Disclaimer: This is a fan-fiction work. The events depicted herein did not happen and will not happen in real life. The Author of this work does not claim to own the Harry Potter Universe or the copyright of the same. Any character that appears in this work that may resemble a real person, living or dead, is not intended to represent such person, and any and all resemblance to such person is purely coincidental. Please note that some of the actions depicted in this work may be illegal and should not be imitated in real life.

HARRY POTTER AND THE KNIGHTS OF WALSINGHAM

ONE

It was not possible for any person to actually be able to understand the many tens – perhaps even hundreds – of conversations that were being held in the main floor of the Ministry of Magic, even if that person who would try would use a magical artifact or spell to help him or her. There was no spell in place that prevented people from eavesdropping on other people as they carried out their small private conversations, it is just that the sheer number of conversations that were taking place at that particular moment made it impossible for anyone to actually listen in on the conversations that were happening around them.

That was exactly what was on the mind of Harry James Potter as he stepped out of one of the many fireplaces in the main floor of the Ministry of Magic, which was why he did not bother to even try to listen in on some of the conversations that were going on around him as he purposely walked toward the main entrance to the Ministry, his red auror robes gathered about him and marking him as a member of the elite arm of the law enforcement division of the Ministry of Magic.

As he walked through the floor on his way to the main entrance, some people would turn from whatever it is that they were doing so that they could stare at him, but Harry pointedly ignored them by not even turning his attention toward them, giving them the impression that he was already late for a meeting, and hence, he could not spare the time to speak with anyone.

The man who had been given the moniker of 'the Man-who-Won' knew that it was not only his auror robes that were making people stop and their attention toward him so that they can gawk at him. Far more than the robes that he was wearing, Harry knew that it was his reputations that made people stare at him, and that it was not only his own countryman who are prone to that.

As a sigh escaped from the lips of the young man, he told himself that he could not help it, after all, having been the one to end the Second Blood War, it was but a matter of course for him to be considered as a hero and as a celebrity. Add to that would be the fact that prior to the outbreak of the war, he had already been famous for being the one to cause the – arguable – end of the First Blood War.

In the opinion of Harry, if there was one good thing about the war, it was the fact that those who had taken part in the final battle of the same had been allowed to enter the elite auror corps without going through the standard testing, though the training remained the same, after all, it would not do for the elite arm of magical law enforcement to be made up of barely legal teenagers who just had the good fortune of surviving the final battle of the Second Blood War.

It had been six years since the Battle of Hogwarts, and six years since Harry had joined the auror corps. In those six years, he had not been idle, and this is evidenced by the fact that even though he is only twenty four years of age, he is already the captain of one of four elite auror teams – more cutting edge than the other teams – that the Ministry had raised in the aftermath of the war.

Charged with only the most sensitive missions, this meant that the members of this team rarely go out into the field, and indeed, ever since he became a member of this team, Harry had not been asked to go out and patrol Diagon Alley. Although it may seem to be unfair to the others, the truth was that assignment with the elite teams meant more danger, because even now, six years after the end of the Second Blood War, there are still those followers of Voldemort that remained at large, striking at unsuspecting magical enclaves and sowing terror wherever they could.

Indeed, the last that Harry had heard, those followers of his nemesis that have survived had taken to mimicking the atrocities that are being committed in the non-magical world. The last time that he had been out on the field – just five weeks ago – was to arrest a follower of Voldemort that had managed to escape during the Battle of Hogwarts, and when he was arrested, he had a couple of million pounds with him, as well as detailed schematics of Heathrow Airport.

A detailed interrogation – with the use of veritaserum and other potions and spells – revealed that his intention was to use the imperius curse to take control of a couple of aircrews so that he could use passenger planes – filled with hundreds of people – as makeshift missiles against London.

Harry shook his head as he told himself that the man was also quite insane, sprouting pureblood doctrine and propaganda even when he had already been stuffed to his gills with truth serum. Had he been successful, he would have brought the wrath of the non-magical world upon the magical, and during the interrogation, the man had revealed that that was part of his intention, believing that when the non-magical world actively intervenes with the magical, he would have a cause to rally the others into resistance.

A headache actually threatened to form in the head of Harry at that moment as he remembered that the interference of the non-magical world with the magical world as a result of the Second Blood War was already driving a wedge between those who had won, with those who are firmly on the side of Light, but could be considered traditionalist chafing under the weight of the limitations that the non-magical government had given them.

