The Butcher of Hogsmeade

"Stay alert, await instructions, and be ready to advance at any time!" Gideon, the actual commander of the group, shouted the order, feeling both annoyed and helpless with the two clowns.

After a while, a wizard riding a flying broomstick and wearing a cloak with the Holyhead Harpy logo landed in front of Gideon and delivered a handwritten order from Scrimgeour: the order to tighten the encirclement and move deeper into the mountains was given.

"I'll lead the way, Shen, you'll cover the rear; Fabian, you and the strikers will guard the flanks, and the colleagues from the Department of Magical Accidents and Disasters will stay in the center of the formation. No one is allowed to overtake me or fall behind Shen... Let's go!" Gideon's arrangements were methodical.

With Quidditch players patrolling in the sky and nearly a hundred wizards attacking from the ground, dealing with dozens of trolls without spellcasting abilities wasn't exactly a sure thing, but it wasn't too difficult either. The reason the Ministry of Magic acted as if facing a major threat was because of what Scrimgeour had said: the greatest risk was always the Death Eaters lurking in the shadows, not the mindless trolls.

For the next half hour, Shen Hou's team encountered no risks. The only trouble was encountering two Muggle hikers who deliberately chose to venture into remote and desolate areas. They were dealt with by the memory eraser and sent down the mountain.

This round trip took the team at least fifteen minutes.

While waiting for the memory eraser and the invisible special agent to return, Shen Hou, now with some free time, started pondering again. He asked Gideon, "What exactly are the Death Eaters trying to achieve by instigating the troll revolt? Wouldn't it be better to gather these tribes together and deploy them on the battlefield when necessary?"

"Battlefield? I don't think the Death Eaters ever intended to have a direct confrontation with the Ministry of Magic. Think about what they've done since you arrived at Hogsmeade. The attack on Hogsmeade could be considered a direct confrontation, but only the werewolves led the charge. Where were the Death Eaters hiding? And then there were all those other incidents—ambushes, poisonings, assassinations, attacks on hospitals, attacks on civilians. Where was there any so-called battlefield?"

"If we could really have a head-on confrontation, the Ministry of Magic would beat the Death Eaters to a pulp—if Professor Dumbledore could help us fight the Void." Fabian interjected with a sneer, expressing both contempt for the Death Eaters and disgust with the current way of fighting.

Shen Hou remained puzzled: "Then what's the point of letting the trolls riot? They should know that the Ministry of Magic is fully capable of suppressing them."

"Indeed, the Ministry of Magic can suppress them, but regardless of the effectiveness of the suppression, the negative consequences have already appeared. The Death Eaters are intimidating all wizards, making them feel that the Ministry of Magic is powerless to stabilize the situation or truly protect them; the only way for wizards to ensure their personal safety is to seek refuge with Void," Gideon said. "If the Ministry of Magic's suppression were even worse, allowing trolls to break into Godric's Hollow or Muggle Mountain Park, the consequences would be even more severe."

"What's wrong with it?"

"The Code of Secrecy!" Gideon said gravely. "The Ministry of Magic may seem to have many departments and a complex array of affairs, but in reality, its most fundamental task is only one: to uphold the Code of Secrecy and protect wizarding society from Muggles. Every policy introduced by the Ministry of Magic and every law enacted is ultimately based on the implementation of the Code of Secrecy. A Ministry of Magic that cannot even uphold the Code of Secrecy will have its authority, and even its legitimacy, widely questioned."

"If that's the case, isn't the Secrecy Act equivalent to the Muggle Constitution, and one that's recognized by all wizarding governments worldwide?" Shen Hou muttered to himself. When the Pwitt brothers heard him, they had to spend a lot of time explaining the meaning of the Constitution to them.

"In that case, the wizarding secrecy law really does have a bit of the Muggle constitution in mind, serving as the foundation and starting point for all other laws." Gideon nodded in agreement with Shen Hou's assessment.

"If they undermine the authority of the current Minister of Magic and oust the Minister, will they be able to guarantee that they can install their own people in power?"

"Who knows?" Gideon said helplessly. "Everyone knows that some high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Magic have sided with the Voidman and are even constantly leaking information about the Ministry. The internal investigation has already uncovered several, including some at the director level, but everyone understands that those uncovered are not all of them, and you could even say that they are not the majority."

Just then, the two officers from the Department of Magical Accidents and Disasters who had escorted the Muggles down the mountain returned, bringing with them news that was hard to tell whether it was good or bad.

"We haven't found any trace of trolls in any other direction. One of the Flying Crossbowmen said he saw a troll pack heading in our direction, but the dense forest obscured the view, and he didn't dare to descend, so the credibility of that information is questionable. Scrimgeour asked me to warn you that if this news is true, then we are very likely to run into trolls head-on, and there are no fewer than thirty adult trolls."

This news quickly heightened the tension within the team. Gideon immediately adjusted the strategy: "Shen, you and Fabian switch positions, you follow behind me, second in line; whenever you see a troll, cast the Ironclad Charm, aiming as far as possible to protect everyone in the team, ideally getting right in front of the troll!"

The team's search and advance slowed down again. They had now gone deep into the mountains and forests, and there was no path to follow. Moreover, the dense vegetation of the broad-leaved forest severely obstructed the wizards' vision and hearing.

Just as the group was proceeding cautiously, something unexpected happened; a silver phoenix guardian descended from the sky, circling above Shen Hou's head; a powerful voice came from the guardian's mouth: "The Department of Mysteries is under attack! Professor Kroc is under attack! Protect yourselves!"

Without a doubt, the Patronus brought Dumbledore's voice; although the voice seemed to be conveying a message to the entire group, only Shen Hou knew that the warning was only directed at him—even the Prewitt brothers, who were also members of the Order of the Phoenix, might not know the details.

The person attacked in the Department of Mysteries was Professor Crocker, and of everyone present, only Shen Hou was able to establish contact with him.

"Professor Dumbledore's voice!" Fabian exclaimed.

The others were stunned and immediately started talking all at once.

"What did he say?"

"The Department of Mysteries attacked? Really?"

"Professor Dumbledore's Patronus is indeed a phoenix; I saw it once when I was at Hogwarts."

"Is the news accurate?"

"Why wasn't it someone from the department who notified us?"

"Quiet!" Gideon shouted at the top of his lungs, wishing he could add a loud voice spell to himself.