bioinnovel Chapter 260 The Wind Rises
Chapter 260 The Wind Rises
Chapter 260 The Wind Rises
At three in the morning, Belvina walked back to her room in the tent, her mind a jumbled mess.
She lay on the soft, comfortable bed, feeling physically exhausted but mentally exceptionally clear-headed. She felt that tonight was just the beginning.
Why did the Death Eaters cause a riot at the camp?
Was it for some political motive, to assert its presence, or simply to embarrass the Ministry of Magic?
Belvina couldn't understand their reason for doing this.
With Voldemort in hiding, the Death Eater remnants, now without protection, had no reason to risk exposing their identities and causing chaos.
Making the Ministry of Magic lose face in front of wizards all over the world would enrage the Ministry's higher-ups, and even the wealthy and powerful Malfoy would not be able to withstand the wrath of the violent authorities.
Moreover, although Lucius Malfoy was busy running around the ministry and winning over many people to speak for him, he was far from having absolute power.
Lucius Malfoy, the cowardly former Shadow Minister, still has a long way to go.
If that's the case, why would Lucius Malfoy organize and plan this riot?
What is the purpose of his actions? What is the final delivered value? Where are the key points in the process? How to ensure a closed-loop outcome? And damn it, this year's 3.25 Malfoy back!!!
For Belvina, Lucius Malfoy's opportunism and double-dealing were nothing more than a minor ailment; what truly worried her was the person who conjured the dark magic mark.
As soon as the dark magic mark went up, the Death Eaters in the camp scattered like birds.
Clearly, the person who conjured the Dark Mark is not with Lucius Malfoy; at least, the two sides did not coordinate beforehand.
Belvina had reason to suspect that this person was an isolated individual, rarely contacting the outside world, and that his existence might even be unknown to the outside world.
In other words, there is an unknown Death Eater in the British Isles who is loyal to Voldemort and has been hiding in the shadows, secretly watching everything that happens on this land.
Thinking of this, Belvina's drowsiness instantly vanished.
The Death Eaters whose identities are revealed are not the most dangerous; those lurking in the shadows are the most dangerous, because it's unknown when they will strike or how destructive they are.
The only saving grace is that Lucius Malfoy and his companions are terrified of the Dark Mark and should be hesitant to act rashly for the time being.
They also dared not seek out the person who had conjured the Black Magic Mark.
This would give Belvina time to bring out the Death Eater lurking in the shadows and nip the uncontrollable danger in the bud.
Of course, this is assuming everything goes smoothly. If things don't go well, then everyone will have to rely on their own abilities.
Belvina, lying in bed, turned over and buried her slightly tired face in the pillow.
She then thought of the upcoming Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts. Would the person who was hiding be eyeing the school and the tournament, and trying to cause trouble again?
The Dark Mark has reappeared after thirteen years, and the remnants of the Death Eaters are stirring. What does all this mean?
Is Voldemort about to return from his slumber? And what about the strange Barty Crouch and the long-missing Bertha Jorkins—the Ministry of Magic is seething with undercurrents.
Is it related to Voldemort and the Death Eaters?
After a long time, Belvina finally drifted off to sleep.
She felt as if she had just closed her eyes when Sirius Black woke her up from outside the room.
"It's almost time, we should go, Belvina," Sirius called from outside the door. "Let's go back to the Burrow with Arthur first, have breakfast, and then head back to London."
Then, footsteps sounded outside the room, and Sirius's voice could be faintly heard.
He said, "Harry, get up. You can stay at the Burrow until the summer holidays are over if you wish."
Inside the room, Belvina shakily got up, dressed with her eyes closed, and staggered to the washroom to wash up. Even after leaving the tent and standing by the roadside, she was still too sleepy to speak, her little head nodding as if she might collapse at any moment and start snoring loudly.
Most of the others also looked like they hadn't woken up yet. The twins were leaning against each other with their arms around Ginny. The three siblings seemed to have fallen asleep standing up. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were also yawning and swaying.
Percy tiptoed to Belvina's side, his expression grave as he observed his half-asleep boss, making sure she didn't actually fall to the ground.
Bill and Charlie seemed to be in better spirits, and the two were helping Mr. Weasley pack up the tent.
After a while, the group left the campsite with heavy steps.
At the small stone hut at the entrance to the campsite, Mr. Roberts, the Muggle caretaker, seemed dazed, saying "Happy Halloween" to people one minute and "Merry Christmas" the next.
During the Quidditch World Cup, Mr. Roberts was hit by more than a dozen Forgetfulness Charms every day on average. After such a terrible experience last night, he will probably be confused for a long time before he gradually returns to normal.
After bidding farewell to the unfortunate Muggle administrator, the group walked to the place where the door keys were distributed. Many people were gathered around Basil of the Ministry of Magic, making an anxious commotion.
