The Ministry of Magic Isn't Safe Either; Seeking Help from the Phoenix Society Is Impossible

"Giving a girl a gift and then expecting her to return it?" Clea teased Aaron. "If you regret it, that's fine too. Just give me a new set of jewelry in exchange."

"Oh, this..."

Aaron pursed his lips, feeling particularly troubled.

He only had two pieces of jewelry in his collection: Mermaid's tear and Gerani Green Emerald.

That thing is cursed with bad luck; whoever gets it will be doomed. If it were given to Clea, he'd probably be hunted down to death by that bastard Lyon.

"It seems you don't have one." Clea shrugged slightly. "Then I'll accept this necklace."

"Fine, I'll just accept it!"

"It's because I didn't have any other gift to give you!"

"Perhaps this is fate!"

"Our first reunion after so many years, the gift you gave me has such special meaning."

"Hey? You can't say that," Aaron quickly interrupted. "I just didn't understand that it had that other meaning. If I had known, I definitely wouldn't have given you this."

Clea pointed triumphantly to the necklace around her neck, "The fact is you gave it to me, who cares what you think?"

Aaron's lips twitched slightly. After a few seconds of silence, he managed to say, "I know why you came here. I always thought of you as a little sister."

Upon hearing this, Clea's expression remained unchanged. Instead, she looked at him with great interest, saying, "It must be quite difficult for you to be so pale."

"Hesitation when a decision should be made will inevitably lead to chaos."

With the conversation out in the open, Aaron breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

The longer this matter drags on, the more complicated it becomes. If it happens to hurt Clea later, given her status as the group's darling, he will become the target of everyone's criticism in no time.

Clea nodded noncommittally, "That was when we were little, we're all grown up now."

"Then we should be more calm," Aaron said earnestly. "Marriage is a lifelong commitment. We are still young and cannot act so impulsively."

Clea wasn't angry. She looked at Aaron with her beautiful eyes and said, "I wasn't being impulsive. The children of the Darwin Family have IQ and EQ far exceeding those of ordinary people."

I know this is a bit sudden for you, but that's okay. I didn't expect you to accept me right now anyway.

How should I put it? I'll make you fall in love with me.

Hearing this, Aaron was completely stunned. "Clea, I don't quite understand what you mean."

Where do you think I rank among the girls you know?

"The first one," Aaron replied without hesitation.

"I think so too. I'm no worse than anyone else except my eldest sister," Clea said, then looked at Aaron meaningfully. "You shouldn't mind me, the number one, pursuing you, right?"

Rumble!

Thunder rumbled and a violent storm pounded against his Mind Space.

Aaron instinctively wanted to refuse, but looking at her beautiful face so close to his, he couldn't say a word.

"I'll take that as a yes." Clea grabbed Aaron's left hand and shook it, revealing a sweet smile. "Seven years later, let's formally introduce ourselves. Clea Darwen, the second daughter of the Darwin Family."

"Uncle Jeans."

"I'm here." Jeans quickly ran down from the floor.

"My room shouldn't have changed, right?"

"Of course not, the rooms of the young masters and young ladies have been kept in good condition."

"Thank you," Clea said politely. "But could you do me a small favor and tidy up the room next to Aaron's?"

"This..." Jeans hesitated for a moment, just then Lisana's cough came from upstairs.

"No problem, it'll be ready in no time."

"Thank you, Uncle. I'll go check on my old room first," Clea said, then picked up her Backpack and left the living room.

After she left, Aaron came to his senses and gave a self-deprecating laugh, "This time, there's really no escaping it."

"That only proves that the young master is very charming."

"I'll take that as a way of comforting me." Aaron leaned back on the sofa listlessly, glanced at the Holy Dragon clutching its pocket and refusing to let go, and was speechless.

When Abei was one or two years old, he worried that he might be kidnapped by someone with a chicken leg. Now he worries that he might sell him for gold.

At the dinner that evening, Clea was given a grand welcome.

Vico and the others were incredibly warm towards her, showing her great care and concern.

Aaron, on the other hand, was left out in the cold, which made him deeply feel what it means to be cold and indifferent to human relationships.

