Caught Off Guard

Eli had spent his most relaxing days yet, but sudden upheaval would not let that peace last for long.

Eli stared at the letter Rita had sent, his brow tightly furrowed and his face grim.

He immediately wrote back, ordering the House-elves to cease all outside activities and return to the factory at once. They were not to go anywhere for the time being, and they were to strengthen the defenses.

The contents of the letter were simple, yet they struck like a bolt from the blue.

Mundungus had been arrested by the Ministry of Magic!

Eli quickly sent a letter to Dumbledore. Dumbledore had to handle this personally.

Eli had no influence at the Ministry of Magic whatsoever. If Dumbledore did not intervene, Mundungus could only fall into the Ministry's hands.

The evidence they held was simply too damning for Eli to get him out of trouble.

Mundungus's arrest was a serious matter. For a time, there was no one to manage the Phoenix Potion Shop, and Eli could not have the House-elves do it.

No one let House-elves manage shops. Wizards had plenty of ways to deal with House-elves.

For the time being, the Phoenix Potion Shop closed its doors once again.

Wizards began discussing it heatedly. Soon afterward, the Daily Prophet began running an article titled, [The Manager of Phoenix Potion Shop Is a Thief].

The words themselves were mild, but they were like a pebble tossed into a still lake, stirring wave after wave.

This was the most Eli could do. He could not make Rita keep completely silent, because if he did, Rita might end up falling into their hands as well.

He could only make the newspaper's wording less harsh.

Suddenly, a ripple of magic reached him, and Eli immediately noticed it.

Then came