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Chapter 1350: Trap
Chapter 1350: Trap
"Kevin, they're here. I hear the sound of Apparition, we must explain the situation to them."
In the house shrouded by the darkness of night, the sharp alarm of a spyglass suddenly rang out, followed by the frightened scream of a young woman, as if trying to make themselves heard by the uninvited guests outside.
However, the young woman's scream was in vain. Just as Kevin reacted, there was a loud bang, and their door was blown off its hinges by the unwelcome late-night visitors.
Three rude strangers, cloaked and unidentified as either Ministry employees or Death Eaters, barged into the house. Soon after, a bright light illuminated the windows.
The owner of the house had just raised his wand when he was struck by a spell from one of the intruders and sent flying. His wife, upon seeing her husband fall to the ground unconscious, covered her face and let out a terrified scream that pierced through the night. But her cries were short-lived as she, too, was hit by a spell and knocked out.
"Don't kill them."
Looking at the young couple who were knocked out and whose fate was unknown, the man at the head of the group glared disapprovingly at his colleagues.
"Don't worry, they're just temporarily unconscious," the cloaked woman reassured, tugging at the fallen woman's hair and slapping her a few times. She then shrugged and said to her companions, "See, she's reacting. She'll probably wake up soon."
"That's good to hear!"
A voice suddenly rang out from behind the trio.
In the next moment, a red light filled the room, and the arrogant man who had just entered fell to the ground, unconscious.
"Albert was right, they're getting desperate!" Fred commented, signaling to his companions to gather any valuables while he used a Reviving Charm to wake the unconscious couple.
"You're from the Order of the Phoenix!" Kevin's face showed not a hint of gratitude for being saved, but instead, he looked at them with fear, backing away as if the three of them were infected with some terrible plague.
"Oh, so you know who we are. Well then..." Angelina arched an eyebrow, clearly displeased with the young wizard's reaction.
"Why... why are you doing this?" Kevin asked, his voice trembling.
"Calm down, Mr. Brown," Angelina interrupted, clearly tired of hearing such questions. "You've already been targeted by Death Eaters. If it weren't for us, the two of you would probably be on your way to the Ministry for interrogation. Don't expect to be set free; you'll likely end up in Azkaban, joining the many other unlucky souls who've suffered the same fate."
"Time is precious," Fred said, glancing at his watch and stopping Angelina from saying more. "Come with us now. Whether you want to hide or leave the country, we can help. It's certainly better than spending time in Azkaban with the Dementors."
"This is all your fault! If it weren't for you, they wouldn't have targeted us!" Kevin's wife shouted angrily at the group of cloaked figures.
In her eyes, these people were no better than Death Eaters. If it weren't for the so-called Order of the Phoenix, her family wouldn't be in this mess.
"We just saved your lives," one of the cloaked figures frowned and reminded them, "and if you think we have a soft spot for you and won't hurt you, think again. I could easily show you how a Cruciatus Curse feels."
The young couple fell silent, having seen the person's wand already raised.
"Pathetic," the cloaked figure sneered and lowered their wand in disdain. "Let's go. They clearly don't need our help."
"If you don't need our help," Fred paused and looked at the young couple, as if confirming something, then shrugged and said, "then sorry for the intrusion. We'll be on our way."
"Get out of the country with your valuables quickly and wait for this war to end before coming back. Don't expect mercy from the Death Eaters; they've gone mad," advised Angelina, despite her dislike for the couple. She gave them a final warning, urged on by her companions.
Under the resentful gaze of the young couple, the three turned without hesitation and prepared to leave.
However, Kevin, who had secretly picked up his wand, suddenly pointed it at the trio and cast a spell.
"I can't believe you'd actually side with the Death Eaters. There's no hope for people like you," Fred said with disgust, having disarmed the young wizard with a spell.
"Don't waste our time. The Death Eaters will punish these fools in our stead," said one of the companions.
"You..."
As the three figures walked away decisively, the young reporter breathed a sigh of relief. However, seeing the three unconscious Dark Wizards on the floor, he felt a sense of unease growing in his heart.
"What do we do now?" The young woman looked at her husband with a terrified expression, but he had no answer.
Should they really go to the Ministry for their so-called trial?
But he hadn't done anything wrong! And would they really be sent to Azkaban?
Kevin suddenly realized something. Perhaps what these people had said was true. Should they really put their faith in the Death Eaters? Could those evil people be trusted?
At that moment, the young wizard regretted his actions, but the people who could have helped them had already been driven away.
Anxiety, fear, and unease washed over him. The young wizard nearly had an emotional breakdown as he hated the wizarding war that had brought them such misfortune, and he resented the Order of the Phoenix for appearing and then disappearing so suddenly.
As for the Death Eaters, they dared not consider them an option.
"Shouldn't we give them another chance?" Angelina's voice echoed in the darkness. The three hadn't gone far but had joined their three companions who were keeping watch.
In such a critical situation, the Defense Association naturally prioritized the safety of their own.
"It's too late, and they're not worth saving anyway," came the reply.
A series of pops filled the air like fireworks.
One after another, Dark Wizards appeared, surrounding and forcefully entering the house. This was undoubtedly an ambush.
The young couple had been chosen as bait, but the real targets were the Defense Association and the Order of the Phoenix's rescue team. However, their targets had left a minute earlier.
"They've learned from their previous mistakes and brought around ten people this time. We're no match for them," Fred warned his girlfriend, reminding her not to do anything foolish.
While they had the advantage of surprise and magical artifacts on their side, Fred wouldn't risk the lives of his companions.
Who knew if this group was another trap, and if more enemies were waiting to ambush them? If that were the case, they'd be finished.
Fred enjoyed thrills and chills, but that didn't mean he had a death wish, especially with his relationship with Angelina heating up lately.
