A magical journey that begins in Azkaban.

Chapter 536 Prelude to Christmas
On Christmas morning, the Hogwarts Express was filled with a joyful atmosphere. Roger boarded the train with his classmates, and everyone in each carriage was discussing the long-awaited holiday life.

Ariana chose to stay at school this year, and it seems that she will spend Christmas with Aberforth. Hermione also stayed, and I heard that her parents received a Christmas invitation from Hogsmeade.

The surroundings were filled with the sound of people showing off their new gifts. Draco was particularly proud and kept showing the people around him the high-end broom maintenance tool set and modification manual that his father had given him.

"Look at this," he said proudly, "Next year, my Nimbus 2001 will definitely be the fastest broom in the school. Then, I will definitely beat Gryffindor to a pulp!"

"This Christmas, our family is going to the Caribbean," Goyle announced excitedly, with a longing glint in his eyes. "I heard there are no Muggles there, so we don't have to worry about our wizard identities being discovered."

"Is it safe? I heard that it's very chaotic outside and some war broke out among the Muggles."

"It's not a war, it's a counterattack," Daphne corrected.

She took out an exquisite dragon crystal mirror from the Traceless expansion pack and skillfully recited a spell. Ripples appeared on the mirror surface, revealing the news footage being replayed by the Ministry of Magic.

"…the wizarding community around the world worked hand in hand with the Muggle government to launch a massive attack against the Snakemen and the remnants of the Death Eaters."

"Remnants?" Rogge turned his head involuntarily and stared at the battlefield scene playing in the mirror.

On the vast plain, Muggle soldiers were scattered, and dozens of tanks were attacking synchronously with them. In the direction of their advance, there was a dense army of snake people.

They looked ferocious, roared, and ran, with hungry and bloodthirsty light in their eyes.

Amid the roars of the steel behemoths and the breaths of the flamethrowers, the once terrifying snakemen fell to the ground one after another like cut wheat.

The sky was filled with thick black smoke, and the air was filled with the stench of burning flesh. The hard tracks ruthlessly rolled over the resisting flesh, crushing life and heat together, leaving behind a cold and dead silence.

"Fire is indeed the best tool to purify sin." Roger whispered to himself. This war was tantamount to making up for the wizards' one-sided understanding of Muggles.

The video in the mirror proves that all carbon-based creatures are unable to resist the attack of modern weapons.

As for the zombies in the movie, which are even more terrible than the snake-men, they are even more vulnerable in the face of the absolute advantages of modern technology and firearms. If it weren't for the threat of the snake-man virus before, this massacre might have happened long ago.

"Under the close cooperation of Aurors from various countries, the Death Eaters have been forced into a desperate situation and can only survive on the fringe of the east coast of the United States." The picture in the mirror changed, and several arrows representing attack pierced the last narrow territory of the Death Eaters.

"Are the Death Eaters going to fail?" There was a whisper at the door of the carriage, and the real-time broadcast of the Dragon Crystal Magic Mirror attracted a lot of people's attention.

"Of course, my father is an Auror." A proud voice sounded, "He participated in the battle last month and killed many snakemen with his own hands."

"Really? Your father is so awesome..." the student next to him exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with longing for the battle.

Although the news showed that the Death Eaters were in a precarious situation and seemed likely to be completely wiped out at any time, Roger knew that any victory would only be temporary before the Dark Lord was truly defeated.

He leaned on Daphne's shoulder, hearing the declaration of victory on the news.

"What's wrong?" Daphne turned her head and stared at him curiously, "Is there something wrong with the news from the Ministry of Magic?"

"It's not a problem, it's just not comprehensive." Roger shook his head slightly, his voice low and cautious: "The Death Eaters are indeed shrinking their sphere of influence, but the Muggle army and Aurors have not gained a real advantage."

"How is this possible!" Daphne couldn't help but raise her voice. "How can the battle line be deceiving? The Magical Congress of the United States has already advanced from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic coast. We just need to work harder and drive them into the sea..."

"That was an illusion deliberately created by the Dark Lord." He shook his head slightly and explained softly: "Although the physique of snake people is far superior to that of Muggles, they also need food to maintain their body functions. But the land has been abandoned for so long, the Death Eaters simply cannot provide enough food to sustain the consumption of the snake army."

"These snakemen are nothing but abandoned pawns thrown out by the Dark Lord. Their only value is to delay time."

"Delay time?" Daphne frowned, her eyes full of confusion: "But if there is no snake army, he will lose faster."

