As the sound emerged, a gray-black mouse dexterously emerged from the shadows behind the radiator, raising its upper body and speaking.
Its fur was not smooth, and its tail was somewhat bald. Its front paw even missed a toe, appearing old and withered, but its eyes remained extraordinarily lively.
Immediately following, the bedside table in "Eugene Brown's" room transformed into a square cube with four wheels sprouting below and two thin tubes emerging from the top, ending in eyes spinning around.
"No wonder he's Percy Weasley!" a voice emerged from the cube's body, "I knew this kid was easy to fool!"
"The plan's going even smoother than I imagined," said the broom, shaking its handle, "I initially planned to draw his attention by suddenly collapsing, but it turns out I didn't even need to."
"But now is not the time to relax."
The mouse squeaked, "Lock needs us—especially my support!"
"Then let's go!"
The broom suddenly leveled out, and the cube extended a mechanical claw to pull itself onto the broom.
The mouse lightly leaped, landing in front of the cube, its tiny paws gripping the broom handle tightly.
"Hold tight, we're setting off now!"
The broom cheerfully announced, a faint glow emanating from it as it gradually blended with the surrounding colors.
Suddenly, a wind-like sound echoed down the hallway, and the three shot like a rocket through the shattered window, flying off into the distance!
...
The neon lights cast mottled reflections on the wet asphalt road. On the street, a taxi honked impatiently, startling a stray cat scavenging in the trash bin, which leaped onto a rusty fire escape and vanished in a flash.
In the hotel room separated by a wall, Victor drew the curtains and turned to see Vilan had already switched on the room lights.
Vid leaned back in his chair, reviewing the continuous flow of intelligence collected from various sources over the past few days.
On the whiteboard against the wall, five photographs were pinned, surrounded by a dense array of clues.
At the top of the ranking was Nikolo Hossun, the current President of the Magic Congress, the man who forced Ms. Seraphina Picquery back to the manor, prohibiting her from making too many comments on government affairs.
The house-elves had overheard him having a heated argument with Ms. Picquery in the office:
"We can't continue indulging like this! You must take action!"
While delivering coffee to the President's office, the house-elf Pudding had overheard similar snippets.
Soon, the Auror Office strengthened its protection for Ms. Picquery...or rather surveillance, making every step she took arduous, needing to weigh each word carefully.
"Start with the toughest challenge, huh?" Vilan muttered, "Investigating this guy could be pretty dangerous."
"He's been in the Congress President position for five years now," Vid said softly, "Such a man who stops at nothing to achieve his goals, do you think he'd be unaware of the termites inside Congress?"
"Or maybe... he's the biggest termite himself?" Victor crossed his arms, "But since he's already the Congress President, what good does it do him to betray the Magic World?"
"Not everyone acts out of self-interest!" Vilan remarked, "Hatred... or something like love, aren't those better catalysts?"
"Then we'd better be careful," Victor said, "We need to be the fishermen, not accidentally become the fish in his net."
Vilan nodded and said, "Next up is the head of the Auror Office, Mr. Ezra Hughes."
The man in the photo had a stern face, with a neatly pressed robe and icy blue-gray eyes like ice picks.
"The elves say he showed extraordinary interest in my intelligence, repeatedly reviewing reports and surveillance records related to the Alchemy Competition and British guests."
Vid, supporting his chin with his palm, said indifferently, "And he often places an Imperturbable Charm on his office, frequently making private calls with unidentified individuals, sometimes for one or two hours."
Victor added, "And the aurors monitoring Ms. Seraphina Picquery are, fundamentally speaking, his subordinates. Even if Nikolo Hossun wanted to command them, it wouldn't be possible to completely bypass Ezra Hughes."
"So these two..." Vilan drew a line between their photos, "are highly likely in cahoots?"
"There's that possibility. At least they aren't like the British Ministry of Magic, where the Minister and the head of the Auror Office are rivals."
Vid said as his gaze gradually moved downward.
The Deputy Minister of Security, Alderich Kobit, the only one among the five targets to have proactively interacted with Vid, even showing cooperation intentions with Modis Graves, was captured shaking hands with the latter in a photograph.
Additionally, the house-elf cleaning his office saw him secretly destroying files several times, sometimes even using unchecked Portkeys to leave headquarters, whereabouts unknown.
——Though highly suspicious, for some reason, he gives off an innocent vibe.
Next was Reginald Perez, the head of the Floo Network Administration, with an expression carrying a hint of pure-blood arrogance, looking very shrewd.
Supposedly, this person has a great interest in time-related magic and ancient legends, frequently inquiring at salon gatherings.
During his student days, he was twice a year granted permission to use a Time Turner due to his obsession with space-time theory. Unfortunately, his application was denied by the Magic Congress back then due to failing one or two subjects.
Popo from the records office said the official who vetoed his application once left a special comment:
"This student's desire for time magic surpasses academic pursuits; even if he achieves satisfactory grades, his application will not be considered."
Finally, Vid's gaze lingered on the only female on the list.
Laira Piqueley.
She is another niece of Ms. Seraphina Picquery, already in her forties, but in wizarding circles, she can still be considered promising and currently serves as the President's assistant.
——This is probably the position Percy Weasley dreams of attaining.
Unlike Percy, who was never remembered by the Minister, Laira, who has served for many years and always completed her work impeccably, seemingly unaffected by Ms. Seraphina Picquery, has gained Nikolo Hossun's attention.
She's like a plant carefully calculated for the angle of sunlight, finding the most suitable growth posture in the storm of power shift.
However, beneath this perfect resume, there are some intriguing shadows.
For example, this Lady Laira has never visited her virtually confined aunt, and Ms. Seraphina Picquery has never sought her help.
For example, Laira Piqueley secretly maintains hidden connections with several wizards smuggling contraband and acquiring "antiques." She often disguises herself to visit a place akin to Knockturn Alley.
Moreover, she seems to frequently place a not-so-powerful Forgetfulness Spell on herself, deliberately forgetting certain things.
Vid took down Laira Piqueley's photo, tapping it with his finger.
"Let's start investigating from her... Vilan, find out about Lady Laira Piqueley's recent schedule."