Chapter 1161: Fizzy Soda
Chapter 1161: Fizzy Soda
"That's a great idea, Harry. I agree that the D.A. meetings should continue. We need to learn some useful dark magic defense techniques; what they teach us in class is simply not enough," Ron immediately chimed in.
"Alright," Harry said after a moment's hesitation, eventually nodding in agreement.
"But you'll have to help me; I don't think I can handle it alone," he added.
"Hermione's good at this sort of thing," Ron continued, noticing Hermione's gaze. "Of course, I'll help too."
"We just need to continue the D.A. meetings from last term, but this time we can't separate into groups," Hermione said, unconcerned about the logistics. "I'll help you organize the content and structure."
"Thanks," Harry said, relieved. He wasn't sure what he would have done on his own.
"Oh, right," Ron said, as if he'd just remembered something. "We'd better hurry, we're almost out of time."
"What are we running out of time for?" Harry asked, confused.
"Don't you know?" Ron asked, sounding surprised.
"Know what?" Harry and Hermione looked at Ron, confused, waiting for an answer.
"You'll see, there's going to be a big surprise," Ron said mysteriously.
When the trio returned to the Gryffindor common room, Ron asked Harry and Hermione to save some seats while he rushed back to their dorm to get the radio.
"Oh, you mean the broadcast?" Hermione guessed, seeing the radio. Ever since the Ministry of Magic had started the joint Dark Magic Defense training, they had been broadcasting Dark Magic Defense knowledge, home safety tips, and tricks to British wizards every night at eight o'clock.
"No, it's not that program. It's a more discreet radio station," Ron said, taking out a Knutt coin from his pocket and examining it carefully. He then pulled out his wand and gently tapped the radio, quietly reciting the row of Arabic letters below 'Galleons'.
"This is... a magic coin?" Hermione asked, recognizing the Knutt and looking at Ron in surprise.
"Fred and George thought your magic coin idea was great, as it doesn't arouse suspicion. They gave us this radio," Ron explained with a grin. "Of course, I think it's easier to just stuff it in your..."
At that moment, the voice from the radio interrupted Ron's words.
"Welcome to Wizarding Watch..."
"Wizarding Watch?" Harry looked at Ron, puzzled. He knew that Sirius used to broadcast on Wizarding Watch, so it wasn't entirely surprising to hear it now.
Ron shushed the two of them and motioned for them to continue listening to the radio.
"...Unfortunately, the wizarding world is not as peaceful as we imagine. According to the latest prophecy we received from Mr. Albert Anderson, a renowned seer, the situation in the British wizarding community will worsen in the coming years, especially for wizards born into Muggle families. Their circumstances will become increasingly difficult. I suggest that everyone take the time to study Mr. Anderson's Self-Defense Guide, which will help improve your ability to protect yourself."
"I bet the Self-Defense Guide is the hottest-selling book this year," Ginny said as she sat down with a brand-new copy of the guide. "But, about Snape... anyway... I feel like Snape doesn't like it, and Colin got into big trouble because of arguing with him about it."
"Instead of having Snape as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, I think Dumbledore should have invited Albert to teach the subject," Ron muttered. "If Albert taught us the Self-Defense Guide, I bet the entire Hogwarts student body would improve significantly in dark magic defense."
"I don't think that's possible because of the Defense Against the Dark Arts curse..." Harry started to say, but he quieted down when he saw Hermione shushing them.
"...There's no need to complain about the Ministry. The mess left by the previous Minister, Fudge, is not easy to clean up, and I believe you can all see that Minister Scrimgeour is trying his best. But he still can't change the current situation. To be frank, things won't get better unless we eliminate the source of the danger—the Death Eaters."
"However, there is some good news. Our seer believes that Harry Potter will bring us peace in the near future..."
"Ahem." Harry felt embarrassed hearing this.
"I think he's right," Ginny whispered.
"...There's no need to question the authenticity of the prophecy. Not long ago, Mr. Anderson helped the Ministry thwart a Death Eater plot, dealing a heavy blow to their forces. Because of this, the Malfoy family is now offering a large reward for Mr. Anderson's life. Fortunately, Mr. Anderson seems to have foreseen this and is currently abroad, safe and sound. So, rest assured, there's no need to worry."
"I thought he had returned to the country," Ron said, sounding surprised as he explained to the others, "Everyone thought he was the one who set the Malfoy family's house on fire."
"Everyone?" Ginny asked, puzzled.
"Sirius, and the other members of the Order of the Phoenix, they all thought so," Ron said, sharing what he knew. "I think Fred and George must know where Albert is, but they're not telling."
"There must be a reason for that," Hermione said.
"Do you remember the fire that burned down the Malfoy Manor?" Ron lowered his voice. "Devil's Fire is a very dangerous type of dark magic, and the members of the Order of the Phoenix believe that only a handful of people have the ability to control that fire and prevent it from spreading beyond the manor, incinerating just the surrounding area."