Roger sneered, "You underestimate him. The Dark Lord is mentally ill, he never cares about these things."

"The disastrous defeat of the snake army can only make the wizards relax their vigilance."

"There are few things in the entire wizarding world that the Dark Lord fears. Once these threats are gone, everything he has lost will be within his grasp."

Daphne suddenly realized, "You mean, the principal?!"

"Shh!" Roger quickly pressed his index finger on her lips, signaling her not to say anything: "Although the principal has lost many titles, his strength has never weakened in the slightest."

"Hogwarts..." His tone became meaningful, "It is both the safest place in the wizarding world and the most dangerous place in the wizarding world."

Daphne nodded thoughtfully. She finally understood that as long as Dumbledore was around, the Dark Lord would never be able to truly rule the entire wizarding world.

A chilling thought came to her mind: one day, the Dark Lord would come to Hogwarts and have a decisive battle with Dumbledore.

It will be a duel that will change the fate of the wizarding world. If the headmaster loses, Hogwarts will disappear...

Roger gently shook the can of soda in his hand, and bubbles jumped in the glass. "In fact, the counterattack of the American Magic Association has stopped a long time ago."

Daphne opened her eyes wide and looked at Roger in disbelief. He continued to explain: "Although the Muggle weapons are advanced, they are difficult to deal with the giants' thick skin and flesh. And the night attacks of vampires make them exhausted."

"Even if there are wizards to stop them, the threat of Dementors cannot be resolved."

"In the entire magical world, there are only a few wizards who can master Patronus."

Daphne nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly thought of something and asked anxiously, "But the number of Dementors is very limited. It's impossible for them to hold such a long front."

Her slender fingers moved across the magic mirror, outlining the long borders of the thirteen states.

"Because it's not worth it."

"Not worth it?" Daphne repeated doubtfully.

"That's right." Roger nodded, pointing to large tracts of territory elsewhere in America.

"Victory seems to be within reach. Who is willing to sacrifice themselves to make victory come faster? Why take advantage of others' achievements?"

The car honked loudly, as if responding to Rogge's words. He looked out the window at the snow-covered land.

Daphne closed the magic mirror in frustration. She had never expected the outside world to be so complicated. Human weaknesses are often more terrible than black magic. Selfishness, cowardice, and greed are the real enemies that hinder victory.

At this moment, the tense atmosphere in the International Magical Federation meeting room was almost condensed into substance. On the huge oval table, a world map was spread out, like a battlefield about to start a war.

Collins, the president of the American Magical Congress, stood up suddenly and slammed his fist on the table, causing an echo. His voice was like thunder, full of unquestionable toughness: "Ladies and gentlemen, this land carries the history and bloodline of our American magic world for two centuries!" "I myself, and all the wizards in the American magic world and the American Muggle government that I represent, will never tolerate other magic circles coveting and robbing our territory and sovereignty!"

His voice became more and more passionate: "This is an era of justice and civilization. We should not engage in robbery in a barbaric manner. I have finished speaking. Who is in favor and who is against?"

Collins' speech was like a heavy hammer, plunging the entire conference hall into silence. The participants were either thinking or whispering to each other, obviously shocked by his words.

However, the silence was soon broken. Peter, the representative of the Russian magic community, stood up, and his thick tongue echoed in the air: "Mr. Collins, we certainly respect your opinion, but our magic community has sacrificed countless Aurors for your victory."

"Besides, this is not your own victory." Peter slowly pulled out his black wand, which at this moment was more like a sharp blade, ready to draw a new border on the North American continent.

"From Vancouver to Baffin Bay," Peter said in a low and firm voice, and drew a diagonal line on the map with his wand. "The Russian magic community has the responsibility and ability to protect the Muggles in this area. This is not only the progress of civilization, but also the glory of magic."

As soon as he finished speaking, French representative Pierre stood up suddenly, with sparks of anger flashing in his eyes.

"You greedy fellows!" he shouted, grabbing the map. "You haven't even crossed the Bering Strait, so why do you covet the fruits of France's victory!"

Pierre waved his wand, instantly erasing Peter's black line, and then drew a large circle across the entire Canadian area.

"If it weren't for the betrayal of the American Magical Congress, the Canadian wizarding world would never have suffered this disaster." He held his head high, like a proud rooster. "We suggest that we divide it according to the spheres of influence before the 20th century."

"be opposed to!"

"be opposed to!"