"If only we had some Mandrake," someone muttered, earning nods of agreement from the others.
Throwing Mandrakes into the crowd would certainly take care of their enemies in one fell swoop.
However, Fred didn't have any on hand, and Albert discouraged their casual use, fearing that Death Eaters might start using them against the Order as well, which would complicate matters immensely.
No one wanted to risk being felled by the piercing cry of a Mandrake, nor did they wish to lose their lives because of it.
Perhaps due to their frustration at missing their targets, the group that rushed in appeared agitated and took out their anger on the young couple, Kevin and his wife, who had been pleading for mercy. After a brutal interrogation, the couple was dragged out of the house like dead dogs.
"Do you think we doomed them?"
Angelina whispered, watching the couple being taken away.
"No, they doomed themselves. If they had agreed to come with us, their lives wouldn't be in danger. They chose to put their faith in the Death Eaters, and now they must face the consequences," Fred replied, sneering as he watched the Death Eaters haul the couple away.
To be honest, he never considered himself a particularly magnanimous person, especially not towards those who had just tried to ambush them and then blamed them for their own predicament.
People like that deserved whatever came their way.
He knew that the couple hadn't been targeted because of the Order; they weren't even peripheral members.
"A good beating might teach them a lesson, and if they truly haven't done anything too terrible, the mysterious wizard probably won't kill them. They'll likely live to see the end of the war," Fred said, echoing Albert's words of comfort, which were also the truth.
The mysterious wizard wasn't in the business of indiscriminately killing innocent witches and wizards.
After all, the British wizarding community was already small, and the number of Muggle-born witches and wizards was even smaller—they were the foundation of his rule over British wizardkind.
"Let's get out of here. I don't feel safe staying any longer. They've clearly set their sights on us. Next time, we should bring more people just in case," Fred called to the others, urging them to leave.
Their plan was to head to one of the safe houses, which had undergone quite the transformation in the last few days.
"It seems they rejected your offer." Mr. Tonks, upon seeing the group of six return, didn't seem too surprised.
"Yeah, they thought we were the ones who caused all their problems, and they even tried to attack us. Good thing we had the Invisibility Cloaks," Fred said, removing his hood with a sigh. "Maybe a stint in Azkaban will give that poor couple some perspective."
"It's not just you; Cedric's team was also attacked, but they managed to escape," Mr. Tonks informed them. "According to Mr. Anderson, we should leave things be for now and not take any more risks. He'll have Lee Jordan mention on the radio that if anyone wants to leave the country or join us, we'll provide assistance."
"Are the Death Eaters listening to our radio broadcasts, too?"
In fact, the Death Eaters had been trying to infiltrate the Defense Association's ranks for a while but hadn't had much success.
Albert wasn't the type to accept just anyone—aside from a few reliable individuals, most members were peripheral.
And even if someone managed to slip through, they wouldn't remain undetected for long, though the Death Eaters hadn't had any luck in that regard so far.
"I bet the others are glad we're lying low. They always blame us for their troubles, failing to consider who the mysterious wizard really is. They've been reading too many newspapers and letting it turn their brains to mush," Fred said.
"They're just bullies," George added.
Neville took the opportunity to express his gratitude to the Weasley twins and remind them about Xenophilius Lovegood, hoping they would urge him to retreat soon.
"Isn't Lovegood planning to go into hiding?" Fred asked, surprised that they hadn't been informed as partners.
"I don't know," Mr. Tonks replied.
"We've lost contact with him temporarily, and he might be in hiding," Mr. Tonks said, not sounding too optimistic. The past few days had been eventful, to say the least.
"What about Luna?" Cho asked, frowning.
"Luna is currently hiding in the Room of Requirement, so she should be safe for now," Neville said, maintaining contact with Hogwarts.
In times of trouble, the Room of Requirement was a safe haven, and the Death Eaters could only fume helplessly outside its walls.
"What about Albert?"
"He hasn't replied. He seems to be busy with something these past few days."
"Let's go check on him. I hope it's not a trap."
Under Albert's influence, the members of the Defense Association had become more cautious.
After all, having experienced the effectiveness of ambushes firsthand, they were more wary of falling victim to such tactics themselves.
After a brief discussion, the group decided to act together and check on Xenophilius Lovegood's situation, deciding to bring along members of the Order of the Phoenix as well.
With their combined numbers, they had little to fear from the Death Eaters, as long as the mysterious wizard wasn't among them.
It took only ten minutes for them to plan and execute their decision, an efficiency that was almost unimaginable. Even the members of the Order were curious about how they managed to act so swiftly.
"It's because of these," Fred said, holding up a toy-like watch and briefly explaining its function to the group. "These are the latest prototypes. We wear them during our operations for emergency communication."
It didn't take them long to ascertain that there was no danger, and with the aid of Disillusionment Charms, they broke into the Lovegood residence.
"There are no signs of a struggle. It looks like they left beforehand," they concluded after a cursory inspection of the Lovegood house.
"No, I've actually been here the whole time."
A voice suddenly rang out, startling everyone.
Xenophilius Lovegood appeared out of thin air, making them jump.
"Where were you hiding?" one of them asked.
"There's a room protected by the Fidelius Charm here. When a few Dark Wizards showed up in the area a couple of days ago, I hid there," Lovegood explained.
"We thought..."
"If not for Mr. Anderson's help, I probably would've ended up in Azkaban, too. They seem to have caught on to our tricks," Lovegood added.
"Why don't you come with us for now? I don't think it's very safe here," one of them suggested.
"Oh... alright, I suppose. I'm just worried about Luna," Lovegood said after a moment's hesitation.
"Don't worry, Luna is safe, and you should be able to see her tomorrow," they assured him.
(End of Chapter)
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