Harry Potter and Dumbledore had long wanted the wizarding world to introduce all kinds of technological creations from the Muggle world.
At a time like this, if the Ministry wanted to abandon the introduction of technological creations and simply ask Dumbledore and Harry Potter to help them defeat Voldemort, how could they possibly agree?
Some of the more extreme Ministry officials even believed that as long as Dumbledore and Harry Potter did not attack the Ministry in return after learning the news, that would already be a good outcome.
Suddenly, some Ministry officials felt an inexplicable chill.
Harry Potter and Dumbledore had only just been arrested, and Voldemort had immediately come to attack the Ministry, forcing it into a desperate situation.
Then, at this exact moment, the newly appointed Minister for Magic, Lucius Malfoy, had proposed introducing technological creations to fight Voldemort.
Was this not too much of a coincidence?
So coincidental that it perfectly achieved the goal of introducing technological creations into the wizarding world.
So coincidental that every Ministry official, and every other wizard, would be unable to oppose this tradition-defying proposal.
Was there perhaps some hidden hand behind the scenes pushing this entire matter forward?
But very quickly, many Ministry officials shook their heads and rejected the thought.
If someone wanted to push this matter forward, the mastermind behind it would most likely be Harry Potter and Dumbledore.
But everyone knew that Lucius Malfoy had an extremely poor relationship with Harry Potter and Dumbledore. There was no way he could cooperate with them.
Unless Lucius had always been a subordinate of either Harry Potter or Dumbledore, but that was even more impossible.
How could the head of a noble pure-blood family, the Minister for Magic himself, possibly be nothing more than a subordinate to one of them?
That idea was simply too absurd.
The Ministry officials who had thought of this shook their heads, then turned their attention back to the situation before them.
How exactly were they supposed to introduce Muggle technological creations?
And what kind of technological creations could possibly defeat Voldemort?
Soon, one Ministry official raised this question.
"We are currently surrounded by Voldemort and the Death Eaters. If we want to get out, we will have to break through layer after layer of encirclement, and we may very well be killed on the spot. So how exactly are we supposed to retrieve the Muggle technological creations?"
"Retrieve?" Lucius's gaze swept over the official who had asked the question, and his eyebrows rose slightly, as though he had expected this question from the start.
The cracks in the golden barrier were still spreading visibly, and the Death Eaters' roars pierced through the shield like countless needles stabbing into everyone's eardrums.
With a light wave of his wand, a blue line suddenly lit up on the magical map on the floor, stretching from the Ministry all the way to the outskirts of London.
"Hogwarts's fireplace network has not been infiltrated by the Death Eaters," Lucius said calmly. "Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout have Portkeys leading to a Muggle armory. That was a contingency Harry Potter left behind. We can have the students and professors retrieve the Muggle technological creations."
A commotion broke out in the crowd, and someone instinctively objected, "Send students? They have not even learned proper defensive spells yet."
"Better than sending terrified fools like you," Lucius cut him off, pointing his wand at the dot of light representing Hogwarts on the map. "Compared to all of you, who only know how to hide behind a barrier and tremble, those children are the true wizards."
He took a step forward, the hem of his black robe brushing over the broken stones on the floor.
"I will send word to Hogwarts. I will tell them that the Ministry needs reinforcements, and even more than that, we need them to return with Muggle technological creations. When they bring the weapons and regroup with us, I hope all of you will charge forward bravely and fight, not shiver in the rear!"
Inside Hogwarts, Fred excitedly rushed out of the Room of Requirement and shouted to the Kamar-Taj members eating in the Great Hall.
"The Minister for Magic sent us a message! He wants us to go to Headmaster Dumbledore's office as soon as possible, get the Portkey, use it to reach a Muggle armory, bring back a large number of Muggle technological weapons, and support the Ministry.
"This next part belongs to us!"
George was equally excited. He said with enthusiasm, "This time, we get to play the saviors of the wizarding world. Merlin, just thinking about it gets me excited."
Hermione had never lacked courage, but alongside her courage, she always had a touch more calm and steadiness than ordinary young witches and wizards.
"Don't rush. We cannot afford a single mistake, or the plan may fail. We must complete the task Harry entrusted to us with absolute certainty. Only then will the first step of our revolution be complete."
Ron also nodded. "Exactly. Victory is right in front of us. We can't lose it because we got carried away."
