Snape, the Sunshine of Hogwarts.

Chapter 118 The French Ministry of Magic (Bonus Chapter by Alliance Leader ccp_wu)

The French Ministry of Magic is located underground in Place Fostain in Paris.

Compared to the British Ministry of Magic, this place has a translucent glass dome with the names of magical creatures in French engraved on it. Natural light illuminates the interior, giving Severus the feeling of being in the Hogwarts Herbology Conservatory.

All sorts of wizards came and went in the hall under the dome. Compared to the British wizards, the French wizards were dressed more elegantly, their robes were more colorful, and some witches even wore fashionable Muggle dresses.

The sight here was something that even Draco, who had traveled extensively throughout the wizarding world with Lucius, had never seen before, let alone Harry.

Yuma led the way for them, and every now and then a wizard carrying a camera would run past the witch who looked like a reporter, constantly asking a certain person who looked like an official some important questions.

"The disappearance of the Lemaîtres has alarmed the entire French press," Yuma explained to them. "France has never experienced anything so serious. The last time something this significant happened was eight years ago, when the mysterious man had just lost power, and his servants in France caused a great deal of trouble in their search for him!"

Upon hearing this, Lupin turned to look at Severus, who, however, seemed quite interested, as if listening to some irrelevant gossip.

"Did the French Aurors also capture a lot of Death Eaters at that time?"

“That was a war that swept across half of Europe,” Yuma said, turning to look at him. “It was no less destructive than when the UMNO was rampant! We also arrested many people, some of whom were transferred to Britain.”

Severus nodded.

He knew very well what kind of places his former colleagues came from.

The most typical example is Karkaroff, who now lives in Northern Europe and is the headmaster of a magic school.

Led by Yuma, they soon arrived at the French Auror headquarters.

The Aurors here seemed extremely busy. The six fireplaces assigned to the department were almost constantly in operation, with people coming out and leaving through them. A steady stream of information was also being gathered here as the Aurors conducted their investigations.

They were led to a fairly spacious lounge with some delicate desserts and tea. If they ran out of food, house-elves would help them replenish their supplies.

After settling them in, Yuma went out, presumably to report to her superior.

"Why did Nicolas Flamel disappear? How could an ordinary person possibly kidnap a wizard like him?"

Lupin still found it hard to believe the information he received from Yuma, and he frowned as he spoke.

Harry asked, still puzzled, as he ate his macaron.

"That famous wizard has lived for so many years, he must be very powerful, right? The person who can subdue them must be extraordinary, right?"

Draco didn't comment. After recovering from the shock of the door opening, he kept glancing at Severus.

He knew very well that at that time, even his closest relatives would rarely instinctively stand in front of him.

“Wizards aren’t necessarily more powerful the longer they live,” Severus corrected Harry. “No creature can withstand the erosion of time, and time is something that terrifies countless wizards. Although Nicolas Flamel invented the Philosopher’s Stone and created the Elixir of Immortality from it, which granted him near-eternal life, his aging body and magical abilities did not continue to grow with his lifespan.”

Harry was puzzled when he heard this.

"How did he protect his Philosopher's Stone? There must be many people who want to get their hands on that, right?"

"Just as pharmacists can often solve problems that magic cannot with their creations, a great alchemist who has lived for over six hundred years must have many means beyond spells to protect himself."

Severus instructed Harry.

"But he's still being held hostage? And his kidnappers want the Philosopher's Stone he has?" Harry asked, munching on his dessert.

"It can only be said that anything related to Nicolas Lemaître is most likely related to the stone he possesses," Lupin added. "The Philosopher's Stone is too conspicuous; possessing it is equivalent to possessing endless wealth and time."

"Yuma said that the young man named Rozier, who was a dud, is directly related to this case. It seems that the French Auror has already found out something."

Severus turned and glanced at Draco.

“The Rozier family has a long history of misdeeds, and many dark wizards have come from this family.”

Draco pursed his lips.

"I've never met anyone from the Rozier family! Their children are supposedly going to be sent to Durmstrang!"

“But Lucius did consider sending you to Durmstrang,” Severus said, “even though he’s a Hogwarts board member.”

Just as they were resting and chatting, Yuma, who had only been gone a short while, returned with an older witch.

The witch wore a large, pointed hat and a dark green cloak, on which one could see the French tricolor, hat badge, and Phrygian hat emblem of the French Ministry of Magic.

Below the badge is the motto unique to the French Ministry of Magic—

[Spellcasting, incantation, summoning (Incanté, Envouté, Conjuré)]

The witch was very tall and looked about the same age as McGonagall. She was not thin; her figure was clearly strong and powerful from long-term exercise, and her voice was deep and resonant.

“It is a pleasure that Antoine was able to bring you back, Mr. Severus Snape.”

Her actions and words were both swift and decisive. After entering the room, she went straight to Severus and extended her hand to him.

“I am the head of the Auror Command, my name is Laurence Girard.”

