Jane Yu's feet froze mid-step—so did Percy's.
Both of them instinctively pricked up their ears, catching every word of the stranger's passionate speech from down the corridor.
"By then, I was already gravely wounded. Though I fought valiantly against dozens of Death Eaters, I was hopelessly outnumbered and eventually fell. I had no choice but to lower my banner and feign unconsciousness, hoping to deceive the enemy and seize a chance to strike back—my strategic retreat, if you will."
"But upholding the spirit of never abandoning a comrade, my two partners rushed in to rescue me from peril. We fought bravely, but sadly misjudged the enemy's strength. We were utterly defeated, losing all combat capability together with two hostages."
At this, Jane Yu felt a peculiar tickle in her ears—
Why did this story sound so familiar?
"I thought my life was over. I'd even made peace with dying heroically at the hands of the Dark Lord. But just as I was about to despair—yes, it was her, my Guardian Saint! She lit up my whole world like the first light of dawn! Not even a torch could compare to her brilliance!"
Something about this was definitely off. Jane's toes curled involuntarily with embarrassment.
Her face stiffened. She couldn't help recalling those strange looks and whispered comments in the Ministry's entrance hall—
Surely… surely this person wasn't talking about her?
She turned her head toward Percy, the simple movement suddenly as stiff as a crick in the neck, silently asking with her eyes:
This is the storytelling prowess and cultural refinement of your Ministry's Commissioners?
Percy looked back, just as stiffly. In that moment, they both saw pure, unfiltered embarrassment reflected in each other's eyes.
While the two of them stood in awkward silence, the Commissioner inside continued his dramatic monologue:
"Yes, I think even if you haven't met her, you must have heard the name—Jane Yu! She flits about like a Demiguise, seeing through the enemy's plot in advance, working with Headmaster Dumbledore to lay a flawless trap—even a dozen Death Eaters couldn't spot her! When we were defeated and about to be killed, she descended from the heavens like Merlin himself!"
"The Death Eaters, realising things had gone awry, shrieked and fled in terror! But those shameless villains weren't done yet—they still tried to seize us as hostages. Then we heard the Guardian Saint give a cold laugh, tap her wand, and a blaze of white light erupted. The enemy collapsed one after another, prostrating themselves on the ground, faces streaming with tears and snot, surrendering under her overwhelming presence—none dared rise!"
Jane Yu could hardly believe her ears!
Was this… really supposed to be her?
Frankly, even a certain well-known superhero in a blue suit and red cape would fit this description better than she did.
But the people inside had no idea that the very subject of their tale was standing just a wall away, on the verge of scratching a hole through the floor, and continued their spectacular account:
"But that was only a glimpse of her true power!"
"After subduing the Death Eaters, she didn't spare them a glance. Instead, she turned her obsidian eyes on me and strode over. I saw flashes of white light, all attacks dissolving behind her. She tapped her finger, and a group healing spell rained down like starlight, instantly curing all my chronic ailments—my head stopped aching, my body felt light again. Right then I knew: she was the deity who'd granted me a second life! She is the East—she is the sun!"
As the speech ended, thunderous applause broke out, cheers and shouts of admiration echoing through the room.
Is that you, Shakespeare? Is that you, Romeo?
Jane Yu began seriously considering the feasibility of quietly casting a mass Memory Charm on the entire Ministry staff.
She deeply regretted not picking up a few of Lockhart's tricks back at Hogwarts.
"Er… I'll go and make them shut up!" Percy, now red as a lobster, looked positively dizzy from his colleagues' wild exaggerations. He strode briskly towards the end of the corridor. "Honestly, in a place as solemn as the Ministry… skipping training to… to make up this sort of nonsense… I'm going to report this to Minister Bones!"
He hadn't even finished when a powerful woman's voice rang out, clear and strong:
"Excellent! That's exactly the spirit and integrity we need! This is why I asked these three new Commissioners to share their experiences at this mobilisation meeting—this is the message I want everyone to take to heart!"
The applause was so loud it made the walls and floor vibrate.
Percy's hand froze on the door handle, his brisk stride coming to an abrupt halt.
Because that voice belonged to none other than Minister Bones herself!
"Jane Yu—though she isn't yet part of our Auror ranks, and is even a few years younger than you—has shown the finest qualities of humanity and true courage! Faced with injured colleagues, she never abandoned or gave up on them, always reaching out to help those on the side of justice!"
Her rousing tone softened, turning to praise:
"Of course, I want to say that the three new trainee Commissioners who showed such bravery during this operation, even if the mission wasn't successful, demonstrated the same spirit. They have moved us deeply! Please, let's salute them!"
Another round of applause and cheers followed. Even without seeing it, Jane Yu could picture their excitement.
Minister Bones shifted to address the lessons learned from the operation:
"But courage alone is not enough. I hope this story also teaches you that victory requires both bravery and wisdom! After gathering intelligence, use Transfiguration to blend in, assess the enemy, lure them deeper, and strike at the right moment. Only then can you avoid being injured by misjudging your foe! And you must constantly train to improve your spellcasting—these are the keys to how Miss Jane and Headmaster Dumbledore captured all the Death Eaters in one fell swoop!"
"When you face enemies too numerous or powerful to handle, you new Commissioners must act as a team, not go it alone—or return to the Ministry and seek help from more experienced Aurors! If you hadn't been so fortunate this time, and hadn't encountered allies, we might only be receiving news of your deaths now. That would be a terrible loss for us all."
The room fell silent as the Commissioners listened intently to the Minister's instructions.
In that profound silence, every sound at the doorway was painfully clear—
Percy's shoes shuffling awkwardly, hands and feet at a loss, perhaps accompanied by the sound of Jane Yu's toes metaphorically drilling into the floor…
Minister Bones suddenly flung the door open!
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
The story isn't over...
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