Early Holiday

Silvan stared at the newspaper, never having expected the problem troubling him to be resolved this way.

Pius Thicknesse had been killed by Voldemort, becoming the second Minister for Magic to die in the war. The news quickly brought the atmosphere in the Hogwarts Great Hall down to freezing point.

Harry, sitting across from him, wore a complicated expression.

He certainly did not like Pius Thicknesse, but he had never wanted Voldemort to kill him. After all, he was not merely a wizard; he was the Minister for Magic. His death would be a heavy blow to everyone.

"You were right again, Silvan," Ron said. "Voldemort really did attack the Ministry of Magic again. And look at this—"

He pointed at a passage in the newspaper.

"—Albus Dumbledore appeared to have received word in advance and crushed the Dark Lord's scheme the moment he appeared. Even so, many people were injured in the attack. Just five minutes ago, Auror Office Head Gawain Robards drove back a gigantic snake and rescued Dorothy Arnold, a member of the Wizarding Examinations Authority who had only returned from Hogwarts yesterday."

There was a photograph beneath it.

It had probably been taken in a hurry. It was blurry and badly shaken, but it was still easy to tell at a glance that the witch lying on the stretcher was slightly hunched over.

"It was exactly like your prediction. She really was hurt," Ron said in astonishment.

Hermione instinctively wanted to argue, but in the end, she merely opened her mouth and said nothing.

She could not understand it. Dumbledore had not hidden his whereabouts; everyone knew he had been at the Ministry of Magic the whole time, and Voldemort surely knew it too. But why had he attacked the Ministry anyway?

Just to kill a