As a case in point – and here, Harry unconsciously placed his right hand on his temple so that he could massage the same – would be that would-be terrorist that they had captured. He should have been executed or thrown into Azkaban at the least, but the wizard prison is all but abandoned, and execution was not something that the Ministry of Magic could do without the permission of the non-magical.

Once more, Harry allowed a sigh to escape from his lips. The limitations on the execution was actually something that Harry agreed with. During the reign of Voldemort, there had been thousands of executions, and the limitations that the non-magical world had insisted was meant to ensure that such an atrocity would not happen again.

The musings of Harry were interrupted a few moments later as he found himself standing in front of a desk. Behind the desk, an elderly man wearing a black robe – that marked him as a member of the Ministry Support Staff – was going through the latest edition of the Daily Prophet. He was obviously not paying attention to those coming and going as was supposed to be his job, but Harry could not exactly blame the man, after all, even before he was taken in by the Ministry – as a form of compensation – Stan Shunpike had been someone who had a limited attention span.

"Anything new today, Stan?" Harry suddenly asked.

The auror knew that his voice startled the guard, and if he was being honest, he would have to admit that that was exactly what he was aiming for. He could not help but smile – though ever so slightly – as the startled guard tried to get up on his feet when he saw Harry, but in trying to do so, he somehow managed to cross his legs and that caused him to stumble forward, hitting the desk in front of him and knocking it slightly out of position.

Stan would have had his face planted on the cobblestone floor in front of him if not for quick action on the part of Harry, who wordlessly shot a spell that was designed to arrest the forward momentum of the startled guard, preventing him from falling onto the floor.

Almost as fast as Harry had invoked the spell, he cancelled it, though by the time that he did so, Stan was already able to regain his balance, "Mr. Potter, sir," the guard said, his voice dripping with obvious awe that reminded Harry of a friend who had died during the war trying to rescue him and his other friends, though at that time, the auror forced himself to remain in the present and not to lose himself in the past.

It was a good thing that he did as well, because Stan soon announced that he actually had a message for the man in front of him, "Sir," the guard said, his voice still dripping with awe for the man in front of him – and Harry had to remind himself to ignore it despite his desire to call out the guard because of it.

Even if Harry had tried to tell Stan to stop what he was doing, he figured that he would not have been able to do so, because the guard continued, "The Minister had sent word that he wishes to speak with you as soon as you arrive," there was a brief pause and the look on the face of Stan told Harry that the man was trying to remember something.

Harry suspected that the guard was trying to remember the place where he is supposed to meet the Minister, and he was proven correct in that a few moments later when the man in front of him suddenly said, "Conference Room Ten, Sir."

The auror gave the security guard a nod and a polite smile before he politely inclined his head toward him, an unspoken indication that he would be going his way. Using his peripheral vision as he walked forward, Harry could see the guard – whom he first met as a third year student in Hogwarts – actually bow deep toward his direction, causing Harry to let out an exasperated sigh even as he forced himself to just ignore it.

Unlike the space in front of the desk of the guard, there were fewer people after the desk, but that was to expected, after all, the space after the desk is reserved for those who have an official business with the Ministry.

The destination of Harry was a set of lifts that were located a few meters away from where Stan was on duty, and as he was walking toward the lifts, he would have to walk beside the Fountain of Magical Brethren. As he did so, another headache threatened to erupt in his brain as he could not help but remember the fuss that he – and Hermione – had put up when the topic of the reconstruction of the statues had been brought up.

Harry and Hermione had argued that the Fountain should be modified in order to reflect the equal status of all creatures in the magical world, but those that prevailed were the more traditional members of the Light side, and because of that, the Fountain of Magical Brethren looked exactly as it was since the first time that Harry had first seen it, with wizards and witches superior to the other creatures that inhabit the magical world.

With a subtle shake of his head, the auror captain told himself that there would be some other time to argue about the propriety of that fountain, but as he did so, his mind could not help but bring up another episode concerning the Fountain.

Ginny – with whom Harry has been in a relationship since after the end of the war – had already dropped hints that she wants Harry to propose to her in front of the Fountain, exactly where the wizarding press – who were always on standby in front of the desk of the security guard – and those others who are working in the Ministry could see them. He suspected that it was an attempt on the part of the vivacious red-haired young woman to make the spectacle as public as possible, and that was exactly what Harry does not want, which was why he could not propose to her just yet.

