https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-912-Dumbledore-s-Ancestral-Mistrust/12938096/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-914-The-Divided-Ministry-of-Magic/12938100/
Chapter 913: The Disappearance of Malfoy
Chapter 913: The Disappearance of Malfoy
Rufus Scrimgeour had indeed gone to fetch Malfoy, intending to bring him to the Ministry of Magic for trial, and Professor McGonagall had agreed.
Hogwarts had no authority to judge or convict anyone, not even for the murder of a Chairman. The person had to be handed over to the Ministry.
But when they arrived at the classroom where Malfoy was being held, accompanied by a large group of Aurors, they were stunned by what they saw.
The classroom was empty?
Professor Flitwick, who was supposed to be guarding, lay unconscious on the floor, and there was no sign of Malfoy.
"What's going on!" Scrimgeour exclaimed angrily, "Where is he?"
"That's what we'd like to know," Professor McGonagall said, her face grim.
If the murderer of Dumbledore were to escape, it would be a huge embarrassment for Hogwarts.
Professor Sprout quickly checked on Professor Flitwick, but no matter what she tried, she couldn't wake him up.
"Pomona, go find Madam Pomfrey and ask her to come as soon as possible," Professor McGonagall said, then turned to the painting on the wall.
"Tell me, what happened here!"
"Someone broke in, Headmaster," a witch holding a jar said, "They took the student who was in the room."
"Who was it?"
"I don't know," the witch shook her head, "They were wearing a hood and completely concealed in a black cloak, so I couldn't see their face."
A hood and a black cloak...
The standard attire immediately made everyone think of Death Eaters, and they had a reason to do so.
"They must have sneaked in during the funeral!" someone blurted out.
The others remained silent, but they were thinking the same thing.
Only Death Eaters would dare to come to Hogwarts to rescue Malfoy, risking their own safety.
However, someone else had a different theory.
"You didn't hide him, did you?" Scrimgeour asked suspiciously, clearly not believing that Death Eaters would risk so much to rescue Malfoy.
They weren't that united.
"What are you implying!" Professor McGonagall glared at him, her lips pressed tightly together.
Those who knew Professor McGonagall well understood that she was already furious.
"Perhaps you wanted to take revenge for Dumbledore yourself, Rufus," she said, her voice laced with suppressed anger.
"We were all at the funeral on the grounds, none of us had the time to come to the castle and move Draco Malfoy," Professor McGonagall explained, "Mr. Scrimgeour, you should know that better than anyone."
"No, except for one person," Scrimgeour glanced at the unconscious Professor Flitwick.
As Professor McGonagall had pointed out, everyone was at the funeral, and he had the time to move Malfoy and then return to cast a spell on himself to feign unconsciousness.
Professor McGonagall's face showed a clear hint of anger; she couldn't accept such baseless accusations against a Hogwarts professor.
"Enough, Rufus."
Fortunately, at that moment, Amelia Bones arrived, easing the awkward atmosphere.
"Minister," Scrimgeour frowned slightly but stopped his aggressive tone.
"I trust Minerva and Filius; they wouldn't do such a thing. It must have been the Death Eaters," Minister Bones said, "And our primary task now is to find them as soon as possible."
"As far as I know, Hogwarts doesn't allow apparition, and we were all at the funeral on the grounds. They couldn't have left, so they must still be in the school."
"I understand!" Scrimgeour's eyes lit up, and then he said in a feigned restrained tone, "Headmistress McGonagall, please don't mind if we search the school."
"Of course, not at all," Professor McGonagall smiled expressionlessly.
"Sorry, Minerva," Minister Bones spoke again, "We also want to help Hogwarts. You wouldn't want the murderer of Dumbledore to be rescued, would you?"
Professor McGonagall's eyes flickered.
If it weren't for this reason, how could she have agreed to Scrimgeour's search of the school?
Soon, the Aurors dispersed to search for clues.
At that moment, Professor Sprout and Madam Pomfrey rushed over.
"Oh, what happened now!"
Seeing Professor Flitwick lying on the ground, Madam Pomfrey shivered involuntarily.
First Dumbledore, and now Flitwick?
"He was attacked," Professor McGonagall said, "See if you can wake him up quickly."
"Wake him up... oh!"
After a moment, Madam Pomfrey realized that Professor Flitwick was just unconscious, which relieved her. She quickly walked over.
"Hmm... a clever Stunning Spell, and it seems like a Petrificus Totalus as well..."
Madam Pomfrey quickly examined him.
"It won't be difficult to wake him up... I have the right potion." She waved her wand, causing Professor Flitwick to float in mid-air, and prepared to take him back to the Headmaster's office.
"Oh, right."
At this moment, Madam Pomfrey seemed to remember something and scanned the crowd, "Where's Professor Snape? Ask him to quickly take those students who are occupying beds in the hospital wing. This isn't a guest room at the Three Broomsticks."
Professor McGonagall turned to look, noticing that Professor Snape wasn't nearby.
Upon further thought, it seemed that he had disappeared after the funeral.
How unreliable... those Slytherin students and their Head of House were alike.
"I'll pass on the message," Professor McGonagall said, unable to find him.
