Harry Potter: I started checking in from Diagon Alley

"Is this the Dark Mark? What does it mean?" an Auror asked, bewildered.

He didn't recognize the unique symbol Grindelwald used, but the skull that resembled the Dark Mark looked somewhat familiar.

Amelie Boynes said with a serious expression, "No, this is not Voldemort's mark, but represents another organization."

She clearly recognized the mark, but because there were too many people talking, she didn't explain it further.

Upon seeing the mark, Rita Skeeter instinctively wanted to get closer to take a picture and make a big splash.

As soon as Burns pointed at Rita Skeeter, an Auror stepped forward to stop her from getting any closer and snatched her camera.

The situation has now escalated into a serious attack.

It is very sensitive in terms of both political impact and public attention.

It could potentially cause social panic.

As the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Amelia Bones immediately made a decision: this part about Grindelwald's mark absolutely could not be revealed at this time.

Rita Skeeter was semi-forcibly taken away by the Aurors. She was still protesting, but her face showed undisguised joy.

She now has something to write about.

Even if you don't let her take photos, she can still write articles.

The Ministry of Magic can't just shut her up and stop her from speaking.

Even if she isn't allowed to publish news under the name Rita Skeeter, she can use other pseudonyms, such as an anonymous source.

As the primary source of the news, it's easy to imagine how much fame Rita Skeeter would gain from this incident.

Dumbledore said to Snape, "Thank you, Severus. Could you cooperate with the Aurors for the time being to complete the investigation? I think they would like to know the details of your encounter with this person and to go to the scene to take a look."

Snape said, "Of course, but I have another piece of bad news for you."

"Oh? What is it?"

Snape chuckled and said, "There was a commotion in the Gryffindor common room just now. While everyone else was out, Ron Weasley returned to his dormitory and found a large pool of blood on his bed. Now they suspect that Sirius Black has broken into the castle again, and there are supposedly witnesses."

After saying that, Snape slowly followed the Auror away.

Sirius Black?!

Snape's words chilled the atmosphere even further.

Eric's heart stirred slightly, and he exchanged a fleeting glance with Lupin beside him. Lupin nodded gently to him.

This was an operation they had planned in advance.

Let Sirius cause another ruckus in the castle, forcing Fudge to respond.

I never expected that the duel between Eric and Clement would take such a turn.

Lupin was very quick-witted. After seeing Clement explode into a cloud of blood mist, he realized that the castle might be occupied by the Aurors. So he quickly had Sirius Black show his face during this last bit of chaos.

Otherwise, there won't be another chance.

Fudge could no longer contain himself, his eyes widening as he turned to look at Eric.

He had just mentioned Blake to Eric, and now there are rumors that Blake has appeared at the castle.

Is this an insult?

Or is it an open and blatant demonstration?

Fudge, his blood boiling, shouted furiously at the Aurors around him, "Find him! Find him for me!"

The Aurors and Amelie Bowens were in a real bind.

First two people died, and then it was Blake.

What's wrong with this school? Will it ever get better?

Despite the complaints, the work still needs to be done.

Under Amelia Bones's orders, the Aurors were divided into groups on the spot and began to move quickly.

The signal to request support from the ministry had already been sent long ago.

At Dumbledore's instruction, the professors joined the Aurors' search, but unsurprisingly, they still found nothing.

The biggest undercover agent, Lupin, is in the search team; it would be a miracle if they found Sirius.

The search team dispersed, and Amelie Boynes walked over to Dumbledore and Fudge, saying, "Our initial assessment is that the dead wizard used the Imperius Curse to control Clement. His purpose and identity are currently unclear. Eric and Clement's incidents are not directly related; he was just caught up in it. However, we still need to keep Eric under control for now, as we will need his cooperation in the investigation."

Dumbledore chuckled. “The Christmas holidays are coming, and I don’t think it’s a good idea to let a child spend Christmas at the Ministry of Magic. What do you think, Cornelius?”

Fudge was preoccupied with Blake's situation and didn't care about Eric's fate, replying dismissively, "Yes, yes..."

