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Chapter 1296: The Sanctuary Project
Chapter 1296: The Sanctuary Project
At this moment, in the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, in Harry and Ron's bedroom, a broadcast from the Wizarding Watch was playing.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were sitting side by side on the edge of the bed, listening to the broadcast while quietly chatting about the recent "major events."
Initially, they were all reluctant to believe that Hogwarts had expelled all Muggle-born witches and wizards in one fell swoop, but it had happened and had been confirmed by Professor McGonagall. No matter how shocked they were, it made no difference.
Moreover, from the time the Ministry of Magic established the Muggle-born Registration Commission to when Professor Snape became the new headmaster of Hogwarts, they had anticipated that something like this would occur.
Voldemort had finally achieved his wish to expel all Muggle-born students from Hogwarts.
"Ginny, are you planning to go back to Hogwarts next semester?"
Harry, who was fiddling with his Golden Snitch, seemed to remember something and turned to ask the red-haired girl sitting next to him.
He was aware of the Weasley family's current situation, and if Ginny insisted on returning to Hogwarts, it would be like walking into a trap. However, as an outsider, there were some things he felt uncomfortable saying.
"I haven't decided yet, but I'm probably going to take a leave of absence first." Ginny glanced casually at Harry and asked, "Do you also think it's unsafe for me to go to Hogwarts now?"
"Yes, I don't recommend taking that risk," Harry said, noticing Ginny's gaze and averting his eyes as he continued. "Voldemort and the Death Eaters often use hostages to threaten their opponents. They will definitely try something like that."
"That's a very wise decision," Hermione agreed with Harry. "If Ginny returns to Hogwarts, she's likely to be captured by Death Eaters on the Hogwarts Express. They already have their eyes on your family, and taking a hostage to force your family to compromise is definitely within their playbook."
"Why on the Hogwarts Express?" Ron asked, puzzled.
"Because capturing someone directly inside Hogwarts would cause panic in the wizarding world," Hermione explained with a strange expression. "They'll probably bring Dementors and inspect the train before students enter Hogwarts to see if we're going back to school."
"That sounds stupid," Harry muttered. "Who would be foolish enough to walk into a trap?"
"No, it's just procedure," Hermione explained. "Even if they know it won't achieve their ultimate goal, they'll still do it. After all, Ron, you, and I are all on their blacklist. They'll also use this opportunity to check if the students on the train have their blood status documents and weed out any Muggle-borns."
"At a time like this, do you really think there will be Muggle-born students foolish enough to go to Hogwarts?" Ron was baffled.
"There might be one or two," Ginny reminded him. "And don't forget, Mum also doesn't want us to drop out of Hogwarts."
Everyone fell silent. What Ginny said was no joke. Before Bill and Fleur's wedding, Mrs. Weasley had always insisted that they shouldn't drop out and should continue their studies at Hogwarts.
How naive and adorable.
Yet, it was undoubtedly a laughable notion.
"She should have accepted reality by now, even if the price was a bit high," Ron sighed softly.
Bill and Fleur's wedding had shattered Mrs. Weasley's last shred of fantasy and left a severe aftermath.
Even now, people hated that wedding, which had brought them disaster. The newlywed couple, who should have received blessings, had become objects of disgust and resentment for many bereaved families.
Harry felt guilty about this, believing that Voldemort and the Death Eaters had come because of him.
"It's not your fault, Harry. Don't apologize," Ron said, noticing the change in Harry's expression. He patted Harry's shoulder comfortingly and said, "Remember, my family has always been the biggest pure-blood traitor family, and Fred and George are also on the Death Eaters' blacklist."
"If only everyone had listened to Albert's advice back then," Hermione sighed softly, causing everyone in the room to fall silent.
After the incident, people had chosen to ignore the fact that the catastrophe could have been entirely avoided.
Especially Albert, the master of prophecies, who had reminded them time and again to be vigilant.