In any case, Ginny was still at the prime of her sporting career, playing chaser for the Hollyhead Harpies. Even if she would be the spouse of the – arguably – most famous wizard in the world, Harry doubted that the owners of the team would allow her to get married just four years into her entering the team, especially when the Harpies actually stand a chance to win the league this year.

Harry did not notice the smile that appeared on his face as he was thinking about Ginny until a few moments later when he found himself in front of the lift, and even then, the only reason that he was able to notice the smile that was on his face would be because the shining brass surface of the lift doors reflected his face, showing him the goofy smile that was on his visage.

He was easily able to school his features, remaking them into a more neutral look, though even as he did that, he told himself that he did have a proper excuse for placing that stupid grin on his face, after all, Ginny had sent word last night that she and the team would be returning to London for a fortnight before they would be departing again for their next game. Ginny had suggested that they use that time to catch up with each other, and Harry had agreed.

As the sound of the lift once more tore the auror captain out of his reverie, Harry remembered that he had also suggested that she invite Ron and Hermione, though Harry was yet to receive a reply – or a confirmation in the case of Ron or Hermione – that his two best friends would be joining them for dinner tonight.

'Might as well get this over with,' Harry suddenly thought at the same time that he stepped into the lift, 'I wonder what Shack needs me for.'

As the lift began to descend to the lowest levels of the Ministry, Harry forced his mind to shift into work mode, which meant that he would have to place Ginny and all other plans for the evening on one corner of his mind because he needed the forefront of his mind free to think about what it is that his ultimate boss would need him to do. It was not an easy process for Harry, but it was not his first time doing it, which was why by the time that the lift reached the floor that Harry had requested for, he was already ready to do whatever it is that the Minister would need him to do.

The conference rooms of the Ministry were actually converted from some courtrooms, which is why this is not the first time in the case of Harry that he is coming here. Indeed, the conference room where the conference would be held was actually the same one where he had his trial for underage magic after he defended himself from the Dementors prior to his fifth year.

Harry was not surprised that he is not the first person to be in the conference room – there were more than a dozen people already, seated scattered throughout the individual seats arranged into rows inside the room – though he was surprised to find that the two of the people who are already inside the conference room were seated at opposite ends of the first row when he would have expected them to be seated together, after all, he had asked his girlfriend to invite the two of them out to dinner tonight so that they could catch up.

It took Harry less than thirty seconds, however, to realize the reason why Ron and Hermione were not only seated at opposite ends of the first row, but also not even deigning to look at each other, even if those others who are in the room with them are showing a slight discomfort at what they are doing.

Harry walked over to the side of Hermione, and she turned her attention toward him, somehow sensing his approach. He was about to greet her when the beautiful witch – she had grown into one of the most beautiful women that Harry had ever seen in his life – suddenly stood from his seat and turn her complete attention toward Harry. The expression on her face told him that it would be in his best interest to wait for him to say what she wanted to say.

"Hello Harry," she said in a cool voice that made Harry flinch. While many people would characterize that cool tone that she had used as 'neutral', Harry knew her well enough to know that whenever Hermione uses that tone, she was actually pissed. If there was one thing, however, that Harry could use to calm himself, it was that it was obvious that she was not pissed at him.

Indeed, it was rather obvious as to who she is pissed at.

"I am afraid that I cannot join you for dinner tonight, though I thank you for the invitation," she said, and the fact that she increased the volume of her speech a notch or two told Harry that she was trying to ensure that Ron would hear her speak.

There was no need for that, because in this small room, there was no way that Ron would not be able to hear her speak, but as if to provide Harry with further proof, when he heard her girlfriend speak, Ron could not help but flinch at the same time that he turned his attention toward Harry, the expression on his face obviously one of the red-head begging his friend for some assistance.

Unfortunately, it was not assistance that Harry could give his best friend at that moment, especially since Harry agreed with the stance of Hermione in regards to what he is sure would be the argument that caused Hermione to be so angry with Ron at the moment.

In the years following after the Battle of Hogwarts, Hermione had chosen a career in law enforcement as well, but unlike Harry – or Ron – she did not become an auror, instead, she became a member of the staff of the Director for Magical Law Enforcement before her appointment as a prosecutor. Also unlike Harry and Ron, Hermione returned to Hogwarts to finish her seventh year and graduate properly.

