Chapter 259: Ice Crown, Snape and Aunt Petunia
Lucius knew his former master well.
The Dark Lord seemed generous and shared his glory and power with his subordinates. During that period, the Death Eaters became a terrifying organization, acting tyrannically and without any scruples.
But in reality, the Dark Lord is an extremely selfish person, who strives to flaunt his supremacy and uniqueness in many aspects.
After reading the records about Horcruxes, Lucius was sure that he had touched upon the ultimate secret of the Dark Lord.
No wonder the Dark Lord often told them that he had defeated death and had gone further on the road to eternal life than anyone else.
Now I understand everything.
But the more you know, the faster you die.
He gave the Dark Lord's Horcrux to Dumbledore... How much of a suicidal person must he be to do such a thing?
The Dark Lord must still be alive now. When he returns one day and learns of what he has done, he will definitely be furious and punish him. But this is nothing, after all, it was an unintentional mistake.
The bad thing is that he now knows what Horcruxes are. The Dark Lord is not the kind of boss who sticks to moral principles. "It is common for him to use Legilimency on his subordinates.
How can you make someone who knows your secret keep silent forever?
Lucius dared to bet all the assets of the Malfoy family that there was only one answer from the Dark Lord - to deal with the people who created problems for him.
That's why Lucius said that he was tricked by Tom. When he heard the word Horcrux, his life was no longer in his own hands.
"What should I do? What should I do?"
Lucius was so anxious that he was running around in circles and couldn't think of a perfect solution. He was too weak and had no ability to resist the Dark Lord. If he died, how would Narcissa and Draco, an orphan and a widow, survive? Sooner or later, they would be eaten up without a trace left.
"Dad! Tom sent you a letter!" Draco's voice came from outside the library.
Lucius rushed out as if he had grabbed the last straw.
"Ice blooms."
Kew Gardens, outside London.
Tom held a budding ice flower in his hand. As the flower bloomed, the temperature within several kilometers around it dropped sharply.
In just a dozen seconds, a layer of frost condensed on the green leaves.
When the flower was halfway open, the boy suddenly closed his palms, and blue ice crystals floated from between his fingers, reflecting colorful light under the sunlight.
The temperature change also stops.
In the study space, the two old men, Deng and Ariana, were watching Tom's performance.
Andros praised generously, "Tom, if you cast this spell with all your strength, I'm afraid this forest will be frozen and shattered into pieces."
"Strange, too strange." Grindelwald's eyes flashed with confusion. "He didn't mobilize the astral energy that Andros mentioned, but relied entirely on his own strength to achieve this. If it were Albus, I could understand it, but..."
"Don't talk about Albus." Ariana interrupted him with a sneer: "I don't believe Albus is as powerful as Tom. Tom didn't even use his wand just now. How can my brother do it?
"Well...isn't it natural for wizards to use wands?"
Grindelwald retorted with a guilty conscience. If anyone else had disparaged Dumbledore like that, he would have unleashed a barrage of Fiendfyre. But who could blame Ariana for saying that?
However, Grindelwald also knew that even with a wand in hand, a city of their level would need to concentrate fully to achieve a similar effect.
He is nothing like Tom just now, who was doing it with ease and comfort.
"Who said I often forget to bring my wand, and it doesn't matter?" Andros stood up to support Ariana.
"You pervert, don't use one example to judge the whole. How many of you are there in the world?"
Listening to the quarrel between the three people, the young man had a smile on his face.
The reason why his ice magic suddenly became so much stronger was not because of a sudden enlightenment, but simply because he followed the instructions in Kel'Thuzad's notes and condensed the ice magic circuit named "Frost Crown" by Kel'Thuzad in his body.
When magic power is added through the circuit, it is like a turbocharger, which has a terrifying effect on ice magic.
The current circuit is only roughly engraved successfully, and there are still many details that have not been carved out. Once it reaches the perfect stage, it will definitely be even stronger.
Unfortunately, this method doesn't work for others.
Without Merlin's magical perception talent, even he would not be able to clearly sense the flow of magic and perform delicate manipulations. In other words, the only person in the world who is qualified to learn it is Tom Riddle.
I don't know if his ice magic can withstand the fire god's way if he collides with Dumbledore now.
After leaving the forest and returning home, Tom found a time when Ariana was not around and gave Grindelwald some of the content he had summarized about the experiment.
After just two glances, Grindelwald's expression changed.
"Tom, who is the author of your magic notebook? Could it be 'the despicable Herpo'?"
"It's not him." Tom shook his head, but didn't say much. "Verify it as soon as possible and tell me if you have any questions."
"I see."
After agreeing to his request, Grindelwald asked somewhat unwillingly: "Can't you let me see it?"
He knew that Tom had changed so much in the past two days because of a magic notebook he had accidentally obtained.
"I'll give you the notes when you become a great being like the Big Four. Otherwise, it will be of no use to you."
Without the protection of the system, even the King of the Century would be affected by the magic of Mr. Ke in the notebook. A great lich like Mr. Ke is definitely stronger than the Four Giants and Merlin in this world.
Tom once considered using his notes as a weapon, but later gave up.
If a puppet controlled by the notes is created, the harm it brings will definitely be more terrifying than Lao Ge and Fu Fu.
Tom's words were serious, and Grindelwald completely lost all hope. He said to himself, "This is the first time I've felt like a weakling."
"It's not that you are weak, it's just that the owner of this notebook is too strong and too evil.
As the two were talking, a ball of fire suddenly appeared in the air in the living room and Fox flew out of it.
"Chirp—!"
Little brother, I'm here to see you!
"A letter from Dumbledore?"
Tom took the letter tied to Fox's leg and opened it, saying casually, "Since you're here, stay a few days. I'm going to North America soon."
Newt has written that he is now in the East and will be able to bring the Iron Eater back soon [Tom will be in New York soon.
"Chirp—!" Fox rubbed Tom's cheek happily.
No problem, I'll be back after delivering the letter.
Tom quickly finished reading the letter. Dumbledore invited him to attend the trial in three days. The case of Sirius and Peter Pettigrew was about to be heard.
But Tom was not interested and asked Fawkes to pass on a message, politely declining Dumbledore's invitation.
I might as well spend this time shopping with Daphne.
Tom didn't care about Sirius's ending, but Harry spent every day in anxious waiting.
He would always read the newspapers Hedwig brought back carefully as soon as possible, just to know when his godfather would be released, but there was still no news.