Yet, the disaster had occurred, and it was undoubtedly a consequence of their own choices.
The people who had caused this chose to ignore this fact, lacking the courage to face the terrible aftermath of their actions.
"Yes!"
Bill's voice was filled with bitterness. "Unfortunately, there's no such thing as a regret potion in this world."
"Bill!"
Everyone was startled and turned to look at the door, where a somber-faced Bill stood.
"It truly was our fault," Bill said. "Fred and George had actually told me more than once that if we had just held a small, quiet wedding, things might not have escalated the way they did." Bill still regretted it immensely. They had had the chance to correct this mistake, but they had paid a hefty price for it.
Not only had Charlie died, but Fleur's parents had also perished, along with many of her relatives who were killed at the wedding. The Weasley family had almost become enemies of the Delacour family, and it was doubtful if the two families could ever interact again.
This incident had also left Fleur with permanent emotional scars, and her sister, Gabrielle, had suffered mental trauma from losing her parents and relatives. She was taken back to France by her cousin Louise for treatment.
"Bill, is something the matter?"
Sensing the tense atmosphere, Hermione quickly changed the subject.
"Anderson is leading the construction of a safe zone similar to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix to shelter the expelled Muggle-born students," Bill explained. "We're also..."
"Why isn't the Order of the Phoenix taking the lead in this effort?" Ron asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It doesn't really matter who takes the lead. We're all working together, and we've all pitched in to help," Bill said, not particularly concerned about who was in charge. However, noticing Ron's curious gaze, he added, "If you must know, Anderson was the one who initiated and refined this plan."
"But no one really cares about that," Ron coughed lightly. "We just want to provide a safe haven for those Muggle-born students who have been temporarily expelled from Hogwarts."
"I was just curious," Ron said with a dry throat.
"They're rushing to complete the sanctuary, and they need all the help they can get," Bill explained to the four of them. "So, I'm staying here at the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, and I'll also take the time to teach you guys."
"Dark Arts Defense?"
Harry was a little excited as he had never taken a class with Bill before and was curious about his skills in this area.
"No," Bill shook his head. "We'll talk about that later. For now, let's go and eat. Fleur has already prepared dinner, and she should be serving it to Mum and Dad right now."
Overwhelmed by guilt and self-blame, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had not yet emerged from their inner shadows and regained their spirits.
Nowadays, they often cried in each other's arms; as fellow sufferers who had lost loved ones, neither would blame the other.
Dinner was simple—boiled potatoes.
In fact, before Mrs. Weasley regained her spirits, their meals were usually plain. While Hermione could cook, her dishes tasted just as "ordinary," so she usually just helped out in the kitchen.
"How's it going over there?"
Harry asked casually with a piece of potato in his mouth, trying to find a topic to ease the stiff atmosphere in the room.
"It should be almost done. They're just patching up the damaged areas, blocking the windows and holes, and doing some basic cleaning of a few floors," Bill replied. He had been there once or twice, and the place was much bigger than where they were now.
"Is it like here?" Ginny asked.
"To be honest, the conditions there are much worse than here. It's like a refugee camp, and Fred and George said the same," Bill shrugged. "They're just grateful to have a safe place to stay. Everyone has donated some things, mostly flour and potatoes, so they can have something to eat and not go hungry. George told me that they're also planning to have the kids grow some mushrooms and vegetables to improve their diet, but meat is probably out of the question."
"How awful!"
Fleur ate a piece of sausage and sighed softly.
Everyone could imagine the miserable lives of those students.
"At least they have something to eat," Bill shook his head. "Of course, they can also find ways to improve their meals. After all, they were never restricted from coming and going as they pleased."
"Can't they just conjure delicious food?" Ron asked in confusion. "I remember Mom could always magically produce tasty meals."
"No one can conjure food out of thin air. You probably forgot that food is the first of the five Principal Exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration," Hermione reminded him.
