Chapter 1349: Caught Off Guard
Chapter 1349: Caught Off Guard
The rain that had started in the morning showed no signs of letting up, continuing relentlessly into the afternoon and showing no signs of abating. There were even signs that the streets outside were beginning to flood.
Hermione sat alone in a room near the entrance, perusing the newspaper by candlelight and occasionally glancing outside, as if expecting to see someone out on the streets.
"Is this the price of exposing false lies?"
Flipping through the latest issue of the Prophet, she found no mention of yesterday's public execution, but instead, a report on a group of wizards who had been mercilessly arrested.
Ever since yesterday's incident, the Death Eaters had been like lit dynamite, launching nocturnal raids on the homes of Order members, intent on making them pay.
Fortunately, Fred's timely warning had allowed some of the Order members who didn't live at headquarters to escape unharmed.
The frustrated Death Eaters, having found nothing, took out their anger by burning down Kingsley's house.
However, neither Voldemort nor Yaxley would let the matter rest. Several wizarding families with ties to the Order had been targeted by the Death Eaters.
Unable to find the members of the Order, they resorted to capturing those associated with them, using them as leverage to drive a wedge between them and see who still dared to maintain ties with the Order.
The group, who had just rescued Hagrid, had barely had time to celebrate before receiving a flood of terrible news.
For a moment, they were at a loss for what to do. The intense reaction of the Death Eaters had clearly caught them off guard.
No one had anticipated that the Death Eaters would go so far as to indiscriminately target those around them.
After exhausting all their options, they placed their hopes on Albert, who was expected to visit Hagrid, trusting that the enigmatic Anderson would provide a solution.
And so, Hermione had volunteered to take on the task of keeping watch over the room that overlooked the surroundings of the Order's headquarters, ensuring that they wouldn't be ambushed when they arrived.
"Ginny, how's Hagrid doing?"
Hearing footsteps approaching, Hermione lowered her newspaper and turned to the visitor.
"He's still the same, locking himself in his room and refusing to eat or drink. Grawp's death has hit him hard."
Ginny handed Hermione a greaseproof bag containing a beef pasty and gazed out at the curtain of rain, obscuring everything beyond a gray haze.
"Hagrid must be feeling very regretful," Hermione said, empathizing with Hagrid's current state of mind. Despite the possibility of changing the outcome, his stubbornness had led to the worst-case scenario.
"Regret won't change what's happened!" Ginny replied, her expression somber as she thought of Charlie's death. The Weasley family had regretted their actions from start to finish, but what good had it done? There was no magic potion for regret.
Changing the subject, Ginny asked, "Did Mr. Anderson say what time he'd be arriving?"
"He just said he'd be coming by in the afternoon to check on Hagrid, but he didn't specify a time." Hermione took a bite of the still-warm pasty, fresh out of the oven, and savored the delicious flavor.
"Perhaps Anderson truly has some magical solution up his sleeve," Ginny mused. "After all, he's undeniably smarter and more foresighted than most."
Hermione's face lit up with admiration as she spoke of Albert. Especially during their recent mission to rescue Hagrid, they had managed to snatch him from under Voldemort's nose without incurring any casualties. It was something they could hardly have imagined.
Even the reactions of the mysterious man and the Death Eaters had been foreseen by Anderson, although sometimes foreseeing wasn't enough to prevent certain events.
"You really like him!" Ginny blurted out.
Hermione coughed awkwardly and corrected her, "I just admire him a little."
"I used to admire Harry a lot, too," Ginny confessed.
Ginny was well aware of Hermione's situation and wanted to gently remind her friend to keep a clear head. However, she didn't want to shatter her friend's last shred of fantasy, knowing that Hermione wasn't expecting anything to come of it.
While she no longer had to worry about anyone competing with her for Harry's affections, she knew that Ron's chances were slim to none.
"What are you two talking about?"
A familiar voice suddenly cut through the air from outside the door, and Ron appeared with two cups of butterbeer in his hands.
