bacchusnovels Chapter 550 Don't put all your eggs in one basket
Chapter 550 Don't put all your eggs in one basket
Chapter 546 Don't put all your eggs in one basket
It's more accurate to call this a mental hospital than a hospital.
Because the scene before them looked almost identical to the mental hospital Hermione had seen on television.
Even—if someone told her.
The mental hospitals in the movie were based on this place, and she might even believe it.
All the bizarre things that happened today started just now.
"arrive."
The group stood in an old-fashioned red brick department store with a sign that read "TaoTao Co., Ltd."
The shop was closed, covered in dust, and had a sign that read "Closed for Renovation" hanging on it.
There were several broken mannequins in the shop window, wearing wigs askew, looking extremely eerie.
"Weren't we here to visit Mr. Weasley at St. Mungo's Hospital?"
Hermione looked around, somewhat puzzled.
"This place has been abandoned for so long, it looks like it hasn't changed much in at least seven or eight years—what are we doing here?"
"Watch closely and stick with me."
Molly said, then gestured for them to come closer to the shop window.
There was only one particularly ugly female mannequin in front of the shop window; its false eyelashes were about to fall off.
"Hello—we've come to see Arthur Weasley."
Immediately afterwards, the dummy nodded, and the group of people were able to walk directly through the glass and enter the interior.
The interior is a completely different world, a crowded hospital lobby.
"Welcome to St. Mungo's Hospital. St. Mungo's Hospital has three entrances and exits in total—that was just one of them."
Upon closer inspection, this lobby is different from a normal hospital lobby.
A normal hospital lobby doesn't have patients with three arms or tails.
and-
It's very lively here. Some people can even breathe fire, and others are watching the spectacle and cheering.
Where did they put us?
The Weasley twins were also seeing a group of people even crazier and more abstract than themselves for the first time, and were momentarily stunned.
If we put the products here, they would definitely sell very well, right?
Their idea is to put a vending machine in the hospital lobby so that anyone with a problem can register for a doctor right there.
"here!"
Molly had already reached the table marked "Information Desk".
There was a notice board nearby that read:
Equipment Accident Department (First Floor)
Biological injuries such as crucible explosions, wand misfires, and broom collisions (Second Floor)
Department of Infections with Unusual Bacteria such as Stings, Burns, and Embedded Spikes (3rd Floor)
Drugs for infectious diseases such as varicella, varicella-zoster, and lymphadenitis, and the Department of Plant Poisoning (4th Floor)
The Curse of Skin Rash, Nausea, Uncontrollable Laughter, and Other Harms (Fifth Floor)
An unbreakable curse, misuse of spells, etc., in the tea room and shop (sixth floor).
If you do not know which department to go to, are unable to speak normally, or have forgotten the purpose of your visit, please contact the receptionist for assistance.
At the very front of the procession, a male wizard was hopping around in a strange, fast-paced dance.
"It hurts—yes—ouch! The shoes my brother gave me—ouch! They're biting me—ouch! My feet! Look—it must be—ah! I'm under a spell, I—ah! I can't take them off—"
He hopped on his left and right feet alternately, as if stepping on hot coals.
"Your shoes aren't getting in the way of your reading, are they?" The blonde witch behind the table pointed impatiently to the large notice board on the left. "You should go to the fifth floor, the Enchanted Damage Department. Next!"
Molly quickly stepped forward.
"Hello, my husband Arthur Weasley was moved to a different ward this morning. May I ask for your help?"
'
"Arthur Weasley?" The witch glanced down at a long list, her fingertips quickly tracing the names. "Oh, here he is. Second floor, second door on the right—Dae Llewellyn's ward."
"Thank you," Molly nodded. "Come with me."
Ministry of Magic.
Umbridge was standing in front of Fudge's desk, saying something with a hypocritical expression.
"Connelly, I told you Phillips was unreliable."
"Look at what happened last night, your meaning is already very clear, but Phillips seems completely—"
"I can't see your expression, yet you're openly protecting Dumbledore."
"If it weren't for him interfering—"
"Dumbledore has probably been laid off."
"But----"
Fudge, however, seemed very hesitant.
"Phillips said the wizarding world cannot do without Dumbledore. If Dumbledore leaves, who will guarantee our safety?"
