The Silent Witch of Hogwarts

Chapter 16: Ministry of Magic

"Welcome... May I ask...?" The Auror standing at the door had barely opened his mouth when his eyes, which had been looking up from the newspaper, saw Dumbledore.

"Ah...it's Headmaster Dumbledore!" He smiled respectfully. "Long time no see."

"Mr. Lowell, is that right?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, a smile spreading across his old face. "It's been ten years since you graduated from Hogwarts."

"You still remember me." The Auror named Lowell seemed very happy.

"Of course," Dumbledore nodded slightly. "I know all my students."

"So, Headmaster Dumbledore... you've come here today because..." Auror glanced slightly at the two people standing behind Dumbledore.

When he saw Lupin, his expression of disgust was clearly visible, but perhaps out of consideration for Dumbledore's presence, he merely coughed.

When his gaze met Loila's, he paused for a moment.

"Headmaster Dumbledore...is this your...granddaughter?" He thought for a moment and could only say this.

"No," Dumbledore answered with a smile. "She is Miss Lora Hammill." He then gently patted Lora's shoulder.

Loila visibly trembled when he patted her on the shoulder, then nodded stiffly.

Although Dumbledore had already told her about the alias...

But suddenly faced with this unfamiliar Auror... Loila bit her lip and couldn't utter a word for a long time.

What a... strange fellow... Looking at her silent demeanor, Auror showed a hint of confusion.

"We're here to meet with Director Scrimgeour," Dumbledore said, stepping in front of Royla. "Could we go in first?"

"My old bones can't stand for much longer."

"Ah, I'm sorry, Headmaster Dumbledore... please come in." Auror didn't have time to ask anything more, so he could only nod and lead Dumbledore inside.

Following behind, Loila kept her head down, not even daring to look up at the people there... It wasn't that she was worried these Aurors knew her, she was just simply nervous.

So many...so many people...

The Ministry of Magic staff bustled about, paying close attention to the group under Dumbledore's "celebrity effect," their scrutinizing gazes naturally lingering on Lupin and Royla.

Of course, most of the Ministry of Magic employees showed disgust when they saw Lupin, while most of them were confused when they saw Loyra.

But those confused looks alone were enough to make Loila's face turn pale with tension. She held onto her hood tightly, desperately trying not to reveal her silver hair and pointed ears.

"Miss Hamilton..." Lupin noticed Loira's nervousness. He took a few steps closer and stood to Loira's side, blocking the curious glances directed at her.

"Thank...thank you..." Loila murmured her thanks, but the sound of her thanks was so soft that it was not even as loud as the sound of the Aurors' shoes going back and forth.

She really wasn't good at dealing with crowds, especially Aurors... It was just too... too dizzying...

Fortunately, the road to the office didn't seem too far, and Loila managed to walk to the office door before fainting.

"Director Scrimgeour is here." Lowell bowed slightly, then looked at the two people behind Dumbledore.

"Mr. Lupin..." Before he could finish speaking, Lupin nodded to himself and gave Loila a helpless smile.

"I will wait here for Headmaster Dumbledore to come out."

Seeing Lupin's cooperation, Lowell nodded slightly and then reached out to knock on the door.

"Who?"

A slightly serious voice came from inside the door.

"Director Scrimgeour, Headmaster Dumbledore, and..." he paused, then continued, "Miss Hammill."

"Let them in." The voice from inside the door had barely come when Dumbledore pushed it open and went in.

Loila followed nervously behind him.

The office wasn't big... at least Loila didn't think so. All she could see was the carpet under her feet and the mahogany floor.

"Good morning, Headmaster Dumbledore," came Scrimgeour's voice, which sounded rather serious.

"Good morning, Rufus." Dumbledore smiled gently, his demeanor mild. "It seems we're not too late."

"It didn't affect your lunch."

His joke didn't seem to have any effect; neither Royla nor Scrimgeour laughed.

Loila only cautiously raised her head to glance at Scrimgeour, and immediately lowered her head after seeing his lion-like brown hair.

He looks really fierce!

"Alright, please have a seat, both of you." After a slightly awkward silence, Scrimgeour coughed and said.

As the two sat down in the chairs opposite him, Scrimgeour slowly said, "Headmaster Dumbledore, is this Miss Lola Hammill?"

