novelcrest Chapter 226 The Plan Begins
Chapter 226 The Plan Begins
Chapter 226 The Plan Begins
The two had just finished a deep conversation when there was a sudden knock on the office door.
Sean quickly came to his senses and noticed that Tonks' face was still slightly flushed, clearly because her previous actions had excited her.
He gently reached out and helped her tidy up her slightly disheveled clothes, while also casting a simple cleansing spell.
Under Tonks's slightly coquettish yet "grateful" gaze, Sean slowly turned around, facing the doorway, and said softly, "Please come in."
Mr. Harvey walked in.
His face showed anxiety, his brows furrowed. He glanced quickly at the two people in the office, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, but then his gaze fixed on Sean, and he said urgently, "Mr. Phillips, Minister Fudge asked me to inform you that we can begin."
"Very good, Mr. Harvey, thank you for your notification," Sean said calmly. "Please tell Minister Fudge that we are ready and can begin at any time. Also, please inform him that we will do our utmost to ensure the smooth progress of the plan."
Upon hearing this, Harvey relaxed slightly. He nodded, indicating that he would immediately relay Sean's words to Minister Fudge.
Then he turned to leave, but before leaving, he couldn't help but glance at Tonks again.
For some reason, he always felt that there was something strange about Tonks.
After watching Harvey leave, Sean turned to Tonks and gestured for her to come out with him.
The two had just reached the door of the Auror's office when they heard Scrimgeour's furious roar coming from inside.
"What are you all good for? A bunch of idiots!" Scrimgeour's voice boomed. "So many days have passed, and you haven't found a single useful clue! You've utterly disgraced the Auror's honor!"
When Sean and Tonks walked in, the atmosphere in the office instantly plummeted to freezing point. All the Aurors lowered their heads, not daring to look directly into Scrimgeour's angry eyes.
Scrimgeour himself, his face contorted with rage, his hands clenched into fists, veins bulging, looked exceptionally terrifying.
If someone previously described him as "looking like a lion," his current state is enough to remove that "looks like"—he is now a real lion driven by rage.
He stood in the center of the office, looking around, and said in an undisguised tone of disappointment and heartache, "I thought we Aurors were the elite of the magical world, the vanguard of upholding justice and order. But now it seems I was wrong. You have disappointed me, and I am even more worried about the future of the Aurors."
Upon hearing this, Sean, who had been standing at the door, couldn't help but twitch his face. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, and a low, chuckle-like sound came from his throat as he tried his best to suppress the laughter that was about to burst out.
Just as Scrimgeour turned his gaze toward him, Sean successfully suppressed his smile.
What are you doing here?
"I think you need help," Sean replied bluntly.
"Help?" Scrimgeour sneered. "Who do you think you are? We Aurors are capable enough to handle these things. We don't need you." He paused abruptly, as if realizing that continuing the argument was unwise in this situation.
"You don't need an 'outsider' like me to get involved, right?" Sean picked up where Scrimgeour left off, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "But as far as I know, the case hasn't made any breakthroughs yet. Perhaps it's precisely because you're all too 'enough' that we've reached this stalemate."
Scrimgeour's face darkened. He was clearly moved by Sean's words, but more so by the fact that what Sean said was true.
The case has indeed reached a stalemate, and they urgently need new clues and ideas.
"Alright, Phillips," Scrimgeour seemed to have thought of something, and he forced a smile, trying to ease the tension, "Since you're so confident, then let me see what you're capable of. But I must remind you, everything here concerns the life and death of wizards, and there can be no mistakes."
Sean nodded. He walked to the blackboard and began to carefully examine the clues and photos, his eyes wandering over the details, trying to find any overlooked clues.
"I will do my best," Sean said calmly, "but I need more information to find the truth more quickly."
I hope you will share all your clues and speculations with me without reservation.
Scrimgeour hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded.
"According to our investigation, all the people who have died these days have one thing in common."
"What do we have in common?" Sean quickly turned around, his gaze fixed on Scrimgeour, waiting for his answer.
"They are all dark wizards."
"Dark wizards?" Sean frowned. "Are you sure? Are all the victims dark wizards?"
Scrimgeour nodded, his expression grave.