"Is Albert one of them?"
Hermione had also discussed this matter with Harry and Ron, but deep down, she was reluctant to believe that Albert would do such a thing.
If Albert really wanted to take revenge on the Malfoy family, he surely had other means at his disposal.
"Given Albert's personality, I reckon he wouldn't let anyone know even if he returned to Britain," Harry said, still thinking that the Malfoy family must have had their brains addled by a door to offer such a hefty reward for Albert's life.
On the radio, Sirius was still sharing the current situation and reminding listeners that supporting Harry should be done discreetly to ensure their safety and that of their loved ones.
"This was Fred and George's suggestion," Ron suddenly interjected. "They thought that openly supporting Harry would make us easy targets for Death Eaters, which would be counterproductive and detrimental to those who support him. They believe it's better to support Harry in secret and maintain private communication through other means, similar to how we did with the DA back then."
"They're being targeted by Death Eaters now because they're Albert's close friends," Ginny suddenly said. "The shop in Diagon Alley temporarily closed at the end of August, and Fred and George are currently in hiding."
"What about the merchandise in the Dark Magic Defense specialty store? What will happen to it?" Harry asked, perplexed.
"Dad will probably be in charge of transferring it," Ginny replied. "As for the business side of things, they plan to use owl mail-order."
"It seems someone is helping them distribute the mail-order catalogs."
As he spoke, Hermione produced a copy of the "Happy Home" mail-order catalog, seemingly from out of nowhere.
"Uh..." Ron scratched his head awkwardly.
He had been helping with the distribution, and Fred and George had given him and Ginny some Galleons to assist with circulating the "Happy Home" catalogs.
Noticing Ron's embarrassment, Harry guessed how they had gotten their hands on the catalog and quickly changed the subject. "Hermione, do you know how to separate and store Felix Felicis? I mean, like what Albert did, turning the potion into individual pills. The bottle of Felix I got from Professor Slughorn can now be used twenty-four times!"
Twenty-four times! Just thinking about it excited Harry. Even if he couldn't use it all himself, he could share it with others.
"Sorry, Harry, I don't know how either," Hermione shook her head, indicating her powerlessness in the matter. "Maybe you can ask Sirius; they might have a way."
"Okay, I will," Harry decided. "I'll contact Sirius using the two-way mirror tonight."
The broadcast on the radio continued, and this time, it was Lupin's turn to share tips on how to effectively utilize stunning spells and disarming charms, among other simple spells, to protect oneself. Half an hour passed with the broadcast stumbling along.
"It feels similar to the old broadcasts..." Hermione trailed off, catching Harry's eye before amending her statement. "But it's much better than those from the Ministry."
"You're right," Ron agreed, turning to Harry. "But what's with the Dark Magic Defense package at the end?"
"Oh, that," Ron looked at Ginny, "I think it's the result of Fred, George, and the others in the Order of the Phoenix working together. I'm not sure about the specifics, though."
"It's supposed to be a detailed protection plan that will help them escape danger," Ginny explained.
"Why isn't it being shared with everyone, then?" Hermione asked, confused.
"If everyone knew about it, it would be easy for the information to leak out," Ginny replied. "If Death Eaters found out, it might not be effective anymore. So, they plan to keep it for Harry's supporters because they're more likely to be targeted by Dark Wizards." She continued, "I also heard that they might collaborate with Luna's father and use 'The Quibbler' to stay in contact, but I'm not sure about the details, and Fred and George haven't said anything."
Harry, Hermione, and Ron exchanged bewildered looks, unable to fathom how they intended to use 'The Quibbler' to maintain communication.
"Harry, I found you!"
Katie Bell approached them, walking swiftly and handing a piece of parchment to Harry. "You're definitely the captain, right? When do you plan to hold tryouts?"
"I haven't decided yet," Harry replied, taking the parchment. "But I don't think you need to try out..."
"Don't do that," Katie interrupted directly. "When Charlie was captain, he always tried to be fair, even with substitute players. If the captain always lets his friends play, it could ruin a good team."
Ron, standing beside them, suddenly looked very awkward.
"By the way, Angelina Johnson contacted me, and she's become the reserve Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies," Katie shared the good news with them.
"That's fantastic!"
Everyone was delighted for Angelina's success.
"I think this path isn't bad," Ginny said, expressing her disinterest in working for the Ministry after graduation; such a life seemed too dull for her.
"I agree," Harry said, sharing Ginny's enthusiasm for Quidditch. "If it weren't for all the trouble, I might have considered joining a Quidditch team after graduation, too."
"What's written on the parchment?" Hermione asked after Katie had walked away.
Harry unfurled the parchment and immediately recognized Dumbledore's handwriting:
Dear Harry, I intend to start your private lessons this Saturday. Please come to my office at 8 p.m. I hope you enjoyed your first day of school.
Your faithful Albus Dumbledore
P.S. I like fizzy soda.
(End of Chapter)
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