Chapter 1365: The Death Eaters Find Out
Chapter 1365: The Death Eaters Find Out
Over at the Order of the Phoenix, they were facing a similar dilemma to Albert's.
The big move that Kingsley and the others were planning could not be hidden from Harry, Hermione, and Ron, who lived under the same roof.
When the trio found out that Sirius and the others intended to sneak off to Azkaban without them, their expressions became complicated. They felt that they were no longer children, yet the others still treated them as such.
They wanted to join the mission to Azkaban, just as they had previously joined the mission to rescue prisoners from the castle. Sirius wouldn't be able to shake them off and act alone.
"Sorry, Harry, but I'm afraid we really can't take you with us this time," Sirius said, shaking his head in refusal as he met their resentful gazes.
Harry couldn't help but ask, "Why not?"
"Albert feels that you have a knack for stirring up trouble wherever you go," Sirius said bluntly. "If you tag along, it's likely that something unexpected might happen, and we might even end up attracting Voldemort's attention. We must avoid that at all costs."
"Are you sure those were Albert's words?" Harry fixed his eyes on Sirius, suspecting that he was just making excuses.
What did he mean by 'stirring up trouble'? It was obviously just an excuse.
"No talking during meals," Mrs. Weasley said sternly to those at the table. She, too, was trying to prevent Harry from embarking on the dangerous mission to Azkaban.
Moody took the lunch that Mrs. Weasley handed him and brought a piece of sausage close to his nose to sniff. Satisfied that it was safe, he turned to Harry and said, "This was a decision we made after discussing it together. We feel that you have more important things to do."
"What more important things?" Ron asked through a mouthful of food, unable to contain his curiosity.
In the next moment, he earned a fierce glare from Mrs. Weasley, and he promptly stopped talking while eating.
"Logistical work," Fleur explained to Harry. "Azakaban takes a toll on the health of most prisoners, and those who are rescued are usually very weak and in need of care." She, too, was one of the Order members who would be staying behind.
"You should let me come. It would boost morale," Harry argued, refusing to let it go. "Isn't that important?"
"Don't worry, Harry," Lupin soothed gently. "People will know that you organized this rescue mission. We're not stopping you from going to Azkaban because we doubt your abilities. It's just that we can't take that risk, as Sirius said. It was Anderson's suggestion that you not go, as he feels your presence might lead to unforeseen complications."
"That's slander!" Harry protested.
"I know, but we'd best heed his advice," Kingsley murmured.
Harry suddenly recalled something—Anderson had adamantly refused to let them go to the headquarters of the Defense Association. He had heard from Fred and George that it was likely for similar reasons; Anderson was worried that they might cause some sort of explosion if they went to headquarters.
"Harry, you always seem to find trouble every year," Arthur said, looking up from his lunch at the frustrated Harry. "You can't just choose to go on the Azkaban adventure because it's more exciting. If you do, the others will complain. As far as I know, most of the people in the Defense Association need to stay behind for logistical work as well, and keeping their spirits up is also one of your tasks."
The entire lunch period was spent with the trio feeling incredibly glum because they couldn't join the Azkaban rescue mission, especially Harry. For him, infiltrating Azkaban was one of the few important things in his life, yet everyone was forbidding him from going, and he had no way to change their minds. Sneaking off was definitely not an option, as that would only cause bigger problems.
Fortunately, Sirius shared the ins and outs of the entire jailbreak plan, which helped to alleviate their gloomy mood somewhat.
"Why don't we take this opportunity to wipe out all the Death Eaters?" Ron asked eagerly, setting down his knife and fork. "With Albert's abilities, we could easily use those outsiders to get rid of them once and for all."
"Ron!"
Mrs. Weasley looked anxiously at her son, who was seething with anger.
Ignoring his mother, Ron continued, "As you said, let's have them raid the Death Eaters' homes as well. Let's make the mysterious man a lonely outcast, and see how he maintains control over the Ministry then."
"We actually asked Anderson about this," Sirius explained on behalf of the others. "He believes that those foreign dark wizards shouldn't be allowed to remain in Britain. That group is actually more dangerous than the Death Eaters, and they might be absorbed by the mysterious man, becoming more Death Eaters."
"Also, if we completely wipe out the Death Eaters, it will likely force the mysterious man into hiding. That's unfavorable for Harry's plan to eradicate him altogether. A powerful dark wizard like the mysterious man, operating from the shadows, is extremely dangerous, and the destruction he can cause is terrifying."
"He's right about that," Harry agreed. "To end this war, we must kill Voldemort, the source of all this chaos. Eliminating the Death Eaters is just a means to weaken his power." Harry could understand the logic; otherwise, with Albert's capabilities, it wouldn't take long to completely crush the Death Eaters and drive them into hiding like cowards.
The heavy topic was soon dropped, and everyone focused on their meal under Mrs. Weasley's watchful eye.
"Do you think the Death Eaters will be prepared for an attack?"
Hermione, having finished the last piece of fried egg on her plate, voiced her concern. "The Death Eaters ambushed those dark wizards, so they will likely take precautions to prevent a retaliatory strike."
"Don't worry," Kingsley reassured the group, confident in Albert's plan. "Even if they are prepared, what can they do? Can they prevent those dark wizards from seeking revenge?"
Meanwhile, the Death Eaters were indeed discussing the same matter.
"It seems those outsiders are plotting something."
Rudolph, the Death Eater who had been controlled by the Cruciatus Curse in the Leaky Cauldron, was now respectfully reporting to Yaxley about the foreign wizards.
"I suspect they are planning something against Hogsmeade." Rudolph didn't seem affected at all by the Cruciatus Curse he had endured.
"I've received similar information, but I believe it will be difficult to unite those scattered outsiders," Ludo interjected, offering his opinion. "If they do attack, it will likely be in small, scattered groups seeking revenge."
"While I agree with your assessment, our true enemy is not those outsiders, but Albert Anderson, the Mudblood," Alecto Carrow stated calmly. "If he employs some despicable tactic against us again... forgive me for being blunt, but doesn't this feel familiar? This conflict with the outsiders seems deliberately instigated by that man, just like how Scrimgeour oppressed us in the past."
Yaxley's eyes lit up as he found this excuse suitable. Regardless, he didn't want to take the blame, so he needed to bring out a significant player, and that mudblood who had caught Voldemort's attention was a perfect choice.
"For the next few days, we must strengthen our vigilance in Hogsmeade Village," Yaxley instructed those present. "We must prevent the village from being harassed by those outsiders."
"I suggest we temporarily abandon the village," someone proposed.
"No, we worked hard to take it back," came a voice.
The Death Eaters looked in the direction of the speaker and were surprised to see that it was Snape, causing them to swallow their greetings.
Yaxley frowned and asked, "Why?"
"Hogsmeade is just a village. Even if it's destroyed, we can rebuild it, and I don't think those outsiders will occupy it again," Snape explained.
Snape's intentions were clear, but Yaxley ultimately disagreed, as the black market transaction was his doing, and he couldn't back down on this matter.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
