Chapter 1061
High-Risk Individuals
Chapter 1061 High-Risk Individuals
Since reading Percy's letter, Harry felt that he wouldn't be too surprised no matter what Percy did.
He was just a little surprised—even Penelope, whom he used to like so much, had been pushed away, so how much of Percy from back then was left now?
He suddenly felt that the Ministry of Magic was a terrifying place; it was like another kind of unseen Dementor that would slowly devour those who were chasing him until they were unrecognizable.
Harry shuddered at his own imagination.
He then realized that Arthur Weasley hadn't become a cold-blooded political animal just because he'd worked at the Ministry of Magic for many years, so Percy's transformation was just an exception.
"Sugar quill pen".
Upon reaching the door of the common room, while Neville was struggling to recall, Ginny had already given the password.
A resentful yawn comes from within the portrait:
"This constant disturbance... Can't you kids just come back together?"
The plump lady opened her eyes sleepily, squinted at the people standing outside, and slowly opened the door.
Harry and his friends went inside and saw Ron and Hermione, who had already organized the younger students to return.
They sat on the sofa in front of the fireplace. Ron leaned against the back of the sofa with his head tilted to the side, his eyes half-open and half-closed, while Hermione was looking at the Daily Prophet this morning, her brows furrowed.
There weren't many students in the common room. After all, they had been on the train all day and were exhausted, their backs aching and they couldn't wait to lie down on the soft beds in their bedrooms.
Hearing the door open, Hermione turned around, saw the three of them, and waved to them.
Harry: "You guys haven't gone to rest yet?"
Hermione: Why are you so late?
The two spoke almost simultaneously, and Ron jolted awake, looking up and instinctively wiping his mouth.
"What? Ah... you guys are finally back."
Ginny first explained, "We talked for a while on the way...we talked about Percy."
“Yes,” Harry quickly replied. Seeing Hermione's furrowed brows and downturned lips, he sat opposite her and asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong?”
Neville and Ginny also sat down. Ron rubbed his eyes and, seeing that the two were sitting very close together, he subconsciously gave Neville a dangerous look.
Neville: "...?"
Ron relaxed at his friend's innocent, bewildered look, and said to his sister in a harsh tone, "Go back to the dorm earlier next time."
Ginny rolled her eyes: "Do I need to remind you, when did you start going out at night?"
Ron was speechless for a moment, and he muttered, "How can that be the same?"
Ginny snorted: "What's different?"
Hermione ignored the siblings' argument and looked up at Harry with an indescribable light in her eyes.
“I’ve been thinking about what Percy said earlier,” she said. “Don’t you think something’s off?”
“What’s wrong?” Harry asked, bewildered. “Didn’t he say he wouldn’t interfere… and Dumbledore agreed?”
Hermione shook her head and said softly, "If I were Dumbledore, even if the Ministry of Magic sent a baboon up there to squeal, I would say it was good—that doesn't prove anything."
She opened her notebook, where she had jotted down some of Percy's remarks in a messy manner.
“Look at this… ‘Systemic risks should not rely on personal authority’, which is logically correct, and Fudge has proven it well.”
"It's dangerous to place all your trust in one person. But..."
She paused, pressing her lips even tighter.
Harry leaned forward involuntarily: "...But?"
Hermione licked her dry lips and said, "But the problem is—he said that at Hogwarts. Whom is this so-called 'personal authority' referring to?"
Harry's back suddenly stiffened: "Dumbledore?"
Hermione nodded slightly. "They could say they're learning from Ilvermorny's mistakes, but Dumbledore isn't Fontana."
"So Percy's words were actually laying the groundwork for another possibility—that Dumbledore, who represented 'personal authority,' needed to be checked and balanced, and that the teachers and students of Hogwarts should not trust him unconditionally."
"If we can't trust Dumbledore, then what can we trust?" Harry suddenly became angry and said sharply, "That incompetent Ministry of Magic?"
Hermione glared at him: "Don't yell at me, it wasn't my idea."
"sorry."
Harry apologized immediately, then, as if remembering something, quickly said, "But... could it be that Percy just said it offhand? You know... he likes to show off his skills."
"And they all say that Minister Sinkness isn't the kind of... tough guy."
“Very likely,” Ron chimed in. “Believe me, maybe that idiot Percy doesn’t even know what his words mean.”
Hermione glanced at him, and said with a warning:
“Don’t underestimate your brother. Percy has been working at the Ministry of Magic for two years now. He definitely understands better than you what kind of implications your words will have.”
"And didn't you notice?"
Hermione flipped through her notes irritably, her voice even lower.
"His responsibilities included 'investigating student privacy protection and managing off-campus contact'."
"In other words, he has the right to ask every student who they have met, what they have done, and who they have communicated with outside of school."
“He can openly investigate the social circles of ‘high-risk individuals’, and all of this is ‘for the safety of students’.”
Neville's round face rarely showed such a solemn expression, but now his brows were furrowed, as if he was trying to digest something hard to swallow.
He hesitated before saying, "Percy...could he be after Wade?"
“Not just Wade,” Hermione said, gazing at Harry. “It’s you too, Harry.”
“Me?” Harry felt he should be laughing, but in fact, his face was filled with confusion. “What danger am I in? I don’t have a puppet army.”
"Puppet Army"
Sirius Black described the puppets that Vader displayed during the match in this way, and similar words appeared in the newspapers.
Harry felt it was cool, but he was also worried about Wade.
At this point, when it comes to "high risk"... who could be more fitting for the word than Wade?
But Hermione looked at him with utmost seriousness: "Of course it's you."
“In fact… Harry, you are likely the primary target, with Wade being secondary.”
Harry paused for two seconds, then let out a short, genuine laugh: "That's ridiculous. If it's because of some 'surviving boy,' then it's Voldemort who's in danger, not—"
"You've been resurrected, haven't you?"
Hermione interrupted him.
The calm voice, however, felt like a boulder, crashing heavily into Harry's heart.
Harry opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Ron was jolted awake from his drowsiness. He glanced at Hermione, then at Harry's face, and muttered to himself:
“Indeed… the Killing Curse failed to kill you twice… Harry, that’s a very, very strange thing in the wizarding world.”
"It's much stranger than a few moving, talking puppets."
The latter is something that people in the magical world can understand, although it is very difficult... extremely difficult... but as long as one studies it diligently, there are always people other than Vader who can do it.
But to escape from the Killing Curse? That's even more unbelievable than Merlin's sudden resurrection.
(End of this chapter)