Hi Everyone! Here is Chapter 114, enjoy!
A gloomy afternoon was just turning into a gloomier evening. Right on the castle grounds, the senior batch of Hogwarts students were attending their Defense Against the Dark Arts class, conducted by none other than, Professor Benjamin White aka Gellert Grindelwald in disguise. They were in the middle of an intense round-robin duelling session when it started pouring. Almost immediately, all the students were about to run into the castle, to take shelter when they heard a booming voice.
"Stop, all of you," exclaimed White, bringing everyone to an instant halt. "What do you think you are all doing?" he exclaimed.
"Professor..." began one of the 7th years, hesitantly.
"Do you plan on running when you have a death eater's breath on your neck and it starts to rain?" exclaimed White, louder than ever.
There was a collective silence. And then, almost immediately, a group of students responded together, "No, Professor," they yelled, loudly.
"You are wizards, if the rain bothers you, fight it. If it bothers your opponent, use it to your advantage," exclaimed White. "Now, let's go again," he announced.
Quickly, the students got back into formation and the duelling commenced. The rain seemed to bring out the best out of the creative wizards in the group, who were using water and aqua-based spells to great effect. And then there were the regimented wizards, who quickly started struggling in the rain, their concentration was off, their eyesight started to get blurry, and their grip on the wand started to get unstable. Unsurprisingly, the quidditch players in the group seemed to handle the rain the best, for these conditions were quite pleasant in comparison to what they had to deal with in practice, on a regular basis.
Amongst the senior batch of students were the Phoenix Juniors, of course. In the round robin, Ron had already duelled with Draco, Daphne and Seamus amongst his friends. He had just moved away from Seamus to a 7th-year student, a witch formerly from Ravenclaw.
The duel commenced between the pair. Ron was comfortably defending against someone who looked like they were struggling to come to terms with the rain. They were right in the middle of the duel when something strange happened.
Ron had his shield up and had defended again two stunners back to back. The witch, trying to use the rain to her advantage, produced the icing charm, hoping to freeze the rain droplets and confuse Ron with it. Her plan seemed to work, as the rain droplets froze instantly, and with another swing of her wand, the little pellets of ice flew at Ron.
Ron read the witch's incantation from her lips and had immediately prepared himself to transfigure the pellets of ice into something a lot more light and manageable when he felt something, a vibration and a buzzing sound, coming from his robes. The little lapse in concentration meant that Ron's face and upper body were pelted with pellets of ice and he fell to the ground, clutching his chest.
"Woah... Hey, you alright?" asked the girl, though she couldn't very well hide the smirk on her face.
"I'm alright," sighed Ron as he got up.
"Mr Weasley, we are not here to stroll in the garden," came White's voice from the back.
"Sorry, Professor... Got a little distracted," replied Ron.
Since the girl was victorious against Ron, she moved ahead to the next opponent, while Ron walked backwards to face his next opponent. But before he could begin, he put his hands in his pocket and took out the watch.
Instantly, his jaw dropped and relief washed over his face. "Oh my God!" he gasped. Instantly, he looked around to see where Hermione and the rest were. "Hermione," he called, loudly, distracting everyone there.
By the time Hermione could turn around to glance at him, White spoke up, "Mr Weasley, something that you want to share with all of us?" he asked. Ron raised his arm with the watch in his palm, high enough for White to see from the back. "To the front, Mr Weasley," commanded White, immediately. Ron left his opponent and ran to the front.
"What is it?" asked White, in a loud whisper, walking a little away from the crowd.
"It is Harry... His needle is now pointing to Safe," replied Ron, showing the watch.
Hermione, who had been staring at the events unfolding, decided to walk up to the front.
White glanced at the watch suspiciously. "Why should we trust this watch?" he asked.
"What do you mean?" retorted Ron, surprised.
"This could easily be Miss Smith's way of duping us into thinking Harry is safe," replied White. "This watch is John's creation, is it not?" he added.