"Hagrid's situation," Hermione replied, choosing to lie. "I'm a bit concerned about how he's doing."
"Sirius suggested giving Hagrid a strong sedative," Ron said, handing one of the butterbeers to Hermione. He glanced out at the rain and asked, "Did Anderson mention when he'd be arriving?"
"He should be here soon," Hermione replied, ignoring Ron's gaze. "You stay here for a bit. I'm going to check on Hagrid."
"Why does someone need to be here to welcome them?" Ron muttered, watching Hermione's retreating figure.
“You really are a big fool,” Ginny said, rolling her eyes at Ron before leaving with Hermione, leaving Ron bewildered.
"What's wrong with me?"
Picking up the newspaper that was left on the armchair, Ron's mood suddenly turned somber as he read the day's headlines.
"While it is pleasing to see their faces swollen, the consequences are indeed serious," he muttered to himself.
Ron didn't see an issue with rescuing Hagrid, knowing that an all-out war with the mysterious man was inevitable. However, the problem at hand was far from simple.
As Ron flipped through the newspaper, he heard footsteps outside, and three figures could be seen walking through the street towards them.
"You actually came to greet us," Fred remarked, raising an eyebrow as he spotted Ron waiting at the front door.
"Are you that excited to see Albert?" George teased with a laugh.
"How's Hagrid doing?"
Albert waved his wand, drying himself off.
"Not good," Ron replied, leading the way, "He's taken a hard hit." "Everyone's waiting for you."
"Are you guys having a celebration party or something?" Fred asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No party, but if you want some butterbeer, we have that," Ron said with a hint of annoyance.
Who had the heart for such things at a time like this?
"Who even drinks butterbeer nowadays?" Fred asked, putting an arm around Ron's neck and turning to George, "What about you?"
"Definitely not." George also put an arm around Ron's neck from the other side, "Only someone as immature as Ronnie here would like that stuff."
The twins successfully diverted the topic by teasing Ron.
They were well aware of the situation in the wizarding world, but now that things had happened, what could Albert do? Break him out of Azkaban?
They had similar plans, but they couldn't afford to be passive, as that could put everyone involved in danger.
"You two are jerks," Ron pushed the Weasley twins away, stopping in his tracks and turning to Albert, "Hermione's been waiting in the surveillance room, worried that you might be ambushed."
"Rest assured, no one's that foolish," Albert said.
"But, she just went in to see Hagrid," Ron ignored Fred and continued, "Hagrid locked himself in his room after he woke up this morning and hasn't eaten or drunk anything."
"He needs to vent, and he should be fine after that," Albert wasn't surprised, it would've been strange if Hagrid hadn't reacted at all.
"Umm..."
Ron hesitated for a moment before bringing up the Death Eaters' retaliation from the previous day.
"You must've seen today's newspaper. The Death Eaters failed to capture any Order members, but they took a lot of wizards related to the Order into custody."
"It's a deliberate strategy, and there's not much we can do about it," Albert looked at Fred, who shrugged, "I warned everyone, but you can't expect them all to be willing to hide."
"Is there really nothing we can do?"
Ron was disappointed, and his enthusiasm had faded.
"Yesterday's incident was a huge blow to the mysterious man and the Death Eaters, causing them to lose face completely. They have no choice but to resort to more extreme measures to solidify their rule," Albert raised his voice as he spotted Sirius approaching, "Engaging the Death Eaters head-on right now is unwise, as they're just waiting for us to make such a move."
"Then what about the others?" Ron asked anxiously.
"This is war, and they have to take responsibility for their choices. If they're not willing to hide, they should've expected this and not rely on the enemy's mercy," Albert said softly.
Sirius, who had been about to say something, fell silent.
"This isn't over," Albert glanced at the people who had appeared in the corridor, offering a gentle reminder, "If you don't want to submit or flee but choose to continue opposing the mysterious man, you should be prepared for the consequences and not hold any unrealistic hopes."
"This is war, a life-and-death wizarding war."
An awkward atmosphere hung in the air, but it was soon broken by Fleur's timely intervention.
