Hogwarts: Who made her a professor?

Chapter 458 The Privileges of High-Ranking Officials

Belvina is the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, second only to the Minister of Magic in rank, so it's only natural to ask her for help.

However, the situation is different when the person shouting for help is Stoddill Podmore.

As a veteran member of the Order of the Phoenix, Podmore couldn't possibly be unaware of the meaning of a secret society. When he was in danger and the situation was unclear, he shouldn't have rashly revealed his acquaintance with Belvina.

Furthermore, Podmor, who was arrested for trespassing on the Ministry of Magic, sought help from Belvina. If someone with ulterior motives were to exploit this, even if Belvina was the Director, she could be dragged into the mess.

Whether it's secretly forming a society or instructing acquaintances to storm the Ministry of Magic, either of these could cause trouble for Belvina.

How could Störg Bodmor, a man in his middle age, not understand the power of public opinion?

First, he forcibly broke into the Department of Mysteries for unknown reasons, and then he recklessly sought help from Belvina after the incident. Stöger Podmore is a suspicious character.

Belvina stood still, her arms still crossed over her chest, her right index finger rhythmically tapping her left arm.

At that moment, Saul Crocker gave Broderick Bode a look.

Bode pressed again, "Tell me your name, age, and home address right now. Tell me the truth!"

Despite the Silenced Man's questioning, Störgy Podmore acted as if he hadn't heard him, continuing to look at Belvina, refusing to give up his plea for help.

"No one here can save you!" Bode snapped. "Tell me your motives for storming the Department of Mystic Affairs. You have no way out except to confess!"

Although the Silent Broderick Bod was a chatterbox and always looked gloomy, his questions were still quite authoritative, not much less so than those of the Magic Law Enforcement Division.

However, Störgy Podmor remained silent, his eyes fixed on Belvina. Even though Belvina didn't utter a sound, he still regarded the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement as his savior.

"His name is Stöger Podmore, he is 38 years old and lives at 2 Gold Chain Park in Clapham."

Belvina said coldly, "If Mr. Podmore insists on not cooperating, my suggestion is to send him directly to Azkaban. The Dementors will punish every stubborn person."

As soon as he finished speaking, Broderick Bode's eyes lit up. He thought: They really do know each other! But why is Blake's reaction so cold? There must be something wrong here!

“I disagree, Belvina,” Saul Crocker said cooperatively. “This Mr. Podmore is trying to force his way through a top-secret door. It’s a serious matter. We can’t just send him to Azkaban like this.”

As he spoke, Saul Crocker looked at Stoddill Podmore, hoping to find something suspicious about him.

However, Störgy Podmor, having no hope of being rescued, was like a puppet with its strings cut; he stopped speaking, and even his eyes became unfocused again.

Saul Crocker signaled Broderick Bode to continue the interrogation. Although Bode had a hundred questions in his mind, he had no choice but to re-examine Bodemore, since rank was a powerful position.

Besides the Great Memory Restoration Technique, Bodmor tried many methods, including coercion, intimidation, and "thinking about your family," but Stoddard Bodmor remained silent and didn't say a word.

Broderick Bode looked helplessly at Belvina and Sol Crocker in turn, then shrugged, indicating that he really had no way to get Podmore to talk.

In the resentful light of Bod, Sol Crocker pulled Belvina aside.

Krock whispered, "I think it's not that Podmore is unwilling to confess, but rather that he simply can't."

Belvina nodded and said, "I think so too. His behavior is very strange—and we have Munch as a precedent."

It is very difficult to determine whether a person is under the Imperius Curse; otherwise, the Ministry of Magic would not have made so many misjudgments and let so many Death Eaters escape.

However, tonight, Belvina and Thor Crocker easily discerned the Imperius Curse, concluding that Stodgi Podmore's intrusion into the Department of Mysteries was under the influence of the Imperius Curse, and not an act of his own volition.

The reasons are simple: firstly, Podmore, a member of the Order of the Phoenix, had no motive to join the Department of Mysteries; secondly, his behavior tonight was strange and completely different from his usual self, and this huge difference was enough to explain a lot.

"Podmore's eyes were completely lifeless," Saul Crocker said. "The guards also told me that he did not put up much resistance when Podmore was arrested."

