Hogwarts: Bourne Returns from Warhammer

Chapter 157 A wonderful metaphor

He walked along the boarded factory path and crossed the filthy cistern to the mobile office on wheels.

As expected, Mr. Weasel could only wait for his arrival at this place.

"Good day, Director Weasel."

After opening the car door, saying hello, and rubbing the soles of his shoes on the insoles at the door, Zabini bent down and walked into the carriage.

The blue-turbaned man he had sent to deal with Weasel looked at his boss in surprise, but with a look from Zabini, the guy got out of the car obediently and left this mobile office to those who really needed it. .

Weatherall was sitting at a narrow oak table, drinking tea and reading today's edition of the Daily Prophet.

"Good day, Zabini, I thought it would be a while before I see you."

Obviously, after just listening to the words of the blue turban, he realized how Zabini dealt with him.

He wasn't happy about this, so his tone was a bit harsh.

"How could it be? Who doesn't know that you are the busiest person here at the Pillars of Hercules, and you are responsible for several major responsibilities, including foreign affairs."

Zabini flattered.

After hearing this, Weasel just closed the newspaper in his hand.

"That's right! The job of diplomats is to ensure that the Ministry of Magic can continue into the next century, and the rest of the staff in the Ministry are working solely to ensure that the Ministry of Magic can get off work on time on Friday this week. "

As he spoke, he pushed the newspaper towards the visitor in front of him and pointed to a photo of a character on the front page.

It was a middle-aged man with a twisted face and a melancholy look. His beard stained with beer foam made the man's thin lips look shiny.

"Antonin Dolohov, this guy, along with four other Death Eaters, murdered Gideon Prewett and Fabian Prewett during the First Wizarding War, and during He tortured many Muggles and wizards who did not support You-Know-Who, and he was the first Death Eater recognized by Karkaroff after the fall of 'that man'..."

Weasel spoke unhurriedly. He did not notice some subtle changes in Zabini's face in front of him.

"...I really don't know what those people at the headquarters are thinking. Such a dangerous person was not officially sentenced to life imprisonment until today, and was sent to the cell on the bottom floor of Azkaban to be guarded by the Dementors.

Moreover, Minister Fudge actually invited reporters from the Daily Prophet to visit the trial and take photos of Dolokhov!

The guy was imprisoned in a cell outside Azkaban for more than ten years, and he lived a pretty good life. At least he could drink butterbeer from time to time!

I can’t even imagine how the public would criticize the Ministry of Magic’s vegetarian diet after reading the report! "

"If you let Weasel handle it, you can definitely do better." Zabini said at the right time.

"Of course, if you want me to do it, I will definitely... um..."

Weasel wanted to say something, but as soon as he started, he didn't know what to say, so he could only change the topic in time.

"Let's not talk about that. All my secrets are written in the book "How Prefects Gain Power". They are all obvious strategies, nothing to brag about. By the way, Zabini, I came to you for a reason. Business."

Zabini cursed secretly in his mind, but his expression remained as usual, "I would like to hear the details."

"Mr. MacNeill sent me a letter. You must know him. After all, you also worked as a clerk in the Ministry of Magic."

Weasel spoke proudly, as if he and McNeil were well acquainted. Zabini curled his lips inwardly.

Of course he was familiar with MacNeil, a well-known traitor among the Death Eaters. After the Dark Lord's defeat, this guy, like Malfoy, claimed that he was controlled by the Imperius Curse.

Now, the guy was sitting on a bench in the Ministry of Magic's Department for the Regulation of Magical Creatures - just a little warmer than the bench Weasel sat on that his grandma and uncle didn't love - and was responsible for dealing with dangerous magical creatures.

The reason why Wiesel said that Zabini "also worked as a clergyman in the Ministry of Magic" is because he once served as the Silent Man in the Prophecy Hall of the Department of Mysteries for a period of time. Perhaps in the eyes of wizards who don't know the situation, the Silent Man, who has basically no hope of promotion and cannot speak freely during his tenure, is the employee with the lowest sense of presence in the Ministry of Magic. But in fact, only those who are truly knowledgeable know how important and special the position of the silent person is.

