“I used the Echo Charm to pinpoint their location,” Alex expined. “It’s a spell Professor Bone and I developed together during his time teag. It’s like a magical sonar. Tailwind gave me the heads-up, and I knew I didn’t have much time.”

  Moody raised an eyebrow. “The Echo Charm… Ah, yes. Edgar bragged about it during an Order meeting, saying he’d perfected it with your help.” He smirked briefly befesturing for Alex to tinue. “What ?”

  “I knew I had to act fast. Time wasn’t on my side,” Alex said. “I cast an Invisibility Charm on myself, then threw a ‘Dazzling Charm’ into the mix. It’s a spell I desigo create a blinding fsh of light, perfect for disorienting oppos.”

  Moody frowned. “Dazzling Charm? Never heard of it.”

  Alex reached into his pocket, pulling out a button. “I’ll show you.” He eled magito the button and tossed it high into the air. A sudden burst of brilliant light flooded the area, even in broad daylight. Moody squinted and shielded his eyes.

  “Impressive,” Moody muttered, rubbing his temples. “You made this?”

  Alex nodded. “It’s an optimized spell using glowing runes. Back then, it sted long enough for me to break out of their encirclement. I hit Yaxley with stupefy, used him as a shield, and blocked their spells with his body.”

  “Smart move,” Moody grunted approvingly. “That must’ve thrown them off bance.”

  “It did,” Alex said, his voice steady despite the memory. “Yaxley took several hits from their own spells. Once I realized using him as a shield wasn’t enough, I levitated him toward another Death Eater, using the distra to cast a Ground Curse on the big guy—Crabbe.”

  Moody snorted. “Crabbe? That one’s a joke. All muscle, no brains. But managing a precise Ground Curse under pressure? That’s not easy. It takes sharp reflexes and skill.”

  "Thanks to my phase shoes and prote ring." Alex tapped his shoes and held up his ring for Moody to see. "At that time, I noticed through the echo spell that someone was casting magie. So, I immediately activated the acceleratioure of my phase shoes to dodge to the side and used the prote ring to cast the Shield Charm. That blocked the explosion’s shockwave a me close in during the chaos. I mao knock a Death Eater down with a cle spell."

  To demonstrate, Alex poi Karkaroff and activated the prote ring again. A shimmering, arc-shaped barrier radiated from the ring on his left hand, enveloping most of his body. "Not bad, Alex. You’ve got yourself some impressive tools," Moody remarked with a rare smile.

  Alex chuckled shyly, scratg his head. "You’re too kind. Anyway, with only two oppos left, their attacks became relentless. They even threw Unfivable Curses at me multiple times. I used the agility of the phase shoes to dodge as many as I could."

  Moody chuckled, his magical eye spinning with amusement. "Ied? That’s an uatement. These are way more practical than some of the rubbish we’ve been using. If you start selling these, let me know. I’ll p order in advance!"

  "Don’t worry. I’ll send you a trial batch first," Alex said fidently. Then, his tourned spiratorial. "Actually, I’m w on something neair of ented handcuffs I’m calling ‘Forbidden Shackles.’ They’ll drain a wizard’s magic while they’re wearing them. Perfect for capturing dark wizards, don’t you think?"

  Moody’s eyes gleamed with excitement. "If that works, it could be a game-ger. Tell me more about it!"

  Their versation shifted into a detailed exge. Moody described the daily challenges Aurors and Ministry enfort staff faced: deyed respoo emergencies, difficulty trag dark wizards, poor coordination during arrests, and a ck of effective dete tools. Alex soaked up the insights, his mind buzzing with ideas for future alchemical iions. It was clear that Moody’s experience had opened up a wealth of potential dires for his work.

  Just as their discussion hit a stride, a series of sharp cracks filled the air—Apparition echoes signaling the arrival of Ministry officials. A group of Aurors appeared otlefield, taking in the scorched ground, shattered trees, and unscious Death Eaters.

  Unaware of the situation, their wands shot up immediately, aimed squarely at Alex. "Lower your wands! Do you even know who you’re pointing at? This young man is a hero!" Moody barked, his voice thunderous. "He took down five Death Eaters singlehandedly!"

  The Aurors froze, exging sheepish gnces before relutly l their wands. One of them stepped forward, his gaze flig between Alex and the defeated Death Eaters. "Are you serious, Mr. Moody? This kid handled all of them by himself?" the Auror asked, incredulity dripping from his tone.

  After listening to Alex ret the battle, Moody no longer doubted Alex’s ability to take down the Death Eaters. In fact, he seemed more ied in Alex’s remarkable equipment. “What are you standing around fet moving! Secure the prisoners and seal off the area. Look at the mess here! Start putting up Muggle-Repelling Charms and shielding spell barriers immediately. We o wait for the Reversal of Actal Magit Team to sort this out!”

  Many of the Aurors, who had been dragged out of bed for this mission, were still groggy when they arrived on the se. Moody’s sharp tone jolted them awake, and they scrambled to work. Within minutes, yers of spells formed an invisible barrier around the area.

  Alex observed the hustle and bustle. Despite their earlier disarray, the Aurors demonstrated solid professionalism and a strong sense of duty. He made a mental hat, for all their rough edges, this team wasn’t half bad. “Alex,” Moody said, his tone softening just a fra after his tirade, though his scarred face remained as intimidating as ever. “Let me take you to St. Mungo’s. After what you’ve been through, you need a proper check-up. Don’t worry about the medical bills; we’ll cover everything.”

  Despite Moody’s terrifying demeanor, Alex could sense his genuine . It was a stark trast to the terrifying image Moody projected when yelling at others. Alex smiled faintly and shook his head. “No need, Moody. I know my dition well. Don’t fet, I’m good with alchemy. I’ve got a gadget for self-diagnosis.”

  He pulled out a pocket watch, flipped it over, and pressed a small hidden switch. The back opeo reveal four colorful fan-shaped dials divided by a cross. Each quadrant dispyed one of four colors—red, yellow, blue, and green—with circur scales marking different readings. Alex expined as he poio the device. “A full red grid means no blood loss ahy muscles. Yellow shows the bones are intact. Blue means body temperature is normal, no dehydration. And green? No signs of poisoning.”

  Moody leaned in for a closer look, his magical eye spinning to ihe device. “Merlin’s beard, how many nifty gadgets do you have hidden in your pockets? Will you sell this thing someday?”

  Alex chuckled. “It’s not perfect. A fundus Charm or a shielding spell throw it off. I just made it for fun. But hey, if there’s a market for it, I wouldn’t mind mass-produg and selling it.”

  Moody grinned—a rare sight. “If you do, put me on the list. I could use one. Would save me the trouble of figuring out if I’ve cracked another bone.” His humor, though dark, lightehe mood.