Hogwarts: Voldemort, don't stop me from studying

Chapter 949 First-degree murder

Antoine abandoned his nonchalant demeanor, scrutinized Hawthorne for a moment, and then slowly spoke:
"Although I do think you're pretty stupid in some ways... well, I do."

He said it bluntly, but without a hint of sarcasm:

"But perhaps... what Mr. Grindelwald values ​​is precisely your somewhat foolish stubbornness."

Hawthorne raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at the other person.

Antoine smiled and said, "There are countless greedy and cunning politicians in this world. But those who can truly settle down and work diligently for a certain ideal, even at the cost of getting hurt, are not so many."

“Your character, your efforts, and what you have done to uphold the American wizarding community… though not recognized by the Magical Congress, Mr. Grindelwald has seen it all.”

He believes you are not wrong, and that your failure is not due to your stupidity, but to your lack of ruthlessness and cunning.

"He understands better than anyone else... that some things have to be done by someone. Some troubles have to be cleaned up by someone."

"And someone who once managed the massive Magical Congress of the United States, while still retaining a ridiculous sense of 'responsibility' and 'bottom line'... in some matters, might be the most suitable, or even the only, candidate."

Hawthorne's expression shifted slightly, but his brow furrowed deeply: "Something? You mean..."

Antoine shook his head, a mysterious smile on his face:

"What exactly it is... you'll know when you've truly made up your mind and are willing to become a member of UMNO. For now, all I can tell you is..."

He took a step closer, his tone carrying a rare hint of solemnity:

“I can assure you, Hawthorne, that when you truly understand what we’re doing, you will never regret your choice today. It will even make you feel that your past persistence and struggles have finally found a meaningful place to land.”

"But first... we need to figure out a way to bring your friend back."

He looked at the baby who had fallen asleep sometime earlier.

Upon hearing this, Hawthorne's tense shoulders relaxed for a moment, and he couldn't help but ask, "Can you really do it?"

Antoine laughed and said, "You must trust Mr. Grindelwald."

……

The room returned to tranquility. Sometime during the night, the soft morning light had quietly fallen on the bed and on the baby's face, enveloping the fine downy fur in a halo of light.

Hawthorne gazed at the sleeping baby, unable to fall asleep for a long time.

His biggest concern was that the UMNO would use Hughes' treatment as leverage to force him to immediately undertake tasks he could not accept, or to make "contributions" that betrayed his principles.

It now appears that at least the "cost" has been delayed, and Hughes' treatment has been prioritized.

But then, a deeper unease welled up inside me.

Hawthorne did not fully believe what Antoine said.

What if... the so-called "some things" that the Mara Party is talking about are actually using him as an excuse to completely disrupt or even destroy the Magical Congress of the United States and seize the power to rule the American magical community?
What if their goal is to establish a more ruthless and efficient tyranny, like the former UMNO?

What should he do then?
This idea left him feeling powerless and deeply confused.

Hawthorne slowly closed his eyes, as if trying to shut out that heavy future—even if only for a moment.

……

The air was filled with the aroma of old cigars, expensive leather, and a faint, rusty smell of blood.

The study is decorated in a retro style: oak paneling walls, leather sofas, and a fireplace with a roaring fire.

However, the owner of the study—Grayson Stonefield, a high-ranking U.S. government official—was currently tied to a chair, his eyes unfocused, a little drool uncontrollably dripping from the corner of his mouth, and his mouth slightly open, uttering indistinct sounds:

“Carlton…General Carlton Crawford, he wanted…to slow down aging, and he wanted…a legion of soldiers who wouldn’t get hurt or get tired.” Grayson’s throat made a gurgling sound, his gray-blue eyes rolled unconsciously in their sockets, and his two deep nasolabial folds deepened, as if they were about to rip his entire thin face apart.

He said in an extremely rigid and monotonous voice:

"He was...he was our direct contact, responsible for...responsible for the 'procurement' and handover of the samples...he was also the one who first discovered the time particles...many of his soldiers died..."

Vito took notes rapidly, while Victor, standing beside him, continued to ask with a blank expression:

Where is the Ministry of Magic that discovered time particles?

Grayson's head twitched unnaturally, as if in resistance, but the power of the truth serum overwhelmed everything—

"At...at Cape Adam...below the church. It's ridiculous...a wizard...a wizard actually disguised as...a church member..."

"What about the wizards?" Victor asked. "You stormed the Ministry of Magic, what happened to them?"

"We captured some... a few escaped... but we used the rest as bait, and they... they all came back..."

He spoke haltingly, a smile involuntarily creeping onto his lips, as if he were still basking in the memory of his successful scheme.

Just as Victor was about to press for more information—

"Plop plop plop!"

A sudden flapping sound of wings rang out, and the people in the room looked up at the same time.

In today's world where the Book of Friends is popular, the owl's mail-delivery function has been almost completely replaced, but they still bear the important responsibility of delivering packages and newspapers.

A greyish-brown owl flew in through the top window, carrying a copy of today's New York Ghost in its talons.

It tossed the newspaper next to Wade, and perhaps sensing that the atmosphere was a bit unsettling, it didn't even stop to beg for some owl food before fluttering away the same way it had come.

Wade took the newspaper, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the open front page—

[The darkest night ever! The Chairman falls into darkness, Congress is ravaged, and the Demon King returns!]

Wade raised his eyebrows.

He had just seen Viran's description of the incident, and now he was seeing another side's account so quickly:

Preliminary evidence suggests that Nicolo Hawthorne is suspected of long-term secret research into time-reversal magic, which has been explicitly prohibited.

As investigators approached his temporary residence, Hawthorne resisted fiercely, resulting in a fight that tragically killed Chief Perez. The cause of death was directly related to his body aging by an instant, as if he had aged 180 years.

When Ezra Hughes, the Auror Director of the Office, arrived and attempted to arrest him, Hawthorne again used forbidden time magic on him, causing Director Hughes's physical state to regress to infancy. This condition has now been identified by experts at the Hospital for Magical Injuries as "extremely dangerous and irreversible magical damage."

Former Congress Speaker Serafina Piqueli was also affected by the magic while attempting to mediate; she is currently receiving treatment and is in stable condition.

As Hawthorne was cornered and the Auror forces were preparing to make a formal arrest, international fugitive Gellert Grindelwald suddenly appeared. After a brief standoff that resulted in the deaths of four law enforcement officers, Grindelwald forcibly took Nicklo Hawthorne away.

Acting President of the Magical Congress, Ms. Leila Picqueli, stated at an emergency press conference early this morning: "This is a serious challenge to law and order within the American magical community. We have activated the highest level of emergency response and are coordinating a manhunt with the international magical community."

Wissengamo issued a special arrest warrant early this morning, charging Hawthorne with the following crimes:
First-degree magical murder;
The crime of intentionally causing permanent damage through forbidden magic;

The crime of illegally researching and applying time magic;

Crimes of violently resisting arrest and endangering law enforcement officers.

The International Department of Magical Cooperation has submitted an urgent case report to the International Confederation of Wizards, requesting assistance in the pursuit of Nicolo Hawthorne and his associates…

　One update tonight

　　
　
(End of this chapter)