Chapter 52: Traces
Harry hadn't slept well all night, and the events of last night had terrified him. When I woke up in the morning, my eyes were a little dark. He couldn't wait any longer, so he sat down across from Aitch and gobbled up breakfast, letting Aitch give him his thoughts on what happened last night.
"Alright," Aitch belched.
"I went to clean the house last night, and although I don't know who did it, don't worry that your uncle will make it difficult for you. Before leaving, I used the Oblivion Charm to alter their memories. Aitch stirred the milk in the cup, and the spoon collided with the wall of the glass, making a "ping-ping" sound.
"What about the Ministry of Magic?" Although the Ministry of Magic had not yet come to inform him, Harry always felt that someone from the Law Enforcement Division would come to his door and take him away in the next second.
"Theyβ" said Edge, pausing again, "outside the door, here they are." "Edge's house is guarded, a method taken from the Heir's lineage, which makes it impossible for others to use the magic of "shapeshifting" like Hogwarts.
Unexpectedly, the Minister of Magic, Fudge, was the first to suffer, he was blocked from the house by the guard, and he could only come and ring the doorbell honestly.
"Good morning, what do you want to drink, Minister?" Both met through the Daily Prophet.
Fudge would not underestimate the auburn-haired boy, who was only thirteen years old (only according to Hogwarts' admission of eleven-year-olds) was already the heir to the two major houses of Ravenclaw and Slytherin, which was the highest in terms of status. Only those who have lived through the era of Voldemort will know how powerful the summoning power of an heir's name is, not to mention that he has just eaten the other party's dismount.
"Thanks, Mr. Edge, a cup of tea." Fudge wouldn't stay long, and Aitch was just looking for an excuse to leave Fudge and Harry alone.
Harry stood up a little nervously, after all, he was a little scared from the events of last night.
"Sit down, Harry. I'm Connelly Fudge, Minister for Magic. Fudge took off his pinstriped robe, tossed it aside, then quickly pulled up the pants of his dark green suit and sat down across from Harry.
"All right, Harry," said Fudge, "I'm not afraid you know, you're making us panic. Running out of your aunt's and uncle's house like this, I thought it was important that you didn't have an accident. β
"Our Mr. Aitch was quick and he dealt with the aftermath very well, and although we don't know how he escaped the detection of the traces, we have to say, it was a beautiful job. Last night he wrote to tell us about you, and he kept you here for one night and didn't let you run around. β
Fudge mentioned Harry's uncle, "According to your uncle's idea, you just need to go back every summer and stay at Hogwarts the rest of the time." But I think it's okay to be a little more relaxed, and if both sides agree, and Mr. Aitch doesn't mind, it's good to stay here. It's just a matter of the road anyway. β
Harry heard his first good news of the day, "So...... What about my sanctions? β
Fudge blinked. "Disposition?"
"It's not up to me to say I'm breaking the law," Harry said, "an ordinance restricting the use of magic by minors!" β
"Oh, dear child, we will not punish you for such a trivial matter," said Fudge impatiently, "that is a coincidence, and we are not going to send people to Azkaban just to flatter their aunts. Besides, it's not you, maybe one of your passing fans can't stand it, so he did it. β
But those words didn't fit in with Harry's past dealings with the Ministry of Magic.
"Last year, I received a formal warning just because my uncle's leprechaun broke a piece of cake!" Harry said with a frown. "The Ministry of Magic says that if any more magic is cast there, Hogwarts will expel me."
Unless Harry's eyes had deceived him, as Fudge suddenly looked embarrassed.
"Things change all the time, Harry, and in the current situation, we have to think about, you don't want to be fired, do you? Besides, with Mr. Edge's guarantee, we'll give you another chance. Fudge nodded affirmatively.
"Huh? Minister? Can I ask you a few questions?" An idea suddenly occurred to Harry.
"Absolutely." Fudge said with a smile.
"Well, third-year students can visit Hogsmeade, however, my aunt and uncle didn't sign my consent form. Can you sign it for me? β
Fudge looked uncomfortable. "Ah," he said, "no, no, I'm sorry, Harry, because I'm not your parent, nor your guardian. β
"But you're the Minister of Magic," Harry said eagerly, "if you'll allow me to ......"
"No, I'm sorry, Harry, because rules are rules," Fudge said flatly, "maybe you can visit Hogsmeade next year." Actually, I think it's best if you're not ...... Well, I'm leaving. Have a good time here. Harry. β
Fudge was too busy to drink the tea that Edge had prepared.
Aitch didn't seem to be ready to prepare, just squeezed a glass of pumpkin juice and drank it himself. "He's gone?"
