Snape, the Sunshine of Hogwarts.

Chapter 125 A Dud? A Dud!
Strictly speaking, the woman in front of us, Aunt Amy, is Swedish.

As one of the witches who had the most contact with Muggles, she had certainly heard and read the story of that great British detective.

"A British wizard?"

She spoke in fluent English, extending her hand to shake hands with Severus, and then with Lupin.

Severus nodded.

"We originally intended to visit Mr. Lemaître, but we encountered this unexpected situation. Later, at the invitation of the French Auror, we also joined the investigation, hoping to offer our small contribution to finding that great alchemist."

“There are many wizards in the world who want to be friends with Nick and his friends,” Aunt Amy said calmly. “But what they don’t know is that the Flamels also have a book with a phoenix carved on the cover, which allows them to contact and communicate with all the wizards in the world. But they rarely do this, and just maintain their peaceful life in Paris.”

Severus understood the old woman's unspoken meaning, and Yuma coughed lightly beside him at that moment.

"Granny, let's talk about the case itself in detail."

"I've told you everything I know, including that memory. Is there anything you don't understand that you need this old woman to answer?"

She seemed quite dissatisfied with the progress made by the French Auror these days.

"It's been three days since they disappeared, and the fact that you're still bringing people to find me means you haven't discovered anything all this time!"

“We’ve made significant progress and expect to identify the two men you saw following the Le Maire couple today. They’re here now just to gather some other clues.” Yuma wiped the sweat from her brow.

It is clear that Sister Amy's attitude represents not only herself, but also that many French wizards are dissatisfied with the French Ministry of Magic's handling of this hostage situation!

Nicolas Flamel is a representative figure among French wizards, essentially a living flag bearer of the French magical world.

If anything were to happen to him, it would not only embarrass the French Ministry of Magic, but also cause the French wizarding community to lose face.

"Then please ask, gentlemen."

In the backyard of the monastery, Sister Aimee formally received Severus's questioning.

"You met the Lemaîtres eight years ago, when you first came to France?"

Instead of asking directly about matters related to the case, Severus began by learning about Aunt Amy herself.

The old woman seemed quite used to this, she recounted.

"It was in the spring of 1981. At that time, the wizarding world was in chaos. The influence of that evil lord in Britain made all of Europe uneasy. A priest and wizard in France wrote to me, saying that he hoped I could come to Paris. The Lemaîtres wanted to build a welfare home here, and he introduced me to them, saying that I could take charge of this matter."

"So I came here and met the couple. They learned about my past and my faith and loyalty to the Lord, so they decided to give me the donation, which eventually led to this place."

"After that, you were in frequent contact?" Severus continued to ask.

“Of course, they took out that money and make at least one large donation here almost every year. As the person in charge here, I need to make them understand exactly where every penny they send goes.”

Mother Amy sat upright and dignified in her chair, without avoiding Severus's eyes.

She appears to be a fairly fair and rigorous witch.

Severus nodded, as if he already had a general understanding of the situation.

"Now let's get back to the case itself."

"What were you going to do in the 16th arrondissement on the day the Lemaîtres disappeared?"

“Take the children to the doctor,” said Aunt Amy. “There was a girl named Sandrine who had a rash, and I took her to a church-affiliated hospital in the 16th arrondissement.”

"And then, on Rue de Fominke, you saw the Lemaîtres?"

"Yes, I was on this side of the street, and the two of them were on the other side."

"You called their names?"

“I was calling Perenaar, his wife’s name, and I’m sure my voice was loud enough, as evidenced by the memories the Ministry of Magic took from me. But they acted as if they hadn’t heard a thing and just kept hurrying on their way.”

"Didn't you ever think about catching up with them?"

“I also have a sick child with me,” Granny Amy emphasized, frowning. “I didn’t know what had happened to them, and I also had a child to take care of, so I didn’t think much of it.”

"It wasn't until the Aurors found you that you remembered there were two men following behind them?"

"Yes, because the two men weren't very close to them when they were walking together. I didn't realize they were together until Auror came to me and told me about the kidnapping, then I understood what had happened."

