The Butcher of Hogsmeade

Convincing Scrimgeour was not easy. The Auror Office Chief was naturally more concerned with the results of his department's operations and was not convinced by the Pwett brothers' claim that "those who helped us during the Hogsmeade Werewolf Night are about to be retaliated against."

"I know you have dealings with Professor Dumbledore's group of civilian anti-Death Eater activists, but we need more manpower here. I can't let a few photos disrupt our mission." Scrimgeour was increasingly displeased with his subordinates' independent actions. "Lucius Malfoy's disappearance has already caused a huge blunder in our mission, and yet you're doing this at a time like this..."

"What if Lucius Malfoy did go to McKinnon's house?" Shen Hou suddenly interjected, his words startling. "If Gideon and Fabian's speculation is correct, if the Death Eaters attempted to attack Marlene McKinnon, and Lucius Malfoy was involved in this possible crime, then not only could we save an innocent life, but wouldn't we also have a chance to catch Lucius red-handed?"

Upon hearing this, Scrimgeour hesitated, while the Pewter brothers' eyes lit up simultaneously.

"Smuggling is a crime, but attacking innocent civilian wizards is an even more serious crime. We're just trying to..." Fabian couldn't hold back any longer, and the two sentences he blurted out almost exposed Scrimgeour and the Ministry of Magic's little scheme in front of everyone.

Scrimgeour interrupted his subordinate sternly, his tone much gentler than before, but still hesitant: "A few photos prove nothing, let alone pinpoint Lucius Malfoy's location—even if he is indeed lurking near McKinley's farm."

"Doesn't the Ministry of Magic have any way to track and locate it?" Shen Hou asked with a hint of ignorance and fearlessness.

Fabian sighed. "Of course there's a way, but... it's like a mouse trying to put a bell on a cat. Bells are everywhere, the problem is how do you put one on the cat? Unless that house-elf is willing to help, they have a special bond with their master, a magic unique to their species, which allows them to always find their master when necessary. But trying to make a house-elf betray its master is less appealing than figuring out how to put a bell on a cat!"

Unlike Fabian, Shen Hou was not pessimistic. After listening to the other's complaints, he had a seemingly far-fetched, even somewhat dangerous, idea: "Dolls don't betray their masters, so what if the mistress gave him an order to go find the master and bring him back?"

Scrimgeour scoffed at the idea: "Narcissa Malfoy isn't so easily fooled."

"It's not about deception, but..." Shen Hou hesitated, "Mr. Scrimgeour, and you two, would you mind taking a slightly less conventional approach in law enforcement operations?"

"What do you want to do?" Before Director Scrinker could speak, Gideon warned, "The enforcement process must withstand the scrutiny of the Wizengamots. These pure-blood families wield considerable influence, and if we get caught doing something wrong, the ministry will be in serious trouble."

Shen Hou was not intimidated, but instead pressed further: "What kind of leverage is called leverage?"

"For example, using a flashback spell to check your wand for spells that shouldn't be used, or being identified by a credible witness in court as having committed a violation," Scrimgeour said calmly.

As the director of the Auror office, after learning of his subordinate's intention to violate regulations, he neither stopped him nor criticized him. Instead, he pointed out the two most likely ways to make mistakes, like a "mistake avoidance guide".

Shen Hou understood.

"I can handle the Flashback Curse problem. But could you do me a favor and temporarily remove those people who are considered trustworthy by the court but not trustworthy by our Auror office from the living room? Get them out of Mrs. Malfoy's sight."

Scrimgeour understood Shen Hou's words. The unreliable Auror leaving Mrs. Malfoy's sight meant Mrs. Malfoy was out of their sight as well, meaning no one could say for sure what had happened in the drawing room.

Given Scrimgeour's position and power, creating a temporary "safe zone" in the living room wouldn't be difficult; the only question was whether he was willing to do so. After Shen Hou demonstrated his ability to "cast spells without a wand," and the Prewitt brothers used the history of "Mad-Eye Moody" being affected as evidence, the Auror's Chief of Staff finally succumbed to the immense temptation of catching Lucius Malfoy in the act.

Soon, Fabian and Shen Hou took over the work of the other Aurors in the living room, while Gideon returned to the Ministry of Magic to seek reinforcements.

Judging that Gideon had already returned to the department and sent someone to Hogsmeade for help, Shen Houcai began his performance. He walked to the fireplace and, in a manner distinct from all the other Aurors present, spoke to the lady of the manor: "Mrs. Malfoy, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm a friend of Sirius Black, and he once told me about you, saying you're his cousin?"

"Hmph, a dissolute who betrayed his family and willingly degenerated, his friends can't be any better." Narcissa Malfoy's face was almost contorted with disdain and contempt, as if she had smelled a disgusting odor.

"To be honest, his opinion of you isn't very high either. Compared to his opinion of my other cousin, Bellatrix, yours is only slightly better." Shen Hou said calmly, deliberately using a calm tone to provoke the other party. "Normally, his advice to me is not to associate with the Black family—he's referring to those who take pride in maintaining the traditional identity of the Black family."

"If you came here on purpose to provoke me, then you have succeeded; but otherwise, you will not get anything from me." Narcissa glared at her, while holding her son in her arms even tighter.

Shen Hou waved his hand and said, "You think I deliberately provoked you for some other purpose? Then you've misunderstood me. I was just expressing my stance so you wouldn't misunderstand what I'm about to say."

"I don't want to hear anything you say! In this manor, you can do whatever you want, search whatever you want, just ask that all of you stay away from me."

"I'm sorry, I'm only here to ask a few questions and then I'll leave. Sirius just wants to find a reliable person to find out about his brother Regulus's situation, but he hasn't had the chance yet. According to him, although there are many relatives with the surname Black, those people either have a very bad relationship with him, or those who are on good terms with him have been expelled from the family like him, and may not know the truth... After thinking it over, it seems that only with Madam is there a slight chance of getting the answer."

Shen Hou’s attitude was polite but distant. He spoke in a serious and righteous manner, as if Sirius had really told him this, rather than it being a spur-of-the-moment fabrication.

"Regulus has not yet graduated from Hogwarts, but suddenly left the school and disappeared, and there has been no news of him for more than a year. Sirius is very worried about him, always saying that his younger brother is young, naive, impulsive and blindly trusting, so he is eager to know what happened. If Regulus's whereabouts do not involve the inner secrets of your Death Eaters, I hope you can tell me and pass it on to Sirius."

Narcissa's expression shifted, a mixture of sarcasm, confusion, and doubt on her face, and she remained silent for a long time.