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Chapter 438: Situation Sudden Change
Chapter 438: Situation Sudden Change (Request for Subscriptions, Favorites, and Votes)
On the night after the exams, everyone was in high spirits. With the help of the Weasley Twins, the fifth and seventh-year Gryffindor students even held a small party in the Common Room. This reminded Liam of the time after his College Entrance Exam when he and a few close friends went out to sing karaoke.
Naturally, everyone was very happy at such an occasion, but the intense studying had left them all quite exhausted. So, after a short while, they all dispersed to get some rest.
Harry was no different. After putting down the biggest burden on his mind, he quickly fell asleep. At first, everything was dark as usual, but soon the darkness began to fade, and dim images appeared in Harry's mind.
Once again, he found himself walking down the cold, dark corridor of the Department of Mysteries, his steps firm and determined. Occasionally, he would break into a run, finally resolved to reach his destination.
He paid little attention to his surroundings, and after passing through three doors, Harry found himself in the vast, church-like room filled with shelves and glass orbs. Something seemed to be urging him on, his heart pounding rapidly. Guided by an inner force, he walked to the 97th row of shelves, turned left, and hurried down the narrow aisle between the rows.
At the end of the aisle, a dark figure was moving on the floor. Harry felt a voice, cold and high-pitched, devoid of any human kindness, coming from his own mouth.
"Fetch it for me... quickly, bring it... I cannot touch it... you can touch it..."
The dark figure on the floor stirred. A long, pale hand gripped a wand and raised it. The cold, sharp voice commanded, "Cruciatus!"
To Harry's shock, it seemed he was the one casting the Cruciatus Curse. The man on the floor screamed in agony, struggling to get up but collapsing again. Harry laughed. He raised his wand, and the curse stopped. The figure groaned and lay still.
"Voldemort is waiting..."
The man on the floor trembled, slowly raising himself a few inches on his arms, lifting his head. His face was bloodied and gaunt, contorted in pain, yet it bore a look of unyielding defiance. "You must kill me."
"Of course, I will", the cold voice replied. "But first, you must bring it to me, Black. Do you think the pain you feel now is all there is? Think again... we have hours ahead, and no one will hear your screams..."
As Voldemort lowered his wand, Harry screamed and thrashed about in his bed. He woke up when his head hit the bedpost, still screaming, his scar burning as if branded by a red-hot iron.
"Harry!" Ron stood beside him, terrified. "Who was it this time? Who got hurt?"
"Sirius Black, Sirius Black has been captured by Voldemort—" Harry's vision blurred with pain, but he clung to Ron's arm, feeling the importance of what he had to say. "Quick, go tell Professor Mcgonagall."
"But, but Professor Mcgonagall isn't at the school", Ron stammered. "You know, she left to escort our exam papers to London after the exams today."
"Damn it!" Harry pounded the bed and climbed out, speaking loudly. "I can't just let Sirius Black die. I have to go to the Department of Mysteries to save him!"
"But, mate", Ron held him back. "Rushing in like this is no different from suicide. Don't forget your opponent is the Dark Lord. Going there will only result in one more death."
At that moment, the door to their dormitory opened, and Liam emerged from behind Neville. "What's going on? Neville woke me up just a while ago, saying Harry seemed to be sick and asked me to check on him."
"No, it's not sickness", Ron explained to Liam. "Harry had a dream, just like the one I had when my father was bitten a few months ago. This time, the Dark Lord has kidnapped Sirius Black."
Liam stiffened at the words but quickly relaxed, feeling a sense of relief. This meant that Voldemort had truly started executing the plan, and everything was back on track.
"I know you're nervous, but the real question is whether what you saw is real", Liam said, drawing his wand and using a mental soothing spell to ease Harry's pain. "You need to understand that your observation is a two-way street. Especially when the other party is more powerful, they can sense you. I'm worried this is a trap, a way to lure you out of the safety of the castle. After all, you're likely one of the top three on the Dark Lord's hit list."
"But Sirius Black—"
"Sirius Black gave you a Two-way Mirror, didn't he? You can ask him", Liam interrupted, waving his hand.
"Damn, I completely forgot about it", Harry exclaimed, smacking his forehead. He rummaged through a chest under his bed and finally found a poorly wrapped small package in the corner. Inside was a dirty and old square mirror, along with a note from Sirius Black explaining its use.
After reading the note, Harry held the mirror up to his eyes and called out, "Sirius Black!" A few seconds later, the mirror responded, but instead of Sirius, Kreacher's wrinkled face appeared.
"Where is Sirius Black, Kreacher?" Harry asked.
"Master is out", the house-elf wheezed, smiling softly. "He went on a trip with Ms. Strow. I hope the next generation of the Black family is born soon; I'd be happy to take care of their children—"
"Can you tell me if he hasn't come back yet? Did he go to the Ministry of Magic?" Harry quickly interrupted, as Kreacher was starting to ramble about baby bottles and diapers.
"Of course not, Harry Potter", Kreacher replied, looking at Harry. "This morning, Master said he and Ms. Strow were going to Marseille for a walk. Why would he go to the Ministry of Magic?"
"Can you call the Order of the Phoenix members? I have important information to tell them." Kreacher vanished with a pop and reappeared in another room, where Harry saw Lupin rubbing his eyes and sitting up.
"What, you saw Sirius Black being captured?" Lupin looked shocked. "Stay in the castle and don't move. I'll inform the others. Whatever you do, don't leave the castle."
The two-way mirror went dark, and the dormitory fell into tense silence. But no new news came until dawn.
"Liam, what's wrong with you?" Hermione asked in surprise during breakfast the next day. "Why do you look worse after the exam?"
Liam leaned in and whispered the situation to Hermione. After hearing the explanation, Hermione agreed that this was Voldemort's attempt to lure Harry out of the castle.
However, during dinner, Hermione brought more bad news: Kreacher used the Two-way Mirror to inform Harry that the Order of the Phoenix members found Ms. Strow unconscious in Marseille. According to her account, she and Sirius Black were walking on the beach yesterday afternoon when a group of about seven or eight black-cloaked figures attacked them. Despite their best efforts, they were outnumbered and overpowered. Ms. Strow saw Sirius Black being taken away by the group before she lost consciousness.
Voldemort had gone so far as to kidnap someone. Liam was stunned by this news. The situation had deviated significantly from the original plot, and it seemed the battle at the Ministry of Magic was now inevitable.
(End of Chapter)
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