Auror Office, Archives Room.

After comparing the final set of architectural records, it took Severus and his four companions an entire day to thoroughly examine all the magical architectural materials stored in the archives.

By now, they had identified five buildings that bore a resemblance to the apartment block Severus had photographed.

Yet, despite this discovery, Severus's instincts told him that none of these were the final answer. Each structure was missing something… some were too small, others not tall enough, some lacked the necessary isolation, and none held any particular significance.

Refusing to give up, Severus quickly asked Yuma to arrange a meeting with Girard, the busy Head Auror, to discuss their findings.

After lunch, in Girard's office, Severus handed over the photographs of the buildings.

"I've heard that the Minister's office holds some of the French Ministry of Magic's highest-level classified documents, including certain architectural records. Given my position, I doubt I'd be granted access to review them. But if you have the authority, perhaps you could cross-reference these photos with those files to see if any match."

Girard obviously had no intention of being perfunctory in response to Severus's words.

Since the former Potions Master of Hogwarts had arrived in France, he had repeatedly proven his capabilities in various matters.

If he had gone out of his way to bring this to her attention, there was likely something significant to uncover.

Taking the photos from Severus, Girard nodded.

"I have a meeting shortly, but by two o'clock this afternoon, I'll request access from the Minister and personally conduct the comparison. I should have results for you no later than four."

True to her word, as soon as Girard finished her immediate tasks, she headed straight to the Minister's office.

After obtaining permission from the Minister of Magic, she took the photographs to the vault containing the highest-level classified documents.

The number of records stored here was limited, and even fewer included visual references. Girard swiftly worked through most of the comparisons… until she picked up a file labeled [August 13, 1944, Austria].

The file contained a large number of photographs.

The moment she saw them, Girard's eyes froze!

In one hand, she held Severus's photo of the apartment block. In the other, she gripped a full shot of a building from the archives. For a long moment, she stood as if petrified, her breathing growing increasingly ragged.

It took over ten minutes before she finally snapped out of it.

She scrambled to her feet in panic, knocking over a stack of documents from the vault in her haste… records detailing the French Ministry's secret dealings with goblins during the English Goblin Rebellion.

But Girard didn't even bother to pick them up. Instead, clutching the two photographs tightly, she hurried back to the Minister's office.

There, she found the current French Minister of Magic, Rousseau, and thrust the nearly identical images into his hands.

"You… you must see this! Look at this!"

Rousseau was an elderly wizard who had only been Minister for three years but had served in the French Ministry for over six decades, spending twenty of those years as the head of three different departments before being elected to his current position.

He was far more familiar than Girard with the classified records concerning 'Austria'.

"Who took this one?" He asked gravely, holding up Severus's photo of the apartment block.

Girard answered truthfully, "Severus Snape. After we learned that the suspects behind the kidnapping might be those Death Eaters, we enlisted his help in the investigation. He was the first to uncover Thomas Shafiq's identity and deduced that the perpetrators might target the orphanage funded by the Flamels. He and his friends intervened just in time to stop it."

"Now, he's also the one who noticed something unusual about the building itself. He followed the trail and asked me to compare it against classified records he couldn't access. That's how we found the match between these two photos."

After her words fell, the office fell into silence. After a long pause, Rousseau slowly removed his glasses from his face. With great effort, he suppressed part of his emotions and asked in a controlled voice:

"So... he was right. Those who kidnapped Nicolas Flamel are indeed using this Muggle apartment building for simulation experiments. Their true identities, or rather, their ultimate goal… is-"

He didn't finish the sentence, but his hand clutching the photo was clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Girard's face was equally pale.

"I-I can't believe this is real! Maybe it's just a coincidence, or a trick by those criminals to mislead us! They might just be using this to intimidate us!"

"Of course it can't be real!"

Rousseau slammed his palm on the desk, as if grasping for justification!

"That group was completely wiped out decades ago! How could there still be remnants? A mere resemblance in photographs proves nothing! Weren't you saying this morning that you'd found some decisive leads?"

Girard swallowed hard.

"Yes, we discovered a prophecy crystal ball. We're gathering experts to try and decipher it..."

"Then focus on that!" Rousseau pushed the apartment photo back toward Girard, "Tell that British professor his suspicions are misplaced! There's no place in the wizarding world that resembles this building. Have him abandon this line of inquiry and assist you with the prophecy crystal ball instead!"

"I understand."

Girald took a deep breath and accepted the photo Severus had taken. Just before leaving, she suddenly turned back and asked Rousseau as if compelled by some unseen force.

"Minister... what if… what if they really are-"

But before she could finish, Rousseau's expression turned cold, and he spoke with absolute finality:

"There is no 'what if'! Whoever they are… they cannot be those people! Even if they are... they must not be!"

His last words were contradictory, almost nonsensical. But Girard understood.

The famously iron-willed Head Auror, the so-called [Iron Lady] of the Wizarding World, silently accepted this answer.