Chapter 1254: A Few Things Before the Holidays
Chapter 1254: A Few Things Before the Holidays
After Dumbledore's funeral, all the students who had attended boarded the Hogwarts Express to return home, except for Harry, Ron, and Ginny Weasley. They remained at the school, waiting to depart with the members of the Order of the Phoenix, as it was undoubtedly safer and would prevent Death Eaters from attacking the train and causing trouble for the students.
At that moment, in Professor McGonagall's office, the members of the Order of the Phoenix were holding an emergency meeting to discuss Harry's safety and whereabouts.
"Harry, you really don't plan on going back to your Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's, do you?"
Mad-Eye Moody was feeling incredibly frustrated. Dumbledore's death had thrown a wrench in their plans, causing chaos.
"No, there's no point in going back now," Harry shook his head. "When I come of age, I'll be embarking on my mission. I think these next few months should be spent doing something more meaningful."
"What mission?"
Mrs. Weasley was still not giving up.
"Sorry, but that needs to remain confidential."
"I believe Arthur and I have a right to know..."
"Sorry, but if Dumbledore didn't tell others, I'm afraid I can't tell you either." Harry knew this would be the case, so he remained calm.
"Don't look at us like that; we don't know either." Fred and George shrugged. "Maybe Albert knows. I suggest you ask him yourself."
"Why did Dumbledore think Anderson was more reliable than us?" Sturgis Podmore grumbled discontentedly.
"Don't be foolish, Sturgis," Mad-Eye glanced at him. "Now is not the time for that discussion."
"The problem is that number twelve, Grimmauld Place, is no longer safe either," Lupin frowned. "After Dumbledore's death, the Fidelius Charm was passed on to us, and the protection there has been significantly weakened. Especially with Snape's betrayal, Grimmauld Place has become completely unsafe."
This was the main reason everyone thought Harry should return to his aunt and uncle's for the last few months before he came of age.
"Doesn't the Order have any other safe houses prepared?" Hermione suddenly asked, "I mean, other places protected by the Fidelius Charm?"
An eerie silence fell upon the office as it became clear that the Order had no other Fidelius-charmed safe houses.
After all, aside from their original headquarters, there weren't many places that could be considered truly safe.
"Maybe we need an entirely new, reliable safe house," Ron agreed, feeling just as incredulous. "If Grimmauld Place is no longer safe, I think it's necessary to have such a place."
Dumbledore had been dead for several days. Hadn't the others realized this?
Well, they had, of course, but they simply couldn't find a suitable house to serve as the new headquarters for the Order.
And who would be the Secret-Keeper was another issue.
Sensing the atmosphere, Fred and George exchanged glances, surprised by the turn of events.
In their impression, having a safe house was crucial.
It was not just to ensure Harry had a secure and hidden place to stay until the end of July when the Trace would break, but it also concerned the safety of the members of the Order themselves.
At the very least, when their lives were threatened, they needed a place to hide from the relentless pursuit of the Death Eaters and the mysterious forces behind them.
However, the discussion of this matter was met with silence.
"To be honest, everyone is confused right now, not just us, but the Ministry of Magic as well," Kingsley tried to shift the focus to ease the awkwardness.
Just moments ago, the entire Order had learned from Professor McGonagall that Dumbledore's death might have been voluntary, but they still couldn't understand why he would do such a thing. Perhaps he truly didn't have many years left, but his passing had plunged the entire British wizarding community into chaos.
What was he hoping to achieve?
Everyone was bewildered! This news had thrown the Order into disarray as well.
The Order certainly needed a new safe house, especially after learning that Harry didn't plan on spending the remaining time until he came of age at his aunt and uncle's. They realized that they couldn't guarantee Harry's safety.
"Can we change locations? I mean, to the headquarters of the Defensive Association?" Ron turned to the Weasley brothers. "That place should also be protected by the Fidelius Charm, right?"
