I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 320 Ambush? The minister himself was the one who killed him?

Dolores Jane Umbridge, who was promoted to Senior Undersecretary of the Ministry of Magic just last year.

A pink toad that everyone loathes.

Because no one would wear a pink ruffled coat in the dead of winter.

Except for her.

If it weren't for that jarring color, Percy would never have noticed that there was someone else in the woods.

"I think you're becoming more and more obsessed with this position."

"It seems you've forgotten who you're working for!" Umbridge's voice was still sharp, but her tone had turned icy.

This was quite different from her usual tone; all the wizards in the Ministry of Magic who had come into contact with Umbridge knew her character.

A typical smiling tiger.

Even though Percy had only met her a few times, he knew how disgusting this woman was.

She wouldn't speak in such a cold tone. Perhaps he had never seen Umbridge angry, but within the ministry, she would always be smiling while spouting all sorts of righteous words, then coercing you to do things.

She always places herself on a moral high ground.

"Shut up! I know what I'm doing." Another voice rang out, lower than the first. And it was a man's voice.

"Then you'd better bring them here as soon as possible!"

"His patience is running out, and so is that boy's!"

"I can't possibly slip away from Dumbledore's nose with two people at the same time!" The man's voice was somewhat irritated. "He doesn't trust me anymore; he's become suspicious!"

"I need time to regain his trust!"

"Time?" Umbridge sneered. Percy couldn't see her face, but he could imagine that her sagging skin was trembling slightly. "You should be glad you still have time, because you can still bargain with me!"

"Shut up, that face of yours is disgusting."

"Ha—maybe you should look in the mirror. I didn't know you were so spruced up."

The two continued to face off directly.

Percy, however, wisely refrained from listening further.

If the minister and deputy minister are arguing, what should you do as their subordinate?

Of course, we should run as far as we can!

Should we join them and become cannon fodder?

So, although he didn't quite understand what the two were saying, Percy still wisely turned and walked away.

He slowed his pace, trying his best not to make a sound under his feet.

Then it gradually regressed.

He didn't stop until he returned to the path, and even deliberately continued walking towards Hogsmeade Village.

Such a long distance.

Even if those two saw him, they probably wouldn't think he had heard anything.

Percy is currently still within the castle's perimeter.

In fact, Hogwarts covers a vast area. Outside the castle, Hagrid's cottage, the edge of the Forbidden Forest, or across the entire Black Lake, the woods in front of the train station, the Quidditch pitch, and so on are all within the school's grounds.

Within this area, everyone is suppressed by the ancient magic of Hogwarts Castle and unable to use Apparition. (Except for the Headmaster)

This is why, during the Battle of Hogsmeade, the Ministry of Magic arrested and killed many dark wizards, because although they did not storm the castle, they were already within the influence of ancient magic.

"What are you doing here?"

The sudden sound startled Percy.

He quickly turned around and saw Minister of Magic Barty Crouch walking from Hogsmeade Village, just entering the main gate of Hogwarts.

"Minister?" Percy's eyes widened, and he stammered as if something was stuck in his throat. Then he suddenly turned his head and looked towards the woods.

A vast expanse of white, not a trace of pink in sight.

"You weren't just—"

"Not what?" Crouch frowned, then said seriously, "Have I given you too much time off? Has this leisurely time gone to your head?"

"Roar!" A toad followed the minister.

She first let out a short, strange, and urgent sound, drawing the attention of the two people beside her.

Then, his relaxed face forced a fake smile, and his round eyes glared at Percy as he said, "The Ministry of Magic has been a little careless in some personnel appointments. How come young people these days are so lazy? It seems this is indeed closely related to Dumbledore's overly permissive education."

"No, no, Mr. Crouch, I—"

"If not, then follow along," Crouch said in an unquestionable tone. He then glanced back at Umbridge.

A cold laugh rose in his heart.

This woman was quite useful and very cooperative in consolidating his power, but she was just too stupid.

They only know how to pander to others but have no understanding of politics whatsoever.

After graduating from Hogwarts, Percy Weasley went directly to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

What place is that?

The subordinate Auror Command, headed by Rufus Scrimgeour, is a complete opportunist, while deputy head Kingsley is a staunch Dumbledore loyalist.

Moody and the rest of the Aurors almost all maintained a good relationship with Dumbledore, and most of them were even his men.

And Amelia Bones, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, was even worse, practically in cahoots with Dumbledore.

And then there's Scamander, the war hero.

Ah—Dumbledore may not be the Minister of Magic, but half of the Ministry of Magic follows his orders.

When Amelia Bornes recommended Weasley for the position of his assistant, he did not hesitate at all and readily agreed to this extravagant and extreme promotion.

One intention was to balance the various forces and show Dumbledore a bit of goodwill.

On the other hand, he also needed to place some of his people around Dumbledore.