It was during the Battle of Hogwarts that Ron and Hermione had first kissed, but in the years that followed since then, they could only maintain their relationship, and even then, Harry sometimes wondered if the only reason that they are doing it is because of the scandal that could break out should they suddenly break-up. There was no question that they have feelings for each other – hence, the reason why they always manage to find themselves back together despite the many arguments that they have, usually once a month – but despite that, neither Ron nor Hermione would talk about getting married.

Harry would admit that he thought that Ron was preparing to ask the question when he suggested that Hermione should come and live with him, but Hermione turned down that offer as she valued having her own flat that she could leave and return to as she wished. She had a good reason for that as well, because her work at the Ministry would sometimes require her to stay behind or even to come early, but then Ron did the ultimate faux-pas – at least when it comes to Hermione – when he suggested that she should just quit her job.

The row that the two of them had was so serious that Harry – and the other members of the Weasley family as well as their other friends – had to intervene. Last that Harry had heard, the two of them had decided to put that into the past and work into finding a solution together, but it would appear that all that hard work has again been put into waste, leading Harry to wonder exactly what had happened.

A sigh escaped from the lips of Harry – though he tried his best to make sure that Hermione would not notice it – before he reminded himself that it was not really something that he should pry into. Besides, he was more than sure that Hermione would tell him everything as soon as she can, even if he did not want to hear anything.

"I'll give Ginny your regards," Harry said.

Harry knew her well enough to be sure that Hermione would give him one of her lovely smiles as well as a message of regret in light of the fact that she could not join them for dinner this evening, and if he was being honest, Harry would have to admit that he was looking forward to seeing that smile, but at that moment, the doors leading to a small antechamber to the side of the conference room – which Harry was informed was the chambers of the judge back when this place was a courtroom – banged open, forcing him and Hermione – and everyone else in the room – to turn their attention toward that direction.

He turned his attention just in time to see Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister of Magic, enter the conference room. The dark-skinned, bald Minister of Magic, however, was not the only person to enter the conference room via that door, which surprised Harry, especially when he realized that the man following after the Minister of Magic was actually someone whom he had never seen before.

What was even more surprising for Harry was that the man that was accompanying the Minister was not dressed in robes. Instead, he was wearing a two piece suit, and he was carrying a leather briefcase with his left hand, though what really made Harry stare at him was the way that he carried himself. It took the war veteran a few moments to realize that while this unknown man looked as if he was calm and relaxed, he was also looking around him, ready to spring into action at the slightest provocation.

It disturbed Harry a bit as he realized that the reason that he had to note that was because this man reminded the auror captain of himself, which meant that this man is most likely a war veteran himself. Judging from the clothes that he was wearing, he is not a citizen of Magical Britain – or any county in that magical world for that matter – but he looks British enough, which left Harry with only one reasonable conclusion.

"British Armed Forces," Hermione suddenly said, and her words made Harry turn his complete attention toward her as he agreed with her, indeed, that was exactly what was on the mind of Harry.

The auror captain returned his attention toward the direction of the Minister and the man that had accompanied him, and by doing so, he nearly missed another person entering the room. It was purely by chance that his peripheral vision was still focused on that direction, though he was soon forced to turn his complete attention back toward the door after he had first glimpsed the young woman that had entered the room after the Minister and his companion.

Harry found himself staring at the beautiful red-head that entered the room, though he had enough presence of mind that he was able to note that, like the man that accompanied the Minister, she was wearing non-magical clothes. The pantsuit that she was wearing did nothing to flatter her, but Harry needed only to look at her pretty face to know that she is a striking woman.

"Seats," the voice of the Minister tore Harry out of his reverie at the same time that it forced him to turn his attention toward the direction of where the Minister had placed himself. Unlike before, there was no raised platform in this room anymore, which meant that the Minister was the same level as Harry and the others when he spoke, and this allowed him to glare toward the direction of Harry, something that Harry had never seen the Minister do before, and that, more than anything, convinced the auror captain that whatever the reason for Shack calling for them was, it would have to be serious.

Deciding that he would speak with Ron as soon as he could, Harry took the seat next to Hermione, at the same time that he noted that it was not only he who was being glared at by the Minister, because Shacklebolt turned his attention toward those others who are already in the room but who are yet to take a seat. Still, almost everyone inside the room knew that it would not be in their best interest to piss off the Minister, which was why they all went ahead to find a comfortable seat.

