Hearing Snape say that, Draco's gaze toward Allen became noticeably friendlier.
At this point, no matter how stupid he was, he understood what kind of horrific treatment they would have suffered if not for Allen.
And according to the principle that the enemy of my enemy is my friend...
Allen could clearly be considered their friend.
What surprised Draco, however, was that the smile on Allen's face instantly vanished upon hearing those words, replaced by an incomparably gloomy expression.
He pounded his chest and roared, "I'm the loyal one here! I'd even die for Commissioner Flamel, for our cause! Don't you dare question my loyalty! No one gets to!"
Draco stared wide-eyed at Allen, completely at a loss.
The madness radiating from the other man at that moment was enough to make even him feel afraid.
Snape, meanwhile, remained utterly unmoved. He met Allen's gaze head-on without yielding in the slightest. Only after Allen's emotions calmed somewhat did he continue, "Then how do you explain what you just did? If I'm not mistaken, once Lina goes back and reports this, it'll have a considerable impact on you."
"That's right." Allen's tone eased slightly, though his expression remained cold. "Lina is my colleague. Or more accurately, my inspector."
"Inspector?"
"Oh right, you still don't know, do you? It's a new regulation introduced after the Ministry reform. Officials of the same rank within the same department act as mutual inspectors for one another."
"The purpose is to supervise violations committed during administrative work. If a report succeeds and the investigation confirms it, the whistleblower receives a reward, while the reported party is punished."
"Then what about forcibly helping us pass through just now?"
"That falls under knowingly breaking the law with full awareness. It involves suspected bribery, corruption, and abuse of authority."
"It's considered a serious offense directly under the jurisdiction of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and Auror Command. As for the exact punishment…" Allen paused slightly. "I already told you back when we first met."
Snape nodded.
The man really had explained it clearly earlier.
He even remembered the exact words, 'Any criminal dragged into the Department of Magical Law Enforcement by the Aurors faces only one punishment... death.'
"So you're saying that because you helped us get through, you'll be executed afterward?", Snape spoke calmly.
Draco, however, was badly startled by this.
He truly had not expected the Ministry's internal management to have become so strict that even minor violations were punishable by death.
There was practically no humanity left in it.
What shocked him even more was that Allen would take such a massive risk for them.
For a moment, the way he looked at Allen became complicated.
Allen, however, showed no appreciation whatsoever. He even glared at Draco before turning back to Snape with a half-smile.
"So that's how it is. Then I understand now."
Snape nodded and sighed.
The meaning behind Allen's final glance had already been perfectly clear.
There was no doubting Allen's loyalty to Link.
In fact, it was precisely because of Allen's absolute loyalty to Link that he had broken regulations to force them through.
And the key to all of this… was Snape himself.
Link had obviously never expected the cold and detached Snape to personally accompany Draco and Narcissa to retrieve Lucius from prison. That was why he had tacitly allowed his subordinates to arrange a "welcoming ceremony" for the Malfoy family.
But now that Snape had shown up personally, should the plan perhaps be changed?
Lina and the others clearly preferred keeping the original plan intact.
What drove them to that decision was their disgust toward Snape and the Malfoy family.
Which was understandable.
As a Death Eater family, the Malfoys had always stood in opposition to the current Ministry. They were naturally despised and rejected by people like Lina.
And now Lucius Malfoy was about to be released, which only intensified that disgust.
By extension, even Snape... the main person who persuaded Link to release Lucius... had become hated as well.
That was why Lina, despite being a Slytherin graduate, showed more hostility toward Snape than Allen, a Gryffindor, did.
What Allen was doing, meanwhile, was an all-in gamble.
He was betting that Link would not want Snape to suffer humiliation alongside the Malfoy family.
If he lost the bet, there would be no need for discussion. The Aurors would absolutely send him, a problematic official, to meet Merlin. In the current Ministry, there was no room for negotiation on that point.
But if he won...
Not only would his punishment disappear, he would also leave a strong impression on Link.
Perhaps even make Link remember his name permanently.
To use an Eastern saying, that meant entering the emperor's favor.
"Looks like I need to take back what I said before." Snape said with a complicated expression. "You're an outstanding and bold young man. Compared to you, Lina and the others are the real troll-brains."
Allen had unquestionably won this gamble.
