Chapter 1142: Unraveling the Truth
Chapter 1142: Unraveling the Truth
Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were stunned. They hadn't expected Sirius to contact them at this time, much less invite them to "dinner."
Of course, the dinner invitation was merely an excuse. Sirius obviously had something to discuss with them, or rather, with Albert.
They couldn't think of any other possibility.
After a brief silence in the restaurant, George broke it, complaining, "He should've told us earlier. We're almost done with our dinner."
"I think Sirius probably wants to talk about our collaboration as well," said Fred.
"Why don't you go and ask if Professor Lupin can work overtime these days?" Lee suggested.
"Alright, but don't get your hopes up too high," Fred replied.
George and Fred quickly finished their meals and left in a hurry.
"Are you guys this busy every day?"
"Yeah, it's a good thing you're here to help out. Otherwise, we'd be even busier," Lee said, sighing as he watched the two leave. "But we've earned quite a lot of Galleons in the past few years. If we can just persevere a little longer, we won't have to worry about money anymore. So don't feel that Albert is paying you too much. You deserve it."
When Fred and George rushed to Number 12, Grimmauld Place, they found that the dinner invitation was indeed just an excuse.
Sirius, Lupin, Mad-Eye Moody, Kingsley, and Professor McGonagall all had unusually solemn expressions, as if something unpleasant had happened.
"What's wrong?" George asked.
"Can you get in touch with Albert?" Professor McGonagall asked immediately.
"I'm afraid not. Albert just got married, and he certainly wouldn't want to be disturbed on his honeymoon," George replied, not too surprised. "Is there something you need from him?"
A brief silence fell in the room, piquing Fred and George's curiosity about what Albert had to do with the situation.
"It's about Dumbledore," Professor McGonagall said.
"What about him?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow as he thought he might have guessed the reason.
"Dumbledore is injured. The last time I saw him, his left palm looked like it had been burnt by flames. It was charred and black, as if it were dead," Professor McGonagall said anxiously, her voice filled with worry. "I think it's a severe injury."
"What kind of magic do you think could cause such an injury?" Moody frowned and inquired.
"No, that's not the point, Moody," Professor McGonagall said irritably. "Do you remember Albert's prophecy about the fall of the Ministry of Magic?"
"The Ministry doesn't look like it's about to collapse anytime soon," Kingsley shook his head. He was well aware of the situation within the Ministry. While Scrimgeour's methods might be a bit erratic, the Ministry was undoubtedly in a much better state than before, and the wizarding community was more united. Scrimgeour had given them hope.
"There's only one possibility that could lead to the Ministry's downfall."
In fact, everyone present knew what Professor McGonagall was hinting at.
Dumbledore was dead.
Only with Dumbledore's death could Voldemort boldly kill Scrimgeour and directly take over the Ministry of Magic.
The room fell silent once more.
Fred and George exchanged glances, surprised that they had been called to discuss this matter.
In fact, they had speculated about what Professor McGonagall was suggesting. After all, Albert had mentioned that the wizarding world would become even more chaotic, and Muggle-born wizards would face great danger.
"But... why would Dumbledore hide this from us?" Lupin asked, perplexed.
"Most likely, he thought we didn't need to know," Sirius replied with a shrug. "Harry told me that Dumbledore would be teaching him this year."
"So, you think Dumbledore is close to the end, and he decided to confide in Harry?" Moody also found this possibility highly likely.
Dumbledore had hinted more than once that Harry played a crucial role in what was to come.
In fact, ever since Albert made the prophecy about the fall of the Ministry of Magic, there had been suspicions and speculations. However, the probability of the prophecy coming true was incredibly low, even if it came from Albert. At most, everyone was only half-believing.
After all, no one wanted to entertain the absurd idea of Dumbledore's death. Moreover, Albert hadn't directly prophesied Dumbledore's demise; it was their own inference.
