An opal necklace, a somewhat aged crystal ball, and an ordinary household flashlight.

The Aurors' attention was almost entirely focused on the necklace and the crystal ball, with only a few from Muggle-born families glancing at the flashlight.

"What's that crude iron cylinder?" A wizard who didn't recognize the flashlight asked after a moment.

"It's a Muggle lighting tool. You install batteries inside, and when you flip the switch, the bulb at the front lights up." Someone explained.

"What about the prophecy in the crystal ball? Can it be interpreted?" Girard's gaze remained fixed on the crystal ball.

The Auror Chief beside her reported, "A Seer needs time to interpret prophecies. The best Seer in the Ministry is the Divination professor from Beauxbatons. He's currently on vacation in Spain. Should we call him back?"

"Notify him to return immediately. And start investigating right away… find out who sold these items to this man!" Girard issued the order. Meanwhile, an Auror voiced suspicion.

"This Muggle item is unlikely to belong to the Flamels, but it might be connected to the Squib from the Rosier Family. Should we bring him in for identification?"

"Handle it. We need to find out if this object has any special significance or backstory."

Soon after, the Aurors sprang into action.

The opal necklace was sealed away, the prophecy-laden crystal ball was temporarily sent to the Hall of Prophecy, and the Muggle flashlight was first subjected to a thorough inspection by employees from the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office.

They completely disassembled the flashlight, then used an instrument resembling a fly swatter to examine each component.

"What are these circuits for?" One employee wondered, staring at the intricate wiring inside the dismantled flashlight.

He was a half-blood wizard whose father was a home appliance repair technician. Though he hadn't undergone any formal training, his childhood exposure left him somewhat familiar with the circuitry of small electronic devices.

Normally, a household-grade flashlight wouldn't require this many wires.

But his colleague, after scanning the wires with the 'fly swatter' and hearing no alarms, shrugged and said, "Probably just a new Muggle product. Extra wiring isn't unusual… after all, Muggles can't just make things light up with a simple incantation like we can."

His words made the employee, who was originally a little doubtful, stop thinking about it. The two of them conducted a complete inspection of the flashlight, and after confirming that there was no problem with it, they reassembled it.

Before long, Rosier and his wife, Marie, were summoned.

The couple sat close together, nervously holding hands, facing an Auror Chief, several regular Aurors, and the inspected flashlight.

"Relax, you two. The Ministry has already confirmed your innocence. We just need to gather some additional information from you." An Auror reassured them before pointing at the flashlight.

"Is this thing yours?"

The Rozier couple's eyes were focused on the flashlight, clearly surprised to see it here.

After a moment of hesitation, Rosier answered, " "Y-yes, sir. This flashlight... I bought it for my wife not long after we first met. She sometimes worked late and was afraid of walking in the dark…"

Hearing this answer, the Auror was obviously disappointed, but continued to ask, "Where did you buy it?"

"At a department store in the 16th arrondissement. It was on sale."

"Has it been in use ever since?"

"My wife used it for about two years. Around two or three months ago, it started malfunctioning… the light grew dimmer. Since it was cheap, we didn't bother repairing it. We just kept it at home as a memento."

Rosier spoke cautiously, gripping Marie's hand tightly, before adding, "Is there... something wrong with it?"

The Auror questioning him didn't answer. Instead, after noting his detailed response, he leaned in to whisper with his colleagues.

"Perfectly ordinary object."

"He's not lying. These things are common in Muggle shops."

"The culprits probably took it from his house, thinking they could sell it for a good price on the black market."

After exchanging opinions, the Aurors' expectations for the flashlight dwindled significantly.

Still, the Auror Chief signaled for a subordinate to hand the flashlight to Rosier for closer inspection.

Rosier took it, first weighing it in his hand… it felt slightly heavier than he remembered, though he wondered if it was just his imagination.

Then, he flipped the switch. A weak white light flickered at the front.

Just as he'd said, something was clearly wrong with it… the light was far dimmer than before.

Every move Rosier made was under the Aurors' watchful eyes. But when he turned the flashlight around, the faint beam shone directly into his eyes-

"Any movement on their end?"

"The [Worm] was successfully released last night. It's locked onto the target's location."

"Do we need to keep waiting?"

"Wait? What's the point? Those Aurors, who haven't made any progress in all these years, have been completely controlled by us! They took the [Cheese] today."

In the suburbs of Paris, inside a dilapidated old rental house, three figures cloaked in black robes, their faces and figures indistinguishable, sat around a fireplace, tossing firewood into the flames as they chatted.

One of them rubbed their hands together, a mix of anticipation and nervousness in their demeanor.

"After all this preparation, we're finally making our move today!"

Another replied calmly, "She had almost given up, but what happened recently in Britain made her decide to see this plan through to the end."

"Barty Crouch Jr.'s escape from Azkaban? Hahahaha!" The third let out a grating laugh, "This is indeed a rare opportunity. And now, another has fled that island… Sirius Black? Half of Europe has its eyes on them! What a delightful surprise… two breakout cases exposed within days from a prison that hadn't seen a single escape in over two hundred years!!"

"Thomas still deludes himself into thinking he can reunite with Barty in Britain! When I took him to Lyon, he kept begging me, saying he knew he was wrong, pleading for us to keep our word."

"We only promised to spare his life. Aren't we honoring that now?"

"So far, everything has gone exactly as we predicted..."

"Right. Every step of our plan has proceeded smoothly. How's Nicolas Flamel's mood?"

"Same as ever. He's long since come to terms with things. He and his wife play wizard's chess in the attic. Oddly, he's been eerily calm about what we're doing."

"Well, after living this long, no one has seen more or weathered more storms than he has."

"Who cares what he thinks? As long as we find what we need and he cooperates in the end, nothing else matters!"

"We've waited this long… we can't afford any mistakes now! Carlo, you keep a close eye on them. Whether they've truly accepted their fate or are plotting something, make sure they don't get a chance to escape."

"Relax! The closer we get, the calmer we should be, right? Once Master returns, once we're the ones to bring him back… everything will have been worth it!"

One of them stood from their chair, flicking their wand out from their sleeve and catching it deftly by the handle.

"Prepare for the final act! Tonight, we'll set the skies above Paris ablaze!"

…

"Is something wrong, Mr. Rosier?"

The questioning voice snapped Rosier out of his daze as he stared into the flashlight's beam.

Beside him, Marie looked at him with concern, whispering, "Are you alright?"

Rosier gave her a reassuring smile, squeezing her hand gently.

"I'm fine. It's nothing."

"Apologies, gentlemen. You know my mind isn't what it used to be... a bit slow these days."

The Aurors were well aware of this. The lead Auror sighed, softening his stern gaze, "So, does the flashlight seem any different from before?"

Rosier's expression remained calm.

"No changes. It's still broken, just like it was."

That settled it, they knew there was nothing more to glean from the object. The interrogation was effectively over. As the Aurors began discussing pinning their remaining hopes on the crystal ball, Rosier suddenly spoke up.

"If it's no longer of use to you... could my wife and I take it back?"

He held up the flashlight, his voice earnest, "It's the first gift I ever gave her. It holds... sentimental value."

The Aurors exchanged glances. The lead Auror finally replied, "You may reclaim it… but not yet. We still need to retain it as evidence for now. Once this matter is concluded, it will be returned to you."

"Thank you." Rosier said gratefully, "Thank you. That's all I ask."