Until the early morning of this day.
Snape rang the Dursleys' doorbell with an expressionless face.
"It's you?!"
It was Harry's aunt Petunia who opened the door. She was a little confused at first, but the more she looked, the more familiar he seemed. Combined with the wizard robes, she finally remembered Snape's identity.
Her former neighbor, her sister's classmate!
"What's the matter, dear?"
Vernon, who was watching TV in the living room, rushed out immediately after hearing Petunia's scream.
"Who are you and why are you at my doorstep? You are not welcome in our home!"
The wizard robe exposed Snape's wizard identity. Vernon scolded him sternly, but he didn't dare to take a step forward.
It's all that brat's fault, otherwise how could a respectable family like theirs have anything to do with a bunch of freaks!
Facing the hostility of the two, Snape remained calm and said calmly, "I'm not here to look for you. Please help me call Harry Potter out."
"No!" Vernon was like a wild boar with its hair standing on end. "The old man promised me! We will be in charge of Potter during the holidays. I won't allow him to bring any unscrupulous people into the house!"
"Snape?" Harry came out of his storage room upon hearing the quarrel. He was completely stunned when he saw Snape standing at the door.
"You're rude!" Snape's expression finally changed. Seeing Harry's reaction, he scowled and scolded him instinctively: "Even during the holidays, I'm still your professor. How should you greet a professor when you meet him?"
Harry suppressed his nausea and admitted, "I'm sorry, Professor. I'm just surprised to see you."
In any case, Snape was the first 'compatriot' he had met during the summer vacation and was more likely to bring him the news he wanted to know.
"I need to take Potter to take care of something."
Seeing Harry give in, Snape finally felt relieved and slowly explained the purpose of his visit to the Dursleys.
Uncle Vernon said angrily, "I told you that Potter is not allowed to have any contact with you during the holidays. If you have anything to say, wait until school starts!"
Snape ignored him and looked at Petunia with a complicated expression. "Evans, the murderer who killed your sister has been caught. Now I want to take Potter to witness his trial. Do you really want to stop me?"
"The murderer who killed Lily..." Penny's eyes widened, "Hasn't he been..."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but look at Harry, at the scar on his forehead. Harry suddenly realized that Aunt Petunia knew more about the wizarding world than he thought.
"Her whereabouts were betrayed by someone, and the man who was responsible for Zhao Le was also arrested."
"Who is it?"
"Peter Pettigrew.""
A wretched figure immediately appeared in Penny's mind.
She attended her sister's wedding. Although it ended in a bad mood, she also met Lily's friends. In particular, she had a deep impression of Peter Pettigrew, a guy who was so ugly that he was shockingly ugly.
"That guy doesn't look like a good person at first glance!" Penny gasped, looking at her husband with red eyes: "Vernon..."
"I understand, dear." Vernon put his arm around Petunia's shoulders comfortingly. "Potter, go ahead. Don't come back after twelve o'clock today."
Harry nodded ecstatically, his heart already flying to the Ministry of Magic, and he couldn't wait to follow Snape out.
"Professor, how do we get to the magic training?"
"Don't ask these meaningless questions, just follow me."
Harry recalled the conversation between Snape and Petunia and whispered, "You seem to know my aunt?"
Snape nodded calmly. "The Evans family and I are neighbors. Your aunt once wrote a letter to Dumbledore, hoping to study at Hogwarts, but was rejected. Since then, she has hated magic."
Harry was stunned. He didn't expect Petunia to have such a past.
After explaining the whole story, Snape never spoke another word to Harry. He just silently took him on the bus and then on the subway to a quiet alley in the center of London.
Under Harry's confused gaze, Snape led him into the dilapidated red telephone booth.
Chapter 260: Trial, As Long as the Money Is in Place, Dumbledore Will Do Nothing
Harry never imagined that entering the Ministry of Magic would be in such a ridiculous way.
After Snape entered a number, a cold female voice rang out from the phone booth. After some scrutiny, she spit out two silver badges.
After putting it on, the telephone booth turned into an elevator. The two of them went down all the way and finally arrived at a magnificent hall.
The dark blue wooden floor complemented the peacock blue ceiling, and golden symbols flowed throughout the space. Rows of fireplaces lined the walls, with wizards constantly coming in and out. Harry immediately recalled his experience of wandering around in a room last summer.
"Follow me closely and don't get lost. I won't go to the security room to pick you up." Snape said and walked forward and merged into the crowd.
Harry hurried to catch up. They passed a fountain with many glittering silver Sickles and copper Knuts at its base. There was also a sign next to it that read: All proceeds from the Magic Fountain will be donated to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
He would put a Galleon in there if it would get his godfather out and lock Peter Pettigrew up until he died.
Harry thought silently.
"Two visitors, invited to observe the trial in Courtroom Six." Snape took out a piece of parchment, placed it on the table, and said to the young wizard behind the table.
"Um, wand, put it in...Merlin's beard, Harry Potter!"
The wizard was originally listless, but when he saw the name on the invitation, his eyes suddenly widened. He quickly looked up and locked his gaze on Harry.
"You are Harry Potter."
"I, I'm Harry Potter." Harry was shocked by his change.
The wizard practically snatched his hand away, shaking it non-stop. "The Boy-Who-Lived, I finally meet you. I grew up listening to your stories. Can you give me an autograph?"
Day:"..."
Damn it, do you want to see how old I am and how old you are? How can you say such things?
But in fact, what the wizard said was not wrong. He was in his twenties this year and was still in school eleven and four hundred and seventy years ago. At that time, Harry's name was well-known in the wizarding world, and he grew up hearing about it.
The wizard's exclamation was heard by many people, and the registration entrance suddenly turned into a Harry Potter fan meeting.
Harry was helplessly surrounded by a group of wizards and witches.
Some asked for his autograph, some wanted to take pictures, and some just came to try their luck and pray that they would also survive the disaster.
Harry looked at Snape helplessly, hoping that he could pull him out of the quagmire, but Snape just stood there and watched coldly. It was not until the time was almost up that he squeezed open a path and pulled Harry out.
"The court session is about to begin, please don't waste our time.
"Yes, Professor Snape." The wizard in charge of registration and inspection shuddered at Snape's death stare and hurriedly began to check the wands.
Snape was already a professor when he was in school. Thinking back to those days, he was still as afraid of Snape as a mouse seeing a cat.