No matter what, Link would never stand by and watch him be humiliated alongside the Malfoys.
On this point, Snape had absolute confidence.
And upon hearing that, Allen's face finally broke into a bright smile again.
He bent slightly at the waist and said modestly, "You flatter me, Professor Snape. I'm not as remarkable as you say, and Lina and the others aren't that foolish either."
"In truth, we're all working toward the same cause. We simply differ somewhat in our methods and ideals. So in principle, we're comrades and allies... not enemies."
The corners of Snape's lips curled upward involuntarily as he said mockingly, "So it's the same old personality cult nonsense. This kind of extremism never lasts long!"
"Ah! Professor Snape, you're definitely experienced in this area," Allen said disdainfully. "After all, both Voldemort and Dumbledore operated the same way.
"But Commissioner Flamel is different from those two. If your comprehension skills are functioning properly, then you should understand that what we're loyal to isn't Commissioner Flamel himself... it's the cause he's pursuing!"
"Ever since the Ministry reform, the entire British magical world has undergone enormous changes!"
"Our criminals are finally receiving the punishment they deserve!"
"Our officials, under strict laws and regulations, have become far more incorruptible than the previous administration ever was!"
"Our people have gained a sense of safety. They can move freely without worrying about being harmed!"
"Our commercial world has finally broken free from the control of monopolies and become open!"
"You saw that yourself just now, didn't you?"
"A huge portion of the people in the hall are foreign merchants attracted here by the Ministry's investment policies."
"Their arrival has already provided us with large amounts of cheap, high-quality goods! It's also pushed the Ministry's commercial tax revenue to historic highs!"
"And thanks to these policies..."
"Our people are becoming wealthier!"
"Our nation is becoming stronger!"
"Open your eyes and look, Professor Snape. The world has already changed!"
Allen spread his arms wide as he loudly declared it.
His voice echoed endlessly through the cramped elevator, thunderous enough to shake the ears.
And just as his speech ended, the elevator doors finally opened.
"Professor Snape, you've arrived at your destination. The rest of your journey should be smooth sailing, so I won't escort you any further."
Standing at the elevator entrance, Allen extended an arm in invitation as he spoke.
Snape said nothing further.
He led Narcissa and Draco out of the elevator, but as he passed Allen, he gave him a deep look.
Perhaps Narcissa and Draco could not understand what Allen was truly trying to convey, but Snape did.
Allen had done this simply because he no longer wanted to argue with him.
What he was expressing was that no matter what, he would continue pursuing his cause.
That resolve was truly firm.
Snape withdrew his gaze and walked straight into the Department of Magical Law Enforcement with Narcissa and Draco.
The three passed through long corridors and, under the strange gazes of busy officials coming and going, headed directly into Auror Command.
Narcissa was no stranger to this place.
As remnants of the previous generation of Death Eaters, Lucius Malfoy had never enjoyed even the slightest goodwill from the Aurors.
For a very long period of time, much like Arthur Weasley... the Malfoy family's mortal enemy... the Aurors constantly looked for excuses to trouble Lucius at Malfoy Manor.
The difference was that Arthur Weasley still needed proper excuses and opportunities to cause trouble.
The Aurors did not.
Their authority to conduct searches freely allowed them to enter and leave Malfoy Manor at will.
As a result, during that period, Lucius Malfoy was dragged back to Auror Command almost once every week.
That miserable situation only improved after Lucius spent an enormous amount of money bribing Fudge, who had by then firmly established himself in power.
But the long period of targeting before that had left both Lucius and Narcissa with deep psychological trauma regarding Auror Command.
They had no choice but to be familiar with it.
So the moment Narcissa stepped across the threshold of Auror Command, her breathing began growing increasingly rapid.
The Auror Command hall was actually not much different from a modern office building.
Huge floor-to-ceiling windows, enhanced by magical screens, poured massive amounts of sunlight into the spacious hall, illuminating everything.
Farther inside were rows upon rows of desks.
They were arranged openly throughout the hall.
Behind nearly every desk sat a formally dressed clerk processing mountains of paperwork.
Even deeper inside stood several large tables.
One of them was piled high with all kinds of oddly shaped mugs. A gigantic teapot hissed and steamed continuously.
