After expending a tremendous amount of effort and digging through over a dozen wizard graves, Mary Thompson and the other investigators finally gathered a few usable wands.
Some wizards wanted to use the key spell to leave Britain immediately, but Mary stopped them.
"Rescuing the fairies is our mission, and we must act in unison. Any additional actions could lead to our discovery."
Mary also didn't fully trust the remaining wizards. Everyone had been sent directly by the Confederation, and they were not familiar with each other. Whether Murphy had planted spies among them was unknown to all.
Thus, the wizards wanting to leave had no choice but to agree to the rescue plan, albeit reluctantly.
Led by the fairy Gold Buckle, they arrived at the outskirts of a manor.
"This used to be the Malfoy family's property, but after they pledged allegiance to Murphy, it was converted into a fairy factory," Gold Buckle pointed to a building in the distance.
"Some of my kin are imprisoned here, forced to work day and night without rest, crafting metal for the wizards."
"Crafting metal?" Mary frowned, "What is Murphy planning?"
"I don't know, but we must stop him!" Gold Buckle said.
"But how? These wands are too old and don't belong to us; they're hardly effective," Mary said, "A direct confrontation would likely end in defeat for us."
"There aren't many wizards in the manor since they believe they can control the fairies without wands," Gold Buckle said, "We just need to sneak in, knock out a couple of guards, and free my kin. It's not difficult."
"How many fairies are there?"
"Several hundred," Gold Buckle said.
"Not many," Mary frowned. They had limited time and could probably only act this once. Rescuing only a few hundred fairies seemed hardly worth the effort.
"But the places holding more fairies are more heavily guarded, and we can't get in. We can start by freeing the fairies here, then arm them. They can become our strength and help us free more."
Mary thought for a moment, it seemed there was no other choice, "Alright."
Following Gold Buckle, the wizards found a hidden back door to the manor, sneaked in, and silently knocked out three guards before reaching the cellar where the fairies were imprisoned.
It was midnight, and the fairies were asleep. Gold Buckle and Brin quietly woke them up and then led them out of the cellar.
"Why are there only a few dozen fairies?" Mary noticed the small number of fairies being led out, feeling the number was too small.
"I don't know, but we can't delay, we must get them out..."
However, before they could leave the manor, lights suddenly lit up the entire place, and alarm bells rang. They had been discovered!
The wizards didn't know where the mistake had been made. They prepared to apparate away but were shocked to find that anti-apparition spells had been cast around the area, making escape impossible.
Then, over a dozen Aurors and Watchers appeared from nowhere.
Mary sensed trouble and shouted, "Quick, break through with the fairies, take as many as we can!"
"Those fairies..." One wizard stared in astonishment as the fairies, along with Gold Buckle, ran towards the Aurors, unable to comprehend the situation, "They ran away."
Mary paused, looking at the Aurors as if they had been lying in wait, then at the fairies moving away from them, and finally at the old wands in their hands.
Suddenly, she understood.
It was a trap.
"You won't succeed!" In a fit of rage, she raised her wand, "Stupefy!"
A powerful surge of magic passed through the old wand, which was already on the brink of breaking, and it exploded with a bang, sending out a red light.
Mary passed out.
...
With their ill-fitting old wands and surrounded, the investigators were no match for the Aurors.
Soon, all were captured.
They were bound and photographed with the fairies behind them.
The next day, the Daily Prophet reported a story that outraged all British wizards.
"Investigation Team Plots to Rally Fairies for Rebellion!"
The report detailed the actions of the investigation team: They had been on a secret mission from the International Confederation of Wizards to contact fairies within Britain, gather them, and overthrow the Ministry of Magic's rule.
They used their investigation duties as cover to locate where fairies were "re-educated" and secretly contacted fairy sympathizers and traitors within the British wizarding community, planning a rebellion to overturn the Ministry's regime.
The plan had several parts, including collecting leverage on the Ministry and British wizards for future blackmail, contacting allies, grave robbing for wands for the rebellious fairies, and a "prison break" to arm the fairies and "cleanse" the Ministry.
Photos of them digging up wizard graves and being caught red-handed at the fairy factory were also published.
The report explained the recent raids on wizards' homes not as acts of the Ministry's tyranny but as actions against traitors fueled by hatred for the Ministry, intending to overthrow the government.
The story ignited outrage among British wizards.
"Those damned investigators, always knew they were no good!
How dare they plot a rebellion with those fairies?!
And digging up ancestors' graves? Unforgivable! They must be punished!"
Calls for a public trial to behead the investigators and fairies filled the streets.
Murphy had no intention of holding a public trial for mere investigators, not worthy of his effort.
That evening, an article titled "The Ministry of Magic: For Britain or for the Confederation?" appeared in the Daily Prophet, sparking heated discussion among British wizards about the International Confederation of Wizards' excessive interference in British affairs.
Three days after the article's publication, the Ministry held a referendum on whether to remain in the Confederation.
Three days later, the results were announced: 61.9 to 38.1 in favor of leaving the Confederation.
The Ministry declared its departure from the International Confederation of Wizards, stating that it would autonomously manage its affairs. Any international laws interfering with the Ministry or British wizards were deemed illegal.
The Ministry of Magic had left the group.
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