Chapter 1427: Overcoming the Trap
Chapter 1427: Overcoming the Trap
Late at night, Fred's arrival stirred everyone who was left behind at the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix.
As they sipped the strong tea Mrs. Weasley had just brewed to ward off their drowsiness, they listened to Fred explain why he had come to the headquarters at this hour.
"So, you plan to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic under the cover of darkness and rescue the imprisoned witches and wizards?"
Ron was stunned by Fred's words. He never expected the members of the Defense Association to be so bold.
They were planning something big! "Isn't this a bit rash?"
Everyone's faces showed a hint of anxiety as they were all too aware of the consequences of such a daring rescue mission at this time.
Although it might very well be the best solution at the moment.
"Albert believes that this is undoubtedly a carefully laid trap by the Death Eaters, so we must rescue them before they realize it." Fred was well aware of the others' concerns about the Ministry, but he explained, "We have confirmed this from Umbridge's mouth, but as long as we know the trap they've set in advance, it will be easy to resolve the issue. We can rescue the prisoners and escape the Ministry of Magic without the other Death Eaters even noticing."
Fred had great confidence in Albert. Although he felt that the Defense Association could handle this on their own, he knew Albert had his reasons for sending him to notify the members of the Order.
"You captured Umbridge?"
Percy was shocked by the audacity of the Defense Association. He never imagined that they had captured Umbridge and even subjected her to torture.
"Albert thinks this is a good opportunity to bring those who are rescued into the Order of the Phoenix," Fred ignored Percy's question. He actually hoped that everyone would follow Albert's command, which would undoubtedly be more efficient, especially when it came to fighting against the mysterious man.
"I'll come with you!"
Percy surprisingly volunteered to join the operation.
He was setting a good example.
"We'll come too."
After exchanging glances, Harry, Hermione, and Ron all expressed their willingness to help.
For them, it would undoubtedly be a novel experience, and with Albert leading the way, their safety was usually guaranteed.
"You three can't come." Fred suddenly said.
"Why not? Why can't we come?"
The trio was taken aback and protested indignantly.
"No reason."
Fred had not forgotten Albert's warning. In his opinion, Harry indeed attracted a lot of negative attention, and if he went, there was a high risk of attracting the mysterious man, which would be a huge problem.
He also hoped that the operation would go smoothly.
"Harry, your task is not to go to the Ministry of Magic for the rescue. Molly, help keep an eye on these three and don't let them run around."
Sirius Black also disagreed with Harry's participation. He felt that Fred's refusal to let the trio come was probably at Albert's behest.
"I will."
Mrs. Weasley turned to Harry, Hermione, and Ron, who were about to protest, hands on her hips as she glared at them. "Don't go causing trouble."
"We won't cause trouble."
"Obviously, Albert thinks you'll cause trouble, which is why he specifically instructed that you shouldn't come along." Mrs. Weasley gave them a reason they couldn't refute. It was clearly Albert's intention to keep them from going.
"We need people to stay here, too." Kingsley comforted them, "After all, once the prisoners are rescued, they'll need to be taken care of, and we'll need to contact the shelter."
"Be careful."
Mrs. Weasley kissed Mr. Weasley's cheek and handed him a bottle of Vitality Tonic.
"Looks like we'll have to make time to prepare more potions." Lupin murmured as he looked at the almost empty potion box.
"Luckily we made some money last time." Sirius took a swig of the potion and patted his face. "We'll also need to prepare more complex potions."
When this topic came up, everyone felt a bit embarrassed as many of them had disagreed with Sirius' actions back then.
"Alright, let's get going too." Kingsley changed the subject. Those preparing to go with Albert were all members of the Order who were familiar with the Ministry of Magic.
"Oh, by the way, Harry, we need to borrow your Invisibility Cloak temporarily." Fred suddenly said.
"No problem, I'll go get it for you." Harry hurried to his bedroom to fetch the cloak.
A few of them apparated directly to a street near Umbridge's house, and as soon as they arrived, George and Lee Jordan were there to greet them.
"How did you find us?" Sirius was curious as they were still under the cover of the Disillusionment Charm.
"The Human Presence Spell, the entire street is under our surveillance." George waved the map in his hand in explanation.
