The Minister then turned to the Auror for his opinion.
"It is possible that our men found traces of battle there," the Auror replied truthfully.
"In that case, consider it done…" The French Minister nodded.
Yvonne was offended. It was the truth!
"Then it is time for us to get down to business," the Minister said, easily brushing the matter aside. He cleared his throat and continued solemnly, "Over a month ago, one of my men discovered Grindelwald's activities in France, and according to the believers who were captured, Grindelwald came in search of a very special treasure…"
As he spoke, the French Minister watched their faces carefully, trying to read them.
Yvonne understood that he was talking about the Resurrection Stone, but she didn't show it.
Rolfe, who had been travelling around the world with his father for the past few years, managed to keep his expression under control.
The French Minister stared at them for a long time, but did not see any sign of panic or guilt on their faces. However, he also understood that the two wizards in front of him were extraordinary, and it would not be easy to get the truth out of them.
The Minister gave Bruno a knowing look, then turned to Ivan and the others and snapped, "I don't know exactly what treasure Grindelwald is after, but whatever it is, it should be in the possession of Master Nicolas Flamel, and it should belong to all of France!"
"Anyone who dares to hide it will be going against all French wizards!"
"I will ask you one last time: did you bring anything out of the chamber other than the two coffins?" the French Minister demanded sternly, his tone hard.
The object Grindelwald had come all the way to France to find must be an extraordinary treasure, and as Minister for Magic, he would not allow such a thing to be taken out of the country, Grindelwald or anyone else…
"Unfortunately, Mr. Minister, we do not know what this treasure is. Perhaps you could ask Grindelwald if he took it…" Ivan said sarcastically.
He had no intention of handing over the Resurrection Stone he had fought so hard for. What difference would it make if he gave it to Grindelwald?
It must be noted that Grindelwald was able to come and go as he pleased even with the North American Ministry of Magic, which was widely acknowledged to be the most comprehensive in the world!
Also, the Resurrection Stone was never a French possession, nor did it belong to Nicolas Flamel, and legend has it that it was an English Hallows' Hallows, and previously an heirloom of the British House of Gaunt….
However, Ivan did not bother to explain, as Minister for Magic had already decided to leave "Nicole Flamel's possessions" behind in France, and would most likely ignore so-called British legends.
Rolfe was not as calm as Ivan. He was acutely aware of the growing number of Aurors in the room, surrounding them from all sides.
More importantly, this was where the headquarters of the Ministry of Magic was located. Who knew how many protective spells had been set up? If a conflict broke out, Ivan Hals might be able to escape, but he would most likely be arrested.
The atmosphere was tense, and Bruno and the others were nervous. He had seen what Ivan Hals was capable of, compared to the Minister.
Despite their superior numbers and geographical advantage, he was not 100% confident of being able to overpower them.
"Since you insist that nothing was taken from Nicolas Flamel's tomb, I will take your word for it. However, I will need to answer to the French wizards," the Minister said slowly.
"What will you have us do?" Rolfe asked.
"It is simple enough to prove you are telling the truth!" the French Minister insisted. "Of course, it must be proven by our own people!"
Proof? Ivan paused for a moment, then caught on and said coldly, "Do you want to search our bodies, or just search our memories?"
"Memory, of course. It is the quickest and safest thing to do!" the French Minister said solemnly.
No one knew what the treasure looked like. It was possible that it was a bracelet or pendant. Wizards had all kinds of strange methods. A body search might have missed it.
In addition, Ivan and Rolfe had been in Paris for a while, so it was entirely possible that they had hidden the items.
Only memory testing is the safest course of action!
Although the memories of wizards could be altered, Legilimency and Occlumency were mastered by very few people. This was a spell that relied purely on talent, and the chances of both of them being Legiliments were close to zero.
As they talked, a young Auror in his thirties came out of the crowd.
The Minister then turned to the man and said, "May I present Mr. Iris, a skilled Legilimator who has been in the Ministry for ten years, and who was the first to discover the whereabouts of Grindelwald's followers, allowing the Ministry to keep track of their movements… You may trust his professional integrity."
Hearing this, Rolf forced himself to remain calm, but he was beginning to panic. He tried his best to avoid eye contact with the young Auror, and used his eyes to signal Ivan to think of something.
Ivan gestured for Rolfe to calm down, then examined Iris. At first glance, he could tell that she was a very special wizard. She was very handsome, but her face was frighteningly pale…
Most importantly, he could not sense any emotions from the other party. Clearly, the other party's Occlumency was extremely advanced.
"I'm sorry, Minister, but I have always believed that memories are the most private of all wizards, and I regret to say that I will have to decline your offer," Ivan said slowly. He was not afraid of having his memories searched, but Rolf was different, and would most likely be exposed if Legilimency took him.
"Then may I assume that you have indeed stolen the treasure in the tomb and fear to prove it to us?" the French Minister demanded aggressively, and the Aurors around him put their hands on their wands.
"No wizard would want to show his memory to a stranger, and if you insist on slandering me, there's nothing I can do about it…" Ivan's tone turned hostile, and he gave Rolfe a look that told him to be ready to bolt.