The Butcher of Hogsmeade

Scrimgeour arrived quickly, interrupting Fabian and Shen Hou's conversation. Fabian, as the Auror who carried out the arrest, was to accompany the formal interrogation of Big Hawk; Shen Hou, due to his lower rank, was left outside the interrogation room to wait.

Less than fifteen minutes later, he was greeted by Gideon, who was leading the team back.

"Have you seen Scrimgeour? And Fabian?" Gideon asked hurriedly.

"They're all in the interrogation room, they just went in a short while ago; what happened, something else?"

Gideon shook his head: "No, it's a good thing. Two gang members are willing to cooperate, but they require Sklinsky to vouch for them and help reduce their sentences."

Shen Hou was not surprised at all upon hearing this, because this is the basic operation of the underworld: talk about brotherhood, and give statements using the names of brothers!

This kind of thing happens all time and place, and it doesn't discriminate between wizards and Muggles; the more experienced a person is, the better they know how to sell their brothers for a good price in order to protect themselves.

"They're all in the interrogation room. Do you need me to inform them?"

"No, please go to the Department of Magical Creatures Control and find Mr. Amos Diggory. Ask him to come to the Auror office again today."

"What if he asks me why?" Shen Hou asked.

Gideon said seriously, “You can tell him that the number of smuggled magical creatures isn’t just what we’ve seized today. Just the day before yesterday, this gang took over another batch of live animals from Greece, including a Sphinx and a Chimera; and unlike the succubus, which was a cub, those two were adults, and the Sphinx even bit a dark wizard to death on the spot.”

"Was it those two 'collaborators' who gave it up?"

"Yes, this message is what they used to show their sincerity in cooperating."

"I'll go right away." Shen Hou nodded and strode towards the elevator.

Today was destined to be Shen Hou's busiest day since joining the Ministry of Magic, giving him his first taste of working overtime in the magical world. He didn't leave the office with the Prewitt brothers until sunset.

"Those two 'collaborators' had helped escort Muggle stowaways before. Although it was three years ago, they both knew the pure-blood family members who took over at the time," Gideon shared the case details with Shen Hou, who was not present at the trial.

"Three years is too long to find any evidence, right?" Shen Hou asked.

"That's what Fabian asked too, and do you know how Scrimgeour answered?" Gideon asked with a smile.

Shen Hou didn't answer, but looked at Fabian, who shrugged and mimicked the authoritative voice of the Auror's office director, saying, "I don't need evidence, I just need an excuse. Those lawless pure-blood scum, their manors must be hiding some kind of incriminating evidence. Maybe it's not smuggling, but it doesn't matter. Whether it's possessing prohibited dark magic items or abusing Muggle items... I once only lacked a legitimate excuse to go in and search, and now I have one!"

"It seems our director has made up his mind; what's next is going to be a big event?"

Fabian nodded vigorously: "That's almost certain, very large."

"The operation is scheduled for the day after tomorrow. Scrimgeour needs time to verify the testimonies of those two men to avoid being misled, and also to find the most valuable and promising target for a breakthrough," Gideon added. "However, there is one thing: Scrimgeour has just issued an order requiring all Aurors and strikers to be proficient in 'Blazing Flames' or a similar fire spell."

"Why?" Shen Hou asked, puzzled.

"Because fire is the best way to deal with Infernals, and you could even say it's the only effective way," Fabian replied. "Infernals are dead people modified by dark magic. They don't feel pain, they don't feel fear, they don't think, they absolutely obey the spellcaster's commands, they have a certain degree of magical resistance, and they are bound to be numerous."

Fabian's words reminded Shen Hou of the zombie movies he had seen before; no matter how fast the rate of fire or how large the caliber of the gun, it was not as efficient as a big fire or explosion to clear out the hordes of undead.

It now seems that the rules of the science fiction world also apply to the fantasy world.

Shen Hou shrugged: "But I've never learned this spell."

"So this is our biggest task tomorrow: to teach you how to use this magic, otherwise you won't have the chance to participate in that big event yourself," Fabian said with a grin.

"Okay, where should we teach tomorrow, my safe house?"

The two Prwitt shook their heads vigorously, as if they were rattles.

"Considering that you blew up Ollivander's shop with the Ironclad Charm..." Gideon shook his head and only got halfway through his sentence when Fabian quickly added, "We also need to consider that you used the Stunning Charm with the force of a Killing Charm."

"We all agree that we should find you a spacious and safe place to practice your spells tomorrow," Gideon said, finishing his sentence. "Although most wizards only use it to light campfires while camping, 'Blazing Fire' has always been a powerful offensive spell; so safety first."

"No need for so much explanation, I understand." Shen Hou gripped the bone spike wand in his pocket tightly, feeling that he had been dragged down by the other party, resulting in his reputation being damaged.

However, Shen Hou still underestimated the extent to which his reputation had been damaged. The next day, just as dawn was breaking, the Prewitt brothers dragged him to the outskirts of Hogsmeade, where they faced a large, cold lake.

This is the Black Lake, shared by Hogsmeade and Hogwarts, a wide bay nestled between the castle and the village. In February, Scotland is still chilly, and large patches of unmelted ice can still be seen on the lake, lapping against the shore with the waves.

"You mean, you want me to practice a fire spell in front of a lake that's almost freezing cold?" Shen Hou couldn't see his face, but he knew his forehead must be covered in black lines.

"Isn't this the safest way?" Fabian grinned maliciously. "You don't even need 'Water as Clear as Spring' to put out fires; just use the Levitation Charm on the spot—unless you can set the lake on fire."

"Make water burn? If you could do that, you'd be worshipped as the god of energy by the Muggles, Fabian." Shen Hou retorted sarcastically.

"Stop speaking in languages ​​we don't understand, Shen. You're a wizard now," Fabian said, displeased.

"Let's get back to the point and stop wasting time." Gideon stopped the two from rambling. "The Flame Burst spell is very simple. You also have a sign that can be used for arson. With your experience in this area, it shouldn't be difficult to learn. The only thing to note is that the size of the flames from this spell can be controlled by the caster. You can choose to light a piece of paper, a campfire, a house, or even a forest."

Shen Hou said with a self-deprecating laugh, "Perhaps I could try setting a lake ablaze first?"

Gideon scoffed: "You can try it if you want. Remember the spell: Incendio! The emphasis is on the first syllable. The whole spell should be crisp and clean, imagine the burst of flames."