The air felt unnaturally thin to Rosier.
He gasped for breath as he left the Auror Office, passing by the black cats that merely watched him without interfering. He made his way to the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic.
The hall was now dimly lit by yellowish lamps, a far cry from the bustling crowds of the daytime. After the alarm had sounded, most employees, who were already nearing the end of their shifts, had been evacuated early.
Apart from a handful of essential staff who remained in the Ministry, the vast building was now occupied only by those black cats, with scarcely a human figure in sight.
Rosier stood in the center of the Atrium, struggling to steady his breathing. In a trembling voice, he spoke to the empty air.
'I'm here now! She told me… on the very afternoon I remembered those things, this would be my chance! Something will come for me!'
The surroundings were eerily quiet. The puzzled black cats gathered around him, blinking as they observed the young man with valid clearance, unsure whom he was addressing.
Yet Rosier continued searching, scanning his surroundings as though certain he would find something, or someone, that could respond to him.
And soon enough, he really found the creature that shouldn't have appeared in the French Ministry of Magic.
It was a silver-white snake wrapped around the water pipe in the shadow of the ceiling!
The serpent was no more than 12 or 13 inches long, as thin as a finger. At first glance, it seemed like a living creature, its triangular head raised, tongue flicking toward Rosier.
But upon closer inspection, it became clear… this small snake was entirely crafted from a peculiar, pure silver. A magical construct, yet it moved and behaved as though it had a living soul!
The Ministry's black cats, sensing only inanimate objects, remained oblivious to its presence. But Rosier, upon spotting it, swallowed hard.
He said tremblingly.
"It's you, isn't it?" He whispered shakily, "You're from her… the bracelet she gave me. Lead me to retrieve the item, and then... bring them in-"
The silver snake did not answer. Instead, it slithered forward along the ceiling pipes, leaving a faint trail of moisture as it wound its way deeper into the Ministry.
Rosier forced himself to move, following the serpent as it guided him through multiple departments, deftly avoiding the few remaining staff members.
Finally, they arrived before a grand door.
The plaque beside it bore the name of the office behind it:
[Minister's Office]
Rosier's entire body trembled violently.
He was just a Squib, but precisely because he was a Squib, having lived in both the magical and Muggle worlds for so long, he understood exactly what the Minister's office represented.
And now, he, a Squib without even a wand, incapable of casting the simplest Levitation Charm, was about to break into such a place on his own!
However, Rosier was given no time to hesitate. The small silver snake slithered down from the ceiling, coiling around the doorknob before its body seemed to melt, turning into a silvery liquid that seeped into the keyhole.
A second later, there was a soft click. The door, which had been sealed with an Anti-Alohomora Charm after being closed, silently swung open.
The silver snake reappeared from the gap in the door, slithering back up to the ceiling to lead the way. When it noticed Rosier frozen in place, it turned its head and flicked its tongue as if urging him forward.
Rosier clenched his teeth and stepped through the door. The black cats scattered around watched him with strange gazes, as if puzzled by how he had the authority to open it.
Once fully inside, Rosier didn't dare stop. He feared that if he paused even for a moment, he wouldn't have the courage to take another step.
And so, following the silver snake, he walked down a long corridor until he reached a room at the very end.
The silver snake repeated its trick, unlocking the door to this room as well. It led Rosier into the office of the French Minister of Magic, Rousseau.
The space was enormous, its decor understated yet luxurious… so much so that Rosier hesitated to let his shoes tread upon the pristine white woolen carpet!
Rousseau wasn't here. Most of the staff in the Minister's office were absent as well. Ever since the Aurors had begun their aggressive crackdown across France, Rousseau had been attending countless meetings and press conferences, providing political support for the Aurors' operations.
Under the snake's repeated urging, Rosier finally stepped inside. His eyes landed on the fireplace behind the desk.
The fireplace was unlit, but it wasn't sealed… one of the very few in the entire French Ministry that hadn't been blocked off!
The silver snake coiled up Rosier's right leg before slithering into his hand, leaving behind a handful of shimmering green powder.
It was specially treated Floo Powder, already keyed to a specific location. All he had to do was toss it into the fireplace and speak the designated name, and it would connect to an unregistered fireplace at that destination!