Nevertheless, the suspicion that Dumbledore had been struck by dark magic thoroughly disturbed everyone, which was why they were now trying to get to the bottom of it through Albert.
"I'd bet Anderson definitely knows something," Professor McGonagall said confidently. "On the day of the wedding, I saw them leaving together. I wonder what they talked about."
"Ahem!" George cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention to him.
"Have you figured something out?" Sirius asked eagerly, looking at George.
"I think it's best not to pin all your hopes on Albert," George reminded them helplessly. "If Dumbledore doesn't want to talk about it, Albert probably won't tell us either."
"You're right," Fred nodded in agreement. "Maybe Albert knows a lot, but he rarely shares it with others. Perhaps he thinks there's no need for too many people to know, or that it's not the right time yet for others to be involved."
Having spent seven years with Albert, Fred and George understood his character well. Fred believed that even if Professor McGonagall asked Albert for a divination, he would probably tell her to ask Dumbledore herself.
"You think he won't tell us?" Lupin asked, raising an eyebrow.
"If Albert doesn't want to give us a divination, the outcome probably won't be good," Sirius speculated, as he, too, had some understanding of Albert. "Also, if Dumbledore has indeed been assassinated, I highly suspect Snape might be behind it."
"Sirius," several people frowned simultaneously. This wasn't the first time Sirius had targeted Snape.
"Don't believe me? Ask them," Sirius pointed at Fred and George. "Among the Hogwarts professors, Snape was the only one who didn't receive an invitation to the wedding. That in itself is strange. Don't tell me it's because of their bad relationship that Albert didn't invite Snape. There must be another reason."
"I don't think Albert is that kind of person. There must be a reason why Albert believes Snape isn't trustworthy," Sirius continued, not solely because of their conflict but also because Snape was highly suspicious. He hadn't forgotten that one of the reasons Albert didn't want to join the Order of the Phoenix was his suspicion that there might be a traitor within their ranks."
"Dumbledore swore that Snape is on our side," Professor McGonagall frowned. "He assured us that Snape's remorse was genuine... and he doesn't want to hear a single bad word about Snape!"
"I dare say Albert knew about Snape being a double agent all along.
"Little Sirius tapped his fingers on the table. 'And he obviously doesn't think Snape is trustworthy...'
"That's right, Albert doesn't trust Snape," George agreed with Little Sirius' statement. "I once asked Albert why he didn't want to join the Order of the Phoenix, and he said that the Order was unreliable and full of leaks."
"Speculating here won't get us anywhere." Moody actually didn't trust Snape much either. "The best way is to talk directly to Dumbledore, but I doubt he'll tell us anything. So getting a prophecy from Albert is our best bet."
Despite his skepticism about divination, Moody acknowledged Albert's authority in that field, just as Little Sirius had said—it wouldn't hurt to get a prophecy from Albert, no matter the outcome.
"What if our suspicions are true?" Lupin suddenly asked.
An eerie silence fell upon the room once more.
Everyone wanted to know the truth, but no one wanted to consider the consequences.
Even if Dumbledore was indeed destined to die soon, what could they possibly do about it?
They were utterly powerless! All they could do was pray that it wouldn't happen.
"Indeed, we should talk to that guy. I know you must have a way to contact him, right?" Little Sirius looked at Fred and George, confident that with Albert's personality, he would have definitely left an emergency means of contact.
Fred and George exchanged glances and shook their heads. "It's useless. And your timing is terrible."
"You should know how important this is," Professor McGonagall said sternly, fixing her gaze on Fred and George.
Under the intense stares of the group, Fred and George felt the pressure and eventually relented.
"Alright, we'll go get it, but we can't guarantee we'll be able to reach Albert, and we stand by our opinion that even if he does know something, he won't tell us," they said.
With that, Fred and George hurried out.
Soon after, they returned with a small, delicate mirror.
"This..."
