Chapter 1324: He Had It Coming
Chapter 1324: He Had It Coming
Scrimgeour's carefully prepared safe house, or rather, the safe house Albert had arranged for the Ministry employees, had fallen.
After Scrimgeour's death, the Aurors collectively chose to remain neutral, and following George's mention of the Hopkins family's capture, Albert had anticipated this turn of events. Kidnapping children to force their relatives into compliance was an old Death Eater trick, though it occurred much later than he had predicted.
The Death Eaters were not very efficient! However, this turn of events was actually beneficial for them.
"Do they think I'm an idiot, or are they the idiots?"
Albert shared the situation with Isabelle, thinking that viewing the problem from another perspective might help uncover something that had been overlooked.
"They probably... assumed it was worth a try, with or without your help. What if they succeeded?" Isabelle's words gave Albert pause, and indeed, that was likely the mindset of the members of the Order of the Phoenix.
"That's possible."
After some thought, Albert agreed that this was indeed the case.
With Dumbledore's passing, the capabilities of the Order of the Phoenix had declined. Their failed attempt to get the 'truth' from Harry was a testament to their incompetence.
"What do you plan to do about Hagrid?"
Isabelle glanced at the message on the communication bookmark, her concern lying more with this matter. She knew Hagrid was a good friend of Albert's, and he would usually be willing to lend a hand if he could.
Indeed, Hagrid had been captured by Death Eaters the day after they took control of the Ministry safe house.
The new Minister of Magic, Pius Thicknesse, had concocted an excuse to send Aurors to Hogwarts to arrest Hagrid. It was said that most of the Aurors had gone, and facing this large group of combat-experienced wizards, Hagrid didn't even have a chance to escape. He was arrested right in his classroom and was now in Azkaban, keeping company with the Dementors.
Though Sirius believed Hagrid's capture was due to him trying to stop the Death Eaters from taking Hopkins' daughter the night they returned to school, Albert felt that this was just an excuse.
After Corban Yaxley took control of the Aurors in the Ministry, it was natural for him to test the sharpness of this new weapon. The Death Eaters had long wanted to teach the Hogwarts professors a lesson, to keep Professor McGonagall and the other heads of houses in line, and also to draw out any rodents hiding in the shadows, like Harry Potter, Harry Potter, Harry Potter.
"Let him stay there for now."
Albert's tone was indifferent, as if Hagrid were truly just a stranger.
"That doesn't sound like you." Isabelle was surprised.
"I warned Hagrid a long time ago, but he... I can only say that it was his choice. Even if he loses his life, he has no one to blame but himself." Albert spoke with a hint of melancholy. "I believe that spending more time in Azkaban will be good for him."
"You seem angry." Isabelle reached out and rubbed Albert's cheeks affectionately.
"I just feel that sometimes, if they don't suffer the consequences of their own actions, they'll never learn. Maybe that's just how people are." Albert didn't dwell on Hagrid's situation; he had encountered similar situations too many times, and people had to take responsibility for their own choices.
Isabelle didn't press the issue further, sensing the complexity of Albert's emotions and his reluctance to discuss it further.
As for Hagrid, he would likely not die.
However, he would have to face the consequences of his stubbornness in Azkaban.
Prophecies!
Sometimes, they were too accurate for their own good.
Compared to Albert's calm reaction to the news, Hagrid's good friends—Harry, Hermione, and Ron—were deeply worried about his safety upon learning of this development. They were trying their best to get in touch with Albert, hoping to discuss a plan to rescue Hagrid.
"What did he say?"
Harry drank a large cup of calming potion and turned to Hermione, who held the communication bookmark.
"He said... it was Hagrid's choice." Hermione's hand trembled slightly as she held the bookmark.
"What does that mean?" Ron asked, bewildered.
"It means Hagrid didn't listen to advice, and he deserves what he got." Harry couldn't help but smile bitterly.
He's just too lazy to get involved! I should've guessed his attitude towards this matter.
"So, Albert is just going to leave Hagrid to his fate?" Ron exclaimed, his eyes widening in disbelief. "But... isn't Hagrid his good friend?"
"What can he do? Think about what happened to your brother, and the mess with the Ministry safe house. Wasn't that beyond Albert's control?" Hermione looked at the content on the bookmark and murmured, "Maybe this is the frustration of a Seer. They foresee catastrophic events but rarely can change them."