Harry walked through the security gate as if he had survived a disaster and officially entered the Ministry of Magic. But before he could catch his breath, he heard Snape's mockery again.
"Potter, do you like the feeling of being admired?"
"The classmates in school are already used to your mediocrity. It's better outside. Sorry, did I ruin your good fortune just now?"
"Of course not, Professor." Harry smiled. "Everyone is just expressing their joy at Voldemort's disappearance. But you, on the other hand, are still remembered for your kindness even after your graduation.
When it comes to being sarcastic, Harry is no less capable than Snape and Malfoy when he performs normally.
As expected, hearing Harry dare to mock his reputation among the students, Snape glared at him fiercely, but now it was the holiday period, and his methods against Harry were basically useless, so he could only make a note of this.
The two exchanged sarcastic remarks and sharp words all the way until they reached the courtroom floor. The air around them was cold and damp, and Harry finally quieted down and even became nervous.
Snape pushed open a black door with force.
It was a staircase room with the entrance at the highest point.
The seats were also arranged in a staircase.
Quite a few people had already arrived, especially the first three rows which were almost full.
Those people were holding cameras in their hands, and they were obviously reporters.
"There are so many newspapers in Britain?" Harry was stunned.
Apart from The Daily Prophet, Beautiful Witch, and Wizard Weekly, he really didn't know what other newspapers and magazines there were in Britain.
"Many of them are reporters that Fudge invited from abroad."
Snape answered Harry's question without moving his lips, and led him to an open area in the middle and back.
"I'm going to be on the stand as a witness in a moment. No matter what you heard, keep your mouth shut."
Seeing that Harry was about to retort, Snape's eyes suddenly became fierce. "Dumbledore asked me to convey your message. Of course, I hope Sirius is imprisoned until he dies. If that's what you think, then it's up to you."
"I, I understand." Harry shrank his neck.
He didn't know why Snape said that, but he could only say that he had never seen the dangers of the courtroom. Many times, those people would do anything to induce a confession or to hear the testimony they wanted.
The two waited for about ten minutes, and the courtroom suddenly became quiet.
The side door below was opened, and a large group of wizards walked out. Leading the way was Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic whom Harry had met before. Behind him followed two people side by side: a gray-haired woman with a serious face, and a man like a lion.
Following closely behind were a dozen wizards in purple robes, both men and women, all of whom were not young, including Dumbledore.
Harry saw the gray-haired woman sitting in the presiding judge's seat, with Fudge and the lion-like man sitting on either side of her, while the others came to the two rows of seats closest to the prisoners.
"quiet!"
The woman banged the gavel loudly, and the room became even quieter. Then her majestic voice echoed in the courtroom:
"Today marks the retrial of the Benjamin Street bombing and the allegation that Sirius Black was a Death Eater.
The presiding judge is Inspector Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge; Head of the Auror Office Rufus Scrimgeour; and the Recorder: Wolfe Velen.
"Jury: The Wizengamot."
"Bring up Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew."
Harry leaned forward and looked towards the side door.
The door opened, and the crowd began to buzz with discussion. Several Aurors escorted Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black into the room, placing them in two seats respectively.
Peter Pettigrew looked much more haggard than before, with bloody teeth marks on his face, which were obviously recent wounds.
Harry was just at the side, he just glanced at Peter Pettigrew, all his attention was on that withered and skinny figure——Sirius Black, he
father.
Black was so thin that a gust of wind could blow him down. His long, dirty hair was tangled in a ball and hung down, so Harry couldn't see his face clearly. But he could see his chest heaving violently as he cursed Peter Pettigrew madly, and all kinds of obscenities were heard by everyone.
"Silence!" Bones had to bang the gavel again, and he stopped reluctantly only when an Auror pointed his wand at Sirius.
"Please invite witness Dumbledore to make his statement." Burns nodded in the direction of the jury. Dumbledore responded with a smile, walked to Sirius' side, and gently patted his shoulder with his old hand.
With just such a simple action, Sirius' eyes couldn't help but turn red. He buried his head deeply in his arms and cried softly.
Dumbledore didn't say any words of comfort at this time. He knew what Sirius wanted and began to describe the whole process in a calm and powerful voice.
He betrayed the Potters, secretly passed messages for the Dark Lord, blew up half a street at the cost of a finger bone, faked his death to escape, and hid in the Weasley family for eleven years as a rat.
As Dumbledore continued to narrate, exclamations and whispers continued to be heard in the courtroom, and people were shocked by the truth of the facts.
During this period, Snape also took the stage to testify, and Dumbledore also took out the Marauder's Map to show the root cause of Peter Pettigrew's discovery - he borrowed this from Tom, and the price was that he could play with Birdman for a while.
After Dumbledore finished speaking, the jury and the presiding judge began to ask questions.
Harry finally understood why Dumbledore asked Snape to warn him. The way these people asked questions was to try their best to prove Sirius' guilt [focusing on attacking him for not telling the truth for more than ten years].
There were two people who impressed Harry. One was Scrimgeour, the head of the Auror Office, and the other was an old wizard on the jury named Barty Crouch. These two asked the most questions and reacted most strongly.
There were several times when Harry wanted to stand up, but Snape stared at him so hard that no trouble came to pass.
What silenced the two men was Peter Pettigrew, who frankly admitted his guilt and added a lot of details that Dumbledore hadn't mentioned - the Longbottoms were also his brothels.
Peter Pettigrew also figured it out. Even if he refused to admit that he had escaped from Azkaban, there were still many Death Eaters outside. Whether it was out of loyalty to the Dark Lord or because of him, they had lost their former glory. Many people were eager to settle accounts with him.
It would be better to hide in prison, wait for the opportunity to escape when the storm has passed, and live in hiding in other countries.
Now that the parties involved have pleaded guilty, even Crouch's application for a spell test is useless, and Dwarf Peter is not under control.
"Please raise your hands if you agree that Black should be found not guilty and that Peter Pettigrew should bear all responsibility!" Bones asked in his final question.
A large number of Wizengamot members raised their hands. Fudge, in high spirits, also raised his hand, looking at Crouch with a playful look.
The number of people has exceeded 80%.
Boom!
Amelia Bones banged the gavel and announced: "Sirius Black is acquitted. Peter Pettigrew will be sent to Azkaban tomorrow to serve his sentence. Term: life imprisonment!"
There was warm applause in the hall, and Dumbledore also clapped softly. When the Aurors untied Sirius's shackles, he hugged Dumbledore and burst into tears.
