Hogwarts: Who made her a professor?

Chapter 446 The Sword Hanging Overhead

The Ministry of Magic at night is devoid of its daytime extravagance and hustle and bustle; its dark, glossy walls exude an air of solemnity and mystery.

Belvina stood at one end of the main hall, listening to the occasional soft sounds of phantoms appearing in her ears, and looked up at the peacock blue ceiling.

What a load of rubbish about authority! What a load of rubbish about being unfathomable!

Even their headquarters have been raided, yet the Ministry of Magic still retains its dignity and unfathomable nature!

"What happened?"

"What is the extent of the damage?"

As the soft sounds continued, more and more male and female wizards entered the main hall, all asking questions about the Department of Mysteries.

However, the wizards standing at one end of the main hall had just returned to the Ministry of Magic, and none of them knew exactly what had happened.

Fortunately, the people from the Department of Mysteries soon came over from the other end of the hall.

"Belvina, Rufus, you've arrived," said Thor Crocker, looking weary.

"How's the situation?" Rufus Scrimgeour asked. "What are your losses? Any casualties?"

"This—" Saul Crocker hesitated, "Let's go back to the Department of Mysteries first. We'll talk about it when we get back there. The Minister is there too."

With that, Saul Krock gestured for him to proceed.

From beginning to end, Saul Crocker didn't dare look at Belvina, because Belvina had already warned him to be careful.

At the time, the Silent Ones did not take this reminder to heart. Apart from their mysterious research, the Department of Mysteries had nothing of note.

As it turned out, the slap in the face came too quickly. Sure enough, the Department of Mysteries was illegally broken into. Saul Crook felt his face burning with embarrassment and was even more ashamed to face Belvina, who had kindly reminded him.

The sound of footsteps and the tinkling of water were particularly loud in the main hall late at night.

Belvina strode ahead, followed closely by the slightly lame Scrinker, while Salkrock, lagging behind, struggled to keep up with the two ahead.

The other wizards who rushed back to the Ministry of Magic dispersed, some guarding the entrances and exits of the main hall, while others took the elevators to each floor to conduct searches.

For a moment, the sounds of chaotic footsteps and the clattering of elevators filled the air.

As Saul Crocker stepped into the elevator, Belvina slammed the ninth button, and the gate slammed shut.

With a clanging sound, the elevator arrived at the Department of Mysterious Affairs on the ninth floor.

The three of them, including Belvina, stepped out of the gate and headed towards the dark door at the end of the corridor.

"Thor, what's the situation?" Scrimgeour asked again, genuinely anxious and unable to contain himself any longer.

"Someone broke into the Department of Mysteries and went to the Hall of Prophecy," Saul Crocker said. "He probably wanted to steal the Prophecy Orb, but thankfully he didn't succeed."

Belvina, who hadn't said a word, raised an eyebrow and thought to herself: I shouldn't have been so tactful with these British guys; they really don't understand human language!

Belvina had warned Saul Crook to be careful of theft long ago, and even hinted that he should pay special attention to the Prophecy Hall.

"The Hall of Prophecy?" Scrimgeour asked, puzzled. "Besides the Prophecy Orb, what else is in the Hall of Prophecy?"

""

"No," Saul Crocker said, opening the door. "The intruder came for the Prophecy Ball."

With that, Crocker led the way into the Department of Mysteries.

As Belvina and Scrimgeour entered the circular room behind the door, the black door slammed shut.

Then, the surrounding black walls, along with the black doors embedded in them, began to rotate, and only the Silent Ones could discern where each door led.

"As you can see, the twelve doors lead to twelve different places. The Department of Mysteries is always on guard against external intrusion."

Saul Krock, looking somewhat guilty, continued, "But you can keep out outsiders, but you can't keep out insiders."

"What do you mean?" Scrinker asked, his tone suddenly becoming more serious.

What he fears most right now is "insider information"; he can't stand hearing about it.

"Eric Munch," Saul Crocker sighed. "The one who broke into the Department of Mysteries tonight was Eric Munch."

"Eric Munch?" Scrimgeour's expression of doubt deepened. "Isn't he in charge of security for the main hall? How could he be involved with the Department of Mysteries?"

In the memory of the Auror Office Chief, Eric Munch was a guard in the Ministry of Magic's main hall, responsible for checking the wands of guests and visitors and recording wand information.

"He was recently transferred to the Department of Mysteries," Belvina said. "I saw him in the hallway."

Belvina had been a frequent visitor to the Department of Mysteries recently, so she was aware of Munch's job transfer.

“That’s right, Munch just transferred to the company not long ago,” Saul Krock said. “This way.”

The three people, talking as they walked, entered the prophecy hall.

Tonight, the divination room had many more candles than usual, and the blue candlelight illuminated the rows of divination orbs, turning the entire room blue.

Belvina tightened her clothes; perhaps because there were too many candles emitting blue flames, the divination hall was unusually cold tonight.

