The End of January

Harry thought the Azkaban Breakout would make Umbridge more restrained, that she would be ashamed of the huge blunder that had occurred right under her dear Fudge's nose. However, it seemed to only make her more desperate to control life at Hogwarts.

She seemed determined to fire Hagrid, and she brought her whiteboard to almost every class on Care of Magical Creatures.

Harry felt Hagrid was on the verge of a breakdown. Although he seemed to have heeded Hermione's advice and hadn't used anything more frightening than the Crup in class since Christmas, he still seemed to be affected. He was distracted and absent-minded in class, often forgetting the lecture's flow, answering questions incorrectly, and constantly glancing nervously at Umbridge.

He also distanced himself from Harry and his two companions, specifically telling them not to visit him after dark.

"If she catches us, we're all finished," he said bluntly. Not wanting to implicate him further, they stopped going to his cabin that night.

Harry felt that Umbridge was gradually stripping away what made his life at Hogwarts meaningful: visits to Hagrid's Hut, Sirius Black's letters, his Firebolt, and Quidditch. He could only retaliate in his own way: by doubling down in the Dumbledore's Army.

When news of the Death Eaters' escape arrived, Harry was pleasantly surprised to find that the members were training even harder. However, among all of them, Neville's change was particularly noticeable.

He became taciturn, rarely speaking to anyone during training, only burying himself in practicing every spell Harry taught him, his round face taut. Even when injured, he would simply wipe away the blood and continue training without a word of complaint. His progress was astonishing; when Harry taught a special armor spell, only Hermione learned it before Neville.

However, this is not simply because Hermione is smarter than Neville.

Her obsession was even more terrifying than Neville's. She studied every spell with all her might, and she wouldn't stop until she cast a spell with power beyond normal limits. Her eyes were always filled with resentment, and she kept muttering things like, "Not enough... not enough..."

Harry gradually realized that Hermione's pursuit of power seemed to have gotten a little out of control. Although they had said they hoped their members would have the ability to protect themselves when they founded Dumbledore's Army, in reality, no one really thought they would be facing the Death Eaters face to face. He could see a strange madness in Hermione's eyes, as if she was chasing something and was determined to get it.

But none of that matters.

For him, the most important thing was that Dumbledore's Army's army was growing stronger rapidly.

He, Harry Potter, leader of the Dumbledore's Army, finally possessed his own power. He inexplicably recalled the image of Draco always being surrounded by a group of lackeys, and the sycophantic upperclassmen around McLaggen. And now, he stood in the same position.

A burning sensation rose from my lower abdomen, transforming into a surging, intense emotion in my chest.

Ambition gleamed in his eyes; he would lead these people against Umbridge and become their idol. He even began to wonder if, if he were stronger, more intimidating, he could change everything at Hogwarts.

"Sure..."

The mysterious voice echoed in my mind once more.

"You are the chosen Savior, think of the exquisite magic you have learned... that magic that can control hearts and minds, that awe-inspiring magic... When you raise your voice, all will follow you, fighting together against your enemies..."

Harry unconsciously clenched his fist, a shadow passing through the depths of his pupils.

Ron watched all this silently, his unease growing stronger. He noticed Harry's change and Hermione's obsession. But he didn't believe the problem lay with them.

He attributed all of this to Skylar.

Although they had different reasons, Harry and Hermione's transformations were ultimately influenced by Skylar; in the end, they were both simply trying to follow in Skylar footsteps.

Ron said nothing on the surface, but the jealousy in his eyes grew even stronger.

Time flies—the staggering amount of homework that often keeps fifth graders up all night, and the secret Dumbledore's Army gatherings—have made January almost come to an end before we even realize it.

Before January truly came to an end, the Death Eaters, who had been lying in wait, began to make their move.

Skylar received a lot of intelligence every day—for example, Cuthbert Mokrich, who had just retired from his position as head of the Goblin Liaison Office and was enjoying his retirement at home, was suddenly visited by an uninvited guest one night, but apart from Skylar, no one else paid any attention to it.

