Hogwarts: From Selling White Peppers to Becoming a God

Chapter 310 House Arrest

Just as an ocean-going cargo ship docked in the Port of London, several figures suddenly appeared on the roof of a port warehouse.

As soon as the blonde woman in the long trench coat appeared, she weakly leaned on the railing and it took her a while to catch her breath.

A man in a suit jacket and comical clown pants walked up behind her. "Mary, are you alright?"

Captain Mary Thompson of the American Auror waved her hand, and the man handed her a small bottle. "An energy booster, good for seasickness. Just a small sip, or your ears will be burning."

Mary took the bottle, took a small sip, and her pale face soon recovered somewhat. "Thank you, Conrad."

“We really should have listened to Kingsley and come over with the Portkey,” Conrad sighed. “Unfortunately, the others don’t seem to trust him much.”

There were several other people on the roof, all dressed in strange clothes and with different appearances, seemingly from different countries.

"The Federation is too cautious," Mary said, looking at the group. "If the other side cooperates, this team can be fair and impartial, but they have refused five times! Obviously, they are unlikely to cooperate properly. Their personnel are too scattered. I'm afraid this investigation will be fruitless."

Conrad sighed as well. "They still don't quite believe what Chairman Dumbledore said. After all, it's all too sensational."

“But we all know it’s true.” Mary frowned. “I met Murphy Darkholm more than two years ago; he was a wanted criminal then… but he made a deep impression on me…”

Mary recalled the scene she witnessed at the Grand Canyon in the United States, and even now, it still felt somewhat unreal.

But if Murphy really is a demon, then everything makes sense.

"Those capable of discerning the truth are ultimately a minority," Conrad said, then asked, "Has Kingsley contacted you?"

He said he'd be there in a bit.

As soon as Mary finished speaking, the space around them distorted, and suddenly a burly black man and a short guy appeared on the roof at the same time.

"Kingsley." Conrad stepped forward, shook hands with the man, and then extended his hand to the goblin beside him. "Hello, Mr. Brin."

"Don't call me 'sir'!" The fairy slapped his hand away. "Call me 'Bank Manager Brin'! Don't you French have fairies?"

"Which idiot insisted on coming by ship? Ten whole days have been wasted! Ten days! My people are suffering in the mines! Ten days—how many demons will have perished because of your stupidity!"

“I’m sorry, Brin, we understand how you feel,” Mary said, “but the British Ministry of Magic has blocked the international flying network with other countries, and these wizards aren’t used to flying—I mean, those Muggle iron birds…”

"Why not just use a key? Do you wizards hold your wands just for show?" the fairy persisted.

"Alright," Kingsley began, his voice low. "Let's not waste time on words. I have the Chairman's instructions: do everything you can to help President Brin rescue his companions, especially the remaining members of the Brin family."

"What about the investigation mission?" Conrad asked.

Kingsley shook his head. "We're afraid we'll find it difficult to uncover anything. Murphy Darkholm is extremely cunning. And even if we have evidence, it's unlikely to be of any real use. Let's abandon our illusions and try to do something practical. However, our identities as investigators are still helpful; at least they should nominally assist us in the investigation. We can use this to gather intelligence and find the location where those goblins are being held."

"If possible, establish contact with those who are willing to resist."

"Will you come with us?" Conrad asked.

"I'm sorry, I'm still a wanted criminal here." Shackle Kingsley sighed. It was both pathetic and laughable that a former Auror had become a wanted criminal, unable to even show his face normally in his own country.

"I'm leaving Brin in your care," Kingsley said. "He's also a special investigator, and his identity is legitimate, but the situation here is complicated, so please take good care of him."

Mary frowned and pulled Kingsley aside. "Why is the guild master helping these fairies?"

"The Brin family wields considerable power among the fairies. If we can rescue a few members of the Brin family, it will be helpful in our future fight against Murphy," Kingsley said. "Besides, this is also the intention of your president of the Magical Congress of the United States. After all, they are the largest donor to the Magical Congress."

"I don't like them," Mary said.

"I don't like them either," Kingsley said, "but they're our allies now."

……

The Wizarding Union's special investigation team arrived at the British Ministry of Magic through the visitor entrance.

They were quickly given a warm welcome. Minister of Magic Barty Crouch personally received them and expressed his full cooperation with the investigation team, ordering all departments and all wizards in the British wizarding community not to resist the investigation for any reason.

This surprised Mary and her companions quite a bit; they had thought they would be turned away from the door right away.

Could it be that Mr. Barty Crouch really knew nothing about Murphy's affair?

No, that's unlikely. Dumbledore's materials explicitly mention Murphy's infiltration of the Ministry of Magic, and this Mr. Barty might be Murphy's accomplice to some extent.

Mary and Conrad exchanged a knowing glance, a silent warning: "Don't let your guard down."

However, apart from them, the other members of the investigation team did not seem to realize anything was amiss.

Even that fairy who said "all of Britain is locked up" was completely flattered and lost his bearings.

It seems this guy doesn't really care much about his own kind; he's probably more concerned about Gringotts Bank.

Barty Crouch gave the investigation team a tour of the Ministry of Magic, introduced them to the various departments, and then prepared a sumptuous dinner.

At the banquet, almost all the high-ranking officials of the British Ministry of Magic were present, demonstrating their strong support for the International Wizarding Federation. They even stated without batting an eye that they still respected President Dumbledore as always.

"The thought that he left Hogwarts because of some differences in ideals, preventing the next generation of British people from receiving the teachings of such a great wizard, fills me with heartache," said Rahim, the head of the Auror Command Office, with deep sorrow.

"Yes, we are all students who grew up under the watchful eye of Headmaster Dumbledore, and we have a deep affection for him," said Commander Winston of the Watchmen.

"In the end, it's all because we didn't do a good enough job," Rahim sighed. "That's why the president is so disappointed in us."

"Um...cough cough...umm..." Barty Crouch was ultimately not as thick-skinned as Murphy's two loyal lackeys; he couldn't come up with such a story.

However, this statement had a very good effect. The investigators all breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that the British Ministry of Magic was not as arrogant as the rumors suggested. They were actually quite aware of their position.

After dinner, Rahim and Winston, along with several other high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Magic, accompanied the investigators back to the accommodations specially prepared for them.

Located in Diagon Alley, it was once the mansion of a nobleman, and it was extremely luxurious.

Upon arrival, Rahim assigned several Aurors as bodyguards to protect the group's safety. He also informed them that special magical defenses had been implemented at the entrance, requiring them to register their wands. From then on, only they could use their own wands to enter the mansion, preventing unauthorized entry.

The investigators, unsuspecting, handed over their wands. Mary and Conrad, seeing Rahim tapping the wands of the others at the door as if casting a spell, also hesitated before handing over their wands.

After registering one person's wand, Rahim handed the remaining wands to another Auror to continue registering them. He then led them into the mansion, said a few words, said goodnight, and turned to leave.

The group waited in the courtyard for a while, but no Auror returned the wand. They waited a little longer, but still no one came. Mary finally realized something was wrong and prepared to go out and call for help, but the gate was tightly closed, and no matter how much they knocked, no one came to open it.

A house-elf suddenly appeared in the yard. "My master said, please eat and drink well, and rest well. He will come to see you again."

He left after saying that, leaving a group of people looking at each other in bewilderment.

It took them a while to realize what was happening.

Damn it, I'm under house arrest.

(End of this chapter)