Only Dumbledore heard what he said.
"Let me kill him!"
"Let me kill him!"
"Calm down, Sirius." Dumbledore pressed his shoulder. "Peter has received a fair trial. Death is not the most terrible consequence. Those Dementors will make him realize this."
Sirius's emotions finally stabilized a little.
Only a few people were out of tune with the lively atmosphere. Snape watched coldly as Peter Pettigrew was suppressed.
There was no regret or unwillingness in his eyes, only the relief and liberation of accepting defeat.
Moving a little further away from Harry, Snape took out his phone and sent a message to his only friend.
[I agree to your terms and will start tomorrow.]
Riddle House.
Astoria had fallen asleep with her head resting on Tom's thighs. Feeling the vibration from my chat, Tom reached out and the notebook automatically flew over to him.
After reading it, the boy smiled slightly and used his finger as a pen.
[As long as the money is in place, Dumbledore will crush it for you.]
Snape's eyelids twitched wildly when he saw the reply.
Chapter 261 the Necessary Condition for the Protection Magic to Take Effect, Interception!
After the court was adjourned, Harry walked down the stairs and stood in front of Dumbledore and Sirius, feeling lost. He didn't know what his godfather's attitude towards him would be.
Will you dislike him?
Dumbledore patted Sirius on the shoulder and motioned him to look back.
"Hello." Harry greeted stiffly.
Sirius straightened up and turned around to see a nervous Harry, his emerald eyes filled with anticipation and a hint of uneasiness.
Sirius was in a trance.
Apart from the emerald green shoes that are almost identical to Lily's, Harry is simply a young James!
Sirius seemed to have returned to his youth, the happiest time when he and James were rampant on campus and full of vigor.
It was not until the feeling of weakness in his body that Sirius was reminded that everything was just an illusion.
James was dead, killed by his family and the betrayal of Peter Pettigrew.
"Harry..." He responded somewhat awkwardly.
He actually knew very little about Sirius. He only knew that he was his father's best friend and the godfather who had been chosen for him before he was born.
The fact that he was willing to be imprisoned for eleven years for a wrong decision was enough to prove Sirius's feelings for his father.
But will he like himself?
The two of them fell silent at the same time, and it was Dumbledore who broke the silence and said with a smile: "Sirius, you haven't seen Harry for more than ten years.
"Yeah." Sirius nodded and gestured with his hands: "The last time I saw him, he was only this big... By the way, Harry, I hugged you back then, and you smiled at me."
Sirius looked at Harry, feeling a little reluctant, but he still said softly: "You know what? I am actually your godfather."
"Yeah, I know," said Harry.
"It's like this...your father appointed me as your guardian."
Sirius said unnaturally: "I didn't fulfill my godfather duties before, and I'm sorry to James and Lily, but now, I've cleared the name on you, and I want to make it up to you.
If you're willing, we can live together and I'll take care of you."
Harry's heart was soaring. "Leaving the Dursleys? Of course! That's great. My parents left me some money. We can buy a small house somewhere out of the way."
"House?" Sirius suddenly straightened his chest and raised his head, and a sense of confidence suddenly appeared: "Harry, I'm not short of money, and I have a lot of houses. Do you like London? Or we can go to Yorkshire, Liverpool, as long as you like it."
Just when the two were about to enjoy and plan their future life, Dumbledore had to step forward and be the villain who disrupted the situation.
"That sounds really wonderful, but I'm sorry, Sirius, Harry can't leave the Dursleys yet."
"Why?!"
The newly recognized father and son asked in unison, their expressions showing a synchronized mixture of surprise and anger.
"This is for Harry's safety." Dumbledore's expression was serious, and a soundproofing barrier had unknowingly enveloped the three of them. "Voldemort has been defeated, but he is still alive. He will definitely come back and seek revenge on Harry."
"I will protect him!" Sirius said excitedly: "I swear on my life!"
"Sirius..." Harry was deeply moved. He finally felt the family love he had never experienced before.
At the same time, Harry also discovered the loophole in Dumbledore's words: "Professor, if Voldemort really comes back, wouldn't it be more dangerous for me to stay at the Dursleys' house?"
"No, you'll be safe, and so will the Dursleys."
He shook his head and slowly explained, "Lily used her own life to cast an ancient magic. It was thanks to this magic that you survived his clutches. That power hasn't disappeared and still flows in your blood. That's why you were able to harm Voldemort in your first year."
"And in order to maintain the effects of the magic, you must return to the Dursleys' house for a period of time every year and treat it as your home until you come of age.
Sirius and Harry were both speechless and their minds were in a mess.
After a moment, Sirius said unwillingly: "I understand... Can I go see Harry? Take him out for a few days from time to time."
Dumbledore smiled and nodded, "That's possible. Harry lived in the Burrow for a while last year.
Sirius also smiled: "Weasley? Long time no see, old friend."
"Are you done talking?" a cold voice came from behind the three of them. Sirius turned around, his smile immediately disappearing. "Snape, you haven't left yet?"
Even though Snape was a witness and played a significant role, it was impossible to expect Sirius to greet him with a smile.
"I'll take Potter back." Snape said coldly, "You want to say you can do that?"
"Go change your clothes first, so the Dursleys don't think Potter is hanging around with criminals.
"I'm in a good mood today and don't want to argue with you."
Sirius glared at Snape, then patted Harry's shoulder. "Go back first. I'll come see you as soon as I'm done. Number 4, Privet Drive, right?"
"Well, I'm leaving."
Harry didn't want to be separated from Sirius, but Snape had already dragged him out of the courtroom.
Dumbledore smiled as he watched the two men leave. "Severus is actually a very good person.
"Are you guilty of saying this?"
With his heart knot untied and Harry reunited, Sirius returned to his usual uninhibited personality. "By the way, I have one more favor to ask of you."
"What?" Dumbledore turned and looked at him.
Sirius rubbed his hands and said, "I want to thank Tom Riddle in person. If he hadn't found Peter through the Marauder's Map, I wouldn't have had the chance to see Harry again, let alone know that the enemy was still alive."
"Well..." Dumbledore did not answer immediately, but walked out with Sirius first.
"This is indeed Mr. Riddle's credit. I also invited him to witness today's court session, but unfortunately, he seemed very busy and declined my invitation.
"If you want to see him recently, it may be difficult."
"It's okay, I'm not in a hurry." Sirius shrugged: "It's just time to think about what gift I should prepare to express my gratitude."
