Chapter 451: Scrimgeour
Chapter 451: Scrimgeour
Felix emerged from the Potions Classroom office, satisfied, and gazed out the window at the distance. It was late March, and the weather had become much warmer. The Forbidden Forest and the mountains in the distance were no longer just barren brown patches.
"Such beautiful weather, it would be a shame not to take a stroll in the Forbidden Forest", Felix muttered to himself. He cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself, stretched, and put on the silver cloak before taking off into the sky.
At the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Felix landed, and the silver cloak dissolved into a flurry of light points. He couldn't help but think, "Maybe one day, my introduction will include, 'co-researched the twelve uses of the Patronus Charm with Dumbledore'?"
The thought made him chuckle as he strolled through the Forbidden Forest. Up close, he noticed that despite the lingering chill, many plants were already pushing through the cold earth, sprouting tender buds.
He also spotted a patch of musk orchids.
Felix wandered around several areas in the Forbidden Forest, including the unicorn herd, the hippogriff flock, the thestrals, and of course, the Acromantula nest. Gogol's rule was relatively stable, especially with Felix as his "accomplice." Any Acromantula that showed signs of brutality met a grim fate.
In the evening, Felix transfigured a log he had picked up into a dog toy and gave it to Hagrid's hound, Fang.
Back at the castle, he ran into Professor Flitwick in the entrance hall. "Oh, Felix? Minerva was looking for you!" the tiny professor squeaked.
"Is something wrong?"
"Not sure... but she asked me to tell you to go to Dumbledore's office. The password is 'licorice root.' It happened about an hour ago."
"Alright." Felix shrugged and made his way to the small tower where the Headmaster's Office was located. After saying the password, the giant stone gargoyle moved aside, revealing the spiral staircase.
Felix knocked on the door, and the gleaming oak door opened automatically. He walked into the office, and in the circular room, he saw two people: Dumbledore sitting behind his desk, and another...
Felix squinted, seeing what appeared to be an old lion striding toward him, with tawny mane and bushy eyebrows flying, sharp yellow eyes, and even the strands of gray hair in his hair and his less agile legs did nothing to diminish his imposing presence.
A name came to mind—Rufus Scrimgeour, the head of the Auror Office, the right-hand man of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. However, at least publicly, he had never met Scrimgeour.
He turned to Dumbledore, "Headmaster Dumbledore? You called me here—"
"Oh", Dumbledore snapped back to attention, his long fingers steepled in front of him. He smiled and said, "According to the Ministry of Magic's schedule, Felix, you will have three visitors today..." He glanced at a memo on his desk, running his finger over it and flicking a piece of colored candy wrapper with his index finger.
"The first is Professor Marchbanks from the Wizarding Examinations Authority. She arrived an hour and a half ago, accompanied by Mr. Vera, the vice president of the Ancient Runes Association. They are currently taking a tour of the school with Minerva."
"Too bad you missed them", he said with a smile. "But don't worry, Professor Marchbanks told me she plans to stay at Hogwarts for a while, and I agreed."
Felix and Scrimgeour both stared at him. Scrimgeour, impatient, said, "Dumbledore! You know I have a busy schedule. I just need an answer... perhaps I should send an assistant, but this matter is too important, and I must confirm it myself."
"Alright", Dumbledore said with a slight sigh of regret, "The second visitor is the very Mr. Rufus Scrimgeour you see before you. You've probably heard of him. He read Mr. Diggory's essay in the newspaper and was greatly astonished by the phenomenon of Ancient Runes amplifying spells. Coincidentally, one of his subordinates is a trainee Auror..."
He looked at Scrimgeour, who was silent for a couple of seconds before speaking in a low voice, "Albert Bark."
Felix thought for a moment. "I seem to recall that name. Balk used to be an Assistant at the Dueling Club, but from what I know, his Ancient Runes weren't particularly impressive."
"He only verified the authenticity of some information", Scrimgeour said, his face devoid of any smile. After years of dealing with Dark Wizards, it seemed he had lost the ability to laugh. "Later, I saw the actual results from another young man. He managed to reproduce the points mentioned in the newspaper essay in less than half an hour. It was quite astonishing..."
"Which essay?" Felix interrupted.
"'Fire' Runic Script and the Fire Charm", Scrimgeour said stiffly. "And 'Water' and the Water-Making Charm."
Felix smiled. "I bet that young man is a Weasley."
"Percy Weasley. He is currently a senior assistant in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, responsible to Ludo Bagman and the Minister", Scrimgeour revealed some information Felix didn't know:
Barty Crouch's position was currently unfilled and had to be temporarily taken over by Fudge, with Bagman also lending a hand.
Percy Weasley would certainly like this arrangement, Felix thought.
"Let's speak plainly, Mr. Heap", Scrimgeour said. "I have a high regard for your magical prowess, and I appreciate your role in calming the chaos at the Quidditch World Cup... Given the current situation, we need to plan ahead... I would like to invite you to join the Ministry of Magic."
"Sorry, I didn't catch that?"
Felix was genuinely surprised. He had expected the head Auror to ask him to help train a batch of Aurors or Hit Wizards, but he hadn't anticipated that the man would want to recruit him entirely.
"The situation is not looking good, and Barty's incident has shaken the Ministry—" Scrimgeour suddenly stopped, turning to look at Dumbledore and exchanging a glance with him. "Fine", he muttered. "Since you know a fair bit, I might as well say more, but this is all confidential information..."
He limped to the window, gazing out at the distant Black Lake, but Felix felt that he was using his peripheral vision to observe him. He slightly turned his body, making a show of being all ears.
"The Ministry was once in a state of panic", Scrimgeour said. "I mean, those who are clever or good at reading the room and gathering information... They were terrified by Barty Crouch's behavior that morning, during working hours... People were coming and going..."