"Albert probably doesn't want Harry to go to the Defensive Association's headquarters," Fred shook his head, vetoing Ron's suggestion. "Otherwise, he would've mentioned it when we met earlier."
"Why?"
Lupin thought it was a good idea too. It was said that the Defensive Association's headquarters was even more secure than that of the Order, and Harry would undoubtedly be well-protected there.
"I also think the Order needs its own safe house. Maybe you can find an abandoned manor somewhere and rebuild it as the new headquarters," George agreed, finding it unreliable that the Order didn't have any other safe houses. As far as he knew, the Defensive Association had several similar locations.
"But, at the moment..."
"Even if you say that, it's useless and meaningless. We're not Secret-Keepers, so we can't take you to the Defensive Association's headquarters anyway," Fred reminded everyone not to have unrealistic fantasies.
"Also, we never thought we could convince him," George added. "In fact, after Dumbledore's death, even Skrimgeour has been abandoned."
Everyone in the room fell silent.
"If Harry doesn't have a good place to go, then he'll have to stay with his aunt and uncle temporarily. At least, it's still safe there until he comes of age. After that, I don't think Harry will want to stay at home anyway, so..."
"What did Albert suggest?" Harry interrupted, having never considered wasting his precious time by returning to his aunt and uncle's.
Rebuilding a safe house from scratch was never a difficult task.
Fred and George also fell silent, feeling that the Order was truly unreliable, especially after Dumbledore's death, which had essentially doomed the Order as well.
No wonder Albert didn't think much of them initially. How had they not noticed this problem before?
However, upon further reflection, if the Defensive Association lost Albert, the situation probably wouldn't be much better than that of the Order.
"Then that's settled. There are plenty of abandoned villages and unused manors in Britain. We'll just use buildings that have been deserted by Muggles.
Upon witnessing the reaction from the Order of the Phoenix, Harry couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. He couldn't understand why they were hesitating over such a matter.
"It's fine!" Harry said, then turned to look at Sirius.
After Dumbledore's death, the Order would undoubtedly need to relocate their headquarters.
"It should... be fine." Sirius hesitated for a moment before nodding. "But the Secret-Keeper is indeed a problem."
"The Secret-Keeper is actually quite simple. It can be me or Fred." George calmly stated, "Have the Secret-Keeper stay in another location protected by the Fidelius Charm, and safety can be guaranteed."
"You'll be the Secret-Keeper?" Fred raised an eyebrow and asked.
"Of course, we'll decide with a game of rock-paper-scissors." George said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Alright then."
"So, Harry, you'll go to your Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's place for a few days, and we'll pick you up later to take you to the new safe house." Mrs. Weasley still seemed a little worried about Harry's safety.
"No need, I'll just go to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. Anyway, my aunt and uncle's place will definitely be under surveillance, and it will only become more troublesome if I try to leave later. Plus, I plan to learn some more useful things from you at Grimmauld Place." Harry shook his head, "Anyway, it shouldn't take much time to set up a safe house."
The others exchanged glances, and in the end, no one refuted Harry's words. They all realized that Harry had grown up and matured.
During the Order's meeting, the Ministry of Magic did not block the news of the mass breakout from Azkaban. This piece of news had already spread through the newspapers, shocking the entire British wizarding world.
However, what was even more jaw-dropping was Scrimgeour's statement at the press conference. He helplessly expressed that this day had simply come sooner than expected.
No one had anticipated that the mysterious figure would help the Azkaban prisoners escape en masse on the day of Dumbledore's funeral, and even if the Ministry had foreseen it, they would not have been able to stop it.
But if Scrimgeour were to be replaced, who would take his place? Who would dare to step up and deal with this mess?
No one.
Yes, no one.
At the very least, Scrimgeour had done a decent job. Ever since he took office, he had been dedicated to fighting against the Dark Wizards and Death Eaters, and his efforts to uphold justice had not gone unnoticed.
And who among them was qualified to take his place?
