Vinda Rosier.
A name that had resonated with terror and awe throughout the wizarding world in the first half of the 20th century. She was talented, elegant, and notoriously known as Gellert Grindelwald's right-hand woman.
She was a fanatical follower, willing to commit any atrocity for the Dark Lord. Some said she merely idolized Grindelwald, while others whispered that she viewed him as a lover.
But if you asked Lyla Hamilton... she would tell you that Madam Rosier was the most terrifying, hateful boss in existence.
"Lyla! Have you finished writing the reconnaissance report Lord Grindelwald assigned you?!"
"Lyla! You haven't left Nurmengard in a month! Even if Lord Grindelwald hasn't given you a mission, you cannot just laze about like a useless lump!"
"Lyla! Lord Grindelwald summoned us to the war room! Yes, right now! Wait! At least comb your hair first, you look like a wild kneazle!"
"Lyla! Have you not showered in a week?! I can smell the Veela stench on you from the corridor!"
"Enough, Miss Parasite! You will tidy your room this instant! Is it not enough that you eat our rations and do nothing? Now you create more messes for us to clean?! I ought to permanently transfigure you into a literal parasite!"
"Parasite! Miss Parasite! Hamilton! That damned half-Veela..."
"Eek!" Lyla shivered violently, breaking free from the traumatic flashbacks.
'Madam Vinda Rosier was simply too terrifying!' She was absolutely the most frightening person Lyla had ever met in her life!
And now... she was actually marching toward the Rosier ancestral estate. 'Madam Rosier definitely knew about the secret infiltration task Lord Grindelwald originally assigned me!'
Now, fifty years later, Lyla was showing up at her family's doorstep arm-in-arm with the Ministry of Magic.
'She wouldn't kill me for colluding with the Ministry, would she?' Lyla panicked. 'No, she would definitely kill me!'
'Wait... calm down... calm down!'
Lyla took a deep breath to steady her racing heart. She subconsciously reached up to pat her cheeks, only to feel the cold metal of her silver mask.
"Is your mask crooked, Professor Hamier?" Guster Parkinson's voice chimed in. "By the way, why do you wear that thing? Is it some sort of magical artifact? It wouldn't happen to be a Dark artifact, would it?"
"Ah, I'm just joking, of course!"
Lyla ignored him, thinking carefully. 'Madam Rosier, as Grindelwald's most loyal fanatic, was probably imprisoned fifty years ago, right?'
'And if I remember correctly, Madam Vinda was from the French branch of the family. Why would she be in Britain?'
'It's fine... there is no way I will run into Madam Rosier here... definitely not.'
Even with the disguise, Lyla couldn't guarantee she wouldn't be recognized. She estimated she would likely pass out on the spot if she saw her old superior's face.
While Lyla was frantically comforting herself, the Ministry Aurors arrived at the estate gates.
It was not a particularly massive manor, but the stonework looked incredibly ancient and heavily warded.
"Ah... good morning, Head Auror Scrimgeour. Is that you?" Seeing the Ministry personnel approach, an elderly wizard standing near the manor's entrance walked up.
He looked a bit confused, seemingly unaware of why a full squad of Aurors had suddenly appeared on his lawn.
"Good morning, Mr. Edward Rosier." Scrimgeour offered a stiff nod in greeting. He then straightened his posture, slipping into his official persona.
"By the explicit orders of Minister Fudge and the Wizengamot..."
"The Department of Magical Law Enforcement's Auror Office is currently conducting authorized inspections for illegal Dark artifacts." He coughed lightly. "We expect the Rosier family to cooperate fully."
"A Dark artifact inspection?" Edward Rosier was stunned. He scratched his wrinkled face, looking incredibly awkward. "I apologize... Head Auror Scrimgeour, but we are currently entertaining a guest..."
"We will not interfere with your guest," Scrimgeour said firmly. "It is merely a routine inspection."
"If there are no Dark artifacts on the premises, you have absolutely nothing to worry about."
"Ah... we certainly do not harbor any Dark artifacts... it's just that the guest..." Edward hesitated. As a pure-blood family with waning influence in Britain, he desperately didn't want to clash with the Ministry.
"We will not disturb your guest," Scrimgeour repeated sternly. As the Head of the Auror Office, he couldn't show weakness in front of a dozen subordinates.
Moreover, his sharp instincts had already picked up on the elderly wizard's strange anxiety. Whoever this guest was, their presence was highly sensitive.
"Then..." Edward fell silent, seemingly out of options. He nodded reluctantly. "May I go in and inform them first?"
"Of course," Scrimgeour said, checking his watch. "I imagine a simple notification shouldn't take more than ten minutes, correct?"
"Naturally... Head Auror Scrimgeour." Edward nodded and quickly hurried into the manor.
