The sound of rain and wind outside was clear, mingling with the crackling of flames in the fireplace.
Sir Humphrey Appleby stared at Severus Snape for a long time, weighing the truth of every word he spoke. Finally, he made his decision, standing abruptly and turning to Bernard. "Bernard!"
"Yes, Sir Humphrey!" Bernard responded reflexively.
"Contact the motorcade immediately," Sir Humphrey ordered, pulling on his coat, his gaze flickering briefly between Snape and the desk. "Use my highest authority to requisition the bulletproof car. Notify Team C for escort, maximum alert level."
"We," he paused, gesturing to himself and Bernard, "along with Mr. Snape, will go to see the Prime Minister. We leave at once."
He picked up the red secure telephone but hesitated, his fingers hovering over the buttons. He looked up, his eyes searching Snape's.
Snape understood immediately. With a subtle flick of his wand, he lifted the silencing charm that had enveloped the room.
"It's clear now, Sir Humphrey," he said. "You can contact the outside world."
Sir Humphrey nodded but still didn't dial. Holding the receiver, he fixed his gaze on Snape's face.
"Mr. Snape, if I may be so bold," he said. "Once you meet the Prime Minister, how do you intend to protect him?"
"I plan to take the Prime Minister," Snape replied, "and perhaps you and Mr. Bernard, if you're willing to come, to a safe house protected by powerful magical wards. It's unlike any location secured by standard Muggle means. It cannot be found, located, or entered by any method."
"Unless the most powerful wizard guarding its secrecy falls," he added after a pause, "which I deem highly unlikely."
Sir Humphrey's brows furrowed. He studied Snape skeptically for a moment before pressing further. "Forgive my bluntness, Mr. Snape, but how does the power of your strongest compare to the leader of these… Death Eaters you're opposing? What are the odds?"
A faint smile crossed Snape's face. "I'm the one standing here, Sir Humphrey, am I not? Decades ago, during Britain's darkest hour, did the Empire ever bow to Nazi Germany?"
Sir Humphrey fell silent, his thumb and forefinger rubbing together as he absorbed the weight of Snape's words.
He gave Snape a long look, then, without further hesitation, dialed a secure number.
"This is Humphrey Appleby, authorization code Aurum-9-King…" he spoke clearly into the receiver, issuing instructions. "Activate the contingency plan immediately. Yes, the Prime Minister's location… A special consultant is accompanying us. Connect me to the Prime Minister."
Tense affirmations came through the line. Bernard slipped out of the office to coordinate the arrangements.
Hanging up, Sir Humphrey turned back to Snape, his tone grave. "Mr. Snape, I trust you understand. Given the Prime Minister's importance and the sensitive nature of his current circumstances—not to mention the glimpse we've had of your group's extraordinary capabilities—I must ask that you keep a low profile upon arrival. At least until the Prime Minister fully grasps this extraordinary situation and agrees to our explanations and arrangements, please refrain from openly displaying your abilities or identity."
"Of course," Snape inclined his head, showing no inclination to argue. "For the Prime Minister's safety and the smooth execution of the transfer, that's only reasonable. I'll leave the detailed communication and persuasion to you, though I doubt the Prime Minister is as fragile as you imply."
They fell silent, waiting for Bernard's return.
Minutes later, Bernard pushed open the door and gave a subtle nod, signaling everything was ready.
The three set off, moving swiftly through the solemn corridors of the residence via an internal passage toward the back exit.
A sleek, low-profile, dark bulletproof sedan waited by the rain-slicked rear path, its door already open. Despite the wary glances from heavily armed guards toward the unfamiliar young man, a brief look from Sir Humphrey prompted them to avert their eyes and stand at attention, as if they'd seen nothing.
Sir Humphrey gestured for Snape to join him in the back seat while Bernard slid into the front passenger side.
The door closed with a heavy thud. The driver, eyes fixed forward, started the car without a word.
The engine let out a low rumble, and the sedan glided out of the heavily guarded core area, soon merging into the flow of traffic on London's wet, cold December streets. It sped toward a satellite town outside the city.
Inside, the car was eerily quiet, save for the rhythmic swish of the wipers and the soft hiss of tires on wet pavement.
Bernard sat rigidly, staring ahead, though his eyes occasionally darted to the rearview mirror, stealing glances at the young wizard reclining by the window, eyes closed in rest. Sir Humphrey maintained his posture, fingers lightly tapping his knee.
After some time, the car entered a leafy, unremarkable row of townhouses, pulling up behind one nondescript building. Two people in raincoats walking dogs glanced casually at the arrivals—likely disguised guards.
Under their watchful eyes, the group disembarked, hurrying through the drizzling rain into a narrow alley beside the house.
At the alley's end stood an iron door. Sir Humphrey stepped forward, entering a code on an electronic lock and submitting to an iris scan.
The door slid open a crack, revealing a brightly lit, narrow room. Several well-equipped guards approached, scanning the trio thoroughly with devices to ensure no weapons or trackers were present.
After passing two more security checkpoints with different verification methods, they entered a warm, elegantly furnished office.
Inside, Prime Minister Jim Hacker slouched in a large armchair, idly flipping through a document, his face etched with the boredom of being confined.
At the sound of the door, he looked up, his expression lighting up with relief upon seeing Humphrey and Bernard.
