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Chapter 914: The Fractured Ministry of Magic
Chapter 914: The Fractured Ministry of Magic
In the evening, after finishing his classes, Severus Snape did not choose to stay at school as usual but returned to his home on Spinner's End.
"You're finally back, Severus..." Narcissa Malfoy sobbed, sitting on a sofa, while Lucius stood by her side, his face pale.
Upon seeing Snape, they immediately approached him.
Ever since the news of Dumbledore's death spread throughout the Wizarding World, the Death Eaters assigned to watch over them had disappeared, and they had once again gained the Dark Lord's trust, allowing them to move freely anywhere.
Voldemort had even personally paid a visit, lavishly praising Draco's bravery and intelligence.
However, Lucius and Narcissa only felt a chill run through them, knowing that being praised by the Dark Lord was not necessarily a good thing.
But there was no time to dwell on this now; they had more important matters at hand.
"Well, Severus," Lucius said tensely, "Do you have news of Draco?"
"You must have succeeded if you've returned at this time," Narcissa added, looking at Snape with hope.
"There was a slight complication," Snape hesitated, but seeing the increasingly gloomy expressions on their faces, he sighed.
"Alright, listen to me. Draco is with me."
Narcissa clutched her chest and let out a whimper of joy, her entire body relaxing as she stumbled and sat down on the floor.
Lucius, standing beside her, did not move to support his wife, as he was in a similar state. The only difference was that he could still manage to remain standing.
"Thank Merlin," Lucius Malfoy showed the first smile he had in months.
"Thank you... Severus, thank you."
"Don't thank me," Snape shook his head, "As I said, there was a complication."
"What do you mean?" Lucius tensed up again, "What happened to Draco?"
"He's fine, and it has nothing to do with this," Snape thought for a moment, as if choosing his next words carefully.
"In fact, I did have the idea of saving Draco, but it was just an idea..."
"You should know that openly killing Dumbledore at school would not go unpunished by either Hogwarts or the Ministry of Magic. Rescuing him was almost an impossible task."
"But you did it, Severus," Narcissa said gratefully, "Our best decision was to make you Draco's godfather."
"That wasn't me," Snape shook his head, "Or rather, I didn't have the chance to do anything. Draco appeared in my office on his own."
"What?" Lucius was taken aback, "Do you mean Draco escaped on his own?"
"Lucius, has the Cruciatus Curse clouded your judgment?"
Snape walked over and sat down at the table, "After having his wand confiscated, Draco not only easily defeated Professor Flitwick, who was assigned to guard him, but also managed to perfectly evade the ever-present portraits in the castle and reach my office."
"Do you think that's possible?"
"Absolutely not," Lucius replied without hesitation.
Not even Draco could do that.
The ability to defeat Professor Flitwick without making a sound is a feat that only a handful of wizards in the Wizarding World can claim.
The title of Triwizard Champion is not something that can be bought with Galleons. Even facing the Dark Lord, the fairy professor can hold his own.
Could the Dark Lord have intervened...
Impossible!
Lucius quickly dismissed the thought. The idea of the Dark Lord helping Draco was even more unbelievable than Draco escaping on his own. It was simply an impossible scenario.
"So who helped Draco then?"
"If I knew, I wouldn't have wasted your time with all this talk," Snape glanced at Lucius.
"Well..." Lucius felt a bit embarrassed.
"Never mind him, Severus," Narcissa, having regained some strength, stood up from the floor, "Can you tell us what happened?"
"I was attending the funeral when I suddenly sensed that the magic in my private storage room had been triggered manually," Snape recalled the events from a few days ago. "When I opened the door to the storage room, I saw Draco lying on the table, but there was no one else around.
Including the magic I set up was intact, as if someone had intentionally touched it to draw my attention."
Snape's face grew grim as these uncontrollable events made him feel uneasy.
"Does Draco know anything?" Narcissa asked, "Maybe he saw something."
"He knows nothing," Snape shook his head, "When he woke up, he didn't even realize he had changed locations."
"Could there be another Death Eater in Hogwarts..." Narcissa hesitated, unable to finish her sentence.
