Chapter 85: Cleansing

The Ministry of Magic has fallen. Many staff members were killed, and those who survived were brainwashed, and the entire Ministry of Magic was taken over by the dark forces. The newly elected Minister of Magic is none other than the Dark Lord Voldemort himself. He does not try to hide the fact that he forcibly took his seat with power. Thus, the Dark Lord came to reign over the British wizarding world. Using the Daily Prophet newspaper and all other means, Voldemort threw a question to the British wizards.

Submission or death.

Those who knew his power from the previous war, those who gave up because the Ministry of Magic had fallen, those who were pure-blooded and undecided, those who sought the sweet honey of power. Such people bowed their heads and went under the gate of the Dark Lord's army. Their number was the majority of the inhabitants of the British wizarding world. After Voldemort became Minister of Magic, many absurd laws that revered pure blood and did not recognize the rights of Muggle-borns were enacted.

Pure blood is noble just by existing. Muggles and Muggle-borns are defiled. The hierarchy of jobs also has a big difference in the order of the Sacred Twenty-Eight families, pure blood, half-blood, mixed blood, and Muggle-born. The use of magic from pure blood to Muggle-born is allowed without much reason. On the contrary, the use of magic by Muggle-borns is greatly restricted unless there is a very good reason. Furthermore, if a Muggle-born hurts a pure-blood, the kiss from a Dementor is executed on the spot without a trial. Other than that, the emperor and his faction were expanding their forces to invade foreign countries, and above all, to completely crush Hogwarts, the last remaining resistance force.

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Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the last bastion against the darkness. The castle, fortified by the ancient magic of the founders of Hogwarts, numerous defensive spells, and further fortified by Leonard Taylor, is in a situation where even the Dark Lord cannot easily reach. There, the Order of the Phoenix, formed around Albus Dumbledore, and the Resistance, made up of survivors of the Ministry of Magic led by Rufus Scrimgeour, were formed.

The teachers at Hogwarts first prioritized the safety of the students. In the current magical world, there are very few wizards who can be called pure-blood. Most wizards have Muggle or Muggle-born blood flowing in their bodies. The same is true for the children who will create the future. Dark wizards would harm and kill these children without thinking. As teachers guiding children, as adults, they could not overlook such things. At the same time as the news of the fall of the Ministry of Magic, Dumbledore instructed Hogwarts to be a refuge for students and children, and to welcome students and their families. However, it was difficult to do so when the Ministry of Magic was completely under control. The Floo Network is being monitored. Owl mail is not safe either. The use of the Hogwarts Express is also impossible because the location is completely known. There was no other way but to gather little by little with the Disillusionment Charm and the Portkey. If that is detected, a pursuit squad will come. Furthermore, there were not a few families who hid or fled abroad for fear of the emperor. It is becoming more and more common for such families to be found by the dark forces, which outnumber them, and to be imprisoned.

Nevertheless, thanks to the desperate efforts of the teachers, they were able to rescue 60% of the students and their relatives, as well as many others, to Hogwarts. Graduates and students of Hogwarts, their families, and those who resist the darkness and believe in justice to the end. Those with a righteous heart gathered at Hogwarts. Don't give up, no matter what happens here, fight to the end. They were filled with such feelings.

However, there was no sign of Leonard Taylor and Hermione Granger there.

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In a dimly lit room with only one lamp, a man was tied to a chair. His wand had been taken away, and his body was immobilized by a potion. The man was a Death Eater. He came from a family that was not as historic as the Sacred Twenty-Eight, but was still relatively wealthy and historic. He was on his way home, feeling good after tormenting some Muggle-borns as usual. But when he realized it, he was in this situation. The last thing he remembered was being approached by a maid.

"are you Awake? Let's have you tell us everything you know."

Someone spoke to him. The man tried to resist, but information began to leak from his mouth one after another. Everything about his master, Voldemort, his comrades, their base, their future plans, everything.

"Hmm... The information is not enough. Well, it's fine. From now on, you'll play an active role as bait to lure them in."

An unknown fear ran through his body. He desperately tried to escape from the restraint, but there was nothing he could do. A burning pain ran through the Dark Mark on his left arm. It was the pain he felt when Voldemort summoned his Death Eaters. With that, the man disappeared from this world.

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The young man was in high spirits. He had finally received the true mark of loyalty to the Dark Lord he admired, the Dark Mark. The young man had no doubt that pure blood was the most superior existence. He had been told so by his relatives since he was a child, and when he entered Hogwarts and saw the ignorance of Muggle-borns about magic for the first time, it turned into conviction. The year the young man graduated, the Dark Lord was resurrected. His parents were Death Eaters who fanatically worshiped the Dark Lord. They escaped from prison and told him to do his best to serve him. And today, his long-cherished dream came true. Looking at the Dark Mark on his left arm, he couldn't help but smile. On the other hand, the wizards around him were terrified and trembling at the sight of it.

