The Ravenclaw prefect, Penelope Clearwater, walked slowly to the compartment door. She glanced inside and turned back to ask Percy, "Weasley, what do you make of this?"
Percy was a bit embarrassed; he didn't know how to answer.
He could only do what he could to stall for time.
First, he confiscated the two masked men's wands, then used a Transfiguration spell to bind them.
"Penelope, I think investigating the case is the Aurors' job," Percy racked his brain and finally found an excuse. "What we should be doing now is preserving the scene."
Penelope glanced in disgust at the "rainbow" all over the floor and asked hesitantly, "Are you sure?"
"At least until the Aurors arrive," Percy said vaguely. "You heard them, I've already asked these people. They don't know anything."
George and Fred were astonished. Percy was actually cooperating with them!
Percy was actually cooperating with them!
This time, the twins didn't mess around and said honestly, "Yes, Senior Clearwater, by the time we realized what was happening, these two were already down."
They weren't lying, either; they just omitted the part about Audrey suddenly turning invisible.
The train conductor repaired the Hogwarts Express window with a Mending Charm and said to the two prefects, "I've already contacted the Ministry through the two-way mirror. The Aurors will be waiting for us at Hogsmeade Station. They can handle it then."
"As for what you said about preserving the scene, Weasley, that's not necessary at all," the conductor looked at him like he was an idiot. "We are wizards. We have ways to recreate the scene."
"So, hurry up and clean this vomit. It's stinking up my train!"
Percy: ...
... ...
The track was quickly repaired, and the train started moving again.
The Audrey kidnapping incident could only be considered an interlude.
The result was destined from the beginning.
Three kidnappers at the level of Hogwarts graduates trying to kidnap a human-shaped dragon—there was nothing more unreliable than that.
One could only say, Audrey's disguise was too successful.
'A Muggle world singer, how much power could she have? Awakening her magical talent at sixteen... this kind of weakling, isn't she easy to handle?'
...
The Hogwarts Express chugged along, finally arriving at the station as dusk fell.
Audrey didn't need to change at all. With a single thought, the suit on her body transformed into wizarding robes.
She got off the train and took a deep breath.
Hogwarts, the place she had yearned for in her past life, had become the very place she had avoided at all costs for the first sixteen years of this life.
But in the end, she was here.
Hogwarts!
...
"First years, this way!"
"Harry, Harry, how are you? Come over here!"
The tall Keeper of Keys and Grounds, Rubeus Hagrid, the half-giant, was busy gathering the first-year students.
Audrey watched as the Aurors cuffed the two masked men with Mentorui alloy shackles and carried them out of the carriage.
The shackles, gleaming with an unusual luster, made Audrey suddenly think of Barty Crouch.
'Ah! I still have a score to settle there!'
'If I hadn't been pushed by those two old men for the past two months without a second to spare, I would have already sent an anonymous report to Minister Fudge's desk!'
'Barty Crouch used his dying wife to swap out his son, Barty Crouch Jr., from Azkaban.'
'What is that? That's a jailbreak!'
'As long as I put that report on the Minister for Magic's desk, Old Barty will have to become cellmates with his son!'
However, Audrey quickly dismissed the thought. It was too much trouble. With that time, wouldn't a beauty sleep be better?
'Anyway, Old Barty won't live past 1996, and he'll die at his son's hands. As long as he doesn't come and bother me, I'll let him live a few more years.'
'Ah, I am just that magnanimous!'
...
But the magnanimous Miss Audrey Astley was now a bit lost.
Because she didn't know if she should follow the first-years through the new student process or go with the other students to the Thestral carriages.
'Or maybe, I should just fly over myself?'
Just as she was letting her thoughts wander, a glove Apparated in front of her.
The glove, as if an invisible hand were really inside it, waved flexibly at Audrey.
It then pointed toward Hogwarts Castle, tapped three times, and finally made a handshaking gesture.
Seeing Audrey not moving, the glove shook twice, as if impatient.
'It wants me to shake its hand?'
Audrey had seen Dumbledore use this trick in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
So she reached out her hand and grasped the glove.
Swish!
She disappeared from the spot and reappeared in a small room next to the Hogwarts Great Hall.
Wow.
These were all familiar faces!
Dumbledore and the four Heads of House.
Snape, McGall, Flitwick, Sprout.
"Welcome to Hogwarts, Miss Astley,"
Dumbledore winked at Audrey, then put on an act as if he didn't know her well.
