Chapter 680: Suspicion and News
Chapter 680: Suspicion and News
"Good morning, Big Brother." The next morning, Liam was awakened by Rose Crystal's crisp voice. "I suggest you get up quickly, as it's almost lunchtime."
"What, I slept that long?" Liam hurriedly sat up and turned to look out the window, only to find that the sunlight was already very bright. Golden beams of sunlight filtered through the curtains, forming thin rays of light in the room.
"Maybe you were just too tired yesterday", Liam said with a self-deprecating smile. He got out of bed and started to freshen up. "By the way, Little Rose, where's Hermione?"
"She got up half an hour ago and saw that you were still sleeping, so she didn't wake you and went downstairs on her own", Rose Crystal shrugged. "She's probably preparing breakfast now."
"Oh, really." Liam shook his head in exasperation and quickly finished getting ready before heading downstairs. When he arrived at the Great Hall, he saw Hermione sitting at the table waiting for him, with two plates of hearty English breakfasts on the table.
"I'm really sorry for the trouble", Liam said apologetically as he sat down. "You should have woken me up when you got up. I can't let you do all the work alone."
"But I didn't do much, really", Hermione smiled and shrugged. "This is our home, after all. I don't need to cook myself. I just told Handy what we wanted for breakfast."
"Oh, I see." Liam picked up a piece of bacon with his fork and started eating. "Since we've had this house, the number of times we've stayed here can be counted on one hand. I forgot about that."
"It's no big deal, it's just a small thing", Hermione waved her hand and continued. "By the way, I just checked on the hostages we rescued yesterday. Their condition has improved significantly since we brought them back. If everything goes well, they should wake up in three or four hours."
"That's great news", Liam said sincerely. "I think the fact that the Dark Lord went to such great lengths to set up this laboratory suggests that it must be very important to him. If we can figure out what this laboratory is for, it could be very useful for us."
"You're right, but there's one thing you might not have considered", Hermione put down her fork and nodded in agreement. "In my opinion, the importance of this laboratory might exceed your expectations."
"Oh? Go on", Liam put down his fork, curious. He had just thought that a place with so many valuable materials and so many guards must be important, but he hadn't really thought it through. Now, hearing Hermione's analysis, he stopped eating and prepared to listen to her insights.
"Here's the thing: even though there are many guards and they have sufficient magical arrays to help them, the fact that they are all isolated behind that iron wall is a bit strange", Hermione explained.
"You see, the two wandmakers we rescued were forcibly taken. Normally, they wouldn't be allowed to move around freely. So why are the guards and the wandmakers separated by a wall, without anyone closely monitoring them?"
"That is indeed suspicious", Liam nodded slightly. The Death Eaters' behavior seemed unusual. Normally, unreliable individuals would be closely watched, and the Death Eaters standing outside without entering was indeed strange. "I think whatever is inside must be either very dangerous or very important to the Dark Lord."
"It's probably the latter", Hermione said. "I don't think the Dark Lord is the kind of person who values anyone's life, even his own Death Eaters. He wouldn't care about their lives."
"You're right", Liam nodded. "But we don't need to speculate. Once the two old men we rescued yesterday wake up, we should find out what the Dark Lord is up to."
After finishing their meal, the time felt a bit dull, so Liam turned on the radio on the table, hoping to catch any new updates. They had been on the move for the past few days, and to maintain secrecy, they had cast interference spells on themselves to prevent the Owls from finding them. As a result, Ryan and the others had been cut off from all news since leaving Hogwarts Castle, and they were now eager to find out what had been happening recently.
The first few stations were the usual ones, and they had all aligned with Voldemort. Some played music to mask the turmoil, while others droned on with the London Ministry of Magic's new decrees, all of which were rife with discrimination. There were also Wanted notices, and Liam just happened to hear his own. His bounty was 10,000 Galleons, added after the battle in Hogsmeade, making him second only to the alleged conspirator, Professor Dumbledore. As the list was read, they heard several familiar names. Harry was wanted for 6,000 Galleons, and Hermione for 3,000 Galleons.
"This is such a boring and illogical content", Hermione said, sitting on the sofa after the Wanted list was read. "Let's listen to our side's radio station. The London Ministry of Magic's programs are not worth listening to."
"It still has some use, at least it lets us know who the Death Eaters are targeting", Liam replied, tapping the radio with his wand to change the channel. "Of course, not everything here is accurate. For example, your bounty being only half of Harry's is unreasonable. Given the damage you've done to those Death Eaters, 7,000 Galleons would be more fitting."
"I wouldn't be so bored as to care about that number", Hermione said, lifting her chin slightly. "But if these bounties were more accurate, I could analyze the enemy's movements and warn our people."
"You make a good point, but let's listen to some other news for now." After fiddling with the radio for a while, Liam finally found a familiar voice coming from the speaker.
"… It's great to be back with our listeners, welcome to Hogwarts Light Radio. I'm Fred Weasley, and here with me is George Weasley. Good afternoon, everyone."
"Good afternoon", George's voice chimed in, though it was hard for Liam to distinguish between the twins because their voices were so similar and the radio's resolution wasn't high enough.
"First, I have some good news to share", Fred said. "We can confirm that the Death Eaters responsible for the Poca Village Massacre, which occurred four days after the Hogsmeade attack, have all been eliminated. We hope this will make the Wizards on the Dark Lord's side realize the gravity of their actions and stop the slaughter of innocents."
"Additionally, we urge all listeners to help their Muggle neighbors when possible. For example, you can cast a protective charm on the Muggle homes in your neighborhood. Simple actions like these can save many lives."
"Yes, we don't expect everyone to be heroes, but sometimes helping others is just a matter of a small effort", George added. "Don't believe the notion that Wizards come first. That's the first step towards discrimination, which can easily lead to Pureblood supremacy and, ultimately, to the evil of the Death Eaters. Remember, whether you are a Wizard, a Muggle, or any other magical being, life is equal, equally precious, and equally worth protecting—"
"Looks like the radio station is doing a good job, at least in spreading the message", Liam nodded in approval as he listened to the broadcast.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
