Chapter 1404: Not Brothers, But Arch-Nemeses
Chapter 1404: Not Brothers, But Arch-Nemeses
The news of Voldemort's ambush on the Order of the Phoenix the previous night reached Albert first thing in the morning, and it left him rather bewildered. While it was certainly out of character for Voldemort, upon further reflection, it wasn't hard to understand why he would hold a grudge against the Order and the Defense Association, especially given his recent setbacks. It seemed he was eager to take matters into his own hands, particularly when it came to crushing the Order.
As for the information Mrs. Figg provided, it was likely that Voldemort had extracted it from Mundungus' mind. It was impressive how quickly Voldemort had acted on that information.
Wait a minute, something wasn't adding up.
Could it be…?
Voldemort suspected there was a traitor among the higher-ups in the Death Eaters, so this could very well have been a test to uncover any disloyalty within his ranks.
If that were the case, someone was in for some bad luck.
For some reason, Albert found himself in surprisingly good spirits at the thought.
He truly disliked Snape and would be more than happy to see him suffer.
However, Snape's safety, for the time being, was guaranteed. Even with his suspicions, Voldemort wouldn't act rashly against him.
Suspicions were just suspicions, after all.
Killing Snape without gaining anything substantial in return would be a huge loss. It would cause unrest among the Death Eaters and potentially create a host of other problems.
After all, under Albert's influence, the older generation of Death Eaters was dwindling.
After breakfast, Albert paid a visit to the Defense Association to inform Fred, George, and Lee Jordan about Mundungus, the petty thief, being captured by a mysterious figure.
The trio remained calm upon hearing the news, indicating that they had likely already been made aware of the situation.
"Do you think the mysterious figure will use Mundungus against us?"
The three of them had discussed the matter at length the night before and formed their own speculations.
After all, they had a connection to Mundungus, and if Voldemort managed to extract any crucial information from him and planned to take further action, there was a chance he could succeed without them realizing it.
"The most likely possibility is that the mysterious figure intends to use Mundungus to locate this place and gather forces to destroy us completely," Albert offered his analysis.
"Is that possible?"
"As long as Mundungus continues to supply you, that possibility is almost a certainty." Albert didn't believe Voldemort would easily let Mundungus off the hook. Aside from using the Imperius Curse to control him, the most likely option was to use a complex potion for disguise.
"Do you think he'll have someone lying in wait at the safe house where Dobby collects the goods?"
"No, he'll use a Tracking Charm. By placing it on an item, he'll have a high chance of successfully tracking us down, even with strong shielding charms in place."
"What should we do then? Should we just give up on Mundungus?"
This was undoubtedly the safest option, and it was the solution they had initially considered. However, from Albert's expression, it seemed like he had something else in mind.
"We can send the goods to a few other shelters protected by the Fidelius Charm. Even if they manage to locate the general area of the shelters, they won't be able to breach the protection of the Fidelius Charm." Albert replied without hesitation, "Of course, we'll need to be cautious when collecting the items as well. At that time…"
"Are you planning to use this opportunity to do something?" George suddenly asked.
"I haven't decided yet, but if the mysterious figure truly intends to go down that path, I wouldn't mind giving him a few more surprises." Albert said, his tone laden with meaning.
"Aren't you worried about pushing your luck?" Lee Jordan frowned, "You're willingly stepping into a trap when you know it's there."
"I'll have Dobby deliver the items directly to the shelter."
The three exchanged glances but ultimately didn't object. They knew Albert well enough to trust that he wouldn't get in over his head.
He was even more cautious than they were.
After concluding that topic, the trio proceeded to fill Albert in on the details of the previous night's events.
"So, you guys went too?"
"No, but we were discussing it with them all last night." Fred said, "They seemed to be planning to go to the shelter to question Ollivander."
In fact, they had arranged to meet Albert at the shelter.
"Two wands connected?"
Inside the room, Ollivander listened to Harry's description and then lowered his gaze to the purple-robed wand that had been snapped in half. "This is a rare occurrence, and it has to do with your wand cores."
"Wand cores?"
Everyone was perplexed, as true wand experts were few and far between.
"The feathers in your wand and the mysterious figure's wand came from the same phoenix. They are what you could call 'brother wands'."
"Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes?"
"Yes, I remember it was two tail feathers."
"What about the golden magic? Do you know what that was about?" Harry didn't look at Ollivander as he asked this; instead, he directed the question at Albert, "I've never seen magic like that before; it was incredible."
"That should be a Flashback Jinx. Mr. Ollivander probably knows more about it than I do." Albert deflected the question back to Ollivander.
"Yes, it was indeed a Flashback Jinx." Ollivander explained to the group, "Since Harry's wand and the mysterious figure's wand are brother wands, they cannot attack each other normally. If the wands' owners force them to duel, a very rare phenomenon will occur. One wand will force the other to repeat a spell it has already cast, which is what Harry just referred to as the Flashback Jinx."
"Brother wands, huh? Well, we're not brothers; we're arch-nemeses." Harry muttered, eyeing his wand.
"Years ago, right after Harry purchased that wand from my shop, I wrote to Dumbledore to inform him that the second wand had been sold." Ollivander looked at the broken wand with unease, "Perhaps Dumbledore believed that this wand would be key to Harry defeating the mysterious figure."
"No, I don't think so, but it's undeniable that this wand has brought us great help. I suspect the mysterious figure will do everything in his power to uncover what exactly happened." Harry gave Albert a subtle nod, indicating his desire to discuss this matter privately with him later.
However, even after Harry and the others left, Albert didn't depart immediately. Under Ollivander's curious gaze, he posed a question.
"As far as I know, not all wands made from the same species of core exhibit similar behavior."
"…."
Ollivander paused for a moment, then shook his head, "Cases like this are extremely rare, but according to records, I can confidently say that it has something to do with the wand cores."
"I've conducted several similar experiments myself." Albert spoke softly, "And, as far as I know, most of your phoenix wand cores come from Dumbledore's Fawkes. If what you say is true, then wands made from Fawkes' feathers should be unable to attack each other."
"No, I believe those two tail feathers were special. It's a wand maker's intuition, and it was an experiment I've never attempted before." Ollivander hesitated for a moment, "Of course, I won't deny Dumbledore's influence on me, but… there are infinite secrets hidden in wandlore, and who can truly claim to know them all?"
"You're right about that."
Albert's skill level in wandlore wasn't particularly high, but he felt that the concept of "brother wands" was more of a coincidence than anything else.
(End of Chapter)
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