Chapter 1377: We Have the Numbers
Chapter 1377: We Have the Numbers
"Damn it, can you lot keep it down? This isn't a train station, you know."
In a private room at the back of the Hog's Head, Aberforth, who had just finished a day's work and was preparing to rest, was startled by a group of sudden intruders.
What annoyed Aberforth the most was that this uninvited group wasn't just limited to those currently before him; there were still a large number of young people cautiously holding their wands as they emerged from the room that Albert had enchanted.
Aberforth's intuition told him that this group's appearance here definitely spelled trouble, and he suspected that something big was going to happen tonight.
"Sorry, Aberforth. We didn't intend to show up with so many people, but there's been an incident at Hogwarts, so we had to pay a visit," Lee Jordan quickly stepped forward to negotiate with Aberforth, attempting to appease the irritable old man as they had undoubtedly disrupted his life.
"What happened?" Aberforth asked curiously, "I thought you were gathering a large force to retake Hogwarts."
"That old bat, Snape, has captured the family members of students who oppose him, intending to force the other students to submit," said Cedric, who was observing Hogwarts Castle with the map, his face filled with disgust.
"Those Death Eaters are getting more despicable by the day."
Aberforth's reaction was rather calm. After all, kidnapping relatives to threaten others had always been a favorite tactic of the Death Eaters, and now they were simply having a taste of their own medicine.
"Neville's already here; let's go. We shouldn't keep the others waiting any longer," George interrupted the brief exchange and walked up to the portrait of Ariana.
"Why is it just you lot? Where's Anderson?" Aberforth frowned, not finding the familiar figure among the crowd.
"Of course, it's not just us. The members of the Order of the Phoenix will also be lending their support," Fred said with a smile, patting the briefcase in his hand.
"I'm talking about Albert Anderson. Didn't he come with you guys?"
Aberforth felt that only with Albert organizing this operation would it be the safest, just like with his "unreliable" older brother, who always managed to reassure others.
Without Albert, Aberforth was worried that this group might accidentally stumble into a Death Eater trap.
This whole situation stank of a trap.
"We can't rely on Albert for everything," George said confidently, completely disregarding the Death Eaters. "Even if this is a trap, we're confident we can handle it calmly, so there's no need to worry."
"I'm not worried about you lot; I'm worried that you'll implicate me," Aberforth said as he poured himself a hot drink and sat in his chair, watching the chattering group. He felt like he was seeing the original Order of the Phoenix.
The early days of the Order of the Phoenix had been when Dumbledore gathered a group of hot-blooded young people who sought to resist the Death Eaters.
At that moment, the portrait on the wall opened like a small door, and Neville appeared in the opening, seemingly surprised to see so many members of the Defense Association.
"I think they'll be very glad to see you," he said with a smile, greeting everyone.
"I hope none of you are secretly betraying us?" George bent down as he entered the secret passage and lowered his voice. "We don't want to be screwed over by any traitors."
"No, Hannah has been keeping an eye on them," Neville said, a little surprised by George's words, but he still explained, "In fact, as long as there's a solution, I think very few people would be foolish enough to betray us. After all, the Death Eaters' credibility is terrible, and no one would want to gamble on whether they'll keep their word." Neville scanned the group and frowned. "Isn't Mr. Anderson coming?"
"He'll be keeping an eye on things, but tonight's operation is mainly up to us. It's a sort of test for us," Fred said.
Perhaps sensing Neville's concern, George patted him on the shoulder and said, "We can't rely on Albert for everything. We can handle some of the simpler tasks ourselves, especially since we've joined forces with the Order of the Phoenix this time. Even if we walk straight into a trap, we don't need to worry."
"Albert gives everyone more confidence, you know," Neville said with a bitter smile. Of course, he wanted to believe in the capabilities of the Defense Association members, but he trusted Albert even more.
Unbeknownst to them, Albert had quietly replaced the late Dumbledore as the pillar in countless people's hearts.
"Don't worry," said Fred reassuringly. "As far as we know, the mysterious man has already left Britain, so we only need to deal with a bunch of Death Eaters. We've faced them many times before, and they're all useless now."
Having been on numerous missions with Albert, everyone was confident about this rescue operation. So what if it was a trap set by the Death Eaters? As long as the mysterious man didn't show up, the operation would be a success.
After a long walk through the secret passage, the group finally arrived at the Room of Requirement in Hogwarts.
