Chapter 1286: War is No Child's Play
Chapter 1286: War is No Child's Play
Being cautious is never a bad thing, especially when lives are at stake. It's better to be safe than regret it later.
If only Bill and Fleur's wedding had been handled with such caution, perhaps there wouldn't be so many problems now.
Unfortunately, there are no do-overs in this world.
After completing the initial preparations, the trio did not plan to return to the Order of the Phoenix headquarters. Instead, they intended to find an empty house in a nearby Muggle village to rest briefly and try to get in touch with Kingsley to obtain some useful information from him.
The most difficult part of this rescue mission was actually only twofold: figuring out if the Death Eaters planned to send the Weasley couple to Azkaban, and determining when they intended to depart.
If their intelligence was wrong, they would be wasting their time.
As for the Death Eaters escorting the Weasley couple to Azkaban, they were not much of a concern. With Albert's overwhelmingly powerful abilities, he could easily handle them.
During their rest and discussion about the plan, Sirius also managed to get in touch with Kingsley.
True to his reputation as an elite Auror trained by the Ministry of Magic, Kingsley quickly obtained accurate intelligence from a former colleague. Arthur and Molly had indeed been sent to the Ministry, along with the captured guests who hadn't escaped. However, a small number of pure-blood wizards had been released, while the rest were detained and interrogated. The Weasley couple, in particular, was subjected to intense questioning.
After all, Ron was Harry Potter's close friend, and Fred and George were Albert's buddies. The twins' black market defensive items had also caused no small amount of trouble. Most importantly, the Weasley couple were members of the Order of the Phoenix and had sheltered Harry Potter on more than one occasion. Their misfortune was a direct result of their association with Harry.
Initially, if it hadn't been for Alecto Carrow's suggestion to Voldemort to use the Weasley couple as bait to lure in Potter, a member of the Weasley family, or the Order of the Phoenix, they would likely have been killed on the spot. However, as punishment for the Weasley family's support of Harry Potter, Voldemort killed their second son, Charlie, in front of their eyes.
"Has the Ministry completely fallen?" Albert asked, his expression strange.
It was usually difficult to achieve such a feat in a short period. The vast majority of wizards resisted and despised the Death Eaters and the mysterious Lord Voldemort. Even if they lacked the courage to stand up against them, there were still many ways they could cause trouble.
Yet, within hours of Scrimgeour's death, the Death Eaters had taken control of the Ministry.
"They're just following orders," Moody said sarcastically. "They obeyed Scrimgeour's commands to fight against the Death Eaters and the mysterious Lord Voldemort before. Now that Scrimgeour is dead, it's not surprising that they're following the new minister, Thicknesse's, orders."
"Do you think he might be under the Imperius Curse? I recall Thicknesse being one of Scrimgeour's supporters," Sirius said, thinking that the new minister was probably just an unfortunate victim of the Imperius Curse, a tactic often used by the Death Eaters.
"Perhaps Thicknesse is indeed controlled by the Imperius Curse, but that man is also definitely a fence-sitter," Moody replied.
Having worked in the Ministry for decades, Moody was all too familiar with Thicknesse's character.
"He probably joined the Death Eaters after being controlled by the Imperius Curse," Sirius mused.
"If I were him, I would have done the same," Albert said understandingly. "In these times, it's the fence-sitters who survive. With Scrimgeour dead, what other choice does he have but to join the Death Eaters? At least this way, he has an excuse, and no matter who ultimately wins, his situation won't be too dire. After all, he's not responsible for his actions while under the Imperius Curse."
Albert could empathize with Thicknesse's decision, knowing that it was unrealistic to expect everyone to stand up against the Death Eaters like the members of the Order of the Phoenix.
Living in such turbulent times, the majority of British wizards prioritized the safety of themselves and their families. One couldn't say they were wrong, as no one was truly at fault. They simply placed their hopes in the 'Chosen One', expecting Harry to defeat the mysterious Lord Voldemort.
And thankfully, Harry Potter had emerged victorious, carrying them to victory. Who knew what would have become of the British Ministry of Magic otherwise?
"So, he still hasn't figured out the most crucial piece of information!" Sirius exclaimed, knowing that it was unrealistic to expect Kingsley to find out when the Death Eaters planned to send Arthur and Molly to Azkaban.
It was indeed fortunate that they had Albert's divination to rely on, or they might still be in the dark.
"I asked him to bring a map of the Ministry," Moody suddenly said.
If the Human Presence Curse could work in Hogwarts, it should work in the Ministry as well, allowing them to keep track of the situation within the Ministry using the map.
"That's a good idea. I can't believe we didn't think of it earlier," Sirius said, turning to Albert, surprised that he hadn't considered using this method to monitor the Ministry.
"The Human Presence Curse can actually be blocked," Albert said, though he agreed with Moody's proposal, knowing that most wizards probably wouldn't think of using such a method to spy on the Ministry.
However, as the saying goes, plans often go awry. Before Kingsley could arrive with the map, Albert's left wrist lit up with a dazzling red light, instantly capturing the attention of the other two.
"What's going on?"
"The ship has set sail," Albert said softly. "Earlier than I anticipated."
"Are we going to intercept them now?" Sirius frowned slightly. "But Dobby hasn't brought our brooms yet."
Without flying brooms, they couldn't fly or intercept the Ministry's ship bound for Azkaban.
Albert checked his pocket watch, then waved his wand to summon Dobby, his impatience evident.
With a crack, the house-elf, Dobby, appeared.
"Where are the brooms?" Albert asked, his brow furrowed.
"Harry Potter..." Dobby started to explain.
"Enough, Dobby. I don't have time for explanations right now. You have thirty seconds to bring me the brooms," Albert said, already guessing what had happened and feeling exasperated. These people really couldn't get their act together.
"What's going on?" Sirius asked, his brow furrowed.
"It seems Dobby was delayed by others' requests," Albert said, turning to the other two. "You should really train them better. This is war, not a game. So many people have already died. Can't they realize the gravity of the situation?"
"I will," Sirius said after a moment of silence, nodding in agreement.
"You can't expect everyone to be as decisive as you," Moody sighed. "If only others were more like you, perhaps Scrimgeour wouldn't have been cornered by Voldemort."
As they spoke, Dobby appeared with Kingsley and several flying brooms in tow.
"Sorry, sir..." Dobby began.
"Just follow us for now, and we'll talk on the way," Albert said, taking a broom from Kingsley and heading out.
"What's happening?" Kingsley asked, hurrying to catch up, still confused about the situation.
"The ship bound for Azkaban has set sail," Sirius explained quickly. "Arthur and the others who were captured are likely on that ship. We're going to intercept it and rescue them."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
