As the standoff between the Hogwarts staff and students and the Ministry of Magic's Aurors continued, Dumbledore finally appeared.
Seeing the headmaster was like finding a beacon in the darkness for the teachers and students of Hogwarts, and they all turned their gaze toward Dumbledore.
After listening expressionlessly to the whole situation, Dumbledore didn't say anything at first. Instead, he looked at Alaric.
"What do you think, Alaric?" he asked slowly. "What do you think should be done?"
"I think," Alaric sneered, "I can go with them and see the Ministry of Magic for myself. I've never been there."
"What? You want to go with them?"
Alaric's decision immediately caused an uproar among the staff and students of Hogwarts.
They couldn't understand why Alaric would make such a decision and tried to persuade him to change his mind.
But Alaric had made up his mind, and there was no turning back. He could only thank everyone for their concern and remember this show of friendship.
At this moment, Dumbledore spoke again. He cleared his throat and drew everyone's attention.
"I will accompany Alaric," he said in a serious tone, "I will represent Hogwarts and ensure that Alaric receives fair treatment at the Ministry of Magic."
Reluctantly, the staff and students agreed to this decision.
Just before they departed, Hermione suddenly stepped forward and kissed Alaric on the cheek, as if bidding farewell to a brave warrior about to embark on a quest to conquer the magical world.
Immediately, whistles and cheers erupted from the surrounding crowd.
Behind Hermione, Cho Chang grimaced with a sense of injustice.
"Really, why did that bookworm get to go first?" she berated herself. "If only I were a bit braver."
Next, Penelope also boldly walked up to Alaric and kissed him on the other cheek.
The whistles and cheers grew even louder.
Cho Chang almost teared up in grievance, feeling even more self-blame.
...
So, accompanied by Dumbledore and the two Aurors, Alaric arrived at a small alley in London.
The surroundings were desolate, with only a few shabby offices, a small pub, and a dumpster truck almost overflowing.
"We're here." One of the taller Aurors pointed to a worn-out red telephone booth.
Several glass panes were missing, and behind it was a wall covered in messy graffiti. "You go in first, Alaric."
In fact, the real entrance to the Ministry of Magic was three hundred meters away in a small restroom.
Those entering the Ministry had to flush themselves down the toilet. But Alaric found this method both foolish and tasteless.
Therefore, the four of them chose this emergency entrance instead.
Alaric entered the booth and examined the telephone equipment inside carefully. He furrowed his brows, then immediately relaxed.
The other plump Auror had wanted to squeeze in as well.
Suddenly, Alaric drew his wand and muttered a spell toward the glass panes around them. The space immediately expanded.
"What did you do?" The fat Auror nervously pointed his wand at Alaric, but he soon realized it was just a simple Undetectable Extension Charm.
Alaric had expanded the space of the telephone booth in just a second without disturbing its original magic.
"I just felt that the facilities at the Ministry of Magic were too outdated. This is just my small contribution to the Ministry's infrastructure.
No need to thank me," Alaric glanced at him indifferently. "Also, don't point your wand at me. There won't be a next time."
"Ah, sorry." The fat Auror reluctantly lowered his wand.
He was already quite frightened by Alaric's actions.
Even an expert in alchemy would need a whole day to cast an Undetectable Extension Charm of this magnitude without interfering with other magical operations.
That was why the telephone booth had remained so narrow until now.
This boy, on the other hand, accomplished what everyone else couldn't in just a second.
His proficiency in alchemy could already rival Dumbledore's—at least, that was as far as he dared to imagine.
With this in mind, the Auror couldn't help but shiver. He had heard that the person being interrogated this time was only fourteen years old.
In other words, this boy had reached the level of Dumbledore in alchemy when he was just fourteen.
Given time, his achievements might surpass Dumbledore's. Wasn't the Ministry of Magic asking for trouble by targeting such a person?
With these thoughts, the Auror's attitude toward Alaric became much more respectful, no longer just the respect due to Dumbledore's face, but genuine admiration and awe from the heart.
Dumbledore and the tall Auror also entered the booth one after another, only to be stunned by what they saw.
Dumbledore nodded approvingly and said with delight, "A splendid Undetectable Extension Charm.
You've surpassed everyone in this regard. I'm sure Nicolas will be proud of you."
Alaric shrugged nonchalantly and then pointed his wand at the telephone's dial pad. Suddenly, the ground of the booth began to tremble. They slowly sank into the ground.
The two Aurors stared in horror as the pavement outside the glass windows of the booth rose higher and higher until darkness enveloped them.
"How is this possible?" the tall Auror exclaimed in disbelief. "What did you do... I mean, we haven't even made the call yet."
"It's just simple alchemy," Alaric said casually.
"It's easy to break through. The person who designed this booth was really foolish.
They placed the control runes for the booth's operation inside the booth itself.
What's the point of keeping the driving runes at the Ministry of Magic? As long as you bypass the driving runes, you can manually operate it."
The two Aurors didn't understand what Alaric was talking about, but it didn't stop them from feeling impressed.
Finally, one of the Aurors spoke up, "You shouldn't have done this. It might give others a bad impression," he advised.
"The trial is decided by the Wizengamot jury. If you make a good first impression..."
"Who said I'm here to accept judgment?" Alaric glanced at him, as if he had said something absurd.
"I'm here to complain. The Ministry of Magic allowed Dementors to attack me and my classmates. This isn't the first time. Do you really think I have a good temper?"
The Auror was speechless and could only turn to Dumbledore.
However, Dumbledore remained smiling throughout, not saying a word, as if he had no idea what had just happened.
The Auror opened his mouth, but in the end, he gave up on further persuasion.
He suddenly had a bad feeling. This boy's interrogation by the Ministry might not be as easy to conclude as they had thought.
He felt the urge to resign immediately.
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