My School Life At Hogwarts Chapter 1050: Secrets Behind the Lies - Novel Cool

Chapter 1050: Secrets Behind the Lies

Chapter 1050: Secrets Behind the Lies

The news of ten Death Eaters breaking out of Azkaban spread like wildfire through the British wizarding community via the Prophet, causing an uproar.

To the wizards, Death Eaters were almost as feared as Voldemort himself. During his reign of terror, these followers had committed innumerable unforgivable crimes, making them the most vicious and evil dark wizards.

The Prophet's coverage of the Azkaban break-out incident angered many as it concealed the truth, filling the front page with irrelevant content. In response, numerous witches and wizards sent "friendly" greeting cards to the editor to vent their anxiety and unease, while others chose to ignore the truth behind the break-out.

For the Hogwarts students who had listened to the Wizarding Wireless Network on Christmas Eve, this was undoubtedly a significant blow. From the start, the radio program had refrained from lying to its listeners, calmly revealing the harsh truth. However, many found it too cruel to accept.

Eager for more insightful information, many wizards began inquiring about subscribing to the Defense Courier. Yet, the latest issue of the magazine was delayed, as if something major was brewing.

The Azkaban break-out incident stirred up the wizarding community, but Albert remained unaffected. He continued to enjoy the last few days of the Christmas holidays with his girlfriend.

"Did you write this article?"

Isabel held the latest issue of the Defense Courier, her expression curious as she looked at Albert.

The recent issue not only featured an interview with Harry Potter but also included an analysis of Fudge's bizarre behavior—a piece that Isabel suspected was connected to Albert due to the similarity of ideas expressed, making it hard not to associate the two.

"That article was written by Rita Skeeter, and she certainly has a talent for capturing readers' attention."

Albert scooped up some hot Chaos, savoring the seafood broth and dumplings. "Would you like some?" he offered with a smile, bringing the spoon to Isabel's mouth.

"Fudge must hate this magazine by now. It's practically pushing him into a corner." Isabel accepted the spoon, sharing the delicacy from the Far East. "At this rate, I'll turn into a chubby girl soon." Despite her regular exercise regimen, she knew she had to control her diet to avoid harming her body.

"Just maintain a balanced diet and exercise routine," Albert reassured her, pinching her cheek affectionately. "Being too skinny isn't good either."

"You're just saying that," Isabel retorted, poking him. She was certain that Albert preferred girls with a healthy figure.

After finishing their meal, the couple returned to their room to rest. The Defense Courier was left open on the table, the article about Fudge staring up at them.

As Albert embraced his girlfriend, Cornelius Fudge was still busy dealing with the fallout from the "Secrets Behind the Lies" article in the Defense Courier, which had blindsided him.

Albert's strike had been too deadly. The article's revelation of the Ministry's concealment of the truth about the Death Eaters' escape had led to widespread dissatisfaction, causing many to question Fudge's actions.

Although they were reluctant to accept the cruel truth of Voldemort's return, the news of the Death Eaters' break-out was a stark reminder, like a slap in the face. It might not wake those who chose to remain ignorant, but it certainly served as a stark warning.

Upon reading the Defense Courier that Percy had handed him, Fudge flew into another rage in his office, going as far as to issue a warrant for Sirius Black's arrest, despite opposition from within the Ministry.

If it weren't for the recent Azkaban break-out, he might have already sent a large group of Aurors to capture Black, who had been causing a disturbance in society.

However, there was no evidence linking Sirius to the incident, and most of the time, he stayed at 12 Grimmauld Place. Fudge might have wanted nothing more than to throw Sirius back into Azkaban, but he had no valid reason to do so.

The Defense Courier became a hot topic of discussion, not just among Hogwarts students but throughout the entire British wizarding community. Fudge had attempted to prevent its circulation, but to no avail. People found ways to read the two articles that were causing such a stir.