"Yes, we have verified the identity of each victim. They not only have criminal records with the Ministry of Magic, but also have a certain reputation in the wizarding world. This makes us feel that the situation may be more complicated than we thought."
Sean was silent for a moment, his mind racing, trying to connect the information with the photos on the wall.
"If all the victims are dark wizards, then this case may not be just a random attack or murder. There may be a deeper conspiracy behind it, or even infighting among dark wizards," Tonks, who had been hiding behind Sean, suddenly said.
“We share the same concerns,” Scrimgeour glanced at Tonks and nodded in acknowledgment. “However, we lack sufficient evidence to support this theory. And if it were truly an internal conflict among dark wizards, why would they choose such a high-profile method? Wouldn't that attract the Ministry of Magic’s attention?”
"That is indeed a problem," Sean agreed, "but...:"
"But that's how they're provoking the Ministry of Magic!" Suddenly, Fudge walked in, his face as gloomy as the sky before a storm. His brows were furrowed, and the corners of his mouth were downturned, making him look extremely serious. Behind him was Amelia, whose face was also full of worry.
"By provoking the Ministry of Magic, making it appear incompetent in the public eye, unable to protect its own wizards, and even less able to maintain magical order," Fudge continued, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth. "In this way,
They can then create chaos to expand their sphere of influence, or to achieve some more covert purpose.
"You can all leave now," Amelia waved her hand.
The Aurors inside the room felt as if they had been granted a pardon and quickly left the room.
The atmosphere became even more tense when only five people remained in the room.
Amelia said calmly, "Whether it's provocation or demonstration, we can't let them succeed. We have to think of a way."
When Amelia said those words, Fudge nodded, his eyes inadvertently glancing warily in Sean's direction.
Sean understood immediately.
He hesitated before speaking, "I have a way, but..."
Time was of the essence, and everyone in the room held their breath, their eyes all fixed on Sean.
Fudge, in particular, asked "anxiously," "Phillips, do you have any good ideas? Tell me about them."
Meeting the gazes of the other three, Sean said, enunciating each word clearly, "There are currently about two hundred thousand wizards in the British Isles. Wouldn't it be enough to collect and compile their information and register them?"
"This will not only allow us to quickly identify the rats hiding in the sewers, but also ensure that we have a constant understanding of all the wizards' situations and prevent similar incidents from happening again."
Upon hearing this, Amelia frowned slightly. Before she could say anything, Scrimgeour couldn't hold back any longer.
He scoffed, "Oh, what a brilliant idea, Phillips. Don't you realize what this sounds like? A wizarding version of a 'Muggle household registration system'?"
He learned this term from his colleagues in the Department of Magical Accidents and Disasters in the past few days.
"We are wizards, not ordinary people who need to be monitored by the government. This practice is a huge violation of our freedom and privacy."
"Scrimgeour, I understand your concerns," Sean said calmly. "But you also need to understand what we're facing now."
"If we do not take action, those hidden enemies may continue their plots and bring even greater disaster to the wizarding world. I believe that every wizard is willing to make some necessary sacrifices for the safety and stability of the wizarding world."
Fudge was full of praise for Sean's idea.
To be precise, this wasn't just Sean's idea; he also contributed to summarizing and developing it yesterday afternoon—the two of them spent almost the entire afternoon working on it.
Taking this opportunity, all information about wizards was compiled and collected to strengthen the Ministry of Magic's control over the wizarding world, and this matter was entrusted entirely to the Division of Magical Law Enforcement.
Some members of the public who feel their privacy has been violated will direct their anger at Amelia and Scrimgeour, who are the instigators of this matter, and he can use this as an excuse to replace Scrimgeour and Amelia.
In doing so, he could not only strengthen his control over the Ministry of Magic, but also strengthen the Ministry of Magic's control over the wizarding world.
Of course, Amelia could refuse to push this through, but the growing public outcry and the Auror Office's lack of progress meant she needed a way to make a change and show the outside world their responsibility. Otherwise... they probably wouldn't be able to stay in their positions for much longer.
This is an open strategy, oh no, he means... this plan is really brilliant.
This will truly benefit them in serving the British wizarding community better.
Scrimgeour wanted to retort, but Amelia gave him a reassuring look before slowly asking, "Is your plan really feasible?"
Seeing Amelia's expression, Sean knew she was somewhat interested, so he patiently explained, "Of course you can."
