Chapter 681: Happiness and Sanctuary
Chapter 681: Happiness and Sanctuary
"Everyone, use the Bubble-Head Charm, the Enhanced Perception Spell, and the Floating Rune Circuit. It might be a few kilometers, and I haven't tried this method before, but it should work..." Harry said uncertainly. "It was Hermione's idea."
As he spoke, a ghost with a translucent, pearl-white body curiously examined him.
"I never thought this would happen", Moaning Myrtle said happily, her face beaming as if Christmas had come early.
"Believe me, I never thought I'd be leading a group here either", Harry said through gritted teeth. Moaning Myrtle let out a series of giggles, spinning happily in the air, while the members of the Advance Guard Club stared at her in amazement.
"I swear, even when Peeves was paraded around the castle by Fred and George Weasley with a fan, she wasn't this happy", Ron whispered to Neville beside him. "Or when she found out Hermione had grown cat fur all over her face—"
Hermione shot him a sharp glare.
"I never imagined you and Moaning Myrtle would get along so well", Luna unexpectedly chimed in, her voice filled with envy.
Ron's eyes widened.
"Alright, everyone!" Harry said. "Let's get moving—Professor Hep might not have told the other professors, but if we get caught..." He spoke with unease, frustrated by their lack of caution.
Moaning Myrtle's laughter was a bit grating, but there was no other way. He had to pretend he didn't hear it, after all, this was her domain, the Abandoned Girls' Bathroom. He gave them a silent, urgent look.
The students finally took him seriously and began casting spells on themselves one by one. Soon, Harry regretted his decision—thirty or so people crammed into a bathroom, each speaking a word or two, created a chaotic and noisy scene. Some of the more excited students floated weightlessly in the air, waving their arms and shouting, making the situation both comical and chaotic.
Dean was casting the Bubble-Head Charm when a foot dropped from above.
"Ouch! Who stepped on my head?"
"Oh, sorry, it wasn't intentional, I can't control it!" Seamus tried to stifle a laugh, pretending nothing happened. "Excuse me, could you help me down—" Before he could finish, Dean, in retaliation, grabbed his ankle and threw him out with all his might.
Seamus crashed into the wall like a bird without wings.
"Nice shot", Katie Bell, a Quidditch player, commented.
Dean straightened his collar. "Thanks, I have a feeling I have a natural talent for Quidditch."
"I feel like I can't breathe... sneaking into the girls' bathroom, my dad will send me a Howler if he finds out, because I've disgraced the Macmillan family—I shouldn't have come", Ernie Macmillan grumbled.
"Well, why don't you leave then? That way, you could make room for two more people!" Ginny raised an eyebrow.
"I warn you, stop making comments about my size—" Ernie puffed out one of his fat arms and growled softly.
"Then shut that fat mouth of yours and stop whining", Ginny retorted without hesitation.
Ron, standing next to Ginny with a bubble like an aquarium around his head, which made his face look puffed up, said in a muffled voice, "Do you want to fight?" Ernie didn't back down; instead, he took a step forward. They were about the same height, but Ernie was much bulkier than Ron.
Harry hurried over.
"Stop fighting." He forcefully separated Ron and Ernie. "Ernie, Justin is looking for you; he's not very good at the Bubble-Head Charm." Once Ernie had walked away, Harry turned his attention to Ron. "You too, Ron—" He was about to warn him when he noticed Ron's eyes, which were twice their normal size under the Bubble-Head Charm, making him look like an angry goldfish or a toad.
"Hurry up", Harry said, trying not to laugh as he walked away.
"Thanks", Ginny said to Ron, who waved dismissively. Ginny stared at his face and giggled. "Oh— I need to find Luna, I wonder what she looks like—"
As Harry returned to his original position, Hermione raised her hand.
"Harry, I think we should add the Water-Repelling Charm", Hermione suggested. Harry imagined the damp underground pipes and immediately agreed.
Finally, after ten minutes, all the preparations were complete. Harry cleared his throat.
"Professor Hep—"
"Deputy Headmistress", Mafalda corrected. "He's the Deputy Headmistress now. I've always wanted to interview him—or Professor Mcgonagall about her thoughts on the school, but I never got the chance."
"Thank you for sharing the latest plans of the _Mystery Wall_ newspaper—but please be quiet now", Harry raised his voice. "Where was I? Oh, thank you, Hermione—Deputy Headmistress Hep made significant modifications to the Chamber. The original entrance required Parseltongue to open, but now there's a second method."
