In the spacious round room, shrouded in darkness, only on the dry and cold stone walls on both sides, hung a few old lamps full of patina, swaying with a fluctuating blue fire, and under the corners, in the areas that the fire could not reach, moss was busily growing, and these dark plants seemed to be connected to the human eye, staring closely at everything that happened in the room.

At the brightest point in the center, light casts from an unknown place on a weather-beaten wooden-striped quadrangular stool, on which sits a man with his head bowed, his face covered by thick straw-colored hair, and no face can be seen, only the square chin is inadvertently exposed.

Saul Crocker sat in the entire circular room, and at a point in the arc at the edge, twenty meters away from him, in the darkness, there was a wizard also wearing a high-necked robe and a low-brimmed wizard's hat, their eyes locked on the central chair, rather the man guarding the quadrangular stool, even though his wrists were firmly locked by thick iron chains.

But if you look closely, you can see that Crocker's eyes are ethereal, although the direction has not changed, but the wandering appearance shows that his mind is no longer in this room.

It should be almost there.

Crocker moved his stiff neck, lifted it up slightly, looked at the dark roof, then spun around for a moment, and refocused his gaze on the chair in the center, where the light was casting.

It's no problem, everything you need to prepare is ready, and the host will be happy about it.

Crocker thought silently, immersed in the silence that blended into the room, and although it was at least 75 feet apart, Crocker could still clearly hear the stool man's breathing sound from time to time, slight, almost dying.

Immediately after, the door opened.

I don't know when a door appeared on the wall between Crocker and the other wizard, and then it was suddenly opened, and a warm heat from the human world instantly surged / In this quiet, cold and empty hall, Crocker and the other wizard immediately stood up from their small stools, half of their bodies, and watched the group hurriedly walk in.

"Identification."

Crocker said programmatically, of course.

Although this is an interrogation room belonging to the Department of Mysteries of the British Ministry of Magic, the short man in front of him undoubtedly has the right to enter the place, and the pinstripe suit is spotlessly clean, and the bright red tie and long black cloak set off the look of this stubby wizard with gray curly hair.

In Cornelius Oswald Fudge's countenance, Crocker read the excitement and joy he had never seen before, and a slight restlessness that could be ignored.

Fudge wasn't the only one who entered, but three others followed behind the Ministry of Magic/Zhang.

A tall man, who looked like an old lion, with brown hair and thick eyebrows mixed with wisps of gray, and a pair of sharp eyes behind gold-rimmed glasses, walked with a great stride, and if he hadn't slowed down slightly, he would have quickly overtaken Fudge, making one immediately feel that this was a sharp, tough fellow.

Rufus Scrimgeur, Crocker thought to himself: yes, he should come, as the head of the Auror Office, there is no doubt that he has the right to meddle in this matter, there is no doubt about it.

He then looked back at the other two.

Walking was a man and a woman, the woman was a little further forward than Scrimge, almost immediately behind Fudge, wearing a fuchsia robe with a delicate silver embroidered on her left chest, this was the official attire of the members of the Wizarding Court, the Wizengamot, the woman was slightly wider, had a square chin, short gray hair, and wore a pair of monocles.

Amelia Burns, Crocker muttered, Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, his gaze immediately shifted to the man following Amelia Burns, his long black hair and beard with strands of silver twinkles, his eyes twinkling as if there was an invisible shadow hanging over his forehead.

This man—

Crocker tilted his head slightly, remembering for a second and then the memory came out of his mind, Pierce Hinkenis, the deputy director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, it made sense to follow Director Amelia.

At the moment when Crocker tilted his head, Sinkenes seemed to notice his subtle movements, turned his head, and their eyes silently collided in the air, and then separated in an instant.

"I stand by my opinion, Dumbledore should be arrested immediately, this is a matter of urgency!" Fudge's suppressed voice resounded in the hall, but when it reached Crocker's ears, it became fluttering and flickering, like a dream, but it didn't affect the others from hearing what the others were saying.

"Mr. Minister/Zhang, I think it is better to have a joint trial between the Aurors and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement first to determine the accuracy of Stojee Podmore's testimony, and only by going to Wizengamot for trial can he be truly convicted-"

Amelia Burns, the director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, pushed her monocle, and although her voice was gentle and flat, she clearly expressed her diametrically opposite attitude in front of the Ministry of Magic/Zhang.

Standing aside, the old lion-like Scrimgeour nodded slightly, seemingly agreeing with Amelia's point of view.

"Amelia," Fudge seemed to do his best to suppress his anger, "I know you sympathize with Dumbledore, but the Silencers have finished their interrogation, and Stonie has confessed that he was sent by Dumbledore to infiltrate the Department of Mysteries at the direction of the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry—in an attempt to obtain a powerful weapon!" ”

Fudge was no taller than Amelia, and was always eager to jump to his feet when arguing eagerly, and Crocker listened silently to their quarrel, silent—something the Silent Man excelled at, and his mind had drifted elsewhere, wondering what might have to do with Cornelius Fudge's irritable personality and his height.

"According to the laws of magic, criminals must be tried by the Wizards' Court, Wizengamot, for the confession to be valid, and to be admitted—"

"These are extraordinary times, Amelia!" Fudge yelled, his voice getting higher and higher, completely out of keeping with his size, and Crocker began to wonder how he had come out at such a high volume.

"Bode!" Fudge said and beckoned to another Silent Man not far from Crocker, who walked over and handed Fudge a thick stack of parchment, and the Ministry of Magic/Zhang picked up the top one and read it aloud to himself:

"Stoji Podmore, Chinese New Year's Eve, lives at No. 2 Golden Chain Flower Park in Krapeng, and was recently tried at Wizengamot, accused of trespassing on the Ministry of Magic on August 31 and attempting to commit a robbery, attempting to break through a level 1 secret door at one o'clock in the morning—" He paused, as if swallowing.

