I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 421 The Prison

The fact that prisons are being used is hardly good news.

The clock, though magical, had limited uses. The word "prison" refers to Ron and Bell being imprisoned.

But it can't show whether someone is injured, tortured, or missing limbs.

Compared to the Weasley family's worries...

Inside the castle, panic was not uncommon among the others.

A strange atmosphere of fear, shock, and inexplicable excitement permeated the air. Everyone was talking about the Death Eaters and the trapped little wizard, and rumors were flying everywhere.

No matter where you go, you can hear people talking about this, and the students have no interest in studying.

Some say this is the Death Eaters taking revenge on Hogwarts.

Because their attack failed in the third grade, Voldemort killed people in a fit of rage.

Some believe this may be related to the Battle of Azkaban last year, when Voldemort kidnapped the young wizards and their friends, thinking he could easily blackmail Dumbledore with leverage over them.

But it turned out that Dumbledore had seen through his trick and had already sent men to ambush him. His plan failed. Now Voldemort wanted to repeat his old trick, capturing young wizards as hostages to threaten Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic.

Some people say this is a conspiracy by the Magical Congress of America, that they deliberately created a big event, and that there were no Death Eaters or Voldemort at all. They say it was all a conspiracy by the Magical Congress to lure Aurors from all over the world to America and then wipe them all out.

They want to dominate the world.

This theory—originating from Luna—is no less outrageous than her previous claim that Barty Crouch was long dead; this one is a wild goblin in disguise.

Of course, not many young wizards believe this rumor.

Most people still believe this is a conspiracy by Voldemort and the Death Eaters.

In fact, children from magical families have heard of these Death Eaters since they were young; their names are almost as terrifying as the devils.

The crimes they committed under Voldemort's reign of terror are well known, and some of the Hogwarts students are relatives of the victims.

Some people turned their attention to Harry, Susan, Neville, and others.

It's easy to understand why Voldemort wanted revenge on them, since their family had opposed the Death Eaters.

Harry and Neville need no introduction, but Susan—whose uncle, aunt, and cousins ​​all died at the hands of a fugitive—was none other than a Death Eater.

The castle was a mess, and everyone was distracted.

However, it was precisely because of the chaos that the young wizards of DA studied spells even more diligently.

Irving originally thought that it would be quite good if they could learn those few spells by the end of the semester.

It now seems that this timeframe will likely be moved up by several months.

In this era of constant change, one thing that remains unchanged is Umbridge's Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

Honestly, it wasn't just Hermione and Harry, the young wizards who didn't get along with her much to begin with; even some neutral young wizards who were just watching the show didn't understand why she still wouldn't allow professors to teach students some necessary spells when the Death Eaters were causing chaos outside.

They even forbade students from practicing spells with each other.

Umbridge recently introduced a new education order that prohibits professors from discussing anything other than classroom content with students, and even requires them to personally supervise students as they move between classrooms.

This angered Professor McGonagall, who had several heated arguments with her.

The other professors also avoided her like the plague; she was practically hated by everyone in the castle.

Everyone says she's mentally ill.

Harry and his friends, however, believed that a brain was a luxury for her; she simply didn't have one.

But this did not prevent Umbridge's official position from rising rapidly, like a rocket.

At the end of January, because Dumbledore had been away from Hogwarts for an extended period, the Ministry of Magic promoted Umbridge to acting headmaster.

In early February, she was promoted to Deputy Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and concurrently served as Director of the Minister's Office.

By Valentine's Day, she was already the Senior Deputy Minister of Magic at the British Ministry of Magic.

This was something that the young wizards and professors couldn't understand at all.

Wherever the young wizards gather, you can hear them cursing Umbridge.

They said Buddy Crouch was blind.

"Any Minister of Magic who doesn't want to be a puppet would do the same; it's perfectly normal."

Valentine's Day.

These were supposed to be their relaxing days, but now they are enveloped in a different atmosphere.

Inside the "Always Required" room, DA members are undergoing a training course.

Today's lesson is the Guardian Charm.

Although there are quite a few junior wizards in the academy who can successfully cast spells, that is when there are no enemies. Casting a Patronus Charm in a safe environment is completely different from casting a Patronus Charm against a Dementor.

They still need practice.

"What do you mean?"

Owen conjured a sofa, and Hermione and the others were sitting next to him.

Beside her was a wooden table covered with parchment, recording the progress of the DA members in mastering spells.

At that moment, she turned her head and asked.

Owen chuckled. "In peacetime, the Minister of Magic naturally won't have any disputes with Dumbledore, but what about in times of war? Dumbledore has just as many people in the Ministry of Magic as he does at Hogwarts, and a whole bunch of Aurors are his students, not to mention this old relic, Theseus Scamander. Besides, the Order of the Phoenix is ​​no weaker than the Aurors."

Any minister who wants to be in power will try every means to oust Dumbledore, otherwise he can only be a half-minister—or even less.

How can a department allow two voices to be heard?

