"This is completely false, Brian!"
Umbridge shrieked,
"Check the packages sent by residents, oh, is that your suggestion, Brian? It's too funny. The Ministry of Magic has no right to do so!"
"The Legislation Department should then enact laws to bestow this power!"
Amortentia barked.
"Have you ever considered that if someone is sending illegal items and black magic artifacts through the post, would you simply accept them and help the criminal carry out their crimes?"
Umridge choked on her breath and was momentarily at a loss for words.
This is indeed a non-debatable oversight. Not only Connelley, but Amelia furrowed her brow as well, thinking deeply.
"You're right, Amortentia. Perhaps, we really should put forward relevant laws to regulate the mail process and the safety of packages--"
"Since the mysterious man fell, the Ministry of Magic has started to be careless, thinking that everything is peaceful--"
Amortentia raised an eyebrow at Amelia, his words sharp.
"Actually, black wizards are not just one. The Ministry of Magic needs to be responsible for the safety of people in all aspects of life, and you must take this seriously. You need to increase personnel in all areas related to public safety."
Amelia's heart stirred slightly, and her eyes fell on Fudge.
"Oh, indeed, we do intend to do that, Amortentia!"
In the face of such intense confrontation, Fudge stood there and wiped his temples, a helpless expression. He was racking his brains to eliminate the strong dissatisfaction of Amortentia and Dumbledore, and Amelia's reminder gave him an instant enlightenment.
"We are discussing this!"
Fudge exclaimed excitedly,
"Consider recruiting more Beaters to protect the safety of the public. In my opinion, this thing needs to be accelerated. Amelia, we must push this resolution through as soon as possible and organize the team before Easter!"
"But, Minister--"
Umbridge came to her senses after a few seconds of silence.
"The proposal is still under consideration."
"I endorse Amelia's suggestion, Dolores--"
Fudge immediately gave Umbridge a warning look, indicating that she should be quiet.
It must be said that Amortentia Brain is indeed a timing-telling person. The proposal to increase the Beaters team caused great controversy in the department because it would take up funds for multiple construction projects. There were several discussions without results, but unexpectedly, Amortentia easily pushed through the resolution by using this terrorist incident as an opportunity.
Amelia discreetly glanced at Amortentia, whose expression remained unchanged. If she hadn't known his and Dumbledore's nature, she might have thought that the attack on Granger was something he had deliberately orchestrated.
Ding, ding.
The door to the office was knocked on, and Severus walked in with a cup of golden liquid that was still steaming.
Just a moment ago, there were only Dumbledore and Amortentia here. Now, several high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Magic had arrived. It didn't take much effort for Severus to notice the tense atmosphere in this office, but he paid no attention to it at all and went straight to Hermione's bedside with the potion in hand.
Fudge originally intended to greet Severus, but seeing him only focused on feeding this unfortunate young witch medicine, completely ignoring them, he had to awkwardly cough a few times and feign concern as he examined Hermione's complexion.
"This potion has a strong suppressive effect on curses, Amortentia--"
After feeding the potion to Hermione, Severus whispered,
"But it can't let her recover from weakness, you'd better solve the curse on Granger within half a month--"
"When can Miss Granger regain consciousness, Severus?"
Dumbledore finally stepped out from behind his desk.
"Can't say, Headmaster Dumbledore," Severus shook his head. "But she drained her magic before, I guess Miss Granger will probably be unconscious for a day or two——"
"Dumbledore, Amortentia—-"
Amelia worriedly said,
"Seeing this, I wonder if we should transfer Miss Hermione Granger to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. As for treating magical injuries, it is indeed more professional there and has ample manpower. Don't worry about her safety, during her hospitalization, I can dispatch Aurors to protect her——"
"Oh, that's a good idea!"
Fudge nodded approvingly at Amelia and said happily,
"And, the Ministry of Magic can bear all her treatment fees!"