"I am afraid that I am going to have to ask you to cancel whatever it is that you had set up with your girlfriend tonight, Auror Captain," the Minister said a few moments later. He had waited until everyone had taken their seats before he turned his complete attention toward Harry, and because of the words that the Minister had used, Harry found himself staring toward the direction of the Minister.

Before Harry could even realize it, his jaw was already hanging open. He was about to close it so that he could speak and complain about the Minister suddenly telling him to cancel his ate, but just as he was about to once more open his mouth and push words out of the same, the Minister cut him off again, "I would not have asked you to do that if I did not think that the situation would warrant it, Harry," he said, and this time, he said that in a calmer voice that did much to assuage the anger that Harry felt at that moment.

"Unfortunately," the Minister continued, and this time, he was addressing everyone in the conference room rather than just Harry, "We have a situation, and I am not the only one who thinks that it is enough of a situation that we would need all of you here."

Harry saw him incline his head politely toward the direction of the man that had accompanied him into the room, and because he did that, Harry was forced to turn his attention toward the direction of the man. The auror captain noted that the red-headed woman who entered after the Minister had actually joined the other man which, if Harry was being honest ,was something that would have to admit was actually expected.

It was also obvious that the two of them are non-magicals, though before Harry could follow up with that line of thought, the Minister – though there was no way that the Minister could actually read the mind of Harry, not with the mind shields of the auror captain – spared Harry from having to do so when he announced, "This is a problem in the muggle world, but we are involved in it as well."

With those words, the Minister had practically announced that the two people in the room that he had inclined his head toward are representatives of the non-magical government, though the exact reason as to why they are here was still something that was open to speculation. Still, Harry knew for a fact that they would soon be informed of the reason why the man is here, and he was correct in that when, using his peripheral vision, he saw the Minister nod toward the direction of the man.

"Sir Matthew, please," the Minister said.

Harry still had most of his attention turned toward the black-haired gentleman, which was why he did not miss it when he suddenly stood from where he was seated. He had no doubt that every pair of eyes inside the room turned toward the direction of the man as he made his way toward the direction where the Minister had been, though Harry saw that the Minister had moved to the side in order to allow this representative from the non-magical government to take the podium.

The man called 'Sir Matthew' and the Minister did not shake hands, which somehow disappointed Harry as he expected that they would, though the fact that the Minister and the representative did not shake hands may have more to do with Shacklebolt moving to the side even as the representative was making his way to the podium. Harry noted that the representative was also not disturbed by the fact that the Minister had already moved, which told the auror captain that he expected the Minister to move the way that he did.

Harry mentally shook his head at the same time that he reminded himself that he should not have expected the Minister to act like a politician, after all, while Kingsley had taken the top position as Minister of Magic, it was mostly because he was the most senior member of the Ministry left that had fought for the side of the Light. In other words, there was no one else who can take the position, which was why he took the position.

Kingsley had been forced to act like a politician many times since he had taken the post, but that was mostly because he had to, and Harry would have to admit that seeing his old friend not acting like a politician was actually something that he missed.

The musings of the auror captain was once more interrupted by the voice of someone, though this time, the person who spoke was the representative of the muggle government, Sir Matthew.

"Ladies and gentlemen, good morning," the man said. If there was any doubt as to his roots, it was dispelled when he spoke, though by this time, the roots of the man were already something that was of no consequence to Harry.

He did use his peripheral vision to see the visage of Hermione, and he was not surprise to note that the brunette witch was paying attention to the man in front of them. He could not help but smile in response to the expression on the face of Hermione, and not for the first time, he wondered if he really would be doing himself – and Hermione and Ron – a favor if he would not interfere with the relationship of his two best friends.

Even Harry would have to admit that he saw the slope that he was about to fall into in regards to the thoughts that were on his mind at that moment, but even if that were the case, he continued to plough on with his thoughts. He was, however, thankful – though it took him a few moments to realize that – when he was forced out of his reverie by the voice of Sir Matthew as he continued, "My name is Matthew Cavanaugh, and I am from the Ministry of Defense."

Hermione fidgeted slightly in response to her hearing the office where the man came from, though even if she fidgeted only slightly, Harry was close enough to her that he felt her movement. He knew better than to ask her what was wrong, however, and instead, he forced himself to pay attention to the man in front of them.

"Approximately twenty hours ago, there was an incident at RNAD Coulport," Sir Matthew said. He paused after he said that, and Harry suspected that the reason that he did was so that he could allow those who are listening to him to fully digest the information that he had just given them.

