Chapter 1236: The Insider
Chapter 1236: The Insider
In the quiet of the night, a figure appeared without warning at the base of a steep cliff. After confirming that no one was around, he slowly made his way towards the beach ahead, unconcerned about being exposed to the bright moonlight.
Any Death Eaters present would surely be curious as to what Avery was doing here at this late hour.
At this moment, Avery stood quietly on a reef at the edge of the beach, letting the cold sea breeze blow through his hair.
The sound of waves crashing against the reef echoed in his ears, and Avery wondered why he had come here. Yet, a voice in his heart kept reminding him that he had to be here at this particular time to wait for someone.
Ironically, Avery didn't even know who he was waiting for, but he knew he had to wait here for someone.
So, he came.
Suddenly, there was a crackling sound from the beach not far away, as someone apparated into existence.
Avery knew that the person he was waiting for had arrived.
Just as he was about to turn around to see who it was, his entire body froze in place as if he had been hit by a Freeze Charm. He didn't have time to turn around or figure out what was happening.
He felt his thoughts and worries swept away, leaving only a vague sense of joy.
The visitor accomplished everything silently, and then disappeared without a trace, like a gust of wind, without even leaving footprints in the sand.
When Avery came back to his senses, he looked around in confusion and muttered something. Surprisingly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of candy. He stared at the candy, his expression filled with bewilderment, unsure why there was candy in his pocket. Strangely, instead of discarding it, Avery put the candy back into his pocket and then disapparated from the beach.
When Avery arrived outside Bella's temporary base and was about to knock on the door, the door opened by itself, and Snape walked out.
"Severus, what are you doing here as well?"
Avery was surprised to see Snape, but then he seemed to remember something and quickly asked, "Is the plan about to begin?"
It seemed that only this matter would require Snape to come personally and discuss with them the plan to assassinate Dumbledore in detail.
Although this was a secret task given to Draco Malfoy by the Dark Lord, everyone now knew that Snape had taken over the assassination plan.
If they could really get rid of Dumbledore, many of the troubles the Death Eaters were currently facing would be resolved.
"Not yet, but it should be soon."
Snape was equally surprised to encounter Avery here.
"Severus, is something the matter?" Narcissa's voice called out from the living room.
"Avery is here," Snape moved aside to let Avery enter.
"Avery, what brings you here?" Narcissa asked, somewhat surprised as well.
"Regarding the assassination plan," Avery said, turning to Snape. "If you're not in a hurry to leave, come in and listen as well."
"Do you have any objections to our plan?"
"Although I would like to say with a clear conscience that your plan is flawless, I regret to say that our opponent includes a monster by the name of Albert Anderson."
Avery continued, despite Bella's murderous gaze, "We need to make some more preparations. What I mean is that we should be prepared to retreat in case the plan fails, even if..."
"You think our plan will fail!"
Bella's gaze turned even more hostile, and Avery's questioning angered her immensely. If it weren't for Alecto stopping her, her wand would likely have been thrust into Avery's mouth to shut him up.
"What do you suggest we do?"
"To be honest, I don't want to be a downer, but if we drag this out too long, I'm worried that the Aurors from the Ministry of Magic will reinforce Hogwarts. You know that that mudblood is very good at playing these kinds of tricks. Even if he convinces the Aurors to ambush us at Hogwarts, I wouldn't be surprised."
"That's impossible," Alecto shook her head in rebuttal. "We have our people in the Ministry of Magic. If there's any movement, we'll definitely receive the news as soon as possible."
"But we've still fallen into that mudblood's traps many times. How can you be sure that this time won't be a trap..."
"Get to the point," Snape interrupted impatiently.
"I think it's necessary to gather a large number of Dementors and Dark Wizards. When necessary, have them besiege Hogwarts and create some chaos, at least to buy us some time against the Aurors and members of the Order of the Phoenix," Avery revealed his plan.
"You know we can't possibly do that," Alecto frowned and reminded him. "Moreover, many despicable cowards have fled the country after sensing the situation is unfavorable. We can't gather much help at the moment."
"Someone will talk to the Dark Lord about this, and if he permits it," Avery looked at Alecto, "I think everyone understands that nothing is more important right now than killing Dumbledore."
"I must remind you that we intend to eliminate Dumbledore, not destroy Hogwarts. I believe the Dark Lord would prefer to have Hogwarts under his control," Snape cautioned.
"I'm well aware."
