Minister Bones moved swiftly with her investigation.
Within just a few days, she sought out Jane Yu with the latest results.
Jane could tell from her deeply troubled expression that the news was far from good.
First, Bones layered the laboratory with multiple anti-eavesdropping charms, then cut straight to the point:
"Pius Thicknesse has awakened, but I cannot yet determine whether he's truly joined the Death Eaters' ranks."
"What I can confirm is that he was indeed under the Imperius Curse. Yu, your assessment was remarkably accurate—your instincts remain as sharp as ever!"
Jane Yu caught the subtext in Bones's words: beyond confirming the Imperius Curse, there wasn't much other useful intelligence.
"Who cast the curse on him?" she inquired.
But Bones sighed heavily, clearly tormented by this very question.
"The situation is quite peculiar—we cannot determine who cast it," she replied. "Thicknesse's responsibilities are specialized. He drafts legal statutes, and both before and after their implementation, he must canvass opinions widely, meeting with numerous individuals during this process."
She opened a thick evidence file, crammed with Thicknesse's schedule and testimonies from surrounding colleagues.
"He claims ignorance about the caster's identity—only that the curse was cast at his home the day before the incident. This has been verified through both Legilimency and Veritaserum... suggesting the perpetrator likely infiltrated his residence and struck while he was taking a brief nap."
Having a longtime direct subordinate suddenly subjected to an Unforgivable Curse felt like discovering a venomous serpent coiled beside her bed. It left her perpetually on edge, terrified that the Ministry she commanded was being infiltrated and subverted by Death Eaters.
"What orders was he given?" Jane pressed further.
"Proceed to the Ministry's underground tenth level, observe Courtrooms 1 through 10. Nothing more specific than that." Bones's brow relaxed slightly as she continued, "The rest, as you well know—he'd barely entered when you detected his presence."
Though the intelligence was limited, it was sufficient to send chills down their spines—
Because Jane and her team's research on the underground tenth level was classified; the Ministry strictly prohibited any employee from disclosing such information externally.
This meant the Ministry was no longer secure. Someone lurking in the shadows had already become a Death Eater sympathizer, actively gathering further intelligence.
Minister Bones had obviously reached the same conclusion. Pressing her fingertips to her temples, she analyzed their predicament:
"For years, I've maintained strict control over the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Theoretically, my personnel should be the least susceptible to conversion... I'm inclined to believe Thicknesse had contact with certain Death Eaters and was subsequently controlled, though I doubt he's progressed to becoming a full Death Eater himself."
She closed the thick evidence file with a prolonged sigh.
Jane Yu could understand the dilemma Minister Bones faced—
She'd inherited Fudge's administrative disaster: a Ministry crawling with complacent deadweight employees staging their own espionage dramas...
Even with her determined efforts to recruit Aurors and establish a directly controllable, formidable armed force while restructuring the Ministry, such changes couldn't happen overnight.
Distinguishing between the trustworthy, the spies, and the Death Eaters was a monumental undertaking.
"The Death Eaters' objectives in infiltrating the Ministry are crystal clear: first, to overthrow your control; second, to reclaim the confiscated wands; third, to eliminate me."
Jane Yu carefully analyzed Voldemort's intentions, concluding that while the Ministry appeared dangerous, it was actually completely unsafe:
"Controlling your Department of Magical Law Enforcement means controlling the Ministry's lifeline. The Death Eaters clearly understand this, and Thicknesse perfectly fits their target profile: a senior Law Enforcement official with access to classified information and direct contact with you."
Bones nodded in agreement:
"Thicknesse has served under me for many years. Objectively speaking, his willpower doesn't fall into the 'steadfast' category, but his work ethic is reasonably responsible, and he has access to the most sensitive matters... I suspect that's precisely why he was targeted. Moreover, he harbors certain pure-blood supremacist tendencies—perhaps in the Death Eaters' eyes, he represented an easily convertible target..."
She pondered for a moment, then looked up at Jane:
"Yu, the Ministry is no longer safe... If this can happen within my own department, one can only imagine the state of other divisions."
"I must relocate you—more precisely, I must relocate the entire research team."
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