"Most wizards live in communities. If we send some Ministry of Magic staff to visit and collect data from wizarding villages like Hogsmeade, we can get all the information in a few days... Moreover, Hogwarts has magical items like the Book of Admission and the Pen of Acceptance, which contain information about some wizards. We can collect basic information about past graduates from Hogwarts on behalf of the Ministry of Magic."
"If a wizard is neither attending Hogwarts nor living alone, he/she can be notified by letter or other means to register at the Ministry of Magic."
Sean paused, then continued, "In just a few days, most of the information gathering on the British Isles will be completed. At that time, we can reasonably infer that those wizards who are not recorded may be hiding some unspeakable secrets."
"Therefore, we can focus our investigation on this type of population, and we believe that we will soon be able to follow the clues, uncover their true colors, and bring everything to light."
Scringer also began, unusually, to examine the feasibility of Sean's idea from a technical perspective, questioning, "If they neither register nor go out, how are we supposed to find these people?"
Sean smiled broadly and answered confidently, "That's simple. Once a wizard completes their registration with the Ministry of Magic, we'll give them a special mark to prove their identity."
"At the same time, we will require all shops in Diagon Alley and other parts of the British Isles to prohibit wizards from shopping without the mark. Furthermore, if an unregistered wizard is discovered, the shop must immediately report it to the Ministry of Magic."
"In addition, we will block Floo Powder and other routes to other countries, and unregistered wizards will not be allowed to travel to other countries. In this way, those people will have nowhere to escape."
"Like catching turtles in a jar, as long as one of them shows up, the rest of them will be uprooted and have nowhere to hide."
"Since they chose to do this, it means they must have a purpose. Although we are not sure what their purpose is yet, it is related to the magic world."
"Since they are related to the wizarding world, it means they need to contact or operate within the magical world. As long as they do so, they will inevitably leave their mark. What we do is to make these marks clearly visible to us."
Sean added, "Of course, there are still many aspects of this plan that need to be discussed and improved. It needs to be divided according to the specific circumstances, and that's something we can brainstorm and work together on."
"Once this plan is implemented, I believe it will be extremely beneficial to the safety of the wizarding world. The security of the wizarding world will be greatly improved, and the crime rate will be reduced."
"Some unscrupulous wizards consider whether they can escape the Ministry of Magic's pursuit and punishment before committing crimes." His tone became serious and profound, revealing a zero-tolerance attitude towards criminal behavior.
"Although the preliminary work may be a bit tedious, we, even the next cabinet of the Ministry of Magic and the vast majority of wizarding people will benefit from our actions today. This is a one-time solution."
In the end, Sean's eyes were filled with anticipation and determination for the future, as if he were ready to shoulder this heavy responsibility and contribute his strength to the future of the magical world.
But at that moment, an untimely voice ruined the atmosphere that Sean had painstakingly created.
"Even if your description is vivid, we still cannot use it as an invasion of a wizard's privacy rights as grounds for..."
That's enough.
Scrimgeour was about to say something more, but Fudge impatiently interrupted him, his gaze shifting between Amelia and Scrimgeour.
"Scrimgeour, your concerns are not unfounded. We should indeed protect the freedom and privacy of wizards; it is our foundation. However, the core of Sean's proposed solution is not surveillance, but rather a way to better protect each and every one of us."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "Imagine if there were a system that could help us identify potential threats more quickly and prevent tragedies from happening, while also ensuring that individual rights are not violated. Wouldn't that be something worth exploring? The key is how to balance—balance security and freedom, a challenge that all societies need to address."
"That's settled then, Director Amelia," Fudge said decisively, his tone leaving no room for argument. "I'll entrust this important matter to your Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I look forward to seeing results as soon as possible and giving the wizarding community a satisfactory explanation."
Amelia nodded slowly. "I understand, Minister."
When she said those words, Sean breathed a sigh of relief.
However, he always felt that Amelia was watching him, but when he looked up at Amelia, she had already left with Fudge.
With the matter settled, Sean took Tonks back to his office.
He hadn't expected the plan to go so smoothly.
The first thing he would do next was to schedule an interview with Amelia in the Daily Prophet, which would effectively help the Department of Magical Law Enforcement promote its important upcoming work and make it easier for the public to "understand" this new policy.