Clutching the powder, Rosier shuffled toward the fireplace.
His face was deathly pale, his forehead slick with sweat. But having come this far, he had long since cast aside all hesitation and doubt!
He threw the shimmering green powder into the fireplace, and a burst of emerald flames erupted within.
The firelight flickered across Rosier's face. He took a deep breath and called out the name.
"Val-de-Marne's Aimee Abbey Branch!"
The green flames leaped, their glow shifting into a ghastly pale green. Then, mere seconds later, a tall figure emerged from the fire.
An elderly witch, dressed in a nun's habit, which are a fitted tunic, long robe, and a cornette, stepped out of the green flames with an air of calm authority.
Staring at the woman who had only ever allowed him to call her 'Sister Aimee' and never any other title, Rosier finally cast aside all restraint.
"Sister! You promised me! If I succeeded, you'd let me and Marie live in peace! You'd let me leave everything to do with wizards and magic behind! You wouldn't use her against me anymore!"
"You promised!!"
Sister Aimee, or rather, Vinda Rosier, merely stared at him coldly, saying nothing.
Behind her, one elderly figure after another emerged from the flames.
…
"Where do we even look? The French Ministry is huge, and Mrs. Rosier didn't see where he went!"
The moment Harry stepped out of the bedroom, reality hit him like a bucket of cold water.
He wasn't lacking in courage or confidence, but at the end of the day, he was still just a nine-year-old boy. Sometimes, no matter how much he wanted to do something, he simply didn't have the means.
Fortunately, even without Severus by his side, Lupin wasn't some useless wizard!
"He can't hide from these guards."
Lupin stared at the black cats, then crouched down and waved his wand, conjuring a silvery glow that sketched Rosier's likeness in the air before them.
"You saw him, didn't you? Can you take us to him?"
The cats' reactions varied… some ignored Lupin entirely, turning away with feline disdain, while others perked up immediately.
A few of them darted ahead, leading the way. Without hesitation, Lupin and Harry followed as the cats guided them toward the main hall.
Once there, the guards seemed to communicate among themselves, and a different set of black cats took over, ushering Lupin and Harry deeper into the Ministry.
Before long, they arrived at the door to the Minister's office.
It wasn't fully closed, just slightly ajar… one gentle push would open it.
But when Lupin saw the plaque labeling it as the Minister's Office, he hesitated.
"We shouldn't barge into a place like this without permission. This is France, and we are British wizards."
Harry, however, seemed to have an idea. He rummaged through his satchel and pulled out an official International Magical Cooperation Department credential issued by the British Ministry.
Inside, there it was… Harry's photo, alongside the name Dudley Dursley.
"They invited Professor to join the British-French Auror Joint Task Force, right? That makes me a Ministry's liaison, authorized to assist in the investigation. We're allowed to be here!"
Lupin stared at the credential, then gritted his teeth.
"Fine. And if we get in trouble, we'll just have Snape pull strings to get us out!"
With the decision made, the two stepped into the corridor leading to the Minister's office.
The black cats, however, stopped at the threshold. They had their own rules… this was a place they weren't permitted to enter.
Lupin and Harry passed by a series of closed doors lining the hallway until they reached the one at the very end… the only one left open.
Exchanging a glance, they held their breaths, tightening their grips on their wands. Moving silently, they could just make out voices from inside.
"You promised!!"
"Of course I promised you, Patrick. But do you really believe that after what you've done, you can just cut yourself off from wizards and magic?"
"From the moment you were born into the Rosier Family, your fate was sealed. Do you think your parents abandoned you in a Muggle city on a whim? If they truly wanted to erase the shame of a Squib, they would've left you in some desolate forest to die."
"The fact that you were left among Muggles, raised by them… that was the greater humiliation. The only reason you were allowed to live was because I intervened. I convinced them to hand you over to me. Even as a Squib, you could still serve the noble Rosier name in some small way."
"Yes, from the very beginning… your abandonment, your adoption into my care, your job, that apartment you rented, even meeting Marie… it was all predetermined."
"All for this moment, Patrick. All so you could fulfill your one true purpose."