The Ministry of Magic Faces Another Crisis

As Peter Pettigrew's execution day approached, the British Wizarding World, which had been bustling with excitement due to the Quidditch World Cup, quieted down.

On the morning of July 23,

A large number of wizards arrived at Godric's Hollow one after another with heavy hearts.

At 9 a. m., Sirius Black and Harry appeared in the village through their Side-Along Apparition.

The two greeted the wizards around them and then walked toward the Potter Memorial in the center of the village.

Peter Pettigrew hasn't been brought here yet, and although the wizards here have already seen his many miserable state, they have no sympathy for him whatsoever.

For such a shameless traitor, the death penalty is the lightest punishment imaginable.

When Vincent arrived, the entire village was already teeming with wizards.

He had just been to Diagon Alley and the Ministry of Magic, where the scene was similar, with hundreds or even thousands of wizards gathered in front of the Magical Projection waiting for the broadcast to begin.

The Wayne came with the Granger family, and they happened to see the Malfoy when they entered the village.

Lucius glanced at the five men with disdain, then walked with Narcissa and Draco toward the Potter Memorial, where the crowd was densest.

They had just entered with Snape Weasley family arrived.

Arthur glanced at Lucius's retreating figure. "How dare this guy show his face in this place!"

Molly took his hand. "Okay, let's hurry over there."

Almost all of the Sacred Twenty-Eight families have arrived, except for the Gaunt family and Carrow families, which have been thoroughly labeled as Death Eaters.

The Malfoy Family is known as the most opportunistic family in the British Wizarding World, and they would definitely come to such an excellent opportunity to show their stance, no matter how shameless they had to be.

At 9:20 a. m., Dumbledore and Aberforth arrived near the monument from the cemetery.

Neither of them got too close; they stood quietly to the side and waited.

Vincent, who squeezed to the front, greeted Sirius Black and Harry.

Soon, the real culprit who killed the Potters will be publicly executed.

However, at this crucial moment before his execution, Scrimgeour, inside the St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, stared intently at an empty hospital bed.

Fragments of chains imbued with powerful binding magic were scattered all over the floor, and the two Auror guarding the ward stood there dumbfounded.

The worst part is that Peter Pettigrew, who was in his hospital bed, has disappeared.

Scrimgeour angrily drew his wand and pointed it at the two Auror on guard.

It's Imperius Curse, and a particularly powerful Imperius Curse.

The fact that they were willing to use the Three Unforgivable Curses to take Peter Pettigrew away makes the culprit's identity obvious.

However, Scrimgeour still couldn't believe it. He went out of the ward and ordered the Auror outside to be on guard, then went to the hospital registration desk alone.

To his disappointment, the registry did not contain any records of suspicious persons entering or leaving.

He then went straight to Mrs. Pettigrew's ward.

Four months have passed, and the white-haired old woman has long since lost her mind.

At first, she didn't even react to Scrimgeour's questions.

When her son's name came out, she suddenly grabbed his arm tightly.

"Peter —my son, is he... is he alright?"

Scrimgeour forced a smile. "He seems to have been taken away by his friends. Do you know who they are?"

Mrs. Pettigrew let go, her expression extremely angry. "What? Those bad boys!"

She gripped Scrimgeour's arm tightly again, "They must be trying to corrupt my son again. He's such a pure and kind child."

Scrimgeour narrowed his eyes. "Who exactly are they?"

Mrs. Pettigrew lowered her head in thought, muttering a few names uncertainly, "Potter... Black... and Lupin, who seems quite well-behaved and sensible..."

The four of them were indeed very close friends during their student days, but reality has changed drastically.

Mrs. Pettigrew's memory seemed somewhat confused; she had forgotten the things that caused her pain.

Scrimgeour patted the back of her hand, trying to appear as kind as possible. "It wasn't them. Your son must have been taken away by someone else."

Mrs. Pettigrew looked extremely nervous. "Not them? My children are always with them, who else could it be?"

Scrimgeour was rendered speechless by her counter-question.

If he knew, he wouldn't have needed to come here to test the waters.

"Mrs. Pettigrew, do you know who else your son knows?"

She shook her head blankly. "My child is very well-behaved. He usually stays at home when school is out. Only those three naughty boys often come over to ask him to go out and play."

Scrimgeour frowned. "Think carefully again. Is there anyone else? Your son might be in mortal danger right now."

Mrs. Pettigrew. "Impossible! My son wouldn't offend anyone. It must have been those three bad boys who forced him to do something wrong, and then people thought it was him..."

She suddenly paused, then covered her forehead with a pained expression.

Scrimgeour quickly pressed his advantage, "Did you remember something?"

Mrs. Pettigrew did not answer, but simply held her head and groaned in pain.

"My son...he won't do bad things...he will live a good life..."

It seems she's recalling some unpleasant memories.

Scrimgeour sighed with some pity, got up and left the ward.

If there are no other suspects, then it can only be Death Eaters.

But all the loyal ones were imprisoned in Azkaban, and the few who escaped trial weren't fools; they certainly knew that the Ministry of Magic would suspect them first.

Why would someone force you to take such a big risk?

Scrimgeour, standing in the corridor, quickly dismissed the guess.

Death Eaters are not the Wizards' Purity Party; those rats in the street have no way of forcing the bigwigs.

Unless...

Scrimgeour shook his head vigorously.

Rather than believing that the Voldemort had returned, he was more inclined to believe that someone was trying to cause trouble for the Ministry of Magic.

Peter Pettigrew disappears, the wizards' fury will turn on the Ministry of Magic, and Fudge will certainly make him take the blame alone in order to appease their anger.

Thinking of such a future, Scrimgeour gritted his teeth, "Who on earth, who on earth has such a deep hatred for the Ministry of Magic?"

Many suspects flashed through his mind, but none of them seemed to have much ability.

All the suspects and capable individuals are in Azkaban, and with the increased security following Sirius Black's escape, it's virtually impossible for anyone to escape alive now.

The more Scrimgeour thought about it, the more troubled he became, so he gave up trying to think about it.

Even if he doesn't want to take the blame, the higher-ups in the ministry still need to know about this.

He gave the Auror some instructions, then used Apparition to return to the Ministry of Magic.

It was already 9:30, and the higher-ups were all waiting in the Entrance Hall for him to bring Peter Pettigrew over so they could set off together.

Seeing that he was all alone, everyone immediately had a bad feeling.

"Gentlemen, we're in trouble."

Scrimgeour hesitated several times before finally revealing the truth after being urged by Fudge.

"Peter Pettigrew is missing. The other side used the Imperius Curse to control the Auror guarding him, and then took him away silently."

With a "boom," the heads of the higher-ups all went blank.

The impact of the matter was so great that even Fudge didn't know what to do.