Amelie Boynes pondered for a moment and then suggested, "I can agree to let Eric stay at Hogwarts for Christmas, but he must be protected by Aurors, and he must also be available for summons if needed in the ministry."

Dumbledore said, "Let me take charge of protecting Eric. I promise I won't let him out of my sight."

“Well…it doesn’t seem like a bad idea,” Burns said. “What do you think, Minister?”

Fudge's face turned ashen, and he forced out a sound through gritted teeth: "Okay..."

Dumbledore is widely recognized as the most powerful wizard of his time, and his proposal to take over the supervision of Eric in place of the Ministry of Magic is not only reasonable but also justifiable.

Burns confirmed that there were no legal issues, and given Fudge's status and position, he wouldn't dare distrust Dumbledore, let alone anyone else.

Furthermore, one cannot refuse Dumbledore's reasonable request.

Fudge could only nod bitterly.

Chapter 119 Christmas Holiday

The dueling club, which was proceeding normally, was forced to shut down due to Clement's death.

After Snape brought over another body, the course of events became largely clear.

Clement was just a scapegoat pushed to the forefront.

The spells he used in the dueling arena were all the result of that wizard's manipulation behind the scenes.

After investigation from multiple sources, it was indeed confirmed that Clement's actions some time ago were unusual.

He has only kept his identity hidden until now because of his withdrawn and introverted personality and lack of friends.

Professor Flitwick felt quite guilty about this.

He should have realized something was wrong when Clement rejected his invitation.

But in general, Clement simply disappeared from people's sight.

Even Eric had no way of knowing about Clement's life and past deeds.

He was like a gentle breeze, passing by silently and then quickly disappearing from people's sight.

Only Clement's close friends and family members were grieving for him.

Inside Ravenclaw, Professor Flitwick arranged a farewell ceremony for Clement.

He also publicly announced that Eric was not involved in Clement's death.

This reduced the number of fearful glances directed at Eric who had witnessed him cast a spell on Clement, resulting in Clement's death.

With the Ministry of Magic and the school handling the matter quietly, it was simply dropped.

However, the aftermath of the Clement incident was enormous.

First, the Duel Club has been suspended indefinitely.

As confirmed by Dumbledore, the Duel Club will not be restarting, at least not in the near future.

Whether to finish the remaining matches or cancel them altogether remains to be discussed.

Secondly, Sirius Black reappeared.

Regardless of Lupin's motives, after he caused Sirius to cause trouble in Gryffindor again, the atmosphere in the castle was once again filled with panic and confusion.

The Aurors and professors formed a team and searched the castle from top to bottom once again.

The result was obvious: they couldn't find Sirius.

Fudge was furious and brought almost all the Aurors on duty with him.

They searched the castle thoroughly, from top to bottom.

But nothing was found.

This performance is a real slap in the face to the Ministry of Magic.

Unfortunately, he didn't have any good solutions and could only hope that Eric would hand over Sirius's location as agreed.

Fudge had considered selling Eric outright.

He could choose to be honest with Dumbledore and the Bureau about the details of his deal with Eric.

If Eric does indeed know Sirius's location, then Fudge has made the right bet.

Unfortunately, for Fudge, this would be more harmful than beneficial.

Eric also saw Fudge's greed and selfishness, which is why he proposed the deal to Fudge in the first place.

Regarding the veracity of Eric's claims, Fudge has yet to provide any evidence to prove that Eric is telling the truth.

The Ministry of Magic cannot convict Eric based on just a few words.

Moreover, for Fudge, this approach was tantamount to self-destruction.

If he does this, neither Dumbledore nor public opinion will tolerate him remaining at the center of politics.

Of course, the most worrying reason for Fudge was Eric's rapid improvement in strength.

Fudge vaguely remembered that the last time they met at the Leaky Cauldron, Eric was a freshman who could only use the Levitation Charm.

but now?

If it weren't for the irrefutable evidence, Fudge would hardly believe the news he'd heard and seen about Eric over the past few days.

Banish the Dementors, confront Snape head-on...

The once-prominent genius Cedric is nothing compared to Eric.

In such a short time, how could a wizard who only knew the Levitation spell have become like this? Is he even human?