https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1095-Blowing-Up-Voldemort-s-Hideout/12527891/
Chapter 1096: The Despicable Order of the Phoenix
Chapter 1096: The Despicable Order of the Phoenix
Albus Dumbledore watched the spot where the silver lynx had disappeared, falling into a brief silence.
Harry had grown up and was no longer the reckless child he once knew. This change brought him a hint of comfort and guilt. That child had carried too much weight on his shoulders.
However, Dumbledore couldn't rush to support him right away because he had just received a bombshell message from Albert.
The Aurors had discovered Voldemort's lair and mobilized all their forces to ambush him.
This was undoubtedly Albert's doing. Only he could locate Voldemort's hideout so accurately.
Though Dumbledore was curious how the boy had managed it.
Through divination, perhaps?
While he didn't understand divination himself, he knew a few famous seers and was well aware of how unreliable the art could be.
However, everyone had their secrets, and Dumbledore wasn't foolish enough to pry into this matter.
As long as they could agree to unite against Voldemort, that was enough.
All signs indicated that Albert was a decent person. That self-defense guide he wrote was proof enough—it was incredibly valuable to most wizards who were unprepared for the coming changes.
Passing the message to the Aurors.
He could probably guess Anderson's intention in doing so. Keeping Voldemort hidden in the shadows was indeed a significant threat, especially with how Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, was inadvertently aiding Voldemort with his actions.
As for why Albert had chosen to inform him and hoped for his reinforcement, it was likely that he didn't want the Aurors to suffer heavy casualties.
By the time Dumbledore rushed to provide backup, the battle had already ended, leaving only ruins behind. From the traces of Dark Magic lingering in the air, it seemed like Fiendfyre had been cast.
The Aurors from the Ministry of Magic had clearly engaged Voldemort.
This should be considered good news! At the very least, Fudge probably couldn't cover up Voldemort's resurrection anymore.
"I hope Harry will be able to destroy the prophecy orb successfully," Dumbledore muttered to himself as he looked southward. He truly did not want Voldemort to learn the full prophecy.
...
At that moment, Harry was in a disused telephone booth leading to the Ministry of Magic, dialing a number.
Not long ago, Harry had learned from Sirius that Dumbledore had received the message and would rush to the Ministry of Magic for reinforcement. So, he began to take action.
He had already stayed at 12 Grimmauld Place for too long. If he didn't head to the Ministry soon, he feared the Death Eaters would grow suspicious.
Thus, Harry, Hermione, and Ron rode their brooms and "hurried" toward the Ministry.
With the help of Felix Felicis, the trio acted with such incredibly high skill that any actor would be envious. They successfully created the illusion that they were flying straight from Hogwarts to the Ministry.
It was just a pity that Lucius Malfoy seemed to have forgotten to leave anyone on guard.
When the telephone booth elevator came to a stop, Harry scanned the empty Ministry and twisted his mouth. He wasn't surprised that the Death Eaters had cleared out the place.
"I really wonder what goes on in the minds of Death Eaters," Harry said, turning a corner and heading toward the security checkpoint. As expected, he found the guard lying unconscious.
"Why don't they just let Voldemort come and get the orb himself? He definitely has a way to sneak in and take the prophecy orb without anyone knowing."
This was indeed a question that plagued the members of the Order of the Phoenix.
"Maybe the Dark Lord just wants to give his Death Eaters something to do." Ron wasn't too concerned about these matters. Everything at the Ministry indicated that this was a carefully laid trap set by the Death Eaters, and they were about to walk right into it.
"Harry, we should go," Hermione urged.
The trio didn't feel much tension, appearing more like they were there to sightsee at the Ministry. This was the extreme confidence that Felix Felicis brought.
In fact, the only truly dangerous part of their plan wasn't obtaining the prophecy orb but what would happen after the battle broke out.
Even though the members of the Order of the Phoenix would strike hard and fast to cripple the Death Eaters initially, there was no guarantee that the desperate Death Eaters wouldn't do something extreme.
"I've always felt that Voldemort and the Death Eaters aren't quite right in the head," Harry muttered softly as they rode the elevator. "Maybe inbreeding has turned them all into lunatics."
"Inbreeding is indeed terrible. The mortality rate is high among their offspring, and there are often cases of mental retardation, deformities, and hereditary illnesses. They lack rationality and become prone to anger and violence," Hermione agreed with Harry. She had taken the time to read similar books before, "Albert was right to suspect that the birth of some Dark Wizards was related to inbreeding."
"Really?" Ron was a bit surprised.