She wanted to say that there might be another Death Eater infiltrating Hogwarts, but carefully considering their personalities, they wouldn't take such a risk to help another Death Eater.
"I've been investigating this for the past few days, but I haven't found any clues."
Snape paid no heed to Narcissa's changing expressions and continued, "I came here mainly to tell you that Draco is alive, so don't worry too much.
After this, focus on your tasks. Your situation isn't much better than Draco's.
"I know..." Narcissa whispered, "Severus, can you bring Draco..."
"No." Snape cut her off abruptly.
"We want to see him."
"Then I advise against it."
Snape replied bluntly, "The Aurors and Hogwarts professors have not given up searching for the Malfoys. I've already taken a significant risk by coming out, and I underwent at least three inspections."
"And in the current situation, Draco is safest with me."
"Well, then."
"Thank you, Severus."
Narcissa and Lucius exchanged a glance, not doubting the veracity of Snape's words. Before seeing Draco, all their statements could have been false.
But they had no other choice but to trust Snape, whether out of belief or self-reassurance.
"What should we do now?" Lucius asked.
"Of course, continue serving the Dark Lord," Snape said coldly, glancing at him. "Do I need to teach you this? Lucius, the Dark Lord has been lenient with you. If it weren't for Draco securing an opportunity for you, you would have faced more than just the Cruciatus Curse."
"Of course, we understand," Lucius said, his recently regained color draining from his face.
He struggled to speak, but it turned into a sigh.
"I understand. I'll cooperate with Rodolphus. Once we capture Hogwarts, we should be able to see Draco, right?"
"Naturally," Snape said, lifting his head and quickly scanning the room. "As long as those damn Aurors withdraw from Hogwarts, I can also find a way to bring Draco out."
Lucius's eyes suddenly lit up.
"How? Do you have a plan?" Snape asked with interest.
"No, I don't," Lucius said, "but if it's the Aurors, I think they'll soon lose interest in protecting any school."
"Oh, I see."
"The Dark Lord has grown impatient with Bones and is preparing to replace him with a more obedient Minister."
Narcissa explained, "Once we control the Ministry, the entire British magical community will essentially be under the Dark Lord's control, and we'll have ample time to focus on Hogwarts."
She appeared more relaxed and even slightly excited. "By then, Draco won't need to hide. He'll become a hero."
"Let's hope so," Snape said.
Late at night, after Lucius and Narcissa left, Snape was alone in the room.
As a potion enthusiast, Snape preferred a dim environment, and his home was lit only by a faint oil lamp.
Snape sat, lost in thought, with the lamp's light illuminating half his face while the other half remained hidden in the darkness.
To avoid arousing the Aurors' suspicions, Snape returned to Hogwarts early the next morning, bringing numerous house-elves from Wiltshire.
His reason for leaving Hogwarts was to search for teaching materials, so he couldn't return empty-handed. These were items he had conveniently purchased along the way.
The school remained unchanged, with a somber atmosphere. Professors taught their classes as usual, graded assignments, but the number of students was dwindling.
During breakfast, Snape discreetly hid some food, intending to bring it to Draco Malfoy.
Draco was indeed in his storage room, and Snape hadn't lied about this to Lucius and Narcissa.
However, while Hogwarts was calm, the same couldn't be said for the outside world.
Since Dumbledore's death, Death Eaters emerged like springtime Veela, awakening from the shadows and taking to the streets.
The battle was brought into the open, reminiscent of the post-Quidditch World Cup celebration.
"What's the difference then?" Scrimgeour's face turned an ugly shade of purplish-blue.
"Of course there is," said Bagman, "The difference is who makes the first move against their own colleagues."
"I don't care," Scrimgeour said, "Do you Death Eaters still care about reputation?"
"After all, we're going to take over the Ministry of Magic later, and a bad reputation won't do." Bagman pulled a stiff smile.
He hadn't thought about it that way before.
In fact, when Scrimgeour was fighting with Aurors and Death Eaters, he was already prepared to switch sides.
But before he could act, he was discovered.
As they were discussing when to make their move, Chris, the Director of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, suddenly appeared, just in time to foil their plan.