"It doesn't need to be too precious. Gifts of books and knowledge are best." Dumbledore suggested: "Mr. Riddle is not short of money, nor does he have much desire for money."
If Tom knew that Old Dumbledore had actually stabbed him in the back, he would never have been lazy and absent from today's trial. Black was a wealthy family, and the entire Black family inheritance was in his hands. The thank-you fee he gave would not be invalidated.
He's so short of money now, okay?
Fortunately, Snape soon delivered the second pot of gold.
The next day, the North Sea.
The Ministry of Magic attaches great importance to Peter Pettigrew, or rather, Fudge attaches great importance to him, because he is an important means for him to attack Crouch. As long as he is imprisoned in Azkaban, it will be a major stain on Crouch's career.
Therefore, there were ten Aurors responsible for escorting Pettigrew, two of whom were responsible for driving the Thestrals, and the other eight followed on flying broomsticks.
Pettigrew in the carriage had shackles on his hands and feet. Now that it was known that he was an Animagus, these shackles were specially made. Once they detected that he had the intention to cast a spell, they would immediately lock and release paralyzing poison.
The escort team set out from London and headed north to the North Sea.
Azkaban is located on an extremely remote island, roughly on the edge of the North Sea, close to the Norwegian Sea.
The journey was not easy and required a full day of flying to arrive.
*0
About four hours after flying out of the main continent, the Aurors landed on a small island to rest.
On top of the highest hill on the island, Tom and Snape looked down at the group of people in the forest.
"Professor, you are indeed a professional. You even calculated the landing point."
At this time, both of them were wearing black robes and pointed hats, which was the standard attire of Death Eaters.
"Michael, you should call me Francis now." Snape reminded with a dark face, but Tom couldn't see through the mask.
It was not difficult for Snape to find out the Auror's whereabouts. He had never seen a pig run, but hadn't he eaten pork?
What Slytherin had the most was his companions and seniors in Azkaban, especially the group of Death Eaters who had been imprisoned there that year.
Snape had luckily escaped that fateful fate, and at the same time, he had learned a lot of information about Azkaban, all of which had been accidentally revealed by the students' parents in the past, so he didn't need to specifically inquire about it.
"Now?" asked Tom.
"Be careful. If you reveal your identity, I won't be able to save you. You'll have no choice but to ask Dumbledore for help."
After Snape gave the reminder, he cast an Disillusionment Charm on himself and moved down the mountain. Although he couldn't use Apparition now, the Aurors were still very qualified. [A warning spell was set up in the temporary resting place.
0.....
In Tom's eyes, although Snape had disappeared, the traces of magic were more obvious, and he seemed to have a vulgar aura.
With a laugh, Tom pointed his wand to the sky and began to cover for Snape.
"Damn it, it's so cold."
Dawlish, who was eating lunch, cursed and took a big bite of the sandwich in his hand.
Another Auror laughed and said, "The further north you go, the colder it gets. Dawlish, you haven't forgotten even this common sense, have you?"
"Of course not. I just feel unlucky that it's my turn to be assigned the escort mission."
Dawlish was very depressed. Flying so far was actually secondary. The key was that after arriving in Azkaban, he would have to deal with Dementors. No one liked those monsters.
After a while, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and thunderclouds were faintly gathering.
"wrong!"
Shacklebolt looked up suddenly. "This is definitely not normal. There aren't that many rain clouds around here! Someone's casting a spell!"
"How is that possible?" Dawlish was clearly unconvinced. "Who would be so bored as to come to a place like this?"
Before he finished speaking, a series of huge fireballs came crashing down, instantly destroying the fireballs that had been set up in advance. At the same time, a crystal ball carried by an Auror began to glow brightly and emit a sharp buzzing sound.
"Falling unconscious!"
The Auror's cloak attached to the outermost guard illuminated, and the flowing light controlled the cloak to fall to the ground, creating a deep pit.
He was stunned for a moment before reacting. He quickly launched a counterattack in the direction of the spell and shouted to his companions:
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
Without him saying anything, the others all started to move, and their faces changed drastically when they saw Snape's iconic outfit.
Death Eaters actually come to rescue Peter Pettigrew?
Snape was completely stunned. No, aren't Aurors' equipment so good now?
Because of the sneak attack, the effect of his Disillusionment Charm also dissipated, and immediately dozens of spells were thrown at him. Even Snape did not dare to resist it and quickly Apparated to avoid it.
Tom's mouth twitched.
The Warning Eye, the Curse-Proof Cloak...all of them are his work.
He was the one who betrayed Snape again. The Headmaster is truly miserable...
Looking at the professor being chased in a panic, Tom's soft-hearted nature came back. He slowly ate a piece of chocolate to replenish his energy, and drank a cup of hot tea before taking a step forward.
With this step, Tom directly crossed a distance of hundreds of meters, and appeared between Snape and the Auror.
The next second, the terrifying extreme cold force erupted instantly with Tom as the center!
"Extreme Ice Field and!"
Chapter 262 Peter Pettigrew Dies, Dumbledore Is Alarmed
The materialized icy blue air swept across the surroundings, even affecting the space. Snape quickly stopped Disapparating and instead put up a protective shield to resist the cold, cursing inwardly.
You can't tell friend from foe!
The Aurors had all been rigorously trained and their reaction speed was quite fast. They worked together to cast a large-scale universal protection.
The icy blue air completely enveloped the silver protective shield, making it impossible to see the scene ahead. Just as the Aurors were waiting for the magic to end and launch a counterattack, the shield changed again.
How could Tom's magic end so easily? Two ice tornadoes connected the sky and the earth, raging wildly in the area, constantly converging towards the Aurors, and finally merged into one and exploded.
The strong air current blew Snape dozens of meters away before he fell to the ground in a mess.
The storm dissipated, but in early summer, in June, a world of ice and snow appeared. The broken earth was covered with frost, and the sky was dotted with snowflakes, "a picture of a cold winter with a howling north wind."
"You won't kill them all!"
Snape didn't have time to be shocked by the power of the spell and the fantastic scenery. He spat out the dirt in his mouth and rushed over.
"How is that possible? Look, they're all frozen there." Tom pointed to the deep pit in front of him, and the nine Aurors turned into ice sculptures, their expressions still remaining in the state before they were frozen, which can be said to be the essence of human abstract expressions.
"As long as you're not dead."