Everyone was eager to leave the campsite, as if they would only be safe if they left.
Belvina mustered her spirits, went up to Basil and discussed it briefly, then found a tray in Sirius's backpack.
Then, Belvina took out her wand, pointed it at the tray, and said "Mentos".
The tray trembled for a moment, emitting a strange blue light, and then gradually came to a stop, as if nothing had happened.
"Alright, you guys put your hands on the tray," Belvina said lazily. "I've already discussed it with Basil," she added to Mr. Weasley. "Let's leave here first, and we can handle the door key paperwork later."
After saying that, the group quickly reached out and placed their hands on the tray.
Suddenly, everyone felt their bodies being violently pulled by an invisible force, the ground disappearing beneath their feet, and the tray propelling them forward at breakneck speed. Then, the humble dwelling, bathed in the dim light of dawn, appeared before them, and Mrs. Weasley's worried voice echoed in the courtyard.
"Thank God! Thank God!" Mrs. Weasley shouted as she ran out of the yard. "Everyone is safe and sound."
Her face was pale and she looked nervous, holding a copy of the Daily Prophet in her hand.
"I was so worried! I'm so glad to see you all safe and sound!" Mrs. Weasley hugged her husband tightly. "The newspapers said there was trouble at the campsite," she said, then hugged each of the children. "You're all alright, all alive!"
"Molly, can I see the newspaper?" Belvina said. "I want to see what it says."
Even without unfolding the newspaper, Belvina knew from the fact that the Daily Prophet that she had taken the paper was full of nonsense and exaggerated the riot that had taken place at the campsite the previous night.
Sure enough, the newspaper headline read: "Terrifying Scenes at the Quidditch World Cup," accompanied by a photo of the Dark Mark rising into the night sky.
Sirius leaned closer, and after just a glance at the report, he said with absolute certainty, "This report must have been written by Rita Skeeter. She's all about pontificating with a pen."
The newspaper headline read: "Ministry of Magic in Panic; Dark Wizard Goes Unpunished; Criminal Escapes; National Shame; Several Corpses Carried Out of the Woods"
Fabricating stories based on facts—a style reminiscent of Rita Skeeter.
Belvina snapped the newspaper shut and laughed, saying, "Some people hold a copy of the Daily Prophet and think they're the rulers of the country. Compared to these people, the Muggle readers of The Sun are much more endearing."
What is The Sun?
The Weasleys all hated it; they had never even heard of this Muggle newspaper.
Harry and Hermione both lowered their heads, clearly knowing what The Sun was, and perhaps even having witnessed the sizzling beauty of the Page 3 girls.
"It's rare to see a consensus, Belvina," Sirius said with a laugh. "They don't care who governs the country, as long as they have a great figure."
With things said to this point, the Weasleys could easily understand. The boys were very interested and wanted to borrow a copy of The Sun from Sirius Black to read.
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore," said Mrs. Weasley. "You must all be tired. Come inside and have dinner, then get some rest."
Seeing everyone return to the Burrow safely, Mrs. Weasley finally felt relieved, her round face regained its color, and she walked with renewed vigor.
The group surged into the Burrow, where the cramped dining room and living room were packed with people. Except for Percy, everyone was wolfing down their food, stuffing it into their mouths.
"Rita Skeeter! That woman is always going against the Ministry of Magic," Percy said resentfully. "She actually demanded that the Ministry exterminate all vampires; she's a complete madwoman!"
Snoring... Snoring...
Despite being ignored, Percy continued to pour out his resentment towards Rita Skeeter.
"Furthermore, she actually thinks our requirements for the thickness of the spool are nitpicking; she has no idea about the dangers of a substandard spool!" Percy continued. "She opposes for the sake of opposing; every word she writes is designed to manipulate public opinion!"
Snoring. —·.—.Snoring——
The group of people were focused on eating breakfast, completely ignoring the resentful Percy.
"Is anyone listening to me?!" Percy yelled. "The way you're all acting, I'm going to think I died last night!"
Snapped!
Mrs. Weasley smacked Percy on the head and scolded, "Don't talk nonsense, what are you talking about, dying and living?"
"Please, Percy, have mercy!" Bill pleaded. "Don't talk about Rita Skeeter anymore, and don't talk about anything work-related."
At this moment, Belvina took out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth, stood up and said, "Thank you for your hospitality, Molly. I have important business to attend to, so I'll head to the Ministry of Magic now."
Before Belvina could even leave the dining room, Percy called out from the living room.
"Me too, me too." Percy grabbed his coat, threw it on haphazardly, and led the way out of the Burrow.
Even Mr. Weasley, who was on vacation, stood up and said, "I'll go back to the office too. The situation is terrible. Maybe I can help."