Chapter 118: Silencer
Chapter 118: Silencer
"The Centaur I caught on my last mission, the one who was smuggling and selling prohibited magical creature eggs, has been released."
Harry vaguely heard a rough female voice speaking.
"When I caught him, he threatened me, saying he would make me pay once he got out. So, I hit him with a Dancing Spell, making his four legs dance for an hour until he collapsed from exhaustion."
Another lighter voice chimed in, the speaker seemingly very close, right above him.
"I've never seen a Centaur before! I've always heard that the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts is home to the largest Centaur tribe in the Wizarding World. But I've never ventured in to see them. Professor Dumbledore never let us sneak in. I always thought Centaurs were half-human, half-horse, like this."
Harry frowned, feeling the coldness spreading through his body. The two women's voices helped clear the fog in his mind slightly, and he struggled to open his eyes.
"Hey! He seems to be waking up, Tonks!"
Tonks bent down, and her face came into view, meeting Harry's gaze as he lay on her lap. She gave him what she thought was a very friendly smile.
The moment Harry opened his eyes, he saw a massive horse face!
Not just a long face, but a real, literal horse face!
The face had a head of fashionable bright pink curls, large, wide eyes, and a terrifying grin.
Staring at the grotesque creature, Harry's face turned blank, his gaze gradually becoming more vacant. The relentless shock to his brain left him in a state of mental blankness, and he passed out again, his head tilting to the side.
"You scared him, Tonks!"
The masked Auror, Flora, noticed Harry's condition and shouted in alarm.
Tonks then realized her face was still contorted into a horse's face. She quickly restored it to its normal shape and began slapping Harry's face, pleading.
"Come on, Harry, wake up! If Shacklebolt finds out you scared him into unconsciousness again, he'll kill me!"
But Harry showed no signs of waking up. His subconscious seemed to sense the strangeness of the day, preferring to remain unconscious rather than face the impending doom.
Tonks even tried an Awakening Charm, but it only counters a Stunning Spell. Unfortunately, Harry wasn't under a Stunning Spell, so the charm had no effect.
"Maybe he needs some hot cocoa. It usually works well for those who have been scared by Dementors."
Desperate to make amends, Tonks hurriedly brought the cup of hot cocoa to Harry's mouth, but she accidentally spilled some on his hair!
"Look what you've done, Tonks!" Flora screamed.
"I, I didn't mean to! I'm sorry, Harry! It's not too hot, I'll clean it up with a Cleaning Charm right away!"
Meanwhile, Sherlock was completely unaware of Harry's ordeal.
He and Kingsley were still in the case investigation room, discussing the living dead.
"Perhaps what the Dementor said can be a clue", Sherlock mused. "You mentioned the Dementor leader said they could sense a terrifying entity landing on the British Isles?"
Kingsley nodded. "That's exactly what it said."
"An entity that can terrify a Dementor", Sherlock shook his head. "That's hard to imagine, especially if it's not a native magical creature. Even today, there are many unknown dark creatures in the Wizarding World. We've discovered perhaps eighty percent of all magical species, and the same likely applies to dark creatures, meaning at least twenty percent are still unknown to us."
Kingsley was silent for a moment before sighing.
"The critical issue is that we have no idea about this creature's behavior. It seems to consume souls indiscriminately, whether Muggle or Wizard. We don't know if or when it will strike again, who the next victim will be, or where they will be."
Sherlock fell silent, recognizing the gravity of the situation. They not only had no idea what species they were dealing with but also had no grasp of its patterns.
Just as the room fell into silence, the door to the case investigation room was suddenly pushed open.
A tall, sharp-featured Auror with chestnut hair and bushy eyebrows, looking as alert and formidable as an old lion, walked in.
"Mr. Scrimgeour", Kingsley greeted him with a respectful bow.
The newcomer was the Head of the Auror Office at the Ministry of Magic and the leader of all British Aurors—Rufus Scrimgeour.
Regardless of what anyone might say behind his back, Kingsley always showed Scrimgeour the utmost respect, as he was his direct superior.
