Harry Potter: Demon Monarch

Chapter -54.

At this moment, all the wizards in the hall turned their attention to the newly arrived Moody, their expressions filled with a mix of anticipation and tension.

Having just dealt with a robbery by those terrifying prisoners, they were in urgent need of some reassurance. Before long, someone recognized Moody. Despite being covered in dirt and looking quite scruffy, his unique magical eye and his overall eccentric presence made it easy to identify him.

Once his identity as an Auror was confirmed, a hefty Ministry official stepped out from the crowd and approached Moody directly. Looking down at Moody, who was still catching his breath and feeling thankful to be alive, the official began to reprimand him.

"What kind of work do you Aurors do? How could you allow those ruffians from Azkaban to escape and wreak havoc in the Ministry?!" The official, standing tall with a self-righteous air, pointed at Moody without caring if he had any part in the prisoners' escape, launching into a lengthy tirade.

He seemed determined to unload all of his frustrations onto Moody, the Auror.

As for why he felt bold enough to confront Moody but not the prisoners, it was simple: Moody was an Auror, known as a person with consciousness, and such people are thought not to blame others. That's why the official felt free to unleash his ire without hesitation.

The moment the pure-blood official started scolding him, other wizards, seeing that Moody remained silent, grew braver and surrounded him, leveling accusations at the Aurors for their incompetence and even demanding explanations from the Auror office.

"How can you call yourselves Aurors if you can't even keep an eye on Azkaban's prisoners?!"

"Is the Ministry just wasting resources on you lot?"

"Useless! Hiring mudbloods as Aurors was a huge mistake; they'll always be mudbloods!"

At first, Moody tried to remain patient with the crowd's insults; after all, these wizards had lived peacefully and had just witnessed several deaths, followed by a terrifying encounter with deranged prisoners. It's understandable they needed to vent.

However, as their taunts grew more over-the-top, Moody's patience began to wear thin. He noticed that many of the loudest accusers were all soft-skinned and plump, clearly those privileged pure-blood wizards who had always lived comfortably.

Suppressing the desire to use a disarming spell on the portly official standing before him, Moody raised his voice above the din, "Quiet!"

Despite his repeated calls for calm, the crowd only grew louder, infuriating Moody further. He then pointed his dust-covered wand at the ceiling, feeling overwhelmed.

"Avada Kedavra!"

With that furious shout, a bolt of green lightning streaked from his wand, striking the gilded ceiling of the hall.

The crowd: "."

The portly Ministry official: "."

Along with Moody's fierce curse, every wizard present suddenly froze in shock. Lucius, who had been at the back of the crowd, ready to push forward and mock the old fellow, went pale as he saw the curse create a small dent in the ceiling.

"Has Moody completely lost it?" Fear flickered in Lucius's eyes. Back when he had followed Voldemort to commit destruction, Moody had often led Aurors to thwart them.

Especially during the height of the war, when the Ministry had given Aurors full combat permissions to use unforgivable curses legally, Moody had nearly spiraled into madness with the Killing Curse.

He never expected that even after ten years, Moody's temper would still be so volatile.

In a hushed voice, Lucius murmured to himself and quietly looked for an unnoticed corner in the foyer, crouching down there.

He meant no offense, and it wasn't cowardice; it was clear that Moody was not in his right mind.

After all, he had taken down quite a few of Moody's comrades back in the day; if he got too close now, who knew if Moody's curse might come flying at him?

So it seemed wiser to prioritize his life; reputation could be set aside for now.

Lucius was better off staying away; he wasn't the only one caught off guard either.

"Alaster, don't act rashly!" The once arrogant pure-blood official was now as pale as a ghost, urgently waving his hands in a futile plea for Moody to calm down.

"Mister Moody, please don't be upset; can't we sort this out?"

Faced with Moody, who looked ready to unleash a killing curse, the official lost all his previous bravado, appearing humble as he hoped Moody wouldn't act out.

"Everyone back off!"

Seeing the other wizards suddenly turn exceedingly friendly made Moody feel sick; he had put his life on the line to protect people like them!

Ignoring the official's flattery, Moody pointed his wand toward Lucius and said, "You all stay over there. Move!"

From afar, Lucius nearly jumped to defend himself when Moody pointed his wand in his direction, but he relaxed when he realized the crowd was retreating.

"Why are you pointing your wand at me? Let them come over," Lucius grumbled, but as people dispersed, he chose to keep quiet about it.

Moody directed the original group of wizards to a far corner of the foyer, not out of revenge but simply because he had more pressing matters to attend to.

Others might not have realized, but he did: he was the fastest runner and closest to the safe passage. He had exited first, but there were still three other groups behind him.

The Aurors and the rebellious pure-blood officials were manageable; they were his people, but there were also crazed prisoners who wouldn't hesitate to kill.

If those prisoners saw the safe passage blocked by these wizards, a simple misunderstanding could lead to them using the Avada Kedavra curse, resulting in countless lives lost.

So, despite being insulted, Moody was ultimately thinking of their safety.

Unfortunately, he didn't know that the pure-blood official he had just dismissed had turned around, and the humility on his face quickly shifted to bitterness.

Moody's disregard and treating them like livestock made him feel utterly humiliated, and naturally, he began to harbor resentment toward Moody.

"Once this crisis is over, I'll make sure to have you, old man, removed from the Ministry."

With resentment etched across his face, the official was already scheming how to deal with Moody later.

***

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