He raised an arm, and a dozen runic symbols danced and coalesced into a glowing key. Then, the ground beneath them shifted, and the faucet above the sink Harry was facing emitted a blinding white light. The entire sink sank, revealing a large pipe beneath the floor.
Everyone marveled at the sight.
"Did you enter the Chamber and kill the Basilisk through here?" Parvati Patil asked in amazement. Today, she had her long hair tied in a ponytail, just like her twin sister. Her hair swayed as she moved between Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
"Yeah", Harry said.
"Can we learn this sequence of runic symbols?" Anthony Goldstein asked shrewdly. "That way, we won’t need you to open the door every time."
"Sure", Harry nodded. "That’s what the professor intended. Ron, you go first and lead the way. I’ll stay at the back."
Ron took a deep breath and stood at the edge of the large pipe. Moaning Myrtle floated to his opposite side, hovering mid-air and staring intently at Ron’s face.
"I still remember the first time you jumped in", she said wistfully. "You were shorter than me back then. Now you’re taller."
"Not just height", Ron retorted, and jumped down. But it didn’t go as he expected. Because of the effects of the runic circuit on his body, he almost disappeared in slow motion. Several heads leaned over the hole, peering into the darkness below.
A few seconds later, Ron’s muffled voice echoed up.
"Oh—no danger, just a bit dark. I’ll use Lumos—wow! I feel like a rat burrowing through a tunnel, I mean—this feeling is amazing. Just a little effort and I can glide for a long distance, like flying—"
Everyone exchanged glances. Harry shrugged and said, "You heard him. You can think of this as the first attraction in the Chamber’s amusement park."
The club members went down one by one. Luna waved at Harry, "Thanks, we really do need some joy." Harry didn’t respond. When the abandoned girls’ bathroom was left with only him and Moaning Myrtle, Harry whispered:
"We certainly need joy, but we need a war shelter even more." He looked up at a corner of the bathroom ceiling, "You must think so too, Professor Hep?"
...
"I do."
"I discovered long ago that the Chamber extends several kilometers beneath the school, making it a natural shelter. In case of danger, students can seek refuge there. I’ve also hidden a fireplace inside the space within Salazar Slytherin’s statue—just in case. Even if it’s not useful against Grindelwald, over decades, centuries, or even millennia, it might come in handy."
In Professor Mcgonagall’s office, Felix nodded.
A mirror that had been rippling like water in mid-air vanished, and Professor Mcgonagall stared blankly at the air. "He discovered it—perhaps Albus was right, Potter does have potential."
"He defeated Voldemort. Even though Voldemort was extremely weakened at the time, he still managed to do it, and that’s a fact", Felix said. "With his high popularity at school and the editor of the Quibbler on his team, as well as being the founder of multiple school clubs... I believe it won’t take more than an afternoon for the news about the underground amusement park to spread throughout the school."
"Farsighted, Felix. I’ll have the Head Boy and Prefects assist", Professor Mcgonagall said, sighing. "The situation has become unpredictable again. The saint’s words this morning have me worried that Grindelwald might target the school. With only a few days left of the holiday, we must ensure the students’ safety." Her last words were resolute.
"Right, I’ve already handed that person over to Amelia. She’s likely discussing with Babaji Adebadu now, hoping for a good outcome", Felix said. "At the last meeting, twelve countries’ Ministries of Magic agreed to send personnel. This Auror team is under Babaji’s command. Now that Amelia has new concrete evidence, I expect more Ministries of Magic to join the coalition."
"How many Aurors and Hit Wizards is Bones planning to send?" Professor Mcgonagall asked curiously.
"A third."
Professor Mcgonagall frowned. "That’s less than fifty. The saint said Grindelwald has nearly six or seven hundred people now. Though they’re old, their skills haven’t diminished. They were some of Grindelwald’s most loyal followers. If they spread out and recruit Wizards dissatisfied with the current state of the magical world, the number could swell by a factor of ten."
Felix rubbed his chin.
"There’s no way around it. To prevent the scenario you described, each country’s Ministry of Magic must leave enough personnel and response time. For the International Confederation of Wizards, the most important thing now is to establish smooth and stable communication channels. Dumbledore’s previous methods provide valuable insights, and—"
He stopped speaking as the fireplace suddenly burst into flames, and Madam Bones emerged, looking travel-worn.
"How's the situation?" Professor Mcgonagall asked sternly.
"It's had some effect", Madam Bones said wearily. "But Adebadu refuses to station Aurors from other countries in Britain. Instead, he hopes I can persuade you to join the coalition as his deputy." She glanced at Felix.
