Death of Bode

December 18th, 7 days until Christmas.

At breakfast time, Skylar opened the Daily Prophet, and a striking news item caught his eye—a serious medical accident had occurred at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, and Ministry of Magic employee Broderick Bode Bode had died a violent death.

He frowned slightly, his gaze sweeping across the newspaper. The report stated that Bode had been attacked by Devil's Snare while hospitalized, suffocating to death after being tightly bound. By the time medical staff arrived, it was too late. The authorities classified the incident as a "medical malpractice," but Skylar knew in his heart that it was no accident.

This is exactly the same as in the original story.

Broderick Bode Bode, like Sturgis Podmore before him, was clearly under the influence of Imperius Curse. This accident was the means to silence him.

He had long suspected that Voldemort or Walpurgis were coveting something from the Department of Mysteries, but the problem was— Voldemort was now isolated, with no one to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic, and he himself couldn't act personally, otherwise his presence would be exposed, losing his advantage of remaining hidden. So, who had infiltrated the Ministry of Magic and cast the Imperius Curse on Bode?

According to Bole's intelligence, the Shadow of the Magic Dragon did indeed have a spy planted in both the Ministry of Magic and the Order of the Phoenix, but Bole did not know the spy's identity. Moreover, as far as Skylar knew, Morgan should still be in North America at the moment. As shrewd as she was, she couldn't possibly be unaware of the importance of the spy's secrecy, and he didn't think that Walpurgis and Voldemort would be able to use her spy.

Therefore, the only thing that can be confirmed is that someone in the Ministry of Magic is working for Voldemort or Walpurgis.

Skylar's lips curled into a smile; he knew who he should ask about this matter.

Hogwarts, the cellars, Snape's office.

Snape stood behind his desk, his hands clasped in front of his chest, his expression somber. His black robes cast shadows in the dim light, making him look more like a pensive bat.

Skylar stood across the desk, his eyes slightly narrowed. "You must have seen the 'medical malpractice' at St. Mungo's's."

Snape nodded and said softly, "Broderick Bode Bode —a Unspeakable —was strangled to death in St Mungo's Hospital by a Devil's Snare disguised as a potted plant. It was clearly a murder."

"Professor, do you know what this is about?" Skylar asked in a deep voice.

"It's Ludo Bagman," Snape said simply.

"Who?" Skylar didn't react for a moment.

Snape raised his eyes coldly, a hint of disdain in his voice. "Former Britain Quidditch national team Beater, current Department of Magical Games and Sports... and also a Death Eaters."

"Bagman... Death Eaters?" Skylar's pupils contracted slightly, and he said with a hint of surprise.

Snape nodded and said coldly, "Because he owed a huge gambling debt, he dared not return to the Ministry of Magic, so he wandered around, but somehow fell into the hands of the Dark Lord and eventually became a Death Eaters."

It seems that Voldemort has done quite a few other things lately besides recruiting Banshee and Ogre. It must be said that turning Bagman into a Death Eaters was a good move.

As the Department of Magical Games and Sports, Bagman held a high enough position within the Ministry of Magic to have access to many people, but not such a powerful department that it would easily attract the attention of others.

Skylar pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "So, Bode is controlled by Bagman?"

"That's right." Snape nodded slowly. "Bagman the Imperius Curse, allowing Bode to infiltrate the Department of Mysteries as Unspeakable. But, as fate would have it, Bode's actions ultimately attracted the attention of another Unspeakable."

"Who?" Skylar squinted.

Snape softly uttered a name: "Saul Croaker."

"Did he notice something was wrong with Bode?" Skylar asked.

"To be precise, it was an unexpected coincidence. Croaker inadvertently stumbled upon Bode's actions and severely injured him in the fight," Snape said slowly. "Bode was already in a state of impermanence, mentally unstable. After being attacked by Croaker, his brain was damaged, and he completely lost consciousness, unable even to maintain the Imperius Curse. When the Ministry of Magic found him, he had become an incapacitated mental patient and had to be sent to St. Mungo's's."