"What happened?" asked Hermione, as she walked over to the pair.
"Miss Granger, you were not invited here. You should focus on not getting bogged down by the rain instead," remarked White, a little annoyed by all the commotion getting created.
"It's Harry, he's safe," replied Ron, handing the watch to Hermione.
"What?" she gasped as she stared at the dials. "Do you think he escaped?" she asked.
"He has to have," replied Ron, excitedly.
"Enough of the chit-chat, both of you," exclaimed White. "You are dismissed," he added.
"Thanks, Professor," retorted Ron, and left immediately with Hermione.
The pair went back to their dormitories, the easiest place they could find empty at that time of the day.
The moment they were alone, Ron spoke up, his tone a little more pessimistic than a few moments earlier, "Hermione, what if Professor White is correct?" he asked. "What if this is Jane tricking us?" he added.
Hermione sat down and stared at the watch eagerly. Her thoughts took her back to all the times she had seen the watch in action. "I don't know, Ron..." she sighed a few seconds later. "Nothing we have seen till now suggests this watch can be manipulated. Even in moments where we have been worried about something going wrong, this has remained steady and has been proven correct," she replied.
"Do you think Harry escaped then?" asked Ron, excitedly.
Hermione remained silent in response, just staring at the watch, letting her thoughts wander.
"Why aren't you excited about this? I thought you would be the most excited," muttered Ron, gloomily as he shifted closer to her.
"I am excited about this... and happy," replied Hermione, forcing a little smile.
"Why am I not convinced yet?" chuckled Ron. "Come on, Hermione... Cheer up, this is the best piece of news we have received in months," he remarked, hugging her sideways.
"I... uh... I'm not celebrating till he comes back," muttered Hermione.
The truth was, it had only been a short time since Hermione's parents were killed by Bellatrix Lestrange. And despite everyone's counsel and apprehensions, Hermione had returned to Hogwarts immediately. Ever since she had returned, to no one's surprise, she had shut herself inside a box. Not only had her social life taken a tumble, but her performance in classes had deteriorated as well.
"I'm sure he has been doing everything to escape Jane," remarked Ron, confidently. "He is coming back," he added.
…
A couple of days went by. It was morning at Hogwarts, the students had just woken up. Slowly, the Great Hall had started filling up. It only took a short while for a buzz to form around the hall, there were murmurs and whispers everywhere.
When Hermione and Ron came from their dormitory to the Great Hall, their eyes searched and fell on the table a little far away, seating Daphne, Luna and Colin. The moment the pair made their way to the table, Luna spoke up.
"Did you hear the news?" she asked, glancing at the pair.
Hermione shook her head, sitting down.
"No, what is going on?" asked Ron, curiously, looking around.
"It's Bellatrix Lestrange, she is dead," replied Daphne, excitedly.
"What?" gasped Ron as he took the newspaper handed out by Daphne. "How?" he added, stunned.
Right then, Neville, Seamus and Dean came over to their table.
"Bellatrix Lestrange is dead," exclaimed Seamus, loudly.
"Her body was found outside the Daily Prophet offices this morning," exclaimed Dean.
Neville, who was a lot more subdued, sat down to Hermione's left. Hermione's expression had just turned from one of a little shock back to indifference.
"Hi, Hermione," greeted Neville, almost in a whisper.
"Hey," she greeted back.
"I know what you are thinking," he said, sulking.
Hermione smiled back at him softly.
"I'm happy that we have one fewer death eater to worry about," remarked Neville.
"But it is not going to change what she has already done, all the people she has killed or hurt," sighed Hermione.
Just then, their private conversation was interrupted when their eyes fell on Draco, who also looked glum.
"Malfoy, where are you off to?" asked Ron, surprised. "Did you hear about..." he began excitedly but quickly realised that he needn't have asked it.
"I'm going home for a few days," replied Draco. "I have to be with my mother," he added.
