Chapter 680: Gunter's old house

Chapter 680: Gunter's old house

Chapter 680 Gunter’s Old House

From Chris’s mouth, Kyle also learned what happened this morning.

The process was not complicated. Umbridge took the beaters to Hampshire early in the morning, preparing to find some material for the front page of today's "Daily Prophet."

She is now very familiar with this kind of thing, so the people she brings are all veterans who have had many experiences and work well with each other.

When they arrived at the place, the strikers spread out skillfully, looking for useful clues, but by chance, they actually ran into Death Eaters who came to do something this time.

 Then when the batters came back from the tour, they saw an extremely horrifying scene.

 Umbridge, who had always been arrogant, was rolling in pain on the ground, struggling for mercy, and next to her was Bellatrix, who was holding a wand and laughing crazily.

Almost subconsciously, a beater with a camera took pictures of this scene, but for the sake of the Ministry of Magic's face, the newspaper did not choose this photo, but used another one.

“So, Umbridge hit her on her own initiative?” Kyle asked incredulously.

"So be it..." Chris said, "The mysterious man has not shown up now, and he is obviously hiding something. Under normal circumstances, Death Eaters would not do such boring things without being threatened.

“But Umbridge is an exception. Everyone now knows that she is a person who firmly opposes Death Eaters, and her attitude and speech are even better than Barty Crouch back then.

"And Bellatrix is ​​one of the most crazy and loyal followers of the mysterious man. Now that she has met him, she naturally wants to get rid of such a threat for the mysterious man."

"Then couldn't she just use the Death Curse?" Kyle glanced at the photo in the newspaper, "Why did she use the Cruciatus Curse? This curse can't kill anyone."

"I think she probably wants to ask for some useful information from Umbridge." Chris thought for a while and said, "For example, the Ministry of Magic's plan, or the location of the Order of the Phoenix headquarters. This is also her usual method. s method."

 “She thinks Umbridge is a member of the Order of the Phoenix?”

Chris gave Kyle a strange look, as if he was surprised that he could ask such a question.

“Do you think…” he said, “is there anyone more like Umbridge in the Order of the Phoenix today?”

 “Well, that seems to be the case.” Kyle muttered.

Judging from her recent performance, Umbridge is indeed more of a standard member of the Order of the Phoenix than anyone else...including regular staff like Sirius or Moody.

Especially the last appearance of Dumbledore in the newspaper can prove this point.

"Umbridge will probably be very happy." Kyle murmured in a low voice: "She became an important figure in the Order of the Phoenix overnight, and at the same time she fulfilled her promise in the newspaper...Fighting the Death Eaters to the end, they are irreconcilable... "

Chris shook his head and said nothing.

 Half an hour later, Kyle left the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and returned to his office.

What surprised him was that Fudge acted very calmly and was not panicked by Bellatrix's appearance and actions.

Of course, he was still surprised, but he soon returned to normal, as if he had really accepted the news that Voldemort had been resurrected.

Since Voldemort has been resurrected, what happened today is not surprising.

At noon, at Fudge's request, Kyle went with him to St. Mungo's to visit Umbridge.

As soon as he arrived on the fifth floor of St. Mungo's, Kyle heard Umbridge's shrill voice coming from the corridor.

 “I want to go out...I want to see the minister!”

“It’s not safe here, that crazy woman could come at any time…”

 “You can’t stop me, I am the Senior Minister of Magic, get out of here!”

 Hearing the last sentence, Fudge's expression suddenly changed slightly... If Umbridge is a senior minister, then who is he?

Then for some unknown reason, the screaming stopped suddenly.

 A therapist ran out of the room sweating profusely and immediately saw Fudge standing in the corridor.

"Sorry, Minister, I didn't know you were here too." He quickly explained: "Ms. Umbridge's shouting was too loud. In order not to affect other people's rest, we can only find a way to make her fall asleep temporarily. "

"Oh, it doesn't matter, this is what it should be." Fudge didn't mean to blame the therapist at all. He said with a smile: "You really shouldn't yell here. There is nothing wrong with what you did."

Hearing this, the therapist breathed a sigh of relief.

"It seems that our trip this time will be in vain." Fudge looked at Kyle and said meaningfully: "I think it is better to let her rest for a while, which will help her recovery."

"That's right, Minister." Kyle said. Since Fudge had said so, he naturally wouldn't refute it.

