Chapter 1218: Fallout
Chapter 1218: Fallout
Truman could almost taste the sour lemons as his colleagues at the Ministry discussed the allocation of accommodations in the shelters in recent days.
After the high-ranking officials of the Ministry moved into Shelter No. 1, there had been much debate in the wizarding community, with many who didn't get a place complaining about the arrangement. They believed that the shelters should be reserved for employees who were more likely to be targeted by Death Eaters and mysterious wizards, rather than the Ministry elite.
Of course, there were also quite a few employees discussing when Shelter No. 2 would be completed.
Hearing two of his colleagues grumbling about the unfairness of it all, Truman merely smiled and didn't engage. He was well aware that he had little chance of being allocated a place in the shelters.
After all, he was a Muggle-born wizard.
During his time at the Ministry, Truman had come to understand the inner workings and the pervasive discrimination, especially towards Muggle-born wizards. Without any connections, advancement and pay raises were difficult, and one could only languish in their current position for their entire career.
With a smile, he bade his colleagues farewell and left the Ministry amidst their whispers.
He had no interest in engaging with these boring individuals. After all, he wouldn't be staying at the Ministry for much longer, so why waste his time on them?
It wasn't worth it.
Truman bought some fish and chips from a nearby Muggle fast-food restaurant and ate hastily before returning to the rented house he now called home.
The new place was a bit out of the way and rather dilapidated, but Truman didn't regret moving out of his family home. He had to avoid the possibility of inadvertently endangering his family one day.
Death Eaters were capable of such things.
They didn't just target Muggles; they would kill ordinary wizarding families too.
Truman hoped to get a place in the shelters, but it was clear that such good fortune was unlikely to come his way. Fortunately, he had a reliable good friend, and once the house on the other side was built, he would move in there. It would be a new beginning for him, and he could then look for a new job, making his life in the wizarding world much easier.
Turning on the television and listening to the news, Truman made himself a cup of tea and casually browsed the latest issue of the Prophet. A piece of news on the front page caught his attention: someone had gone missing.
In an era when mysterious people were rampant, disappearances weren't uncommon.
But for some reason, Truman felt uneasy, feeling that he might have seen the photo of the missing person in the newspaper somewhere before.
It was someone rather famous.
Albert would definitely recognize him.
Wait, Albert! Truman remembered where he had seen the person—at Albert's wedding.
This...
A growing sense of foreboding filled him.
Just then, the scrying mirror on his desk, used for surveillance, suddenly began to spin and let out a warning whistle.
Something was wrong.
Truman almost jumped off the sofa, his anxiety increasing. He fumbled for his wand and pointed it at the door.
"No, calm down, calm down. In this situation, I should..."
Truman took a deep breath and tried to recall what Albert had taught him, searching for a way to respond.
However, the increasingly rapid footsteps disrupted his thoughts, and his hand shook as he held his wand.
A moment later, the door was flung open from the outside, and a group of strangers barged in. They waved their wands around the empty room and, seeing no one, flew into a rage.
"He got away?"
The leader, a male wizard, was annoyed. He raised his wand and reduced the table and scrying mirror to dust, leaving the room silent.
"After him! He can't have gone far."
The group rushed out.
Seeing them leave in a hurry, Truman breathed a sigh of relief. However, he didn't crawl out from under the bed because the detection pocket watch in his pocket was still hot, indicating that the enemy was nearby.
This was likely a trap.
Sure enough, after about ten seconds, they rushed back in. It seemed that their previous departure had been a ploy to lure him out, and it had obviously failed.
"The Mudblood got away?"
"Unlikely. Don't forget, apparition is forbidden in the area, and there have been people watching the place. He hasn't been seen leaving."
The speaker scanned the room sharply and sneered, "He must be hiding. He probably used a Disillusionment Charm. That Mudblood is probably still in this room, too scared to come out and attack with so many of us here."
"Are you sure?"
Although they had also joined as Voldemort's minions, their actual intention was to fish for their own benefits.
As long as they caught the damn Mudblood, each of them would receive a reward of at least ten Galleons.
No wonder they were turning the place upside down, as if they would stop at nothing to find the hiding person.
"No one's here!"
The group searched every inch of the room but still couldn't find their target.
"What about under the bed?" someone asked.
The group exchanged glances and pointed their wands under the bed.
"Are you going to come out on your own, or do we have to drag you out?" they said, as if they were certain their target was hiding under the bed.
Damn it! Truman realized he had walked into a trap.
After casting a Disillusionment Charm on himself, he had crawled under the bed, knowing that his captors would likely search the entire room if they were cautious.
Even with the Disillusionment Charm, his physical body was still there.
He gritted his teeth and reached for his pocket, intending to use the Felix Felicis that Albert had provided, hoping that it would help him get through this difficult situation.
However, it was too late. Several Stunning Spells hit Truman under the bed, causing him to lose all ability to resist.
"Look, we've finally found the little mouse hiding here."
The leader of the group pulled Truman out from under the bed by his hair. "If you had cooperated earlier, you wouldn't have suffered so much. Unfortunately, you wasted a lot of our time, so... Cruciatus Curse."
Truman grunted and endured the pain of the Cruciatus Curse.
"Alright, enough playing. They're still waiting for us on the other side. Let's get this guy over there and exchange him for Galleons!" someone reminded.
They were worried that something unexpected might happen, so they wanted to exchange the captive for Galleons as soon as possible.
Just as they were leaving the room, one of them suddenly collapsed, and the corridor was immediately filled with black smoke.
"Damn it, this is a trap!"
The leader was about to stab his wand into Truman's neck. What angered them the most was that they had fallen into their own trap—apparition was forbidden in this apartment building.
"Well, the Ministry is really ruthless, trying to trade our lives for yours." Truman sighed softly, thinking that Albert must have come to rescue him, but now that he was in their hands, he had to think of a way to avoid becoming a burden.
After a brief moment of shock, they heard a sharp crying sound, followed by the black-robed wizards falling to the ground one after another.
Soon, the crying stopped.
Fred and George, wearing earmuffs, were collecting the Mandrake roots they had used as weapons.
"See, I told you this stuff is powerful and catches people off guard."
George stuffed the flowerpot back into the box and tied up the unconscious Death Eaters with ropes, not forgetting to modify their memories.
Albert didn't want too many people to know that they were using Mandrake roots as weapons, lest others learn from it and turn it against them.
After Fred confiscated their wands and tied up the unfortunate captives, he suddenly asked, "Do you think the others might be in danger too?"
"I don't know. Are you worried about Angelina?" George asked with a smile.
"I kind of regret involving her in the Defense Association."
"Is it over?" Cedric appeared in the corridor with several stunned captives. "There are only three of them left, and we've taken care of them."
"What about Lee Jordan?" Fred asked.
"He's here."
Lee Jordan, who was in his invisible state, patted Fred's shoulder.
"Is he alright?"
Cedric was a little worried about Truman's situation.
"Don't worry, the cry of an immature Mandrake root is not lethal. It will just put them to sleep for a few hours at most." George reassured them, "We should inform the Ministry now and let them take these guys into custody."
"I'm more worried that the others might be affected by this."
The four of them fell silent.
They couldn't be sure how much information those fanatics had extracted from the old man's mind.
Once the mysterious people went completely insane and decided to target everyone who attended Albert's wedding, regardless of their involvement in the Defense Association, everyone would be in danger.
(End of Chapter)
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