"No one in this world is indispensable!"
Umbridge waved his hands repeatedly and said righteously.
"With so many Aurors and strikers, are we really afraid of that Fu—the mysterious man?"
It's ridiculous. They didn't even dare to say Voldemort's full name.
They shamelessly claimed that Voldemort was not afraid.
"Have you forgotten the last time we beat him so badly he ran away with his tail between his legs? Even when he comes to the Ministry of Magic, he only dares to sneak in at night like a rat—the Daily Prophet even has a picture of you looking so majestic back then!"
When the photo was mentioned, Fudge's face turned unusually flushed.
I don't know if I'm excited or shy.
"Then we—"
"Hogwarts can be back under your control at any time, given your command."
"But—we still lack evidence."
"I'll intensify my investigation, and I've also got Percy—"
There were only two patients in the ward.
Arthur lay on the bed by the window, with Percy, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, sitting beside him.
Judging from their expressions, the two no longer seemed to be at odds with each other as Molly had described a few months ago.
Perhaps it was this brush with death that eased the tension between the father and son.
However, one could still vaguely see stiffness and awkwardness in their expressions.
Upon seeing everyone enter, both men paused for a moment. Arthur's face lit up with joy, while Percy's expression froze as he slowly rose to his feet.
"Molly, you're here!"
"How are you, Arthur?"
Molly acted as if she didn't see Percy beside her, and walked up to Arthur on her own, then bent down to observe Arthur's condition.
"She looks a bit haggard."
"Fortunately, the doctor said I'll be able to go home soon."
That's wonderful.
While the group was chatting, Percy quietly slipped away to the side of them and patted Ginny on the shoulder.
After giving her a wink, he left the ward.
Ginny glanced at her father lying on the bed, then at the direction Percy had gone, gritted her teeth, and made an excuse to go to the bathroom, and went out with him.
"Brother, apologize to Mom and Dad."
This was the first thing Ginny said to Percy.
As the youngest daughter in the family, Ginny really hopes that the family environment can return to what it used to be.
The months Percy had a falling out with his parents—
For her, it was a nightmare that could never be erased from the depths of her memory.
"No."
Percy shook his head seriously, and seeing Ginny's face turn pale instantly, he quickly explained.
"Ginny, don't you understand even now?"
"Understand what?" Ginny asked sadly.
"Following Dumbledore will only put Mom and Dad in danger—last night's events proved that Dumbledore is unreliable. If it weren't for Dumbledore, Dad wouldn't have been there, and he wouldn't have been hurt!"
"That, that was just—"
"Think about it again. What happened to those pure-blood families in the last war? We were pure-blood families, and they were pure-blood families, but we were on different sides. And what was the result?"
"Not expecting an answer from Ginny," Percy said, almost to himself.
"We won the war. Those pure-blood families who sided with Voldemort lost the war. But those who lost the war escaped trial and continue to enjoy countless Galleons and live in luxury. We who won the war, however, did not change much. We are still poor and have to buy things from second-hand stores."
"So one"
"Does it really matter which side you're on? Does winning or losing matter? Does justice or evil matter?"
"My father and mother have been in danger since that war."
"Fortunately, they were lucky enough not to live a life worse than death upstairs like the Longbottoms."
Have you seen them? You should go see them if you have the chance.
"We can avoid taking risks and reap the benefits without any trouble. We can simply stand by and do what's right when it matters. So why should we take risks? Taking risks doesn't bring us any benefit."
These words were a shock to Ginny.
Ginny wanted to argue, but couldn't find a reason to do so.
"Father was lucky this time, but what about next time? What if he and Mother are given a dangerous mission by Dumbledore and encounter a dangerous situation? What should we do then?"
Percy let out a deep sigh.
"To put it another way, you shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket."
"Dumbledore is old, and Voldemort is young. If Voldemort really does become the ruler of the wizarding world one day, what if our whole family becomes Dumbledore's accomplice?"
"I befriended those pure-blood families in the Ministry of Magic, and I befriended the Minister of Magic, so that if something like this were to happen one day, I could use what I'm doing now to buy my family a chance to survive."