"If it's not his fault, whose fault is it? Bill's? Old Hopkins'? Or Hagrid's?" Ron was irritated that Hermione would even suggest that it was Albert's fault for not offering help. Charlie's death was an everlasting wound for the Weasley family.
"Do you think it's Albert's fault for not coming to his rescue?
Hermione found Ron's absurd theory laughable.
"I didn't say it was his fault." Ron turned his head away from Hermione.
"Here, have a drink!"
Harry poured Ron a cup of calming potion.
"No thanks, I'm calm," Ron waved his hand in refusal, as he disliked the taste and felt Hermione needed it more than he did.
"Drink it!"
Harry pushed the cup into Ron's hand and poured another for Hermione. Only after watching them both drink did he turn to Hermione and ask, "Ask Albert if Hagrid will be alright."
"I suppose so," Hermione replied helplessly. The three of them had advised Hagrid to leave Hogwarts temporarily on more than one occasion, but Hagrid had refused, and now things had taken a turn for the worse. Even Albert, who was most likely to get Hagrid out of Azkaban, didn't seem to care.
"Hagrid is now paying the price for his stubbornness. I remember he seemed to be very afraid of Azkaban. Why did he have to be so stubborn?" Harry sighed helplessly, knowing he couldn't help Hagrid. Aside from the fact that Hagrid had already been sent to Azkaban, even if they wanted to break him out, they would first need to figure out where the prison was located.
"No one likes Azkaban," Ron added, falling silent as well. He, too, had tried to convince Hagrid to leave.
Now that Albert's prediction had come true and Hagrid was imprisoned in Azkaban, Ron realized just how foolish Hagrid's stubbornness had been. He had brought this upon himself.
However, Ron refused to admit this. Weren't Bill's wedding and Charlie's death the result of their own stupidity?
If they had been willing to listen to Albert's advice, perhaps Charlie and the other innocent victims wouldn't have lost their lives.
He knew it wasn't Albert's fault that Old Hopkins had betrayed them or that the Ministry safe house had fallen, but Ron still couldn't bring himself to like Albert's attitude.
Only Albert had the ability to turn the tide and accomplish the seemingly impossible, but instead, he chose to give up on them without putting in much effort, discarding them as easily as crumpling a piece of waste paper.
Even if it meant abandoning his good friend Hagrid.
"Unless the Death Eaters truly intend to kill Hagrid, he should be fine for the time being. He'll probably just spend a year or so in Azkaban," Hermione concluded, "It might be good for him to suffer a bit in Azkaban. Sometimes, people need to go through hardships before they can wake up and change."
"Sirius and the others said the same thing," Harry added suddenly.
"Is the Order of the Phoenix also giving up on Hagrid?" Ron muttered.
"They have no choice. They're hoping Albert might have some ideas," Harry explained.
However, the result was that Hagrid was temporarily abandoned.
"They believe Hagrid will be safe in Azkaban for now," Harry continued after seeing that the calming potion had taken effect.
"This weekend, I plan to go to Hogwarts for a Dumbledore's Army gathering. You two should come with me!"
"A Dumbledore's Army gathering?"
Hermione frowned slightly, noticing Harry's growing enthusiasm for organizing resistance against Voldemort.
"Yes, even though it's just a formal procedure, it will boost everyone's confidence and unity," Harry recalled Albert's words, "They support me, and their actions speak louder than the empty words of most wizards."
Harry was well aware of what had happened at the safe house. Many wizards had verbally expressed their support for him, but in reality, their words were hollow, and they were unwilling to fight for the peace they desired.
Harry didn't blame them, but... everything was relative.
In comparison, the students of Hogwarts were much more admirable, and they were the ones he needed to win over. Even if their Dark Arts defense skills were mediocre, Harry was confident that with a year or so of special training, they would gradually improve. The members of the Defense Association were a testament to that.
"We do need more supporters and more people to bravely stand up against Voldemort," Hermione agreed, knowing that Albert intended to send people to teach the students at Hogwarts. She felt it was necessary to gain the support of the Hogwarts students.
No one knew how long this Wizarding War would last—a year, two years, or even longer. But within a few years, the members of Dumbledore's Army would mature and become the intermediary force against Voldemort's followers.
Harry had confidence in Albert's teaching abilities, having already witnessed their effectiveness with the Defense Association members.
However, such a conversation wasn't very friendly to Ron, whose mind worked slower, and who had never bothered to think deeply about these issues. He couldn't connect the dots as quickly as Harry and Hermione, and sometimes, he felt a bit lost and even foolish when they spoke.
(End of Chapter)
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