"As for Umbridge's actions—she and the Ministry of Magic have concluded that Hogwarts is training an army for Dumbledore. The more outstanding previous graduates like Percy and Wood are, the more convinced they become of their belief. Especially—" He glanced at Cedric, who was practicing the Patronus Charm with Cho Chang, and Fred and Angelina beside him, "After they graduate, Barty Crouch won't just be suspicious, he'll be terrified!"

"So they're trying to restrict us and not teach us how to defend against spells?" Harry gasped, quite angry. Beside him was a copy of the Daily Prophet, and several new names had been added to the list of victims today.

Several names appear every week.

It was like an alarm bell, constantly blaring at him.

Now, when he closes his eyes, he can see the miserable state of the wizards being tortured by Voldemort.

They are asking for help from themselves, but they are completely powerless to help.

We are powerless!

"The struggle for power is inherently a life-or-death struggle. Besides—" Owen's lips curled slightly upward, "to put it bluntly, if Voldemort takes power and we lose the war, it will only be us wizards who oppose him who die, the Order of the Phoenix and most of the Hogwarts faculty and students. As for the Ministry of Magic—Master Tom isn't superhuman; he needs a powerful institution to maintain order no matter what. I don't know how much conscience Barty Crouch has left, but Umbridge certainly doesn't care who his superiors are."

"You're saying she's now sided with Voldemort?" Harry said menacingly, his eyes gleaming with malice.

"Not now, but she definitely will if the opportunity arises."

She's a toad who only knows how to curry favor with those in power; whoever gives her power, she'll be their loyal dog, no matter who comes to power!

"She's really something," George said with disgust as he walked over.

"Hey." Hermione glared at him.

"Sorry, but I couldn't help it," George said nonchalantly.

"It's okay, she's a hundred times worse than that adjective you used." Owen shrugged. "ε=(ο｀*))) Sigh, there's always someone holding us back on the road to saving the world, it's so frustrating."

He said, "Why don't we kill her? I have a hundred ways to do it quietly, and no one will suspect anything."

"Owen!!!" Hermione turned to look at him, her eyes full of warning.

"Alright, alright, killing her would just dirty my wand."

Owen thought for a moment, shaking his head, and then suddenly an idea struck him. "Why don't we kill that old bastard Barty Crouch? Replace him with someone more obedient, or find someone to impersonate him, maybe with Polyjuice Potion or Disillusionment Charm or something."

"Enough!" Miss Granger slammed her hand heavily on the table.

A pair of brown eyes swept over all the wizards around him.

Her anger wasn't due to Owen's recklessness; in fact, Hermione was quite used to his wicked schemes.

What really angered her were the young wizards around her.

Harry and George actually showed expressions of agreement! This was outrageous!

This is not a dark wizard training institution. Nor does it produce Death Eaters.

"Just kidding." Owen reached out and rubbed her shoulder. "Provided the situation doesn't get any worse. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind cleaning up the Ministry of Magic; those who are suspicious will just have to be 'asked' to get lost."

He said it with a smirk, but his tone was cold and sinister.

He could no longer see the future clearly.

Everything that might be beyond his control is making Irving increasingly irritable and angry.

When he has everything under control, he can play political games with that bunch of idiots. But if things go beyond what he expected, he can't help but have some negative thoughts.

He hates things that are unpredictable.

But reality isn't a novel; some things don't make sense.

Just like this time—who could have imagined that Death Eaters would suddenly attack the United States?

Who knows what will happen to those wizards who fall into the hands of Death Eaters?

Irving doesn't know.

Even in the false memories Merlin gave him, he had been with the Death Eaters, but interrogating prisoners was not part of his job.

Torture—some madmen have a particular interest in it. And there are many such madmen within the Death Eaters.

What worries Irving even more is the divinely inspired tower on the Brazilian coast.

In order to excavate that tower, many Aurors, both American and Brazilian wizards, were infected with mutated magic.

This is also what he's mainly busy with during Christmas.

In the past two weeks, he has treated about twenty people.

Of course, there are some, and more of them are minor, which can be healed using Victor's magical healing machine. He doesn't need to do it himself.

Wait a minute—thinking carefully.

In the depths of consciousness, a glimmer of light suddenly flashed.

Owen's hand, which was gripping Hermione's shoulder, suddenly stopped.

The little witch was taken aback.

She then looked at him, puzzled.

"What's wrong? What are you thinking about?" she asked with concern.

Irving did not respond.

He raised his hand, then lowered it.

Then he slowly got up, frowned, and walked to the side.

They were far removed from the chaos created by the young wizards.

Countless thoughts were churning in my mind.

He involuntarily closed his eyes—countless memories began to surge, and all sorts of details that he had previously overlooked became clear and connected together.

The first thing that came to Owen's mind was the scene of Sirius and Moody interrogating American wizards.

Although he was drowsy at the time, he still heard some of it.

Their answer was perfect—the American wizard's answer was perfect.

You can't find any problems, as if everything is just a matter of course.

At the time, he, Sirius, and even Moody all subconsciously believed that these people were lying.

The lines were prepared in advance.

But now that I think about it—maybe—they were actually telling the truth?

Are they really all innocent?