"Would you like some beef pasties? We just baked a lot of them, and I heard you like them fresh out of the oven," she said enthusiastically, handing each of them a still-warm beef pasty.
"Oh, thank you," Albert said with a smile.
"Don't crowd here, come inside and talk," Mrs. Weasley said warmly, pulling Albert into the living room and pouring him a cup of butterbeer.
"What about us, Mom?" Fred asked.
"I'll pour."
"I thought you didn't drink Butterbeer?" Ron glared at the twins as they munched on the pasties and drank their Butterbeers.
"How could you take my words so seriously, little Ronnie?" George chuckled as he took a hearty gulp of Butterbeer.
"I want to see Hagrid."
Albert raised his wand and gestured toward himself, drying off instantly.
"Not good. He's taken a hard hit. Everyone's waiting for you," Ron replied, leading the way.
"Are you guys having some sort of celebration party?" Fred raised an eyebrow as he spoke.
"No party, but we do have Butterbeer if you want some," Ron said with a hint of annoyance. Who would be in the mood for a party at a time like this?
"Who even drinks Butterbeer nowadays?" Fred asked, putting an arm around Ron's neck and turning to George. "What about you?"
"Definitely not. Only someone as immature as Ronnie here would like that stuff," George agreed, mirroring his brother's action and wrapping his arm around Ron's neck from the other side.
The twins successfully lightened the mood by teasing Ron. They were well aware of the gravity of the situation, but now that things had happened, what could Albert do? Break him out of Azkaban?
"You two are jerks," Ron muttered, pushing the Weasley twins away. He stopped in his tracks and turned to Albert, "Hermione's been waiting in the surveillance room, worried that you might be ambushed."
"Rest assured, no one's that foolish," Albert said calmly.
"But, he just went in to see Hagrid. Hagrid locked himself in his room after he woke up this morning and hasn't eaten or drunk anything," Ron continued, ignoring Fred.
"He needs to let it out. It would be strange if Hagrid didn't react at all. He should be fine after he vents his emotions," Albert said, not surprised by Hagrid's behavior.
"Umm..." Ron hesitated for a moment before bringing up the Death Eaters' retaliation from the previous day. "You must've seen today's newspaper. The Death Eaters failed to capture any Order members, but they took a lot of wizards related to the Order into custody."
"It's a deliberate strategy, and there's not much we can do about it," Albert acknowledged, glancing at Fred, who shrugged. "I warned everyone, but you can't expect them all to be willing to hide."
"Is there really nothing we can do?" Ron asked, his disappointment evident as his enthusiasm waned.
"Yesterday's incident was a huge blow to the mysterious man and the Death Eaters, causing them to lose face completely. They have no choice but to resort to more extreme measures to solidify their rule," Albert explained, raising his voice slightly as he spotted Sirius approaching. "Engaging the Death Eaters head-on right now is unwise; they're just waiting for us to make such a move."
"Then what about the others?" Ron asked anxiously, his brow furrowed.
"This is war, and they have to take responsibility for their choices," Albert said softly. "If they're not willing to hide, they should've expected this and not rely on the enemy's mercy."
Sirius, who had been about to interject, fell silent at Albert's words.
"This isn't over," Albert continued, glancing at the people who had appeared in the corridor. "If you don't want to submit or flee but choose to continue opposing the mysterious man, you should be prepared for the consequences and not hold any unrealistic hopes. This is war, a life-and-death wizarding war."
An awkward atmosphere hung in the air, but it was soon broken by Fleur's timely intervention.
"Would you like some beef pasties? We just baked a lot of them, and I heard you like them fresh out of the oven," she said enthusiastically, offering each of them a still-warm beef pasty.
"Oh, thank you," Albert said with a smile, accepting the pasty.
"Don't crowd here, come inside and talk," Mrs. Weasley said warmly, pulling Albert into the living room and pouring him a cup of Butterbeer.
"What about us, Mom?" Fred asked, a hint of humor in his voice.
(End of Chapter)
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