For a while, voices calling for Fudge's resignation emerged in the wizarding community. Lucius Malfoy and his group became the subjects of suspicion and vigilance.

"What are you up to?" Amelia Bones asked the wanted criminal before her. "And you shouldn't be here."

"Don't worry, no one will guess it's me." Sirius shrugged. "I won't cause you any trouble. Besides, the accusation by Fudge is baseless, and the Ministry has no evidence linking me to the Defense Courier. They can't just arrest me for buying a copy, can they?"

"Get to the point. What do you want, and you know I'm busy." Amelia picked up the Defense Courier and flipped through it. Although she had heard of the magazine, she hadn't read its contents.

"You're aware of the Azkaban break-out incident, I presume?" Sirius said calmly. "Do you still believe that Dumbledore is lying?"

"Are you here to mock me?" Amelia arched an eyebrow. "For the record, I've never thought that Dumbledore was lying."

"No, I just wanted to remind you that it's only a matter of time before that fool Fudge is forced out of office." Sirius took a sip of his tea. "And you, my dear, are on Voldemort's death list. Only two people have survived so far, and you're not one of them."

"Are you telling me I'm going to die?" Amelia put down the magazine and looked at the young man before her.

"Yes, according to the prophecy, you won't live past this summer."

Amelia fell silent for a moment.

"I won't run."

"I understand your decision, and I'm only offering friendly advice. But you can't change anything. You're not like them; you're too weak. You can't win, nor can you stop or escape what's coming."

"Them?" Amelia asked.

"Dumbledore," Sirius whispered, "and... someone else you know."

"Albert Anderson?" Amelia guessed.

"Don't trust the Aurors from the Ministry, they've been infiltrated by Death Eaters." Sirius changed the subject, "Also, it's best to switch to a residence with the Fidelius Charm cast on it. Unless you want to die in your sleep, don't think that your Dark Arts defense is good enough. If he shows up at your door, you're as good as dead."

Before leaving, Sirius reminded her once again, "If you want to avenge Edgar, you should cherish your life more. Think it through, and if you want, you can talk to Dumbledore about it. He definitely won't mind being your Secret-Keeper."

As he spoke, Sirius left a photo that he had cut out from a newspaper and walked out of the ice cream shop.

Amelia Bones's gaze fell on the photo on the table. She put away the Defense Courier and the photo, paid the bill, and left.

"You couldn't convince her?"

Tonks withdrew her gaze from Amelia Bones and looked at the young man in front of her.

"It was impossible from the start." Sirius looked at the departing figure and said calmly, "Amelia Bones is someone with strong convictions. She won't change her decision just because of what we said."

There was something Sirius didn't say: What happened to Amelia Bones had nothing to do with him.

The fact that he reminded her twice and went to such lengths was already a great show of loyalty to the memory of Edgar, his old comrade-in-arms.

"No wonder he always said that it's difficult to change the outcome of a prophecy." Sirius sighed inwardly and stood up to leave with Tonks.

"She really..."

In the hallway of 12 Grimmauld Place, Kingsley sighed as he listened to Sirius. The Order's meeting was still ongoing, and they were discussing the aftermath of the Death Eaters' prison break.

"They're trying to find that Seer, you know who I'm talking about?" Snape glanced at the parchment in his hand and reminded them, "Don't worry about this matter. Unless Anderson is willing, no one will be able to find him."

Sirius shot a disdainful look at Snape, "It's a shame you taught him for seven years, yet you don't know him as well as I do."

Sirius' confidence in Albert stemmed from the recent Dueling Tournament, where Albert had decisively taken down the Death Eaters and helped him complete his revenge against Peter Pettigrew.

Ignoring Sirius' look, Snape continued, "The death of Broderick Bode was caused by the Death Eaters. He's currently recovering, and they're afraid he'll reveal information once he's better, so they sent him a Devil's Snare plant. Also, they're considering using the Imperius Curse to control Fudge."