"So it's impossible to magically produce delicious food?" Harry asked. "Then how did Mrs. Weasley do it?"
"If you know where the food is, you can use magic to summon it," Fleur explained. She had learned how to cook Bill's favorite meals from Mrs. Weasley.
"If you plan to be out and about for a long time, it's best to learn how to cook. That way, you won't go hungry," Bill interrupted Ron before he could say more, and then he waved his wand to conjure a book, which he sent floating across the table to Hermione. "This is from George, but I think it's something Albert specifically prepared for you guys."
"Compendium of Wild Edible Mushrooms," Hermione murmured, reading the title of the book.
"So, are we going to live off mushrooms from now on?" Ron exclaimed, his eyes wide in disbelief.
"If you can't get food, at least you can forage for mushrooms to fill your stomachs. Remember to bring some seasonings," Bill advised.
"Maybe you can cook more food, and then we can just summon it to us using magic," Ron suggested, feeling that relying on wild mushrooms was unreliable, especially since many of them were inedible.
Harry quietly ate his potato. He knew the hardships of being outdoors, but sometimes he didn't have much of a choice either.
"Can I go over there and take a look?" Harry suddenly asked. "After the Scourgify spell wears off, I want to go and see those students who have taken refuge there."
"That's not a problem, and I think they would welcome you," Bill said in a low voice. "Sirius and Kingsley plan to recruit some wizards from there into the Order of the Phoenix."
"Underage wizards?" Hermione raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Of course, we'll wait until they come of age. Who knows when this war will end," Bill shook his head in explanation. "Those kids will eventually grow up, and if they still have the courage to fight against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, we would welcome them to join us."
"Is that Albert's plan as well?" Harry asked suddenly. He felt that this might be the main reason why Albert was willing to help them.
"The Defense Association does intend to recruit a batch of new members, but as for their plans, Fred and George didn't say much. Still, I think that's the idea," Bill replied.
In fact, Bill had thought of this too. They did need fresh blood to join them in fighting against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his Death Eaters.
Moreover, they wouldn't force those kids; everything was voluntary, and they could choose to join or not, just as they could decide whether to stay or leave.
"In a while, Lupin will go and teach them to improve their Dark Arts defense skills. It's too slow to rely solely on self-study from that 'Self-Defense Guidebook,'" Bill added.
"Why doesn't the Order of the Phoenix or the Defense Association directly recruit other adult wizards who are also resisting He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" Hermione asked, puzzled. "Compared to underage wizards, those adult wizards should be the main force against him!"
"Anderson believes that most adult wizards, especially those who have been working for a few years or longer, are not very reliable," Bill replied, using Albert's words to answer Hermione's question.
"Why does Anderson think that adult wizards are unreliable?" Ginny also felt puzzled, not understanding why Albert would trust the students of Hogwarts more.
"Probably because... adults tend to be more selfish!" Bill smiled bitterly.
Harry fell silent.
Everyone admired him for the lightning-bolt scar on his forehead and saw him as the savior, but was it not because they hoped he would defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?
"Generally, adults are more selfish. They don't truly want to believe in Albert; it's just a choice made out of desperation. Otherwise, they wouldn't have ended up in such a situation," Bill said self-deprecatingly. "And sometimes, your good intentions may not even earn you a word of thanks."
The room fell into a long silence.
"So, Anderson never wanted to bother with them and planned to directly conduct a large-scale screening. If they truly want to believe in us and are willing to contribute to the fight against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, we will gladly lend a hand. If not, we'll just help them prepare a safe shelter and then leave them to their own devices," Bill continued.
There wasn't much they could say to that, as it was the truth.
"It's just that Anderson sees things very clearly. Relying on everyone to fight against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is obviously unrealistic," Bill sighed and said to Harry, "But with just our small group against him and his followers, it's far from enough. We should try to unite as many forces as possible."
"I know what to do."
(End of Chapter)
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