Chapter 1346: The Imperius Curse and the Door Key
Chapter 1346: The Imperius Curse and the Door Key
Malfoy's worries were justified. His underhanded schemes done in private did not escape Albert's notice, and his entire plot was revealed through the divination crystal ball.
However, apart from Harry, Hermione, and Ron, who were exceptionally furious upon discovering through divination that Draco Malfoy was responsible for Grawp's death and Hagrid's impending execution, the other members of the Order of the Phoenix reacted with uncharacteristic calm and showed little interest in the matter.
"No one likes giants, not even Albert," Ron stated plainly to his two best friends as they left the safe house and returned to the Order's headquarters.
"Otherwise, given Albert's personality, he would definitely take revenge on the Malfoys. He has always valued his friends greatly," Ron added.
"I don't think it's about the giants. The problem is that it's just not the right time to discuss this," Hermione interjected, feeling that Ron was missing the point. "Rescuing Hagrid is the top priority now, and whether or not to take revenge on Malfoy can be considered later."
"Do you think we'll succeed?" Harry's words interrupted their debate.
"What do you mean?" Ron didn't understand Harry's question.
"Albert is skilled in prophecy, so how could he forget to divine whether Hagrid can be saved?" Harry didn't think Albert would neglect to help Hagrid through divination.
Had he truly forgotten, or...
"I'll just ask Albert directly," Hermione said, feeling uneasy. She tried to contact Albert through the communication bookmark, but she didn't get a response right away.
The three of them suddenly felt heavy-hearted and deeply regretted how they could have forgotten about this matter.
"Don't worry, Albert definitely doesn't want anything bad to happen to Hagrid either," Hermione said, trying to cheer up her companions.
"Yes, as long as he's willing to help," Ron agreed.
In truth, Ron didn't really care much about Hagrid's situation. After experiencing Charlie's death, he had come to realize the cruelty of the Wizarding War, and he understood that there were some things beyond their control.
Ron even suspected that if it weren't for Albert's help, the Order of the Phoenix might have simply given up on Hagrid. They truly didn't have the ability to break into Azkaban and rescue him, nor did they have the skill to save Hagrid from right under the nose of the mysterious person.
Moreover, the whole situation was caused by Hagrid himself, who had ignored the warnings and insisted on staying at Hogwarts. They couldn't risk falling into the enemy's trap just to save him, as that might endanger everyone else.
Ron suspected that Harry and Hermione also knew this, but they just didn't want to mention it. After all, anyone who wasn't a fool could sense the Order's attitude towards this matter.
Ginny's arrival interrupted the trio's gathering. Since they were not allowed to participate in the secret mission that evening, Harry decided to find Sirius to see if he could get any information about the night's activities.
However, they were destined to be disappointed, as most of the Order members had gone out to gather information, leaving only Mrs. Weasley and Phoenix guarding the headquarters.
"They've all gone out," Phoenix shared with the four of them.
"Moody felt that simply controlling McNair wasn't enough, so they decided to use the Imperius Curse to control more Death Eaters. That way, they'll have more options if needed," she explained.
"Don't worry, Harry. Hagrid will definitely be fine," Ginny said reassuringly as she kissed Harry's cheek and placed a plate of food in front of him.
"What about mine?" Ron asked, eyeing the food on Harry's plate.
"It's over there. Get it yourself," Ginny replied bluntly.
With the absence of the usual diners in the evening, the atmosphere in the dining room felt oppressive. Harry patiently discussed the plan to save Hagrid with the others, but the conversation kept circling back to the same concerns. The only useful conclusion they reached was the worry that the Imperius Curse might not be able to completely control the Death Eaters and that something unexpected might happen.
Influenced by Dumbledore, the members of the Order of the Phoenix generally avoided using Dark Magic, let alone Unforgivable Curses. Even if they knew how to use them, could they really control those Death Eaters without any mishaps?
This worry was not unfounded. Harry himself could break free from the Imperius Curse, and even the mysterious person couldn't control him using that curse. Could the Death Eaters also resist it? Disguising themselves as Death Eaters using Polyjuice Potion was also not an option, as Dementors could easily discern a person's identity by sensing their emotions, making it impossible to deceive them.