And this young, power-hungry redhead was the perfect candidate.

These are things that Umbridge, that fool, can't see.

After pondering for a moment, Mr. Crouch said nothing more, but instead started walking along the path toward Hogwarts.

"Yes, sir." Percy was full of questions, but couldn't bring himself to say them. He could only follow closely behind.

On the way, Umbridge kept a close eye on Percy.

This young child, who had graduated from Hogwarts less than a year ago, was already an assistant minister, a promotion that made her somewhat wary.

For her, if such a person cannot be brought under her control, then she can only nip them in the bud.

"The Americans are really aggressive this time," she said in a sickeningly sweet voice behind Mr. Crouch. "If you ask me, something really big has happened at Hogwarts. Two students got into a fight, and it even escalated to the point of trying to kill each other."

This was Dumbledore's dereliction of duty.

"Hmm—" Crouch didn't offer any opinion, only letting out a soft hum.

"He's secretly gathered a large group of people, Minister, and he's not entirely obedient to your orders."

"What do you want to say?" Crouch then turned to look at her.

He was met with Umbridge's signature greasy, fake smile. "I think he deserves some punishment."

She didn't say anything about firing Dumbledore outright.

Because of the goblins, the current Minister of Magic needs Dumbledore.

"You need to make him see clearly that you are the Minister of Magic, and he isn't."

"So what kind of punishment do you think should be given?" Crouch asked, frowning. Umbridge's words were exactly what he was thinking. Ever since the Battle of Hogwarts, Dumbledore had become increasingly arrogant and eccentric, as if Hogwarts were some kind of lawless place, not under the control of the British Ministry of Magic.

Now he no longer informs him of the purpose behind many of the things he does.

Even some messages are no longer sent out in real time.

That's outrageous!

Although he was wary of Dumbledore's influence, he was, after all, the Minister for Magic.

Indeed—it's time to punish him.

"Since we still need him, then—" Umbridge's eyes darted around, then a sinister glint appeared in her eyes as she smirked, "Let him be the vice-principal. As for the headmaster of Hogwarts, we'll send someone from the Ministry of Magic. I'm sure with so many capable people like us, plus the Ministry's cooperation, it'll be much better than him alone!"

She chuckled, her expression stiff as a weathered, decaying sculpture.

And upon hearing Umbridge's suggestion...

Crouch, however, did not immediately express his opinion. As a seasoned politician, he was much smarter than Fudge.

In theory, the Ministry of Magic has no right to participate in the operation of Hogwarts. Whether it is the headmaster or closing the school, these are the responsibility of the Board of Governors, led by the twelve wizards.

The board of twelve wizards consists of pure-blood wizarding families, such as the Malfoy family, the Smith family, and so on.

The Ministry of Magic does not have the right to demand that they make decisions, but it may be able to win them over through some form of influence.

In addition, there have been recent events.

With the help of others, Umbridge's plan could be said to have a very high success rate.

But—to be honest, he didn't want to break ties with Dumbledore right now.

Dumbledore is, after all, the "greatest white wizard." Only a fool like Fudge would keep pressing him. If he wants to break with Dumbledore, he must prepare in advance. His methods must be as swift and decisive as thunder, striking Dumbledore down completely in one fell swoop.

He needs to come up with a proper and comprehensive plan to deal with the current predicament in order to succeed.

Instead of simply driving Dumbledore away, foolishly facing those problems alone, only to be tripped up by them, fall apart, and let the general public see your incompetence, and then welcoming Dumbledore back as your savior.

Isn't that stupid?

Crouch was certainly not that kind of fool.

Umbridge is right; he should make his position clear to Dumbledore, but not now.

Percy, who was listening to the conversation between the two, felt a sense of panic.

What did he hear?

Mr. Crouch wants to replace Dumbledore?

"The principal has done so much for the school," he said urgently.

Hogwarts, without Dumbledore, was breached by Voldemort last year.

This is the truth.

"He is the greatest headmaster in Hogwarts history. He—"

"Shut up," Umbridge snapped, his forced smile twisting into a menacing expression. "Mind your place, kid."

"But—" Percy wanted to argue, but someone didn't give him the chance.

Almost the instant he spoke, a deadly curse flew in from the woods on either side without any warning.

His target was none other than Minister of Magic Barty Crouch.

"Who is it?"

Percy instinctively waved his wand, and a magical barrier of silver water ripples burst forth from the air, colliding with the deep green light and emitting dazzling sparks.

It's almost instinctive (a bad habit left over from school).

The instant he blocked the opponent's spell, he swung the spell and unleashed a merciless cutting spell, which struck a large tree in the distance.

The tree trunk was cut straight in half.

"Wow, not bad, really not bad."

Suddenly, two wizards rushed out of the woods. They were dressed in black robes, wearing pointed hoods and iron masks with snake-shaped patterns on their faces, with only a thin slit for their mouths.