Madam Pomfrey was still a bit unhappy.
She wished Professor Snape would take those students away immediately or transfer them to St. Mungo's, so she wouldn't have to waste so many potions every day.
"Please make sure to tell him," Madam Pomfrey instructed again before continuing to the hospital wing with Professor Flitwick.
Professor McGonagall considered it but decided not to follow.
Since Madam Pomfrey said there were no issues, there was nothing to worry about. Compared to the urgency of finding Malfoy, it was more important to act swiftly.
The Aurors' high-profile search might provoke student hostility, and to avoid a bigger conflict, it was better to have a familiar professor accompany them.
Everyone sprang into action, and the entire castle became a chaotic scene.
Even Kyle's cottage didn't escape scrutiny, especially since its proximity to the Forbidden Forest made it a priority for inspection.
Although Scrimgeour didn't come personally, three Aurors arrived.
Kyle, having received the news, had opened the door early, concealing the alchemical mist and indicating his full cooperation.
"You're making a mountain out of a molehill," Kyle said, crossing his arms and watching the Aurors who seemed intent on checking every nook and cranny.
Professor Sprout accompanied the Aurors, and as she entered, her gaze unconsciously fell on the wall opposite, only to pause in confusion.
Where was the door?
The wall was spotless, without a door or even a window.
Professor Sprout quickly realized that Kyle must have done something in advance, but she didn't remind the Aurors.
Scrimgeour's attitude earlier was far from friendly.
"It's such a small place; isn't it obvious at a glance?" Kyle continued, "And I even got you a large sum of funding. Remember the 30,000 Galleons the goblins gave? With that connection, how could I possibly go against the Ministry? We're on the same side."
The Aurors remained silent, cold-faced and unapproachable, but gradually, they stopped searching.
Kyle wasn't entirely wrong; the cottage was indeed straightforward, and there was no need to continue the search.
Next, the Aurors headed to Hagrid's cottage.
This time, in addition to looking for Draco Malfoy, they were also concerned about the giant they had seen at the funeral, who seemed to be connected to the Care of Magical Creatures professor.
Professor Sprout followed, muttering something under her breath, but Kyle couldn't make out the words due to the distance.
As the Aurors walked away, Kyle leaned slightly and whispered, "Professor, was it you?"
No one answered, and it seemed that Dumbledore wasn't in the garden.
Kyle didn't know where he had gone either. After Malfoy was rescued, Dumbledore had also disappeared, most likely because he had taken Malfoy with him.
As for their destination... it could be the Room of Requirement or the Three Broomsticks, but they were definitely not here.
...
The Aurors searched Hogwarts for a day and a night but found nothing, as if Malfoy had simply vanished.
Fortunately, Professor Flitwick soon regained consciousness and provided the Ministry with two crucial pieces of information.
"There were two of them," Professor Flitwick said, with his arm wrapped in a bandage, "One distracted me, and the other attacked me from behind."
"Didn't you resist?" Scrimgeour asked, "As far as I know, you're a dueling champion."
"The person was hiding outside; I shouldn't have chased after him," Professor Flitwick's face turned red, "By the time I realized, I had already been knocked unconscious."
"So, you didn't see anything?"
"Actually, I did," Professor Flitwick shook his head, "Before I passed out, I heard them mention a secret passage."
"A secret passage?"
"It's a secret passageway within the castle," Professor McGonagall explained, "But a few years ago, those passages were all sealed."
"They might have reopened them, or perhaps they found a new one," Professor Flitwick thought for a moment, "I'm certain I heard them mention a secret passage, and they were probably planning to use it to get Malfoy out of Hogwarts."
"Damn it! No wonder we couldn't find him!" Scrimgeour slammed his fist against the wall, and Madam Pomfrey shot him a stern look.
"Where is this secret passage?" Scrimgeour asked.
"I can have Filch show you," Professor McGonagall said, "He knows every secret passage in Hogwarts."
Soon, Filch was brought over.
After nearly a day of investigation, they still found nothing; the passages were all sealed and showed no signs of damage or recent use.
Scrimgeour insisted there were other secret passages, but Filch had already shown him all the ones he knew.
As for the new secret passage Scrimgeour mentioned, Filch genuinely had no idea.
This infuriated Scrimgeour, and he almost tore down the hunchback witch statue in his rage.
Despite their reluctance, the Aurors' somewhat aggressive behavior over the past two days had increased student resistance, leaving them no choice but to leave the school.
However, Scrimgeour left behind a small team of Aurors under the pretext of protecting the school's safety.
The team was small, consisting of only seven members, tasked with guarding the school and castle gates and patrolling the castle at night, effectively taking over Filch's job.
Additionally, they were to investigate the so-called secret passages.
Professor McGonagall was aware of this, but she tacitly approved, knowing that Hogwarts would indeed become more dangerous in the coming days, and having a team of Aurors to help protect the students was a good idea.
...
"The school will resume classes tomorrow."
After the Ministry officials left, Professor McGonagall, in her capacity as Headmistress, issued a notice stating that the school had returned to normal and canceled all activities, including Quidditch matches.