Harry spent the entire evening in a state of anxiety, but all they could do was wait patiently.
"We have to trust Albert. He has never let us down before," Harry said, trying to reassure himself.
Meanwhile, the Death Eaters were also making their final preparations for the execution the next day. Yaxley was not foolish enough to believe that the Order would simply walk into their trap and engage in a direct confrontation.
He had to take precautions to prevent them from taking the opportunity to rescue Hagrid.
As a result, the defenses of Azkaban were strengthened to an unprecedented level. Even that 'Mudblood' would not be able to sneak into the prison and rescue Hagrid under their watchful eyes, especially with the Dark Lord personally keeping an eye on things. If the Order dared to show up, they would have to pay a heavy price.
"What is it, Dolores?" Yaxley asked, raising an eyebrow as he saw the Deputy Minister appear outside his office.
"Tomorrow, I will be representing the Minister and announcing the charges against that big oaf," Umbridge said, handing Yaxley a piece of parchment with a smile. "You know, half-giant hybrids are technically not considered full humans."
"Excellent. I think the journalists will love your script," Yaxley said, returning the parchment to Umbridge. "However, you should probably discuss this with McNair as well, since he is the Head of the Auror Office."
"I will," Umbridge agreed.
McNair, of course, would not refuse the Deputy Minister's minor request, just as he had volunteered to take on the task of executing Hagrid.
However, what McNair didn't know was that this very act had made him a target. As soon as he finished working late and returned home, he found himself receiving an unexpected visit from a group of Order of the Phoenix members.
Even with the ancient magic protecting McNair's estate, it couldn't withstand the intrusion of a group of capable wizards.
"Your eyes are truly frightening!" Sirius smiled as he raised his wand and cast the Cruciatus Curse on McNair, not forgetting to helpfully close his mouth afterward.
"Alright, don't kill him. Look, his eyes are almost popping out. If they really explode, we won't be able to find another suitable target," Moody said, pushing Sirius's wand down and raising his own to extract McNair's memories for their plan.
Whether it was through the use of Veritaserum or Legilimency, the answers they obtained were similar.
The plan to execute Hagrid was indeed a trap set for them, with the primary target being Harry. It was also a retaliation for the Order's previous intrusion into Yaxley's home to rescue the imprisoned prisoners.
Upon hearing this, everyone fell into silence.
In truth, if it weren't for Albert, they might not have risked rescuing Hagrid, as it was an extremely dangerous endeavor, and Hagrid's capture was largely due to his own actions.
The plan Albert provided carried little risk and gave them hope of rescuing Hagrid, with a reasonably high chance of success. Even the Death Eaters probably wouldn't anticipate such a move.
"Alright, Kingsley, let's get started!"
Moody interrupted the discussion, asking Kingsley to use the Imperius Curse to control McNair.
It would be safest to leave this task to Albert, as all evidence pointed to him also possessing profound knowledge of Dark Magic, though he was reluctant to use it, much like Dumbledore.
However, they couldn't trouble Albert with every little thing. If they relied on him for everything, what was the point of their own existence? Albert had already provided them with more than enough assistance.
"It's a success!"
After checking on McNair's condition, Kingsley breathed a sigh of relief. He handed a newspaper announcing Hagrid's impending execution, along with the door key, to McNair.
All they needed to do now was wait for Hagrid to be escorted to the execution ground and put the key on him. Once the door key's timer went off, they could easily rescue Hagrid.
This method was indeed impenetrable, especially the first time they used it.
It was the best plan they could come up with under the circumstances.
According to Albert, only an extraordinary wizard like Voldemort would be able to see through it, but Voldemort wouldn't show himself directly.
During the execution, there would not only be journalists but also many witches and wizards eager to witness the spectacle.
Albert would create a distraction at the most opportune moment to draw everyone's attention away, providing the perfect opportunity for Hagrid's escape.
"Now, I'm afraid I need to trouble you for one more thing."
Moody handed Harry's Invisibility Cloak to Kingsley. They needed to observe whether McNair would break free from the Imperius Curse to ensure the plan's foolproof nature.