Skylar rested his finger on his chin, saying thoughtfully, "You mean, Croaker accidentally stumbled upon Bode's affair and then defeated Bode in battle... That seems like too many coincidences."

Snape did not answer.

A silence fell over the room.

This is actually quite illogical. As an Unspeakable, it would be perfectly normal for Bode to enter the Department of Mysteries; why would it be said that he was caught by Croaker? And how did Croaker know that Bode harbored ill intentions?

The only explanation is that, while under the Imperius Curse, Bode attempted to attack Croaker to complete his mission, but was instead killed by Croaker.

That's certainly possible. But, as fellow Unspeakable, why is Croaker's combat strength so much greater than Bode's?

Moreover, being suddenly ambushed by a long-time colleague is no easy feat to evade, let alone launch a timely counterattack. In the original stories, Voldemort used Yaxley to control several officials in the Ministry of Magic, yet none of them successfully retaliated.

This Croaker is probably someone of extraordinary background as well.

Skylar finally broke the silence, saying, "So, Voldemort, to silence him, arranged for someone to kill him with Devil's Snare."

Snape said calmly, "Obviously."

A brief silence fell over the office, broken only by the popping of bubbles from the crucible in the corner.

"But there's still one thing I don't understand," Skylar said slowly, "What exactly does Voldemort want?"

Snape's expression darkened, and he slowly shook his head. "I don't know either."

Skylar narrowed his eyes slightly, and said thoughtfully, "But in any case, one thing is certain—what they covet is within the Department of Mysteries."

He paused, then emphasized, "Moreover, this item is crucial to them. First it was Sturgis Podmore, and now it's Bode, which shows they're determined to get it."

A glint of light flashed in his eyes, and he said coldly, "This failure won't stop them; it will only make them more cautious. They will definitely strike again."

Snape nodded, his eyes deep, and said, "Dumbledore thinks so too."

"Speaking of which, what is the Order of the Phoenix's response to this?" Skylar asked with a strange expression.

"The Order of the Phoenix has always had people on duty in shifts to guard the Department of Mysteries, but since Sturgis's incident, they only have one Invisibility Cloak left, so they can only send one person on duty at a time," Snape said.

Skylar shook his head and said, "These people alone are not enough to protect the Department of Mysteries. Voldemort is not alone; the next one to strike could be someone even more dangerous."

"So... you mean..." Snape frowned, pondering Skylar's words.

Skylar, with a knowing look on his face, smiled and said, "Didn't Dumbledore reunite the First Order of the Phoenix? I think it's about time they got their turn."

"That's difficult..." Snape shook his head slightly. "Many of them aren't directly under Dumbledore's command, and as far as I know, Yusof Kama, Yullari Hicks, and Bentley Dirk already have their own missions."

A barely perceptible glint of coldness flashed in Skylar's eyes as he said softly, "Are they all in Great Britain?"

"I can't be sure," Snape said slowly, "But I think it is; at least I saw them at the last meeting."

Skylar sneered. He had built a comprehensive intelligence network in Great Britain, and as long as they remained in Great Britain, they could not completely escape his surveillance.

Moreover, it won't be long before the day Arthur Weasley is attacked by Nagini in the original story, only this time, the attacker won't be a giant snake, but something even more dangerous.

Whoever is guarding the Department of Mysteries, it's unlikely they'll escape unscathed.

"You can pass on a message to Dumbledore for me. Tell him that Voldemort will be sending an even more dangerous person in a few days. Tell him to be careful, otherwise..." Skylar paused deliberately before saying with a cold laugh, "Heh, the Order of the Phoenix is probably about to suffer its first casualty."

(Note: Although the Order of the Phoenix has lost Mundungus and Podmore, the former went missing and the latter was imprisoned, neither of which can be considered a casualty.)

Consider this information as a small favor to Dumbledore.