A Certain Magical Hogwarts

Chapter 499 You Italians are not even as good as France!

William felt terrible looking at the wooden cup marked "Made in England".

He traveled all the way from England to Venice just to see knock-off British goods?!

It's like buying a ticket from a scalper at a high price, only to find out at the concert... the whole thing is lip-synced.

As a level 10 user of NetEase Cloud Music, I instantly became depressed.

The last time William had such a terrible experience was when he woke up to find himself killed and his lottery ticket gone.

Well, he was in a pretty good mood at the time. After all, being killed as a hostage and then transported to another world was better than being sold to mine in Africa, right?

Hermione turned the cup over and over, examining it several times. She didn't sense any magic from it.

Combined with that printed text... it's not too difficult to see that this is a fake wine glass!

Forget about the Goblet of Fire, even lighting it as a torch would be too much trouble.

"What do we do? The Goblet of Fire is lost, so the Triwizard Tournament can't be held, right?" Hermione asked.

William glanced at Hermione and sighed.

This silly girl... instead of worrying about the three-way battle, she should think more about our relationship.

He and Hermione were definitely in the open, but there were only the two of them in the room.

Such an important magical item has vanished without a trace... Can you explain that?!

Just because you say you didn't steal it doesn't mean you didn't steal it.

Okay... even if you two didn't steal it... if we can't find the culprit, then we have to make you take the blame first, right?

William knew nothing about Venice, but he was very familiar with the British and French Ministries of Magic.

If it were Fudge... without a word, he would first lock him up in Azkaban, then launch a propaganda campaign in the newspapers, smugly claiming that he had captured the criminal.

An investigation? That's something to do after everything has settled down.

Clegane is even more of a bachelor; just look at Newt Scamander. He can even make decisions like issuing a city-wide manhunt.

Through these two men, William gained a basic understanding of European officials.

Therefore, it's not expected that all the wizards in the Ministry of Magic are as wise as Dumbledore.

These people always do some mind-boggling, incomprehensible things.

So, to flee or not to flee... that is the question.

Just as William hesitated, the door opened again.

Martell walked over slowly and apologized, "Something happened just now that I need to handle urgently. How's the Goblet of Fire, kid?"

Seeing that Maltai was quite old, William felt it was better to be considerate of his feelings.

Otherwise, the old man might not be able to accept the news and suddenly collapse and die... wouldn't that be William's responsibility?

"It's fine." He lied decisively. "Hermione, hurry up and put it back. It's such a valuable item, don't break it."

William decided to leave first. Even if they later discovered that the Goblet of Fire was fake, it wouldn't concern them.

At least it makes things easier for both sides to argue.

"Wait, child... I need to check on him," Martell interrupted.

"The Goblet of Fire hasn't been reignited in over two hundred years; it must be inspected."

William and Hermione exchanged an innocent look, and the girl carefully handed it over.

Martell examined the wand. After a moment, he suddenly looked up, incredulous, and said, "This Goblet of Fire... it's fake!"

William glanced at Hermione, and without a word, she understood perfectly, saying in a surprised tone:

"Fake? How could this be... I just opened the box... You're not mistaken, are you, sir?"

William silently gave Hermione a thumbs up; her acting was so good, she could easily win an Oscar.

She's a veteran actress!

"I didn't see wrong." Martell checked again, his face grim.

"I've seen the real Goblet of Fire; it's filled with powerful magic. This one is definitely fake."

William was also shocked, seemingly unable to believe it was fake.

He analyzed, "Someone must have secretly switched them."

There probably aren't many wizards who could enter this room; it was likely someone they knew... I suggest we investigate the guards.

Hermione looked at William with admiration.

He's a veteran actor!

"Yes, a thorough investigation is indeed necessary," Martell said seriously.

He waved his wand, and a silver sand snake flew from its tip, passing through the door and heading outside.

Soon, the four Aurors at the door pushed open and entered. Nymeria followed behind, looking completely bewildered.

William glanced at Auror and asked, "You don't suspect either of us, sir, do you?"

"No," Martell said, taking a deep breath. "But son, I'm sorry, I have to detain you both for now!"

"Detained?! Detained us?" Hermione asked angrily.

"Why would we steal the Goblet of Fire? We have Dumbledore's letter; there's no need to steal it!"

"This is just a necessary procedure." Martell stepped back and stood next to the Auror captain.

"You two must remain in your cells until the matter is fully investigated."

"You can't lock us up!" Hermione shrieked. "You have no evidence!"

Martell's eyes widened as if to say: No evidence?

"Miss Granger, no one has been here for a long time. But in the short time I was out, the Goblet of Fire was switched."

He paused. "I have no evidence, but I have sufficient grounds to detain you and interrogate you."

I know you two are incredibly famous, but fame is not a reason to evade questioning.

I am simply following normal legal procedures.

"No, you didn't!" Hermione changed her approach and said calmly.

"William is the representative of the Wizengamo youth and has written authorization from Dumbledore, the president of the International Federation."

