Chapter 1501: Realization
Chapter 1501: Realization
Percy, who had just returned to his bedroom to retrieve his manuscript and was about to head to the temporary office, suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned to look at the crowd squeezed in the corridor outside the conference room. He frowned and asked, "Why are you all crowding here?"
"They're curious about what Albert, Harry, Hermione, and Ron are discussing," one of them replied.
Fuyong brought tea and pastries to those waiting outside and casually asked, "How long have they been in there?"
"Almost half an hour," George said, glancing at his pocket watch.
"I wonder what's in Gringotts that's worth them taking such a risk," one of them mused.
"Who knows," Ginny said, more concerned about Harry's safety. Even though she knew that some things might be inevitable, she couldn't help but worry.
"Don't expect to eavesdrop on anything. Albert won't let you know what's going on," Percy said, feeling that instead of crowding here and waiting for news that they wouldn't get, they might as well do something more meaningful, like preparing for the upcoming Battle of Hogwarts.
At this critical juncture, he was the one left to handle the manuscript for the pre-war mobilization meeting, and he wasn't even an Auror.
No, to be precise, this was originally Kingsley's task, but since he was currently abroad, busy with preparations for the final battle, most matters had fallen into Percy's lap.
"Aren't you the least bit curious?" one of the group asked.
"It's better to keep this to ourselves. No need to spread rumors," Percy replied.
"Hmph!"
Despite having forgiven Percy for his past "betrayal," they still found him rather boring.
"You should be focusing on the upcoming Battle of Hogwarts," Percy said disdainfully, looking at the group of unmotivated individuals before him. "Or do you plan to go into this damn wizarding war unprepared and recklessly?"
Fred and George exchanged glances, then walked up to Percy from either side, hooking their arms through his shoulders in a reassuring manner. "Don't worry about this. We've got it handled," they said.
"Things aren't as bad as you think. We've made arrangements already," they continued, one speaking after the other.
"As long as we practice the spells in the 'Self-Defense Guide' diligently, we'll be fine for the Battle of Hogwarts," Fred added, reaching into his robe pocket and pulling out a folded piece of parchment, which he then stuffed into Percy's pocket. "Take a look at this, and you'll understand. Plus, we're not going up against the mysterious person directly. The enemy isn't as terrifying as you imagine."
"As for what to do, don't bother yourself with it. Albert will definitely hold a pre-war meeting," George assured him.
The Weasley brothers felt that most of the members of the Order of the Phoenix lacked confidence in Albert. But why couldn't they use their brains and consider that if he truly didn't have a grasp on the situation, he wouldn't be leading them into a full-scale attack?
Percy glared at his unreliable younger brothers, pulled out the parchment from his pocket, glanced at its contents, and then put it away again. He then looked toward the tightly closed door with a complicated expression before turning and heading back to the temporary office. He didn't have any extra time to waste here.
As the group whispered their speculations, the door to the conference room suddenly opened from the inside.
"The latest by Sunday," Albert said, noticing the expectant gazes of those waiting outside. He then turned to Fred and George and continued, "You can start with the broadcast. As for the shelter... compile a list of those willing to participate and distribute the props we have stockpiled in our warehouse to them."
"You're really going all out, aren't you?" Fred muttered. "I hope Kingsley can get some money from the International Wizarding Federation; otherwise, we're going to go bankrupt."
"Don't worry, we won't go bankrupt," Albert reassured him, seemingly unconcerned about such matters. It was unclear if he truly didn't care about money or if he believed he wouldn't suffer any losses.
"When do you plan to hold the meeting?" Percy asked, appearing from somewhere. "I mean, the pre-war meeting."
"When will Kingsley be back?" Albert asked.
"Probably... tomorrow," Percy replied. "I'll inform them."
"Then let's make it tomorrow at this time," Albert said, glancing at his pocket watch. He then closed the conference room door and reminded them not to disturb Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
"See? I told you there's no need to worry. We'll definitely catch the mysterious person off guard," Fred and George said in unison as they turned to face Percy after Albert left.
"You guys are so loud. Can't you go somewhere else?" came Ron's voice as he opened the conference room door again, poking his head out.
Before anyone could respond, he asked, "By the way, where's Albert?"
"He left. Were you looking for him?" Ginny asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, it's fine. Since he's gone, never mind," Ron said, withdrawing his head and closing the door with a loud bang.
After ensuring that the office door was properly closed and casting a spell to muffle the sounds from within, Ron, who had been holding back since earlier, finally spoke up. "I feel like that guy doesn't care at all whether we succeed in destroying Hufflepuff's cup or not."
"Albert obviously believes that we can complete the task successfully," Hermione glanced at Ron and then turned her attention back to Harry, who was deep in thought, studying the parchment in his hand. Seeing that he didn't exhibit any significant emotional changes, she breathed a sigh of relief. "You're just disappointed because Albert didn't help us come up with a perfect plan," she chided Ron.
"I don't believe he doesn't have a..." Ron started to say.
"There's no such thing as a foolproof plan in this world," Hermione interrupted impatiently. "Change is the only constant. Moreover, we can't pin all our hopes on Albert."
Throughout their discussion, Albert had mostly listened, occasionally asking questions to help them refine their plan for infiltrating Gringotts and reminding them how to handle certain issues they might encounter.
However, he had refrained from mentioning any backup plans.
For someone as capable as Albert, breaking into Gringotts or escaping from Azkaban wasn't particularly challenging, which was why Ron firmly believed that Albert had a safer backup plan in mind.
"His plan may not be suitable for us, and we can't always rely on him to solve all our problems," Harry said, setting down the parchment and looking up at his two best friends. "We might need to bring our brooms, and it's best to have spare wands as well. Don't forget the Sword of Gryffindor; we need to show our sincerity if we want the goblins to cooperate with us."
"But, Harry..." Ron began, only to be cut off by Harry raising his hand.
"Don't worry about the goblins taking the Sword of Gryffindor for themselves. Albert told me that the sword belongs to Hogwarts, and no one can take it away," Harry said, knowing what Ron was worried about. However, he truly didn't care about such things. With his life expectancy measured in days, nothing was more important to him than completely destroying Voldemort.
As for the goblins, he believed that once Voldemort learned that the Horcrux stored in the Lestrange family vault had been destroyed, he would take his anger out on the goblins.
(End of Chapter)
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