"Albert is always good at finding new uses for these spells.
"Sirius Black thought that there was good reason for the Death Eaters to be in such a sorry state.
'Follow me!'' George led the way for the group.
Soon, they arrived on the street outside Umbridge's house. George waved his wand and opened a passage, leading them through the protective magic.
Noticing the group's surprised expressions, Lee Jordan smiled and explained, "The protective magic created by the Aurors is actually quite simple. Albert not only broke it but also cast his own. The one you just saw was put in place by Albert himself."
Umbridge's house wasn't very large. After George knocked on the door, Cedric answered it, and a loud noise could be heard coming from the hall, as if something chaotic was happening inside.
As the group entered, their eyes widened in astonishment, and they finally understood why everyone had been making such a ruckus.
On the table, Umbridge was writhing her plump body, performing an extremely cringe-worthy dance for everyone.
This was probably one of Albert's cruel jokes.
"Maybe we should record this and show it to everyone!" Fred suggested with great interest, watching Umbridge's solo performance.
"Alright, let's go!"
Albert waved his wand lightly, and the briefcase beside him suddenly opened. It quickly transformed into a door, and the group entered one by one, preparing to let Umbridge lead them to the Ministry of Magic.
"This briefcase of yours is really convenient," Sirius commented, looking at the spacious interior of the briefcase.
"It is indeed convenient at times. You can make one too," Albert replied.
"I think I'll pass," Sirius said, knowing his limitations.
The Untraceable Expansion Charm was indeed handy, but it wasn't easy to perform, especially to create such a vast space. It required a high level of spellcasting skill.
It was certainly not something an ordinary camping tent could compare to.
"Alright, gather around. I'll brief you on the upcoming operation!"
Albert clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention and spread out a simple map on the table.
"The location where they're holding the prisoners is in the lowest level of the Ministry of Magic, which is the courtroom. Only there are there enough temporary holding cells to accommodate the captured witches and wizards. However, this map doesn't show the courtroom, and even Umbridge isn't very familiar with that area," Albert explained, looking at the members of the Order of the Phoenix.
"I've been there a few times, but I'm not very familiar with it either," added Kingsley.
"You'll come with me, and the rest of you will stay in the briefcase," Albert instructed, pointing to Umbridge's office and the elevator entrance. "We need to go down from here, but there are a few Ministry employees on night duty. We'll need to take them out before they can react."
"That's not a problem," said George confidently.
"What about us?" asked Sirius.
"You're the backup," Albert continued. "If this is a trap, the Death Eaters will undoubtedly be lying in wait for us there."
"If you think it's a trap, why are you still walking into it?" Kingsley asked, puzzled by Albert's decision.
This didn't seem like his usual style.
"As long as we act quickly, the Death Eaters and the mysterious man won't have time to react," Albert replied. He then asked, "Have you borrowed Harry's cloak?"
"Right here," Sirius replied, producing Harry's invisibility cloak from the Untraceable Expansion Bag. "What do you need it for?"
"This invisibility cloak is special," Albert whispered. "It's harder to detect than a well-cast Disillusionment Charm. We need to prepare for the worst."
Who would have thought that there would be an even more treacherous individual lurking in the shadows, ready to ambush them?
As for the Dementors, Albert wasn't concerned. There weren't many Dementors hiding in the Ministry of Magic, and they didn't pose much of a threat to him.
As the group discussed their strategy, there was a soft knock on the briefcase. They had arrived at the Ministry of Magic in Britain.
Fortunately, Umbridge's office was a separate room, which saved them a lot of trouble.
Otherwise, if they had barged into the Ministry of Magic, they would have immediately triggered an alarm. The wizards on duty were merely there to confuse others, while the real guard was a Death Eater responsible for monitoring the Ministry.
According to the information obtained from Umbridge, the Ministry had publicly announced that they had increased security at night to prevent anyone from breaking in and rescuing the captured witches and wizards.
However, if someone did come to the Ministry to attempt a rescue, the Death Eaters would swiftly arrive and trap them inside.
Unfortunately for the Death Eaters, Albert was leading this operation personally, so it remained to be seen how effective their carefully laid trap would be.
(End of Chapter)
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