The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 155 England Under a Dark Cloud

Time is fair; it doesn't favor anyone, nor does it stop for anyone.

Time is also fickle, subtly changing the world every minute and every second.

While the Weasleys were on vacation in Egypt, the British Ministry of Magic was shrouded in gloom.

To be precise, the Minister of Magic's office was shrouded in gloom.

Fudge sat in a chair made of dragon skin, his face terribly gloomy. Half an hour later, he received a message from Azkaban: the infamous Sirius Black had escaped from prison.

Of course, this isn't a big deal in itself; the blame can be shifted to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. After all, the public doesn't care about the truth; they just want an explanation, or they just want to see someone suffer because of it.

But now it's hard to shift the blame, because he had just visited Azkaban yesterday morning and even kindly gave Sirius a newspaper.

This should have been a glorious thing, and in fact, after the incident was reported this morning, the minister's office did receive some letters of commendation.

Most of the letters were written by ancient pure-blood families, praising the Ministry of Magic for treating the last remaining bloodline of the Black family well.

However, in just one day, everything changed dramatically.

"I called you all here for a meeting, not to be silent birds. What's the meaning of this? Are you all waiting to see me make a fool of myself?"

In the office, Fudge looked at the two people opposite him with a gloomy face: Amelia Borns, the head of the Enforcement Division, and Gadwin Robards, the Auror's Chief of Staff.

However, he was met with silence again.

"Fine! You won't have an easy time until I fall from power. Seriously! I mean it."

Seeing Fudge's blustering but cowardly demeanor, Emilia glanced contemptuously to the side. The vast Ministry of Magic only had seven departments, and each director held a high position of power.

Minister? In the eyes of most people, a minister is a high-ranking official, but in the eyes of a director, it is just a title.

Fudge noticed Emilia's disdainful expression, but he was helpless; the minister had no right to dismiss the director.

The Minister of Magic's power is limited to proposing a removal, which is then voted on by the remaining six ministers. Only if more than half agree can a minister be removed from office.

However, the purebloods are deeply intertwined, and unless they have truly done something that harms the interests of the masses, they will not be dismissed even if they incur the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people. At most, someone will have to take the blame.

Fudge ignored Emilia and turned his gaze to the Auror's office director.

Seeing Fudge's lustful gaze, Robaz was speechless with frustration. Unlike his own director's composure, he, a mere office manager, was completely unable to withstand the minister's pressure.

"We've sent out all our Aurors, including this year's interns, and we've identified the general area, but finding Sirius Black will really take time, Minister!"

Robaz carefully explained his arrangements and plans.

"Of course I know it will take time!" Fudge slammed his fist on the table in anger, the loud sound echoing throughout the office.

"I must see Sirius by tomorrow morning at the latest, absolutely! Even if you bring me a mangled corpse, it doesn't matter, do you understand, Mr. Robards!"

"I understand!" Robaz nodded slightly, a hint of fierceness flashing in his eyes.

Just as the three were about to reach an agreement, a paper airplane leisurely flew towards the large desk.

Unlike usual, Fudge opened it immediately to check.

Time slips away quietly.

a long time.

"It can't be hidden any longer! Contact the Daily Prophet and immediately announce Sirius Black's escape. Someone saw him in London, and not only was he attacked, but his wand was also stolen!"

Fudge sat slumped in the chair, looking much older in an instant.

……

Time flows on.

Just as the Ministry of Magic was preparing to release the news.

Ino sat in the shelter, staring blankly at a magnificent and beautiful longsword.

I spent a full 20,000 gold coins to buy the magical weapon, Dance of Fine Snow.

However, the curses and resentment entrenched on the blade left him helpless. He tried all the magic he could, but to no avail.

Such a weapon, let alone using it, would cause a lot of trouble just by taking it out; wizards are born with a keen sense of danger.

"Lina, you said this curse..." Ino turned to look at the person beside him.

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a cold, clear voice:

"Don't look at me! I'm just an eight-eyed giant spider, what can I do?"

"Then I'll figure it out myself!" Ino lowered her head again and traced the blade inch by inch with her wand.

"Sigh!" Lina sighed softly and took eight long strides to the long sword.

"Aren't you a great storyteller? Tell it some sweet love stories, maybe it'll work, who knows?"

"Oh!" Ino nodded silently.

However, this simple response angered Lina, who was standing nearby.

"What do you mean 'oh'? It's not that I want to hear a story, it's that there's resentment clinging to the blade. You can try this method. Or you can heat it with the flame from an oil lamp, but that could cause irreversible damage."

But burn it? Ino glanced at the oil lamp hanging on the maple tree, shook her head, and refused:

"Sorry, Lina. I was a bit perfunctory just now, but I don't think storytelling or burning are very reliable methods. Never mind, let's just leave it!"

He stopped worrying about getting rid of the curse and resentment; after all, it was just an interesting toy, and he didn't really intend to wield a sword and fight like Gandalf.

"Whatever you want! If you don't like it, just hang it up as decoration; it's quite pretty anyway."

Despite her nonchalant tone, Lina acted without hesitation. She spun some spider silk and within seconds wove an ice-blue scabbard.

……

The knife was hung on the other side of the maple tree, on a thick branch.

After doing all this, Ino glanced at the suitcase.

"Lina, how many giant eight-eyed spiders are in the box now? Is there enough room?"

Although Dumbledore helped expand the box's space on the last day before summer vacation using the Unseen Extension Charm on the tower, he was still somewhat worried, after all, the Octopod was known for its high productivity.

"Four hundred and twenty young spiders, about two thousand juvenile spiders, and the rest are spider eggs, which I haven't counted."

Sure enough, Lina's answer confirmed his guess, except for the quantity...

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Ino abruptly turned her head: "How long have you been in the box all this time?"

"How long?" Lina asked hesitantly, as if she were calculating something.

"Two years? Or less than two years, that's about it, after all, the reproductive cycle of the eight-eyed giant spider is constant."

Upon hearing this, Ino looked at Lina apologetically.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think it through. From now on, I'll stay outside. I'll use a shrinking spell, and no one will notice."

(End of this chapter)