Chapter 499: Recent Developments
Chapter 499: Recent Developments
Hermione smiled softly, while Harry laughed more carefree.
“What’s going on?” Lupin asked, puzzled.
“Nothing, nothing,” Harry said, his laughter growing. “Of course Professor is on our side; it’s the most normal thing in the world—”
“You have a point,” Lupin said seriously, “but he’s too independent. Sometimes the information doesn’t match up... I almost got killed by him.”
“What happened?” Harry stopped laughing.
“I took a few days off recently to catch up with some friends,” Lupin said gloomily. “You know who I’m referring to—my kind...” Harry and Hermione nodded gently, understanding he meant werewolves.
“Originally, Dumbledore wanted me to infiltrate the werewolf community, but my face has gained some recognition, having been in the papers a few times... So I decided to operate semi-publicly, trying to persuade the more moderate werewolf groups. I promised to provide them with a steady supply of Wolfsbane Potion to get them on our side, or at least to remain neutral. One time, Felix came looking for a Dark Wizard—werewolves and Dark Wizards have a complicated relationship. Sometimes they mix together, probably because they both exist on the fringes of society, though werewolves are forced into it... This led to a conflict, and a few impulsive werewolves charged forward. The next second, they were struck back by black lightning.”
“It was too fast to react,” Lupin said with lingering fear. “But the mission was somewhat successful; that group of werewolves moved out that night.”
Harry and Hermione exchanged glances.
“Kids, I’m not telling you this to blame Felix—though his methods were indeed a bit brutal,” Lupin concluded. “But you must understand one thing: werewolves are dangerous. Although they are divided into brutal and moderate factions, they all fall into the dangerous category. The only difference is whether they actively attack humans, so don’t form the mistaken impression that the moderate ones are good-tempered—”
“I don’t see it that way, Remus. You have a better temperament than most people I know,” a young woman’s voice said from the living room.
The witch had a pale, heart-shaped face with a pair of sparkling black eyes. Her spiky short hair was a vivid violet, and her Muggle-style clothing was eccentric—quirky shirts and patched denim jeans, like a rebellious teenager Harry had occasionally seen.
Harry found her face familiar and recognized her after a few seconds. He had seen her in his third year.
“Hello, Tonks,” Lupin introduced her calmly to the two. “Tonks is an Auror at the Ministry of Magic, assigned to the Order of the Phoenix as a liaison.”
Harry and Hermione immediately understood.
Tonks approached, eyeing them with great interest. She extended her hand, “Hello, I’ve been wanting to talk to you for a while.” She said in a friendly manner.
Harry and Hermione fumbled to shake her hand, and Tonks leaned in to whisper, “I’ve joined the Order of the Phoenix.”
“Congratulations—” Harry said awkwardly, unable to think of anything more appropriate.
During this time, Kreacher had been silent. When Harry looked at him, Kreacher bowed respectfully, “Please allow Kreacher to make tea for Master.”
“Oh, uh, sure,” Harry said. Kreacher then disappeared right before his eyes, and Harry found his attitude a bit odd.
“He treats us like air,” Lupin said, “because of my werewolf status. He should actually be more respectful to Tonks, but—”
“My mom was disowned by the Black Family,” Tonks shrugged. “I guess he doesn’t approve of me.”
“Disowned? That tapestry?” Harry asked.
“Yeah,” Tonks mimed a spark-shooting gesture.
Hermione looked confused at their conversation.
Harry explained quietly, “On the second floor, there’s a tapestry with the Black Family’s lineage. Not everyone is on it; members who seriously violate family traditions are erased from the tapestry, like Sirius was.”
Hermione nodded in understanding.
“Anyway—welcome,” Lupin smiled, opening his arms and hugging Harry.
…
Harry and Hermione sat on the sofa, feeling everything around them was new and intriguing.
“Are there only a few of you here?” Hermione asked.
“Of course not. Sirius has offered this place as the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix. Everyone is usually busy and rarely gathers, only coming when they have free time,” Lupin explained. “Molly has cleaned up a few rooms, making them barely livable.”
“I remember Sirius and Kreacher cleaned the rooms before,” Harry said, recalling his few days here when the conditions were much worse.
“Alright, let me rephrase that—it’s barely suitable for new residents,” Lupin smiled. “Sirius is a bachelor, and Kreacher... while still somewhat diligent, he’s getting old. I strongly suspect his taste has been skewed...”
Lupin looked at the time, “Sirius should be back soon. He said he’d try to leave work early today. I’ll start cooking.”
“Do you need help?” Tonks asked.
“No, thanks,” Lupin said, but Tonks followed him out anyway. Soon, the sounds of clattering and Tonks’ apologies—“Oh! Sorry—” echoed from downstairs.