"They still need to control Fudge. Many people think Fudge is in cahoots with them." Tonks' tone was filled with sarcasm. She was a staunch supporter of the article "Secrets Behind the Lies." For Fudge to be in such a high position and to be the Minister, he definitely wasn't a fool.

"It's because of your Defense Courier." Snape glanced at Sirius.

"Don't worry about that for now. Even if Fudge is being controlled by the Death Eaters, the situation won't get any worse." Mad-Eye interrupted, "Are there any other intelligence reports?"

"The Dark Lord seems to have obtained some information from August Rookwood. Rookwood used to be a Silencer at the Department of Mysteries, but I'm not sure what it's about. They seem to be planning something." Snape waved his wand and made the parchment in his hand disappear, "Also, Dumbledore wants me to teach Potter Occlumency to prevent his mind from being invaded."

"You're teaching him?" Sirius looked disgusted, "I thought Dumbledore would ask Anderson to do it."

"Anderson refused." Snape twisted his mouth, "Apparently, he thinks Potter can't learn Occlumency, so he directly refused."

"Are you sure those weren't your words?" Sirius fixed his eyes on Snape.

"Alright, if there's nothing else, I need to talk to Potter about this matter." Snape was in no mood to deal with Sirius.

Not long after the meeting ended, Snape saw the boy he despised so much.

"The Headmaster asked me to inform you, Potter, that he wants you to learn Occlumency this semester."

"Who's going to teach me?" Harry asked happily, "Anderson?"

"Me." Snape raised an eyebrow, "Anderson thinks you can't learn it, so he refused."

"So, when Dumbledore said he would find someone to teach me Occlumency... he meant you." Harry's face darkened.

"I can assure you, this is not something I volunteered for. It's not a pleasant task." Snape said expressionlessly, "One session per week, alone. Don't tell anyone, especially Dolores Umbridge. It's at six o'clock on Monday evenings in my office. If anyone asks, say it's extra Potions classes."

"Of course, if you're unhappy about this, I suggest you talk to the Headmaster."

With that, Snape strode away.

"This is a nightmare." Harry muttered, "I bet Dumbledore made a mistake with this decision."

"If Snape dares to bully you, tell me." Sirius was annoyed. If he was good at Occlumency, Harry wouldn't have to learn from that snot-nosed brat.

"It's fine, I can handle it." Harry changed the subject, "How are we getting to Hogwarts tomorrow? Are we taking the Floo Network?"

"We've booked the Knight Bus. It will take us directly to the gates of Hogwarts."

"That's not going to be a pleasant experience." Harry grumbled.

"I know, but we don't have a better option. Taking the train isn't safe, and the Ministry won't allow us to station our people there." Sirius explained, "The Floo Network might also be tampered with, and Fudge definitely won't let us use it."

As Harry was about to tell Ron and Hermione about learning Occlumency from Snape, he heard Fred and George talking to Bill about shop prices on the staircase landing.

"...He thinks the price is too low."

"Don't worry, we can continue negotiating with him. There's no rush with this matter. Diagon Alley will be very quiet for a while, and it's best to find a few more shops." George stuffed a small bag of Galleons into Bill's hand. Seeing Bill's surprised look, he smiled and said, "Albert always says that Galleons can boost efficiency. We don't have time to do this ourselves, so we're troubling you to put in extra effort."

"Is that his motto?" Bill said with a wry smile.

"Are you guys opening a shop?"

"Yes, we're looking for a storefront. We have a feeling that after the holidays, when we go back to school, things will get... intense." Fred and George both gave meaningful smiles, "Harry, you'd better prepare yourself too."

"You mean, Toadface is going to..."

"Toads can bite too."

"What are you talking about, and you don't need to give me so much money." Bill tried to return the bag of Galleons to George.

"Take it. The more money, the more work. Don't slack off, Bill." George patted Bill's shoulder.

(End of Chapter)

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