Chapter 1289: The Backup Plan
Chapter 1289: The Backup Plan
The sound of the waves was quickly fading away as Sirius Black lost his balance and fell to the ground. Ever since he had mastered Disapparition, he had never experienced such a terrible journey.
Not only Sirius, but Kingsley Shacklebolt and Alastor Moody, who had Apparated along with Dobby, also fell to the ground with a heavy thud.
However, the trio did not complain because— They had succeeded.
Nothing was more important to them than this achievement.
As for the unpleasant experience of Disapparating, it didn't matter as long as everyone was rescued. No one would dwell on such a minor issue.
But just as Kingsley, Sirius, and Moody, who had just escaped the shipwreck, were about to catch their breath, they heard the sharp voice of a house-elf in their ears.
"Sirs, we are not completely safe yet. We need to Disapparate a few more times to shake off any possible tails!"
Sirius, Kingsley, and Moody, who had just lit up his wand, were slightly taken aback, not quite understanding what Dobby meant.
"Mr. Anderson said that powerful wizards can track the traces left by Disapparition. So, he advised Dobby to take you through multiple Apparitions to lose any pursuers completely," Dobby said urgently, feeling the heat from the bracelet, which meant that Mr. Anderson would no longer be holding off their pursuers.
"Listen to him," Sirius immediately shouted to Kingsley and Moody.
Whether it was true or not, following Albert's suggestion couldn't be wrong, and there must be a reason for his arrangement.
Kingsley and Moody reacted a bit slower, but they soon understood. At the very least, Albert wouldn't betray them.
This was the most basic level of trust, and any doubt would only waste their precious time escaping. Even though the three of them were confident in their own abilities and experience, the signs had already proven that Albert's arrangements always had a good reason.
Without any hesitation, the trio reached out and grabbed the wizards who were tightly bound together with ropes, and once again, Dobby led them through Disapparition.
Once, twice, and after the third Disapparition, the house-elf finally stopped.
Sirius forcibly suppressed his nausea, lit up his wand, and looked around as he asked, "Where are we?"
"This is one of Mr. Anderson's safe houses, usually used to hide from trackers. This place has been enchanted to prevent wizards from Disapparating. Of course, the other safe houses we visited earlier had similar effects, but this one is even safer. Mr. Anderson has assigned Dobby as the Secret-Keeper of this location," the house-elf said proudly, puffing out his chest.
Dobby liked Albert a lot. He felt respect and trust from his new employer, and it was difficult for a dismissed house-elf to regain trust. Moreover, Albert was willing to pay his wages and never treated him as an outcast.
"So, are we safe here?"
Moody understood the implications of the house-elf's words. Was this place protected by the Fidelius Charm? He looked around and saw that they were in the hall of a dilapidated house.
"Yes, it's safe now," the house-elf nodded, "Dobby should go back and tell the Weasley family this good news. You can rest here for a while before leaving. If you're hungry, there's clean water and food in the cabinet."
After saying that, the house-elf bowed slightly to the three of them and then disappeared.
Sirius opened the cabinet and found another metal cabinet inside. When he opened it, he discovered a bucket of water and some square-packaged food items.
"That guy is quite well-prepared. We didn't do a good job in this regard," he said as he tore open a bag of compressed biscuits, took a bite, and complained, "But this stuff tastes mediocre, and it's a bit gritty, but it fills the stomach."
"Wake them up!"
Moody ignored Sirius' grumbling and waved his wand to release the bound wizards, gently placing them on the dusty floor. He then cast the Reviving Spell to wake up the unconscious people one by one.
Soon, the hall was filled with cries and moans, and the room was in chaos.
Apparently, Albert's big spin earlier had not only affected the Death Eaters but also the unfortunate prisoners on the ship, who had all experienced a tumble in a washing machine. Many of them had bumps and bruises.
Moody tried to quell the chaos and calm everyone down, but no one was willing to listen.
Moody had no choice but to create a few ear-piercing fireworks explosions with his wand, successfully silencing the noisy crowd.
"You're better at this than I am. It's all yours."
Moody patted Kingsley's shoulder, indicating that he should take over.
Kingsley, who had once served as the Assistant to the Muggle Minister, was clearly better suited to soothing the distressed group than Moody.
A lady in a dress suddenly asked, "Were we rescued by you?"
"No, it was Mr. Anderson who saved you. He kept the mysterious man busy so we could get you out," Kingsley replied honestly.
Someone couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
Someone had dared to duel the mysterious man! After all, they had all witnessed what happened to Scrimgeour.
"For now, the mysterious man has control of the Ministry, and nowhere in Britain is truly safe. I suggest you leave the country or find a place to lie low as soon as possible," Moody advised.
At that moment, everyone fell into a confused silence.
"You're lucky to be alive," Moody said, frowning slightly as he looked at the group. "At the very least, someone risked their life to pull you out of hell. Otherwise, you'd be in Azkaban with the Dementors right now."
"Never underestimate the terror and danger of the mysterious man. Those who dared to challenge his authority are all dead," he continued.
"But, sir, we've lost our wands," a wizard with his head in his hands said to Moody in French.
"What about the others? What will happen to them?" someone else asked.
"I suggest you return to France using Portkeys," Kingsley said without hesitation. "As for the others, we'll help you get in touch with them and get them out of the country as well."
However, not everyone agreed with this suggestion.
"Staying in Britain is not a good option. If we're captured again, we won't be so lucky next time," Kingsley warned. "Don't forget why you were captured in the first place. If you had listened to the advice to leave immediately, you wouldn't be in this situation."
The hall fell into an eerie silence.
Because it was the truth.
After all, Albert had advised them to leave as soon as possible, but some had stayed, and they had paid the price.
Many had lost their lives.
Right before their eyes, that madman had cruelly taken lives.
"Arthur and Molly don't look too good. I need to get them back first. You two take care of things here," Sirius said to Kingsley and Moody as he levitated the barely conscious Weasley couple with his wand.
The pure-blood traitors, those Death Eaters, had been even crueler to Arthur and Molly. They had been tortured and interrogated with Cruciatus Curses. If they were sent to Azkaban in their current state, they wouldn't last long.
"Wait, let me send a Patronus message to alert them that we're coming," Kingsley said, pulling out his wand and casting a Patronus to send a message to the members of the Order of the Phoenix who were holding down the fort. "I'm worried that our headquarters might be under surveillance."
In fact, Kingsley's worries were justified. After extracting the approximate location of the Order's headquarters from Arthur and Molly, Yaxley had begun to deploy people to monitor the area.
After Sirius left with the Weasley couple, the room fell into a heavy silence once more. Everyone hated the wedding that had brought them such disaster, but seeing the state of the Weasley couple, they also realized that they were all victims.
All their misfortunes stemmed from the Dark Lord Voldemort and their own refusal to heed the advice to leave immediately. Some had even paid with their lives.
In the end, everyone decided to follow Kingsley's arrangement. When in doubt, it was a good idea to listen to those who had risked their lives to save them.
(End of Chapter)
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