Crocker nodded, he was already familiar with this set of testimonies, and he could even read the next sentence silently

"According to Stojee Podmoor's confession, the person behind him is Dumbledore, the current headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Ministry/Mr. Zhang—" A slender voice sounded from behind Amelia, and Sinkenes bowed slightly, took a step forward, and said to Fudge:

"However, according to the laws of the Ministry of Magic, the interrogation testimony from the Department of Mysteries is not enough to be used as evidence, and whether such an arbitrary conviction of Professor Dumbledore will cause controversy - this is also something that the Ministry of Magic has to consider, especially in the face of a well-known wizard like Professor Dumbledore."

Fudge narrowed his eyes and carefully examined the director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, as if he had met him for the first time since entering the Ministry of Magic, and even Crocker had a different feeling about Sinkenis, who had always been inconspicuous in the Ministry, not even a member of the Wizengamot.

So much so that many people only know that there is Amelia Bones in the Law Enforcement Division, but they do not know that there is also a Deputy Director, Pierce Hinkness.

The man also seemed to have two brushes, Crocker muttered, but the admiration didn't last long, anyway, they would eventually become the master's pawns, and then dedicate themselves to the great cause of the master, and only then would they experience true happiness, Crocker secretly mourned for the wizards in front of him.

"Sinkenis,"

Fudge seemed to calm down in the soft tone of the deputy director, it was like a volcano about to erupt just now, but now he controlled his anger with vigor, he lifted the slightly loose tie knot up with his hand, twisted his neck twice, took a deep breath, and explained as calmly as possible:

"But the person we want to arrest is Dumbledore, who knows what spell he put on Stoicjee, whether he knows that the thief he sent to steal things has been caught, and he may escape at any time! Where are we going to hunt for such a character!? ”

Fudge spoke eloquently, waving his arms vigorously from time to time, as if to give an exciting speech, but in Crocker's eyes, none of the people present were instigated by him, and he and Bodø were silent for the time being, and Sinkenis smiled politely, but did not reveal a look of persuasion or heartfelt approval.

Rufus Scrimgeour nodded thoughtfully, but the hesitation between her eyebrows condensed into a cloud of melancholy and refused to dissipate for a long time, Amelia's reaction was the most interesting, her expression was calm, but her trembling eyebrows betrayed her, and the witch seemed to be angry at the Ministry of Magic/Zhang's bizarre remarks.

"If he escapes ahead of time and hides in Muggles, it will be a big problem for us, or he simply-"

Fudge paused again, a look of horror on his face, his lips twitched slightly, and he opened his mouth without making a sound, as if his vocal cords refused to vibrate, just because he didn't want to spit out the words.

"Or maybe he'll just go down the path of the mystery man, think about it—tangle the Order of the Phoenix, bewitch those who respect him and believe in him, think about it," Fudge said with a deep breath, but his hands were shaking halfway through.

He had to change his tone before he finished his sentence in its entirety, "Think about it, it's an absolutely unimaginably terrible scene. ”

"Snort," a sneer crushed the Ministry/Zhang's sonorous speech, and Amelia Bones propped her arms around her waist, as if with all her might to keep herself from laughing, to the point of which she bent down, and the corners of her lipstick-coated mouth gently spat out two words of contempt and disdain

"—"

"Amelia!" Fudge's face flushed, the erupting volcano couldn't help it after all, and he jumped to his feet as if he was going to have a showdown with the director of the Law Enforcement Division.

"I think what Mr. Zhang said may have some truth." Unexpectedly, Rufus Scrimgeur, the old lion-like Auror Director, interjected in, his hands folded over his chest, his brow furrowed, as if he was thinking about something from the time Fudge began to speak.

Indeed, if you think about it from the perspective of the head of the Auror Office, there is indeed such a concern, that is, it will not be able to give Dumbledore full trust, Crocker thought darkly, and this may be exactly what the master wants.

The corners of his mouth lifted into a smile.

"If the mastermind behind the whole thing is really Dumbledore, the slower the Ministry of Magic will react, the more passive it will be, and it is better to take measures early than to do nothing."

Scrimgeour came to this conclusion after careful consideration, and Amelia Bones grew her mouth in disbelief, and she looked back and forth between Fudge and Scrimgeour in disbelief, as if she had been enchanted with oblivion, to the point of forgetting who was standing in front of her.

Sinkenes still maintained a polite and reserved smile, as if she had withdrawn from the discussion of the whole thing after saying something, and Amelia, who knew her lieutenant's personality, understood that Pierce Sinkenes was a slippery snake and that it was probably impossible to get support from him.

"Okay, Rufus—" Fudge's neck flushed, but this time it was from excitement.

He stood on tiptoe and patted the tall, thin shoulder of the Auror Office's head, perhaps the most intimate contact they had ever had had been together.

"Assemble your men, Rufus, and bring the Aurors to Hogwarts—" Fudge looked beyond Amelia into the seemingly endless darkness in the distance of the Rotunda, and then turned back for a moment to look at Stoic Podmore with his head hanging from his chair.

"As for him, Director Amelia, you can use the truth potion on him, but I don't think it will lead to any different results than the Department of Mysteries."

As he spoke, he shook his cloak and walked past Amelia like a victorious general.

The sound of pointy shoes clattering on the marble floor faded away, and Crocker could see Amelia Bones frozen there, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably, and Rufus Scrimgeer yelled at his colleagues in the Law Enforcement Division and left after Fudge, the two of them leaving the round room after a long "grunt" of slow door closing.

At this time, Crocker heard Amelia's calm call: "Mr. Bode, can you please help bring the truth elixir?" ”