The Butcher of Hogsmeade

Arthur Weasley explained the meaning of "pure-blood traitor" with a tone full of pride and sarcasm. The pride was for the Weasleys, while the sarcasm was directed at those "zombies" who labeled the Weasley family as traitors—a term Arthur used to describe die-hard bloodline theorists.

Through his superior's explanation, Shen Hou gained a deeper understanding of the war currently taking place in the British magical world.

The war, ostensibly caused by a clash of values, plunged the entire British wizarding world into an unprecedented rift. The most typical example was the Weasley family, to which Arthur belonged. They were originally a long-established pure-blood noble family, but were denounced as "pure-blood traitors" for sympathizing with Muggle wizards. After the outbreak of war, the Black family, who had intermarried with the Weasley family for generations—for example, Arthur's mother came from one of the Black families—held a pure-blood stance and thus quickly distanced themselves from their "traitorous" in-laws.

But soon, something amazing happened: within the Black family, which was known for its adherence to the tradition of pure blood, one after another, family members abandoned the pure-blood theory, even at the cost of being expelled from the family.

It was only at this point that Shen Hou learned that Sirius Black, whom he had met in Hogsmeade, was also from the Black family and was one of the family's "traitors"; his mother was an extremely stubborn believer in bloodlines and was notorious in the British magical world.

"Isn't this just an armed uprising version of the Civil Rights Movement? Except that when the conservative forces on the Muggle side retaliated, they mostly resorted to assassinations, while the wizards went straight into the War on Terror," Shen Hou thought to himself. "How strange, wizards and Muggles are so completely isolated, how come they're moving at opposite ends of the spectrum in the Civil Rights Movement?"

Aside from secretly complaining, Shen Hou didn't pay much attention to the "Wizard Wars," and the following days fell into a state of "peaceful boredom." This state wasn't unfamiliar, because in 2026 he also worked a meaningless, lousy job, and spent most of his time in "peaceful boredom." However, in 2026, Shen Hou was under the indulgence and protection of his parents, and could comfortably be a carefree, lazy bum, while in 1981, Shen Hou was a stranger in a strange land, and from time to time he would fall into intense mental exhaustion.

The cause of the exhaustion was the various strange images that frequently appeared in his mind, most often in his dreams at night; whenever he returned to the single apartment that the Ministry of Magic had rented for him, and lay in bed counting stars through the window, he would inadvertently enter a dream, as smooth as if he were actively recalling it.

Even during the day, the office isn't completely peaceful. Whenever I'm bored and my mind wanders, "dreams" follow me everywhere.

What puzzled Shen Hou was that every scene he saw felt incredibly real. When the "dream" appeared, the scenes were so familiar, as if they were his own experiences; but once he regained consciousness, he was certain that he had never experienced anything he saw or did in the "dream".

During the time I was "imprisoned," perhaps because I was preoccupied with worrying about my situation and future, the frequency and clarity of my "dreams" were very low, so low that they could be considered mere coincidences. However, after leaving that "cell," my situation and safety were guaranteed for a short period of time, and my tension gradually eased, the strange images I saw in my dreams increased exponentially.

Today, the various fragmented "scenes" are gradually being pieced together into a "complete story," and the protagonist of the story is a young man who carries a two-handed sword, can use various hand seals, and fights against all kinds of monsters year after year. What makes Shen Hou even more uneasy is that this protagonist often transforms into himself depending on the "viewpoint"; whenever this happens, Shen Hou feels like he has a split personality.

Who is that young man? Is he really another version of myself? Who is that old man who always carries around a huge book explaining the characteristics and weaknesses of monsters? And who is that middle-aged man who teaches the young man hand seals and often spars with him in swordsmanship?

The dilapidated castle, the sturdy steed, the gleaming longsword, the soft armor, the gold and silver coins in the pockets and all sorts of bottles and jars, the homemade bombs that are detonated by lighting a fuse with an open flame... none of these things seem like products of the industrial age or a way of life; on the contrary, they are closer to the European Middle Ages.

The strange images appearing in his dreams weren't all bad. At least, Shen Hou's use of hand seals became increasingly proficient, including different hand seals and the different effects of using the same hand seal. Another benefit came from the sword sparring in his "dreams." Although he was without a sword after waking up and couldn't fully verify his skills, Shen Hou did feel that his movements were becoming more agile. From strength to agility, and even combat thinking, his overall ability in close combat had significantly improved.

No, it's not growth, it's more like... recovery?

From Shen Hou's personal experience, he felt that he had not learned magic signs and close combat out of thin air, but rather that he had gradually recovered skills that he once possessed but had forgotten—this thought lingered once it appeared, leaving Shen Hou feeling very confused.

"What is this? A cheat code for transmigrating, a system benefit, or a teaching grandpa?" Shen Hou muttered to himself. As a post-00s generation, he had of course read all kinds of transmigration novels, so he couldn't help but feel annoyed because he had never seen any transmigration novel where the cheat code and system were given so vaguely.

In 2026, AI will have exploded, but this system is not smart at all. It lacks the user-friendly interface and nanny-style guidance that should be available. It simply hasn't kept up with the times!

Although he was troubled and confused, Shen Hou knew clearly that he could not tell anyone about these secrets. So, in the office, he behaved more and more like a low-level employee of the Ministry of Magic, diligently slacking off every day, conscientiously going through the motions, trying his best to keep up with the office director's work pace, and never taking an extra step or doing an extra bit of work.

The peaceful life continued for nearly a week until the office welcomed its first visitor since Shen Hou started working there.

"Mr. Prewitt? I didn't expect to see you here." Shen Hou's desk was near the door, and he recognized the person who came earlier. It was Gideon Prewitt, whom he had met in Hogsmeade.

"Ah, so it's you. You actually joined the Ministry of Magic and are working here?" Gideon looked surprised, seemingly not expecting to meet Shen Hou here, let alone that a Muggle would become an employee of the Ministry of Magic.

"Uh... Professor Dumbledore introduced the job." Seeing Gideon's surprised expression, Shen Hou wisely concealed most of the key information; his existence and arrangements were confidential, and the other party was obviously not someone who knew about it, and was not even in this office for his sake.

At this moment, Arthur, who had just heard the voice, finally looked up from his desk and exclaimed happily after recognizing the person, "Giddyon, long time no see! Did you come to see me?"

"Of course, it's rare for me to be back in the office, so I thought I'd drop by and see you, and also ask how things are at home," Gideon skillfully squeezed through the narrow gap between the desk and the wall. "How are Molly and the children?"