"The mysterious man is here. Will they die? Fudge won't, Umbridge won't, and neither will the pure-blood families. The only ones who will die are people like Mom and Dad."
—
"Ginny, I'm begging you now as your brother."
"I beg you to do me a favor. I know you have something on Hogwarts that could give Dumbledore leverage over you—"
Percy, as if struck by a sudden thought, quickly added a sentence.
"Or perhaps it's some dirt on Phillips."
"Tell me, and I can use this information to get a higher position in the Ministry of Magic."
"If what I just said happens..."
"Then this will be the key to saving our family!"
'
'
When Ginny returned to her room, she seemed lost in thought, staring intently at her father, who was talking animatedly on the bed.
"Don't worry, I'll recover soon."
"Especially you two, George and Fred, try not to upset your mother while I'm not around."
"I'm not worried about Ginny, and Ron has grown up too."
Ginny forced a smile and responded to Arthur's words.
"It will take at most half a month. I'll recover in half a month."
Arthur said with absolute certainty.
"At least I'm luckier than the guy I lived with before, poor young man—he got bitten by a werewolf."
"A werewolf? Is he safe in the public ward? Doesn't he need to be isolated?"
"There are still two weeks until the full moon. The therapist spoke with him this morning, trying to reassure him that he can lead a nearly normal life. I told him I know a werewolf—without mentioning his name, of course. I said he's a nice guy and doing well."
"What did he say?"
He said if I didn't shut up he'd bite me.
'
"Tell us how you got hurt, Dad?"
Arthur began to try to recall what had happened the previous night.
"I remember I was patrolling the Department of Mysteries last night when I heard strange noises at the main gate. I thought it was a thief."
"And the result?"
"I saw that group of people."
""
Arthur said meaningfully.
"It was that group of people you had in mind, there were at least twenty or thirty of them. I was stunned for a moment."
"Mr. Weasley, do you remember who was in charge?" Harry suddenly asked.
"————Mysterious————" Considering it wasn't appropriate to mention that person's name in public, Arthur stammered, "You should know him; you saw him at the Triwizard Tournament not long ago."
Everyone understood, but Harry's expression turned rather unpleasant.
As expected—it was Voldemort.
Why does he keep dreaming about Voldemort? To be precise, not dreaming, but "becoming" Voldemort at certain moments? Could this be the reason Dumbledore hasn't seen him this semester? Afraid that Voldemort will "become" him?
For some reason, Harry felt dirty.
It was contaminated, as if it carried some kind of deadly virus called "Voldemort".
The thought of seeing Voldemort's back of Quirrell's head during the first semester made Harry want to vomit.
Will I one day become possessed by Voldemort like Quirrell? Or will I, under Voldemort's possession, kill those close to me one by one?
Harry trembled at the thought of that possibility.
"What's wrong, Harry?" Ron asked, noticing that Harry's complexion had turned terrible.
"I want to go back to Privet Road. Right now."
Hogwarts.
Although the Weasley twins had left Hogwarts, their goods were delivered to Tonks as promised.
Honest business practices.
Looking at the strange and wonderful candies in front of him, Tonks's face flushed slightly, and the fatigue from working overtime last night vanished completely.
Where should we begin?
After what happened last night, my senior needs to expend his energy and calm down.
As a qualified girlfriend or fiancée, it's time to take action.
Sean sat in his office chair, reading the Voldemort operation report that Bella and the others had sent him not long ago:
yesterday.
Voldemort suddenly left the house, saying he was going to the Ministry of Magic to retrieve something.
We followed him to the Department of Mysteries —
To prevent Arthur's death, I personally took control of him, and then Voldemort ordered him to lead the way—
We searched the entire corridor but didn't find anyone.
Voldemort told us to wait in the lobby while he went off alone to retrieve something.
To avoid alerting them, we dared not follow them.
When he returned, he didn't mention any details about the item, and we still don't know what it was.
However, we will do our utmost over the next few days to find out what that thing is for our master.
The action report also ends with a small heart.
After thinking for a moment, Sean picked up his pen and replied:
Stop asking around, he didn't get anything. But if you have any information about what he did in the house during those three days, you can tell me anytime.
Until now—
No one knew what Voldemort had gone through during those three days.