https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-912-Dumbledore-s-Family-Paranoia/13017643/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-914-The-Fractured-Ministry-of-Magic/13017653/
Chapter 913: The Disappearance of Malfoy
Chapter 913: The Disappearance of Malfoy
Scrimguard had indeed gone to fetch Malfoy, intending to bring him to the Ministry of Magic for trial, and Professor McGonagall had agreed.
Hogwarts lacked the authority to judge and convict, even in the case of a murdered school governor. The individual 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 found.
The classroom was empty?
Professor Flitwick, who was supposed to be guarding Malfoy, lay unconscious on the floor, and there was no sign of Malfoy.
"What's going on here!" Scrimguard exclaimed angrily, "Where is he?"
"That's what we'd like to know," Professor McGonagall said, her expression grim.
If the culprit behind Dumbledore's murder were to escape, it would be a great embarrassment for Hogwarts.
Professor Sprout quickly checked on Professor Flitwick's condition but couldn't wake him up.
"Pomona, go find Madam Pomfrey and ask her to come here as soon as possible," Professor McGonagall instructed, then turned to the painting on the wall.
"Tell me, what happened here!"
"Someone broke in, Headmaster," a witch holding a jar replied, "He took the student who was in the room."
"Who was it?"
"I don't know," the witch shook her head, "He was wearing a hood and was completely concealed in a black cloak, so I couldn't see his face."
A hood and a black cloak...
The standard attire immediately made everyone think of Death Eaters, and they had a reason to believe it was them.
"They must have sneaked in during the funeral!" someone blurted out.
Although the others remained silent, they were thinking the same.
Only Death Eaters would dare to come and rescue Malfoy, risking their own safety.
But another possibility crossed their minds.
"You didn't hide him, did you?" Scrimguard asked suspiciously, clearly not believing that Death Eaters would risk coming to Hogwarts to save Malfoy.
They weren't that united.
"What do you mean!" Professor McGonagall glared at him, her lips tightly pressed together.
Those who knew Professor McGonagall well understood that she was already furious.
"Perhaps you wanted to take revenge on Dumbledore's killer yourselves," Scrimguard said, also struggling to contain his anger.
"We were all at the funeral ceremony outside, none of us had the time to come to the castle and move Draco Malfoy," Professor McGonagall explained, "Mr. Scrimguard, you should know that better than anyone."
"No, except for one person," Scrimguard glanced at the unconscious Professor Flitwick.
As Professor McGonagall had said, everyone was at the ceremony, 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, Amelia Bones arrived just in time, easing the awkward atmosphere.
"Minister," Scrimguard frowned slightly but stopped his aggressive tone.
"I trust Millerva and Filius, they wouldn't do such a thing. It must have been the Death Eaters," Bones said. "And our primary task now is to find them quickly.
"As far as I know, Hogwarts doesn't allow Apparition, and we were all at the ceremony outside. They couldn't have left, so they must still be in the school."
"I understand!" Scrimguard's eyes lit up, and he said with feigned restraint, "Headmaster McGonagall, we'd like to search the school."
"Of course, go ahead," Professor McGonagall smiled expressionlessly.
"Sorry, Millerva," Bones spoke again, "We also want to help Hogwarts, and you wouldn't want the culprit behind Dumbledore's murder to escape, right?"
Professor McGonagall's eyes flickered.
If not for this reason, she wouldn't have agreed to Scrimguard's search.
Soon, the Aurors dispersed to search for clues.
At this moment, Professor Sprout and Madam Pomfrey hurried over.
"Oh, what's happened now!"
Seeing Professor Flitwick lying on the floor, 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 only unconscious, which relieved her. She quickly walked over.
"Hmm... a clever Stunning Spell, and it seems like a Petrification Charm as well..."
Madam Pomfrey quickly examined him.
"It won't be difficult to wake him. I happen to have the right potion," she waved her wand, and Professor Flitwick floated in mid-air, preparing to take him back to the Headmaster's Office.
"Oh, right."
Madam Pomfrey seemed to remember something and scanned the crowd, "Where's Professor Snape? Ask him to take those students occupying the hospital beds away. This is the school hospital, not the Hog's Head."
Professor McGonagall turned to look and noticed that Professor Snape wasn't nearby.
And upon closer thought, it seemed he had disappeared after the funeral.
So unreliable... The Slytherin students and even the Head of the Head of House were like this.
"I'll pass on the message," Professor McGonagall said, unable to find him.
Madam Pomfrey still seemed displeased.
According to her wishes, Professor Snape should immediately take those students away, or at least transfer them to St. Mungo's to save her from wasting so many potions daily.
