69novels Chapter 186 The Empress Dowager's Former Lover is Robbed
Chapter 186 The Empress Dowager's Former Lover is Robbed
Chapter 187 (4k long chapter) The Empress Dowager's Former Lover is Robbed
Meanwhile, the Scarface's battle cries shook the heavens, filling the terrified officials of the Ministry of Magic with dread.
Narita taught him to choke, and his face turned bluish-purple, foaming at the mouth. It was clear that two of his three souls had left, and only one of his seven spirits remained.
Seeing that Rita was exhaling more than inhaling, Molly hurriedly stepped forward to advise her:
"Harry, you can't really strangle her!"
"You absolutely cannot kill anyone again today!"
Harry had always respected Molly the most, treating her like his own mother. Hearing this, he relaxed and clasped his hands in a respectful gesture:
"Since the lady has spoken, how dare Harry disobey?"
He suddenly released his grip, and Rita fell to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, gasping for breath with her mouth wide open.
Just as the two female Aurors were about to drag the woman away, they suddenly heard a loud cry.
"Wait a minute, I have something to ask her."
Crouch stepped forward steadily; despite being suspected, his demeanor commanded respect from the Aurors.
He walked up to Rita, his eyes flashing like lightning, and said in a deep voice, "How did you find your way here?"
"If I remember correctly, you weren't among the invited journalists for the Quidditch World Cup. And the entire press corps left back at 6 p.m."
"Miss Rita Skeeter, you need to give me a reasonable explanation."
Crouch's face showed no trace of a smile; his expression was as cold and aloof as if covered by frost, exuding an imposing aura far beyond what Fudge could match.
Rita had long heard that Crouch was an incorruptible man, and she was still in shock after almost causing Harry's death. She dared not play any tricks.
He was so eager to confess that he immediately opened his mouth.
"yes--"
"I brought Miss Skeeter here."
Another sound came from outside the camp. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Lucius carrying a snake-headed staff, gripping Draco's arm tightly, striding in.
Draco, having caught a glimpse of the grotesque mound of corpses beside Harry, turned ashen-faced with terror. His legs felt as if they were weighed down by a thousand-pound boulder, and he tried to shuffle backward, but he was no match for his father's strength.
Lucius rushed forward and helped the limp Rita up. He then turned to Crouch, bowed slightly, and said apologetically:
"When I went back to my tent at camp to get something, I unexpectedly ran into Miss Skeeter. She asked me where the Dark Mark had appeared."
"I thought Miss Skeeter had been invited by the Ministry of Magic to do a report on this matter."
"But now that I think about it... Miss Skeeter, I'm also curious, where did you hear this news?"
Rita shuddered and exclaimed, "It was an anonymous letter that told me!"
"After I finished reading the contents of the letter, it was burned on its own."
Upon hearing this, Crouch's two sword-like eyebrows furrowed, and he narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Lucius three times before slowly nodding.
"Take Miss Skeeter away, and don't forget to take away their equipment."
The two female Aurors escorted Rita and her group away, but Harry turned to stare at Lucius, and asked in surprise:
"You're quite clever, you haven't stooped to the level of those Death Eaters."
Lucius smiled slightly and shook his head, saying, "Oh, Harry, I have nothing to do with Death Eaters."
"Back then, I was cursed by the Dark Lord with a soul-stealing spell."
"Ha! Who would believe such nonsense! Do you think I'm as stupid as a pig?!"
"I understand your anger, Harry. But the fact that I didn't stand with these Death Eaters today is enough to prove my innocence."
Lucius pulled Draco back three steps by the collar. "And I think what you should be most concerned about right now is how to defend yourself for killing eleven pure-blood nobles."
Upon hearing this, Fudge seemed to wake from a dream and hurriedly replied:
"That's right! Potter, you must pay the price for everything you've done!"
Harry, enraged, roared, "What the hell are you talking about! Where were you when these Death Eaters were wreaking havoc on the world?!"
"Today, I acted on behalf of Heaven, beheading a few filthy scoundrels, and now I'm being questioned? Such twisted logic exists in this world!"
"You should save those words for the sages and elders of Wizengamo."
Crouch remained unmoved and said coldly, "Even though their family has declined, the blood of nobility still flows in their veins."
Fudge waved his hand and shouted, "All Aurors, detain Harry Potter!"
Unexpectedly, once the order was given, all the Aurors in the room hesitated and looked at each other, unwilling to do such a thing that would offend Harry.
