The Butcher of Hogsmeade

Chapter 130 Professor Krock's Time Travel (Part 1)

Unsurprisingly, the atmosphere at the Ministry of Magic was extremely oppressive and heavy.

It has been about ten years since Voldemort rose to power. Although Ministry of Magic staff have been injured or killed more than once while dealing with Death Eaters in the course of their duties or in private, this is the first time that the Ministry of Magic’s headquarters has been attacked.

They didn't come at all, but when they did, they targeted the Department of Mysteries, the most secretive and heavily guarded department in the Ministry of Magic. For the Ministry of Magic, this was a slap in the face that came both quickly and hard.

In the Auror office, Shen Hou and his team met Mad-Eye Moody, who had returned earlier, as well as the Longbottoms. However, they didn't have a chance to talk before Mad-Eye was sent out again to track down and investigate the escaped attackers. The Longbottoms and a group of other Aurors were sent to various Floo Network nodes to investigate the movement of people before and after the attack.

The members of the Order of the Phoenix exchanged glances in the office before brushing past each other.

"You three." Old Barty, who had also returned earlier, saw Shen Hou and the other two. "We need manpower at the attack site. The minister personally named you. Regardless of whether Scrimgeour has assigned you any other tasks, don't worry about that now. Report to the Department of Mysteries immediately."

"As you wish, Mr. Crouch." Shen Hou and his group were eager to go to the scene, so they readily agreed and turned to leave.

Upon arriving at the floor where the Department of Mysteries was located by elevator, several figures were patrolling the corridor. Their clothing was similar to that of Professor Crocker in Shen Hou's memory, so they must all be the Silent Ones.

"I always thought there weren't many Silenceds!" Shen Hou muttered to himself.

Ironically, among the three, Shen Hou, the former Muggle, was the one who knew the place well within the Department of Mysteries. He led the Prewitt brothers through the corridor to the actual entrance, the black door. Unlike their first visit, this door was open, and the Silent Men patrolling the entrance ignored their arrival. Shen Hou looked around to make sure no one would stop him before nervously stepping inside.

The door led to a familiar corridor, but the temporary cell where Shen Hou had been "imprisoned" was gone. At the end of the corridor, in the rotunda, only Minister of Magic Millicent Barnard and Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore were present.

There were two fewer people than last time, but the Pwitt brothers were here; moreover, the rotunda was a mess, with a corner of the floor torn open by an invisible force, and the surrounding walls covered with various scratches, as if a tornado had swept through. Among the many black doors around, one door was half collapsed, and another had completely disappeared, leaving only a broken door frame and debris scattered all over the floor.

"Madam Minister, Professor!" the three greeted them. "Did you send us, Madam Minister?"

"Strictly speaking, it's not me, but Professor Krock," Millison said.

"So, where is Professor Kroc?"

"I don't know." Millison frowned. "According to the note he left me, he said he would appear in about two minutes, but even now, we are not sure if he escaped unharmed during the attack."

Shen Hou tried hard to understand the minister's words, but became increasingly confused. "Excuse me, ma'am, could I understand it this way: you're unsure whether Professor Crocker escaped unharmed during the previous attack, and you don't know where he is now, yet you're here waiting for him as he requested?"

"You could say that." Millison thought for a moment, then nodded vigorously. "That's right, exactly."

Shen Hou and the Prewitt brothers exchanged bewildered glances, placing their hopes for an answer on Dumbledore: "Professor, you're not like the Minister, are you?"

"I must say, you guessed right; my experience was almost identical to that of the Minister, and I didn't know any further details."

"But you sent us a warning at least an hour ago?" Shen Hou asked.

"That's true, but it was also a measure taken in accordance with the professor's instructions. I received the letter from the professor through the fireplace an hour ago, and then I rushed to the Ministry of Magic." Dumbledore's calm voice seemed completely unaware of how bizarre his words were. "The attack was over by then, and I haven't seen Professor Crocker since."

"So, you didn't even consider how outrageous this whole thing is, and just stood here waiting, following the instructions in the two letters?" Shen Hou was at a loss for words.

Millison said, "First, the two letters were indeed written by Professor Crocker; the handwriting is accurate, and they bear his distinctive mark as a Silent One. Second, all other possible measures have already been taken. You just came up from the Auror's office and should have seen that your colleagues have been assigned new tasks; Mr. Piastrelli has also gone to appease the nearby Muggles. There was a commotion at the Ministry of Magic entrance when the attack occurred, which alerted some people."

"But Professor Kroc—"

"Don't worry, there's less than half a minute left until the time Professor Crocker agreed upon with us." Dumbledore shook his head at Shen Hou, signaling the three of them to wait patiently.

As for the Minister, she had already focused all her attention on the pocket watch in her hand.

The pointer moved one tick at a time, and when it pointed straight up to the "slash" sign, a black door opened silently from the other side.

"I'm not late, am I, gentlemen?" Professor Kroc's voice came from behind the door, and then his figure appeared before everyone. He looked somewhat disheveled, with a corner of his cloak's hood torn and tucked behind his back, and magical cut marks visible on his clothes.

"Professor Krock, you—you were inside the whole time?" Millison asked in surprise.

"Yes, I've always been here." Professor Krock walked slowly to the front of the group.

"But why?" the minister asked, utterly bewildered. "The attack happened over an hour ago; it's safe here now. Why have you been hiding and kept us waiting outside for so long?"

Professor Krock replied, "Because I have to make sure that there are no time discrepancies in the hour or so following the attack."

"What do you mean?" Millison blurted out, and she wasn't the only one who wanted to ask that question.

Only Dumbledore, who had a slight idea of ​​the truth, asked, "When you were attacked before, you didn't escape using the Time-Turner, did you, Professor Crocker?"

"Ah, I knew it, you couldn't possibly miss this answer." Kroc smiled approvingly. "Yes, as a Death Eater..."

When I launched the attack, I used the time-tamper to escape three hours earlier. To avoid causing a time warp, I hid in the time hall, constantly recalling my actions during those hours, so I could emerge at the right time to deliver the message to you and the Minister. Thankfully, I didn't make any mistakes throughout the entire process, and now I can finally come out.