"Your first entry into the wizarding world must be very confusing. I deeply sympathize with what you've encountered today, but you must believe, this kind of thing is not common in our wizarding world."
Audrey saw Kingsley Shacklebolt standing in the corner of the room, along with several Auror colleagues behind him. 'Alright, Dumbledore, you old fox, I understand what you mean.'
Audrey shrugged: "Are you saying that my nearly being kidnapped today might just be my bad luck?"
Dumbledore smiled: "That's probably it. Under the current Ministry of Magic's leadership, the public order in the wizarding world is much better than before."
Audrey shook her head, "Mr. Headmaster, I don't know what the wizarding world was like before, because as you know, I've always lived in the ordinary world."
Dumbledore saw that Audrey understood his meaning and his eyes squinted in satisfaction. So Audrey continued,
"But it is a fact that I was nearly kidnapped! When I accepted the invitation to study at Hogwarts, I gave up tens of millions of pounds in annual income! (There was a sudden intake of breath in the room) And your reason for persuading me was that the Ministry of Magic was very keen on me attending Hogwarts. I'm not wrong, am I?"
Dumbledore nodded.
"Mr. Headmaster, don't you think that you—or to be precise, the Ministry of Magic—need to give me an explanation? If you use 'bad luck' as an excuse, I cannot accept it."
Dumbledore didn't speak, but instead looked at Kingsley.
Kingsley understood and spoke: "Miss Astley, we already have a lead on the criminals who attacked you. It was done by a killer organization called 'The Teeth of Hydrus'."
'The Teeth of Hydrus?' Audrey's pupils dilated for an instant.
Kingsley continued: "The leader of this organization is a fugitive, a dark wizard named Hydrus Lestrange! We are doing everything we can to hunt her down and believe we will bring her to justice soon."
Audrey: ...
'I kidnap myself? Is that how it is?'
Audrey looked at Dumbledore, a little unsure of the old honeybee's intentions.
'First, he gives me a look to make me complain, and then he tells me I kidnapped myself. What does that mean?'
Dumbledore spoke: "Mr. Shacklebolt (Kingsley bowed slightly), I think that no matter who has ill intentions toward Miss Astley, the Ministry of Magic should be responsible for her safety, especially when a killer organization is targeting her."
Kingsley nodded repeatedly, making Audrey feel speechless. 'You two are both in the Order of the Phoenix, practically sharing a pair of pants, what are you performing here?'
Kingsley said: "Professor Dumbledore, I need to discuss this with my colleagues."
Then Kingsley turned to his colleagues behind him, gathered them together, and began to discuss.
Audrey looked at Dumbledore again with a questioning expression, and the old headmaster smiled faintly, signaling her to be patient.
After a moment, Kingsley said to Dumbledore: "Miss Astley will definitely be safe at Hogwarts. After all, Hogwarts is the safest place!
So we will ensure her safety outside of school. We will assign elite Aurors to protect her personally. Do you think that's acceptable?"
'No! Of course not! Being followed by Aurors, I'll have no freedom left!'
Seeing Audrey frantically signaling him with her eyes, Dumbledore almost couldn't stop himself from laughing out loud. The girl's expression was so rich, the muscles at the corners of her eyes were about to cramp!
He said with a smile: "I don't think Miss Astley's personal safety is too much of a concern. Rather, her brother is just an ordinary Muggle. He might be attacked by The Teeth of Hydrus..."
Kingsley replied in a second: "Ah, then I understand." He glanced back at his colleagues, and after receiving their affirmative nods, he replied: "We will be responsible for protecting Mr. Rick Astley's safety. Please rest assured, Miss Astley."
Audrey had a sudden realization. So, Dumbledore and Kingsley had gone in such a big circle, performing a two-man act, all to protect Rick.
A trace of warmth touched her heart.
'This old man Dumbledore is still pretty decent!'
"Miss Astley, is there anything else you'd like to say?"
Audrey shook her head, "Nothing, sir."
Dumbledore nodded, "Alright, in that case, we won't delay any longer. The Sorting Ceremony is waiting for us to preside over it."
The Heads of House filed out without a word. This matter had nothing to do with them today anyway. They were just dragged here by Dumbledore to be a support group, all to put pressure on the Aurors other than Kingsley.
Dumbledore suddenly called out to Audrey: "Child, after the feast, come find me in the Headmaster's office. The password is 'Fizzing Whizbees'."
Audrey blinked her big eyes, "But Mr. Headmaster, I don't know where your office is?"
"Not to worry, child. Someone will show you the way."
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