"Make sure you tell him," Madam Pomfrey insisted, before leaving with Professor Flitwick.
Professor McGonagall considered it but decided not to follow.
Since Madam Pomfrey had given her assurance, there was nothing to worry about. Compared to that, finding Malfoy quickly was more important.
Moreover, with the Aurors' high-profile search, there was a high chance of provoking hostility from the students. To avoid a larger conflict, it was better to have a familiar professor accompany them.
Everyone sprang into action, and the entire castle became chaotic.
Even Kyle's cabin didn't escape the search.
Furthermore, due to its proximity to the Forbidden Forest, it became a priority area for inspection.
Although Scrimguard didn't come personally, he sent three Aurors.
Kyle, who had received the news, opened the door early, covering the alchemical mist and expressing his full cooperation.
"You're making a mountain out of a molehill," Kyle said, watching the Aurors who were determined to search every nook and cranny. Kyle stood by, his arms folded.
Professor Sprout followed the Aurors. As she entered, her eyes instinctively fell on the opposite wall, but she soon snapped out of it.
Where's the door?
The wall was clean, without a trace of a door, let alone a window.
Professor Sprout quickly realized what had happened. Kyle must have done something beforehand, but she wouldn't remind the Aurors.
Scrimguard's attitude was indeed questionable.
"It's such a small place, isn't it obvious at a glance?" Kyle continued to stand by.
"And I even got you a large sum of funding. Do you remember the 30,000 Galleons from the fairies... With this connection, how can I possibly go against the Ministry?"
The Aurors didn't speak, their faces cold and unapproachable, but they gradually stopped.
Kyle wasn't entirely wrong. This cabin was indeed obvious, and there was no need to continue the search.
The Aurors then went to Hagrid's cabin.
This time, besides searching for Draco Malfoy, there was something else that concerned them—the giant from the previous funeral, who seemed to be related to the Care of Magical Creatures professor.
Professor Sprout followed, muttering something under her breath. Due to the distance, Kyle couldn't hear clearly.
Kyle watched the departing Aurors and slightly leaned in. "Did you do it, Professor?"
No one answered. It seemed that Dumbledore wasn't in the garden.
In fact, Kyle didn't know where Dumbledore had gone either. After Malfoy was rescued, Dumbledore had also disappeared, most likely taking Malfoy with him.
As for where they went... it could be the Room of Requirement, or the Hog's Head. Either way, they weren't here.
...
The Aurors searched Hogwarts for a day and a night, but found nothing. It was as if Malfoy had simply vanished.
Fortunately, Professor Flitwick soon regained consciousness and provided the Ministry with two crucial pieces of intelligence.
"There were two of them," Professor Flitwick said, his arm wrapped in a bandage, "One drew my attention, and the other attacked me from behind."
"Didn't you resist?" Scrimguard asked, "As far as I know, you're a dueling champion."
"The other one was lying in wait outside. I shouldn't have chased after them," Professor Flitwick's face turned red, "By the time I realized, I had already been knocked unconscious."
"So you saw nothing?"
"No, I did see something." Professor Flitwick shook his head, "Before I fainted, I heard them mention a secret passage."
"Secret passage?"
"Secret passages within the castle," Professor McGonagall explained, "But a few years ago, those passages were sealed."
"They might have reopened them, or discovered a new one," Professor Flitwick thought, "I'm certain I heard them mention a secret passage. They likely plan to use this method to smuggle Malfoy out of Hogwarts."
"Damn, no wonder we couldn't find him!" Scrimguard pounded the wall in frustration. Madam Pomfrey's stern gaze immediately turned towards him.
"Where's the secret passage?" Scrimguard asked.
"I can have Filch show you," Professor McGonagall said, "He knows every secret passage in Hogwarts."
In the original text, Chapter 6, Book 9.
Soon, Filch was brought over.
After another day of investigation, the results were still fruitless. The secret passages had all been sealed, unusable, and there were no signs of forced entry.
Scrimguard insisted there were other secret passages, but Filch had shown him all the passages he knew.
As for the new secret passage Scrimguard mentioned, he truly didn't know about it.
This made Scrimguard furious, almost to the point of smashing the hunchbacked witch statue.
Despite his reluctance, due to the Aurors' recent aggressive behavior, student resistance grew. The Aurors had no choice but to leave the school.
However, Scrimguard insisted on leaving a team of Aurors behind for the safety of the school.
The team was tasked with guarding the school and castle gates, as well as patrolling the castle at night, essentially taking over Filch's duties.
Additionally, they had another purpose: investigating the rumored secret passages.
Professor McGonagall was aware of this, and she tacitly approved, knowing that Hogwarts would indeed become more dangerous in the coming days. Having a team of Aurors to help protect the students was a good choice.
