Ch 20: Answers
Ministry Of Magic, Present Day (Day 7)
"Not only is it possible but it would explain a lot of things." The Minister stated.
Ron's head was swarming with a million questions. He wanted Kingsley to disclose just what he was talking about. But, the latter had already left his seat and was currently observing the wall behind it. Since Hermione was still distraught; Ron decided not to say anything until she was ready.
The room was quiet for a few minutes.
It was finally broken by Kingsley. After retrieving a small wooden box from his drawer, he sat down and addressed them;
"Sorry to have kept you waiting. I was trying to see if my reasoning was correct. On close observation; it seems that most of the events can now be explained. Should I proceed?" he looked at them.
Hermione said nothing but weakly nodded. Ron nodded too.
"First of all, what we saw in Privet Drive had more facets than we initially considered. The Obliviators arriving there mentioned that they had received orders from me. I am sure that I didn't issue any such command. Even if they were faked; only someone who has previously received orders from me could have duplicated them."
"One of the Obliviators?" Ron exclaimed.
"Not exactly. I have no reason to doubt the loyalty of anyone from the department. Ruling that out, there was only one other conclusion. One squad of Obliviators was intercepted by the culprit shortly before the Privet Drive massacre. They were used to fake my orders and gather the rest of the department in one place. Initially I thought that this squad was placed under the Imperius Curse and killed in Privet Drive. But, since Daniel was alive until the Art Exhibition that evening; it can be reasoned that the remaining attackers were also Obliviators.
But, Blake clearly claimed that his entire department was present at Privet Drive. That can only be explained by—"
"Decoys" Ron finally felt like he was following Kingsley's words.
"Exactly." The Minister agreed.
"Which brings me to my next point. Everything that followed the Obliviators' arrival was flawlessly staged. The decoys cast an Anti-Apparition Charm to prevent anyone from escaping. They also cast non-verbal spells to put the Obliviators in a state of temporary paralysis. The hooded man simply broadcasted his thoughts to everyone, making them believe that it was his power holding him still. He did his part and, once their utility had expired, the decoys were killed along with the Obliviators; leaving no loose ends."
Ron couldn't believe the sheer brilliance of the plan Kingsley had just outlined. Meanwhile, Kingsley drew a deep breath and added;
"Furthermore, the captured Obliviators were sent to terrorize Muggles to affirm wizardkind as a threat to them. The only reason the police were able to kill them was because that was part of the plan."
"Unbelievable" Ron blurted out.
"That's not all. Now that the Muggles fear our kind; the perpetrator moved on to the next part of his plan, that is,-"
Now, he opened the box, revealing its contents. Resting on a crimson cushion inside it was a large glass vial filled with clear liquid.
"—this."
" The 'Holy Water'" Hermione recalled seeing it in the Telegraph.
"Yes. That is what the Muggles call it. But, it is a sample of the Thief's Demise waterfall formerly at Gringotts. It neutralizes most spells, Polyjuice Potion and effects of the charm placed on an average Invisibility Cloak."
Ron's eyes widened;
"That's why Gringotts was attacked!"
"That is one of the reasons; apart from capturing the Ironbelly, framing Harry and creating tensions between Goblins and Wizards."
Hermione gasped.
"Minister, may I use the Pensieve for a few minutes?" she blurted; summoning the memories she had earlier shown to Ron from her bag.
"Of course. But, whose memories are those?" Kingsley probed her.
"Mine. From the day I found a goblin hiding in a vault in Gringotts. If I am right; then he might be able to help us." Hermione said while swirling the Pensieve's contents.
§§§
It had been about five minutes. The two men were silent; waiting for Hermione to return.
As soon as she returned, she spoke urgently;
"I was right. It seemed odd that a person with an intellect sharp enough to execute this plan would allow a goblin to survive. I had a hunch that something was wrong. It was very subtle; but I am now sure that the goblin is under mind-control and being used as a puppet to sabotage Goblin-Wizard relations. If that is true, then Harry must stay missing."
She shot a troubled glance at Ron;
"I think Harry's life is in danger."
P.S. While reviewing the story, I found that some of the content didn't properly portray what i had in mind. Also, the timeline seemed confusing. So, I added brackets stating the day at the start of each chapter. Also, I had to edit some chapters to keep the writing consistent.
I have ensured that there are no overall changes to the story. So you guys don't have to read the entire thing again.
Hope you enjoy this chapter. Let me know what you think.
Thanks for all the amazing support.