Chapter 1074: The Advantage is Ours
Chapter 1074: The Advantage is Ours
"You beast! Scum! Filthy, sinful wretch! Mischief-maker, half-breed, ugly monster, get out of here this instant! How dare you defile my ancestral home—” "That's enough, now let him in!"
Sirius Black sighed in exasperation at the apologetic Remus Lupin, reaching out to grasp the curtain and draw it shut, blocking out the old lady's shrill screams.
"What on earth is going on here?"
Kingsley Shacklebolt appeared at the entrance, eyeing Sirius curiously at the end of the corridor.
"I just spoke with Harry yesterday, and I feel that... well, go on in, most people are here already!" Sirius nodded towards the entrance of the great hall.
Once they had entered, he cast a spell on the wooden door to prevent anyone from eavesdropping on their upcoming conversation.
"You didn't inform Severus?" Professor McGonagall inquired, raising an eyebrow at the closed door. Most of the members of the Order of the Phoenix had arrived, with only Snape absent.
"I don't think he's trustworthy, and it's better if he doesn't know about this," Sirius shrugged as he sat down. "Alright, enough about Snivellus... Let's talk about why I called this emergency meeting today—it's about Harry."
The members of the Order remained silent, all eyes on Sirius as they waited for him to continue.
Sirius pulled out a vial, popped a pill into his mouth, and swallowed before slowly saying, "Harry contacted me yesterday. He told me that he's been having recurring dreams, and he believes there's a conspiracy at play."
"Dreams? Conspiracy?"
Everyone was confused, except for a few who knew about Harry's nightmares.
"Harry has been having the same dream since last summer. He dreams of a corridor, and he also dreamed about Arthur being bitten by a snake."
Sirius nodded towards Arthur as he spoke, "So, Dumbledore had Snivellus teach him Occlumency."
Sirius paused, giving them a moment to discuss this revelation.
"Are you saying that the corridor in Harry's dream leads to the Department of Mysteries?" Arthur was the first to grasp what Sirius was implying.
"Yes, that's right."
"Why does Harry think it's a conspiracy?" Lupin asked, curious. From what he knew of Harry, the boy was not capable of such insights.
"Harry has changed a lot," Kingsley smiled. "Last time, he even managed to rile up Fudge."
"Indeed, Harry has matured," Professor McGonagall felt relieved about Harry's transformation.
"Get to the point," Mad-Eye Moody said, looking at Sirius. "You must have a reason for saying all this."
Sirius nodded, "There aren't many coincidences in this world, so Harry's recurring dreams can't be a coincidence either. Someone is doing this deliberately. I suspect that just as Harry dreamed about Arthur being bitten by a snake, someone may have intentionally led Harry to witness that event."
Sirius' words caused a buzz of whispers to fill the room as the members of the Order discussed the possibility of someone manipulating Harry's dreams.
They all knew who that person was, and it sent a chill down their spines.
"Do you have any proof?" Molly Weasley frowned, feeling that Sirius was leading them towards dangerous territory.
"I think I am the proof," Sturgis Podmore sighed. "They are indeed after something, and they tried to break into the Department of Mysteries. Remember Broderick Bode?"
"But why would they do that?" Tonks asked, voicing her confusion.
"Does it matter?" Sirius countered.
"Why wouldn't it matter?" The group looked at Sirius, perplexed.
"This could all be a trap, a carefully laid trap, and the one setting it is Voldemort," Sirius whispered.
"But why would he do that?" Molly's heart sank further, not wanting Harry to be dragged into danger.
"Dumbledore had Snape teach Harry Occlumency to prevent him from falling into Voldemort's trap," Sirius ignored Molly's concern and continued, "But I discussed this with Harry, and he thinks it might be unavoidable."
"Why?"
Everyone realized that they had reached the crux of the meeting.
"Voldemort has spent a long time planning, and he won't let his plans fail. Whatever his intentions are, he won't give up easily," Sirius raised his hand to quieten the group and continued speaking.
"Sometimes, evading the issue is a good choice, but... it never truly solves the problem. Fortunately, we've discovered Voldemort's conspiracy and the trap he's set to lure Harry in ahead of time." Sirius went on, "But Voldemort doesn't realize this, thinking that everything is under his control. That's our biggest advantage at the moment."
