Vincent spent over an hour figuring out the road from Hogsmeade to the Scottish Highlands. (Town)
There are two main difficulties in Side-Along Apparition:
First, simultaneously envelop two or more people with magical power;
Second, how to get to your destination quickly and accurately.
Living things are different from dead things. The narrow space that sucked him in is now only barely big enough for two people to pass through.
But as your magical power increases, the gaps will become larger and the difficulty will decrease.
Hermione felt a chilling night wind blowing, and her outstretched little hand trembled uncontrollably.
"Are you alright?" Vincent worriedly, putting down his wand. "Are there any aftereffects?"
"No." Hermione hugged her shoulders tightly. "It looks like Dementors. They've spotted us."
This is the Scottish Highlands, a key area where the Ministry of Magic deploys Dementors.
"Expecto Patronum— "
The golden light emanating from the Suanni Patronus dispelled the bone-chilling cold.
Vincent opened his suitcase and spread a blanket on the lawn beside the road.
"Let's wait a bit, I don't know how long it will take to get to London."
Hermione took off her shoes and sat on the blanket with her knees bent, hugging her calves with both hands.
Her chin rested on her knees as she watched Vincent take a plate of delicate pastries out of the box.
The moon isn't very full tonight, but the surroundings are very peaceful, making it perfect for an outdoor picnic.
He brewed a pot of black tea and sat down opposite Hermione.
She buried her face in her legs, revealing only a pair of hazelnut-colored eyes that shone with a faint green tinge in the moonlight.
The atmosphere was a little ambiguous. Vincent poured black tea into the teacup in front of her, then looked up at the not-so-round moon.
The Suanni Patronus was still driving away the Dementors; the surroundings were so quiet that you could hear the other creature breathing.
Hermione reached for a small snack, occasionally stealing a glance at him.
After finishing a cup of black tea, Vincent was no longer so embarrassed.
"Want to play a game?" He pulled out two Gwent.
Hermione puffed out her cheeks and shook her head.
Vincent couldn't see her expression, but he could tell from her eyes that she didn't want to play cards right now.
"Let me tell you about the new employees I recently hired."
She nodded her little head.
We'll be meeting soon, so it's good to get to know each other beforehand. (Town)
"The story begins this summer..."
The gentlemen were fined a large sum of Gold Galleons, and they were bound to feel resentful.
We cannot easily retaliate; at the very least, we must find out who instructed Yamamoto.
"They spent two thousand Gold Galleons to hire a gang of dark wizards from Knockturn Alley with a 100% success rate in completing their commissions."
Hermione, no longer puffing out her cheeks, straightened up, her expression tense. "Are you alright?"
"No, but..." Vincent sighed.
"However, this group called 'Fallen Paradise' found out from Rita Skeeter that I wrote the anonymous letter, and then immediately notified their accomplices in Japan."
Hermione's expression changed drastically. "They've guessed your relationship with Yamamoto?"
"Yes." Vincent sighed again.
"Two seemingly unrelated things were actually connected by them, and in the end, they were able to deduce the truth that I was trying my best to hide."
Hermione comforted him, "Even the most meticulous and thorough plans have flaws. You've done a great job."
"Yes." Vincent took a sip of tea to moisten his throat. "Fortunately, the process of dealing with them went smoothly, and there were no further problems."
"That's good." Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.
However, her hand, which was holding the teacup, was trembling slightly.
Fallen Paradise is, after all, a dark wizarding gang, and the gang with the highest completion rate for Knockturn Alley quests.
How did you deal with this group? No one was injured?
Judging from Vincent's calm and composed demeanor, he didn't seem to be the person she had imagined.
"These are the new employees you hired?"
"Uh-huh."
Hermione's eye twitched slightly, then she calmly took a sip of her black tea.
Following Yamamoto Tsukumo, the Night Wraith, and the Nightmare Killers, Fallen Paradise has indeed become one of his underlings.
Although they weren't exactly heinous villains, they were all wicked and wicked people.
Vincent might be... willing to hire an employee like that.
She pursed her lips. "You haven't told me the process yet."
Vincent swallowed the snack in his mouth and took a moment to gather his emotions:
"The process was quite tense and exciting, especially after I deliberately walked into the Knockturn Alley..."
Just as she had been told, Hermione's heart pounded.
If the Auror hadn't been searching for Sirius Black, those dark wizards would have definitely dared to kill and rob.
Conversely, it was precisely because the Ministry of Magic's arrangements were reliable that Vincent dared to recklessly lure the Fallen Paradise out.
The negotiation process seemed fraught with danger, but he was certain that the other party did not want to escalate the situation.
You either become a dog to these men or become their employee.
Five of his companions who had traveled to Japan were arrested, and at the time, they were held at Gunblade.
Two choices? Actually, there's no choice at all.
"They contacted me last week; the store and the underground factory are completed, and we're just waiting for—"
"Wait a minute." Hermione suddenly interrupted him, her expression quite conflicted.
On the surface, Viktor represents him in cooperating with the Shingu Family, but in reality, he is secretly helping Rinne take control of the family.
In less than six months, he was able to establish himself in Magic Town and possess the strength to deal with five dark wizards at the same time.
Why would someone like him work for Vincent?
Although she had only met him a few times, the fact that he entrusted Viktor with full authority over matters in Japan meant that their relationship was not simply that of a superior and subordinate.
Europe faces, powerful forces, and complex relationships.
Hermione could only think of one answer.
"Mr. Viktor is one of your teacher's men?"
Vincent nodded frankly, "Yes, he was worried about my safety, so he had Viktor stay with me the whole time."
You guessed right, but not entirely right.
He referred to Gellert Grindelwald Grindelwald as his teacher, while Hermione believed that Nicolas Flamel was his teacher.
Seeing the smug look on her face, Vincent felt inexplicably guilty and ashamed.
It's not a matter of belief, but rather that once his relationship with Grindelwald is exposed, the global Wizarding World will be thrown into turmoil no less than Voldemort's return.
He is at the center of the vortex, and everyone connected to him will be drawn in.
Why not use Legilimency and Veritaserum?
If the Witches hadn't made Unbreakable Vow to each other, they certainly wouldn't have been able to become representatives of the Wizengamot Britain youth, even without having their Order of Merlin, Second Class revoked.
Since Hermione's dream is to be Minister for Magic, her resume cannot have any blemishes.
It had nothing to do with future plans; it was simply because they were friends.
"Hey—" Hermione waved her little hand in front of his eyes, "Why did you stop? You haven't introduced them one by one yet."
Vincent buried his guilt and remorse deep inside, saying, "I'm just organizing my thoughts."
Wait a moment, I need to think of some appropriate adjectives.
Hermione seemed to vaguely understand something.
He didn't pretend to be preoccupied; he was clearly hiding something from her.
"Okay, I'll wait for you."
Since she hadn't said it, she didn't ask.