Chapter 1503: Into the Pit
Chapter 1503: Into the Pit
Today, an unusual atmosphere loomed over the British Ministry of Magic.
Employees, who were supposed to be busy with their work, seemed distracted and spoke in hushed tones as if they were afraid of disturbing something.
As they passed by a certain corridor on the first basement level, they would unconsciously slow down and sneak glances at the conference room at the end of the hallway.
At this moment, two wizards were guarding the conference room door, having moved chairs to block access and prevent others from approaching. It was said that an emergency meeting was taking place inside.
Any employee who worked at the Ministry knew that those who could convene a meeting within these walls were Death Eaters.
No one knew what this group of troublemakers was up to, but whenever they gathered, it usually spelled bad news.
The employees felt helpless and could only passively await the latest calamity.
However, the situation in the conference room was quite different from what most people imagined.
These Death Eaters, cloaked in an air of splendor, were not discussing any sinister plots. Instead, they were... listening to the radio, specifically, the Wizarding Wireless Network.
Ever since Albert instructed Lee Jordan to start spreading messages on the Wizarding Wireless Network, the black wizard responsible for monitoring the station had reported this crucial information to Yaxley. This led to the comical scene of the Death Eater higher-ups gathering in the conference room to listen to the broadcast.
In fact, quite a few Death Eaters felt it was absurd that Yaxley had called them together just to listen to the radio, but they dared not voice their thoughts.
After all, Yaxley was the right-hand man of the Dark Lord, and this matter involved that troublesome Mudblood. It was always better to be cautious.
After a full hour of listening, Macnair could no longer contain himself.
"Do you think that Mudblood is brewing some grand scheme?"
In fact, anyone who had been paying attention to the broadcast would have picked up on the clues.
The Wizarding Wireless Network had been continuously reminding listeners that an important announcement would be made soon. Although the group at the station was being secretive about the details, most people could sense that something big was about to happen.
They knew that the pesky Wizarding Wireless Network was the public face of the anti-Voldemort faction, and it was highly unlikely that they would play pranks on their audience.
This was also the main reason why the Death Eaters, after listening to the broadcast, did not complain about Yaxley wasting an hour of their time.
"Whether or not they are up to something, we should remain vigilant," Yaxley said, turning to the Auror Office Director Macnair. "Have our spies reported anything?"
"Not yet," Macnair replied with a shake of his head. "Don't get your hopes up. Most of the people in that sanctuary are cowards. I doubt they know anything of value."
The Death Eaters had not given up on infiltrating their enemies' inner circles, and Macnair, since taking over as Auror Office Director, had been working on this very thing. However, the results had been less than encouraging.
"Should we inform the Dark Lord about this?" one of the Death Eaters suddenly asked.
"I informed him yesterday," Yaxley replied. "He instructed us to keep a close eye on the situation and find out what that Mudblood is planning."
Yaxley agreed with the sentiment, but it wouldn't be easy.
"I'll make sure the Crisis Response Team is on standby, and I'll also reorganize a new reserve team," said Macnair, as the brunt of the responsibility fell on his shoulders as the Auror Office Director.
"That's still not enough," Yaxley said. "We need to mobilize more people to keep an eye on those sanctuaries and closely monitor the entire wizarding world."
"Could this be a diversion to draw our attention away from something else?" Snape, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.
The room fell silent as this possibility couldn't be ruled out. Everyone present had been outmaneuvered by that cunning Mudblood before, and Snape was known among them as one of the smarter and more reliable individuals.
"What have you found out?"
All eyes turned to Snape, awaiting his insights.
"Although there is no concrete evidence, the signs suggest that something is about to happen. Given my understanding of Albert Anderson, that guy rarely does anything meaningless. Unless this matter wasn't his doing from the start, but that possibility is low. We all know the significance of that radio station to them, so we can rule out the possibility of this being a joke." Snape countered, "Then why would they spread this message?"
"I think there might truly be some important news that they plan to announce, but I believe this isn't the main event. Otherwise, if it were that significant, I don't think they would have repeatedly mentioned it on the radio in recent days."
"Don't tell me they aren't aware that we're monitoring their broadcasts."
No one interrupted Snape's analysis, as it allowed them to conserve their brainpower.
"Since they know we're listening in on their broadcasts and still deliberately mentioned this big event repeatedly, their goal is likely to draw all our attention and use it as a cover for another, more important plan they intend to execute."
"What does that Mudblood intend to do?"
"Attack the Ministry of Magic?"
"Attack Hogwarts?"
Yaxley and McNair exchanged glances, shaking their heads to deny the possibility.
"That's also what confuses me the most. I don't think that Mudblood would do something so foolish," Yaxley admitted.
"What do you think Albert Anderson wants to do the most?" Snape countered.
"Probably get us all killed!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the room erupted in soft laughter. However, the laughter quickly faded as they realized that the guy might actually do something like that.
"You don't think that Mudblood is planning to rally everyone to go to war with us, do you?" McNair's expression turned odd, "To be honest, I'm more inclined to believe that he's plotting something insidious against us again."
"Using others as a knife." Yaxley's face darkened, "We still have a lot of enemies on the European continent. If they are all incited and take revenge on us..."
"Is that possible?"
"They've failed once before."
"I doubt they would do that."
"No, you don't understand Albert Anderson. Believe me, with his personality, convincing them to take action against us is not impossible. Don't forget about Scrimgeour. Even if he can't convince them, he can use other methods to persuade them. Believe me, it would be easy for that guy," Snape interjected.
"What methods?"
"Imperius Curse." Snape smirked coldly, "Don't forget, the last idiot who was caught by the Dark Lord was under the Imperius Curse, and we didn't even realize it."
"I think we need to strengthen our surveillance of the movements in various European countries to prevent them from catching us off guard." Yaxley looked at McNair, who nodded to indicate that he would handle it.
"As for the Dark Lord, I'll inform him about this later."
If the European countries sent Aurors into Britain to hunt down Dark Wizards, they would have to rely on the Dark Lord's power.
But, was that truly the case? Snape reserved his opinion, especially after Yaxley had steered the topic towards the potential retaliation from European countries. He sensed that something was indeed about to happen.
And that so-called conspiracy was none other than the very topic they were discussing.
As for the possibility of a Death Eater doing something extreme and infuriating the European Ministries of Magic, who already harbored enmity towards them, he wasn't surprised at all.
Now, no matter how he looked at it, it seemed like someone was trying to push Yaxley and the rest of the Death Eaters, along with the Dark Lord, into a carefully laid trap.
(End of Chapter)
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