Aunt Amy stared at Severus and said seriously, "If you want to understand this more clearly, I suggest you go to the French Ministry of Magic and see the memories they took from me. Since I broke the commandments and gave them that thing, it has to be put to good use, right?"

Her words made Yuma feel a little awkward.

Severus simply nodded solemnly.

"Of course."

“There is one last thing, Mother,” Severus suddenly asked.

"There's something I don't quite understand. If Nick Flamel just wanted to fund an ordinary Muggle welfare home, they wouldn't necessarily need to find a witch to be in charge, would they?"

His question surprised Yuma.

Only now, when Severus brought it up, did he realize that it was indeed somewhat illogical.

Let a wizard manage a Muggle welfare home?

It's not that it's impossible, but it would be a waste of its potential.

Moreover, from Mother Amy's own words, they could tell that eight years ago, the Lemaîtres and Lemaîtres had obviously deliberately wanted to find a witch, and that's why they chose her in the end.

Granny Aimei remained silent for a moment, and after more than ten seconds, she slowly spoke.

“If telling you about this will help you solve the case, then I think Lemaître and the others won’t mind.”

"There are not only ordinary Muggle orphans who are adopted like this, but also some Squibs."

"Squib?"

"Squib!"

Clearly, as Severus expressed his doubts, Yuma raised his voice and frowned at Granny Aimee.

"This is utterly illegal! Madam! You should understand! France has its own magical laws!"

“That’s why I didn’t tell you this in the first place!” Aunt Amy interrupted him, somewhat annoyed. “I know what you Aurors will say! That Squibs aren’t entirely Muggles, that they know everything about wizards, they just don’t have the ability to cast spells, and so on!”

"But so what! All you do is talk, who will take care of those children! Especially those children who have a deep-rooted pure-blood mentality, who hate the occurrence of a Squib in their family, and who are directly abandoned by their parents?"

“They live in the gap between wizards and Muggles, and many of them can never be accepted by either side in their entire lives! They are destined to spend their lives in poverty! Perenaar and his team came to me after learning about the tragic plight of this group of people, and discussed with me the idea of ​​establishing this orphanage!”

"I will teach them the common sense of the Muggle world, teach them to read, go to school, and work from a young age! So that they can have their own lives and the opportunity to start a family, instead of forever being forced to live a miserable life in the magical world, where even their identity information is not registered, yet a special law is enacted to govern them!"

Her tone was intense and her attitude agitated, leaving Yuma bewildered.

After she finished speaking, there was a brief silence in the air. Then Yuma took a deep breath and continued to organize her thoughts to refute her.

"But if those people find out that there is a welfare home in Paris that takes in children who have miscarried, they will be even more disgusted with their children and insist on sending them there! This will only make things worse and lead to tragedy!"

Granny Amy just sneered.

"If people are willing to send their children here, how well can you expect them to take care of them at home? They might as well bring them here and let me teach them!"

Yuma was speechless; he could only say...

"In any case, this matter must be registered with the Ministry of Magic and submitted to the Wizarding Ethics Committee for adjudication!"

“That will have to wait until you can rescue Perena and the others.” Granny Aimee said coldly. “If something really happens to them, these children will really be homeless even without your intervention.”

“Alright, alright, you two.” Severus stopped their argument, taking the pipe from his mouth. “Thank you for taking the time to talk to us about these things and for being so open and honest with us about such private matters. I assure you personally that we will find the Lemaîtres and will not let your orphanage fall apart.”

"In the personal name of the great detective Sherlock Holmes?" Aunt Amy retorted sharply.

“You may not have heard of my name, but I can vouch for it in the personal name of Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Magic in England.”

Severus winked at her, then got up from his chair.

Aunt Amy was clearly taken aback when she heard the name; obviously, Dumbledore's name would be very useful wherever there were wizards.

"Thank you for your hospitality this morning. We will notify you as soon as we have any follow-up information."

Yuma also put aside the argument and thanked the old woman before leaving.

(End of this chapter)