Chapter 629: The Current Situation
Chapter 629: The Current Situation
After lunch, with the regret of missing the Opening Feast, Liam and his companions spent the entire afternoon patrolling and reinforcing the various defensive spells at Azkaban Castle.
Taking advantage of the distraction while setting up the defensive spells, Liam and Hermione used the enhanced Wolf Head Tie Clip to contact Lupin. After a brief exchange, they learned about the latest situation and the status of some of their acquaintances.
Lupin told them that when Voldemort attacked the Ministry of Magic, Percy immediately sensed something was amiss. He then found his superior, Madam Bones, and his father, and used the custom-made door key Liam had given him to escape to The Burrow with Madam Bones, Mr. Arthur, and the team members before the Ministry was fully sealed off. They were all safe and sound now.
The Weasley Twins, along with their Muggle-born wizard employees, had managed to transfer some of their goods to the Hogsmeade branch. Fortunately, since the Death Eaters attacked Hogwarts at the end of the last term, Liam and the Weasley Twins had already moved the majority of their stock to the Werewolf Base in Norway. The inventory in London and Hogsmeade was minimal, so their hasty retreat did not result in significant losses.
In hindsight, their evacuation was timely. Just ten minutes after they left, a group of black-robed, masked wizards, claiming to be from the Ministry of Magic, sealed off Weasley's Joke Shop in Diagon Alley.
Upon hearing that their acquaintances were safe, Liam and his companions breathed a sigh of relief. Hermione then asked through the communicator, "How are Professor Dumbledore and the students doing?"
"They are all safely inside Hogwarts Castle", Lupin replied. "They used magic to speed up the Hogwarts Express, and the train arrived at the station 15 minutes ago. I believe everyone is now safely inside Hogwarts Castle."
"Actually, I'm in Hogsmeade right now", Lupin added after finishing his update. "Dumbledore summoned most of the Order of the Phoenix members to meet at the Hog's Head five minutes ago. I just got here from Norway. The information coming in is mostly chaotic and contradictory, so I can only update you on the confirmed information about our acquaintances. I'll have to wait until the meeting ends to provide more details."
"By the way, weren't you supposed to enter school with the Hogwarts Express?" Lupin suddenly realized and asked. "Why are you asking about everyone's situation now?"
"We are at Azkaban, Professor Lupin", Hermione explained. "We came here voluntarily to prevent the Dark Lord from sending Death Eaters to take control of this crucial magical prison."
"—How is the situation?" Lupin asked. "Is there anything you need me to tell Headmaster Dumbledore?"
"About a dozen Death Eaters attacked Azkaban just a while ago, but we managed to drive them all off", Hermione briefly described the recent battle. "We believe they won't attack the World of the Living again, but the manpower here is severely lacking, and the Magic Array was broken. We need Headmaster Dumbledore to send additional personnel and supplies to reinforce the defenses here."
"Understood, I'll relay your request to Headmaster Dumbledore. I need to run to the Hog's Head now", Lupin said, ending the communication.
"It's chaos", Hermione remarked after the call ended. "I wonder if we could have prevented this disaster if we had conducted a thorough investigation beforehand."
"It's unlikely", Liam, sensing Hermione's survivor's guilt, placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "The Dark Lord's ability to quickly take over the Ministry of Magic indicates that they must have had a significant number of insiders within the Ministry."
"Think about it. Even with Professor Dumbledore's extensive intelligence network built over a hundred years in the magical world, he couldn't predict this attack. What could we, who have only been in the wizarding world for six years, have done?"
Seeing Hermione nod in agreement with his point, Liam continued, "This situation is essentially just transforming the previous secret war into an open one. Things aren't much worse. We just need to work with Professor Dumbledore to end this war and secure victory. And don't you think it's better now, at least we know who our enemies and friends are. We can use our full strength."
"You're right", Hermione said, her emotions now composed. "Besides, wasn't this war something we had already anticipated? It's an opportunity for us, a chance to change things."
Over the following hours, Liam, with Hermione's help, worked tirelessly to repair and enhance Azkaban's defensive magic. It wasn't until the sky had grown completely dark that Liam and the others, munching on sandwiches on the rooftop, finally received a message from Professor Dumbledore.
The message came from the contact room downstairs. After meeting with Minister Bones, Professor Dumbledore had successfully taken over the Ministry of Magic's communication facilities. Ensuring the students' safety, he began contacting various Ministry locations to assess the situation on both sides.
It was a necessary step, as Voldemort's takeover of the Ministry of Magic had been met with a variety of responses. Some locations remained loyal to the Ministry, supporting whoever controlled it. Others, infiltrated by Death Eater sympathizers, declared their allegiance to Voldemort. There were also those who, inspired by Dumbledore, decided to join his side.
Small-scale skirmishes even broke out at several key locations, with Death Eaters and members of the Order of the Phoenix, along with Dumbledore's supporters, fighting for control after confirming Voldemort's takeover of the Ministry. In short, the entire British Wizarding World was in chaos.
"I'm glad to hear that Azkaban is under our control", Dumbledore's face appeared in the Two-way Mirror in the communication room. With his magical prowess and the Ministry of Magic's secret keys provided by Madam Bones, he had easily taken over the entire Ministry communication network. "How is the situation on your end?"
"Since the group of Death Eaters who tried to take advantage of the situation were driven away, no more enemies have attacked us", Liam reported. "And I've repaired the magical defenses of Azkaban Castle that were damaged earlier."
"However, we're facing a significant problem", Liam then got to the point. "We've eliminated all the Dementors, which means Azkaban needs more personnel to guard the prisoners. But we also need to defend this castle, and our manpower is far from sufficient. Not to mention, there are many innocent people who were wrongly imprisoned, and we need to send trial personnel to identify them. In short, we need more people."
"Besides more people, what else do you need?" The Headmaster looked weary, clearly indicating that Voldemort's sudden attack had exceeded his expectations. As the greatest White Wizard, he now had countless matters to handle.
"Supplies, especially magical materials", Liam said solemnly. "The food and water reserves here are sufficient; we can last over a month with the prisoners. But the magical materials are scarce. We can barely repair and reinforce the defense ritual array. Doing anything more is practically impossible."
"Understood", Dumbledore nodded slightly. "Give me a list of the supplies you need and the new Azkaban defense key you've set up. I'll send the supplies over tonight. As for new personnel, it might take some time, as the sudden attack on the Ministry has left me short on options to replace you in defending Azkaban."
(End of Chapter)
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