"It should be fine now."
After leaving McNair's house, many of them breathed a sigh of relief. The smooth execution of the plan bolstered their confidence in Albert, and they felt the importance of having a competent leader.
"Let's continue," Moody urged.
"Isn't it already done?" Hestia asked in confusion.
"We need to control a few more Death Eaters to create some smokescreens for our next moves," Sirius explained.
"This makes me feel like I'm the real Death Eater here," Bill quipped as he watched Moody control a Death Eater with the Imperius Curse.
"That's just the way it is. We're at war," Moody glanced at Bill and said, "If you have a better idea, I'd love to hear it."
"Letting the Death Eaters die is better than sacrificing our own. Since they've joined the Death Eaters, they don't deserve our sympathy. Besides, we're not wronging him; he willingly joined them," Sirius said coldly.
That night, many were destined to have a sleepless night.
However, Albert was not one of them.
He was cuddling with Isabelle, whispering to her about the plan to rescue Hagrid the next day, reassuring her that everything would be fine.
"I bet a lot of people wouldn't have thought of this. Both the Death Eaters and the mysterious person will be shocked," Isabelle praised without holding back, "They're right; you're the smartest person of this century."
"The Death Eaters have used this tactic before, but they just can't remember it for the moment. People are forgetful," Albert didn't think the Death Eaters could see through his plan unless there was a problem with the Order's side.
If it failed, then it would be Hagrid's bad luck. Charging in to rescue him directly from under the mysterious person's nose was out of the question.
"No, that's not what I mean..." Isabelle stared at Albert and said softly, "You have something else planned, don't you?"
"Oh, do tell?"
Albert kissed Isabelle's forehead and asked with a smile, "What grand scheme do I have up my sleeve?"
"You want to tear off the Ministry's fig leaf, deal a blow to the mysterious person's prestige, and show others their weakness so that you can rally more people to resist them. You also want to bring the Order to your side and have them follow your lead," Isabelle analyzed further, "And you're using them to achieve your own goals, though I'm not sure what those goals are."
"Of course, it's to completely eradicate the mysterious person. Everything I do is aimed at that goal," Albert replied.
"You're actually Dumbledore's most accomplished student, aren't you?" Isabelle teased.
She only believed it halfway.
Albert had invested too much effort into this, which wasn't like his usual style. There had to be a greater driving force behind his actions.
"Accomplished student, I suppose. I did inherit quite a few good things from Dumbledore," Albert said self-deprecatingly, "Of course, nothing in this world comes free."
"Did he ask you to help deal with the mysterious person?" Isabelle raised an eyebrow.
"Something like that. I also promised to help Harry, but later I realized that this whole thing was his scheme," Albert said calmly, "As long as I got involved, the mysterious person would eventually come to fear me, and the two of us would end up locked in a bitter struggle."
"But you knew that and still got involved," Isabelle said, curious.
"Hence the term 'scheme.' I can't very well give up everything and hide with you, waiting for this war to end on its own. There are too many uncertainties in that," Albert said helplessly.
"You never really believed in the 'Chosen One' Harry Potter defeating the mysterious person, did you?" Isabelle knew Albert too well.
This man would rather trust himself than rely on some 'Chosen One.' "No, I do believe, but the future is ever-changing, so..." Albert shrugged, "I'd rather take the time to keep an eye on things and make sure the mysterious person is thoroughly defeated, rather than mess up and leave myself a formidable enemy."
The mysterious person had to die.
"It's a good thing you're not an ambitious person, or we'd all be worried sick."
If Isabelle hadn't known Albert inside and out, she might have had such thoughts.
In her opinion, defeating the mysterious person seemed more like a side effect, a necessary step in achieving something greater.
But Albert truly lacked ambition, and she couldn't find any flaws in him, even as his pillow partner.
"I have no interest in becoming the 'Dark Lord' either. And, to be honest, I don't like using Dark Magic," Albert shook his head.
"Maybe you could consider becoming the 'White Lord,' like Dumbledore," Isabelle said with a smile.
"Let's not go there. I just want to be myself."
(End of Chapter)
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