Hogwarts doesn't need a savior

Lin En looked in the direction of the voice and froze in place as if he had been electrocuted.

"You...you——"

"I knew you would come here," Frank Longbottom said weakly but cheerfully. "After all these years, we finally meet again."

His wife, Alice Longbottom, was slowly approaching here with the support of her son, and there was also old Mrs. Longbottom, who looked proud.

"No, why...I didn't ask..."

"Don't forget, they are the best Aurors, and they have Dumbledore's help." Mrs. Longbottom said proudly.

"At most, I'll get scolded by Amanda when I go back. What's that compared to something as big as meeting you?"

Frank stretched out his arms with great effort and put them on Lynn's body. He whispered in her ear, "I know what you paid for, but I won't thank you because we are a family."

“You…you, you rushed over to teach me a lesson as soon as you woke up.” Lin En blinked hard, “You are just as annoying as before.”

"I should take this as a compliment for my youth." His lovable round face showed his signature hearty smile, "But you have indeed grown up. I have heard about everything that happened over the years. Now that we are back, you will definitely not fight alone."

Alice Longbottom slowly walked over to Lynn and took hold of Euphemia, who was also shocked.

The short gray hair also looks vibrant with the smile. Apart from the traces of time, everything is the same as it was back then.

Chapter 530: Dark Mark and Warning

The Longbottoms soon returned to St. Mungo's.

There, they witnessed what it meant to have a strong aura that was completely contrary to one's physique.

According to people familiar with the matter, that night, deafening roars could be heard throughout the entire inpatient area from the second to the sixth floor.

From the furious Ms. Amanda Cypher.

Before the next day, a sign saying "No Entry" was hung on Janus Hitch's ward.

There are also two trainee therapists who take turns to provide care.

Judging from the situation, this ward will be the focus of monitoring, not to mention in the long run, at least during the entire Christmas holiday.

There is also a suspicious old man with a crooked nose, a long white beard and an unknown identity.

But no matter what, it is still a happy event worth celebrating.

Especially on Christmas Eve, a day that both Muggles and wizards look forward to family reunion.

The entire St. Mungo's Hospital was filled with joy because of this.

But that may not be the case in other places.

For example, in the alley outside the Ministry of Magic.

-----------------

Walton McNeill's body was found on Christmas morning.

When he was found, his appearance was almost unrecognizable, hanging on the shabby red telephone booth at the entrance of the Ministry of Magic, with only his head barely intact.

The officer on duty at the Ministry of Magic who discovered him was so frightened that he fainted on the spot, and the striker who arrived shortly after was also greatly shocked.

The peaceful festive atmosphere suddenly disappeared. Amelia Bones, the person in charge, arrived immediately, along with a group of capable Aurors and strikers under her command.

A steady stream of manpower was drawn from warm homes across the UK to the scene, and everyone was facing a severe challenge.

The reason is simple. The body is engraved with a symbol that will give many people nightmares.

Dark Mark

Fudge, who arrived late, intended to block the news, but it was too late - before he could give the order to control the scene, the journalists who arrived first had already taken away the first-hand information.

"How could you let these irresponsible guys get so easily close to the evidence of this murder?!" Fudge asked angrily, pointing at Amelia's nose.

"Because the public has the right to know the truth, Mr. Minister." Amelia said calmly, then pushed away his hand and walked to the body that made Fudge shudder. "According to our preliminary investigation, the time of death was midnight yesterday, when he had just left the Ministry of Magic. This time, this method, and this Dark Mark, you should understand what it means."

As she spoke, she lifted the clothes on McNeill's chest, revealing a warning written in cut flesh.

[The fate of traitors]

"this--"

Fudge almost lost his breath, and his short and sturdy body stumbled backwards, stopping only when he bumped into Dawlish.

"Whether the murderer is You-Know-Who or not, this is a demonstration and provocation that at least involves Death Eaters."

Amelia said in a stern tone, "It is useless to block the news. The Ministry of Magic must respond forcefully."

"A forceful... response...?"

"First, the previously published personal protection guidelines must be expanded and improved, and the murderer must be hunted down - we got some information, which was captured by the surveillance equipment placed on the street corner. The content is not long because it was quickly discovered and destroyed, but the information was preserved."

Amelia was prepared for his hesitation, and with her right hand, Percy, who was on standby at all times, handed her the player.

