Chapter 1136: Wishes Fulfilled
Chapter 1136: Wishes Fulfilled
Late at night, Harry sat at his desk in his bedroom, casually flipping through the stack of recent newspapers that lay on the table. He had been sitting there for nearly four hours, all the way until the street lights outside gradually dimmed. He had received an owl from Dumbledore, informing him that they would be arriving at 4 Privet Drive at 11 pm to escort him to Number 12, Grimmauld Place, where he would spend the remainder of the holidays with Sirius. This was undoubtedly good news, and the only problem was that the seconds ticked by too slowly. To distract himself from the arduous wait, he occupied himself by reading the newspapers.
The headline of the first newspaper read: "Scrimgeour Succeeds Fudge."
Most of the front page was occupied by a large black-and-white photo of a man waving at Harry as he read the paper.
The second page was filled with praise for Scrimgeour's brave deeds in leading the Aurors against Dark wizards, as well as his new policies since taking over as Minister of Magic.
However, Harry was more concerned about the previous battle. According to the newspaper, eight Death Eaters had been killed on the spot by Aurors during a wedding ambush, and three Death Eaters had been arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban.
What was truly astonishing was that the Aurors had also captured and killed hundreds of Dark wizards, achieving a legendary feat unprecedented in the British wizarding world.
News of this event had spread throughout the entire British magical community.
However, Harry saw something unusual behind this incident.
The wedding mentioned in the newspaper was obviously Albert's wedding.
So, it was no surprise that the truth of the whole matter was quite different from what was reported, and it made sense that it had turned into a major victory.
Having experienced something similar himself, Harry was all too familiar with such situations.
Albert was not one to be trifled with. Long ago, he had anticipated that Voldemort and the Death Eaters might disrupt his wedding, so when Albert prophesied the Death Eaters' plot, he joined forces with Scrimgeour and turned the wedding into a deadly trap for them, teaching those troublemakers a lesson they would never forget.
"But what's this letter all about?"
Harry looked at the letter Scrimgeour had written to him and furrowed his brows slightly.
The content of the letter was simple. Scrimgeour hoped that Harry would support his policy of cracking down on Dark wizards, thereby encouraging everyone to stand firm against them.
What troubled Harry was that this letter had been delivered by Mr. Weasley, Kingsley, and Percy together. They wanted him to participate in a planned interview and take a photo while shopping in Diagon Alley. All Harry needed to do was express his support for the Ministry of Magic's policy against Dark wizards during the interview, and they had even prepared a script for him.
Harry murmured the lines from the letter: "I agree with the Ministry of Magic's decision to take tough measures against Dark wizards. We must not be soft-hearted or show mercy to these evil people because it would be irresponsible to ourselves, our families, and everyone else."
Well, that made sense.
He also believed that it was right to get rid of those Dark wizards because being soft-hearted or merciful would be irresponsible to oneself, one's family, and everyone else.
It was said that several Aurors from the Ministry had also perished in the previous ambush.
However, these words didn't sound like something a Ministry politician would say, and Harry suspected that Albert had put this idea into Scrimgeour's head.
Mr. Weasley and Kingsley had been swiftly promoted within the Ministry of Magic, and to Harry, it seemed that the new Minister was clearly trying to curry favor with him.
Otherwise, Mr. Weasley and Kingsley wouldn't have been sent to explain the Ministry's latest policies to him, including their plan to use Veritaserum to ascertain the crimes of Dark wizards and ensure that the innocent would not be wrongfully implicated.
Harry's train of thought was interrupted by the sound of an alarm.
It was 11 o'clock.
He opened the window and squinted down at the sidewalk below, where a tall figure in a long cloak was approaching as promised, walking along the garden path.
The doorbell rang, and Harry rushed downstairs, opening the door just as the ringing ended. His luggage had already been moved to the entryway, as the Dursleys were eager to see him leave.
Dumbledore stood outside, smiling at Harry as he opened the door.
"Shall we go now, sir?" Harry asked excitedly.
