Chapter 1307 A Darkly Humorous Scene
Scringer made the decision he had as head of the Auror office, buying precious time for relief efforts across London.
But the Ministry of Magic, led by Fudge, was clearly not going to stop operating because of his disobedience. The black and white vortex symbolizing Apparition kept flashing at the street corner, and the crowd that appeared this time was dressed in the standard robes of the Ministry of Magic.
Most of them were pale-faced, with fearful eyes, and their wands were held awkwardly. They were clearly clerical and logistical staff who had been urgently transferred from the office, and were definitely not combat personnel.
Scrimgeour, who had just come down from the stage, stared coldly at them. Among these staff members were not only clerical staff from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but also tense-looking members of the Reversal of Unexpected Magical Events Team, and even two staff members in logistics uniforms who seemed completely out of place on the front lines.
Leading the group was a short, stout, bald, middle-aged wizard with thick-lensed glasses named Sebastian Finkel, who was the new Senior Deputy Minister succeeding Umbridge.
As he walked from the street corner to outside the police line, Finkel kept wiping non-existent sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.
His small eyes behind his glasses scanned nervously the Muggles lying around the stage. Perhaps it was the first time he had seen such a sight, because he and the group of staff behind him walked very slowly.
Vincent jumped off the stage and stood next to Scrimgeour. "Fudge's men are here. Can you handle them?"
Scrimgeour smirked slightly. "Thanks to you, I can do whatever I want without anyone finding it strange."
"Vincent Wayne!"
The two looked in the direction of the sound and saw the short, stout Finkel bending over and entering the cordon in a particularly comical manner.
"I, Sebastian Finkel, am here to arrest you on the direct orders of Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge!"
He held up a parchment stamped with the minister's seal, gesturing menacingly but ultimately weakly. "You have openly, deliberately, and seriously violated the International Wizarding Federation's Secrecy Law by using extremely dangerous magic in front of countless Muggles. His Excellency the Minister has clearly stated that your actions were not a rescue, but a meticulously planned act of terrorism aimed at completely destroying the fragile balance between the wizarding world and the Muggle world!"
He glanced at the victims being treated by the Aurors. "You have committed a crime a thousand times more serious than the unfortunate events before you. Immediately cease resistance and submit to the Ministry of Magic's detention!"
"Pfft—", the masked old men of the Preface Association couldn't help but laugh out loud.
They are all veterans of the UMNO party, they've seen all sorts of big scenes, are these oddballs here to make a joke?
Openly, deliberately, and seriously violating the "Secrecy Law of the International Wizarding Federation"? With that shout, everyone knew of the existence of the magical world.
This scene is utterly absurd, a veritable black comedy. The lack of presence of the staff behind Finkel contrasts sadly with the Aurors who are frantically trying to provide assistance.
Many busy people cast angry or disdainful glances at them, and even some Muggles who had regained consciousness looked at this strangely dressed group of bad guys shouting for help at a time like this with confusion.
Scrimgeour laughed angrily. "Senior Deputy Minister Finkel, take your bunch of office bastards who can't even Apparate and throw up and get out of here right now! This place needs capable people, not parrots reading from prepared scripts! Your so-called ministerial orders are nothing but a pile of waste paper in the face of reality!"
Finkel's face flushed instantly. He stared intently at Vincent, only to find that the other man wasn't even looking at him. This disregard made him feel more uneasy and humiliated than any rebuttal.
He recalled Fudge's final roar before he set off:
"Sebastian, if you don't bring Vincent Wayne back, then get the hell out of here!"
Fueled by adrenaline, Finkel yelled at the top of his lungs, "Rufus Scrimgeour! You are openly disobeying orders! Protecting a serious criminal!"
Minister Fudge emphasized that arresting Vincent Wayne was the only priority to uphold the Ministry's authority and restore public confidence! He must bear full responsibility for the magical exposure crisis he caused!
Finkel pointed his fat finger at the unconscious victims, "As for these accidents, the relevant departments will handle them!"
All these years later, Fudge's methods are still as low-level as ever.
The Ministry of Magic's inadequate oversight and slow response are well-known facts, and trying to divert attention by arresting people only makes it appear more incompetent.
On one side is Vincent, the Dark Lord who arrived at the battlefield at the first moment and saved countless victims, and on the other side are the Aurors who openly defied the minister's orders and devoted themselves to the rescue, setting aside political factors.
On the other side was a well-dressed, law-holding arrest team hastily assembled by the Senior Deputy Minister of Magic, shouting for the capture of serious criminals but not daring to approach the victims, showing indifference to the real disaster and lives.
The contrast was so stark that even some of the younger employees behind Finkel lowered their heads in shame.
Scrimgeour, with a stern face, strode toward them.
Just as Scringer was about to actually drive them away, Vincent's bracelet on his wrist suddenly vibrated; it was an alarm from the A-type spheres scattered throughout London.
He immediately turned on the projection screen and connected it to the live monitoring screen.
Buckingham Palace, decorated for Christmas Eve, looked both solemn and warm. A huge Christmas tree stood in front of the square, and colorful lights outlined the building's silhouette.
However, the royal guards standing guard in front of the palace gates fell to the ground in droves, curled up in a familiar posture, and scratching their throats and chests.
Up close, Vincentra could even see their expressions of extreme pain and the eerie black sludge spreading across their faces.
The live monitoring footage is silent, but that silent struggle and contortion is more suffocating than any scream.
The palace lights began to flicker erratically, and an ominous shadow was looming over the magnificent building.
The projection screen was clear enough that Carlton, standing outside the police line, instantly turned deathly pale. "No... God..."
Even Finkel and the Ministry of Magic staff behind him were stunned, their mouths agape, speechless.
Scrimgeour's fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and his eyes were blazing with fury.
Vincent shut down the projection screen, his cold gaze sweeping over the stunned Finkel and his arresting team.
His voice was devoid of emotion. “Director Scrinker, I don’t have time to play with them. The source of the curse isn’t hard to find. You can borrow some flashlights from Supervisor Carlton outside.”
The double serpent staff glowed red.
"Wayne, no—"
The red light split into more than a dozen beams in mid-air. Before Scrimgeour could finish speaking, Finkel and his capture team had already fallen to the ground in unison, without even having time to raise their wands.
The next second, Vincent soared into the air, transforming into a streak of white light piercing the night.
Scrimgeour looked up in the direction where he had disappeared, then glanced at Finkel on the ground with disgust, and shook his head helplessly.
Then he yelled at the Aurors, "Drag these nuisances to the side of the road! Don't let them get trampled!"
The rescue operation is continuing in an orderly manner, but everyone knows that an even more horrific tragedy is about to unfold.
Of course, this is all on the premise that Vincent didn't have time to stop him.
……
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