Chapter 1390: Recruitment
Chapter 1390: Recruitment
"Do you think they'll agree?"
"Probably..."
"Probably?"
"Moody said they need to discuss it first," George replied.
"Discuss? Well, they certainly take their time," Fred grumbled, unable to hide his impatience any longer.
"There's not much we can do about it. Low efficiency is the norm, and it's only because of Albert that the Defense Association is so unusually efficient. Haven't you heard Truman and Cedric complain about the Ministry's sluggishness before? It's enough to drive you crazy," George replied, recalling the many times they had heard their friends lament the Ministry's slow response time.
George wasn't too surprised by the response they received. After all, the Defense Association's efficiency was largely due to Albert making all the decisions alone, and when it came to dealing with Death Eaters, there weren't as many concerns or delays.
"I know, but our greatest advantage against the Death Eaters has always been our ability to act quickly and catch them off guard, hasn't it?" Fred pointed out. In his and George's opinion, there wasn't much to worry about. If there were any real danger, Albert certainly wouldn't allow them to take such risks.
With Voldemort absent from Britain, the Death Eaters didn't pose a significant threat, especially not with the addition of the Order of the Phoenix. Even if they did encounter each other, it was more likely that the group of dark wizards would turn tail and run.
In fact, the more likely scenario was that they wouldn't encounter each other at all. As George had mentioned before he left, whether or not the Order of the Phoenix joined them was secondary. They had already started planning their next move, and including the Order was simply a way to prepare for future endeavors.
After all, there might be more operations in the future, and having the Order of the Phoenix on their side would undoubtedly make things safer.
While the members of the Defense Association were growing rapidly, their experience paled in comparison to that of the Order of the Phoenix members who had participated in the First Wizarding War.
Bringing the Order along without Albert's protection would be a safer bet.
This was the main reason why they had managed to avoid any casualties so far.
Even from a distance, as Harry, Ron, and Hermione exited the Great Hall, they could hear Fred and George's conversation. Knowing the twins' personalities all too well, Ron commented to Harry and Hermione, "I suspect they did that on purpose."
"Probably something to do with Harry," Hermione guessed.
Just as she finished speaking, they saw Fred and George approaching them.
"You guessed it! Your reward is a Christmas present," Fred said with a grin, slinging an arm around Harry's shoulders. George, meanwhile, pulled a small, bulging bag from his robe pocket and fished out a notebook, which he handed to Harry. "This is for you—call it an early Christmas gift."
"Thanks, but why are you giving this to me?" Harry asked, taking the notebook with a confused look on his face. He knew better than to believe the Christmas gift excuse.
"Because you need the knowledge in this notebook," George replied mischievously, winking at Harry.
"What knowledge?" Harry inquired.
"Knowledge about the Fiendfyre, of course," Fred stated matter-of-factly.
"Fiendfyre!" Harry exclaimed, his eyes widening in surprise as he immediately began flipping through the pages.
"Albert asked me to give this to you. He thought you might need it," George explained.
"Yes, I do need it. Thank you so much," Harry said, his eyes glued to the pages.
"So, how's your progress with the Fiendfyre curse coming along?" Fred asked curiously. They had heard that Harry was attempting to master this dark magic.
Harry felt a bit embarrassed when asked about it. He had already spent a significant amount of time practicing the Fiendfyre curse, but his progress was limited, or perhaps non-existent, to be honest.
"Don't worry, Harry. You'll get the hang of it eventually. Just remember to stay confident; it's important," George encouraged, pulling out another notebook from the bulging bag and handing it to Hermione. "This one's for you, Hermione."
"What's in this one?" Hermione asked, happily accepting the notebook.
"It contains tips on how to quickly extinguish Fiendfyre," George replied with a smile.
"Have you guys read through these notebooks already?" Ron asked, his eyes glued to the bulging bag in George's hand, hoping that there might be another notebook for him.
"Of course, Albert didn't forbid us from looking," Fred replied, noticing Ron's eager gaze. "Don't bother looking for another one, though. There are only two notebooks, and none for you."
Ron's face fell at Fred's blunt response.
"Actually, Albert prepared this notebook for us," Hermione interjected, explaining the situation as she flipped through the pages.
"Ronnie, our little brother, is adorably clueless," Fred agreed, not denying the fact that he thought their younger brother wasn't the brightest.
Ron's face darkened even further, not appreciating being called clueless.
No one liked being made to feel like a fool.
However, Fred and George paid no heed to Ron's sullen expression. Turning to Harry, Fred said, "We know that the Fiendfyre curse is difficult to master, but since Albert specifically asked us to give this to you, we think you should give it your all and try to learn this dark magic."
"Alright, we should get going now," Fred said, patting Harry's shoulder before turning to leave.
"Wait, there's one more thing," George said, stopping Fred who was about to walk away.
"What else?" Harry asked, his curiosity piqued as he had been about to delve into the notebook.
"I hope you can try to convince them," George said, glancing at the people who had just exited the living room. "Remember, according to Albert's prophecy, the final battle will take place at Hogwarts. Once the Death Eaters gain control of a large number of Inferi, they will undoubtedly use them as their main force to attack Hogwarts."
"I'll do my best, but don't get your hopes up," Harry said, tucking the notebook into his pocket. "Thank Albert for me, and I'll master the Fiendfyre curse as soon as possible."
Harry was well aware of the reason behind Albert's actions.
The final battle would take place at Hogwarts because the last Horcrux was hidden in the Room of Requirement. Whether or not they succeeded in destroying the Horcruxes in Gringotts, they would still have to go to Hogwarts to destroy the final one.
Once they began their operation, it would signal the start of the countdown to the final battle.
When Voldemort received news that Harry had broken into Gringotts, he would surely realize that Harry was after his Horcruxes. He would then do everything in his power to prevent Harry from entering Hogwarts and finding the Horcrux hidden in the Room of Requirement.
The information gap between the two sides was their best chance to lure Voldemort out and destroy him once and for all. Otherwise, once he realized that all his Horcruxes had been destroyed, he would become extremely cautious and might even go into hiding.
After all, in the British wizarding world, Albert Anderson was the only one who posed a threat to his life, and the cowardly Voldemort would undoubtedly want to avoid facing Albert directly.
On the night of Fred and George's departure, the Order of the Phoenix held an emergency meeting and ultimately decided to participate in the upcoming operation to raid the Death Eaters' stronghold and help dispose of the Inferi they had hidden.
As Harry had pointed out, taking the opportunity to weaken Voldemort while he was away from Britain, honing their dark magic defense skills, and gaining more experience through actual combat was essential. The rapid progress of the Defense Association members was a testament to the effectiveness of such endeavors.
As for how much of Harry's enthusiasm for the operation was due to his own desire to participate, that remained unknown. However, he wholeheartedly agreed with the decision and tried to convince others to do the same.
(End of Chapter)
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