Chương 668: Chapter 665: The Perfect Cooperation Between the Old Villain and the Cat (Edited)
When Williamson arrived in Hogsmeade with Dumbledore, the town was in turmoil, with people complaining and protesting, expressing their displeasure towards Kingsley and the others for waking them up from their dreams.
But Kingsley and the others didn't have time to argue with them at that moment, and after ushering them away from the Shrieking Shack, the remaining four Aurors stood guard on the only path leading from the town to the Shrieking Shack...
As for the tunnel leading to Hogwarts, it had been destroyed by their spells.
However, after waiting for a while, the basilisk did not appear, and Kingsley pondered for a moment, conjured his lynx Patronus, and flew towards the Shrieking Shack.
The lynx Patronus circled the Shrieking Shack and then returned unharmed.
"It seems the basilisk is gone," Kingsley said uncertainly.
"What's the situation, Kingsley?" Just then, Dumbledore and Williamson arrived by his side.
"The basilisk doesn't seem to be approaching the town," Kingsley said, casting a slightly troubled look at Dumbledore. "Do you know what's going on, Dumbledore? Why is the basilisk in the Shrieking Shack?"
"You're putting me in a difficult position, Kingsley," Dumbledore shook his head. "The Shrieking Shack started as a way for Remus to transform during the full moon, no one has used it since he graduated... Oh, and it was used for a while two years ago when he returned to school as a professor in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class."
With other Aurors present, Dumbledore couldn't speak the truth, of course.
"Remus? Remus Lupin?" Williamson froze for a moment, then realized, "So that's it! It's the perfect timing. I was wondering where Lupin was hiding when he was at school after finding out he was a werewolf."
"Slap slap slap slap..."
Just then, a series of deafening sounds echoed as Fudge and a group of Aurors Apparated in.
"What's the situation?!" Fudge, who was sweating profusely, asked anxiously as soon as he appeared. "No new victims, right?"
"No new victims for now," Kingsley replied quietly. "I just went there with my Patronus to check, and the basilisk seems to have gone away, or maybe it's not very eager to attack."
"That's good..." Fudge sighed in relief, then snapped back to his senses and asked nervously, "Did you say 'new'? Has anyone already been attacked?"
"It's Umbridge, Minister," Kingsley said with a furrowed brow. "If it weren't for her, we wouldn't have alerted the basilisk at all..."
He briefly recounted what had happened in the Shrieking Shack to Fudge, with Williamson adding a few words from time to time.
Fudge felt relieved again knowing that he had only lost an Umbridge.
But... he had a vague sense that something was amiss...
Wasn't it too much of a coincidence? Everyone else was fine, only the person who had started it all had suffered...
But now wasn't the time to think about that; if a basilisk got loose and ran around, that would be a big problem!
"Albus... look at this..." Feeling cornered, Fudge once again remembered Dumbledore's kindness, looked somewhat embarrassed, and then put on a stern face. "If the basilisk escapes, the situation will be unimaginable."
"I would have done it even if you hadn't said so," Dumbledore said weakly. "Choose two Aurors to accompany me. I will go with them first. I'm concerned about provoking him with too many people."
"That's it! That's right!" Fudge nodded, seemingly relieved by Dumbledore's response to the question. "Kingsley, Dawlish, the two of you follow Albus and take a look! Be careful!"
A few moments later, the three of them returned, bringing back the petrified Umbridge.
"How did it go? Did you get rid of the basilisk?" Fudge quickly asked, approaching Dumbledore without even bothering to look at Umbridge, who didn't know if he was alive or dead.
"The basilisk is no longer there," Dumbledore shook his head, and then muttered to himself with some confusion, "Was it really a basilisk...?"
"What do you mean by that?" Fudge, unsure if it was because the basilisk had disappeared or because Dumbledore's questioning had struck a nerve, hardened again and asked, "Do you think the Ministry Aurors are lying?"
"Don't be impatient, Cornelius," Dumbledore didn't take it seriously, smiled faintly, and explained, "I don't intend to doubt Kingsley and the others... it's just that, judging by Umbridge, the snake doesn't resemble the legendary basilisk much."
Dumbledore was grateful at that moment for having kept the news of the basilisk secret and that Professor McGonagall had prevented Fish from showing off with Uroboros.
"Umbridge?" Fudge then turned his attention to Umbridge, who lay motionless on the ground. "Is she still alive?"
"No, she has only been petrified. It must be some very powerful dark magic," Dumbledore explained. "If it was a basilisk, even if it had no intention of devouring Umbridge, she shouldn't be in her current state."
When Mrs. Norris was petrified, only a few knew about it. Most of the students only knew that she had been attacked, not exactly the circumstances.
Those who did know were highly unlikely to betray Fish, and the only one who could have leaked it, Lockhart, was still in Azkaban, so Dumbledore wasn't worried at all that Fudge would associate him with an attack on the cat a few years ago.
"Besides, it's not exactly in the basilisk's nature to be near a village where there are chickens," Dumbledore added.
"Chickens? What does that have to do with the basilisk?" Fudge wondered.
It was Dawlish who whispered in his ear, "It is written that the crowing of a rooster is deadly to a basilisk."
Dumbledore nodded approvingly at Dawlish and said, "That's right, Dawlish. I recall you received 'Outstanding' in all your N.E.W.T. exams, and it seems you haven't forgotten what you learned at school."
Then he turned to Fudge and continued to divert him from the topic, "So I believe what Kingsley and the others saw was probably nothing more than a snake under an expansion spell, perhaps some dark wizard hiding in a shrieking shack doing some dangerous research. It's a good hiding place, after all..."
"Of course, maybe you'd want someone to search the neighborhood just in case, Cornelius," Dumbledore added as advice, seeing Fudge lost in his thoughts.
"Don't give me orders!" Fudge, sensitive to such things, grumbled displeased at Dumbledore. "I know perfectly well what I have to do!"
Dumbledore shrugged indifferently.
Then...
"Kingsley, take the others and search carefully for any sign of that snake!" Fudge ordered with a stern face.
If it weren't for his position being at stake, he, as the Minister of Magic, wouldn't want to follow Dumbledore's advice!
"Dawlish, take Umbridge and come back with me!"
Fudge didn't want to stay any longer with Dumbledore. He used the Disapparition Charm and left.
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