"be opposed to……"

Representatives from several powerful magic communities such as Germany and Russia shouted in unison. They knew very well that if they followed the old European magic world's division method, they would not be able to get much territory.

Suddenly, an American wizard timidly said, "Why not ask Mr. Dumbledore..."

Before he finished speaking, the entire conference hall fell into silence. Everyone's eyes, like sharp daggers, stabbed at the naive American wizard. There was a dangerous atmosphere in the air.

"A wizard who brought war to the world should not be allowed into this sacred place."

"He is a sinner. He trained the Dark Lord, twice!"

"And there are the Death Eaters from Britain. They also have an unshirkable responsibility. If the Wizengamot had not abolished the death penalty..."

Representatives from various countries spoke one after another, and accusations against Dumbledore flew out like sharp arrows.

"Yes, his Order of the Phoenix is ​​also a destabilizing factor in the wizarding world. Minister Amelia, why doesn't your Ministry of Magic ban it?"

"Why, Mr. Pierre, do you want to help?" Amelia looked around calmly, with a sarcastic smile on her face. "The British wizarding world has always been open-minded. We welcome you to enforce justice and punish the strong and help the weak."

"This..." Everyone's face froze. After an awkward silence, someone whispered, "Dumbledore is too strong."

"Heh." Amelia snorted coldly, pulled the map over and said, "If the Dark Lord is not completely destroyed, it will be useless even if you draw more."

Her words were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing everyone's enthusiasm. The room was silent for a moment, and then slowly became noisy again.

"This has nothing to do with the Southern Hemisphere. That's something that happens in the American wizarding world."

Collins glared at Peter and roared, “Peter, you cowardly ghoul! If you can clean up the Thirteen States, I can support your request.”

Peter's face was gloomy, and a cold light flashed in his eyes. He stood up slowly, and said in a low and dangerous voice: "Collins, you are challenging the dignity of the Russian magic world."

"Dignity, then why did you stop the front line?"

"I want to make Christmas come true for everyone," Peter responded coldly, his tone as cold as the Siberian wind.

"Hahaha, you Tartar wizards hiding under white skin also celebrate Christmas in December?"

Suddenly, a voice broke the quarrel: "Why can't we reach a new agreement with the Dark Lord?"

The man continued, "Since we were able to give him the land east of the Rocky Mountains before, we can also give him the Thirteen States now."

"Dark wizards, giants, werewolves, vampires, dementors... they are all tough opponents. There is no need to force them."

"And you also know that they have long been running out of food, and the snakemen have begun to kill each other." He showed a cunning smile, "As long as we blockade them and deny them supplies, the Death Eaters' strength will soon weaken. Transfiguration can't turn mud into food."

"After ten or twenty years, we will organize a coalition to clean up the mess."

This suggestion was instantly agreed by many people, but some people also raised objections: "But there are still Muggle and wizard captives in their territory."

"Well, for the sake of world peace and stability, let our hero suffer a little." Someone responded nonchalantly.

Amelia watched the insects start fighting for the fruits of victory again, and couldn't help but let out a deep sigh. These people were like hungry vultures, only caring about dividing up the territory, but turning a blind eye to the real crisis.

She recalled the shocking information provided by Dawlish: the Death Eaters were secretly researching the second-generation Snakeman virus, and if successful, its power might be even more terrifying than dragon pox.

Although she had informed the meeting of this situation, the participants did not seem to take it seriously and were only concerned about how to cut the cake created by the map.

She looked at her watch and thought that Dawlish and the others should be ready to leave.

Roger got off the train and handed his luggage to Bubble who came to greet him. Outside King's Cross Station, Dawlish and the Aurors were doing the final check.

Dawlish was still a little worried and confirmed again: "Are you sure the Dark Lord is not on the East Coast tonight?"

Roger nodded firmly and said confidently, "He is looking for something more important. Besides, the Dark Lord didn't even know about the laboratory we were going to destroy."

"What?" Dawlish was shocked and asked quickly, "You mean, the research on the Snake Man virus was done behind the back of the Dark Lord."

"To be precise, it's the second-generation Snakeman virus." Roger explained in a low voice, "After all, Tom Riddle himself is not a pure-blood wizard."

"Once the second generation of the Snake Man virus succeeds, he himself will be the victim. No one knows what that madman Bella is going to do."

Dawlish took a deep breath, realizing the seriousness of the situation. The division within the Death Eaters might be more serious than they thought.

(End of this chapter)