The Revealing Traces spell was a form of tracking magic capable of reconstructing magical footprints, lingering magical fluctuations, or fragments of scenes that had appeared within a specific area over a short period of time.
Of course, such reconstruction had its limits. Dumbledore knew perfectly well that it would be impossible to fully restore what had happened. He was using the spell more to gauge one thing: just how intense the battle had truly been.
The result did not disappoint him. Yet it troubled him.
A blizzard of ice and snow had swept across the entire region. Everything that appeared after that point in the vision became hopelessly blurred.
That meant the spell had reached the absolute limit of the magic it could bear.
Did the Death Eaters truly possess someone capable of wielding such power?
Dumbledore stood quietly in place for a long while, lost in thought, before Apparating back to the Ministry of Magic.
"How was it, Albus?" Cornelius Fudge had been waiting anxiously. He was alone in his office, and the moment Dumbledore returned, he asked with unconcealed hope.
"Cornelius, I need more clues. Could you allow several Aurors to accompany me to Hogwarts? I have an artifact that can reconstruct events through their memories. It may prove helpful."
"No problem. I'll go with you," Fudge agreed without hesitation.
He immediately summoned five Aurors and followed Dumbledore to Hogwarts. When Fudge saw the shattered wooden planks outside the Headmaster's office, he froze.
He had visited Hogwarts frequently in recent months. Wasn't there supposed to be an indestructible stone gargoyle guarding the entrance?
"Albus… what happened here?"
Dumbledore gave an awkward little smile. "I gave the gargoyle a holiday. I didn't expect anyone to visit during the break."
Fudge was left equally awkward, unsure how to respond.
After a long pause, he finally said, "You're… quite humane. If Hogwarts is short on funding, just tell me. I'll do my best to approve it."
"Thank you."
They did not linger on the embarrassing topic. Dumbledore led the group inside, produced the Pensieve, and instructed the Aurors how to extract specific memories and place them into the silvery basin.
He pulled Fudge along to witness the entire scene as if they were present at the attack itself. When Fudge finally lifted his head out of the Pensieve, his face was deathly pale.
"Too brutal… too terrifying…" he muttered repeatedly.
The accompanying Aurors were equally shaken. At the time, they had been utterly powerless. Their protective cloaks had shattered within seconds. Then the cold had swallowed them whole, encasing them in ice, their consciousness sinking into darkness.
When they awoke, the attackers were already gone.
Fortunately, the two Death Eaters had shown no intent to kill. Otherwise, ten men might have gone out and not a single one returned.
Were those truly Death Eaters?
It felt more like the Dark Lord himself had descended.
"Don't be too nervous, Cornelius," Dumbledore said gently. "They merely struck by surprise. Trust in the Ministry's Aurors. They can regain control of the situation."
Standing among the crowd, Kingsley Shacklebolt silently shook his head.
Regain control? Hardly.
"Albus, you must find them. This is far too dangerous," Fudge said, his tongue nearly twisting with agitation.
"I will do my best. But…" Dumbledore hesitated. "You know how difficult it is to locate two individuals who are hiding their identities."
"I trust you, Albus."
After seeing the Ministry delegation off, Dumbledore gazed into the heavy night. He did not intend to rest. Instead, he headed for Spinner's End, where a certain professor resided.
"So late at night, and you're not afraid of disturbing my rest?"
Severus Snape's face was sour as he let Dumbledore into the house. It was a modest two story home, roughly eighty square meters per floor. A row of cauldrons bubbled in the sitting room, steam rising steadily, warming the interior against the cold outside.
"You're brewing potions? So many?" Dumbledore asked lightly, unfazed by Snape's chilly tone.
Though clearly unwelcoming, Snape still handed him a cup of hot cocoa. "I had a sudden burst of inspiration and decided to run a few experiments. Surely you're not here to schedule my holiday time as well?"
"Of course not," Dumbledore replied with a smile. "I am no Muggle capitalist. I merely asked out of concern for one of my professors."
"I feel quite well. Thank you for your concern. If there is nothing else, state your business."
As he spoke, cold sweat had already begun to seep into Snape's palm.
The Dark Lord was mercurial and volatile, and most of his followers trembled before him, save for a handful of lunatics.
Dumbledore, on the other hand, treated everyone with warmth and patience. Strangely, that brought Snape even greater pressure.
"I have bad news. Oh, no," Dumbledore corrected himself with a faint smile. "For you, it might be considered good news. Peter is dead. Two Death Eaters attacked the transport convoy and killed him to avenge Voldemort."
Snape's hand paused midair with his teacup. A look of fierce satisfaction flashed across his face, but it vanished quickly. He sneered.
"You should never have handed him over to the Ministry. If you'd let me kill him, none of this trouble would exist. Fudge must be panicking now."
"Indeed," Dumbledore nodded. "Cornelius has asked me to find the culprits as soon as possible."
"And what does that have to do with me?" Snape set the teacup down sharply, tea sloshing over the rim. "Do you think I intercepted Peter Pettigrew?"
"I did not say that. I am not suggesting that. Please do not invent such ideas," Dumbledore denied promptly. "You had extensive contact with Death Eaters in the past. I hoped you might offer insight. One of the killers was highly skilled in ice magic. The other displayed remarkable mastery over spells. Any thoughts?"
"My status among the Death Eaters was hardly prestigious," Snape replied after a moment's thought. "Those old veterans all outranked me."
He paused, considering carefully.
"Alex. Gibbon. Rodolphus Lestrange. They possess that sort of strength."