Watching him leave, Guster—who had miraculously been silent for three entire minutes—started mumbling again. "Professor, did you know?"
"The main branch of the Rosier family resides in France; this estate belongs to a subordinate branch."
"No wonder Scrimgeour chose this place for his personally led raid. The Rosiers here have always been very compliant with the Ministry."
"Unlike the Malfoy family..." He shook his head. "Ah... sorry. I suppose our Parkinson family doesn't have the best track record of cooperation, either."
"Oh, right!" Guster suddenly leaned in and lowered his voice. "Do you know of Vinda Rosier?"
"Eek!" Lyla shivered violently.
"That Dark witch who was Grindelwald's fanatic!" Guster whispered conspiratorially.
"They say she's actually still alive. Even though she's been locked up in Nurmengard for decades."
He suddenly smirked. "Perhaps the magical prisons in mainland Europe are simply too comfortable. If she were locked up in Azkaban..."
"Head Auror Scrimgeour, you may come in."
Edward had returned to the doorway. He forced a strained smile and nodded to the squad.
"Thank you for your cooperation." Scrimgeour offered a tight smile, signaling the Aurors behind him to begin the raid.
As Lyla tried to shuffle past him with stiff legs to hide in the back of the group, Scrimgeour suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm.
"Miss Hamier... you come with me," he ordered, his tone unyielding.
"..."
Lyla nodded, her face deathly pale beneath the mask.
Like a drifting piece of driftwood, she helplessly followed Scrimgeour and Edward into the manor's main hall.
The other Aurors dispersed throughout the estate to begin their sweep, leaving the trio alone.
"Please, take a seat here..." Edward gestured to the plush parlor sofas. "My father will be down shortly. I will have the house-elves pour you some tea."
He glanced warily at Lyla's silver mask, visibly unnerved by her appearance.
Sitting down, Lyla felt a massive wave of relief wash over her. 'Thank goodness Madam Vinda isn't here...'
Relaxing slightly, she finally had the presence of mind to examine the room's decor.
The hall wasn't overly decorated, featuring only a few simple stone carvings. But... Lyla thoughtfully narrowed her eyes at the stonework.
She felt there was something distinctly odd about them. Their arrangement seemed completely random on the surface, but the underlying geometry was deeply familiar.
'I must be overthinking it...' She shook her head and shifted her gaze to the grand fireplace.
'Wait. The ornate pattern carved into the fireplace mantle... was that a runic matrix?'
Lyla certainly hadn't expected to discover something so fascinating the moment she sat down.
"Miss Hamier..." Scrimgeour noticed her intense stare. He leaned in and lowered his voice. "Did you spot something in the hall?"
"That fireplace," Lyla whispered back. "There are distinct traces of an active runic matrix..."
"I need to investigate it."
It appeared to be a highly complex, composite array. Although it was incredibly old, it was definitely functional. Lyla excitedly stood up, gripped her custom ebony wand, and marched straight over to the hearth.
Scrimgeour was stunned by her sudden movement and quickly followed. "Miss Hamier, wait—"
Before he could finish, Lyla gently traced a specific sword-shaped pattern over the mantle with her wand tip.
'Alohomora...' Lyla silently cast the Unlocking Charm in her mind, layering the spell's intent directly into the array's core.
Click. The heavy stone fireplace emitted a soft grinding sound, then slowly swung outward like a hidden door.
"Miss Hamier... this..." Scrimgeour stared at Lyla in absolute shock.
"This is a composite matrix," Lyla explained smoothly, her academic instincts entirely overriding her social anxiety. "It is composed of a basic energy storage array and..."
She observed the faintly glowing runes for a few seconds. "...and a Concealing Lock Array. It requires a specific magical frequency to unlock."
"Fortunately, the magical frequency it uses is quite archaic. It's a common sword shape from the last century. You merely need to trace the blade along the runic lines with your wand..."
"The primary pigment used was Demiguise blood, which subconsciously forces people's eyes to overlook the stonework. But too much time has passed, and its cloaking effect has almost entirely faded."
"Furthermore, they only used two Ancient Runes... and they were incredibly basic ones..."
Staring at the babbling, overly excited witch, Scrimgeour coughed loudly. "Miss Hamier!"
"Eek!" Lyla snapped out of her academic trance and quickly clamped a hand over her mask.
'I started lecturing about boring mathematical theories no one cares about again!' she panicked. 'My damned mouth!'
"So this leads to a hidden Chamber of Secrets?" Scrimgeour ignored her rambling and went straight to the point.
"Y-yes," Lyla poked her wand nervously and whispered. "It can be used to... store things..."
"There are absolutely no Dark artifacts in there." Before Lyla could finish speaking, a sharp, impatient voice interrupted.
The speaker was an imposing elderly wizard. He was flanked by an elderly witch, and a highly embarrassed Edward Rosier followed closely behind them.