Hearing Ron say that, the twins immediately teased him.
"Who would've thought our little reckless troublemaker would actually become steady? As your older brothers, we're so proud."
Ron's face instantly turned red. "Shut up, Fred, George. I'm not that little kid from back then anymore. I'm already sixteen this year!"
"Yes, yes, our little rascal has grown up," the twins said perfunctorily, clearly not caring what Ron had to say.
Because Harry had already given instructions, they easily reached the headmaster's office and took out the Portkey.
The Portkey was nothing special. It was just an ordinary key with a tag hanging from it, labeled as leading to a Muggle world armory.
Soon, everyone held hands and grabbed the Portkey. After Hermione lightly waved her wand, she was connected to Cho Chang, Cho Chang was connected to Cedric, Cedric was connected to the other members, and all of them disappeared together into a twisting vortex.
When they stood steady again, the pungent smell of motor oil mixed with cold metal rushed into their faces.
Before them was a massive Muggle armory warehouse. High-hanging incandescent lights illuminated rows of iron shelves. Rifles, machine guns, and grenades stood on the racks like a silent metal jungle, while belts of ammunition glimmered faintly in the shadows.
"Merlin's beard, this thing is way heavier than a wand!" Ron shouldered a heavy machine gun, and the coldness of the gun body seeped through his sweater, making him shiver.
Hermione, however, was already studying the labeled wooden crates. Her finger tapped the words "anti-tank sniper rifle." "This has enough range, and it can penetrate a Death Eater's Shield Charm."
She drew her wand and lightly tapped the crate lid. The wooden boards split open at once, revealing the sniper rifle wrapped in moisture-proof cloth inside. "It needs a Feather-Light Charm, or we won't be able to carry it."
Fred and George were hugging a stack of grenades, laughing so hard they could barely straighten up.
"Look at the shape of this thing." George raised an egg-shaped grenade and examined it under the light. "Much classier than our Dungbombs!"
Fred suddenly pulled out his wand and tapped the grenade casing. "How about adding a Tracking Charm? Make it chase after Death Eater robes."
Hermione was just about to scold him, but then she saw a faint red light flash at the grenade's fuse, clearly showing that the Tracking Charm had taken effect. She was so angry she laughed. "At least don't let it blow up our own side!"
They moved extremely quickly, like a group of well-trained guerrilla fighters.
Ron used a Levitation Charm to lift more than a dozen rifles, their gun bodies floating side by side in the air, while Hermione stuffed the missiles and machine guns into an expanded magical bag.
When the Portkey began heating up again, every one of their magical bags was bulging. The heavy weight pressed their shoulders down slightly, but with Floating Charms, no one felt tired.
After they returned to Hogwarts, they immediately headed to the Ministry through the Floo Network.
By the time they passed through the corridor, they could already hear explosions and the muffled impacts of clashing spells from deep within the Ministry.
"Ready?" Hermione asked, a little nervous.
Fred ripped the moisture-proof cloth off a machine gun. George pulled out a grenade. Ron raised his rifle. Hermione checked the missile's Positioning Charm one last time.
Clearly, all of them were ready.
Soon, they rushed around the corner together and ran into the Death Eaters, who were attacking the defensive array deep within the Ministry.
Below, the golden defensive barrier was already on the verge of collapse. Death Eaters continuously casting Blasting Curses were surging like a tide against the final line of defense.
Fred suddenly laughed and set a machine gun on a broken stone pillar. "Let Muggle fireworks throw the Death Eaters a party!"
Gunfire instantly tore through the night sky. Bullets whistled through the air with sharp, wind-splitting sounds, striking the Death Eaters' Shield Charms and bursting into sparks.
When the first bullets broke through a Shield Charm and hit a Death Eater's body, when the first Death Eater's scream rang out, Ron suddenly understood Harry's intention.
These cold pieces of metal were much easier to use than their wands.
Soon, Hermione pressed the missile launch button. Watching the silver streak drag a trail of flame as it crashed toward the Death Eaters in the distance, she said softly, "It's time to give these backward Death Eaters a little shock from modern technology."
The missile smashed into the dense charging formation of Death Eaters like a runaway meteor. First came a deafening explosion, then the shock wave instantly blasted the three Death Eaters in the front row into the air.