His status is equivalent to that of Wisconsin-Madison in the UK.

According to Article 9 of the "International Code of Magical Law":

High-ranking officials who commit crimes abroad must be interrogated simultaneously under the supervision of sorcerers in both countries. In special circumstances, they may be directly extradited back to their home country.

There are no British Ministry of Magic officials monitoring this place.

Hermione paused and said, "You have no right to interrogate William, nor can you forcibly restrict his freedom without sufficient evidence."

Martell remained silent for a while.

He stared at Hermione for a moment, then said softly:

"Of course, Miss Granger, you have a good memory and you are absolutely right."

He said seriously, "Britain is a country with a legendary history, rich culture and amazing wizards."

I am not looking for conflict.

We are committed to developing a constructive and results-oriented relationship with the UK Ministry of Magic, and to opening channels of communication and mitigating risks within our defense relations.

Martell then changed the subject, "So we will abide by the law and will not restrict Mr. Stark's freedom; we will only send Aurors to monitor him."

But you are not Wizengamot, nor are you a representative of the youth; you must cooperate with the interrogation and remain in your cell for investigation.

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. In her opinion, this was the best outcome.

William's investigation, whether to inform Dumbledore or to find out the truth sooner... could save her.

She hadn't considered the possibility of not finding the Goblet of Fire, because William... was certain he would find it. She blindly trusted him.

The girl looked at the boy, but he only shook his head slightly.

"Don't be silly, Hermione." William grinned and said, "Venetian prison, not Hogwarts, that's no joke."

It was neither safe nor comfortable there.

"Is that right, Mr. Martell?"

Martell did not answer, but that was tacit agreement.

Because of the Dementors guarding it, Azkaban is the most famous prison in the wizarding world. But Venice's magical prison is no less impressive.

It is divided into two types: water dungeons and lead-topped cells.

As the name suggests, a water prison is built in water, usually at the same level as the water level. Therefore, the prison is frequently flooded.

With continuous heavy rains, the water level is probably waist-deep every day.

The lead-roofed cells were located next to the cells on the top floor.

The roofs of these cells were made of lead, making them unbearably hot in the summer and bitterly cold in the winter.

Anything that involves prison is a bad place.

The old man said in a deep voice, "We will ensure Miss Granger's safety; you can rest assured about that..."

William scoffed and interrupted, "What guarantees do you have?"

They didn't even realize the Goblet of Fire was lost... typical of Italy.

I seriously doubt that your fighting capacity is even as good as France's.

"But..." Hermione hesitated.

If he did that, William would definitely be wanted by the police. He could get out safely on his own; there was no need for him to take such a risk for her.

William reached out and pinched Hermione's cheek, glaring at her as he said, "No buts, I won't leave you alone in prison."

Hermione looked at the boy, her eyes welling up with tears and reddening. She bit her lip and didn't argue further.

"Besides, if your father found out, I'd throw you in jail," William muttered. "And wouldn't he break all three of my legs?"

Hermione couldn't help but burst out laughing. She rubbed her reddened eyes and rolled her eyes at William.

Martell stared intently at William. "As a smart man, Stark, the choice you made today was foolish."

"You want to defy high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Magic? Are you trying to obstruct our investigation? Even if you're British, Dumbledore won't protect you."

"Furthermore, given what you just said, I think not only your wand, but also any magical items you carry should be inspected."

"Look," William said arrogantly, seemingly oblivious to everyone else, "Hermione, you still want me to go out and investigate."

They've been wanting to confiscate the wands for a while now, and they want to confiscate the magical items too.

Do you think we can give it to him?

The girl bit her lip and shook her head vigorously.

The two's safety records conceal a multitude of secrets. Aside from the Dementors, which are best left unseen, there's the Fairy Diamond and the Ravenclaw tiara.

This cannot be handed over to the Italian Ministry of Magic.

William grinned and ruffled Hermione's thick, fluffy brown hair.

He turned his head, his eyes gradually turning cold, and said calmly, word by word, "You see, it's simple."

The Auror captain, already on high alert, suddenly shouted, "Watch out!"

At the same time, the wand shot out a spell, which, in full view of everyone, shot towards Martell's head, leading some sharp-eyed onlookers to think that he had gone mad.

Little did they know that the spell had triggered another spell, producing a clanging sound like metal striking stone.

Another silver flash swirled around the room, followed by a deafening roar like a cannon shot, which shook the floor.

Then, a second silver flash exploded, filling the air with dust.

Nymeria's eyes widened suddenly as she saw four Aurors already on the ground.

Martel, like a sand snake whose body had been stretched straight, flew backward and landed motionless on the ground, most likely unconscious.

She turned her head and stared at Stark, her eyes filled with horror.

The boy, along with the girl, shattered the floor-to-ceiling window on one side of the room and jumped straight out from the fifth floor.

Namelia slumped to the ground in a daze, staring blankly at the five people lying on the ground.

……

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(End of this chapter)