"If it's to prevent the Ministry of Magic from reinforcing Hogwarts, I suggest that we urge the Dark Lord to raid Azkaban." Alecto glanced at Narcissa and continued, "By releasing the prisoners, we can not only gain a lot of help but also occupy the Ministry's attention, preventing them from interfering with Hogwarts."
As she spoke, her expression turned strange. "Many witches and wizards believe that Hogwarts is the safest place in Britain as long as Dumbledore is there."
"But will the Dark Lord agree?"
Narcissa was intrigued by the proposal. If Voldemort raided Azkaban, her husband and Alecto's brother could escape, and it would also divert the Ministry's attention.
Once Scrimgeour involved the Aurors in the affairs of Hogwarts, their plans would likely be severely disrupted.
"It's a good idea, but I still think we should focus on attacking Hogwarts. At the very least, we can draw away some of the professors," said Avery, once again looking at Alecto.
Everyone present knew that Alecto was the one the Dark Lord had sent to keep an eye on them.
"I'll go and speak to the Dark Lord about it, but I can't make any guarantees." Alecto replied.
"Thank you!"
Although Narcissa knew that Alecto was there to watch them, she didn't particularly dislike her.
Avery watched Alecto's retreating figure and muttered softly, "That guy's untrustworthy."
"She will also be participating in the upcoming battle," Bella sneered.
"There's something I must remind you all of," Snape said impatiently. "The more complex a plan is, the more troublesome it is to execute. Killing Dumbledore is the top priority, and I don't want anyone's stupidity to cause this assassination plan to fail." With that, he left to deliver the message back to Hogwarts.
"What an annoying guy."
...
"What brings you to see me at this time, Alecto?"
A hoarse and unpleasant voice echoed in the dimly lit room.
As the person turned around, Alecto found herself facing a pair of scarlet eyes.
"Master, they have devised a plan, and they should be taking action soon," Alecto said, lowering her eyelids to avoid looking directly into Voldemort's eyes.
"A plan?" Voldemort repeated softly.
He did not have much fondness for that word. They had made many plans in the past, almost all of which had failed.
In front of the Seer, their so-called plans had become a joke, especially now that that person had a way to mobilize the Ministry's Aurors.
This was also the main reason why Voldemort wanted to get rid of Albert.
Alecto began to explain the key points of their assassination plan to Voldemort, including Narcissa and Bella's search for Felix Felicis, and their intention to obtain a batch of the potion from Slughorn.
"So, they're pinning all their hopes on this petty trick of a luck potion?"
Voldemort was, of course, aware of Felix Felicis. Perhaps this so-called lucky potion could give the Death Eaters an advantage when facing other Aurors, but against truly powerful witches and wizards, that little bit of luck would amount to nothing.
"No, they believe that Felix Felicis can help them carry out the assassination of Dumbledore more smoothly. Everyone wants to get rid of Dumbledore, and anything that increases the chances of success is worth trying," Alecto quickly explained.
Seeing that Voldemort remained silent, Alecto continued, "Avery thinks that it's likely that the Ministry will interfere with the assassination, so he hopes to gather a group of Dark Wizards and Dementors to ambush near Hogwarts, to hold off any possible reinforcements and create an opportunity for Severus, and also..."
Alecto stole a glance at Voldemort and lowered her voice. "We must occupy the Ministry's attention. Perhaps we should bring forward the timing of the prison break."
"Is this your suggestion, or someone else's?" Voldemort asked coldly.
He saw through Alecto's little scheme with ease as he stared at her with his piercing scarlet eyes.
Under his intense gaze, Alecto lowered her head further, feeling the immense pressure that Voldemort's stare brought upon her.
"Tell me, Alecto," Voldemort demanded.
"Everyone thinks that killing Dumbledore should be the top priority right now. They believe that once he's out of the way, we will be able to..."
"Enough, Alecto. You may leave. Send Yaxley to me," Voldemort said indifferently.
Alecto breathed a sigh of relief. She knew that she had somehow managed to convince the Dark Lord.
In truth, Alecto had never really convinced Voldemort. Only he could convince himself, as he was already deeply entangled in this matter.
Although Snape had mentioned that Dumbledore didn't have many years left, Voldemort was growing impatient. That meddlesome old man had become the biggest obstacle in his path, and removing him was now inevitable.
Due to Malfoy's involvement, Snape had also been dragged into the situation.
Should Snape, this important chess piece, fail, Voldemort would find it difficult to get rid of Dumbledore in the short term.
Voldemort had no choice but to see this through. He, too, was already deeply involved, destined to be one of the key players in the coming storm.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