Black, his beard and hair bristling, leaped in front of Harry and roared like thunder.
"You want to capture Harry?! You'll have to step over my dead body first!"
"You despicable, shameless, vile bastards! Open your eyes wide and take a good look! I am also a pure-blood noble!"
Seeing this, Scrimgeour quickly turned around and rushed to Fudge's side, whispering something in his ear.
"Minister, Mr. Blake is also a pure-blood nobleman. We can't just arrest him too, can we?"
Fudge glared at him. "Can't you just let him off the hook?"
"But... what if we hurt him? Mr. Black has been wrongfully imprisoned in Azkaban for over a decade. If we act rashly, wouldn't that damage the Ministry of Magic's reputation...?"
Scringer kept nagging and offering a bunch of excuses, but he wouldn't actually do anything. This made Fudge so angry that he gritted his teeth and was practically fuming.
Upon hearing this, how could Harry not understand? It turned out that he had been punished for eliminating evil, simply because those he had killed were all of noble birth.
His green eyes immediately turned bloodshot with rage. He gripped the hilt of his sword with his five fingers, stepped forward, and shouted sharply:
"I've only just seen through it all! What a damned Ministry of Magic! They're all just lackeys of Wizengamor!"
"I'll slaughter you bunch of damned officials first, then I'll storm that Wessengamo! I want to see for myself whether those sages have three heads and six arms! They can't be cut by swords, nor killed by curses!"
These words struck like a thunderbolt, leaving the officials ashen-faced.
Fudge was drenched in cold sweat, fearing that someone might be overheard, and hurriedly said:
"Mr. Potter! I urge you to calm down!"
"The elders and sages of Wizengamor are among the finest and greatest wizards in the world!"
"No matter which country they're from, they have apprentices and relatives!"
Even Dumbledore—he wouldn't dare say he'd go against the decisions made by Wizengamor!
If treacherous ministers like Cai Jing and Gao Qiu were here, they would surely stroke their beards, shake their heads, and compose a poem. Indeed:
We who wield power still bow down, while you, by blood, are bound to the highest heavens.
Flattery was arduous in the past; it's better to have power in one's magic wand.
Fudge spoke with absolute certainty, which only fueled Harry's rage. Even Molly's attempts to calm him down were futile.
Just as the swords were about to clash, Harry's side suddenly twisted in mid-air, and Dumbledore appeared.
"You seem to be underestimating me a bit, Connelly."
"Or rather, you're taking the Wizengamot Presbyterian Church too seriously."
Having said that, Dumbledore pulled out his wand and waved it. A whooshing sound was heard as more than a dozen stone spikes shot up from the ground, lifting up all the corpses of the Death Eaters and suspending them in mid-air.
Seeing such methods and hearing these words, Fudge was so frightened that his face turned ashen, and he staggered back, saying:
"Dumbledore! What do you want to do?!"
The White Demon King's brows furrowed slightly, and he smiled faintly, saying, "Haven't you already seen what I want to do?"
Immediately, he raised his hand and pressed it on Harry's shoulder.
"I don't think Harry needs to undergo any kind of trial. If Wizengamor has any objections, then let them come to Hogwarts to find me."
"Oh, right, let me remind you again, I am still the chief magician of Wizengamo."
Seeing Dumbledore's determination to protect Harry, Scrimgeour felt a great weight lifted from his heart. He let out a sigh of relief and stepped forward to whisper to Fudge:
"Minister, I think it's time for us to go."
Fudge abruptly turned around, glaring at him. "What do you mean by that? Do you think I'd just walk away from this because of Dumbledore?!"
Scrimgeour took two steps back. "I'm sorry, Minister, I'll listen to you."
Fudge took a long, deep breath before pointing at the pile of corpses and saying, "Dispose of those bodies properly."
After saying this, the officials hurriedly retreated, surrounding each other.
Lucius, at the back of the crowd, reached out and grabbed Draco's chin, forcefully turning his face towards the mound of corpses.
"See? If I had accepted that crazy woman Bella's invitation, my head would be stuck in here right now."
Draco's face, already pale, turned even whiter, and he stammered:
"Stop talking..."
"Think about it, the Malfoys' platinum blonde hair is so eye-catching, I might even be placed on top as an embellishment."
"Please, please stop talking!"
"Then remember this very well!"
Lucius's fingers tightened suddenly, turning Draco's face towards him and staring intently into his eyes, spitting out words through clenched teeth.