"Muggles have done extensive research on this topic. In fact, they prohibit inbreeding," Hermione said, feeling that wizards were similar to European royalty in this regard, intermarrying to their own detriment.
As the elevator came to a stop, a cold, indifferent woman's voice rang out, "Department of Mysteries."
The trio opened the gate and walked forward.
"I used to have nightmares about this corridor all the time. I never thought I'd actually be here," Harry said, raising his wand and exchanging glances with his two friends beside him before walking toward the black door in front of them.
"I recall that Sturgis Podmore was caught by that door," Hermione observed, studying the black door in front of them. "Since the Death Eaters want us to go in and get the prophecy orb, this door should be safe."
"Let me go first," Ron muttered, stepping forward to push open the black door. Someone had to try, and Harry could be ruled out immediately. Hermione was better at dealing with unexpected situations than him.
Moreover, his intuition wasn't warning him of any danger, which meant that this door probably wasn't a threat.
As it turned out, Ron's intuition was fairly reliable.
"They've saved us a lot of trouble," Harry said, placing his hand on Ron's shoulder and walking through the door first. Even if they encountered danger, the Death Eaters wouldn't kill him right away, but the same couldn't be said for the others.
"Come in."
Harry found himself in a large, circular room and immediately looked around. Once he was sure there was no danger, he called out to Hermione and Ron, who were waiting outside.
"Remember not to close the door. We might need to evacuate through here later," Hermione said, glancing back at their escape route, still not feeling entirely reassured. She made a mark on the door, as every door here looked identical, and making a mistake at a critical moment could be fatal.
There was no choice but to mark the door.
"Why didn't they leave any marks for us? Do they think we won't see through such an obvious trap?"
"This is definitely a trap that the Death Eaters set up specifically targeting your character flaws," Kingsley analyzed.
The members of the Order of the Phoenix hid themselves under Disillusionment Charms.
"My character flaws?" Harry was a bit taken aback.
"Your penchant for saving people," Hermione reminded him.
"Is that considered a flaw?" Harry raised an eyebrow.
However, he admitted that Hermione made sense. If they hadn't known in advance, they might have fallen for the Death Eaters' despicable trap.
"Thanks to Anderson," Harry muttered.
"This place isn't suitable for fighting," Sirius said as he walked in as well.
"Maybe we can lure them into one of the other rooms," Lupin suggested, looking around at the twelve rooms surrounding them.
"Or, we could fight directly in the Hall of Prophecies." Mad-Eye gazed at the doors ahead, his brow furrowed slightly as he said, "These doors block the Death Eaters from seeing inside."
"We'll just have to try them one by one, then."
"What about the plan to lure Voldemort out?" Harry asked, his brow creased in concern.
"At least we've caught that bunch of damned Death Eaters. As for Voldemort, I'm sure Albert has a way to expose him. We don't need to worry about this from start to finish." Sirius patted Harry on the shoulder in reassurance. "Even if we really can't do anything, we can always hide and watch Fudge get what's coming to him."
Everything about this situation was crystal clear, so Sirius wasn't worried about any changes in plans, especially since Dumbledore would soon be arriving as backup.
"Alright, Potter, let's get started!" Moody raised his hand and pointed at the black door in front of them. "Remember to act a little more convincing later on to buy more time for everyone."
"I know what to do." Harry reached out and gently pushed open the black door. Inside was a square room with a sunken center, resembling a giant pit.
Stone steps circled the entire room like benches, descending one level at a time, similar to the courtroom Harry had once visited. At the bottom of the stone platform stood an ancient, dilapidated arch with tattered curtains hanging from it.
"This isn't the place. I always feel that this place is dangerous, and we'd better stay away from it." Harry muttered, "I just heard a strange sound."
"You're right, I feel the same way." Sirius nodded in agreement.
The group retreated from that strange room and tried to open another door, which led to a room filled with clocks.
Then, they opened yet another door and found a room full of tanks.
"What is that?" Ron asked, his eyes widening.
"Brains, disgusting."
"This door seems to be stuck."
"Let's mark it first."
On Harry's fifth attempt at opening a black door, they finally found what they were looking for. The room was tall like a cathedral, with tall shelves lining the interior. Upon these shelves were countless dusty, small prophecy orbs, and nothing else.
"This place is actually quite suitable for a fight." Tonks whispered, only to be met with a stern glare from Mad-Eye. He raised his hand to signal everyone to remain quiet.
Everyone raised their wands, ready for battle, as the Felix Felicis they had ingested gave them an intuitive sense that there was an ambush waiting for them.