(What a great feeling! Huh?)

Suddenly, the Dark Mark began to throb.

(Could it be!? A direct summons from the Dark Lord to me!?)

Without any doubt, the young man disappeared as guided by the Dark Mark. After that, there was no one who saw the young man.

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"My lord, another person has gone missing. This is the twenty-seventh one we've been able to confirm."

Voldemort was in the newly established Ministry of Magic, in the Minister's office, listening to a report from Severus Snape.

"Dumbledore is not aware of this matter. He is currently focusing all his efforts on protecting as many people as possible at Hogwarts. Presumably,"

"Nine times out of ten, it's Leonard Taylor's doing. We can't afford to lose any more pieces. We need to come up with a countermeasure as soon as possible."

"My lord! There's something I need to confirm!"

Bellatrix Lestrange rushed into the Minister's office.

"What is it, Bella? Speak."

"Yes! You haven't summoned us using the Dark Mark, have you? Antonin Dolohov said he was summoned by you and disappeared."

"No, is that so... Bella, immediately notify the servants! Even if they feel a summoning by the Dark Mark, they must never disappear! Severus, on the other hand, you should deliberately respond to the summons."

Bellatrix bowed and immediately left the room.

Snape also lowered his head and exited.

Then, as if on cue, Snape felt the Dark Mark on him pulsate. He promptly Apparated to the designated location.

The place he materialized resembled a laboratory, much like the one he had visited at Hogwarts belonging to Leonard Taylor.

"We've been waiting for you, Professor Snape."

A maid-uniformed magical creature named Ku greeted him. As the Emperor predicted, Leonard Taylor seemed to have used the Dark Mark to capture and detain Death Eaters.

Ku guided Snape into the room where Leonard Taylor and Hermione Granger were present.

"Long time no see, Professor Snape. Could you cooperate with us right away?"

"If it is within my capabilities."

Snape and Leo shared the information they each possessed. It appeared that the Death Eaters who had gone missing or turned untraceable had their information extracted and buried by Leo. He seemed to interfere with the Dark Mark, calling them out one by one and capturing them.

After obtaining most of the information, they intentionally made it known that Dolohov had disappeared due to a mistaken summons. This way, there would be lingering suspicion and mistrust surrounding the summons using the Dark Mark.

"Now, we've gathered enough information and completed the necessary clean-up. Professor Snape, we'll likely need your cooperation again on another day."

Severus Snape couldn't help but feel relieved that he was dealing with a seemingly monstrous undead creature that killed people as if throwing away trash.

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September 1, 1997, King's Cross Station, Platform Nine and Three-Quarters

Every year, this place is filled with children heading to Hogwarts and their parents, but this year, there's no one. Hogwarts has become the last fortress, and most of the children are already at Hogwarts. The red steam engine also shows no signs of moving and is quiet.

In such a situation, only Leonard Taylor, Hermione Granger, and Ku were there.

"No one's here. Of course, that's to be expected."

"Well, I guess so. And there are no Death Eaters either."

"So, what are we going to do, Leonard? The train doesn't seem to be moving."

"Well, we just came to see. Maybe we'll just fly along the rails."

Leo takes out a magical item. It was a miniature room. When Leo undoes the magic, it grows to the size of a normal room.

"Come on in.

The three of them enter. Inside, it was a normal room with sofas, chairs, and a fireplace. Snacks and tea were also prepared.

"Alright, let's depart for Hogwarts!"

At Leo's command, the entire room lifts off and begins to fly along the rails.

"This way, we can enjoy a leisurely journey. Let's relax and enjoy."

"That's right. I want to relax with Leo and Kuu. It's boring to just use invisibility."

The three of them enjoyed their aerial journey and headed towards Hogwarts.

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Voldemort, having assumed the position of Minister of Magic,

begins to enact various absurd laws that glorify pure-blood supremacy. 

However, the people is unable to oppose this due to fear.

The survivors of the Knight Order and the Ministry of Magic gather at Hogwarts, forming a resistance.

They proceed to rescue students, their families, and many others.

Still, there are limits, and the number of victims is quite significant.

Leo obtained information from the Death Eaters he had randomly captured.

Afterward, he used Voldemort as a means of summoning through the Dark Mark to abduct individuals one by one and gather information. Once a certain amount of information was acquired, they deliberately leaked it to prevent easy manipulation.

Beyond what Voldemort side was aware of, many others were buried.

Leo's sense was akin to a cleaning sensation of discarding small pieces of trash.

At Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, 

where no one was present, they came here at the beginning of the term, but it was deserted.

The three, no longer ordinary individuals, leisurely made their way to Hogwarts, indifferent to the world's circumstances.

So, stay tuned for the next chapter.

While this story is a product of my imagination,

there are many parts that are not written as text, existing only within my mind.

I would like to write about those aspects, but it's frustrating because I lack that ability.