The Butcher of Hogsmeade

A week after the Battle of Diagon Alley, Shen Hou, the "battle hero" who was still at the center of the wizarding world's attention and whose popularity had not diminished, once again came to Hogsmeade; a month had passed since he rolled out of the fireplace in the Hog's Head.

In just a short time, it felt like a lifetime had passed.

Many traces of the destruction caused by the last war are still visible. Because it is daytime, the scene is more lively, with at least many more pedestrians than in the evening and at night.

Similar to his first visit to Hogsmeade, Shen Hou was once again accompanied by two familiar faces—the Prewitt brothers. However, this time it wasn't the Aurors escorting an intruder of unknown origin for investigation; instead, the Office for the Prohibition of the Misuse of Muggle Items and the Auror Office were working together, with the three of them representing their respective departments.

"In view of the fact that the Ministry of Magic's law enforcement efforts have recently been overly focused on combating Death Eaters, and the enforcement efforts against economic crimes such as the trade in dark magic items and illegal smuggling have declined, leading to the rampant underground black market, the Ministry of Magic has decided to launch a long-term special campaign to send specialists to some of the wizarding communities where smuggling is most rampant, and to severely crack down on the recent economic crimes that have been so prevalent."

The above content is quoted from an executive order issued by the Minister for Magic's office. According to numerous sources within the Ministry of Magic, this executive order bypassed the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and was issued directly to the Office for the Prohibition of the Misuse of Muggle Items and the Office of the Aurors.

Many speculate that this was Minister of Magic Millicent Barnold's revenge on Barty Crouch Sr., who acted unilaterally and completely disregarded the Minister of Magic's authority during the "Diagon Alley Heroes" controversy.

However, a few astute individuals saw a deeper layer: beneath the surface of the "Minister vs. Director" dispute lay a disagreement over the placement of a Ministry of Magic civilian employee who had been awarded the title of "Combat Hero." Should they use this civilian employee, whose combat abilities were unknown, as a figurehead to attract the Death Eaters' hatred, or should they protect him and fade him from public view?

The consensus among those with discerning eyes was remarkably unanimous: the Minister of Magic had won a resounding victory in this struggle, rejecting the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement's plan and choosing to protect the person. The so-called executive order to crack down on the underground black market was merely a pretext to allow the individual to legitimately travel to Hogsmeade and seek refuge under Professor Dumbledore's wing.

Otherwise, why would they specifically declare this a long-term operation and have investigators stationed in certain wizarding communities for an extended period? Which sounds better, sending people into Hogsmeade or hiding people in Hogsmeade?

Isn't it because the Ministry of Magic is unwilling to publicly admit defeat to the Death Eaters, and even more unwilling to admit its inability to protect its employees, that it has to find an excuse to ask for help from outside?

"Information gathered from various sources indicates that most people accept the theory that you came to Hogsmeade for refuge. I've heard that some people have already sent a howling letter to the Ministry of Magic, criticizing them for their incompetence and lack of courage in the face of Death Eaters."

Shen Hou and the Pwitt brothers walked on the snow-covered streets. Fabian spoke in a low voice about the news gathered from various sources, his tone tinged with schadenfreude.

Gideon gently rebuked, "Minister Barnold took on extra pressure to help us; you shouldn't make fun of her like that."

"No, of course I didn't. You know I was only targeting Old Barty," Fabian hurriedly defended himself. "Anyway, he sees us as traitors now. Hmm, Arthur and Shen are probably traitors too."

"Traitor? Why?" Shen Hou asked, puzzled. The word "traitor" didn't anger him; he was simply curious.

Fabian's face was full of mockery: "Because we were ordered to carry out the minister's office's orders, and according to old Barty's idea, as a subordinate department of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, we should stand on the same side as him; even if we cannot refuse the minister's 'absurd orders,' we should at least outwardly comply while inwardly resisting them."

"Ha, does he have some misunderstanding about his 'good interpersonal relationships'?" Shen Hou sneered. "Just because I'm given the title of 'combat hero,' does that mean I should risk my life to help him complete his plan, exchanging my life for his fame and fortune? He doesn't even know how I got into the Ministry of Magic or why I ended up in his subordinate department."

Whether from the perspective of personal interests or his impression of Old Barty's style of doing things, Shen Hou disliked this person very much.

"Of course you would say that, but being seen as a traitor by Old Barty comes at a price," Fabian muttered slyly.

"What price? Will he fire you?"

"He wouldn't do something like that, giving others a handle to use against him. Although he has that power, the Auror office is short-staffed right now. If he dares to fire us without cause, our Auror office director, Scrinker, will be the first to not let him off the hook."

"Then what else can he do?" Shen Hou sneered.

"He withheld your bounty." Fabian still had a gloating smile on his face, but the target had changed.

"Who? Me? What bounty?"

"You forgot that before Antonin Dolohoff became a Death Eater, he had huge bounties on his head from several countries' Ministries of Magic; if you kill him, not only will the British Ministry of Magic pay you the bounty, but the French and Irish Ministries of Magic will also pay you."

"And now?" Shen Hou's face darkened.

Fabian chuckled, "Due to delays in certain procedural steps, the bounty disbursement process has been temporarily suspended..."

"Holy crap!"

"Sigh... let's get back to business!" Gideon was perhaps the most considerate of the three, trying to steer the conversation away from criticizing their superior. "Public opinion is very favorable for our next plan. The outside world has generally accepted the truth we want them to accept, and I estimate that the Death Eaters will have the same opinion. You came to Hogsmeade to be under Dumbledore's protection."

"Of course, what other reason would there be for a new office worker who has been with the company for less than half a month to lead a cross-departmental investigation?" Shen Hou tried to adjust his mindset and not think about the money he hadn't received yet, but then he saw a scene that made him even more unhappy.

In the middle of Central Street, on the other side opposite the Hogsmeade Post Office, a small alley turns off from the main street. Not far from the intersection stands a dilapidated two-story building with a tattered wooden sign hanging on the door, depicting a severed pig's head.

Shen Hou stood there for a long time, then suddenly asked, "I remember someone mentioning that Pig Head Bar is a semi-public black market, right?"

"Yes... um?" Gideon belatedly realized the unfriendly tone in Shen Hou's voice. "What do you want to do?"

Shen Hou shrugged: "On a mission! What administrative orders did we receive from the Minister of Magic's office? Isn't that what we're here for?"

For a moment, Gideon's eyes widened like a bull's, as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard.