Chapter 1648: Dumbledore's Lights Out
The five men walked through the cluttered kitchen into the Burrow's living room, where Scrimgeour remained silent.
Although the garden reflected a soft golden sunset, it was already dark in the living room.
Evan waved his wand at the oil lamps as he entered, and they emitted light that illuminated the shabby but comfortable room.
Scrimgeour sat down in the soft, sunken armchair that Mr. Weasley usually sat in, and Aven, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had to sit on the couch one by one. As soon as they sat down, Scrimgeour spoke.
"I have a few questions for the four of you, I think it's best to ask them one by one, starting with Mr. Ron Weasley, you three ......" he pointed to Aven, Harry, and Hermione, "go upstairs and wait, I'll talk to Ron first." ”
"We're not going anywhere. Harry said, "Either talk to the three of us or none at all." ”
"Well, Mr. Minister, what we were able to tell you was all said at Dumbledore's funeral, and I don't see the need to speak to one of us alone. Evan said, and Hermione nodded desperately beside her, "I think you should understand that, in that case, you should have something to do with us this time, is it related to Dumbledore? ”
Scrimgeour looked at them with cold, scrutinizing eyes, as if considering whether it was worth making the hostility public so early.
"Okay, let's talk about it together. He shrugged his shoulders and cleared his throat, "My visit does have something to do with Arbus Dumbledore, but it's not all, let's talk about it one by one, first of all, I think you know, Dumbledore left a will that mentions the four of you. ”
Sure enough, it was Dumbledore's will, which seemed to be left by him before.
No one expected this except for Aven, and Harry and Ron looked at each other and wrote "I don't know" on their faces.
"Seems like a surprise! don't you realize that Dumbledore left us something?" Scrimgeour caught the look on their faces.
"Y-We have?" said Ron, "Me and Hermione too?"
"Yes, you all have ......"
Before Scrimgeour could finish speaking, Harry interrupted him.
"Dumbledore has been gone for more than a month, why did it take so long to give us what he left us?"
"Because I'm going to check what he left behind to make sure it's ......," Scrimgeour said coldly.
"You don't have the right to do that!" Hermione said immediately, her voice trembling slightly.
"Of course I have the right. Scrimgeour said contemptuously, "Under the Justifiable Forfeiture Act, the Ministry of Magic has the power to confiscate what is covered by the will......"
"That law was made to stop wizards from transferring dark magic items. Hermione said, "The Ministry of Magic should have conclusive evidence that the deceased's things are illegal in order to confiscate them!, do you think Dumbledore wants to leave us something evil?"
"Are you planning to pursue a career in magical law in the future, Miss Granger?" asked Scrimgeour.
"It's not. Hermione sneered, "I want to do something good in the world!"
"I don't quite understand, why did you decide to let us get our stuff now, and can't find an excuse to hold them?" Harry asked politely.
"No, it's because the thirty-one day deadline has arrived. Hermione said, "They can't hold it longer than that, unless they can prove that the thing is dangerous......
It seemed that this was the case, but there was no point in insisting on such a thing, and Evan said duly, "Since Dumbledore has left us with things, and it has reached the detention period stipulated in the Proper Confiscation Act, then please give them to us, Mr. Minister, I am not wrong to understand it so?"
"No, I don't think it's that simple, Aven!" Scrimgeour shook his head, "There are so many reasons for the Ministry of Magic to question Dumbledore's purpose for doing this, for example, can you say you're close to Dumbledore, Ron?"
Ron was suddenly taken aback.
"I'm, no, not very close, I don't have much contact with him, it's always been Evan or Harry......"
Hermione hit him hard with her elbow and motioned for him to shut up, I really don't know where Ron's temper with Harry and Ginny had gone in the afternoon, and now he was completely panicked when facing Scrimgeour, Ron shut up, but the damage had been done: Scrimgeour seemed to hear what he expected and needed.
He pounced on Ron like a hungry bird, and replied, "If you are not very close to Dumbledore, how can you explain that he left you gifts in his will? Most of his belongings, all of his private library, as well as his magical instruments and other personal possessions...... All was left to Hogwarts. Why do you think he looks the other way to you?"
Dumbledore is not really dead, he will come back, so naturally he doesn't have to give everything to others.
Of course, if he did die, he wouldn't have left most of the stuff to Hogwarts.
Scrimgeour's words directly stunned Ron, who looked at Aven, Harry, and Hermione like in distress, and said, "I...... I don't know, I, I just said we weren't very close, actually I mean I think he likes me......"
"You're so humble, he likes you so much, Ron!"
"That's right, he thinks highly of you and has mentioned you more than once. I don't think there's a problem with Dumbledore leaving Ron some gifts in his will. Evan said, of course he knew that Dumbledore didn't think much of Ron, and he hadn't even been alone with Ron, but the important thing was the will and things he left behind, there must have been things in it that he thought would help Evan and them, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to do it, "There is no point in going on, let's be honest, Mr. Minister, what does the Headmaster's will say?"
Scrimgeour looked at him for a moment, then reached into his cloak and pulled out a drawstring pouch, much larger than the one Hagrid had given Harry.
He pulled out a roll of parchment from it, unfolded it, and read it aloud, "Albus Percival Woolfrick Brian Dumbledore's Testament...... Yes, here...... I left my lights out to Ron Birlles Weasley, hoping he would think of me when he used it. ’”
Scrimgeour pulled something out of his bag: it looked like a silver lighter, but with a flick of it, it could suck up all the lights in a place and light it again. Scrimgeour leaned over and handed the lights out to Ron, who took it and flipped through it in his hand, dumbfounded.