Although there were occasional complaints, they were few, as the students also understood that Hogwarts was no longer the safe castle it once was.
In the following period, the Death Eaters also sprang into action.
First, there were several articles in the Daily Prophet slandering Kyle, and they even bribed the newspaper to publish them.
But this had little effect on Kyle, who had been at Hogwarts all along. Both students and professors knew about the Death Eaters rescuing Malfoy, and they didn't pay any attention to the content of the newspaper.
Some of the smarter students even drew a conclusion from this... It seemed like the Daily Prophet had been taken over by the Death Eaters.
"How strange..." Ron held the newspaper, flipping through it in search of something.
"I didn't even see Rita Skeeter's name. Normally, isn't she the one who loves publishing these kinds of articles to smear people?"
"Yeah, it seems that way." Harry paused.
No wonder he felt like something was missing when he read the newspaper; it was Rita Skeeter.
In the past few days, she had published numerous articles about Dumbledore, not saying a single good word about him and portraying him as a deceitful old fraud.
But this time, when it came to Kyle, she seemed to have disappeared without a word.
"Maybe she doesn't know Kyle well." Hermione thought for a moment and said, not paying much attention to it. She tossed the newspaper onto the table,
"Now, the credibility of the Daily Prophet is getting lower and lower. Unfortunately, we don't have any other channels to get information."
"Actually, there is."
At this moment, Neville walked over with a magazine in his hand, "I just discovered this yesterday, and the content is completely different from what's in the newspaper."
"The Quibbler?" Ron's face showed obvious disdain, "Only a lunatic would read that magazine."
"No, it's different now." Neville stammered, "There are no more Snorkacks or other magical creatures in it; it's all about hidden truths."
"Oh, really..."
While they were talking, Hermione had already opened the magazine.
"Look here, someone saw a large group of Death Eaters gathering, as if they were planning to attack the Ministry of Magic. They seem to have become more active all of a sudden."
"Yeah, with Dumbledore gone, no one can stop them anymore." Harry blurted out.
The common room fell silent.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to say that." Harry sighed and changed the subject, "Actually, I've been thinking about leaving Hogwarts."
"Leave Hogwarts?" Hermione was startled, looking at Harry in disbelief, "Are you crazy?"
"On the contrary, I'm very clear-headed." Harry said, "I know Voldemort wants to kill me, and perhaps my leaving would be a good thing for Hogwarts."
"Oh, please, don't say that name." Ron shuddered.
"No... You can't do that." Hermione's face turned slightly pale.
"Actually, I have another reason."
Harry ignored Ron's exaggerated reaction and continued, "Do you guys still remember the Horcruxes?"
"The Dark Lord's secret weapon to achieve immortality?" Hermione thought for a moment.
"Yes." Harry said, "Coincidentally, Professor Dumbledore just told me a few days ago that they have found and destroyed five Horcruxes."
"Isn't that great?"
"But we previously guessed that Voldemort had split his soul into seven parts." Harry spoke softly,
"Which means there's still a crucial Horcrux missing, and I want to find it."
"How will you do that?" Hermione asked, "Do you know where it is?"
It was like a bucket of cold water had been poured over Harry, instantly dousing his enthusiasm.
"I don't know..."
"Don't even think about it, Harry. Even if you knew, you wouldn't be able to do it." Ron, having snapped out of his daze, shook his head, "Professor McGonagall said yesterday that students can leave school at any time, but they must have their parents' consent."
"Will your uncle and aunt come to pick you up?"
Ron's question left Harry completely stunned.
He thought of his uncle and aunt, both Muggles who intensely disliked magic and would scream for half an hour at the sight of a wand. It was impossible for them to come to Hogwarts.
Sirius, as his godfather, could also take him away.
But Harry didn't need to think about it; Sirius would definitely not agree to him leaving school.
"I can use the Invisibility Cloak..."
"Do you think the Invisibility Cloak can help you get past the Aurors at the gate?" Hermione, having snapped out of her daze, said, "They're not like Filch."
"I..."
Harry fell silent.
Could he really deceive the Aurors?
Hermione heaved a slight sigh of relief and picked up a thick book beside her.
"Where are you going?" Ron asked.
"To the Ancient Runes classroom."
"Huh?" Ron looked at the class schedule in confusion, "But it's still two hours until the Ancient Runes class for seventh years."
"But the fifth-year class is about to start." Hermione looked a bit agitated, "My O.W.Ls exam in Ancient Runes barely reached the O standard, and there are still many things I don't understand, so I plan to audit the class."
"What? You mean you're going to take extra classes?" Ron was shocked, finding it hard to understand how Hermione had come to this decision.
"Learning a little more knowledge is always useful." Hermione turned her head and said, "Especially now, the Death Eaters won't go easy on you just because you're a student."
Hermione disappeared into the passageway, vanishing from the common room.
"Actually, she's right." Harry also took out a Spell Book.
Ron thought for a moment and joined in as well.
They represented the majority of the students. After Professor Dumbledore's funeral, the learning atmosphere at Hogwarts seemed to have improved all of a sudden, though it was hard to say if this was a good thing.
...
(End of Chapter)
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