Their black robes were torn apart like rags, and their limbs were flung into the air amid the firelight before slamming heavily onto the Ministry floor.
The exploding shrapnel swept outward together with broken stone. Several Death Eaters who tried to block it with Protego had their defenses torn open by force.
Their silvery-gray shields caved in like punctured tin foil. Shrapnel pierced their shoulders or thighs, leaving bloody holes in their flesh, and their screams abruptly shot up several pitches.
Fred's machine gun was still spitting fire wildly, weaving a net of death with bullets.
One Death Eater had just shouted Expelliarmus when three bullets pierced his throat at the same time. His body staggered backward and collapsed onto his companion.
Another Death Eater, wand raised, suddenly blossomed with blood across his chest. A bullet pierced his heart, and he fell to his knees without even a groan. His wand slipped from his stiff fingers and rolled far across the floor.
When the grenade George threw exploded among the Death Eaters, red flames wrapped around the shrapnel and shot in every direction, instantly killing one of them.
Ron shouldered his rifle, aimed at a Death Eater who was trying to cast a spell, and pulled the trigger. A bullet struck the man between the eyebrows, and his body fell heavily backward.
The Death Eaters, who were used to crushing their opponents with Dark magic, panicked completely.
Their Shield Charms could block spells, but they could not stop large numbers of high-speed, spinning metal bullets.
They could not use Apparition inside the Ministry, and their other anti-Muggle spells were easily broken by these young witches and wizards.
Under the heavy casualties, the Death Eaters' formation collapsed like a sandcastle washed away by the tide. Some turned to flee, only to be shot through the back by bullets from behind. Some fell to their knees and begged for mercy, only to have their foreheads shattered by merciless rounds.
Blood flowed down the stone steps of the Ministry, mixing with torn black-robed scraps and snapped wands, forming dark red puddles across the floor.
In the smoke, the Ministry officials stared at the Muggle lumps of iron they had once despised, and for the first time, their eyes showed the same fear as the slaughtered Death Eaters.
They had been wrong. When Muggle technological creations were used by wizards, and even reinforced with magic, their power far exceeded their imagination.
However, things would not continue going smoothly forever. Technological creations possessed tremendous power against ordinary adult wizards, but against top-tier powerhouses, they were still nothing special.
At this moment, Voldemort finally recovered from the unexpected attack.
Within the smoke, a slender and sinister figure slowly emerged.
Voldemort's skin was pale and stretched tightly over his skull, outlining a hideous silhouette.
He had no nose, only two dark nostril slits that continuously breathed out cold air carrying a serpentine stench.
His scarlet eyes burned in the darkness. His pupils were two thin vertical lines, like a venomous snake ready to strike, locking firmly onto the young witches and wizards in the distance.
His black robes dragged through the ruined ground, covered in dust and blood, yet they did nothing to lessen his suffocating pressure. It was as though every fluttering edge of his robe was wrapped in a curse of death.
"Muggle trash." His voice was like two rusted pieces of metal grinding together, filled with undisguised rage and contempt.
The instant the machine-gun bullets whistled toward him again, Voldemort abruptly raised his hand, and a ray of light shot from the tip of his wand.
The flagstones on the floor of the Ministry Atrium suddenly let out a piercing crack. Dozens of massive rocks rose from the ground as if lifted by invisible hands, instantly condensing into a thick stone barricade.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The bullets struck the rock, leaving only shallow dents and dull impacts.
The second missile Hermione launched slammed into the barricade. Although it blasted out a rain of shattered stone, it failed to completely destroy the stone shield.
Standing behind the rock, Voldemort peered through the gaps in the broken stone and precisely located Hermione and the others.
Those young witches and wizards holding Muggle weapons, their faces still filled with shock, were the very culprits who had ruined his victory.
"Since you enjoy playing heroes so much," Voldemort's voice pierced through the rock, carrying a bone-chilling smile, "you should taste true despair."
Before his words had even faded, his figure flashed like a ghost, cutting through smoke and shattered stone to appear less than thirty feet from Hermione.
The stone barricade collapsed behind him with a thunderous crash, and his wand was already pointed at Hermione's chest. A sickly green light danced at its tip, a color deadlier than any technological weapon, the Killing Curse.
"Die, Mudblood," he whispered, and the green beam shot out like a venomous snake's fangs, tearing through the air as it flew straight toward Hermione's face.
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