Fudge was skeptical at first, but then he became more and more frightened the more he looked at it.

He wiped his sweat with a handkerchief and asked nervously, "Have those reporters not read the contents here?"

"Not yet. The technicians of Starlight Group have just completed the information verification and summary. The crime scene is not nearby."

"That's good... This news can't spread until you find the truth!" Fudge said fiercely, but he seemed to be weak inside. "I am the Minister of Magic, you must follow my orders to the letter! It's a must!"

He smelled danger and conspiracy.

In the face of the crisis, he lost his composure and completely lost the sharpness and cunning he had in the power struggle, so much so that he did not notice the disappointment in Amelia's eyes.

After getting Amelia's nod of agreement, the frustrated man finally regained a little sense of power and tremblingly put away the handkerchief soaked with sweat.

"Mobilize all personnel to solve the case within a week. I will see a progress summary on my desk every day. Put away your unrealistic fantasies and find the murderer!"

He returned to the Ministry of Magic office alone. Without the crowds of people following him around as usual, he seemed a little deserted and lonely.

Amelia took one last look at his back, called over Rufus Scrimgeour who was on standby, and said softly, "First, collect all the surveillance footage around the crime scene. Individuals are not allowed to act alone during the investigation. You must work in a group of at least five. There is no time limit."

"Okay, I understand." The Auror Office Director, who was as decisive as an old lion, accepted the order in a deep voice. He glared at Fudge, and Dawlish, who had intended to follow Fudge for close protection, became silent and disappeared into the alley with him.

Accompanying them was a large investigative team consisting of Aurors and strikers. They rushed into the streets and alleys, not missing any noteworthy clues.

"It looks like this Christmas won't be peaceful..."

Amelia raised her head. A few snowflakes slowly fell from the gloomy sky, one of which landed on her forehead.

-----------------

Hogwarts Castle, Lynn's office.

The golden notebook was shining.

Helga looked at Lin En lying flat on the bed, with a look of confusion.

"You learn really fast." She shook her head helplessly, "But who told you that you can be so reckless in other people's spiritual world?"

"If I don't take action, not only will I fail, but Neville's spirit will also be affected." Lin En closed his eyes and said calmly, "Besides, it's not a big deal, right?"

"...That's because I'm here." Helga said unhappily, "Don't go all out for the next month, and be restrained during training. Don't get angry, and use the method I taught you to recuperate a few times a day. Don't be careless about soul problems. Your condition is not serious, but it's not as simple as it looks. Now you can only slowly consolidate it and wait for it to heal on its own."

As perhaps the only wizard in history who has completed the division of her soul by means other than Horcruxes, her understanding of how to cultivate the spirit and consolidate and strengthen the soul is unmatched.

At least Lynn wouldn't bargain with her.

"I'll try my best. It gives me some time to study rune magic in detail, which can be considered a break." He said, "After all, it doesn't affect my daily actions and thinking."

“…I hope you can remember this.”

Helga rolled her eyes and wanted to say something to him but felt it would be a waste of words, so she simply turned a blind eye and dove into the notebook, disappearing from her sight along with the notebook.

A moment later, Euphemia came into the room, and without saying a word, she sat down beside the bed, watching Lynn performing magic.

She was already used to Lynn's style of doing things and had no intention of trying to persuade her. She was only thinking about Dumbledore's reminder and Rowena's previous instructions.

She knew what she should do, and gradually felt a growing sense of urgency and pressure.

After Lynn finished her talk, she took out the information that had just been urgently delivered to her from the Ministry of Magic.

"McNeill died last night. The murderer was most likely Voldemort himself. His methods were very cruel."

"As expected. Any news about Batty?" Lynn asked listlessly, still with his eyes closed.

"Not yet."

"Let Amelia keep a low profile for now, and then launch a large-scale operation after we have accurate intelligence." Lynn arranged, and then opened his eyes. "What is Fudge's reaction?"

"He was ordered to solve the case within a week, and he was very unhappy with reporters getting close to the scene - Skeeter said he had already put pressure on all the major newspapers and radio stations."

"...It seems like he wants to suppress this matter." Lin En's eyes became sharp. "Tell Amelia to give him one last chance. At the same time, pass the message to Dumbledore so that he can also think about it - ahem!"

"I told you not to get angry, but you didn't listen." Euphemia frowned, "Leave these matters to me. Even if it's a big deal, we have to wait until you recover in a month."

