Chapter 1384: Absurd
Chapter 1384: Absurd
Having just concluded the impromptu meeting, Harry and his friends, sensing the peculiar atmosphere, decided to celebrate with some pies and butterbeer in their room. No matter what, thwarting the Death Eaters' plot was a significant victory.
"I wonder why Moody is so wary of Albert?" Ron said, sneaking a glance at Hermione as he took a pie from his plate.
"Don't know," said Harry, indifferent to the matter.
"I think his concerns are unnecessary. What ill intentions could Albert have? He just wants to defeat Voldemort," Hermione said as she took a pie from Ron, thanked him, and then waved her wand to conjure a few glasses, filling them with butterbeer for everyone.
"Maybe Moody knows something, or perhaps Dumbledore told him something?" Ron speculated after taking a sip of his drink.
"Just eat your pie!" Ginny interjected, picking up a pie from the plate and nearly shoving it into Ron's mouth to shut him up.
"There's always a reason," Ron insisted, biting into the cold pie aggressively. "It's rare to see Moody with such a bias."
"What's wrong, Harry?" Ginny ignored Ron's comment, her attention mostly focused on the silent Harry.
"Nothing, I just feel like we're making slow progress with the Fire Spell," Harry replied, taking the butterbeer that Ginny offered and sipping it before changing the subject. "Speaking of which, Snape sure is lucky."
Sirius and Lupin had just been talking about how they had tried to kill Snape in the past, and it turned out that he had escaped right under their noses.
"Yes, we almost got our revenge for Dumbledore," said Harry.
"Don't worry, Harry, we still have plenty of time," Hermione suddenly said. "Rushing things can lead to mistakes, and we only have one chance."
"I know," Harry agreed halfheartedly, his mood not improving. Hermione was right—they couldn't afford to rush. If their plan to break into Gringotts failed, they would be in deep trouble.
Therefore, mastering the Fire Spell was crucial; it was their last resort before taking action.
The worst-case scenario was that the controlled goblin would find the Lestrange vault and then set the entire place ablaze with the Fire Spell.
At that point, they wouldn't need to worry about opening the vault or finding the hidden Hufflepuff Cup among the many treasures.
After some meandering conversation, the group finally steered the topic back to the original subject, condemning the useless "cowards" once more. They also discussed the possibility of the Death Eaters trying to lure them into another trap.
The small gathering eventually came to an end with Hermione pulling Ron out of the room, leaving Harry and Ginny alone.
Hermione closed the door behind them and turned to the somewhat clueless Ron. "Alright, let's not continue to intrude on their time together."
"Are Harry and Ginny really dating?" Ron blurted out.
"I don't know," said Hermione.
"How can you not know?" Ron asked, his expression a mix of astonishment and confusion as he looked at her.
"It's their business," Hermione said matter-of-factly. "I'm just creating opportunities for them to spend time together."
"This is our chance, too," Ron mumbled.
"I haven't decided yet," Hermione said softly without looking at Ron. "Because of the war, let's talk about this after the Wizarding War is over, okay?"
Ron's face turned slightly pale as he argued, "But you're trying to matchmake Harry and Ginny."
"Yes, I want Harry to survive," Hermione whispered. "But he's getting in deeper and deeper, which is not good. He needs someone to pull him out, and that person is not me or you.
"Why Ginny?" Ron countered. "Because she's his girlfriend?"
"Because of love," came the reply.
"Sounds like something Dumbledore would say," Ron muttered.
"The power of love is indeed profound."
As Hermione prepared to push open the door to the room where they had been practicing magic, she heard Kingsley's voice speaking with Moody.
"Dumbledore trusted him," Kingsley was saying.
"Dumbledore was also wary of him!" Moody interjected.
Noticing the two eavesdroppers by the door, Moody paused before continuing, "This alone proves that Anderson is trying to drag more people into this damned war, and it's not a good sign. You should..."
"We're already in this war, whether we like it or not," Kingsley interrupted impatiently. "And people are going to die. Do you really think we can defeat the Death Eaters and their master single-handedly?"
"Of course, I know Harry is our hope, but I can't put all our hopes on his shoulders alone. That's too much for him to bear."
"This has never been just our war with the Death Eaters. It's a war that involves the entire British wizarding community, and no one can stay neutral or untouched by it. No one can escape."
"You should be aware of how dangerous that guy is. He convinced Scrimgeour, convinced him to wipe out all the dark wizards."
"When did you start sympathizing with dark wizards?" Kingsley asked, giving his old friend a curious look.
"I'm well aware of how insane that idea was."
"That was Scrimgeour's decision, and you can't directly blame it on Albert," Kingsley corrected him. "He merely foretold Scrimgeour's fate."
"That's what's terrifying," Moody said, tapping his cane lightly. "He simply spoke the truth, and it led Scrimgeour to kill those dark wizards. We don't even know what he truly wants, and I doubt you believe that excuse about wanting to eliminate the Death Eaters' master."
"Anderson has always been a reliable ally, and we need him," Kingsley said, looking at Moody. "You know that too."
"But he's dragging ordinary people into this, and his indifference troubles me," Moody said, his gaze unwavering. "Don't forget about those 28 people who died."
"I just hope you'll stay vigilant," he added.
"Then you shouldn't have brought it up at that time," Kingsley said, his voice firm. "We need him. We need him to lead us to victory in this war. Whether it's cooperation or mutual exploitation, I don't care. I just want this damned war to end. You weren't there, so you can't understand how stupid and infuriating those five family members were."
"I don't care what Dumbledore said to you before he died, but he's gone now, and he took Scrimgeour with him. To be frank, I don't want to discuss this anymore. But we need a new leader to win this war, and that's more important than anything else. I hope you understand that."
Kingsley repeated, "No one wants to hide like rats, and you can't expect us to resist the Death Eaters on our own. Albert has shown me hope. I don't care what methods he uses, and we have no proof of what he's actually done."
"We don't need proof, do we?" Moody said with a hint of self-mockery.
"Did Dumbledore really say something to Moody about Albert?" Ron asked, his mouth slightly agape.
"Kingsley is right!" Hermione shook her head. "We need Albert, his power, and his precognition to win this war."
As for Albert, the man followed by countless others—could he truly become someone like the Death Eaters' master? Not only did Hermione find this notion absurd, but even Ron, who was eavesdropping, thought Moody's words were ridiculous.
(End of Chapter)
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