"That's right." Dumbledore nodded slightly. "This is Miss Hammill, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for next term at Hogwarts."

Hearing the two mention her, Loila subconsciously felt a little nervous. She felt that she should say something, but the words just wouldn't come out for a long time.

My tongue is so clumsy!

She wanted to slap herself.

But Scrimgeour didn't seem to care about any of that. He simply looked at Loila a few times and then said astutely, "She may not seem like a professor, but she's certainly qualified as an Auror."

You're the Auror... your whole family are Aurors...

Loila was not satisfied with his assessment, even though she did not know what Scrimgeour had based his conclusion on.

"However, Headmaster Dumbledore... what we need is an advisor who understands dark magic items, not... a wizard who is good at fighting and also holds a wand in his cuff at the Ministry of Magic."

His words startled Loila, who quickly shrank back.

"Believe me, Miss Hammill's talent in magical artifacts is no less than her talent in dueling." Dumbledore smiled slightly: "She is the person I have ever met who understands magic arrays best."

"Magic array studies?" Scrimgeour raised an eyebrow, his sharp eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses blinking.

"But I've never heard of... such a Miss Hamel... who is skilled in magic arrays." Scrimgeour frowned slightly. "Headmaster Dumbledore, it's not that I don't trust you... it's just that I don't want any oversights."

"This is very important to the Ministry of Magic," he said in a low voice, "especially after what happened before Hogwarts."

What is that kind of thing?

Is it about Professor Quirrell?

Royla wasn't very clear about this matter, and hadn't seen any related reports in the newspapers... except that Quirrell seemed to be Voldemort's henchman in "The Quibbler"...

But the editor-in-chief of that newspaper was Mr. Lovegood… Loila felt the authenticity was questionable!

"Of course I know that." Dumbledore wasn't surprised; he nodded as if he knew Rufus Scrimgeour very well. "But I also believe Miss Hammill won't let you down."

Wait! Stop talking about Dumbledore! I... I'm not that powerful... What if this Director Scrimgeour wants me to deal with a dozen or so dark wizards... I definitely can't do that!

Upon suddenly hearing her own name, Royla wanted to cover Dumbledore's mouth to stop him from saying such self-satisfied words.

It wouldn't be good if we disappointed Mr. Scrimgeour...

"..."

Scrimgeour remained silent for a long time before shaking his head: "I understand."

"Miss Hamel!" His voice suddenly turned serious, startling Loila's pointed ears.

"Tomorrow morning at nine o'clock... I will personally lead the team to carry out the first inspection of black magic items."

"Since Headmaster Dumbledore trusts you so much... I look forward to your performance."

No...please don't...

No...don't have such high expectations...

"Miss Hamilton? Miss Hamilton?"

In the tavern room, Dumbledore and Lupin exchanged a glance, and both pursed their lips as they looked at the absent-minded girl sitting in the chair in front of them.

"The teleportation magic circle needs an empowerment magic circle to provide it with an energy source, and the distribution ratio should follow one to three. In addition..." Ever since she came out of the office, Loila had been constantly reciting these knowledge about magic circles.

"It seems Rufus Scrimgeour is putting a lot of pressure on her," Dumbledore said slowly.

"Director Scrimgeour is indeed somewhat..." Lupin thought for a moment, trying to use a relatively neutral word: "serious."

"This seems a bit too difficult for Miss Hamilton," Lupin said, looking at Dumbledore. "Perhaps we should try something else..."

"No, Remus," Dumbledore shook his head decisively. "This matter must be handled by Miss Hamilton..."

"Furthermore," Dumbledore slowly took something from his pocket and placed it in Lupin's hand, "this might help Miss Hamilton overcome her inner pressure."

Looking at the pale-faced girl who was still muttering some knowledge of magic arrays, Dumbledore smiled gently: "I think Miss Hamilton is not as fragile as we think."

..............................

Yes, Loila is not as fragile as she looks... but that definitely doesn't mean she's strong.

"Good morning, may I ask who you are... Miss Hamel?"

On the morning of the following day, a group of Aurors in the Auror office of the Ministry of Magic welcomed a new advisor.

It was a petite figure, with her entire head covered by a hood, and she even wore a silver mask... a wizard?