"The ninety-seventh shelf, the minister is over there," Saul Crocker said as he led the way.

Since entering the Department of Mysteries, the person leading the way has changed to a Silent One, which slows down the three's pace.

Belvina followed behind Kroc, occasionally glancing at the prophecy balls on the shelf. These round glass balls were all dusty and looked like they hadn't been taken care of for a long time.

The three of them walked along the long aisle between the shelves to the 97th row.

"Amelia, how are you?" Scrimgeour asked the moment he saw Amelia.

"You've arrived," Amelia said. "The Silent Ones have just checked; the Prophecy Orbs are neither missing nor damaged."

Belvina glanced at Amelia, whose square face was bathed in blue light, then turned her head away haughtily. The two of them had just had a fight during the day and hadn't made up yet!

"Why the Department of Mysteries? Why the Hall of Prophecy?" Scrimgeour asked again. "And what about Eric Munch? What's his story?"

To join the Ministry of Magic, wizards either need a prestigious family background, pass a series of complex exams, or be directly recruited by higher authorities. Becoming a magic civil servant is not an easy task.

However, compared to the Department of Mysteries, the Ministry of Magic's hiring standards have become much simpler.

To join the Department of Mysteries and become a Silent One, one must possess exceptional knowledge, be able to endure loneliness, and have exceptional psychological resilience.

Although Eric Munch's security detail did not require him to participate in esoteric research, he still needed to undergo rigorous screening to ensure his family's clean record.

It was precisely because of the Department of Mysteries' strict hiring standards that Scrimgeour couldn't understand why Munch wanted to become a thief.

"Munch is very likely not doing this willingly," Amelia said. "However, we'll have to wait until he's fully conscious to be sure."

Rufus Scrimgeour looked at Saul Krock, who desperately needed an explanation.

"Munch touched the prophecy orb," Krock explained. "Only those involved in the prophecy can remove it."

""

Kroc looked at the glass orbs on the shelf and continued, "None of these prophecy orbs on this shelf are related to Munch. When he reaches out and touches one of them, the enchantment on it will harm him."

"He's passed out?" Scrimgeour asked. "Isn't there any way to wake him up as soon as possible?"

"It's worse than just passing out." Crocker pointed to his head. "Munch has mental problems and has been sent to St. Mungo's."

"Alright," Scrimgeour said helplessly, "Why did Munch steal the Prophecy Orb?"

As the Auror office director spoke, he looked up at the prophecy orb placed on the shelf in row 97.

"Harry Potter, Rufus," Belvina suddenly spoke, speaking softly, "there is a crucial prophecy on the shelf in the ninety-seventh row."

Following the direction Belvina pointed, Scrimgeour saw the ordinary yet extraordinary prophecy orb—

SPTto APWBD

The Dark Lord and (?) Harry Potter: "Sybill Patricia Trelawney's prophecy concerning Albus Percival Woolflick Brian Dumbledore."

Belvina continued, "The content is related to the Dark Lord and Harry Potter. I think you should understand how important this prophetic orb from fifteen years ago is."

As she spoke, Belvina looked at Sol Krock beside her.

Now, Crocker felt even more guilty. If he hadn't ignored Belvina's warning, tonight's events might have been avoided.

Fortunately, the Prophecy Orb had a unique protective barrier, which prevented Eric Munch from stealing it.

"Do you know what the prophecy orb contains?" Amelia asked Belvina.

"Yes, I know," Belvina nodded, having been told the prophecy by Dumbledore.

Not only did Dumbledore tell Belvina about the content of the prophecy, but he also pointed out its strangeness.

The prophecy mentions two people who are capable of defeating Voldemort: Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom.

Both the Potters and the Longbottoms escaped death from Voldemort's clutches three times, but Voldemort ultimately chose Harry, personally marking him as his formidable enemy.

"So, the mysterious man has been holding back all this time, all for this prophecy orb?" Scrimgeour asked.

For months, Voldemort had remained unmoved despite the Ministry of Magic's pressure, apparently in order to secretly steal the prophecy orb that was connected to him. Rufus Scrimgeour thought to himself.

"It's not just about the prophecy ball." Amelia shook her head. "He's only been back a short time. He needs to recuperate, recruit new members, and—"

"The best threat to the Ministry of Magic is not to take action," Belvina continued, taking over from Amelia. "Once action is taken but the desired effect is not achieved, the Ministry of Magic will no longer fear its future threats."

Amelia nodded and said, "That's right. What's worse is that even if he doesn't take any action, we'll still have to expend energy guarding against him. Once our energy is almost depleted, he'll jump out and deliver a fatal blow."

To paraphrase an old saying, Voldemort, lurking in the shadows, is like the Sword of Damocles hanging over the Ministry of Magic; no one knows when that sword will fall.

Once Voldemort's forces are strong and well-equipped, and once the Ministry of Magic is weakened, the sword of Damocles will fall, bringing utter destruction.

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