However, it was hard to say who was ambushing whom at this point.
"Harry, do you know the exact location?" Hermione asked in a low voice.
"I think it's... Row 97."
Harry slowly made his way down the dimly lit aisle between the shelves, his head lowered as he scrutinized the silvery numbers beneath the racks while also pricking up his ears to listen for any sounds.
There wasn't a single sound, nor could he sense any movement, but Harry knew that the Death Eaters were definitely inside, hidden by Disillusionment Charms.
However, Harry wasn't worried at the moment. As long as he hadn't taken the prophecy orb, the Death Eaters wouldn't make any rash moves.
Harry couldn't help but look forward to seeing the expressions on the Death Eaters' faces when they realized they had fallen into someone else's trap.
Nevertheless, Harry feigned tension and appeared to be searching anxiously for Sirius.
"Harry?"
With the help of Felix Felicis, Hermione displayed impressive acting skills. "I... I think Sirius isn't here."
"That's impossible, I clearly..."
"Harry, there's something written on this one..." Ron hesitated, knowing that once Harry picked up the prophecy orb, the battle would erupt.
"My name?"
Harry turned to look in the direction Ron was pointing, and there it was—the prophecy orb they needed to destroy. In other words, the Death Eaters were nearby?
"Found it."
Harry walked towards the unusually dark area in the shadows, and indeed, the Death Eaters were positioned not far away, attempting to surround the trio from both the front and back.
As Harry reached out, Hermione suddenly exclaimed in a sharp tone, "Harry, I don't think you should touch it."
"This is probably what Voldemort wants Sirius to get for him. I may need to use it later."
Harry reached out and grasped the dirty little orb on the shelf, removing it carefully. He didn't bother to look at the contents of the crystal ball and instead remained vigilant, anticipating an imminent attack.
"Well done, Potter. Now hand it over to me." A lazy voice sounded from their right rear, and Lucius Malfoy, instead of taking the opportunity to launch a sneak attack, chose to make a grand entrance, exuding an air of absolute confidence.
Several Death Eaters blocked the trio's escape route, their wands pointed threateningly at them.
"Give it to me, Potter." Lucius Malfoy repeated slowly, savoring the moment.
"Where's Sirius?" Harry demanded, knowing that he needed to attract the Death Eaters' attention and buy time for the Order of the Phoenix members.
Twelve Death Eaters.
Harry's side didn't have the advantage in numbers, so the initial ambush was crucial.
This group needed to seize the prophecy orb, so they definitely wouldn't initiate an attack right away, which played to Harry's advantage.
"The Dark Lord's plans are always flawless!" Bella exclaimed proudly.
"Give me the prophecy orb, Potter. You have nowhere to run." Lucius Malfoy smirked, certain of his victory.
"I want to know where Sirius is!" Harry reiterated, simultaneously giving Ron and Hermione a subtle signal to prepare for action.
"You should also understand the difference between reality and dreams by now, Potter." Malfoy sneered. "Hand over the prophecy orb. I believe you don't want your friends to get hurt."
"It seems that Voldemort wants it. If it shatters, I dare say he won't be pleased." Harry pointed his wand at the prophecy orb in his hand.
"Don't play games with us, Potter." Malfoy snarled. "You're already cornered. If you destroy it, your friends will all die here."
"Are you sure about that?" Harry retorted with a smirk.
"What?" Malfoy's instincts were telling him that something was amiss.
"Accio Prophecy Orb!"
The trio pointed their wands at the racks in front of them, causing the prophecy orbs to fly towards the group of unfortunate Death Eaters, creating chaos and buying time for Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
At the same time, the Order of the Phoenix members also took the opportunity to launch surprise attacks on their designated Death Eaters, while the trio quickly vanished from the Death Eaters' line of attack.
"Damn it!"
Lucius Malfoy's mind went blank for a moment. As he snapped out of his daze, he finally realized that they had walked into a trap set by the Order of the Phoenix. From the very beginning, Potter had seen through their plan and turned it against them.
"How foolish! Do you really think Voldemort's stupid plan could fool me?" Harry's voice echoed from behind a nearby rack, and he didn't forget to verbally taunt Malfoy to ease the pressure on the other Order of the Phoenix members.
"Shut up!" Bella screamed furiously. "How dare you defile it with your half-blood tongue!"
"Isn't Voldemort himself a half-blood? His mother was a witch, but his father was a Muggle. Has he been telling you all that he's pureblood?" Harry mocked without restraint.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
