Chapter 539: Operation, Miniature Dolls
Chapter 539: Operation, Miniature Dolls
Ever since that day in Dumbledore's office when he finished reading the Horcrux creation manual, Dumbledore hadn't approached Liam again. For Liam, this was a good thing, as it allowed him to focus entirely on his Rose Madonna project.
Time flew by, and February soon turned into March. The weather remained damp, with the addition of more wind. A notice was posted on all the Common Room bulletin boards, announcing that the trip to Hogsmeade had been canceled. Everyone was disappointed, even Hermione, who had been buried in her studies, felt a pang of frustration at the loss of a well-deserved break.
However, the most upset person in the Common Room was Ron, who loudly complained, "It's my birthday! I've been looking forward to it!"
"Ron, Ron, don't worry. I'll be with you, and you'll have a fantastic birthday", Lavender suddenly appeared and said to Ron.
Liam, however, understood the reason behind the cancellation. In a situation where there were random, fatal attacks on Hogwarts students, it would be irresponsible to let the students leave the castle.
Perhaps because Liam and Hermione hadn't ventured out of the school recently, the Death Eaters, sensing a more favorable atmosphere, had become active again. The Daily Prophet reported more disappearances in the past couple of days, including relatives of several Hogwarts students.
Apart from the increasing tension outside, Apparition classes were also not going well. Apart from Liam and Hermione, the most significant change was that a few more students had Splinched themselves. The students' frustration was mounting, and there was growing resentment towards Professor Tewkross and his three Ds. Liam had heard many of them giving Tewkross derogatory nicknames, the mildest of which were "Stinky Dog" and "Shithead." Naturally, this made everyone irritable, including Liam.
"Damn it, if not for the current situation, I could have—” Liam muttered to himself as he stirred the contents of several cauldrons on the table one evening at the Multiverse General Store. Rose Crystal and her sisters, who had just returned from the World of Ice and Fire, overheard him.
"Big Brother, is there anything I can help you with?" Rose Crystal flew up to Liam and asked.
"Well, it's like this—" Liam recounted the recent attacks outside the castle to the Dolls, summarizing, "Unfortunately, I am powerless to stop them and can only watch as innocent people suffer. Sigh—"
"I see!" Rose Crystal nodded. "Big Brother, there's no need to worry. My sisters and I have just finished dealing with the World of Ice and Fire, so we expect things to remain calm for a while. Professor Luo Zhen and Alice are studying the Time Grains you sent them last time. This means we have some free time and can assist you. As Rosary Maidens, your commands and those of the teacher are our only goals."
After listening to the Dolls, Liam noticed a faint scent of blood on them, which he hadn't picked up before due to the strong smell of the alchemical elixirs in the room.
"What did you handle in the World of Ice and Fire?" Liam asked, curious. A few months ago, Rose Crystal had saved Eddard Stark in King's Landing. Because Joffrey, in the name of a deity, had promised to spare Eddard's life, the Puppets had gone to fulfill the vow. They used an illusion to rescue Eddard from the execution ground and, in the name of the deity, forbade him from ever setting foot in Westeros again. They then sent him to Essos to be with his wife and children.
They hadn't killed anyone during that operation, but this time was different. Given their authority in that world, the presence of the blood scent indicated that they had engaged in significant violence.
"It's like this", Rose Crystal explained. "I really like Lyanna Mormont, so when she asked me to deliver a letter to her sister yesterday, I went to the North with the others, thinking we could also check on The Wall. When we arrived, we found Winterfell in ruins. After gathering some information, we headed south to find Robb's army, hoping to locate Dacey Mormont, who was with him."
"Then, we happened to arrive at The Twins just as Robb was preparing for his wedding feast. We decided to enjoy the festivities and wait until everyone was asleep to find Dacey Mormont. However, we saw the lord of the castle preparing to kill Robb and his men. While I don't know who was right or wrong, I have a good relationship with Arya, and as deities in that world, we cannot allow anyone to violate a promise made in our name. So, we eliminated all those who attempted to attack."
"How many?" Liam asked.
"Unclear", Rose Crystal shook her head. "We killed all the nobles in the hall and around it, then moved on to attack the officers and nobles in the mayor's army outside. It might be because it was dark and no one noticed us, but we managed to take out almost all the officers before everyone stopped."
Liam could now confirm that the Miniature Dolls had directly intruded into the Red Wedding. While Robb's foolishness was the primary cause of the tragedy in the original story, the Miniature Dolls' killings had changed the course of events. At least now, the Frey and Bolton families had been severely weakened, and the Twins had fallen into the hands of the North. It seemed their civil war would continue, but this was a good thing for Liam and his group. If the North and the Westerlands remained at war for a long time, his country could continue to profit from the conflict.
"Since you're willing to help, I hope you can go outside and stop the Death Eaters and evil creatures who are carrying out terrorist attacks and harming innocent people", Liam said to the Miniature Dolls. "But under no circumstances should you compromise your own safety. If there's any risk of being exposed, leave immediately. Also, for safety reasons, it's best if you only go out for half a month. After that, please return to the Multiverse General Store and let me know."
"Don't worry, Big Brother", Rose Crystal nodded after the Miniature Dolls huddled together and whispered for a bit. "Please trust us. Besides, with Gill's Skill helping us, it will be much harder for those bad guys to discover us."
"Alright, I wish you all the best", Liam replied. He then slipped out of Schoolcastle under the cover of night and released the Dolls. All he could do now was pray that everything went smoothly.
The next day was the first day of March, a Saturday. Liam, as usual, woke up early and met Hermione in the Common Room. The two of them began their daily exercise routine.
After finishing their workout, they headed back to their dorms to change clothes and go down for breakfast. Just as they opened the Common Room door, they heard a commotion and loud noises coming from inside. When they entered, they saw Harry and Ron wrestling on the carpeted stone floor.
The only fortunate thing was that it was Saturday, and it was mealtime. The dorm's door had excellent soundproofing, so most people were either already downstairs for breakfast or still sleeping in their rooms. No one was around to witness their scuffle.
"Binding Spell", Liam and Hermione cast the spell simultaneously, immobilizing Harry and Ron. Hermione stepped forward and asked, "Why are you two fighting in the Common Room so early in the morning?"
"Because I love Romilda Vane, but he said he likes her too", Harry and Ron, being good friends, said in unison.
"Seems like I forgot something", Liam thought the scene was familiar but couldn't quite place it. Hermione, however, quickly figured it out.
"Liam, they seem to have drunk Amortentia", she concluded after examining them. Hearing Hermione's words, Liam finally remembered what was going on. He looked at the coffee table where Harry and Ron had been sitting and saw an open box with only half a box of Chocolate Cauldrons left.
Liam walked over, picked up a Chocolate Cauldron, and cast a detection spell. The pink light confirmed his suspicions: the Chocolate Cauldrons were laced with Amortentia.
"You're right, but we might have to bother Professor Slughorn", Liam said with a shrug. "Amortentia requires a specific antidote. The broad-spectrum antitoxin I have won't work, and I don't have the ingredients to make the Amortentia antidote."
(End of Chapter)
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