Chapter 965: The Order's Meeting
Chapter 965: The Order's Meeting
News of Percy's fallout with his family quickly reached Fudge, just as Percy had anticipated. However, contrary to his expectations, Fudge did not discard him for his inability to continue spying on his family and Dumbledore.
After all, by turning his back on his family, Percy had proven his loyalty to the Ministry and, by extension, to Fudge himself. The idea of having Percy spy on his family had been a whimsical notion of Fudge's, and what he truly needed was a loyal and competent assistant to help him with his workload and prevent Dumbledore from planting spies under his nose. Percy, having proven his loyalty, was undoubtedly trustworthy and capable in Fudge's opinion.
As for the actual situation, well, that was anyone's guess.
After Percy's departure, the Weasley family rarely brought up his name again.
Fred, George, Ginny, and Bill also kept their suspicions to themselves. No amount of explanation could mask the fact that Percy had betrayed his own family for his personal gain and chosen to side with Fudge.
Following Percy's departure, the Weasley family decided to join the Order of the Phoenix.
To ensure their safety, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, with Sirius' consent, prepared to temporarily relocate to Number 12, Grimmauld Place, where they could help guard the Order's temporary headquarters and, at the same time, take care of Harry's daily needs.
"Sirius, can we join the Order too?" George put down his fork and asked tentatively.
"No, you're still too young!" Mrs. Weasley interjected, hands on her hips, glaring at her son.
"We're already of age," Fred grumbled. "And besides, Professor Dumbledore personally invited Albert to join the Order."
"Really?" Ron lifted his head, surprised.
"Of course, it's true. Why would I lie about that? If you don't believe me, ask Sirius. He definitely knows," Fred replied nonchalantly as he popped the last piece of potato into his mouth.
"Yes, but Mr. Anderson is an exception," Lupin explained. "The Order's members are typically wizards of a certain age who have graduated from Hogwarts, and you don't possess the same capabilities as him."
"You shouldn't involve children who are still in school," Molly Weasley said angrily, glaring at both Sirius and Lupin. She then turned to her husband, seeking his support. Mrs. Weasley still held a favorable view of Albert and didn't want him to be exposed to danger.
"So, Albert is now a member of the Order?" Ron asked, astonished.
"No, he refused," Sirius shook his head.
"He refused?"
Everyone was taken aback, never expecting Albert to turn down Dumbledore's invitation.
"Why would he refuse?" Ginny asked curiously.
No one answered because, at that moment, the sound of something crashing came from the corridor, followed by a string of curses.
Soon after, the door to the Great Hall opened, and a blonde witch entered, greeting everyone, "Good evening, I received a message that there would be an important meeting tonight."
"Have you had dinner?" Mrs. Weasley asked, changing the subject.
"Not yet."
"Then join us!"
Tonks hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement. She hadn't eaten yet and had rushed over as soon as she got off work.
"Sirius, why did Albert refuse Dumbledore's invitation?" Hermione brought the conversation back to the previous topic, curious to know the reason.
"You mean the famous Albert, right?" Tonks asked curiously as she sat down.
"He trusts Dumbledore, but not the Order," Sirius shrugged helplessly. "That guy thinks the Order is just a loose organization, unreliable and unsafe. He even suspects that there might be a traitor within the Order..."
"A traitor? Albert suspects there's a traitor, I mean Albert thinks there's a traitor in the Order," George was taken aback by Sirius' words.
"A traitor? How could there be a traitor?" Tonks asked, perplexed. "There are no traitors in the Order. Everyone here was gathered by Dumbledore, and they are all trustworthy companions."
"Albert's intuition has always been spot on. If he thinks there might be a traitor in the Order, that's not a good sign," Fred furrowed his brows, looking uneasy.
There was no helping it; their entire family had basically joined the Order.
If a traitor were to emerge, it would spell disaster for them.
"Don't worry, Dumbledore believes that the members of the Order are trustworthy," Tonks quickly recalled the members of the Order, thinking that this possibility was unlikely.
"No, Albert's premonitions have always been accurate, and he's hardly ever wrong," George said, his brow still furrowed.
"I think he's referring to someone specific!" Sirius said meaningfully, "That guy gets along well with the professors at school, except for a certain someone. It's obvious he doesn't trust..."
"Sirius," Lupin interrupted, frowning. "Dumbledore believes he can be trusted."
"But Albert's intuition has always been accurate. He doesn't trust Snape, just as he never trusted that imposter Moody. He suspected there might be something wrong with him from the start."