Especially after Dumbledore's death, many had realized that the position of Minister of Magic was now akin to a hot potato.
As for Scrimgeour's statement at the press conference: "If you feel that I am no longer suitable to continue as the Minister of Magic, then as long as you can elect a suitable candidate, I am willing to step down immediately." These words effectively shut the mouths of those who liked to complain and grumble.
They feared that Scrimgeour would indeed throw away his position as Minister.
If that happened, who would be left to deal with this mess?
It wasn't that Scrimgeour wanted to give up, but rather, the position of Minister had now become a liability, and continuing in this role would only lead to his eventual demise.
With his life potentially on the line, Scrimgeour no longer cared about what others thought. He decided to follow Albert's suggestion and leave the decision to the entire British wizarding community.
If he did lose his position, he could always run away, or perhaps rally the entire British wizarding community to stand against Voldemort and the Death Eaters.
In fact, the majority still supported Scrimgeour.
At the very least, the employees of the Ministry of Magic were behind him. Compared to the unpopular Fudge, Scrimgeour had led them from one victory to another, and his efforts had not gone unnoticed.
If Scrimgeour were to step down, and they ended up with another incompetent Minister like Fudge, they would all be doomed.
"You don't seem very happy about it?" Piers Skinesis raised an eyebrow and asked, "Everyone still supports you, I dare say that among all the Ministers, few have enjoyed such treatment."
"What's there to be happy about? Am I supposed to celebrate the fact that my days are numbered?" Scrimgeour fiddled with his pocket watch, a strange smile on his face.
"Why would you say that?" Piers was taken aback, "Do you mean to say that Mr. Anderson..."
"After Dumbledore's death, the mysterious figure's next target will undoubtedly be the Ministry of Magic. And I am their biggest obstacle. Tell me, in that situation, do you think I'll survive?" Scrimgeour leaned back in his armchair, his voice calm and steady.
"Are you just going to give up?" Piers couldn't understand, "We still have the best Aurors and the Crisis Response Team. Even if the mysterious figure..."
"From the very beginning, you've misunderstood one crucial thing." Scrimgeour put down his pocket watch and looked at Piers, "The entire British wizarding community has been under Dumbledore's protection. To be honest, I didn't quite agree with Albert's assessment at first, but after today's events, you've seen for yourself that the mysterious figure released and controlled the Azkaban prisoners without any regard for the Ministry of Magic. He never considered us a threat."
"Our previous successes were only made possible because Albert Anderson needed us to help him take revenge against the mysterious figure and the Death Eaters." Scrimgeour said self-deprecatingly, "He needed someone to do his dirty work, and the Ministry of Magic was more than happy to oblige."
"But everything changed after Dumbledore's death." Scrimgeour handed the pocket watch back to Piers, "I believe the mysterious figure will soon arrange for my 'accidental' death, and then they'll replace me with one of their own, thereby gaining control of the British Ministry of Magic. And at that point, you'll probably be the one to take my place."
"Me?" Piers was stunned. According to the hierarchy of the Ministry of Magic, the next in line would indeed be the Magical Law Enforcement Chief, but...
"They'll probably use the Imperius Curse to control you!" Scrimgeour said, causing Piers' face to twitch, "They'll force you to become one of the Death Eaters, and then use you as a transitional figure before installing their own person as the Minister of Magic."
"Are you making preparations for your... demise?" Piers couldn't understand how Scrimgeour could be so calm while discussing such matters.
"You could say that. If possible, I'd like to take on the Death Eaters one more time. If not, then we'll have to disband the Crisis Response Team and have them join Albert Anderson and Harry Potter." Scrimgeour mused, "That guy definitely has a plan, I just don't know what he's waiting for."
"It's a pity that the mysterious figure won't give me the time or opportunity to do so." Scrimgeour glanced at Piers, a hint of regret in his voice, "Otherwise, things might not have gotten so out of hand."
(End of Volume) (End of Chapter)
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