Chapter 430
Lupin: Don't Go Into the Dark
Chapter 430 Lupin: Don't Go Into the Dark
With a "pop", Lupin and Sirius instantly appeared in a bare forest.
The ground was originally covered with thick snow, and now it was covered with footprints in all directions. Some of the footprints suddenly disappeared as they walked, just as their footprints suddenly appeared.
"This should be the place." Sirius looked around and said, "I've been around here with James before."
"Well, let's go and take a look." Lupin pulled his scarf and said gloomily.
They walked forward on the snow. At the end of their sight was a manor with high walls that stretched endlessly, almost enclosing an entire hill.
A homeless man who was hanging around nearby saw the two of them and immediately came over to them alertly, with one hand always in his pocket, and traces of a slender magic wand faintly visible in the folds of his clothes.
Before he could ask, Sirius took out a piece of parchment and shook it, and dark green cursive words appeared one by one.
The tramp's expression immediately relaxed, and he took the parchment and took a look at it.
"From the British Ministry of Magic?" The tramp spoke English with a thick Austrian accent, and his voice sounded a little rude. He said, "I really met a lot of you today... Will Dumbledore come?"
"I don't know about that." Sirius said expressionlessly, "Dumbledore has his own plans."
"Of course, of course... He is Dumbledore after all..."
The tramp muttered, handed the parchment back to Sirius, and said, "Go in, but don't expect to find anything. They are just poor Muggles."
"Has anything happened here been discovered by any of the nearby Muggles?" Sirius asked, stuffing the parchment into his pocket.
"What do you think? They're like cockroaches, living everywhere. The first ones to arrive on the scene are the Muggles."
The tramp yawned and said tiredly, "Fortunately, there is a wizard living nearby. He caught the Muggle before he called the police. We tried our best to cast a forgetfulness spell on all the Muggles who saw this place, but... who knows?"
He shrugged helplessly: "I heard that the Muggle network is very developed now. No one can guarantee whether the news has spread."
Sirius thanked him and walked towards the manor with Lupin.
Behind them, the tramp continued to pace back and forth, ready to drive away any Muggles who accidentally broke in.
After walking some distance away, Lupin asked, "From the Austrian Ministry of Magic?"
"Yes." Sirius said, "As you know, they and the German Ministry of Magic are jointly responsible for the jurisdiction of Nurmengard. Since Grindelwald escaped from prison, both sides have hardly had a break and the situation is extremely tense. If Kingsley hadn't helped me to issue this certificate, I would not be able to take you in today."
Lupin frowned as he looked at the growing manor in front of him, and the exotic wizards busy nearby.
The five places attacked by Grindelwald were actually not in the UK. Two were private islands in the sea, and the other three were located in the United States, France and Italy.
The estate is located in Italy, close to the border between Germany and Austria.
Italian wizards are notorious for their laxity and procrastination, and their work efficiency is extremely low. What's more, the mastermind behind this attack is the terrifying big devil.
The Italian Ministry of Magic avoided the issue whenever possible, and pulled the Ministries of Magic of Germany and Austria into the matter on the grounds that "this is an international incident". It also cordially invited the British Ministry of Magic to assist, while it itself hid in the background and did not step forward.
So Lupin hardly saw any Italian wizards in this place, only German and Austrian wizards. Both sides communicated in German, and Lupin could only understand a small part of it.
He did not interrupt rashly, but just listened and watched silently, recalling the news he received before leaving -
……
"I'm going to be honest with you, Mr. Dumbledore."
The head of FMC had a bitter face, and finally couldn't bear the pressure anymore, and whispered: "There are three layers of encryption in the design of the flow mirror. Even if it is an identical correlation spell, it can't easily hijack our signal."
"The only one who can do this, besides the Alchemy Institute of Aslan Magic Workshop, is Vid Grey... But it's impossible for the Alchemy Institute. Recently, everyone has been working overtime to communicate with Pea..."
"Moreover, each alchemist in the alchemy institute only mastered a part of the technology. To achieve this level, at least three people need to work together to... make it possible... but it is only possible. Because being able to create does not mean being able to crack it."
