Inheriting the Estate

"Looks like he really is dead."

After waiting about five minutes and seeing that the old wizard still showed no movement, George cautiously pushed open the door and went inside.

He tested the old wizard's breathing. Only after confirming that he was truly dead did he finally let out a huge sigh of relief.

A Dark wizard in his seventies or eighties was absolutely not someone he could defeat in a head-on fight.

The man only needed to protect himself with a Shield Charm, then use the simplest Stunning Spell to take George down with ease.

Any Dark wizard who had lived to such an age surely had some real skill, perhaps even some powerful trump card.

George had been able to kill him with a sneak attack not because he was particularly capable, but because the other man had been completely unprepared.

After confirming the old wizard's death, George put on a panicked expression, quickly pushed open the closed shop door, and ran toward Diagon Alley.

He did not scream for help in Knockturn Alley. Otherwise, before he could attract Aurors, he might first attract some ill-intentioned Dark wizards.

"Help! Help! Mr. Merton was injured in a Potion-making explosion! Is anyone coming to save him?!"

Once George reached Diagon Alley, he began shouting in panic, looking as though his own father had truly died.

Before long, two Aurors patrolling nearby were drawn over.

"Take us there, quickly!"

As a place where wizards and Dark wizards gathered, Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley had Aurors patrolling almost twenty-four hours a day, lest something happen and make the news, harming the Ministry of Magic's reputation—especially the Minister of Magic's.

Besides, it was currently the back-to-school season, and many young wizards had been brought here by their parents for major shopping trips.

"Director Scrimgeour, after examination, we found no magical traces from a second wand, nor was any property missing. The possibility of murder has been ruled out. We can confirm that he died accidentally while brewing Potions."

Inside Merton's Potions Shop, a young witch around eighteen or nineteen, with pink hair and a pale heart-shaped face, was reporting the investigation results to the middle-aged wizard standing opposite George.

After hearing her report, the middle-aged wizard nodded in satisfaction.

"Your analysis is very thorough, Tonks. It seems Mad-Eye taught you well this past year. Keep learning from him. In two years, you'll become a full Auror."

"Professor Moody may have a bad temper, but it's an honor to learn from him."

A hint of pride appeared on the young witch's face.

Although Alastor Moody had long since retired, he was an immensely famous Auror in the wizarding world. More than half the Dark wizards in Azkaban had been sent there by him.

Being guided by such a retired Auror during her Auror trainee period was something that made the other trainee Aurors of her year extremely envious.

Meanwhile, George, who had been listening intently, turned his eyes after hearing their conversation.

"Scrimgeour, Director of the Auror Office... is he Rufus Scrimgeour, the man who later replaced Cornelius Fudge as the new Minister of Magic?

"And Tonks—is she Nymphadora Tonks, the Metamorphmagus?"

He carefully searched through his memories from his past life, and gradually recalled something about the identities of the two people before him.

After replacing Cornelius Fudge as the new Minister of Magic, Scrimgeour had taken an extremely hard-line stance against Voldemort and the Death Eaters.

Then Voldemort had brutally killed him.

As for Tonks, she had been born with the ability to alter her appearance at will. She seemed to have eventually married Professor Lupin. George had not expected that she had only just graduated and had not yet become a full Auror.

Looking at it that way, Professor Lupin really was robbing the cradle.

Of course, that was not important. What mattered was that he knew Scrimgeour and Tonks were both rather responsible Aurors, which was a good thing for him right now.

Did being an Auror necessarily make someone a good person?

Not at all.

The Ministry of Magic was riddled with corruption these days, and quite a few Aurors were involved in it.

If he had encountered a greedy Auror, it would have been hard to say how much of the inheritance he would ultimately receive.

"What a poor child. He was finally adopted, and now he's an orphan again."

After handing the investigation report to the Director, Tonks turned to look at George, sympathy in her eyes.

After the investigation, she naturally knew the background of this frail boy.

"Not necessarily. For him, this may even be a good thing."

However, Scrimgeour shook his head when he heard Tonks's sigh.

As the Director of the Auror Office, he had worked for many years and knew exactly what sort of people the wizards in Knockturn Alley were.

From the boy's frail, scar-covered body, he had long noticed something suspicious and guessed most of the situation.

That was why he said it was a good thing for the boy. At the very least, he could inherit a considerable estate and attend Hogwarts.

"Child, your name is Dora, right? Since Mr. Merton died unexpectedly and you are his only relative, then..."

Scrimgeour walked over to George and roughly explained the situation.

There were mainly two points.

First, George could inherit the Dark wizard's shop and the money he had deposited in Gringotts.

Second, with the Dark wizard dead and no one left to teach George magic, he had to attend Hogwarts.

Both points were within George's expectations, and he readily agreed.

Throughout the investigation, he did not act particularly sad or upset.

It would have looked too fake, and he was not such a good actor that he could fool Scrimgeour, who clearly had seen it all.

Still, he made one request in the end.

"Sir, I don't want to use the name Dora anymore. Can I change my name?"

He was unfamiliar with the name Dora. If possible, he would rather change it back to George. It sounded much more natural to him.

"Of course. Miss Tonks will take you through all the inheritance procedures tomorrow. If you wish, she can also help you change your name."

Scrimgeour was not particularly surprised by George's request. He felt that George might want to use this method to forget some unpleasant memories.

"Don't worry, leave it to me!"

Tonks stepped forward, placed a hand on George's head, and gently rubbed it as she spoke.

She was not foolish. From the conversation between the Director and George, she had vaguely sensed something.

"Then thank you, Miss Auror."

George politely thanked her.

Having a chance to establish a connection with an Auror was naturally not a bad thing, especially since he might need an Auror's help in the future.

Knockturn Alley was not a good place. Inheriting a Dark wizard's estate was like a child walking down the street holding a chunk of gold; it would definitely make others envious.

They might not dare do anything openly, but secretly was another matter.

"What a sensible child."

Seeing that George was so sensible and polite at such a young age, Tonks immediately felt a little more fondness for him.

For adults, most did not actually dislike children. What they truly hated were unruly children and their equally unruly parents.

If they encountered an obedient, polite child, many would be willing to lend a hand.