The Butcher of Hogsmeade

Of the three present, only Dumbledore immediately understood and expressed his agreement: "I will communicate with the Minister, it shouldn't be difficult, but you will inevitably offend Scrimgeour; he is already under pressure because the plan failed, and what you are doing is like adding fuel to the fire."

"His plan was a last-ditch effort from the start. Voldemort and the Death Eaters—at least a significant portion of them—didn't value economic interests as much as he imagined." Shen Hou said with a mix of sarcasm and self-reflection. "The wizarding society doesn't rely on finances to maintain violence. Attacking sources of revenue has extremely limited effect, and I hadn't even considered that before."

"It seems it's time to put Mr. Barty Crouch Jr. to his role. Hopefully, we can fool Voldemort again this time and buy us more time." Dumbledore said, glancing at the three of them. "You shouldn't be here now; you should be at Hogsmeade. Everyone in the know must believe that the Portkey's destination is Hogsmeade, not London."

Shen Hou understood immediately: "I agree. We were all terrified of Voldemort, so we fled to Hogsmeade first, and only dared to return to London and the Ministry of Magic after confirming that it was safe."

"Isn't it too embarrassing to do this?" Fabian wasn't stupid; he understood by now, but he couldn't save face. "The whole bar must be saying we're a bunch of cowards."

"Don't worry, Fabian. There's nothing shameful about fearing Voldemort; on the contrary, escaping from Voldemort's clutches is something to be proud of," Dumbledore said gently, but it didn't have much effect.

Fabian, still looking mournful, pointed at Shen Hou and said, "That was just him showing off, successfully using the 'All Curses End' technique to fight against the mysterious man's curse."

Gideon said he accepted it well: "It's okay. He saved us in Diagon Alley last time, so if it happens again today, no one will be surprised. Instead, they will take it for granted."

Dumbledore beckoned Fawkes over. The phoenix, having just undergone rebirth, was much smaller than before. It arrived with a hint of displeasure, pecking the old wizard's fingers several times as if accusing Dumbledore of being a heartless boss who used "child labor."

Soon, news spread throughout the wizarding village that Shen Hou and the Prewitt brothers had been rescued by Dumbledore's phoenix pet and brought back to the Hogsmeade safe house; at the same time, news also spread that they had encountered Voldemort while carrying out an investigation mission in the Auror Office.

No one noticed that the rumored time when they escaped back to the village had been deliberately brought forward; this small alteration concealed crucial information.

As Dumbledore had predicted, the wizards' opinions on the matter were almost unanimously positive, praising Shen Hou and the Prewitt brothers' luck and ability highly. The only one who received some criticism was Scrimgeour, who was considered to have made ill-considered plans for the mission, putting his subordinates in unnecessary danger.

Just then, Mundungus, who was in Hogsmeade, went out to inquire about some news. When he returned, he said, "If the underground betting market hadn't been closed, the odds would definitely have dropped even further. Maybe someone would have actually dared to bet on Shen Hou living to be a year older."

Shen Hou asked, "Can you get in touch with those bookmakers?"

"What are you doing?" Mundungus asked, both surprised and confused.

"Ask them if they're willing to open a betting pool that lasts a year or three years." Shen Hou patted his pocket, which contained more than a month's salary. "I can buy... seventeen Galleons, eleven Sickles, and seven Nats. Hmm, I can still keep two Galleons as an emergency reserve."

Fabian was astonished and interrupted, asking, "How much do you earn per week, and how long have you been working here?"

Shen Hou shrugged: "Newly hired hitters get nine Galleons a week, isn't that a fixed number? Bachelors don't spend money."

Fabian exclaimed, "Impossible! Single men are the ones who don't know how to save money! Men only know how to save money when they have a girlfriend, and only when they have a wife will someone help them manage their finances."

Shen Hou blinked for a while before saying, "Maybe we live in different eras, Fabian; a girlfriend—or wife—in 2026 can't save a man money."

"So you're planning to gamble with the money?" Fabian sneered, then turned and asked the same question, "Mundungus, you can ask him for me too, I have... six Sickle Fourteen Nats here."

"What a joke!" Mundungus yelled, turning and walking away. "Someone who runs an underground gambling operation in the black market wouldn't even look at you... seventeen Galleons?"

"And what about Eleven Xico and Seven Nat? Ask them for me." Shen Hou shouted nonchalantly at Mundungus's retreating figure, his carefree and mocking manner almost shameless; before he finished speaking, Mundungus had already disappeared.

Only then did Shen Hou's expression turn serious: "Isn't it a bit too deliberate for the news to spread so quickly?"

"News related to the mysterious man?" Gideon shook his head. "It would be strange if it weren't."

After staying in the safe house in Hogsmeade until late at night, Shen Hou and the Prewitt brothers finally stepped into the Owl Post Office. It was just as Barty was finishing his shift change. As expected, the young clerk was working the night shift again and once again witnessed the dejected and disheveled appearance of Shen Hou and the others. He calmly greeted them and exchanged pleasantries.

"We meet again, Mr. Shen, and the two Mr. Pwetts as well. Business?"

"No." Fabian waved his hand impatiently. "Back to London, to the Ministry of Magic."

"Remember to stay calm when you get back, and don't argue. Otherwise, don't even step into the office today. We'll talk again tomorrow when you've calmed down!" Gideon said solemnly to his brother before they went into the fireplace.

"Okay, okay." Fabian broke free from his brother's hand and disappeared into the green flames.

Throughout the entire process, the three of them didn't exchange a single word with Little Barty. Only Shen Hou waved apologetically to the post office clerk as a farewell.

"That kid spent the whole afternoon at the Hog's Head before his shift ended, talking to a lot of people about our attack on the beach. But when he met the real person, he acted like he didn't care at all and wouldn't say a word. He overacted." After returning to the Ministry of Magic's main hall through the fireplace, Fabian muttered about Barty's flaws.

A spy whose identity has been exposed will naturally have flaws everywhere.

"Are we really going to go back to the office?" Fabian asked.

Shen Hou reminded him, "By the time it takes for news of the plan's failure to reach Hogsmeade in just one afternoon, I bet the minister, the director, and the chief of staff have had plenty of time to argue. Scrimgeour must be seething with anger right now—if he's still in his office."

"Then I think we shouldn't go into the office today. We should wait until tomorrow morning and let him calm down tonight?"

"He might calm down tomorrow, or he might get even angrier," Gideon said.

"Half and half is better than being 100% angry right now." Fabian was as carefree as a dead pig that had been scalded with boiling water.