"Yes, let's go. However, there are a few things I need to discuss with your aunt and uncle," Dumbledore said with a smile. "I think it's best if we don't talk about these matters outside."
"Sir, they've already retired for the night. Do you need me to wake them up now?" Harry asked, not thinking it was a good idea, but he posed the question nonetheless.
"I'm afraid we'll have to disturb them."
In fact, the Dursleys hadn't been asleep, but being roused to face the wizard they despised was not something they relished. They had assumed Harry would slip away quietly.
"This must be Petunia," Dumbledore said with a smile as he introduced himself. "I'm Albus Dumbledore. We've corresponded."
This statement struck Harry as quite amusing, considering that the howler could barely be considered correspondence.
Perhaps noticing the fear and unease on the Dursleys' faces, Dumbledore cut straight to the point.
"Harry will come of age in a year."
"In the wizarding world, we become adults when we turn seventeen," Harry explained to his aunt and uncle.
"Ridiculous," Vernon muttered, but Dumbledore ignored him and continued, "The wizard named Voldemort has returned to this country, and the wizarding world is currently at war. Harry's situation is even more dangerous now than it was fifteen years ago when I left him on your doorstep."
"When Harry becomes a man, the powerful protective magic I placed on him when he was a baby will break. I ask that you allow him to return to this house before his seventeenth birthday so that the protection can continue until that time. It's very important."
None of the Dursleys said a word, and from their expressions, it was clear that they just wanted this conversation to end so that their unwelcome guests would leave.
"Well, Harry... it's time for us to depart. Goodbye for now," Dumbledore said as he stood up, straightened his black cloak, put on his hat, and strode out of the living room.
"Goodbye!"
Harry bid farewell to the Dursleys and followed Dumbledore out. He had something he wanted to consult Dumbledore about.
With a loud bang, the door closed behind them.
Harry imagined he could almost hear the Dursleys sighing in relief.
"It seems we're not very welcome here," Dumbledore said with a smile.
"Sir, I received a letter from the new Minister," Harry said, stealing a glance at Dumbledore.
"That was originally Fudge's idea," Dumbledore laughed. "He wanted to meet you and hoped that you would support him—before Voldemort's warning and the collapse of the Brockdale Bridge."
"After all that mess Umbridge caused? Does he want my support so badly that he's lost his mind?" Harry mocked with a strange expression on his face.
"Come to think of it, it's surprising no one accused Fudge of colluding with Death Eaters and sent him to Azkaban."
"Scrimgeour needs a smooth transition of power," Dumbledore explained. "And the accusation of collusion with Death Eaters may not necessarily stick."
"He previously helped exonerate Death Eaters, and there was also financial ties with them. If the Ministry wanted to convict him, they could easily find ten different reasons to do so." Harry said as he dragged his trunk along.
"Although Scrimgeour successfully used those Death Eaters as stepping stones, it doesn't seem like his style at all. It's more like Albert using the Ministry to strike back at the Death Eaters."
"Oh, why do you say that?"
"Getting back at people who target your wedding, that's something Albert would do." Harry mumbled.
"Makes sense."
"Sir, how was Albert's wedding?" Harry suddenly asked, "I heard that only Snape didn't receive an invitation from the school?"
"To prevent anyone from causing trouble, the wedding venue was protected by a strong Fidelius Charm. Moreover, many famous wizards from the magical world attended, so you can probably imagine the atmosphere."
"Opressive?"
"Let's just say that everyone was there to celebrate the wedding and send their blessings to the young newlyweds," Dumbledore recalled with a smile, "However, the food at the wedding banquet was delicious and received unanimous praise."
"What do you think, sir? Should I accept the interview?" Harry brought the topic back.
"What do you think?" Dumbledore asked in return.
"I don't know what Scrimgeour wants from me." Harry saw sincerity in the new Minister's letter, especially regarding Dark wizards, but he knew there had to be a reason for it.
"That's an interesting question." Dumbledore said softly, "Scrimgeour has been dedicated to dealing with Dark wizards, and from the wartime policies he has enacted, he seems to be continuing to do so. Scrimgeour obviously hopes that we will support his stance against the Death Eaters and strengthen everyone's confidence in the Ministry."
