Chapter 279: Aftermath

"By the way, John, why weren't you in the Ministry at the time?"

After a round of condolences, Dumbledore suddenly thought of the question and asked John.

Logically, John should have gone into the Ministry with Harry.

Why, in the end, was John the only one outside, with only the four of them left inside the Ministry?

If John hadn't left, he wouldn't even need to come for support; he could just go straight into a dead‑on clash with Voldemort.

When this issue was raised, Harry and the others also thought of it.

Just before he left, John shouted that someone had broken into his house and then fled in a panic.

That's why he managed to get out a step before the Ministry was sealed.

"John, how's your family?"

Harry asked with some worry.

"It's fine; luckily we got back in time, and my parents only suffered a bit of fright."

Hearing their exchange, Dumbledore finally understood the reason for John's disappearance.

Harry and the others also let out a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, he was decisive enough to leave the Ministry at once.

Otherwise, being trapped in the Ministry like they were would have been disastrous.

If something had happened to John's family, it would have truly become an irreparable tragedy.

"But... Mr. David is dead..."

Hearing that, everyone was stunned, and they didn't even know who David was.

John then slowly recounted, from sensing the Warning Spell being triggered, to rushing back home, and finally using the Soul Capture Technique on those Death Eaters' memories.

He told the whole group everything.

Among them were the scenes in the memories of those Death Eaters receiving the mission plan.

It became clear that this was a premeditated ambush.

He also learned that someone had sacrificed themselves for protecting John's home address.

Dumbledore patted John's shoulder, saying nothing comforting.

Everyone here has lost a relative or close friend.

Although David was only a passing acquaintance, not even a true friend, his death still weighed heavily on John.

David could have spoken up.

Just like the last time, the Dementor Attack Incident.

Facing Jielier, who abused his authority to try to arrest John, he chose to compromise.

But he didn't.

John sighed and did not continue.

"What about the Soul‑Eating Beast in the Western Suburb and the Death Eaters in the city?"

John then turned to ask about the situation elsewhere.

"Don't worry, Aurors, and members of the Order of the Phoenix have all gone to help."

"They were only bait; now that Voldemort has retreated, they have surely already scattered."

Dumbledore spoke slowly, looking at the weary Fudge, who had finally come down the stairs.

"However, this uproar is a bit too big; the Ministry will probably need to be forceful to deal with the Muggles who witnessed Magic."

Fudge came to their side, his face completely drained of color.

"Minister, you now believe the fact that Voldemort has returned, right?"

Dumbledore said lightly.

Fudge clenched his teeth; he knew his career had reached its end.

His Adam's apple moved slightly, but he gave no reply.

"I will arrange personnel to help you handle the aftermath, including Muggle memory modification and public opinion management."

Dumbledore's tone was calm yet carried undeniable weight.

"Also, please retrieve Umbridge from the school immediately."

Fudge still said nothing, only nodded.

The matter was temporarily put to rest.

After today, the news of Voldemort's return will spread throughout the entire magical world.

Afternoon.

Hermione's house.

Bang!

John, accompanied by a burst of explosion, returned to the living room of Hermione's house.

The adults of both families were sitting in the living room, with a half‑cooled cup of tea on the coffee table.

The Gelanjie Fu Fu learned of their ordeal from John's parents.

All felt a sudden lingering fear.

A wizard actually broke into a Muggle home, intending to kill the Muggle.

Combined with today's chaos outside.

It made them very worried.

At that moment, another familiar burst of sound rang out.

John suddenly appeared in the living room, and the four of them stood up at once.

John's parents immediately lunged forward and grabbed John's hand.

"John! How are you?"

His mother looked at John with a worried expression; at this moment John seemed no different from when he left.

He had deliberately tidied himself up before returning so as not to worry his family.

But his mother still instantly spotted faint scorch marks on his face and clothing.

"Mom, I'm fine, don't worry."

John quickly reassured her, then looked toward Gelanjie Fu Fu.

"Uncle and aunt, thank you for taking me in, and Hermione is still at school, there's no danger, so you can rest assured."

Hearing this, Gelanjie Fu Fu also breathed a sigh of relief.

They really had been worried that some troublemaker might have appeared in the Wizarding World, and whether Hermione might have gotten involved.

John guided his parents back onto the sofa, then sat down to give them a brief explanation of the situation outside.

Of course, he didn't lay out the whole story.

He only selected what he could say.

For example, the Wizarding World has indeed seen troublemakers lately, with a terrorist organization resembling those in the Muggle World emerging.

And the Wizarding World's counter‑terrorism elite are now intensively hunting them down.

John was merely caught up in a peripheral operation this time.

Moreover, the terrorists were just a ragtag crowd; otherwise a single student couldn't have returned unharmed.

So let them rest easy.

Hearing this, the parents were still a bit worried.

But what he said did make sense.

In their eyes, John was just a 13‑year‑old kid; even he only brushed off a little dust, indicating there truly was no danger.

Or perhaps that's just how the Wizarding World is.

"By the way, Mom and Dad, the house is fully repaired now; in a moment I'll take you back."

"London's security has been tightened recently, so this kind of thing won't happen again."

The parents nodded, and Gelanjie Fu Ren then spoke to try to keep them.

"Since you're already here, why not have a meal before leaving?"

John wanted to refuse, but his stomach grumbled rebelliously.

Gurgle—

"Uh… that puts you in trouble, Aunt…"

John awkwardly scratched his head; he hadn't eaten anything at noon.

Instead, he had been with Dumbledore, discussing matters inside the Ministry of Magic.

They had discussed his under‑age, off‑campus spellcasting to kill the Death Eaters, as well as a minor using Apparition.

And most importantly, the illegal design of a Warning Spell at home caused Muggle alerts across half of London, all activated by his Warning Spell.

Although John would never admit that those Muggle alerts were activated by his Warning Spell…

In the end, after a lot of talk, he managed to smooth the matter over.

He also, because of his brave actions against the Death Eaters and Voldemort, was exceptionally granted the right to cast spells off‑campus, as well as an Apparition Permit.

After Meimei had a meal, John escorted his parents back home, and before leaving, he also left a Warning Spell at Gelanjie Fu Fu's house.

He likewise left a Warning Spell in his own home.

He will later investigate whether the Trigger-Style Door Key has any use; if it does, there will be no need to bother with Warning Spells.