Ex-plo-sion!

On September 1st, it was announced that Severus Snape had become the Headmaster of Hogwarts, while two Death Eaters took the roles of professors for Muggle Studies and Defense Against the Dark Arts.

But it wasn't until December that things began to spiral out of control.

Setting aside Barnaby's worry for the teachers who stayed behind at Hogwarts, the emergence of a group called the Snatchers only made things grow increasingly chaotic.

These guys were essentially gangs making a living by capturing Muggle-borns and anyone deemed a "blood traitor."

The reason for this?

The Ministry of Magic has placed a bounty on each captured individual.

It's worth noting that they differ from Death Eaters in that they don't bear the Dark Mark on their arms, deemed unworthy of such a "privilege."

From what Barnaby learned (when he went shopping and was ambushed by them, only to turn the tables with a beating), Greyback was supposed to be one of the leaders of this movement, but now they were led only by a guy named Scabior.

In fact, it seems they also react when someone activates the taboo curse by saying Voldemort's name, giving them a chance for promotion.

Hell, Voldemort even updated the curse, so it now not only alerts Death Eaters and Snatchers but also produces a magical disturbance that breaks protective spells around whoever says it.

Well, except for the protections Frieren set up, which were evidently still in place as if they didn't even feel a tickle from such a weak and pathetic alteration.

Now, when his mother-in-law gave him the news during dinner one day that the Lovegoods' house had EXPLODED, he was bewildered—at least, until Andromeda later told him what Mr. Lovegood had said when she went to check on him.

Apparently, Hermione had cast a spell on an Erumpent horn after Xenophilius called in the Death Eaters to arrest the three, hoping to get his daughter Luna back.

Who in the world has such a highly explosive horn hanging in their house?

There's a reason the population of these creatures is so low—they always end up blowing each other up during mating season!

That, along with the fact that they only give birth to one calf at a time.

Newt even told him how he once had to keep an Erumpent in his suitcase when it escaped into a zoo.

"Ginny must be worried."

Though the strangest part of it all (yes, even stranger than having an explosive horn in the house) was that the fugitive trio had specifically gone to see Luna's father to ask about the Deathly Hallows.

I mean, it's understandable that Hermione and Harry wouldn't know about them, but Ron?

Barnaby was certain there was a copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard in the Burrow; he must have heard those stories when he was little.

"Are they looking for information on a fairy tale with everything that's going on?" Barnaby felt like he was severely out of the loop.

Had those three gone mad from the pressure, or did they have some twisted reason to investigate?

His father was listening to the old radio when he accidentally hit it with his wand and ended up tuning into a program called Potterwatch.

He could recognize Lee Jordan's voice and other students, who kept relaying news censored by the new management of the Ministry and encouraging wizards and witches to protect Muggles and look for ways to stand up to Voldemort and his followers.

Very subtle…

"What do you think?" he asked Newt during a visit to his house, where they were also listening to this peculiar radio program.

"Dumbledore always had his ways of carrying out his plans," said the Magizoologist, taking a sip of tea, and judging by his grimace, it seemed he had once again forgotten to add sugar. "The best we can do now is hope Potter accomplishes… whatever Dumbledore tasked him with, and to help if necessary."

"We can't do much if he WON'T tell anyone anything about his damn super-secret operations," Barnaby said with frustration in his voice.

After months of an increasingly dark outlook, he had even taken a step back and asked the Order of the Phoenix what on earth Harry was doing. At the very least, he wanted to know if he could help in any way.

By the way, the Weasleys were safe, which was a relief.

Imagine his surprise when he learned that they didn't quite know what was going on either but trusted in the mission Dumbledore had given him.

Such blind reliance was incredibly exasperating to him.

In any case, he gave them some scrolls detailing the activities and events at Hogwarts reported to him by the susuwatari, hoping it would be of some use. He also provided supplies for "the resistance" that the Order of the Phoenix said existed at Hogwarts, sending everything directly through Aberforth.

McGonagall looked at him in surprise, but after briefly glancing at his shadow, she seemed to understand something and nodded in silence.

Did she think Sanshi had been sent to spy on the castle?

He supposed it didn't matter; the information was accurate anyway.

Now, Barnaby had to admit Harry managed to impress him when, several weeks later, in a way he would definitely try to find out, he successfully BROKE INTO Gringotts and fled the supposedly impregnable place atop a dragon, completely destroying the bank's credibility that had endured for centuries.

When he saw the picture of the dragon leaving Gringotts, his first thought was to see if he could locate it and help it recover from the evident abuse it had suffered under the name of "training" by those small, greedy creatures.

Damn chickpea faces.

Turns out it wasn't too hard to find the dragon, especially with Newt (furious at the dragon's condition) leading the search.

It's now in a sanctuary, trying to leave its past behind, though years of abuse have left permanent scars, even after recovery.