Breaking into the Ministry of Magic in the dead of night and attempting to intrude into a top-secret area—this crime would be serious for anyone, yet Stoddill Podmore did not put up a fierce resistance, making this yet another suspicious place.

Saul Crocker continued, "I think the person who cast the Imperius Curse on Podmor wasn't very skilled at it—"

Perhaps the one who cast the spell on Podmor and the one who cast the spell on Munch were two different people.

Belvina neither agreed nor disagreed with Saul Krock's analysis.

"Of course, it's also possible that Podmor has a strong will and has been resisting the Imperius Curse that controls him," Kroc continued. "He's someone even Professor Dumbledore acknowledges."

Eric Munch was just a lowly guard at the Ministry of Magic, while Stodgi Podmore was a member of the Order of the Phoenix, and a veteran member who had been tested in war. Perhaps his willpower really could resist the control of the Imperius Curse.

Seeing that Belvina remained silent, Saul Crocker immediately urged her on.

"Belvina, what do you think? Why don't you take her away first?" Crocker asked. "Whether to take her back to the Department of Law Enforcement or somewhere else, it's up to you. You don't need to inform me."

In Saul Krock's view, Stoddill Podmore was a hot potato, and it was better to get rid of him as soon as possible.

Moreover, the Department of Mysteries already had the Prophecy Orb, the hottest potato, and Crocker didn't want to entertain Podmore, much less anyone else.

"I'll take them away first. Tonight's events will be based on the Legal Enforcement Division's statement, Saul," Belvina said. "As for Amelia, I'll explain the situation to her personally."

Now that it's confirmed that Stoddill Podmor is under the Imperius Curse, Belvina naturally won't actually send him to Azkaban. If she can't even protect Podmor, Belvina might as well resign from her position at the Ministry of Magic and go back to teaching at the university.

“That’s great, I’m entrusting him to you,” Saul Crocker said. “Broderick—” He glanced at Bode and continued, “You can rest assured, although he doesn’t seem very reliable, he’s tight-lipped and has never broken any confidentiality agreements.”

Saul Crocker was eager to get rid of this hot potato of Boldmore and had no desire to get involved in this mess.

If he could, Crocker would even like to send the Prophecy Ball to Hogwarts for Dumbledore to keep safe; he's had enough of the torment of guarding against it day and night.

First it was Eric Munch, a guard in the Department of Mysteries, then Stooge Podmore, a member of the Order of the Phoenix. Who will be the next victim of the Death Eaters? The Silent One from the Department of Mysteries?

"Broderick!" Krock hurriedly said to Bode, "Hand him over to Belvina, this is no longer our concern."

Seemingly afraid that Belvina might change her mind, Saul Crocker spoke rapidly, and before he could even finish his sentence, he was about to pull Broderick Bode away.

"No!" Belvina shouted at their retreating figures, "At least leave one of you to lead the way! The paths of the Department of Mysteries are so winding and twisting, how am I supposed to get out?!"

Thor Crocker, who was walking very fast, quickly waved his hand, and Broderick Bode turned back and led Belvina away from the Department of Mysteries, where it was easy to get lost.

Leaving the Department of Mysteries, which was always plagued by unauthorized intrusions, Belvina escorted Stogee Podmore back to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and handed him over to the striker in charge of guarding the interrogation room.

That's right, Belvina locked up Podmore, right next to Coban Yaxley.

Releasing him is out of the question. Störgy Podmor still has the Imperishable Curse on him; we can't just let him go.

If we just release them like this, it's one thing if they get caught by the Bureau of Mysteries again, but it would be truly terrible if they lost their lives.

Let Stoddill Podmor suffer a bit first and learn his lesson. Who told him to be so careless as to be controlled by the Death Eaters with the Imperius Curse? We'll remove the curse from Podmor after Belvina finishes dealing with other matters.

Now, Belvina's immediate priority is to notify all members of the Order of the Phoenix, reminding everyone to be aware of their own safety and avoid being attacked by the Death Eaters.

Stoddill Podmore is a member of the Order of the Phoenix. If the person controlling him knows his secret identity, they may control him to reveal the secrets he knows or the list of members.

Therefore, the remaining members of the Order of the Phoenix must be prepared for their secret identities to be exposed, to prevent retaliation from the Death Eaters, and to avoid a repeat of tragedies like those of Burns, McKinnon, and Pewter.