Hogwarts Bloodline Chapter 69: The Ministry of Magic's Routine Investigation - Novel Cool

Chapter 69: The Ministry of Magic's Routine Investigation

Chapter 69: The Ministry of Magic's Routine Investigation

Fortunately, Umbridge clearly met the definition of a good dog, as she eagerly began searching the small wooden cabin as soon as she entered.

She diligently searched any place that might have left traces, occasionally tapping the tables and chairs with her wand or using her fingernails to lift bed sheets to see if there were any hidden letters. Unfortunately, Ivan had cleaned up very well, and she had no chance of finding anything.

"You kids, if there’s nothing else, you should head back to the castle quickly", Professor Mcgonagall hinted for them to leave.

Ivan nodded and was about to leave, but before he reached the door, Umbridge's voice rang out.

"Wait."

"Minister Fudge, these children are the informants mentioned in the report. I think they might know something", Umbridge said.

"Umbridge, I remember Dumbledore explained the situation very clearly to you. These children don't know much. They just stumbled upon a clue and came back to inform me", Professor Mcgonagall said, frowning.

"But I think there might be more that they're hiding", Umbridge stepped forward, her broad, slack face coming close to Ivan and the others. Ron, who was the closest, couldn’t help but take a few steps back. Umbridge didn’t seem to mind and gave a sickly sweet smile.

"As far as we know, someone saw a young wizard riding a dragon yesterday."

"That was Seamus who said that. Did you not ask around at the school? He’s known for his explosive genius. Since he fails at every spell he tries, Seamus might have made up a story to get some attention", Ivan said coolly.

"I'll be sure to ask him about it", Umbridge’s eyes locked onto Ivan’s, trying to read something from his face.

However, Umbridge was quickly disappointed. Ivan’s expression remained unchanged.

"Alright, Umbridge, perhaps we should check elsewhere", Fudge said, somewhat impatiently. He had no interest in wasting time on a story made up by a young wizard.

In fact, Fudge had little interest in the dragon story at all. He had come here himself just to see if Dumbledore was secretly plotting something behind his back. If he could use this incident to undermine Dumbledore’s reputation, it would be even better.

Although he acknowledged that Dumbledore had helped with some "minor" work when he was vying for the position of Minister of Magic, now that he held the highest position of power in the magical world, Fudge certainly didn’t want someone always overshadowing him, even speaking with more authority than the Minister himself!

This was something he absolutely could not tolerate!

When Fudge first became Minister of Magic, he had naively thought that Dumbledore would retire or even die. However, years had passed, and Dumbledore was still as lively and energetic as ever. Fudge suspected that even if he himself grew old and died, Dumbledore would still be at Hogwarts, serving as the headmaster.

He knew that the greatest white wizard of this century had always had a good relationship with Nicolas Flamel and might have taken some longevity potion.

"I think we should check the fourth floor of the castle. Some students have said that they were warned at the start of the term not to go near there if they didn’t want to meet a gruesome end", Umbridge, ever the good dog, quickly came up with a new idea.

"Alright, then let's go and take a look", Fudge said, regaining some enthusiasm.

"Fudge, do you really think I would hide a dragon in the castle's corridors?" Dumbledore, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up.

"Just looking, I’m just looking. How could a dragon fit in there?" Fudge noticed Dumbledore's eyes behind his half-moon spectacles and felt a sudden pang of panic, but he tried to remain calm, not wanting to appear weak in front of Dumbledore.

"I also took you to the scene of the incident. It was just an ordinary attack." Dumbledore's tone grew firmer as he continued.

"Hagrid was injured by magic, the fire had traces of a Flame Spell, and the unicorn's death was caused by a Killing Curse. There is no evidence that Hogwarts is harboring a dragon or violating any Ministry of Magic regulations!"

"I understand, but this is a routine investigation by the Ministry of Magic!" Fudge felt his authority being challenged like never before and spoke with a strong tone.

Umbridge promptly took out a search warrant and showed it to Dumbledore.

However, Dumbledore did not even glance at it. He simply stared calmly at Fudge.

The small wooden hut, already crowded, seemed to be filled with a subtle pressure, making Harry and the others feel quite uncomfortable. Fang curled up and tucked his tail between his legs, and Umbridge, despite wanting to speak, found herself unable to.

Ivan remained a silent onlooker, not intending to get involved. This was entirely Dumbledore's doing and had nothing to do with him.

What surprised Ivan slightly was that the Ministry of Magic was either unaware or had very limited knowledge of Dumbledore using the Philosopher's Stone as bait. Considering Fudge's attitude toward Voldemort’s resurrection in the original story, Ivan understood why. Fudge simply refused to believe that Voldemort was still alive, let alone that something as valuable as the Philosopher's Stone would be used to set a trap.

Even if Fudge had agreed to such a plan, the trap would have been set at the Ministry, with Fudge himself leading a dozen or so Aurors to keep watch.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron did not share Ivan's relaxed mood. Fudge’s words made them worry, as they were well aware that a Three-Headed Dog was guarding the fourth-floor corridor. They couldn't imagine how the Minister would react upon seeing it.

The heavy atmosphere persisted for a while until Dumbledore finally broke the silence.

"Of course the Ministry can investigate. There is nothing to hide there." Dumbledore’s tone softened. Fudge was the Minister of Magic, and if possible, he did not want to escalate the situation with the Ministry.

"I also assure you that this will be the last place we search." Fudge breathed a sigh of relief and made a conciliatory gesture.

Dumbledore did not say more and walked toward the door, his calm demeanor making Fudge doubt whether his insistence was justified.

But Fudge quickly regained his resolve. Dumbledore’s earlier reaction had proven that he was definitely hiding something. With this in mind, Fudge gave Umbridge a meaningful look.

Umbridge understood immediately and turned to Ivan and the others, flashing a sickly sweet smile.

"You all come along too. I hope I don’t catch you up to any mischief on the way."

(End of Chapter)

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