"Death Eaters?" As an old man from the war years.

Both Barty Crouch and Umbridge recognized the two men's outfits.

"I never thought that Hogwarts wouldn't only produce trash these days, but also people like you."

The speaker was a woman.

With a tone of mockery and madness.

The voice was very distinctive and felt familiar.

On the other side, the silent Death Eater was not so 'polite'; he directly raised his hand and cast the Killing Curse.

The death ray shone on the snow, its eerie green glow particularly terrifying, like the whispers of death itself.

After a pause of one second, the killing curse headed straight for Barty Crouch.

"Bang!"

Mr. Crouch reacted quickly; he waved his wand, grabbed a piece of dead wood from the ground to block the Killing Curse, and dodged to the side, retaliating with a Petrification Curse.

Wood chips flew everywhere, making a terrifying sound.

In an instant, the withered tree was torn to shreds by the killing curse.

"Fool, are you going to kill him?" The woman's voice was low and menacing, as if she were furious about the killing curse she had just cast.

"Shut up, I know what I'm doing!" The man easily resisted the petrification spell, then reprimanded him in the same tone.

As he spoke, ignoring his companions' mockery, he flicked his wand high into the air, and a towering pillar of fire, five feet high and scorching hot, poured towards the three people in front of him like lava.

This is still within the Hogwarts area.

No one can Apparate.

"Ultimate Protection!"

"Ironclad Protection!"

Percy and Mr. Crouch simultaneously lit up their wands.

The defensive spells activated almost immediately.

"Fight back! Fight back now!" Percy screamed, yelling at Umbridge.

But the other person seemed dumbfounded, standing there blankly, the short, nine-inch wand in their hand completely useless.

She didn't hear Percy at all.

"What are you standing there for!" he roared again. His eyes seemed to spit fire.

Yes, his eyes did indeed blaze with fire; the image of lava was reflected in them.

"fight back!"

The sound was louder than ever before!

Umbridge then came to her senses.

"Shut up! I'm the vice minister, you have no right to order me around!" She stiffly raised her wand and screamed hysterically, "Now, I order you to stop them, stop them."

Otherwise, you will face trial by the Ministry of Magic!

Her screams, like barking, made Percy want to turn around and punch the pig-headed man.

Has she forgotten that the minister is right next to her?

However, someone soon came to his aid.

It was that Death Eater woman; she unleashed several spells, her target Umbridge.

And what about Umbridge?

It barely withstood the first attack.

Then he was blasted away by a series of spells.

The immense power of the curse enveloped her, causing her to slide through the snow for a long time!

Finally, he bumped into a rock, his head lolled to the side, and he passed out.

"Damn it!" Percy cursed.

Even he couldn't help but say: What a fucking piece of trash.

As a senior Gryffindor who had experienced two years of inter-school wars, he had seen countless battles.

Although it was only between junior wizards, he would sometimes personally lead the team in a counterattack.

Although he was somewhat stubborn, he also had a temper.

Umbridge's performance just now was not even as good as that of a third or fourth-year Hogwarts wizard!

Fortunately, this situation of having bad teammates negatively impacting the team's performance did not continue.

Because just as the Death Eater woman was about to attack them.

The real fourth-year Hogwarts wizard has arrived!

"Soul Torrent—"

Running.

Miss Granger gathered her magic power, then leaped up suddenly, using the terrain to unleash a torrent of magic as thick as a water column.

At that moment, the female Death Eater was about to cast a spell against Percy and his companions when Miss Granger's sneak attack left her no time to cast a spell to defend herself. She could only quickly dodge to the side, but everything happened too fast.

The magic, like a jet of water, pierced her left arm like a sharp sword.

The black robe was torn open at one corner, revealing a dark, burn-like wound on the left arm, which was pale and sickly, and blood was still seeping from the wound.

"Damn it—" the woman cursed.

Miss Granger's curse is far from over.

Then another ball of deep blue light came, and she hurriedly cast an Iron Armor Spell. But when the two spells collided, they made a strange "tearing" corrosive sound, and her Iron Armor Spell was becoming increasingly dim.

"A corruption curse?"

The witch seemed somewhat incredulous.

The Corruption Curse, a type of dark magic, is one of the few spells that can penetrate the Ironclad Curse's defenses. This curse has taken the limbs of countless wizards during times of war, and because of its cursed effect, the limbs of a corroded body cannot grow back.

Therefore, it was listed by the Ministry of Magic as one of the most evil forms of dark magic.

And now, she was seeing it in a young witch in her third or fourth year at Hogwarts.

"Hermione?" Percy was overjoyed.

He suddenly remembered that Hermione and Harry had followed him out of the castle.

She must have come out for some fresh air and happened to witness the attack.

(End of this chapter)