Unfortunately, Sir Matthew seem to have forgotten that he was speaking with members of the Ministry of Magic, which meant that they have no idea what he was talking about, indeed, Harry suspected that almost every person in the conference room at that moment do not even know where 'RNAD Coulport' is, though when Harry turned his attention toward Hermione with the intention of asking her if she knew what the man was talking about, the look of horror on her face was all that Harry needed to see in order to know that Hermione believes this incident to be frightening enough that she placed that look on her pretty visage.

Concern lit up the face of Harry, but just as he was about to ask Hermione what was wrong, Sir Matthew again spoke, forcing him to turn his attention away from Hermione and back toward the representative of the muggle Ministry of Defense.

"Although we had not yet confirmed the exact measurements of the missing material, we have reason to believe that unknown malefactors were able to escape from one of the most secure facilities of the Royal Navy, almost undetected, with about thirty kilograms of weaponized nuclear material," Sir Matthew said.

Harry would have to admit that he had no idea what the significance of RNAD Coulport is, but after the words that have escaped from the mouth of Sir Matthew, he would have to admit that he now understood the reason why Hermione had a horrified look on her pretty face.

Like Hermione, Harry was raised in the muggle world, and he knew exactly what weaponized nuclear material means. A quick glance toward the other members of the Ministry of Magic who were inside the room was all that Harry needed to do in order to realize that while there are those who understood the implication of the words that Sir Matthew had just uttered, quite a few had blank looks on their faces.

Indeed, it was Ron who appointed himself as their speaker, and Harry fought the urge to place hit his face with the palm of his hand. Ron raised his hand and waved it much like how he would have done it if he wanted to call for attention. Of course, at that moment, that was exactly what Ron wanted to do, and when Sir Matthew turned his attention toward the red-headed vice-captain of one of the most elite auror teams of the Ministry, Ron asked, "What is this new-clear material? And why is this a problem for our world?"

Harry did not think that it was possible for Hermione to place a more horrified look on her pretty face, but that was exactly what she had on her face as she regarded her boyfriend. That horrified look, however, barely lasted five seconds before it was replaced by a look of anger, and Harry got the impression that she would have launched a broadside of tirades against Ron had he not stopped her at that moment.

"Hermione," Harry warned her, and that was more than enough to make the pretty brunette paused.

At the same time, the auror captain was using his peripheral vision to watch the reaction of Sir Matthew. He had not expected the reaction of the representative of the non-magical government, though in hindsight, he told himself that he should have, because in reaction to the ignorance that Ron had just displayed, Sir Matthew had turned his attention toward the Minister, and Harry could see the surprised look on his face.

Eventually, Sir Matthew turned his attention toward Ron and he let out a theatrical sigh that conveyed his contempt for the red-head at that moment, though Harry was quite certain that it was not only to Ron that that contempt that Sir Mathew was feeling at that moment was directed to.

Still, Harry was spared from having to think that when the representative of the muggle government continued, "The material stolen from Coulport is more than enough to manufacture a small nuclear weapon," he said, "Enough that if one were to be detonated in Kings Cross Station, everything surrounding the station, up to a radius of about thirty kilometers, would be obliterated."

The look on the face of Ron – and indeed, on the faces of those others who had not taken the time to study the muggle world – was one of disbelief. There are even those who looked as if they are ready to challenge Sir Matthew in regards to the words that he had used, but most of them turned their attention toward Harry who, by chance, was glaring toward the direction of Ron as he could not stop himself from being angry at his best friend because of his ignorance.

A sigh from the direction of Sir Matthew defused the situation at that moment because it forced everyone to turn their attention back toward him. Harry was included in that number, though he was one of the last to turn his attention because he was still glaring toward the direction of Ron.

By the time that Harry was able to focus his attention toward the man in front of them, Sir Matthew was already speaking, "As to why this is a concern for the magical world," he began, and once more, Harry was able to detect the faintest sense of contempt for the magical world in his voice, "well, we found eight of these inside the decapitated body of one of our sailors assigned to guard the facility."

At that moment, Sir Matthew placed his briefcase on the podium in front of him, and he opened it in front of everyone before he retrieved something from it. The eyes of Harry – and indeed, the eyes of everyone in the room, save for the Minister who had probably already seen it – widened as they found themselves staring at what could only be a wand.

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