"Weakness and ignorance are not obstacles to survival; arrogance is!"
"Don't mess with that madman Potter anymore! Even if you can't be his friend, don't be his enemy!"
"And that witch named Granger, show her some respect from now on. I don't want to hear the term 'Mudblood' from your mouth again!"
"Think! Much! About! It!"
Draco no longer argued. He took several deep breaths to suppress his fear and looked at Lucius, his voice trembling as he said:
"I understand, Dad."
"But...do we really have to side with Potter? Can he really...defeat the Dark Lord?"
Lucius simply ruffled Fudge's hair with his palm, then put his arm around his shoulder and followed Fudge and his group.
"That doesn't matter, silly boy. Nothing in this world is absolute except for interests."
"After the Dark Lord fell, so many Death Eaters were imprisoned in Azkaban. What makes you think I managed to escape?"
Draco paused, then said, "Mom told me it's because you haven't been persecuting Muggles, but have been funding the Dark Lord from behind the scenes."
"That's only part of the reason." Lucius sighed, looking up at the sky. "I, your father, also occasionally pass on some little secrets to the Order of the Phoenix."
Upon hearing this, Draco froze on the spot. After a long while, he seemed to snap out of a daze and hurriedly rushed over.
After everyone dispersed, the Weasleys pulled Ron away, and Hermione and the others hurriedly left.
At this moment, Harry's anger subsided by a third. He turned around, clasped his hands in greeting to Dumbledore, and said:
"Only today have I realized the professor possesses such courage; he truly has a firm hand beneath his gentle exterior. I admire him! I admire him!"
Dumbledore smiled. "People always have to pay the price for their actions, don't they?"
After saying that, he glanced at the mound of heads and nodded in agreement for a moment, then said, "But you shouldn't do this kind of thing again. It's even more cruel than you cutting Peter Pettigrew in half."
"This will affect how people perceive you as their savior."
Harry burst into laughter. "I've done nothing wrong! Why should I care what others think?"
"Today we've merely beheaded a few filthy scoundrels and piled their heads into a mound of skulls. Even if we were to rip out their hearts and livers to eat with wine, we wouldn't fear the vengeful spirits seeking revenge tonight!"
As they were talking, Scrimgeour stepped forward and bowed to Dumbledore, saying, "Professor Dumbledore, the corpses of those Death Eaters..."
"Ah, please make yourself at home, Rufus. I don't think Harry would have any objections."
"The professor is absolutely right."
Harry didn't mince words either, taking a bag of Galleons from his pocket and handing it to Scrimgeour, saying loudly:
"I apologize for disturbing you brothers and sisters today. Please accept these small gifts, brother. Use them to buy some warm wine for the brothers to drink and help calm your nerves."
In the past, such actions would have been done discreetly, but with a highly respected figure like Dumbledore present, Scrimgeour appeared somewhat hesitant and embarrassed.
"Take it, Rufus." Dumbledore winked. "Harry sends me a lot of things every holiday season."
"Last Christmas, Harry even gave me a firebolt. I've always suspected he bought me a wizarding accident insurance policy at Gringotts, but he listed himself as the beneficiary."
Upon hearing this teasing remark, Scrimgeour's face relaxed, and he smiled with relief. He then put the money pouch into his robe, clasped his hands in greeting, and hurriedly left.
After he had walked away, Harry asked doubtfully, "Last Christmas, I clearly gave the Professor eight golden cockroach candies, so where does this talk of a fire bolt come from?"
Dumbledore shrugged. "If I hadn't said that, Rufus might have been too embarrassed to accept your gift."
"It's a good thing that the Aurors are willing to be loyal to you, even if that loyalty is bought with money, because they are still on the right path."
Harry pondered these words for a while, and a few thoughts raced through his mind, making him find them increasingly intriguing.
He paced around Dumbledore twice, then said with great interest:
"Professor, that's really strange. You're usually so particular about rules and regulations, why do you seem to be hoping Fudge falls from grace as soon as possible?"
"If I'm not mistaken, Professor, your visit tonight is surely not solely for my protection, but rather because some momentous event has occurred in the martial world!"
"Oh, Harry, I really can't hide anything from you." Dumbledore sighed. "I just came back from Nurmengard Castle. The Death Eaters attacked Grindelwald."
"They want to interrogate me about the whereabouts of the Elder Wand."
(End of this chapter)