Chapter 283: Traveling Abroad?

Time flies.

In the blink of an eye, the semester's end arrives.

During this period, the school is peaceful and calm.

But the Wizarding World is on the brink of a storm.

Voldemort may have been exposed, so he simply stopped hiding.

He directly publicly threatens the Ministry of Magic to submit, to kill Dumbledore, which at least can guarantee half of the people's future.

But Fudge, rarely firm, publicly rejected Voldemort.

Perhaps because his retirement is near, he wants to make a last push before leaving, to coat his political legacy with gold.

According to Dumbledore, Fudge basically writes him a letter every two or three days.

He hopes Dumbledore can bring Harry and John to speak out on his behalf.

He will fully cooperate with Dumbledore and theirs.

But Dumbledore just ignored him.

Harry is also angry because Fudge previously said he'd lock him and John up, so he doesn't want to help him.

The Death Eaters also began wreaking havoc throughout the Muggle World.

Then, because of the massive appearance of Dementors, London, which should be scorching in summer, feels excessively cold.

Even the whole of London is shrouded in an oppressive gray mist.

Soon, Fudge is completely ousted.

He is impeached by a joint petition of all senior officials of the Ministry of Magic, and replaced by the new Minister of the Ministry of Magic—Rufus Scrimgeour.

Scrimgeour, who was previously the director of the Auror Office, is also the direct superior of Kingsley and Tonks.

In these turbulent times, the Wizarding World needs an iron‑fisted figure who dares to face the storm head‑on.

On his first day in office, Scrimgeour didn't hold a press conference; instead, he directly visited Hogwarts with three Aurors.

He came specifically to see Dumbledore.

He isn't as foolish as Fudge; he knows that without Dumbledore's help, he's nothing but a big grasshopper before Voldemort.

This time Dumbledore didn't refuse, and readily agreed to join forces with the Ministry of Magic.

Afterwards, he also stopped by to see Harry and John, making himself look familiar to them.

After Scrimgeour left, the Daily Prophet immediately ran a bold front‑page headline—"New Minister Declaration: Iron‑fisted Purge of Black Magic Residue!"

Very forceful, and simply and plainly declares war on Voldemort.

Below the headline, the picture shows Scrimgeour's cold, hard profile, his Auror badge gleaming at the collar, his gaze like a tempered Iron Nail, piercing the page.

"What a turn of events."

Ethan looked at the newspaper content and said gloomily.

"Indeed, I don't know what the future holds."

Ryan beside him said similarly, with worry.

The two slumped together, looking like the world was ending.

"No need to be overly anxious; the Ministry of Magic and Dumbledore will sort it out."

John closed the newspaper and slowly reassured.

"John, what are your plans for the holidays?"

At that moment, Titus asked John.

"What else is there to plan? Just staying at home."

"Oh right, maybe I'll go out with Dumbledore."

Hearing this, the others became curious.

"What are you going to do with the Headmaster?"

"Well, the Headmaster won't let me say…"

"Tch."

The three instantly rolled their eyes in unison, and Titus smirked, "Mysterious as always, definitely another dangerous mission, don't die, okay."

"Thanks for the concern, really."

John lifted the corner of his mouth in a smile, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the carved ornament at the tip of his wand.

He is, of course, going with Dumbledore to Riddle Manor to search for Voldemort's Horcruxes.

So far they've found three Horcruxes in total; who knows how many more Voldemort has hidden.

"Hey, what are you talking about?"

At that moment, Luna walked over and greeted the group.

"We're talking about holiday plans."

"Sure, I'm going on vacation to Sweden with my dad."

Luna sat comfortably beside them and said.

"How nice, I've never been abroad."

Ethan said enviously.

"Foreign places are just the same, nothing to envy; if we get a chance, we can travel abroad together."

Titus waved his hand and said.

"But for us Wizards traveling abroad, don't we still need to get a Wizard visa from the Ministry of Magic?"

"Yes, just like a Muggle's travel visa," Ryan replied.

"First we must file with the International Magical Cooperation Department, then get a stamp from the Ministry of Magic Immigration Office," Luna added.

"How about we wait until graduation and go out together for fun?" John suggested.

"Sure!" the others replied enthusiastically.

"Then where do you think would be good to go?"

Titus asked with an excited face.

"Before considering that, we should first think about the language communication issue, right?"

"Does anyone among you speak a foreign language?"

Ethan asked back.

"I can speak Chinese," John said flatly.

"???"

Hearing that, the three, including Titus, widened their eyes and looked at John.

"Seriously, when did you learn it?"

"Can't help it, that's how geniuses are." John arrogantly flicked his hair.

"I don't believe you; say a couple of sentences so we can hear." Titus said.

"Fine... ahem... listen up."

"Grass Mud Horse." John cleared his throat and said a Chinese phrase clearly.

The three were stunned.

"Wait, you really know? What does that phrase mean?"

"It means a greeting; if you say it to anyone in China, they'll surely respond warmly."

John said cheerfully, and the three immediately mimicked the pronunciation.

The scene made John keep a tight face, fearing he might laugh out loud.

At that moment, senior Qiu Zhang, passing by, heard a familiar hometown dialect and curiously came over.

Then she saw Titus and the other two greeting each other with "Grass Mud Horse" repeatedly, and froze on the spot.

Seeing their solemn demeanor, and John beside them, shoulders trembling from suppressed laughter, seemed to guess something.

"You've been fooled, right? This phrase is actually a profanity in China..."

After a moment's hesitation, Qiu Zhang kindly warned.

The air suddenly solidified.

The three, including Titus, were stunned, glancing at Qiu Zhang then at John.

"Ahem... Hermione needs me, so I'll leave now."

John immediately stood up, casually made up an excuse and tried to slip away.

As soon as he sprang up, Titus hurled a flesh projectile that knocked John to the ground, and Ryan and Ethan also flipped over the table, lunging at John.

"You bastard! How dare you mess with us!"

"Beat him!"

The three seized John and battered him with punches and kicks.

John scrambled, clutching his head, pleading hoarsely, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Luna and Qiu Zhang looked at each other from the side and couldn't help but let out a light laugh.