"Do you think Scrimgeour will succeed?" Harry asked curiously, "In leading everyone through these difficult times."
"Scrimgeour is capable, more decisive and bold than Cornelius Fudge." Dumbledore evaluated.
"But Albert called Scrimgeour a jinx, he thought Scrimgeour would likely die during his term, and the wizarding world would fall under Voldemort's control." To be honest, Harry was more inclined to believe Albert's prophecy.
After all, he had personally experienced how terrifying that guy was. The accuracy of his predictions was downright scary, no wonder Voldemort wanted to get rid of him.
"It's undeniable that Scrimgeour has taken on a mess, and the current situation of the Ministry is indeed troublesome. So Mr. Anderson's assessment of him being a jinx is not entirely wrong." Dumbledore frowned slightly, this wasn't the first time he had heard Albert prophesying the fall of the Ministry.
In his opinion, there was only one situation in which the Ministry would fall.
If he died and was unable to stop it.
Connecting this to Albert's mention of the upcoming Horcrux hunt possibly being dangerous, and his own vision of Albert being severely injured, it was possible that Albert's life could be in danger.
"I think Scrimgeour should hire Albert as a special advisor to the Minister, perhaps then the Ministry would have a chance to turn things around."
"Scrimgeour has tried, but was flatly rejected."
"That's so like him." Harry quipped.
"Almost forgot." Dumbledore stopped at the corner of Privet Drive, turned to Harry and said, "I hope you have your wand and Invisibility Cloak ready."
"Aren't we going directly to Number 12, Grimmauld Place?" Harry was quite surprised, but soon his surprise was replaced by excitement as he realized that Dumbledore was about to take him on an adventure.
"We're going to visit an old colleague first." After Harry took out his Invisibility Cloak, Dumbledore waved his wand lightly and made the trunk, cage, and Hedwig disappear.
"I'll send your luggage to Number 12, Grimmauld Place, so we don't have to carry them around."
"An old colleague?"
"We're short of professors again, and I need to convince a retired colleague of mine to return to Hogwarts."
"The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor?" Harry guessed.
"No, it's the Potions professor." Dumbledore said.
"So, Snape finally got his wish?" Harry frowned slightly, surprised by Dumbledore's decision to let Snape take on the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
"It's Professor Snape." Dumbledore corrected.
"That's really good news." Harry said in a pleasant mood.
"Good news?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.
The position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor had been cursed by Voldemort a long time ago, and each professor would not last more than a term, which meant that Snape would be out of Hogwarts by next year.
Harry didn't think that Snape, a former Death Eater, could escape the effect of Voldemort's curse.
How was that not good news?
"How can I help, sir?" Harry changed the subject.
"I think you'll be of great use." Dumbledore raised his arm and said, "Alright Harry, grab my arm, we're off."
"Okay, sir."
Harry grabbed Dumbledore's outstretched forearm, and suddenly he felt a pulling force that almost made him suffocate.
"Are you alright?" Dumbledore looked down at Harry with concern as he dry-heaved, "This feeling takes some getting used to."
"I prefer flying on a broomstick."
Although Harry said he didn't like it, he knew he had to master Apparition quickly and grow up.
"This way."
Dumbledore took brisk steps, leading Harry through the town and stopping in front of a neat little stone house in a garden.
The door of the house was hanging crookedly, as if someone had broken in forcefully.
"Oh my!"
"Sir, there's no Dark Mark." Harry looked up at the sky and couldn't find the Dark Mark, "If Death Eaters had really been here, they would have definitely left the Dark Mark in the sky above the house."
"You're right." Dumbledore looked around at both sides of the street and said quietly, "It seems my old friend isn't very welcoming of other guests."
"Maybe it's because we're coming so late." Harry mumbled.
"Draw your wand, and follow me, Harry." Dumbledore said softly, "I hope our trip here isn't in vain."
(End of Chapter)
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