Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 231 Changes and Unchanged

"That...that's the Dark Lord?"

"Merlin! Am I seeing things?"

The wizards murmured amongst themselves, unable to believe what they had just witnessed. Had the unnamed figure truly returned? They wanted to think they had lost their minds, but the ruined Ministry of Magic hall and the terrifying figure they had just seen told them:

Yes, the Dark Lord is really back!

"He was right there! Minister! He was right there!" a man with a ponytail and wearing a red robe shouted, somewhat hysterically, his voice cracking.

"I...I know, I saw him too..." Fudge stammered. "This is unbelievable...how is this possible..."

"If you go down to the Department of Mysteries, you'll find even more people there." Dumbledore put away his wand and beckoned Sirius and the others over. "There are probably a dozen or so Death Eaters there, many of whom escaped from Azkaban last time."

"You! Dumbledore!" Fudge pointed at Dumbledore, his finger trembling, a mixture of surprise and indescribable emotion in his voice. "What are you doing here..."

"Arrest him!" He panicked a little, suddenly remembering that Dumbledore was still a wanted criminal by the Ministry of Magic, and immediately shouted to the Aurors around him.

"Cornell, you don't want me to fight your people again." Dumbledore turned and glanced at the hall, now a ruin, and everyone understood what he meant.

He walked directly up to Fudge and calmly said, "It turns out that what I've been emphasizing for the past year is true: Voldemort has returned, and you've all seen it with your own eyes."

"No...no!" Fudge retreated in a panic, grabbing a nearby wizard who was also in a panic, but the wizard easily broke free.

Fudge kept searching for his people in the crowd, hoping to get some support, but wherever his gaze fell, people mostly turned their heads away.

"Dexter! Dexter! Williamson!" Fudge finally spotted his most loyal subordinate. "Go check on the Department of Mysteries! Quickly!"

The two whose names were called immediately rushed towards the elevator. Fudge was searching for his men again, but this time he couldn't find any of them. He wiped the sweat from his brow, which he didn't know had appeared out of nowhere, and said to Dumbledore, "Why...why...what's going on?"

"I'll tell you," Dumbledore said with a smile, patting Fudge on the shoulder, "after we get back to Hogwarts."

Dumbledore walked aside and searched through the rubble until he finally found a relatively intact statue head. He pointed his wand at the head and whispered, "Mentos!"

"Dumbledore! Stop! This is illegal!" Fudge shouted. "This is an illegal Portkey!"

Dumbledore suddenly turned around, and Fudge immediately fell silent as if someone had grabbed him by the neck.

"I will tell you everything that happened here tonight, and of course, other things..." Dumbledore said, "but before that, you need to issue an order for Dolores Umbridge to leave Hogwarts, and also lift the pursuit on Hagrid. I need him to return to Hogwarts to continue his work."

As he spoke, he took a pocket watch out of his pocket, opened it, and looked at it: "I think half an hour should be enough..."

"Of course, Harry Potter needs to leave first." He called Harry over and placed the statue in Harry's hand. Harry was about to say something, but before he could speak, the Portkey carried him away from the Ministry of Magic.

After Harry left, Dumbledore continued, "Alright, Cornelius, go to your office, let's have a good talk..."

"Sirius, Lupin, go to the Department of Mysteries and bring our people out. Some of them urgently need treatment..."

"As for this place..." Dumbledore pointed to the ruins of the hall, "we shouldn't need to help anymore."

Meanwhile, after Voldemort, Ike, and Bella returned to Malfoy Manor, he angrily blew up the long table in the basement. This terrified Wormtail, Narcissa, and the others who had been waiting.

"Damn old man, damn it!" he cursed, his anger subsiding only slightly after he nearly destroyed the entire basement.

He walked to his usual seat, but the chair was gone; he had casually destroyed it earlier. Seeing this, Ike took out his wand and waved it lightly. With the help of a Restoration Charm, everything returned to normal.

Comrade Lao Fu took a deep breath, slowly sat down, tapping his fingers lightly on the handle, and said, "Tell me, what happened?"

Bella immediately knelt down beside Old Fu's legs, her voice trembling, and recounted everything that had happened in the Department of Mysteries. Old Fu listened quietly without interrupting or asking questions, but his expression grew increasingly grim.

"So..." Old Voldemort said slowly after Bella finished speaking, "not only did I lose more than a dozen servants, but I also didn't get the Prophecy Orb?"

"Master..." Before Bella could finish speaking, she was struck by a spell and collapsed to the ground, curling up in pain and trembling.

"Months of preparation, months of effort... my servants have once again fallen to Harry Potter, fallen to Dumbledore..." Old Voldemort turned to Ike and continued, "Ike, you have disappointed me greatly..."

"I'm sorry, teacher, I've disappointed you." Ike knelt on one knee, lowered his head, and placed his right hand naturally on his left knee.

Old Voldemort remained silent, only staring at the kneeling Ike, then at Bella who was still struggling to hold back her cries, before waving his hand and stopping the Cruciatus Curse.

"You know what, today's events made me realize something..." he said, almost to himself, "Harry Potter isn't an obstacle, and those Order of the Phoenix who rebelled against me aren't important either..."

"Dumbledore, yes, only Dumbledore is the real trouble!"

Suddenly, Old Fu slammed his hand on the handle, startling the insect tail.

"Today, neither Ike nor I could defeat Dumbledore. It's pathetic, so pathetic..." He stood up, pacing back and forth, saying, "I need more men, more power, greater power..."

"Then, let's deal with that troublesome Dumbledore!"

"But, Master..." Bella asked timidly, "How can we kill him?"

"Oh Bella, Bella, Bella..." Old Fu suddenly bent down and gently pinched Bella's face. Bella immediately closed her eyes, her face showing an expression of intoxication, submission, and enjoyment.

"Did you know that there are many mysterious magical items in this world? Some are just legends, while others are real..."

"Merlin's legacy, the gifts of the gods, the mysteries of magic are beyond our imagination..."

As he spoke, he released Bella's face, sat back down in his chair, and tapped the handle lightly with his fingers again.

"You've all probably heard the story about Death and the three brothers..."

(End of this chapter)