“I’m worried that the experience from a month ago is still affecting them.” Sirius frowned.
“It’s true that they can’t pretend that nothing happened,” Felix said calmly, “they were surrounded by hundreds of Death Eaters, that’s not a scene that anyone can handle, not to mention the powerlessness from having to see their companions tortured … I suppose they don’t want to experience it a second time.”
“I didn’t even dare to ask what it was felt like to be struck by a Cruciatus Curse, so I could only pretend that nothing had happened,” Mrs. Weasley covered her mouth, her eyes glistening with tears, “and had nightmares for days … always about Gideon and Fabian. Their faces turned into Ron, Harry …”
Mr. Weasley hugged his wife and patted her shoulder reassuringly.
Sirius and Felix looked at each other and tacitly agreed not to talk about the bait plan on this occasion.
In a flash, the last day of July arrived.
“Happy birthday.”
Harry heard when he pushed open the door as he saw Neville standing in the doorway holding a gift box.
“Thanks, Neville,” Harry said with a yawn while pulling Neville into the room, where Ron is dazedly pulling a sleeve up his leg.
“Why did they schedule the award ceremony for today?” Neville asked regretfully.
“It’s actually kind of nice.” Harry said. He felt weird watching everyone get busy for his birthday, and didn’t know what to do in response.
They got dressed and started to unwrap their presents.
“A wand holster, AWESOME, Neville.” Harry said happily.
“Good for you,” Neville said, “I like your gift too,” before asking a little nervously, “It’s not supposed to comfort me, right?”
“Of course not.” Harry assured him.
Yesterday was Neville’s birthday, and Neville had been worried that the dueling study group would be cancelled for the new term, so Harry had made an invitation card for the dueling study group in the style of the Hogwarts freshman acceptance letter, and Hermione got intrigued by it, and enchanted it –
When someone opens it, they will hear a very dignified voice saying.
“You are the chosen one, ready to meet the challenge?”
Neville thought it sounded cool.
Sirius had given a three-dimensional book about Quidditch, and with each page flipped, a three-dimensional Quidditch pitch would form, with a dozen little make-believe figures flying through the air, replicating some of the classic scenes of the game.
“From this angle, Lynch is no match for Krum at all.” Ron said as he stared at one of the scenes on the page that took place at last year’s Quidditch World Cup final, where Krum twice fooled his opponent Lynch by using a fake.
The Lupin hadn’t arrived, Harry guessed he is now stuck with one of the werewolf communities, but he did ask Tonks to deliver a birthday present, a handmade string of bone bracelets. Harry mentally prayed that the bracelet is not made from local materials and werewolf teeth.
Hermione’s gift is an enchanted parchment with the names of various spells flashing on it – all of which Harry has mastered. Looking at the page full of names, a sense of accomplishment filled him.
At that moment, the door pushed open from the outside, and Bill poked his head through the doorway.
“Breakfast is ready, we need to hurry, the award ceremony starts at ten o’clock, better get to the Ministry of Magic early …”
They followed Bill downstairs and Harry saw two strangers at the table, a witch with dark hair and powdered cheeks, and a short man wearing a high violet top hat – the same colour as Tonks’ hair today.
“Hestia Jones and Dedalus Diggle.” Mr. Weasley introduced them at the table.
Both of them looked at Harry curiously as Dedalus Diggle gave an exaggerated, not-quite-standard hat-off salute, “Hello, nice to see you again.”
Harry looked at him in confusion, unable to recall a single memory in his mind.
“Back before you were enrolled… in the Leaky Cauldron Bar… you were with Hagrid then,” Dedalus Diggle hinted further, “and I shook your hand.”
So that was it, Harry thought. He remembered that there was indeed a male wizard who was equally excited as Quirrell at the time.
“Hello, Harry,” said the witch named Hestia, “we’re your guards for the day.”
“Guards?” Harry spat out the slice of bread in his mouth.
“Don’t worry, it’s normal procedure.” The witch said with a smile.
A little further aside, Hermione is talking to Tonks, “No, I’m not going to let them know.”
Breakfast consisted of smoked meat, baked potatoes, sliced bread, and vegetable soup, and after breakfast, the group went out in batches through the front door of 12 Grimmauld Place, “No fireplaces, that’s too conspicuous.” Felix said, “You stand with me, Harry.”
Harry found the atmosphere getting odder and odder.
“Professor?”
” Wait till the ceremony ends.” Felix shook his head.
As the group entered the Ministry of Magic through the red phone booth, a number of employees saluted them silently. But soon a team of Aurors came toward them, escorting them in the middle all the way to a massive conference room.
Harry felt like a prisoner in close custody, being moved from one place to another. Judging from the uncomfortable expressions of Ron and Hermione, they seem to feel the same thing.
The room is dark and packed with people, and the atmosphere is solemn, which reminds Harry of the scene he saw in the Pensieve, the Crouch Jr. was trailed by an almost same crowd. His heart thumped.
He heard the sound of Ron and Hermione’s audible intake of breath.
“We’re going to sit up in front.” Felix said, his hand placed on Harry’s shoulder, as he led them to sit in the front row of seats on the podium.
A dense flash lit up in the corner and Harry squinted, catching sight of the oddly dressed Rita Skeeter offstage, who staring at them intently with a conspicuous quill in her mouth.