Once the tea boiled, it floated up automatically and filled each mug before the mugs themselves instantly teleported to their owners' desks through some special kind of magic.
Beside several other tables stood groups of young people who looked like interns.
An endless stream of files, documents, and letters continuously appeared atop the tables.
Their task was to sort everything before passing it along to the clerks in front for processing.
At first glance, the Auror Command formed by these people looked noisy and chaotic. Arguments and curses occasionally broke out as well.
But beneath that apparent disorder was perfect order.
They were like the nervous system of the entire Auror and Hit Wizard forces. Through clerk "nodes," processed orders and commands were transmitted to every Auror with rigorous precision.
Seeing all this, Narcissa's breathing became even more uneven.
Not only because the sheer efficiency and density of the work scene before her was enough to raise anyone's blood pressure just by looking at it...
But because it triggered her PTSD toward Auror Command.
In her memory, outside of wartime, Auror Command should never have been this busy.
Under normal circumstances, the Auror force only needed routine training, which required no large-scale command activity from headquarters.
But the current scene clearly showed Auror Command issuing high-density orders to both the Aurors and the Hit Wizards.
What were they trying to do?
Were they preparing for war again?
"Hey! You three! What are you doing here?!"
Just as Narcissa's thoughts spiraled, an unfriendly voice suddenly rang out from beside them.
The three turned and saw a vicious-looking man in combat gear.
Behind him stood several similarly dressed wizards.
Oddly enough, these men seemed rather old for Aurors.
And all of them carried varying degrees of disability.
Some had lost arms, others legs, and some even had all four limbs replaced with alchemical prosthetics.
Yet rather than weakening them, those scars and disabilities only heightened the savage aura around them.
Narcissa felt a brutal pressure crashing toward her after just one glance at them, completely at odds with the atmosphere of the surrounding office clerks.
"W-we… we are…", Narcissa stammered.
Under the crushing mental pressure, her body felt unbelievably stiff.
"We're here to receive Lucius Malfoy upon his release," Snape took over. Perhaps remembering the treatment they had received at the checkpoint earlier, he paused before adding, "I am Severus Snape."
"Severus Snape?"
The vicious Auror repeated the name, seeming to think about its significance. Then his expression suddenly changed.
"You're the Snape who teaches at Hogwarts?"
Snape unusually restrained his sarcasm and merely nodded.
Seeing that, the fierce Auror burst into loud laughter.
"Hahaha! So you're Young Master's professor! Then you're an honored guest!"
'Young Master?'
Snape narrowed his eyes, vaguely guessing their identities.
"You…" he asked cautiously, "are all hunters from the Flamel family?"
"Of course! We all used to work under Boss Krell! Honestly, cripples like us should've been kicked out of the family long ago."
"But now that Young Master's made something of himself, we've benefited too and got assigned here as stationed headquarters Aurors. Seriously, fate's a funny thing."
"I spent my whole life as a thief chased around by Aurors, and now I've somehow cleaned up my name and become an Auror myself! Hahaha! We owe it all to our Young Master!"
The fierce-looking Auror at the front seemed incredibly talkative. He rambled on endlessly, not only confirming Snape's guess but loudly admitting that they had gotten the job through connections as well.
Narcissa stared in disbelief.
Almost instinctively, she blurted out, "Won't something happen if you openly say things like that?"
"What could happen?"
The Auror widened his eyes and casually grabbed a passing intern clerk.
"Hey, kid! Do you think I'd get in trouble for saying stuff like this here?"
The intern was carrying a huge stack of documents and nearly fell over when grabbed.
After finally steadying himself, he gave the large man a helpless look and shook his head.
"How could there be any trouble?"
Then he turned to Narcissa and Snape.
"Professor Snape, there's no need to find this strange. Using disabled veterans for Auror Command security has always been an Auror tradition."
"As for these former Flamel family hunters suddenly becoming Aurors, that's not really a big deal either."
"Ever since Commissioner Flamel took office, Auror Command's funding has more than doubled."
"Not only did disabled veterans and the families of fallen Aurors and Hit Wizards finally receive proper compensation and pensions, but even the salaries of active personnel like us increased tremendously."
"It'd be strange if we had complaints about a boss like that!"
"And honestly, Uncle Mario and the others are pretty good people."
"They even help us clean sometimes and don't put on airs."
