Chapter 745: Prelude
Chapter 745: Prelude
On May 3rd, Dumbledore finally made the decision to launch a full-scale attack on the London Ministry of Magic. As a precaution, Liam had secretly deployed the Aerial Fortress above Black Lake, using the cover of night to unload a large batch of supplies into the lake. On the evening of May 2nd, he and Hermione hurried to Hogsmeade.
The next morning, they got up early and started preparing. After breakfast, they rushed to the Ministry of Magic’s underground meeting room, which was serving as the temporary Commander Center for Hogsmeade. By the time they arrived, Lupin and Sirius Black were already waiting for them.
"You guys are really early. We just finished tidying up and rushed over, but we still arrived later than you", Liam said, hanging his coat on a nearby rack. Today, he and Hermione were fully armed, each wearing a set of light armor that had undergone very complex enchantments and alchemical treatments.
"We didn’t go home last night", Sirius Black said with a smile. "We stayed here all night, sleeping on mattresses we conjured in this meeting room, just in case something unexpected happened."
"Thanks for your hard work", Liam sighed lightly. "By the way, Sirius Black, didn’t you say you were going to join the final assault on the London Ministry of Magic? Why are you still here?"
"I was planning to go", Sirius Black shrugged helplessly. "But Professor Dumbledore asked me to stay behind. He took almost all the Ministry of Magic and Order of the Phoenix members with him for today’s attack, and he wanted someone to strengthen Hogsmeade’s overall defense to avoid being ambushed."
"Headmaster still has his doubts", Liam thought, but it made sense. His guerrilla fighters and Lupin’s New Werewolves had always focused on team combat, without highlighting any individual members. As a result, most people saw Ryan and the others as lacking top-tier combat power, except for a few standout individuals.
So, in this crucial battle, Professor Dumbledore had decided to allocate some of his precious combat resources to Hogsmeade, ensuring his rear wouldn’t be threatened.
"It’s good that you stayed. Hogsmeade really needs someone who can lead a counterattack. My team and Professor Lupin’s subordinates are still too new and haven’t been able to cultivate true elites like you", Liam said, pulling a small box out of his Dimensional Bag. He opened it to reveal a thin, black bodysuit.
"To make up for the lack of combat power, I prepared some special magic items. Unfortunately, these items only last about two weeks, and they are difficult to produce, so I had to concentrate them for this moment", Liam explained, spreading out the bodysuit. "Last night, I had the Weasley Twins send the batch of Protective Suits for London."
"What’s the use of these things that look like Muggle diving suits?" Sirius Black, who had studied Muggle culture seriously in his youth, took the bodysuit and asked curiously. "Do they provide a Magic Shield like your bracelet?"
"Yes, but they are even more useful than you might think", Liam smiled. "This bodysuit can resist a Killing Curse."
This was something Ryan and the others had developed after returning from Silvermoon City. Despite its thin appearance, the bodysuit had a hidden layer. Inside this layer was an alchemically treated Ooze.
In Silvermoon City, they had discovered that an Ooze’s Life Points were similar to those of a human and could be shaped like a liquid. This inspired them to create this special piece of armor. In experiments, Liam found that the Ooze, when treated and placed in the bodysuit’s hidden layer, could indeed block a Killing Curse as he had hoped.
The only downside is that Ooze monsters can only provide protection while they are alive. Even with the use of Alchemy potions to keep the Ooze in a dormant state to prolong its Life, the lifespan of a Protective Suit is only about half a month. Additionally, the Raw Materials are hard to come by, which is why Liam has only just managed to gather enough to prepare a sufficient number of Protective Suits for a full-scale war.
“This is a miracle!” Sirius Black exclaimed, looking at the Protective Suit in amazement. He didn’t question why Liam hadn’t produced this item earlier; in his eyes, the ability to mass-produce these suits on a small scale was already mind-blowing.
“If this is a miracle, then I have 150 more miracles,” Liam said, pouring a small pile of Protective Suits out of his Dimensional Pocket. “We need to distribute these to every combatant as quickly as possible. This morning’s situation has left me feeling uneasy.”
“You’re right,” Lupin nodded. “In five minutes, Professor Dumbledore will leave Hogwarts for London, and for the rest of the day, the defenses around Hogsmeade and Hogwarts will be at their weakest. It’s better to be cautious.”
With that, Lupin called in a werewolf from outside to distribute the Protective Suits, while he and Sirius Black went to the adjacent room to put theirs on.
“The suit feels good overall and is convenient for battle,” Lupin and Sirius Black said as they emerged from the room, with Sirius Black drawing his wand and making a few gestures before commenting. “It’s just a bit stuffy.” As Sirius Black spoke, a lantern in the room suddenly lit up.
“Professor Dumbledore has left Hogwarts,” Professor Lupin said as the lantern illuminated the room. “If everything goes according to plan, the attack on the London Ministry of Magic will begin in five minutes.”
“Then let’s take our positions now,” Liam said. “We need to put Hogsmeade on the highest alert. I feel that the Dark Lord and his elite forces could appear near Hogsmeade at any moment.”
“You’re right; we should act now,” everyone in the room nodded in agreement. They put on their Sorting Hats, pulled up their masks, and donned their hoods before leaving the room.
The guerrilla fighters and werewolves who had been waiting on the benches outside the meeting room stood up as Ryan and the others emerged, following them toward the door. Along the way, all the Wizards remaining at the Ministry of Magic saw the group and drew their wands, tapping their chests in a bow of respect to Ryan and the others.
“Commander, there’s a sudden surge of unknown magic resonance in the area,” a Guerrilla Fighter, one of Liam’s subordinates, contacted Liam through the alchemical device they had been issued, just as Ryan and the others returned to the ground.
“What’s the situation?” Liam asked, holding a Magic Metal plate as he walked. “How many enemies are there? From which direction are they coming?”
The response from the communicator made everyone stop in their tracks. “I don’t know the exact number, but the Crystal you gave us is showing enemies everywhere. The number is at least 3,500.”
“Everywhere!” “3,500!” Everyone’s faces turned grim, especially Liam’s. He knew that he had set up a multitude of Heart Trees and surveillance methods from multiple worlds around Hogsmeade and Hogwarts for security. The detection devices he had given the guerrilla fighters were linked to these surveillance points.
Voldemort might have his own ways to evade detection in this world, but even the strongest Dark Lord in decades couldn’t bypass the combined surveillance from multiple worlds. This was why Liam had noticed something was wrong.
“How much time do they have before they reach us?” he asked, holding the Metal plate up to his face.
“Ten minutes at most, and we’ll see them at the edge of the forest,” the Guerrilla Fighter replied quickly.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