"You mean... we should use this trap to our advantage?" Kingsley understood Sirius' implication, realizing their bold plan to confront the mysterious figure head-on.
"Are you mad? Do you intend to put Harry in danger?" Molly was infuriated by Sirius' strategy.
"Calm down, Molly."
Arthur pulled his wife's arm, signaling for her to sit and listen to Sirius' explanation.
"This isn't my plan, it's Harry's," Sirius shook his head in explanation. "Harry thinks that since it's unavoidable, he should take the initiative. On the day Voldemort tries to entice Harry, we should also take action to support him."
"Voldemort is trying to entice Harry?"
The members of the Order exchanged bewildered glances, unsure how Voldemort could entice Harry when he was on high alert.
"By exploiting Harry's weaknesses," Sirius whispered.
"Harry's weaknesses?" The group was even more confused.
"Harry has a bit of a hero complex, and he loves to embark on daring rescues," Sirius looked at Professor McGonagall as he spoke, "In that regard, he's a lot like James. If I were captured, Harry would definitely risk everything to save me."
Of course, these weren't Sirius' own deductions, but that didn't matter.
Following Sirius' gaze, the group turned to Professor McGonagall, who knew Harry better than most.
"Sirius is right," Professor McGonagall agreed. "He's been like that since his first year, and it's quite obvious."
The group stared at Sirius with strange expressions, surprised to find him so calm and dependable.
"Then, as long as he masters Occlumency, there's nothing to worry about..."
"It's useless," Sirius interrupted. "Harry told me that after learning Occlumency, not only did the dreams not disappear, but they became more frequent.
"You're insane, Black! Are you seriously planning to use Harry as bait?" Molly Weasley exclaimed, her anger evident. "He's just a child, not some disposable piece of meat, and you're his godfather, for Merlin's sake..."
"It's better to keep the danger within our control than let the situation spiral out of hand," Mad-Eye Moody interjected, cutting off Molly's protest. "Black is right. We all know Voldemort has his eyes on something in the Department of Mysteries, and simply guarding it won't solve the problem. He won't give up easily, and the best course of action is to have Harry destroy the prophecy and ruin Voldemort's plan altogether."
Kingsley Shacklebolt chimed in, "If this operation goes as planned, I suspect Fudge will be out of office by the summer. That prophecy from long ago seemed vague, but now it's starting to make sense."
"What about Amelia Bones?" Sirius asked abruptly.
"Not good," Kingsley replied with a shake of his head. "Your previous words might raise her alertness, but I'm also concerned about her safety."
"We'll talk to her after Fudge is out of the way," Sirius said. "For now, let's focus on formulating a detailed plan to ensure the upcoming operation's success."
"I have an idea for a means of communication," Sirius offered quietly. "Dumbledore's Army uses enchanted coins for contact. We can create something similar to ensure Harry can alert the rest of us immediately. Minerva, I'm counting on you to keep an eye on Harry while he's at school."
"I will," Minerva McGonagall agreed, though she still had reservations about the risky plan. Yet, as a true Gryffindor, she understood that sometimes bold action was necessary. Besides, with proper preparation and the advantage on their side, they could thwart Voldemort's scheme.
This style of strategic thinking reminded her of someone.
Perhaps Albert had suggested this approach, or at the very least, given Sirius a nudge in the right direction.
"But how do we ensure Voldemort goes through with his plan?" Tonks asked, her brow furrowed. "He won't be fooled so easily; he's not that naive."
"Simple," Sirius said with a smirk. "We use Kreacher."
"What do you mean?"
"We temporarily send Kreacher away. He might even go to my cousins, given the opportunity," Sirius explained, his smile turning cold. "Due to the house-elf bond, he can't reveal our secrets, but he can help with minor tasks, like lying. If they truly have a scheme in motion, we can extract that information from Kreacher in no time."
"...That's..."
Once again, Sirius' cunning had left the group stunned. They hadn't considered using a house-elf in such a manner.
Indeed, if things progressed as they suspected, interrogating the house-elf would provide them with immediate insight.
However...was it really necessary to involve the loyal Kreacher in such a manipulative scheme?
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
