Chapter 328: The Plan (Part 1)
Chapter 328: The Plan (Part 1) (Please subscribe, favorite, and vote)
A remarkable scene unfolded in the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts. Professor Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, listening intently, while two Muggle-born wizards spoke to him from across the room.
After Hermione finished her explanation of the pre-World War II Appeasement Policy of Britain and France, Dumbledore fell into deep thought. It took him several minutes to remember that there were two students in his office.
"Alright, I imagine you must be quite tired after everything that's happened today. You should both go to bed now." With that, Dumbledore stood up and escorted them to the staircase. As Liam and Hermione descended the spiral stairs, they could see Dumbledore returning to his desk, deep in thought once more.
In a corridor without any paintings, Liam took the doll out of the box. He had planned to use this as a ruse, but Dumbledore hadn't even glanced at the box.
As soon as he closed the box, he felt a weight in his hand. It seemed that Rose Crystal had already placed the Dimensional Beacon in her sleeping spot, and the box had returned as soon as it was empty.
"Good night." Back in the Common Room, Liam handed the box to Hermione and waved goodbye to her before returning to his dormitory. The day had been incredibly busy, and he had intended to go through the loot. However, as soon as he lay down on his bed, exhaustion hit him, and he decided to wait until he had more time. After all, the items wouldn't run away, and a good night's sleep was in order.
The next morning, Liam managed to break away from a group of curious classmates who were buzzing about what had happened the day before. Just as he was about to head to class with Hermione, Professor Mcgonagall's voice called out behind them. "Mr. Liang, Miss Granger. Headmaster Dumbledore needs to see you both."
They exchanged worried glances, seeing the same concern in each other's eyes. They followed Professor Mcgonagall to the Headmaster's Office. She didn't say much during the walk, but her tightly pressed lips and quick steps indicated that the meeting was not going to be pleasant.
"Macaron." Professor Mcgonagall spoke the password to the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's Office, and it moved aside to reveal the spiraling staircase.
Pushing open the door with the Griffin Knocker, they found Professor Dumbledore, Harry Potter, and Professor Snape in the office. The three of them turned to look as Liam and Hermione entered. Snape immediately excused himself and left.
"Thank you, Minerva." Headmaster Dumbledore nodded to Professor Mcgonagall, then turned to Liam and Hermione. "Unfortunately, all the conclusions you reached last night have come true. This morning, I spoke with Fudge for half an hour, but he refused to acknowledge Voldemort's return. He accused me of jumping to conclusions based on a child's word and of deliberately creating a panic to undermine the stability he and the Ministry of Magic have worked hard to maintain for the past thirteen years."
"Why would he think that, sir?" Harry asked, puzzled.
"Because he believes I want to seize power, Harry. Just because I suggested that Voldemort has returned and that the Ministry of Magic should inform the public—"
Liam felt that Dumbledore's actions did indeed seem like a power grab. After all, this was the Ministry of Magic's responsibility. Dumbledore, despite his reputation, was just the Headmaster of Hogwarts and shouldn't be interfering in the Ministry's affairs.
But this incident also shows that Professor Dumbledore was significantly influenced by Grindelwald in his youth, willing to ignore others for what he believed to be a greater good.
However, compared to the original story where Dumbledore proposed a solution to Fudge after Voldemort's return and declared his intention to part ways when it was rejected, Dumbledore's approach this time could be considered rather mild. He simply invited Fudge to his office to discuss the matter, and when the conversation broke down, he merely watched Fudge leave in a huff without taking any further action.
"——I plan to announce publicly that Voldemort has returned. What do you think about this?" After summarizing his conversation with Fudge, Dumbledore turned to Liam and the others for their opinions.
"I think we are just students——" "It's fine. We need every bit of support when facing Voldemort, and you might provide insights from a Muggle perspective that we haven't considered", Dumbledore reassured them.
"Frankly, Professor, I believe that would only make the situation worse." Liam expected Dumbledore to be angry, as he was opposing the professor's plan. Instead, Dumbledore looked at him with interest.
"Very well, explain your reasoning." Headmaster Dumbledore encouraged Liam with a supportive gaze.
"On one hand, as far as I know, Minister Fudge has been in his position for over a decade. As the highest official in the Ministry of Magic, he naturally doesn't want anyone telling him what to do, including you. On the other hand, most of the Ministry's supporters are Pureblood Families, many of whom have ties to the Dark Lord. In this situation, they will do everything in their power to prevent the news of the Dark Lord's return until he decides to reveal himself. Therefore, Headmaster, your plan will only serve to fuel the public's resentment and dislike towards you, especially those who have grown weary of war after the heavy losses in the last one."
"That is indeed true. If it were just Fudge, the problem would be easier to handle. However, the issue is that the ordinary people in the Wizarding World genuinely do not want to accept this. They are more inclined to believe the Ministry's fabricated tales of everything being fine", Hermione added, drawing a parallel to how Churchill and De Gaulle were marginalized before World War II for warning about the impending conflict. "Human nature is such that people are unwilling to hear bad news. Sometimes, they prefer to believe more comforting lies, even if those lies have dire consequences."
"But, but the return of that person would be a massive disaster involving everyone. How can they choose to deceive themselves about this?" Harry said, disbelief evident in his voice.
"The Second World War was also a disaster for the people of that time, yet they still chose to deceive themselves. I don't think Wizards are any different from Muggles in this regard. Muggle history has already shown us everything. Read some books on the subject, Harry", Hermione sighed.
"What do you think we should do, then?" Professor Dumbledore asked seriously.
"Speaking of war, one of my Packmates, a great person, said something very relevant: unite all the forces that can be united, and make our friends many and our enemies few", Liam responded solemnly.
"In this situation, our primary task is to win over the majority of neutral parties. The core supporters on both sides won't change much", Liam noted, seeing Professor Dumbledore and Professor Mcgonagall nod in agreement.
"As for how to win over the neutral parties, a specific plan can only be formulated once we know the evidence from the kidnapping incident." Liam shrugged, looking at the professors who were watching him expectantly. Without knowing how much evidence they had, it was impossible to plan the next steps.
(End of Chapter)
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