goal was to help Harry win the Triwizard Tournament and aid in Voldemort's resurrection.

Would George allow Voldemort to come back?

Of course not! At least, he wouldn't let Voldemort resurrect as smoothly as in the original story.

For George, Voldemort's resurrection brought no benefit. He preferred a more stable wizarding world, which would give him more time to study magic.

Thus, he also wouldn't let Peter Pettigrew escape as easily as in the original timeline. If Pettigrew were captured and sent to Azkaban, he wouldn't be able to locate Voldemort's fragmented soul. Consequently, Voldemort wouldn't have Pettigrew to help him revive Barty Crouch Jr., let alone impersonate Moody.

Without Moody applying for the teaching post, Hogwarts would need a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. With Amy's experience as an Auror and a magic crash-course teacher, she'd stand a good chance of being selected.

"An owl, George! Looks like another letter for you. You're quite popular at school!"

Amy, now sprawled back on the sofa and tossing her empty wine bottle onto the floor, pointed out as an owl flew in from the window.

Over the past month, this scene had repeated itself at least 30 times, proving that George must have excellent relationships with his classmates.

"Not too bad," George replied, glancing at the window.

Just then, an owl carrying a package slammed straight into the glass and slid down to the ground.

"Errol, the Weasleys' owl?"

Only the Weasleys' communal owl, Errol, could manage such a spectacular blunder.

With a flick of his wand, George summoned Errol inside and gave it some water and food. He opened the package to reveal a letter and an ornate box.

The letter was from Ginny, explaining that Arthur Weasley had won a grand prize from the Daily Prophet, allowing the family to take a trip to Egypt.

As thanks for the bookmark George had gifted her previously, Ginny had purchased some rare magical books unique to Egypt and sent them to him.

Enclosed was a moving photograph showing the entire Weasley family standing in front of a giant pyramid, waving energetically. Molly, plump and motherly, stood beside the tall, balding Arthur. Surrounding them were their six red-haired sons and Ginny, who stood next to Ron, her arm around his shoulders. Ron's pet rat, Scabbers, sat perched on him.

After setting aside the photograph and letter, George opened the ornate box to find three ancient-looking magical books: Mysteries of the Soul, The Art of Creating Ghouls, and The Theban Anubis Book of the Dead.

Satisfied with his haul, George quickly penned a reply and packed it along with some magical trinkets he'd picked up on Magic Street. He entrusted everything to Errol for delivery.

"Oh, sending gifts now? Is it for your little girlfriend?"

Amy smirked and teased him as she noticed George including a gift.

"I'm only starting second year! What are you talking about?" George rolled his eyes.

"Hey, I had a girlfriend when I was in second year!"

"Are you sure it was a girlfriend?" George raised an eyebrow.

Realizing her slip-up, Amy quickly changed the subject.

"I meant a female friend. Kids shouldn't get into early relationships—it's bad for their grades. Anyway, you asked me about the Disillusionment Charm before, right? Let me explain the key points."

"Amy, I've got good news—we've tracked down Mad-Eye!"

Just then, Lena burst through the door, her face alight with excitement.

Amy jumped up from the sofa. "You mean Mad-Eye?"

"Yes! We've been investigating an illegal trade in ancient magical contraband. It turns out the mastermind is Mad-Eye, the dark wizard who disappeared five years ago.

According to intel from the department, he's making a deal tonight on Magic Street.

If we catch him, we can clear your name!"

Lena's excitement was palpable as she held Amy's hands.

George's ears perked up. Over the past month, he'd pieced together bits of Amy's story from their conversations.

Amy had once been one of the strongest Aurors in the British Ministry of Magic.

However, during a mission to capture Mad-Eye, things went horribly wrong. Fifty Muggles were killed in the process, and Amy's wand was used to cast the spell.

Though it wasn't her fault, the Ministry needed someone to take the blame. As a result, Amy was scapegoated and dismissed.

Since then, she'd been a shadow of her former self, drowning her sorrows in alcohol and living in disillusionment.