Just like Zabi, there is clear and undoubted evidence that he had a very close interaction with a die-hard Death Eater-his colleague Luke Wood. However, after the Dark Lord temporarily lost power, he did not receive too much attention. Much impact.

The reason is that some of the information stored in his mind is too important to be lost.

Not only could the Department of Mysteries not allow it to be leaked to other wizards, but even the dementors had to be on guard. After all, when those dark magic creatures absorb the happy emotions of their victims, they may also see certain memories.

The conditions for his release were to accept an unbreakable oath with the Department of Mysteries, a blood curse, and to be cast on a powerful forgetting spell, at the cost of his life, body, and memory, instead of just being silent. A contract to seal that secret forever.

Of course, Zabini would not tell Wiesel these words, and he had no obligation to increase his knowledge.

What's more, he doubted that even if he said it, someone like Weasel wouldn't understand.

Therefore, he just said: "Yes, I know Mr. McNeil, but I am not familiar with him."

Weatherall said excitedly: “I met McNeil at last year’s broomstick rally, and we have kept in touch through letters since then.

He now serves on the Dangerous Animal Disposal Committee.

He wrote to me with the purpose of hoping to cooperate with us. In order to maintain the Statute of Secrecy, the Ministry of Magic disposes of a batch of dangerous magical animals every year. McNeil's duty is to dispose of those creatures harmlessly.

He thought that rather than burning the carcasses of those magical animals, it would be better to send them to us.

You know……

As long as the price is right, he even promised to allow us to reserve some types of magical creatures in advance and let them look for them from the disposal list. "

Weasel's words were not as useless as Zabini thought before, but he was somewhat moved at this time.

There is no other reason, just because the business of "The Emperor's New Clothes" has been so good recently, and the pressure to purchase raw materials has become a bit heavy.

"This is really good news."

Zabini affirmed.

"If Mr. McNeil asks for the right compensation, I think we can be good friends."

Weatherall: "That would be great."

After talking about what he wanted to say, Weasel wanted to end the meeting with Zabini and drive away from this dirty and smelly place.

The Horse Slaughterhouse was not in keeping with his respectable status as a Ministry of Magic official.

However, Zabini stopped him from opening the door. "Weesel, I have something to ask you." He tapped the oak table across the middle of the carriage with his fingers. "In the past few days, can you bring over the entry list that you have been responsible for registering? Shall I take a look?"

Hearing his words, Weasel couldn't help but frown, because this request was a bit over the line.

"What happened?"

"It's not a big deal, it's just that there are strangers on the commercial street, and they seem to be a little hostile to our business."

Wiesel was not in a hurry to ask or answer. He thought for a while before continuing:
"There are only about forty registered resident wizards in the British Gibraltar area. They all have their own businesses in the commercial street behind the Pillars of Hercules. In the past few years, no one should dare to offend you, the underground. 'Emperor'.

As for the merchants who have registered in the port in recent days, they are all familiar faces who have come here to purchase goods in the past. There is no conflict between them and our business, and even if there is, it won't break out until now.

The rest of the wizards who have registered at the port are tourists. Most of them dock here to replenish supplies, and then set off for tourist resorts in the Mediterranean.

Apart from……"

Zabini likes to use the elimination method. He looked at Wiesel sincerely: "After eliminating all possible options, no matter how impossible the remaining option seems, it is the only truth."

"...That is Slughorn, the former Head of Slytherin House, and his own grandson."

Just when they were both in disbelief at the only truth, the sound of regular knocking on the glass suddenly sounded next to the carriage.

The head of a long-eared owl poked down from the roof of the carriage. It was staring at its big round eyes and tapping the mirror of the window with its curved beak.

Zabini opened the car door, and the wise owl flew in immediately. As expected, it had a letter tied to its feet.

