Italy, You're Not Even as Good as France!

William felt terrible as he stared at the wooden cup marked "Made in the United Kingdom."

He traveled all the way from the United Kingdom to Venice just to see knock-off United Kingdom- made goods?!

It's like buying a scalped ticket at a high price, only to find out at the concert... the whole thing is lip-synced.

As a level 10 user of NetEase Cloud Music, I instantly became depressed.

The last time William had such a terrible experience was when he woke up to find himself killed, his scratch-off lottery ticket gone.

Well, he was in a pretty good mood at the time. After all, being killed as a hostage and then transported to another world was better than being sold to mine in Africa, right?

Hermione turned the cup over and over, examining it several times. She didn't sense any magic from it.

Combined with that printed text... it's not too difficult to see that this is a fake wine glass!

Forget about the Goblet of Fire; even lighting it as a torch would be too much trouble.

"What do we do? The Goblet of Fire is lost, so the Triwizard Tournament can't be held, right?" Hermione asked.

William glanced at Hermione and sighed.

This silly girl... instead of worrying about the Triwizard Tournament, she should think more about our relationship.

He and Hermione were definitely in the open, but there were only the two of them in the room.

Such an important magical item has vanished without a trace... Can you explain that?!

Just because you say you didn't steal it doesn't mean you didn't steal it.

Okay... even if you two didn't steal it... if we can't find the culprit, then you two have to take the blame first, right?

William knew nothing about Venice, but he was very familiar with the United Kingdom and French Ministry of Magic.

If it were Fudge... without a word, he would first lock him up in Azkaban, then launch a propaganda campaign in the newspapers, smugly claiming that he had captured the criminal.

An investigation? That's something to do after everything has settled down.

Cregan is even more of a bachelor; just look at Newt. He can even make decisions like issuing a city-wide warrant for arrest.

Through these two men, William gained a basic understanding of Europe officials.

Therefore, it's unrealistic to expect all the wizards in the Ministry of Magic to Dumbledore.

These people always manage to do some mind-boggling, incomprehensible things.

So, to flee or not to flee... that is the question.

Just as William hesitated, the door opened again.

Martell walked over slowly and apologized, "Something happened just now that I need to handle urgently. Son, how about the Goblet of Fire?"

Considering Martell's advanced age, William felt it was best to be considerate of his feelings.

Otherwise, the old man might not be able to accept the news and suddenly collapse and die... wouldn't that be William's responsibility?

"It's fine." He lied decisively, "Hermione, hurry up and put it back. It's such a valuable item; don't break it."

William decided to leave first. Even if they later discovered that the Goblet of Fire was fake, it wouldn't concern them.

At least it makes things easier for both sides to argue.

"Wait, child... I need to check on him," Martell interrupted.

"The Goblet of Fire hasn't been reignited in over two hundred years; it must be inspected."

William and Hermione exchanged an innocent look, and the girl carefully handed it over.

Martell examined the wand. After a moment, he suddenly looked up, incredulous, and said, "This Goblet of Fire... it's fake!"

William glanced at Hermione, and without a word, she understood perfectly, saying in a surprised tone:

"Fake? How could this be... I just opened the box... You're not mistaken, are you, sir?"

William gave Hermione a thumbs up; her acting was so good, she could easily win an Oscar.

She's a veteran actress!

"I'm not mistaken." Martell checked again, his face grim.

"I've seen the real Goblet of Fire; it's filled with powerful magic. This one is definitely fake."

William was also shocked, seemingly unable to believe it was fake.

He analyzed, "Someone must have secretly switched them."

There probably aren't many wizards who could enter this room; it was likely someone they knew... I suggest we investigate the guards."

Hermione looked at William with admiration.

He's a veteran actor!

"Yes, a thorough investigation is indeed necessary," Martell said seriously.

He waved his wand, and a silver sand snake flew from its tip, passing through the door and heading outside.

Soon, the four Auror at the door pushed open and entered. Nymeria followed behind, looking completely bewildered.

William glanced at Auror and asked, "You don't suspect either of us, sir, do you?"

"No." Martell took a deep breath and said, "But children, I'm sorry, I have to detain you both for now!"

"Detain us?! Detain us?" Hermione asked angrily.

"Why would we steal the Goblet of Fire? We have Dumbledore's letter; there's no need to steal it!"

"This is just a necessary procedure." Martell stepped back and stood next to the Auror captain.

"You two must remain in your cells until the matter is fully investigated."

"You can't lock us up!" Hermione shrieked. "You have no evidence!"

Martell's eyes widened, as if to say: No evidence?

"Miss Granger, no one has been here for a long time. But in the short time I was out, the Goblet of Fire was switched."

He paused. "I have no evidence, but I have sufficient grounds to detain you and interrogate you."

I know you two are incredibly famous, but fame is not a reason to evade questioning.

I'm just following normal legal procedures.

"No, you didn't!" Hermione changed her mind and said calmly.

"William is the Youth Representative of the Wizengamot and has written authorization from Dumbledore, the president of the International Confederation of Wizards."

