Su Er's calmly spoken words made the atmosphere freeze for a moment.
It was mainly because the names Su Er mentioned carried considerable weight. One headed the entire Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including such enforcement bodies as the Auror Office, and was the Aurors' boss's boss.
The other needed even less introduction: the man universally acknowledged as the strongest white wizard in the wizarding world today.
The short-haired man's expression shifted, and he looked at Su Er with some uncertainty. Just as he was hesitating over what to say-
Someone came to the rescue. Two faint pops sounded almost simultaneously from beyond the crowd. The Ministry of Magic officials respectfully opened a path, and a man who looked like an old lion, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, walked over.
His gait was somewhat odd, as though he had a limp, but there was a certain easy confidence to his long strides. The yellow eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses swept sharply over the scene. His gaze paused for a moment on the Death Eater lying on the ground, his fate unknown, and his pupils contracted slightly. Then his gaze passed over Su Er and the others with seeming casualness before finally settling on the short-haired man.
"What happened?" The question came from another man who had followed behind him: Barty Crouch. His gaze was cold and piercing, and his voice held not a trace of emotion. His eyes bulged slightly, and he gripped his wand tightly, looking somewhat crazed.
"Director Scrimgeour," the short-haired man first addressed the brown-haired man who had arrived first, then paused. "Mr. Crouch, this is what happened..."
The short-haired man briefly explained everything that had happened from their arrival up to that point, including the threat Su Er had made before Scrimgeour arrived.
"So the one who cast