Felix imagined the normally impeccably dressed high officials of the Ministry of Magic suddenly appearing disheveled, their hair in disarray, running to the Ministry to turn themselves in. Anyone who saw them would be shocked.
"He looked as if he had been terribly tortured. Fudge was panic-stricken, and as usual, he was disappointing in handling the crisis. It was Amelia Bones who calmed everyone down and took Barty Crouch to a small meeting room... A few of us—me, Fudge, Bones, Thicknesse, and a few others—heard Barty Crouch's testimony... You can imagine how shocked we were!"
Felix didn't respond; he was already aware of most of this, and even knew that there was another person in the office at the time—Lucius Malfoy. Yes, Lucius himself held a position in the Ministry of Magic, though it was only a nominal advisory role with no actual responsibilities. However, with this title, he could meddle in many matters, especially since Fudge had taken office, and Lucius had donated large sums of money, making him a frequent guest of the Minister of Magic.
"Fortunately, the news was contained to avoid public panic..." Scrimgeour explained, continuing, "But only Fudge is still pretending that Crouch hasn't broken free from the spell, accusing him of spouting nonsense. Bones, Thicknesse, and I are well aware of the severity of the situation..."
"Mr. Scrimgeour, you're straying from the topic", Felix gently reminded him.
Scrimgeour glared at him, seemingly blaming him for interrupting his train of thought. He shook his mane-like, disheveled hair. "I'm getting to it... No one would be foolish enough to ignore the testimony of a high-ranking official, especially after we checked his wife's grave. It was horrifying—empty..."
"Empty?" Felix asked quickly.
"According to Barty, his wife begged him to use her to get their son back... A life for a life, using Polyjuice Potion. A clever move! A healthy person and a dying one entered Azkaban, and then they left, and no one knew the switch had been made", Scrimgeour's face showed a complex expression for the first time. Years ago, he had been one of Barty Crouch's supporters.
Felix suddenly understood how young Crouch had disappeared from the public eye and was confirmed "dead."
"If this is true, what reason do we have to disbelieve the other things? Although Fudge still rejects that possibility, both Pius Thicknesse and Amelia Bones are almost convinced..." He looked up at the deep blue sky, his thick eyebrows furrowed deeply. "A Death Eater has reunited with his master, plotting in the shadows to restore his power. However, since he sent his most trusted Death Eater to Hogwarts, it suggests that there is something he desperately needs here..."
"Dumbledore, was the Philosopher's Stone really destroyed?" Scrimgeour suddenly asked sharply.
From this, Felix deduced that Scrimgeour was not Dumbledore's ally. Dumbledore replied softly, "Of course, it was a decision made by Nicolas Flamel and his wife and me."
Felix was already aware of this and showed little surprise. However, when Scrimgeour's probing gaze turned to him, Felix was puzzled. "So, you don't have it either?"
Have what? Felix blinked, suddenly realizing Scrimgeour's true intention. The legacy of Nicolas Flamel—some in the Ministry of Magic might believe that the reason Voldemort has repeatedly been drawn to Hogwarts is because there is something here that can restore his power.
For example, a Philosopher's Stone that was not destroyed as promised, or a Philosopher's Stone inherited by someone else.
The former is connected to Dumbledore, and the latter naturally involves Felix.
"I did not inherit the Philosopher's Stone from Nicolas Flamel", Felix said, bowing slightly and becoming more distant.
But Scrimgeour's main objective was achieved, or so he believed. He continued, "In light of this, we realize that we must strengthen the Ministry of Magic. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement has decided to increase recruitment, especially for the Auror Office. We urgently need more talent."
Felix politely declined Scrimgeour's recruitment, despite the latter hinting that Felix would take over his position in a few years.
However, he did not refuse the invitation to train Aurors and Hit Wizards, which was also his desired outcome. "How about during the Easter break?" Scrimgeour asked.
"No problem", Felix said. "I need to prepare, including the identities, academic records, and magical specialties of those I will be training."
"You know these are confidential, right?" Scrimgeour immediately said sternly.
"I know, but I will find out eventually..." Felix said cheerfully. "I just want to avoid wasting both our time."
Scrimgeour stared at him with his terrifying yellow eyes for a moment. Just as Felix thought he was about to fall asleep, Scrimgeour said in a deep voice, "I will send a trusted person to bring you a copy of the files. You will read them and destroy them on the spot—excluding the confidential archives!"
"Agreed." Felix extended his hand, and Scrimgeour, limping, walked over and shook it firmly with his rough, large hand.
When the hard-nosed head of the Aurors left the office, Felix sat down on the sofa unceremoniously. "He seems ambitious."
"Indeed", Dumbledore said slowly, fiddling with a silver ornament on the desk. "It's obvious, and in a way, it's not a bad thing. He senses the war coming and sees it as an opportunity... but there are still many obstacles in his path: Amelia Bones, Pius Thicknesse... and if Barty Crouch Sr. hadn't been imprisoned in Azkaban, he would be one too. The war will make people nostalgic for the iron-fisted department head."
"Do you mean he's overambitious?" Felix asked sharply. Scrimgeour didn't seem weak; he appeared to be a man of action.
"I fear he underestimates the horror of war", Dumbledore murmured. "Yes, he experienced the war from over a decade ago, fighting Death Eaters to the death, but by luck or misfortune, he never faced Voldemort directly... They still haven't realized the key point: Voldemort comes first, then the Death Eaters. Once Voldemort is gone, the Death Eaters are like lost, helpless beasts with no place to hide."
"Ah." Felix lowered his head in thought. After a while, he looked up and asked a question he had been pondering: "Albus, have you really defeated Voldemort?"
(End of Chapter)
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