A certain Hogwarts professor of runes.

The mountain is cold;

Heath Iced Tea;

I lost my phone and can't post a comment;

phidias;

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Chapter 478 Safe Return

Scrimgeour stood not far from the magic fountain, his yellow eyes fixed on the empty fireplace.

The entire hall was eerily quiet. Whenever a new Ministry of Magic staff member emerged from the fireplace, he would see hundreds of people staring at him. Arthur Weasley was startled. He looked around and saw that the Ministry of Magic looked like a large-scale battle had taken place. The floor was a mess, and the Auror Office Director looked like a hungry old lion, ready to pounce at any moment.

He slowly moved away from the fireplace, approached one of the wizards present, and whispered, "What's going on, Arnold?"

The wizard wiped his sweat. "That was terrifying, Arthur. If you had arrived two minutes earlier, you might have run right into that person..."

"You mean there was only one enemy? And he escaped?" Mr. Weasley asked in surprise.

"Yes, let me tell you..."

A series of jarring clattering sounds rang out, and Mr. Weasley looked up as the elevator railings slid to the sides with a deafening clang, and a large group of people rushed out.

Amelia Bones led the way, wand held high, striding forward. She glanced around, her brows furrowed, and called out, "Healers, take the injured to the infirmary for treatment."

"Reconnaissance team! Cooperate with the Aurors to investigate the scene."

The Aurors present and several magical law enforcement scouts in the crowd responded in hushed tones.

"Kingsley, Dexter!"

The two Aurors following behind her stood tall and straight.

“Take your squad and track the target,” she paused and said, “focus on reconnaissance, don’t make any moves rashly.”

"understand!"

"The Reversal of Unexpected Magical Events Task Force! And all members of the Magic Law Enforcement Division!"

Half the people in the hall stood up straight, awaiting orders.

"—Clear the rubble and debris. Anyone with information, please step forward to register your clues; everyone else, please do your part." Only after the crowd began to move did she turn to Scrimgeour. "Rufus, what have you found?"

Scrimgeour's eyes darted around, and he said in a low voice, "I saw his face."

Ms. Burns looked surprised. "Who is it?"

“He disguised himself, I’m not sure, there’s no evidence at the moment—” Scrimgeour hesitated before continuing.

Ms. Burns gave him a stern look. “Come with me, Rufus.”

……

“I need to go help too. Goodbye, Arnold.” Mr. Weasley hurried off; he was also a member of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

“Goodbye, Arthur,” the wizard muttered. “What a beautiful day! I thought war had broken out!”

“Watch your words, Pisgood,” a cold voice said behind him. Arnold Pisgood turned around in surprise. “Yaxley?”

“It’s me,” Yaxley said. “Judging from your tone, you seem to be looking forward to war?”

The wizard's face flushed red, and he retorted loudly, "Nonsense!"

Yaxley chuckled coldly. "I hope you'll still be as resolute then as you are now." He turned and walked toward the fireplace embedded in the wall.

"Wait, where are you going?" the wizard shouted.

“I was ordered to guard Hogwarts,” he said without turning his head. “I came to pick up some things this morning, but I didn’t expect to see such a show.”

……

Ms. Burns and Scrimgeour arrived at the circular pool of the magic fountain. The splashing water around them drowned out their discussion. She asked in a low voice, "You've fought him before, you should have your own judgment, right?"

Scrimgeour didn't directly state his name. Leaning on his cane, he stared at the statues standing in the center of the pool—a group of solid gold statues, larger than life-size. The tallest among them was a noble-looking wizard, holding his wand aloft. Surrounding him were a beautiful witch, a centaur, a goblin, and a house-elf.

Centaurs, goblins, and house-elves all looked up at the two wizards with boundless adoration.

“That person not only disguised his face, but also his strength,” Scrimgeour stared at the house-elf statue, water gurgling from its ears. “At first, he displayed strength similar to Alastor before his retirement. I could tell he was a veteran with exceptional judgment. Perhaps to avoid revealing his identity, he used only conventional magic…”

He continued, "But that man's final blow was so amazing that I couldn't recognize what kind of magic it was."

Ms. Burns listened quietly, lost in thought. She gazed at the fountain and said slowly, "He shattered thousands of pieces of glass with just one strike... Do you think this is his normal ability, or an extraordinary performance?"

Scrimgeour hesitated for a moment, then said, “I think it’s the former. He’s very good at disguising himself.”

Ms. Burns looked at him seriously. "Based on your description, the number of people who meet the criteria is very limited. I only know two, no... maybe three. There are probably not many people abroad who could meet the criteria, and besides, it's unlikely they would break into the British Ministry of Magic without warning... I need evidence!"

Just then, a burly Auror walked over with a guard.

"Ms. Burns, Mr. Scrinker, Eric has an important lead to report!"

The two looked at Eric Munch at the same time. Eric trembled. "I, uh, I don't know if I'm right..."

“It’s alright, we will make the right judgment,” Ms. Burns reassured him.

"Well, last night when I was on duty—I saw someone, and I thought it was strange, but I didn't think much of it at the time—"

"Who did you see?" Scrimgeour asked in a deep voice.

"Yes, yes..." Eric stammered, his gaze passing over their backs as he saw a short, stout man striding aggressively towards him. His eyes widened: "Minister Fudge!"

……

"Sir, we have arrived at your destination," the driver said politely.

“Thank you,” Felix said wearily, paying the fare and getting out of the taxi. He took a ring from his pocket and put it on his finger. With a flash of light, a black wand and a brown amulet appeared in his hand.