Little Sirius was perplexed as he examined the small mirror in his hand. It looked nothing like the two-way mirrors he was familiar with.
In fact, if Fred hadn't mentioned it was a two-way mirror, no one would have guessed that's what it was.
"It's Albert's creation," George explained. "We originally planned to sell them as couple mirrors for lovers to stay in touch, but they're difficult to make. Only Albert can manufacture them, and now that he's slacking off... the project is on hold."
Little Sirius didn't try to use the mirror; instead, he passed it to Professor McGonagall. At this point, it was probably best for her to try contacting him, as she was least likely to incur bad luck.
"How does this work?" Professor McGonagall asked curiously, examining the mirror in her hand.
"Just call out the other person's name, and if they hear you, they'll respond," George explained briefly. "But I suggest you don't get your hopes up."
As it turned out, Fred and George were right. Professor McGonagall called out into the mirror for five minutes, but there was no response.
"This thing isn't a fake, is it?" Moody eyed the Weasley twins suspiciously.
"Impossible. We tested it as soon as we got it," Fred said as he took back the mirror. "If you really want to talk to him, I suggest you wait until after his honeymoon trip."
"I think it's useless to talk to him now anyway. If Albert really believes Dumbledore is in great danger, he'll definitely give Dumbledore some sort of warning beforehand. After all, they've always had a good relationship, and Albert wouldn't just stand by and watch Dumbledore get into serious trouble or even lose his life," Fred and George explained. Before they had come, they had already contacted Albert, or rather, his house-elf, through the mirror and mentioned this matter.
As expected, Albert's response was just as they had anticipated. He had told them to ask Dumbledore themselves.
The two weren't fools; Albert's meaning was clear. The speculation that Dumbledore might die was likely true, but for some reason, Albert didn't want to tell them directly.
In the end, the twins didn't share this matter with the other members of the Order of the Phoenix, as it wouldn't change anything.
They suddenly understood why Albert didn't want to discuss it and instead told them to ask Dumbledore themselves.
"Keep this matter confidential for now. Don't let anyone else know," Little Sirius said.
"Especially not Snape," Little Sirius reminded them. "If he really tells Voldemort about this, who knows what might happen..."
"I think Little Sirius makes a lot of sense," Moody said, nodding in agreement. "Even though Dumbledore believes Snape is trustworthy, anyone can make a mistake in judgment."
Professor McGonagall hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded. "I'll speak to Dumbledore about this personally."
"You two better keep quiet about this as well," Kingsley said to Fred and George.
"Don't worry, we know what to do," they replied.
...
"Ask away if there's something you want to know."
After handing the two-way mirror to the house-elf, Albert turned to face Isabelle, meeting her inquisitive gaze.
"You don't want them to know?" she asked.
"Even if they knew, it wouldn't solve anything," Albert said calmly, his eyes fixed on the boundless ocean. "Besides, I believe Dumbledore has his own plans, and it's best we don't interfere."
"I think this is just an excuse for you to be lazy," Isabelle said, pinching Albert's cheeks. "You're just passing the problem to Dumbledore."
"This isn't something I should be answering," Albert shook his head. "What do you expect me to tell them? That Dumbledore will die next year and that Snape will be the one to kill him?"
"Snape will kill Dumbledore?" Isabelle was taken aback.
"Yes, Snape will do it!" Albert affirmed.
"Have you told Dumbledore about this?" Isabelle asked, her eyes narrowing.
"Yes."
"What did he say?" Isabelle inquired, her curiosity piqued.
"He believes in Snape," Albert replied.
"He believes in Snape?" Isabelle couldn't believe her ears.
"Snape is a double agent. Whether it's Dumbledore or Voldemort, they both think Snape is on their side," Albert explained.
"So, whose side is Snape really on?" Isabelle asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"Does it matter?" Albert countered. "Even if he's truly Dumbledore's man, who's to say he won't choose to sacrifice others to save himself when push comes to shove?"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
