Chapter 1027 - 778: No Regard for Fair Play_2
"Thank you..."
"Thank you for your support..."
"The Ministry of Magic is so unreliable, no support for such a long time. Are Fudge and Scrimgeour having a candlelit dinner together?"
After the last Death Eater was thrown out, the shop owners came forward to express their gratitude. However, since the news hadn’t spread yet, they were unaware of the upheaval at the Ministry of Magic and complained about the inaction of the Aurors and Beaters.
Once Mr. Weasley explained the situation of the Ministry of Magic to them, the surroundings immediately quieted down.
They didn’t like Fudge, or rather, very few people liked the indecisive Minister, but upon hearing the news of his murder by the Death Eaters, everyone felt a wave of discomfort and an indescribable anxiety.
Even the Minister of Magic was killed by the Death Eaters... How could these ordinary wizards protect their safety?
No one spoke, and the atmosphere was as cold as frost, with even the lingering stench around seeming unimportant.
Mr. Weasley tried to say a few encouraging words, but with little effect.
This was precisely the purpose of the Death Eaters: to disrupt the Ministry of Magic’s plans against them by killing the Minister, while also establishing their authority and severely demoralizing their opponents—an abundance of benefits.
At present, the situation showed that the Death Eaters were very successful, as everyone understood their intent but had no means to counter it.
All that people could do now was try their best to remedy the situation... to quickly elect a new Minister and get the Ministry of Magic running again, but that also required time.
...
After a while, Fred and George could no longer bear the atmosphere, and with their hearts on their shop, they quickly ran forward after saying a few words to Mr. Weasley.
Their actions also snapped a few shop owners back to reality.
Kael thought for a moment and followed suit, while Florean Fortescue, the ice cream shop owner, seemed to want to say something but hesitated for a moment before sighing and remaining silent.
He approached Kael and said, "Thank you, you saved me once again."
"It’s nothing," Kael shook his head. "If you really want to thank me, treat me to some ice cream."
"Of course, no problem." Florean Fortescue patted his chest and said generously, "You can eat as much as you want for free, anytime, and the promise is forever valid!"
"That’s really wonderful." Kael’s eyes lit up, further solidifying his idea of opening a shop in Diagon Alley.
As for what kind of shop to open... instinctively, he turned to look at the Quidditch Boutique, but the other party promptly shifted their gaze to the side.
Who was kidding? How much does an ice cream cost? Even the cheapest broom could have them eating for six months.
"Tsk, stingy," Kael couldn’t help but mutter, temporarily abandoning the idea of opening another Quidditch Boutique.
"Ah!"
At this moment, Fred and George’s screams suddenly came from afar, causing Kael to instinctively pull out his wand.
"No need to worry," Florean Fortescue said, "I don’t think their screams have anything to do with Death Eaters; it’s probably just because they’ve found their shop."
"What do you mean?" Kael asked.
"Well..." Florean Fortescue glanced at Mr. Weasley, his words tentative, "The extent of the damage to their Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes might be slightly more severe."
Out of curiosity, Kael immediately ran over to investigate.
Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes was still a distance from the entrance to Diagon Alley, and before Kael could get there, Fred and George’s wailing screams echoed one after the other.
The sound was pitiful, as if someone had stolen all their Galleons.
But the truth was almost that.
Their shop was gone.
As Kael rounded the corner, his view suddenly widened, and the neatly lined shops had a glaring empty space.
The missing one was Fred and George’s shop.
It seemed to have been specially targeted by the Death Eaters; Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes was the most severely damaged shop in the entire Diagon Alley, without exception.
The door and the Weasley statue acting as a sign were shattered, scattered carelessly on the ground, even the walls and windows hadn’t been spared.
What was once a fine two-story building was now just a heap of rubble, piled up about half a meter high.
The neatly displayed merchandise had been tossed everywhere... on the street, the ground, the opposite wall, anywhere but on the shelves.
Put it this way, if it weren’t known that there was a shop here, Kael would have thought someone dumped construction debris here.
But it’s understandable...
Fred and George’s jokes about Voldemort were not recent, the "Constipated Man" ad hadn’t been removed yet, and they’d posted many parody photos of famous Death Eaters.
For instance, Bellatrix and Radolphus Lestrange were drawn as a pair of hideous Cornwall Pixies, furiously biting each other, to promote their new product, Fire-Breathing Candy, a candy that made people fly into a rage.
And a gnome with Antonin Dolohov’s face... advertising the Bald Hat, which temporarily turns the wearer bald in various styles but regrows hair after two days, also currently the most popular prank product in their shop.