"Dear Weasel, I need to report to you an incredibly terrible criminal group that has committed many evil deeds, including fraud, murder, smuggling and trafficking of magical creatures, and the use of the Imperius Curse.

Their behavior not only violated the magical laws established by the Ministry of Magic, but also posed a threat to the life safety of Muggles in the surrounding areas. They may even be suspected of violating the "Secrecy Act" jointly formulated by the Ministry of Magic of various countries...

I hope you will take action immediately after receiving this letter. Your true friend, Horace Slughorn. "

Zabini: "It is indeed the fat old man."

Weatherall: "You actually used the Imperius Curse?"

The two looked at each other, and then sat upright in a tacit understanding, trying to stay as far away from each other as possible.

Moreover, they all took out their wands in case of emergency.

"Don't try to fool me!" Weasel growled: "I used to be a prefect of Ravenclaw, and I also participated in Professor Flitwick's dueling club."

Zabini immediately retorted: "The two of us are like different heads of the rune snake, one prospered and the other suffered.

What did I do to fool you? What's more, are the gifts you received from me all fake? Fake Galleons can't be stored in Gringotts! "

However, when he said this, Weasel became more vigilant.

Because most wizards born in Ravenclaw like to read books, he knows what a rune snake is.

Although the threat level of those magical animals with three heads reaches 4X, they generally can only grow to seven or eight feet, and few of them live long.

Because its three heads will attack each other! ——
When gang members need information, they often resort to vicious little tricks.

One of the tricks is called "Two Birds".

Gangsters would take two poor guys to a rooftop and throw one of them off while the other guy watched.

Two birds, one flying and the other screaming.

"Have you seen what happened to that guy?" A man with a blue turban said viciously to Ahmed.

Poor Ahmed was like a frightened quail.

In the evening, just as he was about to close the shop, two uninvited guests broke into the cafe.

Wearing blue turbans, they are both employees of the "Emperor's New Clothes" and executioners of the "Emperor".

After entering the store, without saying a word, the two men immediately controlled Ahmed. They immediately found his wand and then broke it into two pieces.

Then, these people took Ahmed out of the commercial street and came to the cliff facing the sea on the back of the hill where the Pillars of Hercules were located.

There are also two blue turbans here, as well as another poor man who was captured.

In front of Ahmed, the blue hoods indifferently pushed the man off the cliff. There was an iron chain hanging on the man's feet, and the other end of the iron chain was wrapped around a rock.

"What do you want?" Ahmed said in horror: "For Merlin's sake, please don't hurt me, I will give you everything you want."

A man with a blue turban raised his foot and kicked Ahmed to the ground. His thigh hit the rough rock, and he felt that a large piece of skin must have been scratched there.

"Dirty Mudblood, you talk like us as bandits, but we are not bandits!"

The blue turban spat.

"We just want to ask you something. An old man and a young man came into your cafe this morning. What did they order, what did they say, and who did they meet? If you are smart enough, one or five Tell me everything."

"Ok...ok, that's...Airship Lee-" Ahmed became dumbfounded, as if shocked.

"A mudblood is a mudblood. If you don't get punished, you won't be able to speak properly, right?"

The blue-hooded man who asked him was unhappy at the sudden interruption.

So, he took out a pair of copper finger tigers from his pocket and put them into the fingers of his left and right hands respectively.

The most high-end ingredients often only require the simplest cooking methods. The most effective torture methods are often the most classical ones.

Of course, the blue turban will not admit that this is just because he is not proficient in using "Legilimency" or other advanced spells such as "Transformation Torture Spell".

After the torture was over, the bruised Ahmed was kicked off the cliff. The blue-turbaned man seemed to feel that several of his subordinates saw that his hands were so rough, and then faintly showed a trace of contempt. He spit out the thick phlegm and said viciously: "...We should all learn a little bit. After all, we are here to find out the truth of the matter. What does it matter whether we use magic or not?"

(End of this chapter)