As soon as the two of them left, Kreacher appeared, carrying a teapot. "This is for Master Harry—" He considerately poured steaming tea into the cups and then glanced at Hermione with his large eyes, making no further move.
Hermione, feeling a bit awkward, poured herself a cup and took small sips.
"If Master Harry has any requests, just call Kreacher. Kreacher is always ready to serve." The house-elf disappeared with a pop.
Harry explained in a low voice, "Kreacher has served the Black Family for generations, heavily influenced by Pureblood ideology. Sirius put in a lot of effort to get him to stop cursing, but I think it only worked halfway. Kreacher now completely ignores non-Pureblood wizards."
"I understand", Hermione said, holding her teacup and looking interestedly in the direction Kreacher had disappeared.
"Come on, let me show you around the house. I’ve been here a few times, but it’s strange, I haven’t found a suitable place to practice magic yet... We’re on the second floor now. The first floor is the entrance hall and dining room, and the third floor has a few bedrooms, but a lot of junk was piled in there during the last big cleaning. I’m not sure what it’s like now... At the end of the corridor is the study..."
Harry and Hermione peeked into the study and saw a professor sitting in a chair, muttering to himself, "Animagus?" He looked up and asked Harry and Hermione, "Has Sirius returned?"
"Not yet", Harry answered honestly.
"Professor", Hermione asked, "where can we practice magic?"
"There are two places. On the fifth floor, there are two bedrooms that once belonged to Sirius and Regulus, and a spacious activity room that used to be locked. It’s fine for practicing general magic. In the basement, there’s the kitchen, but if you go down a hidden entrance and a long staircase, you’ll find a large space, which is technically the second basement. I guess it might have been the Black Family’s spell laboratory, but it’s been abandoned. The walls are made of extremely sturdy stone and have various magical protections..."
Felix finished explaining and then asked, "By the way, have you heard about the award?"
"The award?" Harry and Hermione said in unison.
Felix smiled, "Madam Bones said it herself. You have a chance to receive a Second-Class Order of Merlin. That’s no joke."
Harry had completely forgotten about it.
Even when they returned to the living room, Harry’s mind was still reeling. He was going to receive the Order of Merlin?
...
As the time approached eight, there was some noise downstairs.
Harry perked up his ears and heard familiar footsteps. It was Sirius!
"Harry!" Sirius appeared at the living room door, smiling at Harry. "Mundungus finally did something right for a change." He sat down across from Harry, nearly sitting on Mundungus, "Ouch—"
"Is it dinnertime?" Mundungus mumbled, still half-asleep.
"Not yet", Sirius said. He moved to another spot, and Crookshanks jumped onto his lap, letting Sirius scratch under its chin.
Mundungus muttered something incoherent and covered his head with his tattered clothes to continue sleeping.
"What have you been up to lately?" Harry asked.
"Plenty to do", Sirius said, leaning back on the sofa, looking tired. "We’re in the preparation phase, and both sides are being cautious. In reality... there hasn’t been any direct confrontation—unless you count a few Dementor attacks. We think Voldemort is secretly recruiting and forming alliances or planning something sinister... In any case, he’s not idle. On our side, we’re doing the same, but we’re focused on strengthening our defenses", he glanced at Harry, "one side is homeless, while the other has a large estate. That’s the situation."
"The wizarding world has been peaceful for many years, and most people aren’t vigilant. There are many vulnerabilities, like what happened at Azkaban... Amelia has been busy patching things up."
"And the Floo Network", Mundungus mumbled in his sleep.
Sirius grinned.
"You’re right. Who would have thought that the unassuming Floo Network Authority would become so important during wartime? Amelia ordered the Floo Network team to clean up old and illegal connections and monitor any anomalies—"
"What about here?" Harry asked, recalling what Mundungus had told them about the Black Family’s control over part of the Floo Network technology.
"We don’t need to worry for now", Sirius said with a sly grin. "This place is under the Fidelius Charm. The Ministry of Magic can’t find us. They might detect an uncontrolled node, but they can’t pinpoint its location."
...
During dinner, everyone exchanged information.
"Fudge has been sent to lobby European countries, warning them about Death Eater activities... It’s a good use of his skills", Sirius said with a shrug.
Harry was quite surprised.
"Molly told me she’ll be moving in with a few kids in a couple of days", Lupin added.
Harry and Hermione were both excited by this news.
"I’m going out for a few days", Felix said, "but I’ll be back before the awards ceremony."
"Where to?" Lupin asked sharply.
"To visit Mr. Scamander. I miss the little creatures he keeps in his basement."
(End of Chapter)
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