The Magical Congress of the United States is not a monolithic entity, or rather, the "Impersonators" have only infiltrated a portion of it.

Subsequently, those high-ranking "pretenders" deliberately sent Aurors who remained loyal to Congress to excavate the Divine Tower.

Ron himself said that the Americans' excavation skills were too poor, not even comparable to the goblins, or even to Bill's expedition in Egypt.

Previously, he had thought it was because the excavation of the Divine Tower was too difficult. But now—Owen rubbed his temples, his thoughts gradually becoming clearer.

What if the task of excavation was carried out by an Auror, rather than a professional anti-spell expert?

No wonder the casualties were so high!

It turns out that all of this was planned!

No wonder the Death Eaters dared to attack one of the world's most powerful magical forces.

No wonder a week has passed and no news has come out.

Finally, it all makes sense.

Is this really how it is?

One step after another—relying on the still loyal Aurors to dig with their lives, they not only eliminated this group of people, but also made progress in the excavation.

They could even completely control the Magic Congress and recruit Death Eaters.

Get it in one fell swoop!

Damn it—damn it.

Thinking of this, Irving clenched his fist.

The Death Eaters' high-profile actions, including their collaboration with the Imposters who control the Magical Congress, suggest that their goal is far more than simply capturing a few Hogwarts junior wizards.

Or rather, the little wizards were merely icing on the cake; their true purpose—Voldemort's true purpose—was far darker and more evil.

"Things are getting worse," Owen sighed softly.

Even the transformed rooms of the House of Requirement have several windows.

Those were several huge floor-to-ceiling windows.

The grey-blue glass was covered with cracks that looked as if it were about to shatter. Through these cracks, Owen could see that a torrential rain was flooding the entire Hogwarts.

A damp, cold wind howled, and the sky was so dark that not a single ray of light could be seen.

Everything was gray and hazy.

It felt like the sky was about to fall.

"Is a storm coming?" Hermione came to his side.

She naturally took his hand.

Normally, she would never hold his hand in public.

But—the girl's intuition told her that the boy in front of her needed her now.

"Yes—a storm is coming." Owen tightened his grip on her hand and nodded weakly.

Long ago, he—no—should have said everyone who time-traveled—or returned to the past.

They experience these emotions when the world around them is the world they are familiar with.

That is, if something happens to the people around you—or they die—then the situation will be completely different.

Because it makes them feel that this is their responsibility.

At least that's what Kyrie Irving thinks right now.

"Click—"

Suddenly, a white light appeared outside the window.

Then a clap of thunder sounded.

The white light made his face appear deathly pale.

Irving uncontrollably gripped the girl's hand tightly beside him.

He suddenly realized that he seemed to have overrated Hermione.

Previously, he had never thought that defeating Voldemort—defeat of the Outer Gods—would be a difficult thing. There might be twists and turns, but it would definitely be easier than in the original story.

He has already saved so many people. There won't be any problems.

But now—Ron has been taken away by the Death Eaters, can he come back alive?

Is it possible?

Hermione—now a thorn in Voldemort's side, no less powerful than Harry—what if...

The rain outside the window was getting heavier and heavier.

February in the Scottish Highlands is so cold that there's nowhere to hide.

But the fire in the stove in the house was very strong, and it dispelled the cold.

The young wizards here almost all wear only a single sweater.

This place, which was never supposed to be cold, now felt a chill in Irving's heart.

Dark clouds not only afflicted this place, but also extended across the boundless sea.

On the far, distant side.

On the Brazilian coast, 7,000 kilometers from the British Isles.

The dark clouds gathered and turned into rain, which fell to the ground.

This time, however, it brought coolness, not cold.

Years later, looking back, Ron Weasley would still remember the prison that had completely changed him.

He has said more than once that he killed a boy with his own hands during the years he was trapped.

Love, death, courage.

Intertwined catalysts transformed the boy into a man.

"Tick-tock—"

"Tick-tock—"

It is the sound of raindrops falling on metal.

The sound irritated Ron; although his mouth was dry, but—

He glanced at the pale red barrier in front of him, which enveloped him like a bubble, making it impossible for anything from the outside world to penetrate, except for sound and sight.

His wand had long been taken by the Death Eaters.

Although Ron the Staffless Spellcaster knew a few spells, it was clear that this restriction spell was not one he could break.

He has been locked up here for several days.

The sun has risen twice; this is the third time the night has descended.

This was all thanks to a small window, about the size of a palm, on the wall behind him, from which he observed the waxing and waning of the sun and moon.

It's true—he doesn't remember how he was captured.

It sounds a bit embarrassing, doesn't it?

But the truth is, he got separated from Bill and the others during the initial chaos in Port Isabel.

The reason he got lost wasn't because he was showing off or trying to fight those Death Eaters or anything.

It was the American Magic Congress officials who were originally supposed to be their guides who suddenly launched the sneak attack.

He, Bill, and Fleur got separated while running away.

After that—he didn't remember what happened after that.

Looking back now, I think I was probably ambushed and knocked unconscious by some Death Eater or a traitor from the Magical Congress.

(End of this chapter)