“Get the shot! This is going to make headlines.” She said.
There was a lot of chatter in the conference room, and Harry felt like a monkey in a zoo, surrounded by an inexplicable crowd.
“They’re members of the Wizengamot.” Felix whispered from the sidelines.
“Well, let’s get started.” Ms. Bones said aloud, “Guests, we are going to observe a special award ceremony today, in the current situation, unity and faith are more important than ever …”
Ms. Bones has become talkative after she became a minister … This was Felix’s thought as he stared at the eloquent Ms. Bones, and he had to admit that this approach was necessary to at least stabilize the people.
“… erect confidence and courage … we already have an example … show tenacity… …without fear and trepidation … Seeds of victory …”
The flashing lights below the stage seemed to link up and dazzle the eyes. It lasted until noon when the whole ceremony concluded.
“I got the Order of Merlin?” Ron said incredulously, repeatedly examining the medal in his hand.
Felix also looked at his own gold medal, which looked similar to the last one, with the purple ribbon replaced by a green one, indicating that the medal in his hand is a first-class one.
Then Ms. Bones led them to the Minister of Magic’s office, pulling the curtains by hand.
Dumbledore also came in, Harry couldn’t wait to ask questions, but Bones stopped him, “Wait until everyone is here.” He waited impatiently, the minute seemed to be stretched ten times longer, Harry even suspected that he was in the professor’s thinking room, finally, Kingsley and Sirius cautiously entered through the side door of the office.
Sirius made an ok gesture, “No one’s noticed.”
It is only then Ms. Bones speaks up and narrated the entire operational plan-
” Bait?” The trio shouted in unison.
“That’s right, the Death Eaters haven’t moved, I thought it was necessary to test them once, this award ceremony is a good opportunity for them, normally they can’t locate you, and it will be even less easy when you guys are in school.” Ms. Bones said.
“What do we need to do?” Harry asked.
Sirius moved out of the way, and three glasses of bubbling polyjuice potion somehow appeared on the table.
“It’s simple, we’ll wear your faces and go out for a stroll.”
“And what about us?” Harry trailed off. Ron and Hermione also stared at the adults with unblinking eyes.
“Stay here until everything is over.” Sirius said with an expressionless face.
It took a little time to convince Harry, but it worked, Kingsley, Sirius, and Bones took the polyjuice potion mixed with the trio’s hair and hid in the small compartment, not long afterward a suppressed moan of pain sounded from inside and when all sounds subsided, they stumbled out of the compartment.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared across at their ‘selves’ moving their arms and legs and adjusting to their new bodies with amazement and a sense of weirdness that was simply undefinable – a hundred times weirder than the time they disguised themselves as Crabbe and Goyle in the second year.
‘Harry’ kept taking off his glasses and putting them back on, muttering under his breath, “That’s weird.”
“Stop playing around, Sirius.” ‘Hermione’ said, turning her head to the real Harry, Ron, and Hermione, “Your families have also been replaced, Aurors and Order of the Phoenix members impersonating them.”
Sirius, who is disguised as Harry, said, “A bunch of us imposters will go to the Borrow using my birthday as a guise, Mr. Weasley wanted to try out Muggle transportation and rented two cars …”
A freckle-faced ‘Ron’ remained silent, who is impersonated by Kingsley.
“So, Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor Hap …” Harry asked slowly, with a blink.
“Ah, I’ll show my face in Diagon Alley and pretend to use the public fireplace to return to school … in fact, I will sneak back and hide.” Dumbledore said with interest, “I haven’t experienced something like this in a long time.”
The real Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at Felix again.
Felix shrugged, “I’ll stay here and not go anywhere. Someone has to watch you guys.” He pointed at the blazing fireplace, “If there is a battle, I will leave through the fireplace and run to the battlefield as soon as possible.”
“Well, we’ve been delayed for some time, and if we stay any longer the Death Eaters might get suspicious.” ‘Hermione’ said with authority. “Let’s go, the most dangerous part of this plan is that we have to hold off the first wave of the enemies on our own, good thing we prepared ahead of time.”
The real Hermione looked at her other ‘self’ giving orders and couldn’t help but gawk for a moment. Soon, each of them left the room and Harry heard Dumbledore saying gently as he stood in the doorway of the office, “Ms. Burns, I’ll be heading back to school then, there are a bunch of things waiting to be taken care of.”
He paused for a few seconds, nodded slightly, pretended to be occupied inside, and then the door closed from the outside.
“Sit down for a while.” Felix said to the three, as he sat down on the couch by himself, fiddling with a coin at his fingertips.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other and hesitantly sat down opposite to Felix.
“Professor,” Hermione asked quietly, “will the plan work?”
“That depends on how you define it. It’s like playing chess, we place a piece and wait for the opposite reaction.” Felix said, “But this is a real opportunity, with all the fanfare on our side, the Death Eaters are sure to get the message, and you–” he glanced at Harry, “or rather all of you –” his eyes swept back over Ron and Hermione, “have disgraced Voldemort and messed up his return ceremony, surely he’d be happy to take care of you.”
“On the contrary, if even the Death Eaters didn’t show up, it would be a real problem.”
“Why do you say that?” Hermione asked.
“It means that Voldemort is plotting something big, which none of us don’t know about, including the Death Eaters.” Felix said softly.
————
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