Chapter 453: Preparation
Chapter 453: Preparation
Liam and Hermione left the Headmaster's Office and went straight to the Hospital Wing to visit their friends who had fought alongside them at the Ministry of Magic. The Weasley siblings were delighted to see Liam and Hermione unharmed. Liam explained that he and Hermione had only been missing for two days due to a strange Magic from the Department of Mysteries, and when they awoke, they found themselves on the streets of London three days later.
Everyone accepted this explanation. Ron informed them that they weren't the only ones missing after the battle in the Department of Mysteries. The Death Eaters had it worse, with five of their members disappearing. Besides the fathers of Crabbe and Goyle, the missing also included Selwyn, an unknown Albanian Dark Wizard, and a Werewolf.
Liam nodded slightly. After emerging from the archway, he had immediately contacted Rose Crystal, who had followed his orders to withdraw and take the bodies with her. The missing individuals Ron mentioned matched exactly with the bodies Rose Crystal had taken.
Among these bodies, the Werewolf's was the most important to Liam. With this specimen, his research on Werewolves could advance significantly.
"The only bad news is that Umbridge, that old woman, managed to return to work at the Ministry of Magic unscathed", Fred said, his mood sour. "Even though all her misdeeds at Hogwarts have been exposed."
"Doesn't she face any punishment at all?" Hermione asked, puzzled. "Using a Black Magic Quill to torture students is illegal, right? Isn't there a Wizard law against using Dark Magic to cause harm?"
"There is", George nodded. "But the Pure-blood Wizards at the Ministry of Magic insist that Umbridge was just being a bit too harsh while carrying out Ministry orders. They also claim that the damage caused by Dark Magic is irreversible, so the quill isn't considered a Dark Magic item. However, the Ministry did offer compensation, giving each punished student between ten and eighty Galleons."
"So that's it?" Hermione was speechless at the Ministry's handling of the situation. "What's the point of having Wizard laws if they're just going to be ignored?"
"Well, besides the Secrecy Act and a few other Wizard laws, the rest aren't taken seriously by Wizards", Ron said with a sarcastic smile. "Most laws are created by specific departments. For example, my father makes laws about regulating Muggle item enchantments. From what I know, he left several loopholes in his laws to make it easier for him to study Muggle things. If we follow that logic, the Purebloods must have left a lot of loopholes in the laws to benefit themselves."
"Hearing that, I'm glad I didn't choose to work at the Ministry of Magic", Hermione said, feeling that her decision during career counseling was right. Wizards needed to change from the ground up. Working directly at the Ministry would only allow her to make minor changes with the support of certain Wizard families, not achieve her dream of transforming the Magic World.
"Yeah, we can only make changes bit by bit, starting from the basics", Liam agreed.
"Of course, although Umbridge is cunning and most of her victims weren't influential Pure-blood Wizard families, the Ministry's complete failure has backfired on her. To calm the victims and show their determination, the Ministry of Magic has reassigned Umbridge to Northern Europe. She's now the Nordic Non-Human Liaison. If everything goes as planned, she should have arrived there today", George raised an eyebrow.
"That doesn't sound like much of a punishment", Liam frowned.
"Not really", Fred laughed. "This department was only established the day Umbridge left Hogwarts, and she's the only one in it. It's essentially a form of exile, but they've given it a nice name to save face for the Ministry. After all, she offended the First White Wizard, and no one at the Ministry wants to risk conflict with Dumbledore over a Wizard with no background and who isn't popular with most people."
"It's just too realistic. The most fundamental rule in the Magic World is still that the one with the biggest fists has the final say. The Ministry of Magic clearly didn't protect this loyal dog because their fists weren't as big as Dumbledore's." Liam thought, exchanging a glance with Hermione. The soul bond between them allowed Liam to faintly sense that Hermione had the same thoughts.
After a bit more idle chatter, Liam and the others were ushered out by Madam Pomfrey. The school healer believed that the patients needed more rest, and prolonged conversation wouldn't help their recovery. As they were pushed out the door, they saw Fred and George making a face at each other.
In the following days, everyone enjoyed the leisure time at the end of the term. During this period, Hermione seemed a bit preoccupied. Liam naturally noticed this, so he made the necessary preparations. For example, one evening, he ran to the Multiverse General Store, where he handed over the golden sand grains he had obtained from a certain Time-Turner to Teacher Luo Zhen. On another occasion, he made a trip to Middle-earth to custom-order something.
He first went to Mirkwood to gather some raw materials, then headed to Lonely Mountain. After hearing Liam's request, Thorin Oakenshield confidently stated that while the item Liam wanted wasn't easy to make, he would personally craft it and that Liam could come back to collect it in a week.
Seeing Thorin, who had downed an entire bottle of Honey Vodka imported from the Beornings in Anduin Valley, enthusiastically rallying his companions to start the work, Liam smiled helplessly and left.
A week later, which was three days before the end of the term, the Weasley boys finally recovered and were discharged from the hospital. Everyone used the afternoon tea time to hold a small celebration. After the meal, Liam first went to Middle-earth to retrieve a palm-sized silver box, then joined Hermione for the last Study Group meeting of the term.
Since all the exams were over and a lot had happened recently, when Liam and Hermione walked in, everyone started asking what had happened at the Ministry of Magic that night.
Hermione cleared her throat to get everyone's attention, and Liam began recounting the events of that night. He carefully recounted the entire story, excluding what had happened in the death chamber, and integrated Harry's experiences to provide a detailed account. The Weasley Twins excitedly added many details.
"So, this means the war has really begun?" Celia, a second-year Ravenclaw student, covered her mouth in surprise.
"Yes", Liam nodded. "Although no one wants to see this, it's the reality. From now on, we will face real danger. Given my Muggle background, I will definitely oppose the Dark Lord. If any of you want to leave the Study Group for safety reasons, I completely understand."
"I won't leave", Neville, who was usually somewhat timid, unexpectedly stepped forward. "I'm destined to fight the Dark Lord, and I've learned a lot here."
"Me neither", several others chimed in. "I'm not a wizard by birth, so the Dark Lord won't let me go." "Our parents fought him for a long time, and we've already fought him once. We're not afraid of him—" Everyone spoke up, and no one chose to leave.
Hearing their responses, Liam felt that his efforts over the years had not been in vain. The remaining time was dedicated to practice. Besides reviewing the spells from this term, Liam handed out a small booklet of common magic to each member, so they could practice during the summer vacation.
Just as everyone was about to leave, Liam suddenly ran to the front of the room and called out to Fred and George.
(End of Chapter)
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