His status is equivalent to that of Wizengamot in the United Kingdom.

According to Article 9 of the "International Magical Law Common Guidelines":

High-ranking officials who commit crimes abroad must be interrogated simultaneously under the supervision of sorcerers in both countries. In special circumstances, they may be directly extradited back to their home country.

There are no United Kingdom Ministry of Magic officials monitoring this place.

Hermione paused, then said, "You have no right to interrogate William, nor can you forcibly restrict his freedom without sufficient evidence."

Martell remained silent for a while.

He stared at Hermione for a moment, then said softly:

"Of course, Miss Granger, you have a good memory, and you're absolutely right."

He said seriously, "United Kingdom is a country with a legendary history, a rich culture, and amazing wizards."

I'm not looking for conflict.

We are committed to developing a constructive and results-oriented relationship with the United Kingdom Ministry of Magic, and to opening channels of communication and mitigating risks within our defense relationship.

Martell then changed the subject, "So we will abide by the law and will not restrict Mr. Stark's freedom; we will only send Auror to monitor him."

But you are not Wizengamot, nor are you a youth representative; you must cooperate with the interrogation and remain in your cell for investigation.

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. In her opinion, this was the best outcome.

William's investigation, whether to inform Dumbledore or to uncover the truth sooner... could save her.

She hadn't considered the possibility of not finding the Goblet of Goblet of Fire, because William... was certain he could find it. She blindly trusted him.

The girl looked at the boy, but he simply shook his head slightly.

"Don't be silly, Hermione." William grinned and said, "Venice prison, not Hogwarts, that's no joke."

It's neither safe nor comfortable there.

"Is that right, Mr. Martell?"

Martell didn't answer, but that was an admission.

Because of the Dementor guarding it, Azkaban is the most famous prison in the Wizarding World. But Venice's magical prison is no less impressive.

It is divided into two types: water dungeons and lead-topped cells.

As the name suggests, a water prison is built in water, usually at the same level as the water level. Therefore, the prison is often flooded.

With continuous heavy rains, the water level is probably waist-deep every day.

The lead-roofed cells were located next to the cells on the top floor.

The roofs of these cells were made of lead, making them unbearably hot in summer and bitterly cold in winter.

Anything involving prison is a bad place to go.

The old man said in a deep voice, "We will ensure Miss Granger's safety; you can rest assured about that..."

William scoffed and interrupted, "What guarantee do you have?"

They didn't even realize the Goblet of Fire was lost... Italy.

I seriously doubt that your fighting capacity is even as good as France's.

"But..." Hermione hesitated.

If he did that, William would definitely be wanted by the police. He could get out safely on his own; there was no need for him to take such a risk for her.

William reached out and pinched Hermione's cheek, glaring at her. "No buts," he said, "I won't leave you alone in prison."

Hermione looked at the boy, her eyes moist and red. She bit her lip and didn't argue further.

"Besides, if your father finds out, I'll throw you in jail," William muttered. "Won't he break all three of my legs?"

Hermione couldn't help but burst out laughing. She rubbed her red eyes and rolled her eyes at William.

Martell stared intently at William. "As a smart man, Stark, the choice you made today was foolish."

You want to defy high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Magic? Are you trying to obstruct our investigation? Even if you're United Kingdom, Dumbledore won't protect you.

"Furthermore, given what you just said, I think not only your wand, but also any magical items you carry should be inspected."

"Look," William said arrogantly, seemingly oblivious to everyone else, "Hermione, you still want me to go out and investigate."

They've been wanting to confiscate the wands for a while now, and they want to confiscate the magical items too.

Do you think we can give it to him?

The girl bit her lip and shook her head vigorously.

The two's Safety Watch conceal a multitude of secrets. Aside from the Dementor, which are best left unseen, there's the Goblin Gems and the Ravenclaw's Diadem.

This cannot be handed over to the Italy Ministry of Magic.

William grinned and ruffled Hermione's thick, fluffy brown hair.

He turned his head, his gaze gradually turning cold, and said calmly, word by word, "You see, it's simple."

The Auror captain, already on high alert, suddenly shouted, "Watch out!"

At the same time, the wand shot out a spell, which, in full view of everyone, struck Martell's head, leading some sharp-eyed onlookers to believe that he had gone mad.

Little did they know that the spell, when broken, produced a clanging sound like metal striking stone.

Another silver flash swirled in the room, followed by a deafening roar like a cannon shot, causing the floor to shake.

Then, a second silver flash exploded, filling the air with dust.

Nymeria's eyes widened suddenly as she saw four Auror already on the ground.

Martell, like a sand snake whose body had been stretched straight, flew backward and landed motionless on the ground, most likely unconscious.

She turned her head and stared at Stark, her eyes filled with horror.

The boy, along with the girl, shattered the floor-to-ceiling window on one side of the room and jumped straight out from the fifth floor.

Nymeria slumped to the ground in a daze, staring blankly at the five people lying on the ground.

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