Chapter 1299: A Death Eater's Ally
Chapter 1299: A Death Eater's Ally
"Madam!"
A hesitant figure stood outside the office of the Muggle-born Registration Commission. After hesitating for a moment, Mafalda Hopkirk raised her hand and knocked on the wooden door.
"What is it, Mafalda?"
Umbridge offered a fake smile to her assistant.
"Well..." Mafalda started, then stopped.
"Spit it out!" Umbridge said, raising an eyebrow.
"It's about those students from Hogwarts," Mafalda said, her voice filled with anxiety. "The Misuse of Magic Office has reported a large number of them for violating the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery."
Mafalda was clearly uneasy about reporting this to her superior, aware of the potential dire consequences. But if she wanted to keep her job at the Ministry, she had no other choice.
"You think it's those students who were expelled from Hogwarts?" Umbridge asked, her eyes narrowing as realization dawned on her.
"It seems they don't intend to accept the Ministry's goodwill and report to the Muggle-born Registration Committee," she added, looking up at her assistant. "Can the Misuse of Magic Office track their locations?"
"I-I don't know," Mafalda stammered, her anxiety evident. "I came here as soon as I received the message."
"I need the Misuse of Magic Office to keep tracking them," Umbridge said, getting up from her seat. "If Fudge asks, tell him it's my request." She made her way to the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol and spoke to Yaxley about the matter.
"You think those Muggle-born students are running amok." Yaxley frowned, having gained a new appreciation for Umbridge's ruthlessness during their months of working together.
"I think the Snatchers should handle this," Umbridge said with a smile. "Since Scrimgeour's death, most of the Aurors can't be trusted. The fact that they let a prisoner escape last time is proof that they might deliberately go easy on Muggle-borns."
"You're right," Yaxley agreed. "Those Muggle-borns have repeatedly violated the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery. Breaking their wands and sending them to Azkaban is where they belong." He added with a malicious glint in his eye, "However, the Ministry is fair. I hope that after we catch them, we can give them a fair trial."
As far as Yaxley knew, many witches and wizards who underwent Umbridge's "fair trial" met their end soon after entering Azkaban.
Umbridge had a penchant for using the Cruciatus Curse to interrogate prisoners and extract confessions before their trials. Those unfortunate souls, weakened by the Cruciatus Curse, often didn't last long in the harsh conditions of Azkaban.
Sometimes, Yaxley was amazed that Umbridge wasn't a Death Eater herself.
"They will receive the fairest and most just trial," Umbridge assured him with a false smile.
The two set off together toward the Misuse of Magic Office to oversee the matter personally. After all, ever since the Ministry established the Muggle-born Registration Committee and began prosecuting Muggle-borns, not many were foolish enough to show up at the Ministry for their trials.
"Rufus, I hope to hear some good news from you," Yaxley said to the notorious fence-sitter, Rufus Fudge. With the Death Eaters suffering heavy losses, they had no choice but to recruit new blood, and bringing in the once-resistant Fudge family was a signal from the Dark Lord that he was willing to forgive past transgressions.
In fact, Cornelius Fudge, controlled by the Imperius Curse, was also working for the Ministry.
Rufus Fudge, ever the sycophant, looked at his superior and said, "It's due to Disapparition, Rufus. All those students whose traces reacted used Disapparition."
"Oh?" Yaxley raised an eyebrow. "And what have you discovered?"
"The traces reacted densely in one particular area," Fudge said, pointing to a location on the map and handing Yaxley a parchment with additional information. "Undoubtedly, that group of underage wizards has been gathered together. This is almost impossible unless..."
"...someone is providing them shelter," Umbridge finished with a broad smile. "Perhaps we should send an invitation for them to come to the Ministry for an interview with the Muggle-born Registration Committee."
"I'll have Dolohov lead a team there, and send two Snatcher squads to assist him," McNair said, frowning. "If necessary, I can lead the team myself."