Clea officially moved in next door to Aaron, but she was very sensible and did not interfere too much in his life. She always appeared in time when he needed her.

Since we haven't met for seven years, it's very important to change our preconceived notions; at the very least, we need to move our relationship beyond the sibling category.

This is a gradual process, and Clea is very patient.

As it turned out, her approach was absolutely correct. At first, Aaron was a little reserved around Clea, but after a little over a week, his attitude gradually changed.

Although this was also due to Vico and others finding ways to create opportunities for them to be alone, not to mention the bribed dragon as an accomplice, plus the Death Eater eyeing the castle from the outside, he needed someone to chat with to relieve his boredom and stress. It can be said that everything was going right for Clea.

That day, the two sat in the living room reading the newspaper, their distance from each other exceeding that of ordinary friends.

"The collapse of London Brockle Bridge is the Death Eater," Aaron said confidently. "That bridge was less than ten years old. Even if the government shoddyly constructed it, it shouldn't have broken into two neat, clean sections."

"And there are strange hurricanes in the Southwestern Counties, which is the power of Warlock. I bet the Muggle Prime Minister is under a lot of pressure."

But none of that matters. What matters are these things. Clea took out the first newspaper, pointed to the headline, and said, "Scrimgeour succeeds Fudge."

"I knew this day would come from the moment Fudge tried to cover up the news of Voldemort's resurrection," Aaron said nonchalantly. "I don't know if Scrimgeour is better than Fudge, but he did do something worthwhile. At least the Ministry of Magic took some measures to ensure that students could return to school safely."

Clea raised an eyebrow and asked tentatively, "Are you very concerned about Hogwarts?"

"Of course, that place is very important to me," Aaron said. "I can't tell you the specific reasons, because I don't want Hogwarts to close down."

"There's another piece of news here that I think you should pay attention to," Clea said hesitantly. "Bones is dead?"

"Susan Bones?"

"It's not her, it's Amelia Bones, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

Besides her, there was also Emmeline Vance Vance, who seems to be a member of the Phoenix Society.

Aaron slapped his forehead, looking worried. "What a hassle!"

He had originally planned to hide in the Ministry of Magic after leaving home, but now it seems that the Ministry of Magic is not safe either.

The fact that the Director of Magical Law Enforcement could be killed means that Voldemort didn't take the Ministry of Magic seriously at all. He had already made ample preparations for war, but Dumbledore who made him wary.

"What do you plan to do?" Clea asked. "The Ministry of Magic is no longer safe."

"You know my plan?"

"I'm smarter than you," Clea said without batting an eye. "You can stay home for two more days. After two days, you definitely won't get engaged to me, but that means you'll have to find a safe place to hide from the Death Eater.

Cross-border escape Reality Stone, so you only have three choices: the Ministry of Magic, Hogwarts, or the Order of the Phoenix. Knowing you as I do, I'm 100% certain you'll choose the Ministry of Magic.

"This option can be ruled out now. Clea, do you have any suggestions?"

"Order of the Phoenix." Clea replied.

"No, I won't go while Dumbledore is alive," Aaron firmly refused. "Besides, Ancestor Flor gave me even better advice."

However, I need to find a way to negotiate with Voldemort on equal terms first, otherwise it's no different from sending myself to my death.

"Then Zheng Yi asked Order of the Phoenix for help."

As long as the Demon King is willing to stand up for you, the Dark Lord won't dare to act rashly.

"I've thought about that too, but I still don't want to," Aaron said with a bitter face. "Dumbledore is a black-hearted fox; he would never help me with this."

Don't think he'll feel guilty just because he ripped me off in the Department of Mysteries. He'll make every excuse to avoid it unless he gets something out of me.

"Then give him a taste of his own medicine," Clea said casually. "I know you're definitely not happy about it, but you have to make sure you're safe first."

"I'll think about it!" Aaron said, sounding somewhat frustrated.

As long as he asks for help, the power of action will be in Dumbledore's hands.

At that time, he won't care what he has; what matters is what Dumbledore wants.

A day passed in the blink of an eye, and the next evening, Gaius's family and Clea gathered at the dinner table.

None of them ate anything; they just stared at Aaron, and the atmosphere gradually became tense.