"I'm fine, I just got a little mad." Lin En waved his hand, but he didn't object to his girlfriend's arrangement. "Anyway, let him be mentally prepared first. The Muggles also need to make some arrangements. I'll listen to you and take care of the rest. Let's talk about it first. Get well first."

"That's better." Euphemia's eyes gradually softened. "It's getting late, let's go have lunch. It's definitely not as good as what we make at home, but it's a convenient and sumptuous banquet after all. By the way, it's great to be together this year."

Chapter 531 Interlude

Christmas lunch at Hogwarts was pretty good.

Of course, this was not because of Lynn's teaching by example to the house-elves in the kitchen - in fact, their level did not change much after it reached a certain level.

What really brought about the qualitative change were the chefs invited from various countries.

Putting aside other things, the signature Cribbage Wizard Cookies are very popular with Miss Fei, who loves desserts, and Lin En has also become fond of them.

While they were eating, the young people in the audience were talking excitedly - from the various gifts they had received to the upcoming dance party, there were many topics to talk about this year's festival.

The first thing Lynn saw was Pavla, who moved from the Ravenclaw table to Cedric's side, and several members of the Stargazer Club who were surrounding them.

In the blink of an eye, Doris joined them without anyone noticing. A group of young people chattered, and their eyes occasionally drifted towards Lynn.

It was obvious that they were discussing some topics related to the two professors, and they thought they were very secretive, but they didn't know that Euphemia's sharp eyes had already seen through them clearly.

But today is a holiday after all, and Miss Fei, who is a generous adult, does not intend to argue with the students. She eats the biscuits in front of her slowly, and picks up a pudding from the side to cover the mouth of Ines who was about to speak.

"Uuuuuu——"

Professor Garcia, who had just returned from the United States last night, had a lot of witty words to say but couldn't contain them, and her pretty face turned red. Regulus beside her was eating his turkey slowly and ignored her request for help. Lin En added fuel to the fire and handed her another pudding.

Now everyone saw her embarrassment.

The air is filled with joy everywhere.

Until the door of the auditorium was suddenly opened, and several figures that seemed somewhat unfamiliar to the students hurried in.

-----------------

Dolores Umbridge was wearing her bright pink dress as usual, which made her already short and fat figure even more prominent. She was so ugly that it made people marvel at the creativity of nature.

Behind her were two wizards, one of whom looked like an aggressive old lion, and the other looked like a good-natured man.

"whispering sound……"

Lynn was sure that he heard Professor Sprout's disdainful snort, who was sitting a few seats away.

Dumbledore, who was originally chatting and laughing with McGonagall and Flitwick, also restrained his smile, replaced it with a polite expression and stood up to greet them.

"Merry Christmas, Dolores, you are a rare visitor. I didn't expect you to work on a special day like today. I thought you were going to enjoy the holiday with your family."

"It's all work. It's our job as subordinates to help Minister Fudge solve his problems." Umbridge laughed exaggeratedly, her toad face huddled together. "I'm sorry to interrupt your joyful party, but I thought you would--"

"Don't be polite, Headmaster Dumbledore. We are here on behalf of the Minister and the Executive Department." The resolute Scrimgeour was very dissatisfied with this relative and interrupted her in a hurried tone, "There is an important emergency."

"Scrimgeour!" screamed Umbridge, furious. "Minister Fudge said that I am -"

Scrimgeour ignored her, pushed her aside, walked up to Dumbledore, and lowered his voice: "Walton MacNeill is dead. We suspect that it might be that man or his followers who did it. Now we need to find a quiet place to talk."

Umbridge was about to go crazy, but another gentle-looking wizard stopped her from behind, and Lynn also looked over at her.

Recalling the tragic experience more than a year ago, the old toad's arrogance suddenly weakened. Although he was gritting his teeth in hatred, he didn't dare to say anything under the gaze of the students around him.

Dumbledore showed a surprised expression: "This is really shocking news - we can indeed talk about protecting students and the campus."

"Not only that, there is something more important." Scrimgeour said seriously, "We need to complete the second edition of the personal protection guidelines as soon as possible. This is also what Director Bones meant. This requires the support of Hogwarts."

"Of course, it is our duty." Dumbledore nodded and said, "Let's go to my office. This is not the place to talk."