"Humphrey, Bernard!" Hacker leapt from his chair. "Thank heavens you're here! What's so urgent that you had to come in person instead of calling—"
Bernard closed the office door. As he did, Snape, previously obscured by the two men, came into view.
Hacker's gaze shifted to the stranger, his brow furrowing. "Er… and you are?" He looked to Sir Humphrey for an introduction.
"Magic, Prime Minister," Sir Humphrey said in a low, serious tone.
"What?" Hacker blinked, as if he'd misheard or couldn't process the word.
As if to confirm Sir Humphrey's words, Snape calmly drew his wand from his pocket.
Hacker's eyes locked onto the wand, and he stumbled back two steps, pointing at Snape. "Oh, wait! You don't need to turn my teacup into a bird to prove anything! I've already seen that trick!"
At this, Sir Humphrey's smile froze. He stared at the Prime Minister, shock and a hint of hurt crossing his face. "You knew about this, Prime Minister? And you didn't tell me?"
Hacker gave an awkward grin, revealing his slightly clumsy, endearing teeth, trying to lighten the mood. "Oh, my dear Humphrey, this… well, their rules only allow the sitting Muggle Prime Minister to know."
He spread his hands, signaling he was just following protocol.
"Muggle?" Sir Humphrey's voice rose an octave. He stared at Hacker, incredulous. "Prime Minister, you even know the word 'Muggle'?"
Hacker's grin grew more sheepish. He rubbed his chin. "Well, what good would it do to tell you, Humphrey? Would you have believed me? You'd probably think I'd gone so mad I wasn't just 'mad enough to be Prime Minister' but ready for the psychiatric ward."
Avoiding Humphrey's aggrieved look, he turned to Snape, gesturing for everyone to sit.
"All right, all right," he said. "Let's sit down. This gentleman…"
"Severus Snape."
"Yes, Mr. Snape, please, have a seat. Your… Ministry of Magic sent someone to protect me for a while before. I only found out he was one of yours when he left. He warned me to be extra cautious, which had me on edge for days…" Hacker trailed off, then gave a resigned shrug. "Fine. Why don't you go ahead and do it? It'll help me get in the mood." He pointed to the half-empty teacup on the desk.
Snape didn't refuse. With a flick of his wand, the teacup, adorned with the royal crest, transformed into a plump, short-haired tortoiseshell kitten.
The kitten shook its fur, leapt onto Hacker's lap under his astonished gaze, nuzzled his hand, then hopped back to the desk. After a few steps, its form shimmered and reverted to the teacup, still holding its half-cup of lukewarm water.
"Extraordinary…" Hacker murmured, his eyes glazed with wonder. "Every time I see this, it feels like a dream…" He shook his head, his expression sobering as he looked at Snape. "All right, Mr. Snape, what's happened this time? I must say, you lot never seem to bring good news when you show up."
Snape concisely explained that the Ministry of Magic had effectively collapsed, that Death Eaters had discovered the Prime Minister's location and intended to control or eliminate him, and that an attack was imminent. He outlined his plan to take them to a magically protected safe house.
As he spoke, Hacker's brow furrowed deeper, the levity draining from his face, replaced by gravity and a faint, barely perceptible trace of fear. He didn't respond immediately, instead turning to Sir Humphrey.
"Prime Minister," Sir Humphrey said, meeting Hacker's questioning gaze, "having witnessed and experienced some of Mr. Snape's extraordinary abilities firsthand, I believe he has no reason or need to deceive us. If he represented a destructive force, he'd have far better options."
"So…" Hacker licked his dry lips, looking at Snape. "We have to go to this magical safe house? This place isn't secure enough? MI5 spent a fortune on it. Perhaps you could reinforce it…"
"No, Prime Minister," Snape said firmly, glancing toward the door. "The protections here are useless against true dark magic. They could arrive at any moment. We must leave immediately."
Hacker's face showed a struggle: abandon this heavily fortified safe house to follow a stranger to an unknown "magical safe house"? The risk was immense.
Seeing his hesitation, Snape pressed on. "Prime Minister, the recent inexplicable, devastating 'disasters' across the country, and the leak of your highly confidential whereabouts, are not accidents or natural calamities. They're the work of the most dangerous dark wizard. Magic doesn't just create playful kittens or obedient birds—it can erase streets, twist minds, or end lives permanently. If you doubt magic's power, I can demonstrate combat spells later, once we're safe. But for now," he locked eyes with Hacker, "we need to leave to ensure you live to see that demonstration, not become part of it."
Snape's icy words hit Hacker like a splash of cold water, sending a shiver through him. He rose from his seat.
At that moment—
Bang! Crash!
"Stop him! Argh!"
From outside came the sudden sounds of fierce fighting, heavy impacts, tearing metal, bodies hitting the floor, and the terrified shouts of guards mixed with the shrill whistle of spells.
Everyone in the office paled, jumping to their feet.
Snape's wand snapped up, pointing at the door. "Protego!" An invisible, faintly shimmering shield formed at the entrance.
Almost simultaneously, the heavy blast-proof office door buckled inward as if struck by a giant hammer. Splinters of metal and wood sprayed into the room.
The deadly debris hit the shield, crackling loudly as it was blocked, falling harmlessly to the floor.
Through the haze of dust, a figure in a black hooded cloak, face hidden behind a grotesque mask, appeared in the blasted doorway.
————
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