"There are still three hours until dawn. What have you decided?" Tepler asked very seriously. "Engagement or fleeing?"

Aaron did not answer, but his actions actually expressed his attitude.

He picked up his fork and began to wolf down his food. He wasn't short of money, but he needed to be well-fed to have the strength to run away.

As for Abei, he carefully stuffed food into his pocket. With the Undetectable Extension Charm applied, his pocket was like a bottomless pit. One by one, he stuffed the food into it, and when he took it out, it was cleaner than if he had licked it.

"It's not too late to ask Order of the Phoenix for help now," Clea said with some concern. "I don't doubt your abilities. If it were just Death Eater outside, they might not be able to stop you, but the Dark Lord can get here with a Apparition."

"I won't reveal it anymore," Aaron said calmly. "I have a trump card to protect myself. Although I don't want to expose it, isn't the purpose of a trump card to be used?"

Asking Dumbledore for help is absolutely out of the question. I've been tricked and have no choice but to submit; I won't suffer that injustice.

"Why are you so stubborn!" Lisana said, somewhat annoyed.

"I agree with my son's decision," Vico said seriously. "If this happens once, it will happen again. In the end, Dumbledore will completely bind him to the chariot, and there will be no turning back."

"That's right." Tepler nodded. "But you should know that we can't help you."

"Then can I...?"

"Not." ×4.

Before Clea could finish speaking, everyone unanimously retorted.

"You absolutely cannot get involved," Tept warned Zheng. "You're not much stronger than Aaron now. He might be able to escape on his own, but with you, it's not so certain."

Furthermore, Voldemort should already know your identity. If you were to leave, he might just give up on Aaron, since capturing you would be the same thing.

Most importantly, if you get caught, this kid definitely won't ignore it.

"I understand," Clea stuck out her tongue.

"Thank you for your concern," Aaron said sincerely. "However, I have to get through this alone. It's quite exciting to think about. I hope my trump card won't scare you."

After eating and drinking his fill, Aaron stuffed Abei into his Backpack under everyone's watchful eyes. Then, he downed two Felix Felicis before slinging the Backpack over his shoulder and heading out the door, ready to face the tough battle to come.

"Wait a minute," Clea called out.

As soon as Aaron turned around, a figure pounced on him.

With the soft, fragrant woman in his arms, his mind went blank for a moment, and it took him a few seconds to come back to his senses.

"Haha..." Aaron gently broke free from Clea's embrace and comforted her, "This is just a small scene. I've seen thousands of troops before. Nothing will happen."

"Say it and do it."

"Of course." Aaron nodded affirmatively, quickened his pace, and left, closing the door behind him.

"Not bad." Lisana gave her an approving look. "But you lacked a bit of courage. You should have kissed him and made him remember you all Summer Holiday."

Vico's lips twitched, and he gave Lisana a speechless look. "Don't teach the child bad habits, Clea. You must not learn from your aunt. These things should be done step by step."

"Don't listen to him, we need to take the initiative in these situations," Lisana said solemnly. "Unmarried men in the Gaius family generally have one weakness, which is..."

"Cough, cough..." Vico coughed desperately. "There's no need to say that, is there?"

"Clea isn't an outsider, or are you dissatisfied with this daughter-in-law?" Lisana scoffed and continued, "That's a sense of responsibility."

Clea seemed to understand, but a glint of light flashed in her eyes. "Auntie, what do you mean?"

Lisana didn't speak, but nodded slightly. "I know my son well. He didn't hide just now, which means he still likes you. So you need to find a way to elevate that liking, and if necessary..."

"Cough cough!"

Tepler coughed, and Lisana's voice abruptly stopped.

She could be a little unrestrained with her husband, but she dared not show any temper with her mistress.

"In short, you have to seize opportunities and make the most of them."

"Thank you, Auntie. I think I know what to do now," Clea said, blushing.

"What a tragedy!" Vico sighed, shaking his head and rubbing his forehead. "I've always felt that love shouldn't be taken so lightly."

"You have a problem with that?"

"No, no," Vico forced a wry smile. "How could I possibly have that!"

Clea looked at the couple, her large, emerald-green eyes blinking blankly, as if she had discovered some incredible secret.