...
"School will resume classes tomorrow."
After the Ministry officials left, Millerva McGonagall, as Headmistress, issued a notice. The content was that the school would return to normal, and all activities, including Quidditch matches, were canceled.
Although there were occasional complaints, they weren't widespread. After all, the students also understood that Hogwarts was no longer the safe castle it once was.
In the following period, the Death Eaters also started to act.
First, there were several articles in the Daily Prophet slandering Kyle, and they even bribed the newspaper to publish them.
However, this had little impact on Kyle, as everyone at Hogwarts, students and professors alike, knew that Malfoy had been rescued by Death Eaters. They paid no heed to the newspaper's content.
Some smarter students even drew a conclusion from this... it seemed that the Daily Prophet had been taken over by the Death Eaters.
"How strange..." Ron held the newspaper, flipping through it repeatedly, searching for something.
"I didn't even see Rita Skeeter's name. Normally, she's the one who loves to publish these kinds of smear articles."
"Yeah, that's true," Harry said, taken aback.
No wonder he always felt something was missing when reading 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 an old fraud.
But this time, when it came to Kyle, she seemed to have disappeared, not uttering a single word.
"Maybe she doesn't know Kyle well," Hermione said after some thought, not paying much attention to the matter. She tossed the newspaper on the table, "Now the credibility of the Daily Prophet is getting lower and lower. It's a pity we don't have other channels to get information."
"Actually, there is," Neville said, walking over with a magazine in his hand. "I just discovered this yesterday. The content in here is completely different from what's in the newspapers."
"The Quibbler?" Ron's face showed clear disdain, "Only a madman would read that kind of magazine."
"No, it's changed," Neville stammered. "There are no more Snorkacks and other magical creatures in here. It's all deliberately hidden information."
"Oh, really..."
While they were talking, Hermione had already opened the magazine.
"Look here, someone saw a large gathering of Death Eaters, as if they were planning to attack the Ministry of Magic. They seem to have become active all of a sudden."
"Yeah, with Dumbledore gone, no one can stop them," Harry blurted out.
The common room fell silent for a moment.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to," Harry sighed, changing the subject. "I've been thinking about whether I should leave school."
"Leave school?" Hermione was shocked, looking at Harry incredulously. "You're crazy!"
"On the contrary, I'm very clear-headed," Harry said. "I know Voldemort wants to kill me, and maybe leaving would be a good thing for Hogwarts."
"Oh, don't say that name," Ron shuddered.
"No... you can't do that," Hermione said, her face paling slightly.
"Actually, I have another reason."
Harry ignored Ron's exaggerated reaction and continued, "Do you remember the Horcruxes?"
"The Dark Lord's secret weapon for immortality?" Hermione thought for a moment.
"Yes," Harry said. "Coincidentally, Dumbledore just told me a few days ago that they've found and destroyed five Horcruxes."
"That's great news."
"But we previously guessed that Voldemort had split his soul into seven parts," Harry said quietly.
"Which means there's a crucial Horcrux still missing, and I want to find it."
"How do you plan to do that?" Hermione asked.
Harry was doused with cold water, extinguishing his enthusiasm.
"I don't know..."
"Don't even think about it, Harry," Ron shook his head, having regained his composure. "Professor McGonagall said yesterday that students can leave school at any time, but they must have parental 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; they were both Muggles and extremely averse to magic, screaming for half an hour at the sight of a wand. It was impossible for them to come to Hogwarts.
Sirius, as his godfather, could take him away.
But Harry didn't even need to consider 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 asked, having regained her composure. "They're not like Filch."
"I..."
Harry fell silent.
Could he really deceive the Aurors?
Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and picked up a thick book beside her.
"Where are you going?" Ron asked.
"To the Ancient Runes classroom," Hermione said.
"Huh?" Ron looked at the class schedule in confusion. "But the seventh-year Ancient Runes class is still two hours away."
"The fifth-year class is about to start," Hermione said, looking a bit agitated. "My Ancient Runes grade is barely at an 'O' level, and I want to audit the class to fill in the gaps."
"What? You mean you're going to take extra classes?" Ron was shocked, finding it hard to understand Hermione's decision.
"Learning more knowledge is always useful," Hermione said without turning back. "Especially now, Death Eaters won't go easy on you just because you're a student."
Hermione squeezed through the passage and disappeared into the common room.
"She does have a point," Harry said, also taking out a book on magical creatures.
Ron thought for a moment and did the same, representing the majority of students. After Professor Dumbledore's funeral, the learning atmosphere at Hogwarts seemed to improve suddenly, which could be considered a good thing.
...
(End of Chapter)
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