Scrimgeour nodded and turned his gaze to Sherlock.
"Forrest is here too."
"He has delved deeply into the study of dark magical creatures, so I asked him to help investigate the situation."
"Yes, I’ve always known about his talent in this area. I rejected his numerous requests to join combat missions, but I never expected that just over a year later, he would resign."
Scrimgeour and Sherlock exchanged glances, and Sherlock shrugged.
"Sorry, Director, teaching at Hogwarts is my true aspiration. Working at the Ministry of Magic is just a means of living."
"Though I don’t like to hear it, it’s clearly your honest opinion." Scrimgeour pushed the door open and invited three wizards inside.
"You don’t need to investigate this case anymore, Shacklebolt. Some guests will take over."
Sherlock and Kingsley turned to look at the three wizards who followed Scrimgeour in.
Two male wizards and a witch entered. The male wizards had stern, unsmiling faces and wore black robes that differed from those of the British Ministry of Magic. They looked like very rigid individuals.
The witch, however, was someone Sherlock recognized. She wore a black robe with a wide hood that covered the upper half of her face, revealing only a few strands of silver-gray hair.
She was the strange German witch, Silke, whom Dumbledore had asked Sherlock to accompany to the Forbidden Forest at the end of the semester.
Kingsley looked at the three wizards in surprise. "Who are these individuals?"
Scrimgeour introduced them.
"These two are Aurors from the German Ministry of Magic, André Henry and Atrich Hasse. This lady is a Silencer from the Department of Mysteries of the German Ministry of Magic, Vera Silke."
The two Aurors didn’t leave much of an impression on Kingsley, but when he learned Silke’s identity, his expression became noticeably more serious.
Silencer.
This was one of the most mysterious professions in the magical world, regardless of the country. The British Ministry of Magic’s Department of Mysteries had an unknown number of Silencers who studied the most incomprehensible aspects of the Wizarding World. No one knew who they were.
This was the first Silencer Kingsley had ever seen in his many years at the Ministry, and she was from a foreign country.
Scrimgeour glanced at the six living dead bodies on the bed and continued.
"The perpetrator of this incident in Britain actually escaped from Germany. These three are here to handle it, so it’s no longer our concern. Germany has agreed to cover all our losses. The command center is short-staffed right now, so focus on the Black case. That’s what we need to prioritize."
Kingsley glanced at the two German Aurors. He wasn’t the type to dwell on details, and since the matter was being handled by others, he didn’t ask any more questions.
"Do I need to go through any handover procedures?"
"They know more about the perpetrator than you can imagine, so there’s no need. Just leave it to them."
Kingsley nodded and prepared to leave with Sherlock. As they passed Silke, Sherlock greeted her quietly.
"Good to see you again, ma’am."
Silke seemed to nod slightly in response.
After leaving the investigation room, Kingsley asked in surprise.
"You know that German Silencer?"
Sherlock shrugged.
"I only met her once at Hogwarts. She had a family member buried in the Forbidden Forest, and Dumbledore asked me to show her the way."
Kingsley sighed lightly and nodded.
"It’s a relief we don’t have to worry about this. I have a feeling it’s not as simple as it seems."
"Even if it is, it’s not our problem anymore." Sherlock placed a hand on his shoulder, and they headed toward the Auror Office together. "You should treat us to a good meal tonight, with Harry."
Kingsley laughed. "I should thank you properly."
"It’s not about thanking me, but compensating Harry for his birthday."
"Those two things don’t conflict."
After they left, Silke stood silently to one side while the two German Aurors, Henry and Hasse, examined the victims.
"It’s definitely it. The first five victims were Muggles, and the most recent victim was a wizard. This indicates that its power is growing, and its appetite is increasing", Hasse said coldly.
Henry added solemnly, "It’s moving too fast, and we can’t understand why it didn’t flee to the island but came to Britain instead."
At that moment, Silke finally spoke, her voice clear and ethereal.
"Its destination is Hogwarts."
(End of Chapter)
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