"Sirius didn't dwell on the matter and continued, "But thanks to him, we were reminded that Dumbledore cast the Unbreakable Vow on this place not too long ago. The Order's headquarters is now much more secure and safer than before."
"Who is this person you're talking about?" Fred and George exchanged glances, both looking at Sirius curiously. "This is important."
"Fred, George," Mrs. Weasley said disapprovingly, fixing her sons with a stern gaze.
"Mom, you don't understand. Albert's premonitions have never been wrong," George said, unfazed by his mother's reprimand. "Don't underestimate his premonitions, or you'll pay the price. Harry is a perfect example of that."
"What does this have to do with Harry?"
A tall, dark-skinned wizard pushed open the dining room door and slipped inside quietly.
"Good evening, Kingsley. Would you like something to eat?" Mrs. Weasley stood up to greet the newcomer.
"No, thank you. I've already eaten," the wizard named Kingsley replied, turning his attention to the twin brothers. "May I ask what this is about?"
"Before the third task, Albert had a premonition about the impending danger. He believed it was related to Harry and suggested that he stay at the maze entrance, within Dumbledore's line of sight, until the tournament ended," George explained, glancing at Fred. "Professor Dumbledore was aware of this, but they completely ignored Albert's warning, which eventually led to Harry being captured."
Ron and Hermione exchanged glances, both aware of the situation. Harry's training with Sirius and Lupin was directly related to this incident.
"I heard that Albert Anderson is a Seer," Kingsley said, looking at Fred and George. "Is that true?"
"A Seer?" Tonks exclaimed, clearly surprised. They all knew the significance of such a title.
It had been a long time since Britain had seen the emergence of a new Seer.
"His prophecies are incredibly accurate, and he rarely makes mistakes," Fred and George said in unison. As Albert's roommates, they were well aware of his prophetic abilities.
"Failing to invite him to join the Order is indeed a missed opportunity," Sirius remarked, noticing that everyone's attention was on him. "He predicted this day long ago and even foresaw Fudge being ousted from power, the upcoming Azkaban break-out, and... the fall of the Ministry."
"All right, let's not discuss these matters in front of the children," Mrs. Weasley interrupted, clearly intending to dismiss them. More members of the Order were arriving, and it wasn't appropriate for the children to hear certain things. "And you lot, finish up and get back to your rooms. Do your holiday homework instead of loitering here."
Mrs. Weasley was right; more and more members of the Order were arriving, all of whom had received Dumbledore's notification about an important matter to be discussed that evening.
"What do you mean, 'the fall of the Ministry'?"
This statement startled everyone in the room.
"I don't know," Sirius continued, handing over several parchments to Kingsley. "According to Anderson, Fudge's successor will die at Voldemort's hands in a few years, plunging the entire British wizarding world into its darkest era. He predicts that Voldemort will control the Ministry and Hogwarts, Muggle-born wizards will be persecuted, and Harry will become a wanted criminal by the Ministry."
"Are you sure you're not joking?" Kingsley asked, his eyebrows furrowed as he scanned the contents of the parchments. "Dumbledore would never allow such a thing to happen."
"Who knows?" Sirius replied, not wanting to believe the prophecies himself. However, he didn't think Albert was joking.
"Seers are an enigmatic bunch, but given his track record, I must say his prophecies are almost always accurate. At least, the ones he made for me were spot on," Sirius admitted.
"Really?"
"Next, we plan to release the information from these parchments to the public," Sirius said, a mischievous smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "I bet Fudge will go ballistic!"
"Are you going to publish this in the 'Defense Guide'?" Tonks asked curiously, knowing that such an article would likely cause an uproar in the wizarding world. "Fudge won't tolerate your magazine continuing its publication."
"It's fine. We'll privately distribute the magazine to wizards who have subscribed to it, and we'll also set up a radio station to broadcast the information to other wizards," Lupin reassured her. He, too, knew that the magazine's closure was inevitable, but... "It won't be that bad. When people realize that the wizarding world is in chaos, they'll remember our magazine and radio station."
As far as Lupin knew, these were all Albert's suggestions, and it was no wonder that Dumbledore wanted to recruit Albert into the Order.
In some ways, Albert was more skilled, more professional, and more thorough than they were.
"What are you all talking about?"
Moody strode into the hall, his magical eye scanning the room as he walked.
"Anderson's prophecies," Tonks replied excitedly. "He predicts that Fudge will be out of office by next year."
"Oh, that's good news. I'm sure Dumbledore will be delighted to hear that," Moody said, pulling up a chair and sitting down. "I heard he didn't agree to join the Order."
"He suspects that there might be a traitor among us. Don't look at me like that, Remus. I was there when it happened.