Snape breathed a sigh of relief. He only wanted to kill Peter Pettigrew. If nine Aurors died, the Ministry of Magic's "773" would have to blow up.
wrong.
"Why are there only nine?" Snape's face changed.
"The other one was watching Peter Pettigrew, and I took care of him too." Tom hinted wildly, "I did all the hard work this time. You're just a bystander. No, you have to pay more."
Snape ignored the young man who had changed his profession to a fairy and walked towards the carriage.
In order to raise 30,000 Galleons for Tom, he not only emptied the vault, but also sold a lot of his treasured potions and materials. Only then was he able to get enough. To raise more money, he really had no choice but to sell himself.
Peter Pettigrew was trembling in the carriage. Because there was a ball gag in his mouth, he could only make continuous whimpering sounds and could not shout for help.
It wasn't that the Aurors had any special quirks, they just sealed his mouth to prevent him from casting spells.
Peter Pettigrew was terrified at this moment. He had heard the explosions and the whistling sounds caused by the Apparition outside. He didn't understand why the Death Eaters were so well-informed.
His existence was only exposed yesterday, and people were sent to kill him today.
It's over, it's over, the Aurors must win.
Peter Pettigrew could only pray that the Aurors could repel the attackers. In his impression, those powerful Death Eaters were all imprisoned in Azkaban, and there were not many murderers left outside. This time, there were ten Aurors escorting him.
Should be able to win, right?
No, you will definitely win!
Just as Peter Pettigrew was hypnotizing himself, the neighing of a Thestral suddenly came from outside the carriage, and then the entire carriage broke into pieces, and Peter Pettigrew, who was sitting inside, fell to the ground in a mess.
When he looked up, he was horrified to see two Death Eaters wearing conical hats that covered their faces standing in front of him.
Snape waved his wand and the ball gag exploded, filling Peter Pettigrew's mouth with blood and knocking out several teeth, but he ignored the pain and knelt on the ground, begging incoherently:
"Don't kill me, don't kill me!"
"I also work for the master. I gave him a lot of information. I am also a Death Eater!"
"Because of your information, the master was killed by Bo Shi!"
Snape changed his tone, his voice filled with hatred for Peter Pettigrew, and said, "Crucio!"
"Ahhhh!"
The pain of the Cruciatus Curse tearing through his soul made Peter Pettigrew wail in agony, his body twisting and crawling on the ground like a maggot. He couldn't even faint and end it all because the intense pain would wake him up immediately.
The power of emotion was revealed at this moment. Snape's Cruciatus Curse was far more powerful than any previous problem. Without anyone getting in his way and without Dumbledore's warning, he could vent his hatred and...regret without restraint.
"That's about it," Tom casually reminded, "if we delay any longer those Aurors will really freeze to death."
Hearing his reminder, Snape reluctantly stopped and forcibly turned the still twitching Peter Pettigrew over.
The two looked into each other's eyes. Peter Pettigrew was already half-conscious, but seeing those eyes filled with hatred for him, he suddenly thought of the night when he was tortured by Snape. His eyes widened and he exclaimed: "You are..."
"AvadaKedavra!"
A strong green light briefly illuminated the nearby forest. Peter Pettigrew fell heavily to the ground, his limbs stretched out, and there was still an unshakable horror in his eyes.
After ending Peter's life, Snape panted heavily for a long time before he stood up again. He felt a little relieved and said in a deep voice:
"Let's go."
Tom nodded, and shot a red light at the frozen Auror nearby. Then another large ball of red light fell on the nine Aurors in the pit. After doing all this, he followed Snape and Apparated away from the isolated island to the nearest Ireland.
"Professor, if you need anything, feel free to contact me." Tom removed his transformation and clothing disguise. "The prices are clearly marked, and there's no cheating. Buy more and get more free. Those who have used it all say it's great."
"snort!"
Snape also took off his pointed hat and snorted, "Thirty thousand Galleons per move, I can't afford you.
"Why don't you think positively?" Tom was very patient in front of his important client. "If it weren't for me today, you wouldn't have been able to kill Peter Pettigrew, and you might even be dead. Do you want Dumbledore to go to Azkaban to get him back?"
He said this with confidence, completely forgetting that the Auror's equipment was also his masterpiece.
Snape didn't know this information and was speechless.
It's not that he didn't fight back just now, but those Aurors relied on their well-equipped equipment to attack but not defend, and they were all stunned as soon as Tom appeared.
The only disadvantage of expensive things is that they are expensive. No, expensiveness is not Tom's disadvantage; it is his disadvantage.
"Where did you find such powerful ice magic?" Snape couldn't help but ask, his tone was also sour.
"If you want to learn, I'll teach you." Tom smiled. "It's only 50,000 Galleons, and I guarantee you'll be able to freeze 20 or 30 Aurors into ice sculptures."
Although Snape couldn't carve out magic circuits, the frost magic he improved was strong enough. With Snape's talent, mastering it was not a problem. He was really not cheating.
"Why are you so obsessed with money?" The old bat didn't understand why Tom had changed so much, as if he had been infected by the group of girls at Gu Linghuan overnight.
Tom sighed, "Life is so stressful. How am I going to support my girlfriend if I don't make more money? Forget it, you don't understand."
Puff——!
Unconsciously, Snape was stabbed again and walked away in a huff.
"Don't come and exploit a poor guy like me."
Although he said so, Snape was really thinking in his heart. He strongly suspected that Tom must have dug up the grave of a powerful wizard to have so many powerful spells and potions.
What use are Galleons to him? Why not try to earn some money and buy some goodies from Tom?
Watching Snape leave with a smile, Tom opened the system panel.
Eighty thousand of the five million Galleons mission had been completed, thirty thousand of which were contributed by Snape and the other fifty thousand were sponsored by Lucius Malfoy.
In fact, Lucius gave 100,000 Galleons, but only 50,000 were counted in the trial.
Now Tom has figured it out. Simply blackmailing won't work, but as long as he provides the necessary help, then there will be no problem making money.
For example, he helped Lucius extract and retain his memories, and also left a way out for his family, so it was not considered extortion.
But...it's still too slow.
Tom sighed. There were only two things that made the most money: technology and finance, and he wanted to get involved in both.
On the isolated island, the ice that enveloped the Aurors melted rapidly. A quarter of an hour after the two left, the Tianming Aurors were freed one after another.
Although we were frozen to death, at least no one was killed. It was just that my nose started running uncontrollably after the lockdown was lifted.
