The Butcher of Hogsmeade

"What kind of creature was that little thing just now? Scrimgeour called it a house elf, and its size is a bit like a goblin from Gringotts?" The Malfoy manor was very large, and there was still a long way to go from the gate to the main building, so Shen Hou had time to ask Gideon.

Gideon shook his head and said in a low voice, "Apart from their size, they have nothing in common. House-elves are completely dependent on wizards, serving a fixed wizarding family for life. They are loyal, absolutely obedient, and this loyalty is passed down from generation to generation, never betraying their masters. Hogwarts' kitchens are maintained by a group of house-elves. They are nothing like those greedy snobs at Gringotts."

"Complete obedience to the wizard's commands? But I didn't see the house-elf follow its master's orders?"

"That's not the house-elves' fault, it's the orders that are wrong," Fabian interjected sarcastically. "To send house-elves to obstruct wizards and Aurors on official business? Hmph, if a house-elf actually dares to lay a hand on a wizard, it means he has disregarded the authority of wizards, and then it'll be the Malfoys' turn to lose sleep every night. I don't understand why Lucius Malfoy would give such an order to a house-elf."

Perhaps Fabian's voice was a bit too loud, because Scrimgeour, who was walking in front, turned around and glared at him. The three people having their little meeting quickly shut up and remained silent.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the manor's main building, the Aurors finally met the manor's owner, but it wasn't Lucius Malfoy as they had expected; instead, it was a woman.

"Who gave you the right to trespass into my home?" the woman shouted sternly, her arrogant gaze looking down on the Auror office director and the other Aurors equally.

"Mrs. Malfoy, I apologize for disturbing you. We are carrying out an enforcement mission authorized by the Ministry of Magic and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Please cooperate." Scrimgeour's tone was curt. The above explanation was less a polite formality and more a standard procedure. He didn't care how she responded. Before he could finish his "explanation," he had already signaled the Aurors and strikers to go their separate ways and disperse to every corner of the manor's main building and courtyard to conduct a thorough search.

Mrs. Malfoy let out a piercing roar: "How dare you! My son is still inside! You are not allowed to..."

Unfortunately, scolding and cursing had no effect on the Auror. Scrimgeour "kindly" reminded him, "I suggest you go back and take care of the children as soon as possible, and let Lucius Malfoy come out and talk to me. As the head of the family, he won't hide behind women and children at a time like this, will he?"

"He's not home...you rude bastards, even the trolls on the mountain are more polite than you." Mrs. Malfoy cursed, but then, remembering her child, she quickly ran back upstairs.

Scrimgeour's expression was no better than Mrs. Malfoy's. He asked his assistant in a low voice, "Why didn't anyone notice that Lucius left the manor?" But after saying that, he realized he was asking too much, so he pursed his lips and let the question go.

This is the most common problem encountered when enforcing the law in the magical world: wizards are too mobile. You may see them go home, enter the house, and turn on the lights the day before, but the next day the door is not even open, and they are actually hundreds or even thousands of miles away.

"Search thoroughly, every room, every secret compartment, every possible hidden entrance. No corner should be overlooked. Mrs. Malfoy, please stay in the living room with your children; and your house-elf, bring him to your side immediately and keep him within our sight." Scrimgeour channeled his anger into a driving force for action, his words carrying explosive force, like a gummy candy with an exploding filling.

"Don't even think about it. This is my home. You think you can just barge in and search my bedroom, my husband's study..."

"We have authorization from the Ministry of Magic to search anywhere in the manor. If necessary, I wouldn't even mind searching the house-elf's bed; are you letting him sleep in the basement, or in which kitchen cupboard?"

Faced with direct attacks from violent institutions, even the wealthiest families, and even those who pride themselves on being "nobles," are powerless to resist.

The lady of the manor sat in a high-backed chair, her back to the fireplace in the living room, holding her infant son. She was pale and filled with resentment. Beside her, the anxious house-elf kept his tennis ball-sized eyes open, his gaze following the Auror's every move.

Shen Hou stayed by the Pwitt brothers' side the whole time. They were in charge of searching Malfoy's study. Because he was not familiar with the magical world and had seen several disguised magical traps and dark magic items, Shen Hou always kept the safety rules in mind. He did not touch, reach out, or get involved. He did whatever the Pwitt brothers told him to do.

As Gideon opened the drawer, he was suddenly drawn to several photographs and called out, "Fabian, come here for a moment."

"What's wrong?" Fabian asked.

"Take a look at these photos. Doesn't this house look familiar?" Gideon handed over the photos, and Shen Hou leaned over to look as well. He saw that several photos were landscape shots of the neighborhood, and they captured the surrounding streets, alleys, pedestrians, and doors from different angles around the same house.

Fabian's brow furrowed deeper with each glance, his voice turning icy: "I know not only this house, but also the old woman who opened the door. She's Marlene's mother, Mrs. McKinnon. This is Marlene's home; she's always lived with her parents. Sirius took us there twice. The Death Eaters were spying on Marlene? She's been exposed!"

"The photo is in the drawer, but on top, which means it was recently put in or recently looked at," Gideon said. "Neither is a good thing."

"We need to notify Marlene, and it would be best if someone went to meet her near her house immediately."

"This is Kent. We need to get back to the Ministry of Magic before we can contact the others."

"So we need to hurry." At this critical moment, Fabian Brigidion was more daring and decisive. "Go and explain the situation to Scrinker. Shen and I will go ahead first."

"Stay calm, Fabian. According to intelligence, Lucius Malfoy was home last night and could only have left this morning; Marlene has been spending time with Lily and Harry these days, and won't be home until the afternoon at the earliest. We still have time." Gideon remained calm and analyzed the situation rationally.

"But time is running out. It's already past noon, and if the Death Eaters take action today..."

Gideon's expression was grave. He knew Fabian's concerns were valid, so he quickly made a decision: "Let's go together to Scrimgeour and explain the situation. After returning to London, we'll separately inform Dumbledore and Sirius; do we still have any of our people in the Ministry of Magic?"

"No, the Longbottoms went to the Goyle family with their team, and Alastor led a team to search the Crabbe family, so it's not easy to contact them at this point; Edgar should be the only one left in the Ministry of Magic, or we'll have to ask Arthur for help."

"No, find Edgar first. If he's in the ministry, have him go to Hogwarts immediately and inform Professor Dumbledore. We don't know who the Death Eaters are monitoring the Marlene family, how many there are, or even... we need Dumbledore." Gideon paused, ultimately not daring to say the name directly.