Hogwarts: Third Dark Lord

Hearing Abernathy's words, the crowd immediately began to murmur among themselves.

Moments later, Auston Greengrass, standing beside Abernathy, seemed to have a sudden realization. He hesitantly asked:

"Are you referring to the wizard who fled at the very beginning?"

Hearing Auston Greengrass's response, Abernathy slowly nodded. The other Purist* wizards also seemed to come to a sudden understanding.

Before anyone could react further, Abernathy slammed his hand on the table and said sharply:

"We must find this person! Not just in Britain—contact our partners in America. See if there's any information about this individual. I have a feeling we're close to uncovering their identity!"

As the others scrambled to carry out his orders, Abernathy stopped Auston Greengrass and asked,

"How's the new pub owner coming along? Arrange for him to leave London as soon as possible!"

Auston Greengrass quickly replied,

"It's all being handled. Through my family's connections, I've acquired a wizarding pub in Paris. He'll be sent there shortly, where he'll be tasked with gathering local intelligence for us."

Hearing Auston's report, Abernathy nodded in approval and sternly reminded him:

"Make it quick. His association with the Purists was witnessed by too many. I don't fancy making a trip to Azkaban to bail someone out!"

Auston Greengrass nodded repeatedly, accepting the orders without hesitation. Abernathy then shifted his gaze to a stack of papers nearby. At the very top was a letter from Rosier.

The letter revealed that Rosier had agreed to Rita Skeeter's proposal. Beneath it were several newspapers from various publishers.

Abernathy carefully sifted through the newspapers before finally selecting one and placing it on top. The bold title on the front page read: The Quibbler.

The next morning, as Wentworth and Cedric continued their journey to the Shrieking Shack via the secret passage under the Whomping Willow, Abernathy and Auston Greengrass arrived in the village of Ottery St. Catchpole.

"There it is!"

Abernathy pointed toward a large, cylindrical black house perched atop a hill in the distance.

The two began their ascent up the hill but were soon stopped in their tracks.

Standing before them was a young girl with silvery-gray eyes and wavy, dark golden-brown hair. She wore a pair of radish-shaped earrings and appeared to be searching for something on the slope.

Noticing their approach, the girl softly asked,

"Have you seen my Wrackspurts?"

Abernathy and Auston Greengrass exchanged bewildered glances, their faces filled with question marks.

Despite considering himself well-versed in wizarding lore, Abernathy was utterly at a loss as to what the young girl was talking about.

Seeing their blank expressions, the girl seemed unfazed. She began skipping away, but Abernathy quickly called after her, speaking in a polite tone,

"Excuse me, do you know where Xenophilius Lovegood might be?"

The girl stopped, turned to scrutinize Abernathy, and asked,

"Are you here to collect payment for something?"

Abernathy: ???

Before he could respond, Auston Greengrass interjected,

"No, you misunderstand. Actually, we're here to submit an article."

Hearing this, the girl pointed toward the house behind her and said,

"My father is working inside. If your article is about goblins or Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, I think he'll be very interested."

She led the confused pair toward the house. As they reached the doorstep, Abernathy and Auston Greengrass quickly composed themselves.

Before they could knock, the door swung open from within.

"Luna, why do I hear more than one set of footsteps? Has Fudge sent his army of fire sprites after us?"

Abernathy frowned, scrutinizing the man who had appeared before them. He detested unkempt appearances, and this man's wild, candyfloss-like white hair only made things worse.

As Abernathy's gaze traveled downward, his eyes suddenly froze, drawn to the pendant hanging from the man's chest. The symbol on it—a triangle enclosing a circle, bisected by a vertical line—was one Abernathy knew all too well.

Auston Greengrass, standing beside him, subtly shot Abernathy a questioning glance, as if to ask what was going on.

Meanwhile, the man, having listened to his daughter's explanation, extended his hand toward Abernathy with exaggerated enthusiasm and said,

"Oh, what a delightful surprise! Someone coming to submit an article in person? You must be a loyal reader of The Quibbler! Hello, I'm Xenophilius Lovegood, and this is my daughter, Luna Lovegood."

As Xenophilius introduced himself, he gestured toward the girl standing beside him.

However, as their handshake concluded, Xenophilius was surprised to find that Abernathy hadn't let go of his hand. Instead, Abernathy tightened his grip and asked,

"Mr. Xenophilius Lovegood, can you tell me what this pendant represents?"

Xenophilius, puzzled by the question, replied,

"You mean this? Oh, this is the symbol of the Deathly Hallows! Legend has it that in ancient times, Death gifted three powerful artifacts, namely…"

Abernathy's frown deepened. He had no interest in hearing a tale about Death's gifts. His sole concern was determining whether the pendant's owner was connected to the Pureblood Party or their descendants.

The uncertainty arose due to Britain's peculiarities. During the Pureblood Party's rise across Europe and America, many wizards had voluntarily adopted this symbol, claiming allegiance to the movement. Abernathy couldn't be sure if he knew every individual who had joined.

However, hearing Xenophilius's response, Abernathy was now certain that the eccentric editor of The Quibbler was neither a Purist nor affiliated with them in any way.

With this conclusion, Abernathy lost all interest in further conversation, let alone listening to any more stories. Though the man before him might be innocent, he had made the unfortunate mistake of wearing the Pureblood Party's emblem. And for that, he could only blame his bad luck.

[TL/N: Purists are the wizards or witches from the Pureblood Party.]

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