"Though sometimes they're a little too loud."
"Hah! Kid, I heard every word of that! Next time we drink together, you're done for!"
The man called Mario shouted loudly, making the intern look even more helpless.
"Alright, enough nonsense. Come with us now, professor of Young Master's."
After saying goodbye to the intern, Mario waved a hand grandly and led Snape's group through a black door in the corner.
Beyond it was a modest lounge where more than a dozen equally scarred and fierce-looking hunters were gathered around a long table playing wizard cards. Judging from the massive piles of gold coins on the table, the stakes were extremely high.
Under the dim light of the magical chandelier overhead, thick smoke filled the room.
Sweat, tobacco, and constant shouting mixed together, turning the lounge into a filthy, chaotic mess.
The moment Narcissa and Draco entered, they instinctively covered their noses.
Mario, however, paid it no mind. He led the three through the lounge, opened another iron door, and proceeded downward along a narrow stone pathway.
As he walked, he continued chattering endlessly, "That kid from earlier was interesting, huh? We drink together all the time."
"The only annoying thing is that they're way too busy and can barely spare time to hang out with us. Young Master says they're carrying out public security operations across the entire British magical world."
"Like last time, whenever Death Eaters or some blind idiot tries launching an attack, the Auror force can respond immediately."
"And apparently this kind of high-intensity work also acts as training, making the Aurors react faster and sharper or something. I don't really get it, but it sounds impressive."
"Man… if my hand wasn't ruined, I'd probably be getting ordered around by those youngsters right now too. Or maybe I'd still be working under Boss Krell. Ah no, now it should be Director Krell."
"That really is the silver lining in all this!"
Though Mario said it jokingly, the nostalgia and regret on his face were unmistakable.
Clearly, compared to this comfortable retirement-like life, he missed the bloody battlefield far more... even if it meant getting bossed around by those younger people.
Meanwhile, Snape extracted another important piece of information from Mario's words.
Link had completely taken control of the entire Auror force.
You could tell just from old Krell becoming Director of the Auror Office.
At the same time, the Flamel family's former hunter corps seemed to have integrated into the Auror force on the surface, but in truth they remained independent.
They had simply transformed from the original hunter corps into something akin to Link's personal guard.
And compared to the true Auror force, this internal force that answered directly to Krell and Link likely possessed even greater combat strength.
Powerful military force, ever-growing wealth, consolidated public support, plus talented individuals like Allen and Lina... people both numerous and absolutely loyal to Link.
If this Ministry were given even more time to develop, just how terrifying would it become?
Snape hardly dared imagine it.
But one thing was certain.
It would inevitably become stronger than any Ministry of Magic in the world.
As for the Death Eaters Voldemort once created...
'Heh.'
'Even at their peak, the Death Eaters couldn't compare to a single finger of the current British Ministry.'
'And all of this had been created by Link.'
Thinking of that, Snape could not help sighing inwardly.
Ever since taking control of the Flamel family, every decision Link made had landed perfectly on the correct rhythm.
He seemed incapable of making mistakes.
Whether in reforming and developing the Flamel family or restructuring and advancing the Ministry itself.
Link Flamel was almost as though he had been born already knowing everything.
"Alright, we're here. The temporary prison of Auror Command. Lucius Malfoy is inside."
Mario's voice interrupted Snape's thoughts, finally making him realize the scenery around them had changed.
The previously bright stone pathway had vanished, replaced by a massive underground corridor-like chamber.
With only a handful of magical lamps providing illumination, the place was dim to the extreme.
Caves had been carved into both sides of the stone walls and sealed off with iron bars, forming prison cells.
But unlike a normal dungeon, every single cell Snape and the others could see was empty.
There were no prisoners inside.
Other than being slightly damp, the cells were terrifyingly clean.
Under normal circumstances, it should have been a rather comforting sight. After all, nobody disliked cleanliness.
Yet staring at those empty prison cells, Draco involuntarily shivered.
He knew perfectly well that those cells had most likely once held prisoners.
And there could only be one reason they were empty now.
They had all been executed.
———
[NEW FANFIC: "Marvel: My First Template is Minato"
Hope you all will add it to your collection and give it a try. Let me know your thoughts in the review. Try to put it up in the rankings guys~😉 Have a great day~]