"..."
Looking at Peter Pettigrew's cold body, whether it was Dawlish, Kingsley Shacklebolt or other Aurors, their scalps tingled.
"Why did the Death Eaters want to kill Peter Pettigrew?" someone asked in confusion.
Shacklebolt revealed his conjecture: "The Dark Lord died because Peter Pettigrew revealed the news about the Potter family. Those two Death Eaters were avenging their master."
But more doubts puzzled Shacklebolt. These two Death Eaters were stronger than each other. In his impression, they were simply not comparable to those Death Eaters who had escaped by chance.
"Go back and report to the minister quickly." Dawlish shuddered, feeling like he was going to have a bad cold.
The others nodded in agreement, ignoring the fleeing Thestrals, and Apparated towards London.
When Fudge heard the news, he felt like the sky was falling.
Are there still Death Eaters active in the wizarding world?
His first reaction was to block the news. If it were leaked out, it would definitely cause panic, and he, as the minister, would definitely be the one who would be hit the hardest.
After instructing the Aurors not to tell anyone about this, Fudge made the best choice in a panic! Find Chicken Bridgley.
Dumbledore, who was cleaning up the ancestral home with Sirius, showed a rare look of surprise after hearing the news, and stood there in a daze for several seconds.
"What's wrong, Dumbledore?" Sirius noticed his change and asked in confusion.
"Peter is dead," Dumbledore said with a complicated expression. "Two Death Eaters killed him on the way to Azkaban. Fortunately, the Aurors were only injured and no casualties were suffered."
Now it was Sirius' turn to be stunned, but soon he burst into laughter, and his laughter became more and more crazy. In the end, he laughed so hard that tears came out.
"Good death, good death!"
Dumbledore smiled bitterly. He understood Sirius's feelings and even felt that Peter Pettigrew's death was not a big deal.
But the key point is that those two mysterious Death Eaters were able to kill Peter under the protection of ten Aurors. They were definitely not simple people.
"Sirius, you clean up by yourself first. I need to go to the scene."
"Can I go?" Sirius stopped laughing and asked expectantly: "I just want to see Peter Pettigrew's body with my own eyes, without causing you any trouble.
Dumbledore apologized, "I'm sorry, Fudge asked me to keep it a secret, so I have to go alone."
"Okay, then you must make sure that the dead person is Peter." Sirius reminded him worriedly.
Dumbledore agreed, left Grimmauld Place and followed the address given by Fudge. He soon arrived at Tuanfa's isolated island.
Several hours had passed since the attack, but the temperature on the island was still close to zero degrees. Dumbledore could feel the residual magic flowing in the air, and his expression became even more solemn.
He could already imagine how powerful the spell would be at that time.
Golden dust flew out from the tip of the Elder Wand, covering the ground like a golden veil.
"AppareVestigium! (Tracing the source)"
As the dust continued to move, pictures appeared before Dumbledore's eyes...
Chapter 263: Tacit Warning, Or Making Money From Arms
Trace manifestation is a type of tracking magic that can reproduce magical footprints, residual magical fluctuations, or other scenes that appeared in a certain area in a short period of time.
Of course, this kind of reproduction has its limitations. Dumbledore also knows that he cannot completely restore the scene at that time. He uses this magic more to test the intensity of the battle.
The result did not disappoint him, but he was a little worried.
A blizzard swept across the area, and everything that was seen after that became blurry.
This means that the magic power carried by the spell has reached its limit. Are there such masters among the Death Eaters?
After standing there quietly thinking for a while, Dumbledore returned to the Ministry of Magic.
"How is it, Albus?" Fudge had been waiting anxiously. He was the only one in the office. When he saw Dumbledore come back, he immediately asked hopefully.
"Cornelly, I need more clues. Can a few Aurors go back to Hogwarts with me? I have a prop that can help me recreate the scene with the help of their memories. It might be helpful."
"No problem, I'll go with you." Fudge agreed without hesitation.
Then Fudge called five Aurors to follow Dumbledore to Hogwarts. When he saw the broken wooden board at the door of the headmaster's office, Fudge was stunned.
He had been to Hogwarts quite a few times recently. Wasn't there an extremely ugly stone statue guarding the door?
"Albus, what's going on?"
Dumbledore smiled awkwardly. "I gave the statue a holiday. I thought no one would come during the holiday."
Fudge was also embarrassed and didn't know how to respond.
After a long pause, he said, "You are... quite humane. If Hogwarts is short of funds, just tell me and I will do my best to help you with the approval."
20 "Thank you very much."
Without dwelling too much on this somewhat embarrassing topic, Dumbledore led his men into the office, took out the Pensieve, and instructed several Aurors to extract their specific memories and place them in the Pensieve.
He dragged Fudge along to watch the entire process as if he were there in person. When the head was pulled out of the Pensieve, Fudge's face turned pale and he kept muttering: "Too brutal, too horrible..."
The Aurors who followed also felt the same way. They had no power to resist at that time. The anti-spell cloak was completely shattered in almost seconds, and then the whole person was frozen and even their consciousness fell into a deep sleep.
When I woke up, the person was gone.
Fortunately, the two Death Eaters did not intend to kill them, otherwise, out of ten people who went, not a single one would have returned.
Is this a Death Eater?
It's simply the Dark Lord!
"Don't be too nervous, Cornelius," Dumbledore comforted him. "They just caught us by surprise. Trust the Aurors at the Ministry of Magic; they can handle the situation."
Kingsley Shacklebolt stood in the crowd and shook his head, saying, "What the hell is control?"
"Albus, you must find them. These people are too dangerous." Fudge said hurriedly.
"I'll try my best, but..." Dumbledore hesitated, "You know how difficult it is to find two people who are hiding their identities."
"I believe you, Albus.
After seeing off the Ministry of Magic, Dumbledore looked at the dark night and did not prepare to rest. Instead, he headed to Spinner's End Alley, where a professor lived.
"It's so late, aren't you afraid of disturbing my rest?"
Snape let Dumbledore into the house with a very sour face. It was a small house with only two floors, about 80 square meters on each floor. There was a row of crucibles in the living room, and the rising heat made the temperature in the room much higher than outside.
"You're brewing so many potions?" Dumbledore asked back, ignoring Snape's cold words.
Although he was not welcome to come, Snape still offered him hot cocoa: "I suddenly had an inspiration and wanted to do some experiments. Are you going to arrange my vacation time too?"
