Chapter 602: Metro 1997
Chapter 602: Metro 1997
"Who's knocking at the door?" On the day they had agreed for Harry's evacuation, at noon, Liam and the others had just finished setting up and testing the vehicle in the tunnel twice, confirming everything was ready, when a knock came at the door.
"It must be Lupin and the others; no one else knows about this place", Hermione said, extending her hand to grasp her wand before opening the door. "Professor Moody and Professor Lupin, hello. It's great to see you at this time."
"Good afternoon, Hermione", Lupin greeted warmly. Mad-Eye Moody, on the other hand, nodded briefly and then asked directly, "I heard you plan to evacuate Harry by digging a tunnel. How's the preparation going?"
"It's all set", Hermione replied, leading Mad-Eye Moody and Lupin into the living room. Liam, seeing them enter, pushed the sofa forward, revealing a downward staircase.
"Alright, this is our work over the past three days", Liam said, descending the stairs first, with the others following. Once the last person entered, Liam pulled a lever on the wall, and the sofa snapped back into place, concealing the hidden exit.
"Great job, Liam", Lupin praised as they descended the spiral staircase. The passage was wide enough for a person to stand upright, with hardened walls and ceiling. Small niches in the walls held bottles of flame to provide lighting.
At around 15 meters underground, an iron gate blocked their path. After releasing the lock by pulling another lever, the gate swung open, revealing a spacious rectangular basement. On the other side, the floor was sunken by about a meter, and a square cart was parked there.
The cart was about the size of a large car but resembled a miniaturized subway. At one end of the basement, a dark tunnel stretched out, and two small steel tracks extended from beneath the cart, disappearing into the darkness.
"This is a miracle. You managed to build an underground railway in just three days", Mad-Eye Moody, who usually maintained a serious demeanor, said with surprise. "I'm sure the Dark Lord never expected this. By the way, where is the exit?"
"It's in the small compartment under the stairs at Harry's aunt's house. Luckily, they were watching TV last night with the volume up high, so they didn't hear the laser cutter slicing through the floor", Liam explained, gesturing for them to follow. "We can take this cart to check it out and confirm everything."
Ten minutes later, they appeared in the living room of the house they had rented. They had traveled via the mini subway directly to another station under Harry's aunt's house, even climbing up and slightly opening the floor panel under the stairs to hear Harry's aunt and uncle shouting loudly.
"With this underground railway, our plan can be even more foolproof", Mad-Eye Moody said, taking a sip of the tea Hermione had just brewed. "I believe the Dark Lord's side has already learned about our plan to move Harry, so we need a better backup plan to ensure his safe transfer."
"Indeed, we should", Liam agreed, recalling the original story where Voldemort's side ambushed them during Harry's transfer, leading to Mad-Eye Moody's death. "By the way, who else knows about the underground railway?"
"Right now, only Lupin, Tonks, and Dumbledore know that you're digging a tunnel, but they don't know it's a subway that can quickly evacuate Harry. I can assure you that they won't disclose this information to anyone else", Mad-Eye Moody said firmly. Dumbledore, needless to say, and even Tonks, an Elite Auror, knows when to keep secrets.
"That's good. I think the next steps can be arranged like this—" Liam outlined his plan to Mad-Eye Moody and Lupin. Soon, Lupin and Mad-Eye Moody left the house, and half an hour later, Sirius Black arrived on schedule.
"This is terrible." Sirius Black complained as soon as he walked in. "Now Kreacher is always around Narcissa and that little brat from the Malfoy family, treating me like I'm invisible."
"Well, at least he can stay silent when he sees you now. That's a lot better than the constant grumbling we used to hear", Liam said. "By the way, Sirius Black, I heard from Lupin that you know how to drive a car?"
"Of course I do." Sirius Black lifted his head proudly, but his eyes soon dimmed. "Back then, I was young and very fascinated by Muggle vehicles. So I learned to drive a car and ride a motorcycle. I even learned how to repair them. The only problem is that I don't have a driver's license."
"Can you drive the Weasley family's flying car?" Hermione asked from the side.
"Yes, why? Does this mission require me to drive that car?" Sirius Black asked.
"Of course not." Liam shook his head. "That car is too old and would attract a lot of attention on the streets. I spent some time modifying a car that has similar capabilities but is less noticeable. You can come and take a look. If you can handle it, you'll drive that one tonight."
"Got it." Sirius Black's expression turned serious, and he followed Liam through the door to the garage. Inside, a red Fiat Punto was parked, a two-door hatchback that had been one of the best-selling cars in Europe last year. It would easily blend into the traffic without drawing attention. After driving around the neighborhood a couple of times, Liam confirmed that Sirius Black was indeed suitable for the upcoming task.
"Alright, you stay here for now. Once we pick up Harry, you'll drive north for about ten miles, then use the Illusion Apparition to bring Harry along. Hermione will join you for the operation—" Liam explained his plan to Sirius Black once they returned to the garage.
"Then it's up to you from here on out." Five minutes later, after listening to Liam's instructions, Sirius Black patted Liam's shoulder firmly and then walked into the living room somberly.
For the next few hours, the three of them sat in silence. Although Liam had turned on the TV, none of them paid much attention to the screen. When it grew dark, Liam stood up, changed into his clothes, and kissed Hermione goodbye. Then, he and Sirius Black headed to Number 4 Privet Drive via the subway.
Upon arriving at the other end of the subway, Sirius Black seemed restless, constantly pulling out a silver pocket watch from his pocket to check the time and then putting it back.
"Sirius Black, we still need to wait for a while, so can you sit down and rest for a bit? Tonight is going to be a long one", Liam said, unable to tolerate the tense atmosphere as Sirius Black paced back and forth like a caged wolf in the small subway station.
"I know, I know everything." Sirius Black stopped and gave a bitter smile. "But I'm just nervous."
"I understand." Liam nodded. "After all, the task you're responsible for is the most important. You need to stay calm and ensure you're at your best tonight."
"I know." Sirius Black nodded, but before he could say more, Liam's expression changed abruptly as he pulled out a small silver badge from his pocket. The badge, no bigger than a thumb, was flashing white and vibrating.
"Alright, it's time to go." Liam crushed the small badge and headed toward the spiral staircase, while Sirius Black stood there, tense and waiting.
(End of Chapter)
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