Skylar guessed that Mokri was probably under the influence of the Imperius Curse, but what contribution could a mere retired Ministry of Magic employee possibly make to Voldemort? This actually puzzled Skylar. He didn't make a fuss about it, but simply added his name to the Sleeping Dragon Society's surveillance target list.

What is certain at present is that Voldemort's main target remains the Prayer Wheel Portkey within the Department of Mysteries.

Therefore, he will inevitably use the Imperius Curse to gradually infiltrate the Ministry of Magic and establish a small circle under his control. Regardless of the process, as long as Skylar holds the Department of Mysteries as the line of defense, Voldemort's scheme will come to nothing.

However, something Skylar still happened—

Florian Fortescue Fortescue, the owner of the ice cream shop in Diagon Alley, has mysteriously disappeared.

When Skylar saw this intelligence, his brows furrowed deeply. It was indeed the plot from the original work, but it was set a full six months earlier than in the original story.

The original book mentions that Florian Fortescue Fortescue was actually a descendant of Headmaster Fortescue and was well-versed in magical history. Because of this, he knew a little about the origins of the Elder Wand, which was the reason he was kidnapped by the Death Eaters and ultimately killed.

A glint of shrewdness flashed in Skylar's eyes.

Florian Fortescue was just an ice cream shop owner; his capture wouldn't seem to help Voldemort's plot to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic. In other words, if his mysterious disappearance was related to Voldemort, then Voldemort's goal was obvious— the Elder Wand!

It seems my appearance has really changed a lot of the plot, and Voldemort's pursuit of the Elder Wand has been brought forward.

But the most perplexing question is—who exactly revealed the existence of the Elder Wand to Voldemort?

In this world, Voldemort did not fight Harry, and therefore did not trigger the replay spell effect between the wands. Given this, he shouldn't have known about the potential conflict between his wand and Harry's, much less have been in a hurry to find a new wand. In other words—he originally had neither a reason nor sufficient motivation to pursue the Elder Wand.

There must be someone pulling the strings behind all of this.

Florian Fortescue's disappearance did not happen quietly.

According to the Auror's report afterward, the Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour was in a mess, clearly indicating a violent conflict had taken place. Judging from the traces at the scene, Florian Fortescue was forcibly abducted, and even force was used in the process. Combined with the news of the Death Eaters' prison break, many wizards and civilians couldn't help but connect the two events, and panic began to spread throughout the wizarding community.

This caused widespread panic in Diagon Alley.

People are wary of safety outside and are going out less often. Businesses in Diagon Alley are the first to be affected, losing a lot of business and income due to the decrease in foot traffic.

In contrast, Shield Security Consulting Company's revenue increased rather than decreased.

As people's demand for security increases, more and more customers are proactively seeking the services of Shield Security Consulting Company. Penelope Clearwater's team has also expanded rapidly in a short period of time, with her staff now numbering ten, and Verity, one of the earliest members, has been promoted to team leader to help her with management. Despite this, they are still overwhelmed by the almost insane market demand.

Many business tycoons finally realized that this once inconspicuous armor shop had been transformed by Penelope into the most valuable and influential business in Diagon Alley.

Every day, countless people approach Penelope with collaboration and investment proposals, trying to get a piece of the pie. However, backed by Skylar's funds and connections, she doesn't take these people seriously at all and rejects all proposals.

Her decisive and ruthless iron lady style has spread throughout Diagon Alley, even earning her the title of "Business Queen." In an instant, this Muggle- born witch has become a highly sought-after and influential figure in the wizarding business world.

This made her even more annoyed.

Her talent and beauty attracted many suitors; every day, all sorts of promising young men tried to woo her. However, she remained indifferent. In her heart, there was only the Malfoy family boy—

It was he who reached out and helped her when she was at her lowest point;

He was the one who gave her her first chance to make a name for herself in the wizarding world;

Without him, Penelope wouldn't have achieved what she has today.