Chapter 1435: A Game of Strategy
Chapter 1435: A Game of Strategy
"Have you found it?"
In the study, Severus Snape poured a glass of wine for Yaxley and took a seat in an armchair across from the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, his old accomplice, to discuss the Death Eaters' recent grand operation.
"Not yet, but it should be soon. I've had people look into the abandoned Muggle villages, and there aren't many. We're bound to find their hideout if we search them one by one."
As he spoke, Yaxley's eyes shone with an astonishing light; this was the first time they had gained the upper hand in their confrontation with that Mudblood.
"Are you sure this isn't a trap?"
Snape's counterquestion caused Yaxley's expression to change abruptly, as such a scenario seemed... not impossible.
No, on the contrary, it was quite possible.
That cunning Mudblood had indeed given them a hard time.
Snape was left speechless by Yaxley's silence.
What was this?
But then, the Death Eaters had indeed been rather badly played by Albert Anderson recently, leaving Snape wondering if there really was that much of a difference in their intelligence.
Now that they finally had a chance to turn the tables, it was no wonder Yaxley was so delighted.
"It doesn't matter if it's a trap; the Dark Lord will go anyway. We'll just be..." Yaxley wasn't worried; whenever the Dark Lord was present, that Mudblood usually chose to retreat.
There was no need for them to worry about falling into a trap and getting themselves killed.
Listening to Yaxley prattling on about their next plan, Snape was exasperated. He felt that his colleague seemed to have forgotten that the Dark Lord often came off worse when facing Albert Anderson.
Though Snape would never dare to voice such treasonous thoughts, that was the gist of it.
He had never believed that Yaxley's so-called plan would succeed, just as he had discussed with Dumbledore earlier.
Dumbledore thought there was no need to worry about Albert; that young man was actually quite formidable.
Snape agreed with this; if he wasn't formidable, he would have been killed by Voldemort long ago for offending him.
There were very few people who could still be alive and kicking and hated so deeply by Voldemort.
"By the way, about the house-elf..."
Yaxley brought up another reason for seeking out Snape.
"It's ready," Snape said after a moment of silence. "I know why the Dark Lord wants the house-elf, but I still don't think it's a good idea."
"I feel the same way, but it's the Dark Lord's order... you know how he is," Yaxley agreed with Snape. "House-elves aren't as reliable as we imagine them to be. Aside from being helpful in the kitchen, I really can't think of any other use for them."
Yaxley didn't linger long and soon left in a hurry, saying that he needed to make some preparations.
Preparations?
Preparations for falling into a trap?
Snape had no doubts about Albert Anderson's treacherous nature.
Perhaps due to his lack of experience in war, Albert had displayed an astonishing talent in that regard.
Just look at all the Death Eaters who had died miserably.
Looking at the old man who appeared in the portrait, Snape murmured, "I wonder what this Wizarding War will turn into."
"I don't know," Dumbledore shook his head. "But I trust that Anderson will be able to handle it. You know that."
"Yes, you trust him."
...
At the Death Eaters' headquarters.
Upon his return to the base, Yaxley immediately received a piece of heavyweight news: they had found the Mudblood's lair.
"The Dark Lord discovered that one of the Death Eaters responsible for searching for the Defense Association's base has gone rogue."
Walton McNair excitedly relayed to Yaxley the main reason why the Death Eater had found the Defense Association's base.
The Mudblood seemed to have intended to modify the Death Eater's memory with memory magic to conceal the Defense Association's location from the Death Eaters.
However, this plan had obviously failed, as the Mudblood had not expected the Dark Lord to be at the forefront, exposing his location in this manner.
If the Dark Lord hadn't been there, they might have gotten away with it.
Alas, there were no ifs...
"Wait, are we going now...?"
"No, the Dark Lord thinks that the Mudblood will be prepared tonight, so he plans to change the attack time to tomorrow night." McNair continued, "By then, we'll pretend that we're still searching for their whereabouts, and then we'll sneak into the Defense Association's headquarters under the cover of night and hopefully put an end to this trouble once and for all."
Yaxley opened his mouth but ultimately decided not to bring up the issue he had discussed with Snape, as it would be too damaging to their momentum.
"Is there a problem?" McNair asked.
"No, it's just that I have some mixed feelings."
"Alright, don't dwell on it too much. We still have our regular gathering later to discuss our next move," McNair reminded him.
"A meeting? Now?" Yaxley frowned slightly. "Should I call Snape?"
"The Dark Lord doesn't seem to want to bring him along, as Severus is busy with school matters."
The first thought that popped into Yaxley's head was a terrifying one: the Dark Lord suspected Snape.
"Wh-What? How is that possible? What happened?"
"Don't overthink it; perhaps the Dark Lord feels that it's more important for Severus to remain at Hogwarts."
McNair was at a loss for words.
They couldn't delve too deeply into the truth, but they both hoped that Snape wouldn't turn out to be a problem.
After all, Snape was one of them.
As the Death Eaters gathered to discuss their actions for the following night, the Defense Association was doing something similar.
They were strategizing on how to deal with the possible night raid by the Death Eaters and the mysterious wizards, especially since there had been sightings of Dark Wizards near the village.
Voldemort was coming.
Everyone in the room was cursing Kevin Thompson and his family in their minds.
That guy had caused them no end of trouble; not only had he died, but he had also left them living in constant fear.
Even though they were willing to believe in Albert's capabilities, they were about to face Voldemort—a man who had once been a nightmare to all.
"Everyone is very uneasy."
Fred was quite helpless about this situation and felt that Albert was taking a huge risk this time.
"I thought they would be excited," Albert said quietly as he watched the whispering members.
"Excited? Are you sure?"
George's expression twisted as he couldn't understand how Albert had come to that conclusion.
"There's no more time. They must learn to overcome their fear of the mysterious wizards. It's important," Albert glanced at the few people beside him and said, "You should be with them now."
Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to do. In the end, they dispersed and went to convince more people to bravely join them in their stand against the mysterious wizards.
(End of Chapter)
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