Amortentia observed the situation within Hermione's body. As the effects of Severus's potion began to take hold, a stream of active golden magic quickly seeped into Hermione's arm, which harbored the curse, and constructed a dense defense. After Severus withdrew the magic that suppressed the curse, that mass of darkness tried to touch it, but was instead burned and shrunk back as if encountering an archenemy.
At the same time, the nourishing ingredients in the potion were restoring Hermione's vitality, making her breathing less strained.
If next, Amortentia plans to stay at Hogwarts and let the Ministry of Magic handle it, he will definitely keep Hermione with him. But since he is going to conduct his own investigation, letting Hermione temporarily away from her Hogwarts classmates is also a good thing. Thinking about it, Amortentia looked at Dumbledore.
"I agree with you, Amortentia," Dumbledore breathed heavily, offering no objections.
Now, it's time to discuss why Hermione was attacked.
Hermione's bedside was arranged with the fan letters she had received with the packages. Amelia walked over, picked up a few, and stared deeply at them.
"They are all letters from wizards who are fans of Miss Granger."
After a moment, Amelia shifted her gaze away from the letters.
"I know that even in the Department, there are some people who greatly admired Miss Granger's performance in the first event of the Tournament. And accordingly, I think it's highly likely that this attack is carried out by one of the other three warriors. Perhaps a particularly extreme fan."
Amortentia knew that what Amelia was truly trying to say was that the other three warriors currently had a clear conflict of interest with Hermione. Whether the attack on Hermione was related to them.
Cedric and Cho, Amortentia believed they wouldn't do such a thing. As for Harry, at least no one could guarantee what KarakAFF could do behind his back.
"This matter needs to be investigated before we can determine the cause, Amelia. Speculating blindly is meaningless."
Amortentia didn't want to pretend he knew everything. This was the most abrupt situation he had encountered since returning to Hogwarts over the past two years, and even now, he had no reliable guesses.
The three from the Ministry of Magic left.
As Connelly·Fudge left the fireplace, he looked embarrassed and hasty to leave Hogwarts. Perhaps he would be relieved that Amortentia Brain didn't persist in following up, but when he realized what had happened, he would certainly feel that this was a humiliating visit.
Before stepping into the fireplace, Dolores·Umbridge gave Amortentia a venomous glance with her eyes. For her, this trip was a big loss.
Under pressure, she had no choice but to make a tough decision, but she remembered this incident well. Given the opportunity, she would make Amortentia pay for it!
The project to increase the Beaters team unquestionably takes up some of her interests, and Amortentia solidified that Hermione·Granger was attacked. As the leader of the Department of Magical Transportation, she had to bear some responsibility for this. In order to give Hogwarts an explanation, she had to quickly transfer the powers of the Department from herself.
"I fully understand your anger, Albus, Amortentia——"
When only Amelia was left, she spoke in a tone more like that of a friend.
"But we all know that we will face greater threats, so--"
The rest of the words Amelia didn't say, but it was clear what she meant. She didn't want the situation to escalate.
Dumbledore used the Patronus to escort Hermione to St. Mungo's, and now the headmaster's office, which had been bustling with activity earlier, was left with only Amortentia and Severus.
Noon, the sun shone brightly.
Standing by the small window, Amortentia saw Mrs. Maxima and her students walking towards the castle, while at almost the same time, Karakoff also got off the ghost ship by the Black Lake.
This is unlikely to be a coincidence. It seems they all received reports at roughly the same time.
Amortentia watched the two teams of people walking quickly, without expression on her face.
"Stay calm, Amortentia."
Severus knew Amortentia too well. He knew that though she appeared unflappable, she was actually seething with anger inside. Severus furrowed his brow as he looked at Amortentia's profile.
"I'm very calm——"
Amortentia turned her cheek slightly, her calm tone complemented by a slight smile, silently conveying an aura of killing intent that sent chills down Severus's spine.
"I'm just confused. I'm confused about the person who did this. Did they not consider the consequences? Or are they fearless of Hogwarts' retaliation?"
(Chapter Complete)