"Right now, no one is certain to what extent Grindelwald has recovered his power. According to the healers' latest assessment from the International Confederation of Wizards, Grindelwald is currently only slightly stronger than an elite Auror, but not by much. However, if he fully regains his former strength..."
Her eyes glinted with a meaningful light.
In that case, Felix Hep absolutely couldn't leave lightly. It's only in the most turbulent times that people realize the significance of having a Wizard like Dumbledore or Felix.
"I won't leave the school at this time", Felix said, frowning. "We're still unsure of Grindelwald's true intentions. However, you can tell Adebadu that I will take action after the term ends—don't misunderstand, I have no interest in leading a diverse and politically complex Wizard army. I believe the political wrangling would consume most of the effort. I will try to bring Grindelwald out and find an opportunity to talk to him. The best outcome would be to convince him, but the secondary goal is to understand his intentions—or have a fight and gauge his strength. I always feel he's acting too hastily; he shouldn't be this rushed."
"Alright, I'll pass the message along", Madam Bones sighed. "To be honest, I've only just realized that compared to the pressure Grindelwald brings, Voldemort seems... well, at least back then you and Dumbledore completely contained Voldemort. The Aurors of the Ministry of Magic and the members of the Order of the Phoenix had a clear advantage over the Death Eaters. But now, Grindelwald's forces are three times larger than those of the British Ministry of Magic, and that's just his most loyal core. Any one of them could rally dozens or even hundreds of followers..."
"...If all these people were used against a country, it would be a catastrophic disaster." She shuddered at the thought. "Is there still no way to contact Dumbledore?" she asked hopefully.
Felix and Professor Mcgonagall exchanged a slow glance and shook their heads.
"There's no need to be so pessimistic, Amelia", Felix said. "Have you considered why Grindelwald is prioritizing the recruitment of these core members? According to the Saint, Grindelwald has even used a Flame Pact... he never did that before."
"You mean he lacks confidence?" Madam Bones immediately became alert.
Felix nodded solemnly.
"Grindelwald has two paths: violent confrontation or verbal manipulation. If he chooses the former, he will immediately be labeled as a Dark Wizard by the Ministries of Magic of various countries. His past crimes will be magnified tenfold and publicized. Remember, the current order shows no signs of collapse. If we can hold out for a few months, the situation will be very different."
"If he chooses the latter—fifty years have passed. Even if his speeches were once charming and his slogans deeply resonant, how many people remain staunchly loyal to him now? His era has passed. We'll see, but the new generation won't have many willing to follow him—most young people might not even have heard of his name, and if they have, it's only in infamy. The only concern is if he goes all in!"
...
Grindelwald and Vita Rookwood stood on the ornate steps, knocking on the door. While waiting, he casually remarked:
"I don't need many people to be loyal to me. I just need to gather enough influence to intimidate the enforcers. Dozens of Ministries of Magic bickering among themselves—does Adebadu have enough prestige to unite their forces? I am not the same man I was, but neither is Adebadu the same as Dumbledore was."
"Trust me, Vita, as long as we don't make the first move, no one will dare take the responsibility of initiating a Wizard war."
Grindelwald smiled mockingly.
"However, his position does have some utility, at least enough to intimidate. That's why we're here."
Footsteps approached, and a woman dressed as a maid opened the door. She leaned against the frame, eyeing them suspiciously. "Hello, who are you looking for?"
"We're here to see Babaji Adebadu", Vita Rookwood said.
"But—Mr. Adebadu said he isn't seeing any visitors. Do you have an appointment?" the maid asked.
"It's an urgent matter of state, concerning Mr. Adebadu's greatest current concern", Grindelwald said. "I've already spoken to the guards here, Grove, right? A very diligent young man."
The maid glanced over their shoulders toward the street, where a young man nodded in their direction.
"Oh", she stepped aside. "Please come in, I'll fetch him—Mr. Adebadu hasn't slept for dozens of hours. He's been in meetings and just lay down a short while ago."
Grindelwald and Vita Rookwood were led into the living room. Grindelwald settled into a comfortable, ornate chair and calmly pulled a book from his pocket, reading it intently.
"Tales of Beedle the Bard"?
The maid gave the worn cover a scrutinizing look. The book was clearly well-read; some of the letters had worn off. While it was a bit peculiar, her suspicion did lessen.
Someone who enjoys fairy tales can't be all bad, right? And he's quite polite...
(End of Chapter)
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