As one of the few surviving old-time Death Eaters, McNair had also secured a large piece of the pie in this power-grabbing game.
Having been promoted several levels from the Magical Creature Management and Control Committee, he was now in charge of the Auror Office.
"I bet this has something to do with the Order of the Phoenix," Yaxley said, putting down the parchment and staring at the map of Britain before him.
"So, we really can't find any records of Muggle-borns now?" Umbridge asked, a hint of concern in her voice.
"Unfortunately, according to Percy Weasley's report, all related records in the Ministry have been destroyed by Scrimgeour," Umbridge replied.
"Is that Weasley fellow reliable?" Yaxley frowned.
"He should be. Percy Weasley fell out with his family years ago; he's a young man hungry for power."
Umbridge was familiar with Percy and had dealt with him before; he was an ambitious individual.
Yaxley fell silent for a moment, contemplating the destruction of the Muggle-born records. While it fulfilled the Dark Lord's mission, it now made it more challenging to search for Muggle-borns hiding among Muggles.
Undoubtedly, it was necessary to flush out these rats from their holes.
"Perhaps we should start with Hogwarts," Umbridge suggested, glancing at Yaxley. "Snape is an old friend of ours, after all. Hogwarts should have the relevant records since they send letters to those people every year."
Sensing Yaxley's lukewarm relationship with Snape, Umbridge took the initiative, "Leave this to me. Even if Snape can't help, we can still leverage the Ministry's power. We'll find a way. Perhaps Scrimgeour could hide or destroy that list, but he couldn't possibly get rid of everyone who knew about it. As long as someone is still alive, we can use our methods to extract the information we need from them."
"As always, you are dependable. This task is yours."
Yaxley looked at Umbridge with a hint of surprise as she took on the task willingly. He nodded in agreement; he appreciated subordinates who made his life easier.
That afternoon, they received a report from Dolohov.
The Auror squad had failed to locate any other Muggle-borns near the specified location.
However, they had employed tracking magic, and all signs indicated that the group was nearby, possibly hiding. But the Ministry's team couldn't find their hideout, and they suspected that the group was holed up in a house protected by the Unbreakable Vow.
"That's right, I remember now," Yaxley said, as if struck by a realization. "That's the headquarters of the Defense Association."
"Defense Association?" Umbridge echoed, trying to recall where she had heard that name before.
"The organization founded by that Mudblood?" McNair frowned, suddenly feeling that this matter was more complicated than it seemed.
"It's definitely protected by the Unbreakable Vow, which is why the Trace Detection Charm didn't reveal that location, and Dolohov couldn't find them," Yaxley deduced.
"So, that Mudblood is providing shelter to those Muggle-born witches and wizards?" Umbridge asked, her brow furrowed as she heard the name. Her impression of Albert was far from favorable.
"Most likely," Yaxley replied. "We captured Diggory's son, and he revealed the location of the Defense Association's headquarters under interrogation. I sent people there, but we found nothing. Surprisingly, he wasn't lying. If that is their headquarters, it's not surprising that it's protected by the Unbreakable Vow. That guy is more than capable of doing so."
"Should we send more people to monitor the area?" McNair asked, seeking Yaxley's opinion.
To be honest, he didn't want to provoke that Mudblood. Many had tried before, and it hadn't ended well for them.
Although Scrimgeour was dead, Albert Anderson remained a formidable opponent. Even the Dark Lord himself had failed to kill him on multiple occasions.
Many suspected he would be the next Dumbledore.
Perhaps that Mudblood wasn't quite as powerful as the old man had been, but even if he was weaker, he was still beyond their capabilities, especially considering he was a Prophecy Master—a title that made him even more dangerous.
Albert had made it clear, through the lives of countless Death Eaters, that he was not to be trifled with.
"Send a few people to keep an eye on them and see how they react. In the meantime, we need to speed up our search for the Muggle-born families expelled from Hogwarts. It would be best if we could act before they take anyone else with them."
Whether it was for control or to send them to Azkaban, they needed to act quickly.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