He put away his spare wand and sat on a bench under a sycamore tree. A young mother was enjoying a leisurely morning pushing a stroller. The baby propped himself up with his chubby hands and looked around. When he saw Felix sitting on the chair, he looked at him curiously.

Felix winked at the baby, then flipped his hand to take out a bottle of potion and poured it into his mouth.

He stood up from the bench and walked towards a house, putting on his amulet and pressing it lightly twice; the color of his body gradually faded. Felix perked up, "Just one last step. You can definitely do it, Felix... It just requires transferring the energy; it won't take much time."

……

"Such a thing is true?" Voldemort asked softly, then sneered, "The Ministry of Magic has lost face this time."

"Master, should I reveal this?" Yaxley lowered his head and knelt on the ground, his magnificent, flowing robe, inlaid with gold thread, trailing on the ground.

“Not for now,” Voldemort said lazily. “You just need to subtly guide Fudge to turn his suspicious gaze toward our little boy…”

"Why?" Yaxley asked, then trembled violently. "I'm sorry, Master, I wasn't questioning you—"

Voldemort paced in front of him, and Yaxley lowered his head even further, only a pair of pale feet visible. Finally, those feet stopped in front of him. "M-Master?"

“I can answer that question,” Voldemort said softly. “Although you have never sought me out all these years, Yaxley… after I fell from power, you slipped into the enemy ranks, pretended to be innocent, and continued to enjoy your wealth and power… but when you saw me, you chose to return to my embrace the first time you saw me, so I am willing to forgive you.”

"Master..."

“I have a plan,” Voldemort said softly. “That little boy made a deep impression on me. Just when I was starting to make progress, he suddenly burst in and nearly destroyed everything. At that moment, I realized I couldn’t let him grow up…”

“Master, with your power, killing him would be a piece of cake.”

"Oh? Is that really so? If you truly believe this, why have you served the enemy with a clear conscience for so many years?"

Yaxley fell silent.

“I haven’t done anything during this time. I haven’t gathered the Death Eaters or regrouped my old followers. Before you, I only had one loyal servant by my side. You can think about why the great Dark Lord would hide like a rat?”

“I told that kid that even if he stands with Dumbledore, their relationship will break down if he goes against Dumbledore’s wishes even slightly… I look forward to that happening, and of course, if I have the chance, I wouldn’t mind killing him.”

“Yaxley, my friend,” Voldemort lowered his head and stared at Yaxley, “do what you’re supposed to do, and I’ll be waiting for my guest…”

……

"Someone's impersonating me?" Fudge exclaimed incredulously, his eyes wide in disbelief, in the Ministry of Magic's hall. He glanced around quickly and whispered, "That's impossible. I've never given my hair to anyone else!"

"It could also be a sophisticated technique of human body transformation," Ms. Burns said.

“That must be it,” Fudge immediately agreed, irritably stroking the button on his stomach as his gaze swept over Burns, Scrimgeour, the Auror, and the guards. “Don’t let this get out until the truth is out. Understand?”

“Then…” he held up his short, stubby fingers and gestured haphazardly in the air, “can anyone tell me what that person’s purpose was in breaking into the Ministry of Magic?”

“It’s not clear yet,” Scrinker said.

"Don't know?" Fudge repeated, staring at him wide-eyed. "Then what have you been doing all this time?"

“Wait for news, Your Excellency,” Scrimgeour said curtly. “There are two Auror squads outside right now, the best of them, investigating the whereabouts of the criminals.” He then gestured around, “The others are investigating the scene.”

"Are there any witnesses?" Fudge asked again.

Ms. Burns, Scrinker, and Auror all looked at Eric Munch, the guard on duty that night, and Fudge said angrily, "I want witnesses other than him! He can't testify to anything."

“Not yet, Fudge. We need time to gather evidence,” Ms. Burns said gently.

“Time, time… if those reporters find out, they’ll swarm us like flies.” Fudge said with a look of disgust, his eyes gleaming strangely. He muttered to himself in a barely audible voice, “No eyewitnesses?”

He left in a hurry, saying before he left, "I will be at Hogwarts this afternoon as a judge. I hope you can come up with one or two pieces of good news before then."

……

Grimoire Square.

“Young man, you look terrible. You’d better see a doctor,” a kind-looking old woman said to Felix with concern.

"Thanks, I'm fine," Felix mumbled.

“Oh, your face is whiter than my hair,” the old woman said, looking at him intently. “To be honest, I only see this unnatural grayish-white color on the dead… Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it.”

“It’s alright, ma’am,” Felix said patiently. “I just stayed up too late. I’ll be fine after a good night’s sleep.”

After persuading the enthusiastic old woman to leave, Felix walked towards the open space between numbers 11 and 13. His mind was foggy, but he still felt that the person from before looked familiar. Did he think he had given her a card with a spell on it?

He shook his head, trying to stay awake. He had recharged the converter in Hermione's body, at the cost of some of the hourglass he had obtained from the Ministry of Magic shattering into dust.

He himself was almost unable to use a single spell. Using his remaining rationality, he could guess that the Aurors were searching for him all over London, and Diagon Alley was out of the question, so he chose to get here using Muggle methods.

Felix squeezed with great difficulty into a thin wall of air, and his figure disappeared from the real world.

"The defensive magic hasn't been changed yet? That's great, Sirius." Felix said softly, and the next second, number 13 Grimmauld Place appeared before him.

"boom!"

An ugly, old, and frail house-elf suddenly appeared at the door. Kreacher said in a hoarse voice, "Welcome, my master's friend, mighty Mr. Felix Heap. My master is not home..."