My Hogwarts has a serious problem.

Chapter 34. The Great Search at Hogwarts!

Professor McGonagall had anticipated this.

Now that Dumbledore is not in charge of Hogwarts, she basically manages all the affairs of the school.

On the day Hubert was attacked, she not only informed Dumbledore, who was in Sultanate, but also reported the incident to the Ministry of Magic.

If it were just an ordinary school attack, this wouldn't warrant such an action, but since it involves dark magic, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement of the Ministry of Magic.

Even if Professor McGonagall hadn't done that, Hubert's parents would have still reported it to the Ministry of Magic.

So, on the third day after the attack, the two Aurors arrived at Hogwarts.

Their actions were actually quite swift; yesterday they conducted a professional examination and questioning of the person involved, Hubert, at St. Mungo's Hospital.

Although the information they had was very limited, they made a preliminary judgment that the murderer was very likely still at Hogwarts.

Since the Crucifixion's primary function is interrogation, why would a dark wizard take such a great risk to interrogate a child?

The most likely explanation is that the murderer was after something from Hogwarts, and the attacked young wizard either possessed it or knew where it was.

Hogwarts may not appear to have taken any action on the surface, but in reality, it's only outwardly relaxed while inwardly tense.

Professors or senior prefects patrolled the castle day and night.

The fact that no unusual activity has been detected so far proves that the murderer is still lying in wait, possibly having already obtained what they wanted, or perhaps not yet, and is preparing to strike from the shadows.

Of course, there is also a very small possibility that he escaped Hogwarts on the day the incident occurred.

"We need to go to the scene of the incident first," Kingsley requested of Professor McGonagall.

Professor McGonagall led them to the corner from the Slytherin common room to the Great Hall corridor.

This is the only way to the corridor from the Slytherin common room, so it's no longer the way it was at the beginning of the incident.

Moreover, even when Hubert was first discovered, there were no traces left here.

However, the Aurors have their own methods.

"Sevic, Pink," Kingsley crouched down where Hubert had fallen and instructed his assistant behind him.

Sevich took a bottle of black powder from his robe and handed it to Kingsley.

Kingsley flicked the powder from the glass bottle around him. The black powder floated in mid-air, and its color began to fade rapidly upon contact with the air, eventually becoming completely transparent and disappearing into the air.

"Red powder is a method we often use to check for remnants of dark magic. It can react with residual dark magic power that has been retained for five days. If someone has cast dark magic in this area, the red powder will turn from black to red; otherwise, it will remain as it is now," Kingsley explained to Professor McGonagall.

"So what kind of clues do we get from this?" Professor McGonagall asked.

Sevich answered her question.

"This isn't the actual site of the young wizard's attack; someone dumped him here."

Kingsley stood up. "Let's go. It's been a long time since we've seen the portraits at Hogwarts. Let's go say hello to them."

They then went along the corridor asking around, but the portrait artists all said that no suspicious people appeared on the day of the attack, and the distorted Hubert seemed to have appeared out of thin air.

"Has the anti-Apparition spell in the castle loosened recently?" After losing all leads, the young Aurosevic asked a rather silly question.

Professor McGonagall shook her head without hesitation and said, "There is no doubt about that. No one can Apparate in the castle."

After finding nothing new at the scene, Kingsley was already planning to investigate the attack from a different angle, and he was just about to ask Professor McGonagall to take them to her office.

A young Slytherin wizard who had been following them all the way suddenly came up and mustered his courage to ask:

"Are you Aurors from the Ministry of Magic?"

Kingsley raised an eyebrow; he had a feeling that this young wizard would bring him some benefits.

"Yes, child, my name is Kingsley Shackleton, a serving Auror in the Ministry of Magic. Do you have anything to say to me?"

The young Slytherin wizard trembled slightly, whether from nervousness or excitement, and spoke loudly, like a pro-Japanese element reporting a secret Communist Party member to the Japanese.

"It was Professor Fawkes! He must have done this! He used to be a dark wizard; only he would have a reason to do something like this at Hogwarts!"

Professor McGonagall's face darkened instantly, and she said angrily:

"Dissident Professor! Dissident Professor! Who taught you this?! Now! Immediately! Get out of here! And, within three days, submit a foot-long self-criticism!"

Professor McGonagall's long-standing authority frightened the young wizard so much that he turned and ran away, but the words he wanted to say could no longer be taken back.

Professor McGonagall looked at Kingsley, who was deep in thought, and said solemnly, "Adrian does have a criminal record, but I think you, as an Auror, know the details better than I do. So I believe him, and Albus believes him too. The real killer is definitely not him!"

Kingsley waved his hand to comfort Professor McGonagall, saying:

"I understand, Professor. Of course I know about Fox's past and I naturally believe he wouldn't do such a thing. But as you've seen, the fact that a student dared to accuse Fox in front of you shows that he has a very negative image among the students."

Professor McGonagall's expression remained unpleasant.

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

Kingsley said calmly, "Take us to Fox's place, and we'll prove his innocence."

Ten minutes later, in Professor Fox's office.

Kingsley sat in his chair, looking around at the office decor.

Professor Fox prepared black tea for the three of them and chatted with Kingsley like two old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time.

"I thought I would be the first person you came to Hogwarts for."

Kingsley and Professor Fox seemed to enjoy their first meeting; the two appeared quite familiar with each other.

"Of course I believe you wouldn't use your research against your own students. However, your reputation at Hogwarts isn't very good right now."

"Enough with the small talk, how do you need me to cooperate with you?" Professor Fox looked into Kingsley's eyes, his demeanor quite practiced.

"Just like ten years ago, old Fox, please hand me your wand."

Kingsley didn't avoid his gaze; the scene reminded him of that day ten years ago.

Having only recently become an Auror, he was in charge of inspecting Fawkes' wand.

The test results at the time were...

That wand, in just three short days, unleashed countless Crucifixion Curses and…

Five Deadly Curses!

Even in death, I'll let out a decaying cry from my coffin: "Please vote!!!"

(End of this chapter)