Chapter 285: False Memories
Chapter 285: False Memories
In the corridor, Felix asked, "That woman came yesterday too?"
"Twice", Professor Mcgonagall said meaningfully, "So this time she brought out the big guns from the Ministry of Magic."
At the door of the Deputy Headmaster's Office, Tonks was examining her face in a polished, gleaming suit of armor. She held her breath, her face puffing up into a round, bloated ball.
Her hair, originally bubblegum pink, quickly turned a deep brown.
"Tonks—"
Tonks turned her head toward the voice, her eyes crossing, "P-Professor Mcgonagall!" She was startled and quickly patted her head to restore everything to normal, "I, uh... was a bit bored, so I came out for some fresh air."
"I can see that, Tonks. Is she still inside?" Mcgonagall asked.
"Still in there, that's why I feel like I can't breathe", Tonks said. She noticed Professor Mcgonagall's companion, Felix, "Hello, Felix."
"Hello, Tonks", Felix nodded at her, "Shall we go in together?"
"Oh, no thanks", Tonks declined, then added, "You might want to cast a Bubble-Head Charm on yourself—just kidding."
Felix pushed the door open and suddenly understood Tonks's meaning. The room was filled with a sickly sweet perfume scent, and pink bubbles floated in the air.
A pink bubble suddenly burst, releasing a cloud of pink mist and a strong fragrance. Felix frowned.
"Oh, my goodness, what have you done to my office—" Mcgonagall was speechless. Umbridge stood up, her wide mouth splitting into a grin, "Minerva, I've been waiting for so long, so I found something to do. I told Cory that I had the latest Holtz perfume—before it's even released." She giggled.
Mcgonagall's face hardened, "If you don't get rid of these bubbles, I will." She quickly walked to the window, taking deep breaths of fresh air.
Umbridge pulled a small, ornate bottle from her pocket and tapped the bottle's mouth with her wand. The floating bubbles flew into the bottle, "I recommend you try it, of course, in three months..."
Professor Mcgonagall discreetly rolled her eyes, deciding it was better not to see. She left with the young Ministry employee named Cory.
The sweet scent lingered in the air. Felix waved his wand, creating a whirlwind that cleared out the pink, fragrant air.
"Ms. Umbridge?" he sat down across from her, "I hear you're looking for me."
"Of course, dear", Umbridge said, her hands folded together, speaking politely, "Where shall we begin? Minister Fudge has mentioned you several times, a young talent, the future of the wizarding world."
"Please thank him for me, Ms. Umbridge. You've come at an inconvenient time; I still have several hundred students waiting for me."
Umbridge's tone was soft, "You mean the small competition within the school? Yes, Minerva told me that's one of the excuses. Oh, Mr. Felix, let me finish. I bring a clear order from Minister Fudge, not empty words... every word I say represents Minister Fudge's own intentions."
Felix's lips curled into a smile, "So, you're here to give me orders on behalf of Fudge?"
"It's Minister Fudge", Umbridge corrected, "I think you lack respect for authority, a common problem at Hogwarts. Oh, I digress. I found an interesting fact, Mr. Felix is also a children's author, one of whom—"
She pulled a book from her pocket, flipping through a page with her thick fingers, smugly saying, "Is it a comic strip? Truly full of childlike wonder. If I hadn't checked, I wouldn't have known that Mr. Felix has been in contact with the Ministry of Magic for a long time."
"So what?" Felix smiled, "I'm also a recipient of St. Mungo's Medical Badge, a candidate for the Order of Merlin, and I maintain correspondence with members of the Wizengamot and high-ranking officials from several countries' Ministries of Magic..."
Umbridge's smile faded.
“... But that doesn’t explain much. I voluntarily gave up some so-called connections,” Felix said, “to avoid unnecessary socializing.”
“Then why did you come to Hogwarts to teach? If you wanted—”
“No, I didn’t want to,” Felix glanced at her, “that’s my answer. Let’s get to the point. I have about... seven minutes.”
Umbridge’s hand trembled as she gripped her wand, the old rings on her fingers creaking. It wasn’t out of fear, but anger. Her chest heaved, like a bloated toad’s belly.
But she spoke softly, “Then let’s begin, Mr. Hep.”
“Where is Sirius Black now?”
“Who knows? Maybe with his accomplices.”
“Didn’t you catch him?”
“Obviously not.”
“However, someone saw you apparating away with him. Can I interpret that as you helping him? I’ve heard you’re good friends with Damocles Belby and a favored student of Severus Snape, both Potion Masters. It wouldn’t be hard for you to get Polyjuice Potion.”
Felix burst out laughing. He had just told Professor Mcgonagall he would use Polyjuice Potion to question the Ministry of Magic, and now the blame was already on him.
He said, “I could have made you produce evidence, and if you couldn’t, I would have given you a lesson you wouldn’t forget, to show you some things shouldn’t be said lightly.” He was pleased to see Umbridge’s eyes bulge as she glared at him. “But I think it’s better to show you the scene from that night, so you won’t bother me again in the future...”
Felix stared at her, and a series of images flashed through his eyes.
“This is—? I warn you, kidnapping a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Magic—” Umbridge screeched, panicking as she looked around. They were in a forest clearing, and she saw ‘Felix’ and ‘Sirius’ locked in combat.
“Didn’t you want to know what happened?”
Then, she witnessed a wizard’s battle, not just a simple exchange of spells, but a spectacular display of magic. Flames, thunder, and various magical lights intertwined and clashed.
Trees snapped, and boulder-sized rocks whistled past her, leaving a sharp, deafening roar in her ears.
‘Felix’ held a ball of bright fire in his hand, ancient symbols faintly visible. In the next second, the fire spread like a flood, engulfing the entire forest. The magical flames surged from hundreds of feet away, incinerating everything in their path—trees, rocks, all turned to ash in the blink of an eye, reaching them in an instant.
Umbridge let out a piercing scream as the fire swallowed her whole...
“Ah—”
Umbridge screamed and jumped up, still in Professor Mcgonagall’s office. It was all fake, she kept telling herself, the flames reflected in her eyes.
She heard Felix’s voice continue as if he hadn’t noticed her distress, “Sirius is truly terrifying, isn’t he? I suggest you send more Aurors after him...”
Umbridge swallowed hard, resettling herself, “I, cough, cough! Is this what happened? If I wanted you to testify—”
“I must remind you, memories can be fabricated. The Wizengamot court won’t accept them as evidence, so you can consider what I just showed you as a joke,” Felix said.
Umbridge stared at him, speechless, as he continued, “The question now is, do you believe I can do what you saw in the memory?”
Believe? She didn’t want to, but the memory felt too real. Every time she tried to deny it, the image of being engulfed by the sea of fire would flash before her eyes.
She hurriedly ended the questioning, dragging her plump body out of the office, muttering, “Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Hep.”
She desperately needed her cute teacup and colorful ribbons to soothe her battered soul. Today, she didn’t want to do anything.
Felix propped up his legs and couldn’t help but think, “Who says the Mind Chamber has no offensive capabilities? It’s pretty good for scaring people.”
(End of Chapter)
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