Voldemort had fled farther than Tris had expected, going all the way to Luxembourg in one stretch.
It was a small country nestled between Germany, France, and Belgium, but a wealthy one. Steel and finance were its mainstay industries these days. Its population numbered only a few hundred thousand, many of them foreign residents.
There were actually quite a few witches and wizards in the country. It had a national Quidditch team, a national Gobstones team, and even a national Exploding Snap team, but no Ministry of Magic.
Don't ask. The answer was that every witch and wizard here was a free spirit who loved their freedom, with no interest in managing others or being managed themselves.
That was why, among Europe's developed nations, Luxembourg's witches and wizards were notorious for their carefree ways.
Voldemort might have chosen to establish his temporary lair here partly because the country had no Ministry of Magic.
It took Dumbledore less than half an hour to find the place, but the preparations afterward took two hours. During that time, Dumbledore demonstrated the connections and influence of the foremost good wizard in the Wizarding World.
Even with the British Ministry of Magic already sending its elite Aurors, he still managed to borrow three elite Auror units from the major nations of France, Germany, and Belgium.
Their total strength exceeded a hundred, and their average ability was no lower than that of Kingsley, who was himself a mainstay of the Order of the Phoenix.
That was where the difference became clear.
The British Ministry of Magic had sent only thirteen people.
This certainly wasn't because the British Ministry of Magic wasn't taking the matter seriously. Amelia Bones and Rufus Scrimgeour, the Ministry's second- and third-ranking figures in terms of real power, were leading the team. That