Severus extended his hand and shook it with him. "Hello, Ms. Girard."

“Antoine told me what happened, and I told him and his men that losing to the Headmaster of Hogwarts is nothing to be ashamed of. I’m sorry they’ve caused you trouble, but what’s happening in France now is also related to you.”

Upon hearing her words, Severus frowned slightly and asked tentatively.

"Are you referring to the kidnapping of Nicolas Flamel?"

Gilard was already seated on a single sofa in the lounge, and she got straight to the point.

“Before Antoine noticed you, Scrimgeour from the UK had a meeting with us through Filo. You just arrived from the UK today, so you should know what's been going on there lately.”

Severus glanced at Lupin, and Lupin glanced at him at the same time. They were both trying to figure out whether Gilard was referring to Barty Jr. or Black.

“Some Death Eaters have escaped from Azkaban, and they have regrouped,” Severus said vaguely.

“That was information released by your Ministry of Magic earlier,” Girard said solemnly. “Just today, the second dark wizard in history to successfully escape from Azkaban has appeared: Sirius Black! He has also successfully broken out!”

After hearing these words from Gilach, Lupin subconsciously turned around and glanced at Harry.

Harry, who had been enjoying his melon with orange juice, noticed Lupin's gaze. He looked at Lupin with a puzzled expression, asking why he was being looked at.

Lupin shook his head and said nothing.

Severus, meanwhile, kept his eyes locked with Gilard's, a look of surprise on his face.

"That was truly shocking. Azkaban, where no prisoners had escaped for over two hundred years, had two escape incidents revealed during this period."

“The Dark Wizards are carrying out large-scale activities.” Girard’s voice was cold. “Some wizarding groups in Britain and France have always been closely connected, and many French wizards have volunteered to become servants of the Dark Lord. Therefore, Scrimgeour and his group suspect that the large-scale actions carried out by the Death Eaters in Britain are related to their search for the Dark Lord. And the kidnapping of Mr. Lemaître also clearly involves members of the Rozier family.”

"These three incidents may be the result of a coordinated plan, so they suggested that if any clues prove that the group in France is connected to the two Death Eaters who escaped from prison in Britain, the two Ministries of Magic will form a joint investigation team to investigate these incidents together."

After hearing what she had said, Severus's expression became somewhat strange.

He didn't know who in Britain had made these connections, but he was certain that Black's escape was unrelated to the Death Eaters' activities. The black dog had most likely discovered that he had brought Harry out and, provoked, had run away ahead of schedule.

But why is this witch telling me all this?
"So, what do you mean?"

Gilard stared at Severus.

“We have investigated and found that your encounter with that Rozier family Squib was completely accidental. You only came into contact with him because you heard his surname and found out that he was in trouble. You have absolutely no connection with Mr. Flamel's kidnapping case, but could I know more specifically what your purpose was in coming to see Mr. Nicolas Flamel?”

There's no point in hiding it; Severus's trip is backed by the president of the top international magical association.

He took Dumbledore's letter from his briefcase, showing Girard only the address on the envelope and the writer's name.

"It was Albus Dumbledore. He asked me to take this letter to visit his old friend and see how he is doing."

After confirming the name on the letter, Gilard nodded, looked into Severus's eyes, and finally revealed the purpose of this special meeting.

“We’ve learned about some of the recent events in Britain. I heard that you, along with a wizard and a Muggle, helped our colleagues in Britain solve a werewolf case.”

Severus did not forget Lupin, who was beside him.

"And Remus, he was an undercover agent inside."

At this moment, Girard also extended his hand and shook hands with Lupin, nodded to him, and then continued speaking to Severus.

“You’ve recently been involved in something similar and are very familiar with that group of people. Now we need to find Nick Lemaître. If possible, I’d like to temporarily hire you as an adjunct consultant for the command to participate in this investigation. What do you think?”

Severus did not answer immediately; he simply asked.

"Are you short-staffed right now?"

Gilard nodded seriously.

“We are in dire need of qualified professionals, especially those with exceptional skills. I believe you could sense from your encounter with Antoine that they haven’t faced a serious case in a long time, and their ability to handle situations on the spot and their mastery of spells are lacking. So, if it’s convenient for you, I would really appreciate it if you could offer us some assistance. I will contact Scrimgeour and explain the situation to him.”

Severus fell into a brief moment of thought.

He came to Nicolas Flamel mainly because Dumbledore said his old friend could help him solve some magical problems.

This matter was obviously important to Severus, but not to the point that he would have to stay in France indefinitely if Nicolas Lemaître couldn't be found. He still had some things to do in Albania, including before going there with Harry and the others.

Ultimately, he set a timeframe for Gilard.

“I can stay in Paris for five days, at most five days. If things don’t improve after five days, I will have to leave with my friends. And during these five days, the two children will also have to stay at the Ministry of Magic. You must ensure their safety.”

Gilard agreed to the condition with almost no hesitation.

"No problem at all! We will meet all your daily needs!"

(End of this chapter)