But one thing to say, Umbridge is still quite powerful. She has just been tortured by the Cruciatus Curse, but she can still scream out. This is not something ordinary people can do.

For example, Sirius, who was weak for several days after being hit by the Cruciatus Curse, did not think Bellatrix's Cruciatus Curse was any worse than others.

Because of this incident, Fudge just walked around the fifth floor of St. Mungo's and went back to the Ministry of Magic without even entering the ward.

The next afternoon, Kyle continued to return to his previous state of idleness. There was nothing to do but play AutoChess Wizards in the office.

Kyle chose the black chess piece. Every time he makes a move, the white chess piece will automatically move to the corresponding position, which is very suitable for killing time when you are alone.

The day passed quickly, and when Kyle returned to Hogwarts, the people in the castle were also discussing the contents of this morning's newspaper.

 Although in recent times, the Daily Prophet has reported. There would be some news about Death Eaters published from time to time, but they were basically relaying what the striker or someone said, as if the Ministry of Magic could only follow the Death Eaters and never catch them.

 But today's newspaper came with a clear photo of Bellatrix's crazy look, which caused another wave of panic.

 Fortunately, someone also saw Dumbledore passing by in the corner.

"The Headmaster is here too..." a Gryffindor girl said with relief: "This Death Eater must be finished."

“No wonder the principal has been away from school recently. It turns out he went to deal with the Death Eaters…”

"But what if the Death Eaters choose to attack Hogwarts if the principal is not here..." someone said worriedly.

"Don't worry, don't forget that Professor McGonagall is here..."

"Yes, with the professors here, Death Eaters will definitely ask for trouble if they dare to come."

 …

There was a lot of chatter in the auditorium, and you could hear this sound wherever you went.

But this situation soon disappeared.

With less than a week left before the exam, their increasingly heavy schoolwork has made their minds full of the upcoming exam, leaving them unable to distract themselves from other things.

The Quidditch final that was originally scheduled for this week was, for some unknown reason, arranged by Professor McGonagall until after the exam.

 Perhaps she feels that reviewing is more distracting than playing ball.

 At the end of a transfiguration class, they were given the timetable and specific requirements for the exam.

“The N.E.W.T. exam, like the O.W.L. exam, will last for two full weeks.” While eating dinner, Cedric said: “There is one class every day, with theoretical exams in the morning and practical exams in the afternoon. You can continue to review at other times.”

"I think it's better to finish the exam as soon as possible." Mikel seemed to remember last year's experience and said with a grimace: "To be honest, I was always very nervous during the days of the O.W.L. exam and couldn't understand anything at all. , where are you?"

“I’m okay,” Cedric said. “And I think I’ll pass.”

Even though he said this, Kyle noticed that Cedric could not help but rub his hands and take a deep breath. It seemed that Cedric was also nervous about the upcoming exam.

Hogwarts has entered exam week. At the same time, a flame suddenly appeared out of thin air on a deserted country road, and then there was an old man with a gray beard on the road, and then there was another man wrapped in a black cloak with a sinister expression next to him.

"Dumbledore, your plan was successful. The Dark Lord seems to think that Ogden will be dead before you find him..."

"Severus, believe it or not, it was not my plan to have Umbridge there," Dumbledore said.

 Snape snorted from his nostrils, obviously not believing this.

As soon as Bellatrix found where Ogden was, Umbridge appeared in front of her. If it hadn't been arranged in advance, how could such a coincidence happen? Do you think he is an idiot?

Looking at his look, Dumbledore knew that he couldn't explain it anyway, but what he said was true. It was all just a coincidence.

Dumbledore sighed and simply did not explain. He had more important things to do now.

　　"Thank you for your hard work Severus, please go back to Hogwarts first."

"I don't think this is a good idea." Snape said without moving, "The Dark Lord has been very dissatisfied with me recently, and I need to know what you are doing."

Dumbledore turned to look at him, "Believe me Severus, if you tell Tom what I am going to do, he will kill you immediately.

 “This is related to his biggest secret, and he will not let anyone know it.”

 Snape was silent for a moment.

"It's a Horcrux, right?" he said. "What clues did you find?"

"Ogden's memory should help us," said Dumbledore.

 He did not persuade Snape to leave, but continued walking forward and came to a wooden signpost.

There are two arrows on it, which read: Great Hangleton, 5 miles. Little Hangleton, 1 mile.

Dumbledore turned in the direction of Little Hangleton, and Snape followed.