Moreover, the Death Eaters were fast, not giving Scrimgeour time to silence them.
Because of this, Bagman... or rather, the Death Eaters controlling Bagman, had to resort to a backup plan, stepping forward.
"Don't even think about it!" Amelia Bones stepped forward, her eyes sweeping over the group, "With me here, you'll never get away with it."
After a long period of recruitment, the Ministry of Magic's fighting force had expanded to a considerable size.
Amelia Bones glanced at the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, secretly grateful that she had transferred the command of the Hit Wizards from the Enforcement Department to the Minister's Office long ago for easier Death Eater combat.
At that time, the newly appointed Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement should not have been under Death Eater control, and though he was reluctant, he did not resist, smoothly completing the transition.
Now, thinking back, if the command of the Hit Wizards were in Death Eater hands, they would have been wiped out without a trace long ago.
"Bones, I advise you to surrender to the Dark Lord," Bagman continued to persuade, "After that, you can still be the Minister for Magic, with no consequences, it's not a bad deal."
"You're like a blood-sucking leech now, disgusting." Bones glared at him, not holding back, "Do you dare come out of the gutter and act like a decent person?"
"What a pity, Bones," Bagman said no more, standing there, staring at Bones with a death grip.
In an instant, the vast Ministry of Magic was divided into two camps.
The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and the Department of Magical Games and Sports became the Death Eater side (mostly under the Imperius Curse).
In contrast, the International Magical Cooperation Department, the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and the Department of Magical Transport were on the other side.
Exactly half and half.
It's worth mentioning that Bartemius Crouch, the person who was pushed out after the Sirius Black incident, was still there.
Or rather, he had always been there.
Since his transfer to the Department of Magical Transport, a long time had passed without any news of him. He showed no resentment towards Fudge's actions, nor did he have any intention to make a comeback. He simply went to work on time, kept a low profile, and was almost forgotten by everyone.
This time, he stood again on the side opposite the Death Eaters.
On the surface, with the Minister and the Head of the Auror Office, the Ministry seemed to have the upper hand.
But from the moment the Ministry split, it meant they had already lost.
Scrimgeour's anger burned, his fingers twitching around his wand, he wanted to take them all out, but was stopped by the Minister.
Bones didn't dare gamble, unsure if the Death Eaters would try to make a comeback if the two sides really fought.
Killing them wasn't difficult, but if the Dark Lord got angry and appeared in person...
At least for now, the Aurors and Hit Wizards were still under Bones' command, giving her an advantage in this situation, and by doing so, perhaps also buying them some breathing room.
The consecutive attacks were a significant drain for both the Hit Wizards and the Aurors.
Of course, these people must be taken out, but not now.
By any means necessary, Bones knew she wouldn't lose to a few Death Eaters, and the Ministry would eventually get back on track.
Both sides stared each other down in the foyer, neither backing down, Chris among them, his expression grave.
He was grateful he had made some precautions against undercover Death Eaters beforehand, which was why he discovered Scrimgeour and his group.
Moreover, he had also thought about the Death Eaters who appeared in St. Cathersby Village two days ago. If it weren't for his quick reaction, plus some friends' help, he might have been under the Imperius Curse's control, standing on the other side.
No, if he were controlled, the Ministry would have no one else to discover Scrimgeour's plot in time, and perhaps this negotiation wouldn't be necessary.
He rubbed his forehead irritably.
Besides him, there were also Arthur, Molly, and Kingsley, Charlie, and other members of Dumbledore's Army, who had all been attacked. They had now moved back to Number 12 Grimmauld Place.
Because Arthur had discovered that the protective enchantments around the house were still in place, Dumbledore had apparently changed the Secret-Keeper beforehand.
After they moved in, they had also discussed who the new Secret-Keeper should be.
Charlie thought it should be Kyle.
The reason was that Kyle was close to Dumbledore, and he was the first to rush over after the incident. If Dumbledore acted quickly enough, he could completely transfer the Secret-Keeper role.
However, Molly and Arthur leaned towards Minerva McGonagall, believing her steady personality and reliability made her a better choice.
...
(End of Chapter)
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