They had considered having house-elves use Disguise to infiltrate the school, but they had ultimately abandoned the idea after much consideration.
This was because they weren't just here to rescue people; they were also here to give hope to the members of Dumbledore's Army, to let them know that joining Dumbledore's Army had not been a mistake and that they had not been abandoned.
Albert's absence did cause a slight stir among the members of the Dumbledore's Army, but before unease could spread, George lied without batting an eye, "The reason Albert isn't here is that he needs to help us restrain the mysterious man. We can handle the Death Eaters without him."
"The situation isn't as bad as you think," Fred chimed in. "This is just a simple rescue mission, and this time we've brought a lot of people." Tapping his briefcase lightly, he set it down, opened it, and one by one, people started emerging from within.
Everyone's jaws dropped in surprise, as both the Defense Association and the Order of the Phoenix had sent a considerable number of members. Those who were unaware of their plans might have thought they intended to seize Hogwarts.
"So this is the headquarters of Dumbledore's Army? It's not bad at all." Sirius Black surveyed the room, then turned to Remus beside him and said, "We never found this place before!"
"Professor Lupin!" someone exclaimed in a hushed tone.
"Lupin, it seems you're quite popular with the students," Hester Jones remarked as she, too, looked around, appearing relaxed and unfazed by the operation at hand.
Lupin managed a weak smile, not entirely convinced that his status as a werewolf was a reason for popularity.
After a brief commotion, Cedric cleared his throat and began the pre-battle pep talk. "We all know this is a trap set by the Death Eaters, but they probably never expected us to show up with so many people. Moreover, ambushes only work when the enemy is unaware, and it stops being an ambush once they know you're coming."
Upon seeing the understanding dawn on many students' faces, he could tell they had also considered a nighttime rescue mission.
"We have a total of twenty-three enemies, or twenty-four if you count Snape," Cedric continued, "including five Aurors from the Ministry of Magic. However, the Aurors aren't with the Death Eaters, but we're not sure if they'll pose a problem, so we need a team to deal with them." He paused deliberately after this statement.
"Leave them to me," Kingsley volunteered, stepping forward. "Aurors are no joke, and they can be more dangerous than Death Eaters in some ways."
Having watched Kingsley take charge in Albert's absence and maintain control of the situation, he was impressed and eager to contribute.
"Then I'll join you," Cedric nodded, turning to Sirius and Lupin. "As for Snape, he's all yours. Are you up for it?"
"Of course, we'll take care of him," Sirius and Lupin assured, happy to take on the task of dealing with their old friend.
"You don't need to take him out, just make sure he doesn't cause any trouble," George interjected, "Don't underestimate him. Albert once said that Snape is a formidable opponent."
"We would never underestimate him," Sirius and Lupin replied, knowing Snape all too well as their former friend.
Cedric then turned to Fred, George, and Lee Jordan.
"As for the Death Eaters, they're mostly useless newcomers. We've got this," Fred said with a confident smile.
"Fred," Mr. Weasley frowned, disapproving of his son's casual attitude towards their enemies.
"It's George," Fred corrected with a smirk.
"Alright then, George," his father replied, playing along.
"Just kidding, I'm Fred," Fred teased, switching it up again.
"Enough fooling around," Bill cut in, trying to maintain a serious tone.
"And there's also the special operations group!" Cedric continued, bringing everyone's attention back to the matter at hand. "There are about a few of them, and they're all Slytherin students currently enrolled at Hogwarts."
"Don't worry, we'll take care of them along the way," Lee Jordan volunteered, raising his hand to take on the task.
"Well, I guess that leaves me, then," Dedalo Diggle shrugged, having expected this.
"What about us?"
After the assignments were made, the members of Dumbledore's Army were visibly dissatisfied, feeling left out and wanting to contribute to the battle instead of waiting idly.
"You're coming with us, but you'll stay in the Room of Requirement as our backup," Cedric explained, addressing their concerns.
"Shan and Hester Jones will remain here as well, using the live map to monitor the situation in the school and relay messages to the other teams. But I know some of you might not be able to sit still, so rest assured, we'll also be dealing with the few Death Eaters stationed outside to keep watch. Everyone has a part to play," he added, sensing their restlessness.
"That's right, so let's synchronize our watches," Cedric said, raising his hand to show his watch. "We finish this in half an hour, and try not to alert anyone else."
(End of Chapter)
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