The Butcher of Hogsmeade

With Dumbledore around, Shen Hou had nothing to worry about. Before the black liquid even touched the ground, the old wizard casually waved his wand and forced it back the way it came. A moment later, a ceramic jar slowly floated down from the ceiling.

Shen Hou asked, "What is that? Is it poisonous?"

"I can only tell that it smells of African tree snake venom. As for what other components it contains, more detailed examination is needed. Yes, it is highly poisonous and can kill in minutes. If Fabian had been poisoned with this, he probably wouldn't have had a chance to get to the hospital." Dumbledore pushed open the partition and went inside. "Don't touch those two post office clerks. Let's go check out the fireplace first. I guess the Aurors from the Ministry of Magic are blocked on the other side."

"If they're blocked, can't they just Apparate over?" Shen Hou asked.

"Few people can Apparate directly from London to Hogsmeade. The distance limit for Apparate varies from wizard to wizard, and each Apparate is a huge burden on the wizard's body and mind. This is why magical items such as Floo Net and Portkeys have always been irreplaceable."

"Further transmission distance and more accurate landing point?"

"That's right... As expected, the Floo Net has been severed." Arriving at the three fireplaces side by side, Dumbledore walked around the openings several times, then selected one and tapped it with his wand, repairing the dense cracks on it.

A moment later, green flames suddenly shot up from the only repaired fireplace, and a figure rushed out through the flames as if darting across the flames. He stood half-bent over at the fireplace opening, his wand swirling rapidly around his body. When he realized that the person the tip of the wand was pointing at was Dumbledore, he was clearly stunned.

"Good evening, Mr. Crouch," Dumbledore greeted the visitor.

"It's you, Professor Dumbledore." The newcomer straightened up, not immediately putting away his wand.

"Hogsmeade has been attacked by a dark wizard, and I came to check on it," Dumbledore said. "But I'm sure you're not in the mood for my rambling right now. Mr. Crouch Jr. has collapsed at the window counter, and his colleague is clearly under the Imperius Curse."

"You... I'm sorry!" Old Barty Crouch rushed towards the front of the post office.

Almost simultaneously, a face emerged from the green flames; it was someone Shen Hou recognized: Scrinker, the Auror's office director.

"Oh, it's you here, Professor Dumbledore. I'm relieved." Scrimgeour said, then suddenly pulled his face back, and after a while, he emerged from the flames. A dozen or so Aurors followed closely behind him, including Alastor.

"The Floo network between the Ministry of Magic and Hogsmeade has suddenly been severed, and we are very worried. Mr. Crouch, on the other hand, insisted on being the first to scout ahead."

"His son, Mr. Crouch Jr., was attacked in the front hall, so he rushed over."

"Oh, yes, of course. Crouch Jr. works at the Hogsmeade post office; I only found out tonight." Scrimgeour's tone was indifferent, showing no concern for either Crouch Jr. or Crouch Sr. "What happened here?"

"A group of dark sorcerers attacked Mr. Shen's residence."

Scrimgeour's eyes lit up at this, and he glanced at Shen Hou before pressing, "And the result?"

Dumbledore didn't answer directly, but said, "I think you'd better go and see for yourself. Words can easily miss things. Alastor knows the place; he should be willing to show you the way. I'll be there shortly."

The Auror Office Director undoubtedly trusted Dumbledore; perhaps it could be said that most Hogwarts graduates held a certain degree of trust in this old wizard. So even though he sensed something was amiss in the old professor's words, Scrimgeour didn't think much of it and led his men to the scene.

After watching everyone leave, Dumbledore slowly walked to the two unrepaired fireplaces, bent down, and crawled into the firebox. Unrepaired fireplaces were obviously unusable, but Dumbledore didn't leave. Instead, he emerged, twirling a wisp of dark green ash between his fingertips.

"What is this?" Shen Hou asked curiously. The old wizard deliberately sent everyone else away before searching for something, so it must have a deeper meaning.

"The Floo Powder has been burned, but it's not completely burned; it's still warm." Dumbledore rubbed it between his fingers and then gently shook off the powder. "Not long ago, someone left through that fireplace. They were in a hurry and didn't wait for the Floo Powder to burn completely before extinguishing the flames."

"So what?" Shen Hou didn't understand.

"No one attacks a post office for no reason. Unless they're looking to rob the owls and mail, the only valuable thing here is the Floo Network. You should remember that when I arrived, those dark wizards who were responsible for setting up the Anti-Apparition Charm escaped?"

"Do you think those people escaped using the Floo Network?"

"It's not just about escaping; they probably came here via the Floo Network as well." Dumbledore looked at the fireplace thoughtfully. "There's a technical detail you might not know: the flames ignited by Floo Powder can only be extinguished in advance by the people at the starting point; the people at the destination can shut off the fireplace and cut off the Floo Network, but the Floo Powder will continue to burn in the fireplace at the starting point until it is completely burned out."

Shen Hou suddenly realized: "The Death Eaters had an accomplice hiding in Hogsmeade to provide backup for them. Was it this person who extinguished the fire in the fireplace beforehand?"

"Yes. I guess he did that to buy time to destroy the fireplace and prevent the Ministry of Magic from investigating their unauthorized Floo Network nodes."

"Yes, finding the node is equivalent to finding the Death Eaters' stronghold. They definitely won't allow it." Shen Hou couldn't help but lean down to look inside the fireplace, but with his magical knowledge, he couldn't make heads or tails of it. "Can we continue the investigation after it's repaired?"

"It's almost impossible. The saboteurs are very familiar with how the Floo Network works, and all the clues that could have been used for tracking have been destroyed." Dumbledore shook his head, his tone not showing much disappointment. "Let's go, we should go back too. Scrimgeour must have already seen the scene and has a lot of questions for you."

The two walked into the front hall and encountered Barty Crouch the Elder again; he was directing two Aurors to use a levitation charm to control two post office employees, including his son, and lead them toward the fireplace in the back hall; he didn't bother to greet Dumbledore and Shen Hou, just nodded and walked past them.

On the way back to the safe house, Dumbledore no longer strode forward; his pace was now in line with the rhythm of an old man, but it still made it difficult for Shen Hou to keep up.

It was too fast just now, and it's too slow now.

Midway through the journey, Dumbledore suddenly asked, "Mr. Shen, have you considered how your conflict with the Death Eaters will end?"

"Perhaps... we have to wait until one of them is completely dead?" Shen Hou's relaxed tone didn't sound like he was telling a dark joke at all. "If what you've told me about the Mysterio and the Death Eaters' methods is true, then this is the only answer I can think of."

"You're right. Whether you like it or not, your struggle with the Death Eaters is bound to continue indefinitely until one side is utterly defeated... So, if I were to invite you to join the Order of the Phoenix, would you accept?"