The person in charge seemed to think that Wade Grey had become Grindelwald's accomplice at such a young age. He felt sad and unbelievable. He was also worried that the Witch Party would soon master various magical items, especially the manufacturing methods of the Flow Mirror, which would have an impact on their business. The expression on his face was very complicated.
"In fact, a week ago, Weed Grey disappeared while he was out." Dumbledore frowned and said, "I have always suspected that the person who did it was Grindelwald. Now it seems... it is indeed him."
……
After hearing the news, Sirius also comforted her privately:
"This isn't your fault, Moony. At least not entirely."
"How many people could stop Grindelwald if he took action himself? Even if he didn't succeed at that time, could you still keep the children locked in the house? If they were determined to kidnap people, you couldn't stop them."
"I'm glad you didn't notice the abnormality in time, otherwise I might have lost another friend now, Moony Face."
After the signal hijacking incident, Sirius also said:
"…The Ministries of Magic in various countries are all in a state of panic, but I think this is a good thing… At least it proves that Vader is of unique value to that person. He will not be in danger in the short term."
"He's a smart kid, Remus. Trust Vader... He will be able to hold on until we rescue him."
Lupin knew that Sirius was trying to relieve him of his guilt, but he couldn't even fake a reassuring expression.
His pain was not only because of his own negligence, but also because he was worried that... when they had a way to rescue Vader, Vader would rather choose the other side.
Unlike Sirius, who was always running around outside and had a carefree personality, Lupin had been in contact with Vader for a longer time and communicated with him more frequently. He had long been vaguely aware of... some of Vader's thoughts.
Unlike Harry, who is kind-hearted and ignorant by nature, Wade seems to be born to look at problems from a higher level, and is more... indifferent.
Look at the bloody and fiery scenes shown in the video! Vader would undoubtedly agree with Grindelwald's approach more than the Ministry of Magic - this was Lupin's first reaction when he saw the video.
Punishing evil and killing decisively, this modern Robin Hood-like approach is undoubtedly extremely attractive to young people.
Lupin was worried that the child would not want to come back, and he was even more worried that he would do something in the Witch Party and lose his place here.
The only thing to be thankful for is that Vader is not without any concerns here. He has parents, teachers, close friends and companions. These emotions will hold him back and prevent him from going into darkness. …
The hijacking of Liujing's signals did not end in one go, but would suddenly appear at regular intervals, arrogantly interrupting the programs being broadcast, and using videos of more than ten seconds to repeatedly publicize the Wu Cui Party's recent actions.
They also learned not to interrupt the show when the plot was exciting, but to replace the brief ten seconds at the beginning and end of the TV series, or when Aslan was playing commercials.
Today, wizards around the world who have streaming mirrors receive almost the same signal. Apart from the news from the Ministries of Magic in various countries, they all watch exactly the same programs. The Wizarding Party and Grindelwald quickly aroused discussion throughout the wizarding community.
There were not as many voices of criticism and resistance as Lupin had originally thought.
Different from the nervous and fearful mentality of the wizards in the nearby countries, most of the wizards cheered because they felt that Grindelwald's comeback posed no threat to them due to the huge distance.
Lupin met many wizards from other countries during his work. Keeping a friend account with each other is the most basic etiquette. Those wizards said in the message they sent to him:
"It's long overdue!"
"Did you see those poor children? I can't believe that there are people in the world who can be treated so cruelly!"
"Muggles have invaded our land, tarnished our image, and even polluted the air we breathe! I really hope someone can sanction them!"
"I know what you mean, Remus, but he killed people who deserved to die, didn't he?"
"Be safe, my friend. Even if you join the Witch Party, I won't say anything... I think it's a very charismatic leader."
……
leader?
A leader who kidnaps underage children?
Lupin had no way to vent his anger.
Grindelwald's frequent attacks on Muggle forces would have caused hostility from the Ministry of Magic as a whole, but their goal was to eliminate the evil forces that coveted magical power and rescue the victimized children. This was different from purely indiscriminate attacks and won the understanding and support of most people.
What’s even more outrageous is that the person was treading on the line that was about to break the Statute of Secrecy but had not yet completely broken it.