"Sirius shrugged and said, "Back then, Albert suggested to Dumbledore that he use his influence to oust Fudge from office early on and install Amelia Bones as the Minister for Magic. As you know, Amelia Bones's brother... He believed that installing a minister who is favorable to our side would greatly weaken Voldemort's power. Although it was quite a surprising suggestion, it was indeed a good idea. At the very least, Amelia Bones definitely wouldn't hinder us."
"So, that rumor about Dumbledore scheming for the Minister's position is true after all." Tonks exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise, her face reflecting her astonishment.
"No, Dumbledore didn't agree to it." Sirius shook his head. "He thought it would be difficult, but I feel that if Anderson dared to make such a suggestion, he must have had a plan to oust Fudge. Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought it up at all."
"No wonder Fudge went crazy." Tonks mumbled.
"Some people believe that Anderson maintains contact with at least half of the upper echelons of the Ministry." Kingsley recalled certain rumors he had heard. "Later, Bartemius Crouch Sr. held a meeting for the British Youth Representative of the Wizengamot and forcibly made Anderson a substitute member through a vote."
"That's outrageous." Tonks muttered.
"That guy has a lot of tricks up his sleeve. For example, that piece of parchment in your hand was an article he asked Rita Skeeter to help him write." Sirius reminded them, "Apparently, he thinks Rita Skeeter is better at writing these types of articles."
"That's incredible. How did he manage that?"
Everyone present was surprised, as they were all well aware of what kind of person Rita Skeeter was.
"I don't know. He always seems to have connections everywhere."
The discussion about prophecies didn't continue further as more and more members of the Order arrived, quickly filling up the seats around the dining table.
Tonks was excitedly sharing the news that Fudge might be ousted from office next year.
"Where did you get this information?"
Everyone was curious, and they all hoped that Fudge could be removed from power. He was only causing them trouble.
"From a seer. As for his identity, you can ask Dumbledore if he's willing to reveal who it is."
Sirius didn't disclose Albert's information, and he signaled for the others to remain silent on the matter as well.
"Is it accurate? Many so-called seers are frauds."
"I've had my fortune told by him, and it was very accurate."
Before they could discuss the matter of prophecies further, Dumbledore arrived, looking a bit rushed and somewhat weary.
"I've called you all here to ensure Harry's safety." Dumbledore looked at the members of the Order, getting straight to the point. "We need to set up sentry duty to ensure Harry's protection."
"Do you think the Death Eaters will attack Harry?" Sirius was the first to ask. "Perhaps we can bring him to the headquarters of the Order. It's safer here."
"No, Harry is safer staying with his Muggle relatives. The ancient magic left by Lily is still protecting him. Voldemort and his followers are powerless against Harry, but we need to ensure that others don't cause trouble for him. You should be well aware of what Fudge has been up to lately. He's desperate to find a way to incriminate Harry. If they want to target Harry, they can also use the power of the Ministry to their advantage. So, we need to make sure Harry doesn't encounter any problems and doesn't give Fudge any opportunities."
"So, we need to set up a rotating sentry duty to ensure Harry's safety. Of course, Arabella will help keep an eye on Harry, but you should also be aware of her situation."
"Why don't we just tell him directly? I think Harry should be able to..." Sirius' words were cut off.
"Harry isn't as mature as you think, especially after what just happened." Dumbledore said softly.
"I need to know what Voldemort is planning."
As he spoke, he looked at Snape.
"I haven't received any news yet." Snape replied, lifting his head. "If the Dark Lord takes any action, I will definitely receive news as soon as possible."
"I need to find out what he's looking for as soon as possible." Dumbledore nodded. "Please arrange the sentry duty as soon as you can, Alastor. I'm counting on you for this."
"No problem." Moody agreed to take care of it.
"By the way, are Hermione and Ron here?" Before leaving, Dumbledore looked at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.
"Yes, they're here. Is there something you need to tell them?" Mrs. Weasley asked, a bit anxiously.
"I have something to discuss with them regarding Harry." Dumbledore soon met with Hermione and Ron.
"I hope you can keep this from Harry. When you write to him, don't tell him anything important. Owls may be intercepted along the way." Dumbledore looked at the two of them and said, "It's best if Harry doesn't know anything at all, alright?"
"But..."
"Fine, we promise." Hermione nudged Ron with her foot and said.
"I promise I won't write to Harry casually or tell him anything important." Ron said.
"Very well, remember your words." After getting their assurance, Dumbledore left in a hurry.
"Poor Harry. I think he'll be furious when he finds out." Ron muttered softly after returning to his room.
(End of Chapter)
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