Hogwarts: Voldemort, don't stop me from studying

Chapter 980 Collapse
Leila stared blankly at Fontana's mouth as it opened and closed, as if she suddenly couldn't understand English.

—【We are sinners】.

This sentence was like a red-hot iron nail, piercing the balloon called "hope" with its heat and sharpness.

All the expressions on her face—resentment, calculation, anxiety, excitement—froze and vanished in an instant, leaving only a blank and bewildered expression.

If the Viral Party has indeed intervened in this upheaval in the American magical community, and if, unlike their previous high-profile actions, they have quietly infiltrated the political maneuvering in Congress…

Lyra's body began to tremble uncontrollably. At first, it was just her fingertips that trembled slightly, but then it quickly spread to her arms, shoulders, and even her entire body. It was as if a chill rose from the depths of her soul, causing something that had been supporting her to collapse rapidly.

The things she had always believed in—rules of power, exchanges of interests, manipulation of public opinion, and so on—appeared so ridiculous and fragile under the pure, insidious, and violent threat of the UMNO party.

In a daze, Leila suddenly remembered something.

……

"Blorin intends to promote that video as a UMNO conspiracy."

Rex Grimm stood in Lyra's study, gently lowered his raven mask, and said mockingly:
"Something like—the Masonic Party is deliberately creating chaos in an attempt to infiltrate the Magical Congress, diverting attention away from the Purgers."

"He's planning to use the Bastards?" Leila laughed. "Is he courting death? Even though Grindelwald's style has become much milder than before, he's not exactly known for his good temper!"

Rex Grimm said in a low voice, "Blolin believes that if the UMNO really shows up, it will be Hawthorne and Dumbledore who will have to rack their brains to deal with them."

He felt that by staying in the shadows, he wouldn't be the first target.

Leila thought for a moment and then smiled, "Compared to them, aren't we more discreet?"

“Yes.” Grimm asked, “Should we intervene? If the UMNO really sends people to the United States, the situation might become even more chaotic.”

"Isn't chaos just right?" Lyra leaned back in her chair and chuckled softly. "If Grindelwald could also set fire to New York, then Hawthorne, as the highest leader of Congress, would surely be ousted!"

"Otherwise... how long would it take to wait for the right opportunity? I really don't want to see that clown standing on the stage giving orders anymore!"

……

The memory abruptly ended, and Lyra heard the faint chirping of birds in the distance, as well as the soft clicking of her own teeth.

So the UMNO party had been there all along... their infiltration was even deeper than the rumors Brolin had fabricated...

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from the nearby woods, the leaves and twigs rustling underfoot, occasionally accompanied by sharp and crisp snapping sounds.

Before Leila could react, she suddenly felt a chill on the top of her head, followed by the sensation of icy liquid flowing down her head, as if someone had cracked a raw egg on her head.

Fontana reacted quickly by casting a Disillusionment spell on each of them.

Their boots had barely disappeared from the ground when, in the next second, two wizards dressed in ordinary robes bypassed the trees and strode quickly toward them.

Seeing the expressions on their faces, Fontana had a sudden thought and gently waved his hand.

One of the wizards suddenly said, "I'm a little tired. Shall we take a break? There's no need to rush."

"Ok."

The other person did not object, casually found a tree root protruding from the ground to sit down, and even took out a water bottle from his pocket and handed it to his companion.

"...I never imagined that Principal Fontana would be that kind of person!" The long-haired brown female wizard took a few sips of water and said with disgust, "Even if he's a Muggle, he's still a child! How could he do such a thing!"

Fontana's body jolted, and his wand nearly slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground.

He didn't recall having two ordinary-looking people among tonight's guests... Could it be because of Rita Skeeter's report?

But Fontana felt something was off.

—Just because of an accusation from a third-rate reporter, these wizards believed it without hesitation? Without even a hint of doubt?
Surely his foundation in the American magical community isn't that fragile? "Anyway, thankfully there's Streaming Mirror."

Another burly wizard said in a deep voice, "Otherwise, compared to the Speaker of Parliament becoming a wanted criminal at his inauguration ceremony, I suspect this 'minor matter' will be deliberately ignored by the media."

“Sigh…” the brown-haired witch sighed, “The laws of Rappaport have been repealed for thirty years, yet some people still cling to those old rules!”

The wizard didn't comment on this, only saying, "Luckily, you didn't tell anyone when you enrolled that the child's maternal grandfather is actually a Muggle... In any case, for Evan's safety, he can't stay in Evamony any longer; he must transfer schools!"

“Where to transfer to?” the brown-haired witch said worriedly. “Most magic schools don’t accept transfer students, but Vagado welcomes all, but Vagado’s style… sigh, I just can’t accept it.”

"How about Hogwarts?" the wizard asked. "Actually, when Evan was originally going to enroll, I wanted him to go to Hogwarts."

"Come on, have you forgotten all the news from the last two years? Dementors, fugitives, vampires, tree demons... even trolls and basilisks have appeared on campus, and that... that... Voldemort?"

“Voldemort,” the man corrected.

"Whatever it's called!" the brown-haired witch said irritably. "Hogwarts is no good! Until today, I always thought it was the most dangerous school in the entire wizarding world!"

“Then let’s go to Beauxbatons! I have a distant relative who knows the vice principal of Beauxbatons…”

After discussing it for a while, the two finally reached a consensus and got up to quickly walk towards Iphamoni again.

The illusion spell was lifted. Lyra and Fontana reappeared, their faces unusually grim.

"How could it be so fast..."

Leila said incredulously, "How could the news spread so fast? Even people in this remote place know! Did you hear what they were saying? They said I'm a wanted criminal!"

Fontana's face, however, showed a deeper despair.

He personally heard the parents who had once trusted him so easily decide to abandon Iphamoni and the school he had dedicated his life to protecting; the feeling of that collapse of faith was more profound than any political setback.

Hearing Leila's surprised voice, Fontana gave a wry smile, not at all surprised.

"Have you forgotten those reporters who broadcast the ceremony live? Now that I think about it... perhaps the broadcast never stopped, even when Rita Skeeter was reading out our charges..."

"……live streaming?"

The last glimmer of hope burned out in his eyes.

Leila's eyes were wide open, even larger than usual, but they reflected nothing; it was as if even her gaze was unfocused.

Fontana, perhaps because he had figured everything out when he was tied up and had lost all hope earlier, gradually calmed down and took Lyra's arm, leading her toward the nearby wizard village.

"Our only option now is to flee, but we need to find out more before we go. Let's go to the tavern in Rockford Village to get some information and try to get some supplies."

At the very least... he needs a decent wand, even if it's secondhand.

Fearing that their magical energy fluctuations would be exposed, the two dared not Apparate and could only rely on walking. They used a Transfiguration Charm to change into two generic faces and then headed towards the village.

Along the way, you could see wizards hurrying to Iphamoni from time to time, but the road was still much quieter than usual.

As they passed a long-abandoned hunter's hut, Fontana suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"careful!"

He gave a low shout, snatched Lyra's wand and swung it forcefully, instantly creating an invisible armor around the two of them!
"boom--!!"

Crimson flames suddenly erupted from beneath their feet!

(End of this chapter)