Using magic in front of a large number of Muggles and publicly attacking Muggles with magic are both unforgivable crimes in the wizarding world.
But not only did the Muggles who were attacked know about the existence of magic, but they were also either dead or victims who were unable to move freely. The Ministry of Magic, which arrived later, was able to calmly use the Oblivion Charm to control the situation and prevent magic from being leaked to Muggles.
After each attack, the wizards would set off a large firework into the sky. Even if Muggles saw it, they would not think "this was magic", but wizards living nearby would immediately notice it, and the Ministry of Magic would be able to quickly come to check it out.
This controlled the speed at which the incident spread, preventing Muggles from making a fuss and taking photos of the crime scene and appearing on television and in newspapers, thus turning it into a large-scale leak that the wizarding world could not control.
The man had been in prison for fifty years, but instead of becoming a stubborn old man with rigid thinking, he became more cunning and elusive.
Lupin could sense it from Dumbledore's increasingly busy back - even Dumbledore felt that Grindelwald was more difficult to deal with now than before.
……
"Sirius Black and Remus Lupin from the British Ministry of Magic?" A red-bearded German wizard looked at the certificate in Sirius's hand again and said in broken English, "Your people are over there."
He pointed, and Lupin looked over and saw several British wizards walking out accompanied by the two men.
Among the British wizards, the leader was a man in his fifties, with short gray hair combed neatly, and a blue-black wizard robe without a single wrinkle. He stood straight with a serious expression, and spoke fluently in German to the people around him. The short and fat Austrian wizard next to him had obvious awe on his face.
"It's Barty Crouch." Sirius said with a complicated expression.
Barty Crouch was the former Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He dealt with the Death Eaters with tough and ruthless means, openly opposed Voldemort, and was once a worshipper of Sirius.
But it was also Barty Crouch who put Sirius in Azkaban without trial.
- Although Sirius brought this upon himself and he himself did not think it was the other party's responsibility, Barty Crouch's prestige suffered a great blow due to this incident. Countless people publicly criticized his once highly praised practices, and his dark history that his son Barty Crouch Jr. was the real Death Eater was once again exposed.
Since then, there is always some awkwardness when the two meet again.
The last time they met by chance at the Ministry of Magic was more than a month ago. At this time, Sirius found that Barty Crouch looked a lot older than before, and it was obvious that he had been having a hard time recently.
Sirius hesitated for a moment, but ultimately business was more important, so the two of them headed over there.
They heard Barty Crouch say solemnly: "...Please understand, Franz, St. Mungo's is under a lot of pressure right now, and they have to put the patients into the corridor..."
"Yes, yes, we all understand." The short and fat wizard said with a bitter face, "But there are too many wounded this time, and most of them are Muggles... Our hospital really can't cope with it. Leaving them alone is tantamount to letting them die. There are also some children from Britain and Northern Ireland..."
Barty Crouch pondered for a moment, and accidentally saw Sirius. He was slightly startled, then nodded expressionlessly.
"How about this..." Crouch said to the short and fat wizard: "Patients born in the British Isles can be sent to St. Mungo's. In addition, we can also accept an additional 20 patients..."
"Fifty... fifty is okay?" the short and fat wizard pleaded, "The level of the healers at St. Mungo's is the best in Europe. Only they may be able to keep those poor children alive..."
"What's going on?" Sirius pulled an Auror he knew and asked.
"It's the victims that were rescued. Most of them were transfused with blood from magical creatures, and some... some indescribable changes occurred."
The Auror said sympathetically and helplessly: "Muggle hospitals cannot treat it at all. Even St. Mungo's may not be able to... Well, I think it would be better for you to die."
Seeing that the people in front of them were not paying attention to them, Sirius took the opportunity to pull the Auror aside and whispered: "Tell me about your investigation results..."
Lupin quietly separated from them and walked deeper into the manor.
He held the magic wand and went through two rounds of inspection inside and outside the gate. No one came to question him again.
Lupin cast detection spells over and over again, trying to discern a familiar scent of magic from the flame-licked building, or to find the message Vader left for them.
But no, there was nothing.
(End of this chapter)