"Well, but, Edge, I've always found it a little weird."
"Wonder why the Ministry of Magic didn't trouble you? That's right, they've always been idle, and they have nothing to do. Aitch pulled a copy of the Daily Prophet from a shelf, "Look at this." β
The large front-page photo shows a man with a sunken face and tangled long hair winking at Harry slowly. He looked strangely familiar.
"That man," Harry said, taking a breath, "and he's in Muggle newspapers and television, too!" β
"You should read the newspaper, Harry." Aitch criticized him.
Harry leaned in to read the paper:
Blake is still at large, and the Ministry of Magic confirmed today that Sirius Black, who is believed to be the most notorious of the prisoners who have ever spent time in Azkaban Castle, is still unapprehended.
"We are working to recapture Black," Secretary of Magic Cornelius Fudge said this morning, "and we ask the wizarding community to remain calm. Some members of the International Confederation of Wizards had criticized Fudge for not informing the Muggle Prime Minister of Black's fugitive.
Fudge, who was easily enraged, said, "Oh, I had to do this, don't you know?" Blake is crazy. Anyone who encounters him is in danger, whether you are a wizarding or a Muggle. I was assured by the Prime Minister that he would not confide a word in anyone about Black's true identity. Let's face it, if he says it, who in Muggles will believe him? β
Muggles were told that Black was carrying a gun (a metal wand that Muggles used to kill each other), and the wizarding community feared a repeat of the massacre of more than a decade ago, when Black killed thirteen people with a single spell.
Harry stared at Blake's blurred eyes, the only ones on his sunken face that seemed a little angry. Harry had never encountered a vampire before, but he had seen pictures of them in Defence Against the Dark Arts class, and Blake, with his waxy white skin, looked like a vampire.
"It's super powerful, it can actually come out of Azkaban, the first in history." Aitch praised as if to say something great.
"Azkaban is embarrassed by this, I heard that the Dementors are mad, and the Ministry of Magic is busy with this guy, who has time to care about you?"
"Don't mention him," Aitch put away the newspaper, "you need to hurry up and prepare your holiday homework, because last semester because of the secret room, the school didn't hold exams, and the professors were all focused on their homework." You must not have done a good job at your uncle's house, you have to come on. β
Harry knew it was true, and if he wanted to do his homework, he would have to flip through a book at night with a flashlight. "By the way, I guess......" Harry was a little embarrassed, "I thought, can I just stay with you?" As long as it's summer vacation, Secretary Fudge said if he could. I really don't want to go back to that place. β
"What?" Aitch wondered, "What did he say?" β
Aitch listened to Harry's relay, "Well, it's been calculated. β
"Have you ever wondered why I could use magic outside of school?" Harry nodded sincerely, if he could master this method, he would not be subject to his uncle.
"Actually, even if I say it, you can't do it." Aitch explained it to Harry in detail. "You know that the Ministry of Magic uses something called a trace to spy on underage wizards. As long as a young wizard uses magic outside of school, it will be detected. β
"But like the house-elf named Dobby last year, remember. He uses magic, but the Ministry of Magic thinks it's your sake. Fudge now has the same intention of letting you live with me, although he doesn't know why I can use magic outside of school, but as long as I use it in the future, I will be sensed by your traces. β
Harry was shocked by the routine.
"However, it is also a distraction, and those wizarding families do not have this problem. In fact, there has always been interference, but when there are adult wizards around, the Ministry of Magic will ignore it. That's why I dared to use magic in front of the public at the Blotte bookstore last year. β
"Of course, I don't always use this method, like last night, I used magic, and the people in the Ministry of Magic still didn't respond, that's what I did with the trace."
"Hermione, for example, was a Muggle family and had experimented with magic at home before attending Hogwarts, as she said when we first met her. The Ministry of Magic didn't warn either! Then I realized that the trace might not have come down to us at that time. β
Harry became more and more interested in the Traces, and he listened to Aitch continue, "So when did the Traces go down?" It had to be something that every student had touched, and judging by the fact that the Ministry of Magic had been unable to control Hogwarts, it must have been outside of school. Guess where? β
"Stations, platforms and trains." Harry thought of it.
"That's right, but to exclude the station and platform, there are too many people, and it will be troublesome if the younger siblings at home come to pick them up. Then I kept being careful, and finally, when I was about to get out of the car, I felt it and avoided it. β
"The story is over, but now all the work has been in vain." Aitch smiled wryly, "After you move in, I can only use less magic or think about any other loopholes." This made Harry even more embarrassed.