"Of course not." Dumbledore smiled and said, "I'm not a Muggle capitalist. I'm just asking out of concern for the professor.
"I feel fine, thank you for your concern, is there anything else you need?"
As he spoke, cold sweat began to form on Snape's hands.
The Dark Lord's mood was unpredictable, and his men were all trembling with fear when facing him, except for those lunatics.
Dumbledore treated everyone with a pleasant face, which actually brought more pressure to Snape.
"There is some bad news. Oh, no." Dumbledore smiled and shook his head. "This should be good news for you. Peter is dead. Two Death Eaters attacked the convoy and killed him in revenge for Voldemort."
Snape paused as he raised his teacup, then smiled broadly, but it quickly faded away. He sneered, "You shouldn't have handed him over to the Ministry of Magic. It wouldn't have been so much trouble if I had killed him. I'm afraid Fudge must be really worried by now, right?"
"Indeed." Dumbledore nodded. "Cornelly asked me to find the murderer as soon as possible."
"Then why did you come to see me?" Snape put down his teacup with a bang, and the tea spilled out. "Do you think I was the one who killed Peter Pettigrew?"
"I didn't, I didn't.
Don't talk nonsense."
Dumbledore denied it three times in a row. "You had a lot of dealings with Death Eaters back then, so I wanted to get some clues from you.
One of the murderers is very good at ice magic, and the other is also very proficient in the use of spells.
Any ideas?"
"My position among the Death Eaters wasn't very high back then. Those old guys had more experience than me."
Snape thought for a moment and replied, "Alex, Gibbon, and Rodolphus Lestrange, they have such strength."
"But they're all in Azkaban."
"Then I don't know."
Dumbledore nodded with a hint of regret: "Well, it seems I can only think of another calendar."
Snape looked at Dumbledore who had walked to the door and was about to leave and said, "Aren't you disgusted by these things? Why did you take the initiative to help this time?
"Fudge's request is truly irresistible." Dumbledore shrugged helplessly, looking at Snape and whispering, "But I think now that their goal has been achieved, they won't take any further action. After a while, Fudge will calm down and forget about this matter. What do you think, Severus?"
"Isn't that what all politicians do? Goodbye." Snape raised his glass to say farewell.
"Goodbye, see you at the start of school."
Bang!
The door of the room was closed, and Snape calmly drank cup after cup of black tea. After making sure that Dumbledore would not come back, he collapsed on the sofa, his back already soaked.
"This old thing..."
"Is this little guy... already so scary?"
Walking on the dim street, Dumbledore suddenly sighed.
There was no need to say anything completely, and not everything required evidence. Dumbledore had already determined who was responsible for the attack.
To put it a little exaggeratedly, he had watched all the wizards in Britain grow up over the past hundred years, and he knew very well what kind of people were and what level they were at.
Not to mention the Death Eaters, looking across the whole of Britain, the only ones who can achieve this level are Moody and a few old guys from the first generation of the Order of the Phoenix. As for the rest... just think about it.
Taking into account the motive, he was absolutely certain that one of the two people who took action today was Snape, and the other was... Tom.
However, in Dumbledore's speculation, it was Snape who took the initiative to find Tom and ask him for help. He never guessed that someone, in order to make money, used the devil's whisper on the professor, which completely aroused the murderous intent in his heart.
But knowing is one thing. Dumbledore cannot accuse Snape based solely on his own speculation. Even if he had evidence, he would pretend to know nothing.
The damned man died, and the innocent Auror was safe and sound. Dumbledore could accept this result, but he just gave Snape a secret warning in the end, indicating that everything would end here.
It was just that Tom's strength improved much faster than he had expected, and he almost single-handedly killed ten Aurors in seconds. In his memory, Snape was just a supporting role.
"You should pay more attention to the psychological development of students in the future." Dumbledore sighed silently, and disappeared in a flash into the shabby streets of Spider Alley.
On the other side, Tom also received Snape's reminder.
[Greasy Bat: Dumbledore came to me. He has already guessed that I was the one who did it. I guess you can't escape either. Keep your mouth shut. As long as you don't admit it, you have nothing to do with us.]
Tom: What does it have to do with me? You were the one who attacked me, and you were the one who killed me. I'm just a poor student who was innocently implicated. I don't understand what you're saying.
Ignoring Snape who was about to explode with anger, Tom continued to eat his midnight snack and watch the soap opera.
When he made his move, he never thought that he could hide it from the old and cunning Dumbledore. No, Dumbledore had been a monster since he was young. No one else except him could chat and laugh with a centuries-old monster at the age of a teenager and win praise and favor from almost everyone.
But Tom was not worried. He knew Dumbledore very well. As long as he didn't touch the bottom line, you could jump as you pleased. Maybe Dumbledore would be very happy at this moment.
What did he do today?
That was a model of the deep affection between teacher and student. In order to avenge Snape, he even dared to provoke the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic. This was the quality that Dumbledore most wanted to see in him—a strong sense of kinship.
So... let the dean worry about it himself, he should cherish his leisure time these days.
Unfortunately, someone came to visit early the next morning after the bad performance.
Amelia Bones looked tired and dusty. She forced a smile when she saw Tom: "I'm here to give you money again."
"One hundred curse-proof cloaks, one hundred warning eyes, and the top-level protective necklace. I know you never sell these things, but Fudge gave me a death order to bring back at least ten.
Bones said embarrassedly that she was asking Tom to break the rules, so she naturally felt embarrassed.
Honest Hufflepuff....
Tom suddenly realized that in addition to technology and finance, Guohuo is also a big money-maker.
This time he ate from both ends, eating Snape and then the Ministry of Magic.
The best way to plunder resources is to start a war...
An evil thought flashed through Tom's mind, but he suppressed it. Now the most important thing was to deal with Bones.
He feigned surprise and said, "Such a large order came in suddenly. I need some time to prepare."
"The sooner the better, it's urgent." Bones understood, but still urged.
"What happened?" Tom continued.
Bones hesitated for a moment, but still told the truth. Tom was her financial backer, and she had to tell it even if Fudge strictly forbade her to disclose it. It was a matter of attitude. Besides, Bones felt that such things should not be hidden, and the public had the right to know.
After hearing this, Tom was speechless and slapped a copy of the Daily Prophet on the table.
"You're so secretive about this little thing that you wrote it in the newspaper?"
Bones leaned over to take a look, his expression immediately becoming odd, and then he burst out laughing.