They walked for a while and followed the tall hedges on both sides to a valley. Between two steep hillsides, there stood a village.

 On the hillside across the valley, there is a large and magnificent house.

"That's where Riddle lives?" Snape frowned as he looked at the big house, "So you want to go there? Then why take such a long detour."

However, what Snape didn't expect was that Dumbledore did not go to the village, but walked towards the side path, then turned right and disappeared through a gap in the fence.

 Hidden entrance, same as St. Mungo's and the Ministry of Magic. Before the Muggle expulsion spell was invented, this was also the most common method used by the older generation of wizards to protect themselves from being discovered, and the effect was quite good.

 Snape quickly followed.

The two came to a narrower dirt road. The place was extremely desolate. The dirt road was winding, pitted, and covered with rocks. The vines on both sides spread to the road. It was obvious that no one had been there for a long time.

The path led to a dark forest. Dumbledore came to the woods, pulled out his wand, and waved it lightly.

　　The tangled trees in front of me were separated by an invisible force, revealing a strange-looking house hidden among them.

The house has also been uninhabited for a long time. Even the door is covered with lush vines, making it look like a huge cocoon.

Dumbledore waved his wand again, and the vines automatically separated to both sides. With a "squeak", the door that had not been used for an unknown period of time was opened.

Snape noticed that there was a snake on the door. It was brightly colored, as if it had been nailed on it just yesterday. It was incompatible with the simple and old surroundings.

 “Where is this…” he couldn’t help but ask.

 “Gaunt House.” Dumbledore stooped and walked into the house.

 "Gaunt..." Snape's expression changed slightly.

"Yes." Dumbledore said, "This is the last place where Tom's mother lived... Be careful, I don't know if Tom has applied any additional magic, so it's best not to mess with things here."

"I know, you don't need to remind me." Snape said, "How did you find this place?"

"Bob Ogden," said Dumbledore, "as a former member of the Legal Enforcement Department, he was here once on a case, and I happened to get this news."

Every time the two of them took a step in the room, there would be a harsh creaking sound from the ground, and it was obviously daytime, but the place was extremely dark, as if all sunlight was blocked by the trees outside.

 “What are you looking for?” Snape asked.

He glanced around and saw that the place was even more shabby than he thought. Most of the things were gone, leaving only some worn-out furniture or missing cups.

Dumbledore didn't speak. He walked around the house and finally stopped in front of a small table with slender legs.

 Snape guessed that this table should once have been filled with exquisite and valuable furnishings, but now there was only a thick layer of dust.

"It's not a clever method... It seems that this is not the way Tom used to protect it." Dumbledore took out his wand and tapped it lightly on the table.

 Then, the table turned over like a glove that had been taken off, and an ugly ring suddenly appeared in front of the two of them.

 The ring is golden, with a black gem the size of a copper coin set in the middle.

 Snape looked at the ring carefully and felt that it looked familiar.

Dumbledore also saw the ring, and his eyes fell on the black gem unconsciously.

 For a moment, his breathing became much heavier and he subconsciously reached out his hand.

"Stop!" Snape shouted quickly: "There is something wrong with this ring. Someone has placed a terrible curse on it."

Dumbledore didn't seem to hear his reminder and had no intention of stopping.

Seeing that his hand was about to touch the ring, Snape realized with horror that he had no time to do anything.

However, at this moment, a string of golden threads suddenly appeared on Dumbledore's arm.

These thin wires were like ropes, strangling Dumbledore's arms, forcing his hand to stop less than an inch away from the ring.

Subconsciously, Dumbledore tried to break free from the restraints on his arms, but what he got in return was a sharp pain.

Those thin lines were embedded in Dumbledore's body, and in just a moment, several **** marks were drawn on his arms.

However, this pain also revived Dumbledore's increasingly confused brain.

He looked at the ring close at hand and gasped for air.

"I…"

Dumbledore was about to say something, but at this time, Snape had already ran over. He didn't seem to see those golden thin lines, but only saw several blood marks on Dumbledore's arm for no reason.

In addition, Dumbledore's finger was too close to the ring. In desperation, Snape didn't care so much and directly raised his leg.

 “Damn it, don’t touch that thing!”

With a dull crashing sound, Dumbledore felt a pain all over his body, and then the scene in front of him suddenly began to move backwards quickly.

When Dumbledore finally realized what had happened, he saw the dusty floor and the flash of Snape's soles.

 (End of this chapter)