"I'm sorry, mate," retorted Ron, apologetically. "I didn't mean to..." he trailed off
"That's quite alright, Weasley... I know how rejoiced all of you must be," remarked Draco and walked away.
"Safe travels, Malfoy," wished Colin, just as Draco started walking away.
"Take care, Draco," muttered Hermione, just enough to reach Draco's ears.
"Take care, Malfoy," exclaimed Ron, Seamus, Dean and Neville in a chorus.
Colin got up from his seat and quietly walked away towards the Gryffindor common room.
"I have got to go as well," remarked Daphne, with a twinkle in her eye and got up from her seat.
Quickly, Luna followed suit giving everyone else the perfect opportunity to adjust their throat all at the same time.
"Hey, Luna, are you going as well?" asked Ron, smirking.
"Oh, Weasley, don't you know?" chuckled Dean.
"I'm sure it's just a coincidence that Greengrass and Lovegood are leaving together," said Seamus with a straight face, however, ended up giggling a moment later.
"Off to the Forbidden Forest with Daphne, to catch some Nargles, are you?" chuckled Ron.
Luna halted momentarily and stared at the boys with her dreamy eyes for a few seconds before speaking up. "Oh, I don't think Daphne's too interested in Nargles, but we were discussing the possibility of Moon Frogs in the Black Lake," she replied. Just as the boys glanced at each other wondering if she was serious or not, she continued, "You know, they surface only when they sense true love," she added.
Daphne stared at Luna, with a mix of pride and admiration. "We might just find one today, don't you think, Luna?" she chuckled.
"Yes, and then we can try and pet one. They are supposed to bring good luck," added Luna, gleefully.
"Right... Let us know if you find them, maybe this time we might just be able to see one of them," retorted Seamus, chuckling.
"Come on, darling... Finnigan is just jealous that he isn't as special as you are," said Daphne, glancing and smiling at Luna. She locked arms with her and walked away.
"Piss off, Greengrass..." exclaimed Seamus, laughing.
"I am never going to figure her out," chuckled Dean glancing at the rest of them.
"Not even in the next life, mate," smirked Ron.
As the girls walked away a fair distance, into a quiet corridor, Daphne started giggling and came to a halt.
"Every time... every time..." remarked Daphne, glancing at Luna. Almost immediately, a sudden blush spread across Daphne's face. "You surprise me every time, Luna," she said as her cheeks went red.
Luna silently stared at Daphne for a few seconds. "You look beautiful, Daph," she whispered, an automatic smile appearing on her face.
Daphne cautiously let her hands wander their way toward Luna. The next moment, she was caressing Luna's palm, intertwining her fingers with Luna's in the process. Daphne noticed Luna's face turn a slight shade of pink which made her smile just a little. The caution was out of the window and her hands wandered further up Luna's arm and then tickled her neck.
In a swift motion, Daphne brought Luna closer and whispered, "I'm glad to find out that I have this effect on you," she said.
"You've always had this effect on me..." whispered back Luna.
"Anybody could walk into this corridor, any moment," muttered Daphne, as her lips caressed Luna's neck.
"You're trouble," whispered Luna as she felt Daphne's hot breath all over her body. And almost immediately, she pushed her away, giggling.
Daphne's hands continued caressing Luna's fingers. "I know..." she retorted with a devilish smile and pushed Luna against a wall, pressing her lips against hers.
"Quicker... You have to be quicker, Mr Weasley," exclaimed White as he sent another barrage of spells at Ron.
Ron struggled to keep up with White's pace and got hit multiple times all over his body.
"Let's take a break," exclaimed White and walked over to him.
Ron wasn't sure what came over him, maybe it was just an itch he couldn't scratch otherwise. But, ignoring White's instruction, he swung his wand at his Professor.
White, however, instantly blocked himself and instead, the spell rebounded back at Ron and hit him straight in the chest.
"Testing me, are you, Mr Weasley?" remarked White, walking towards him.
"I'm sorry, Professor," retorted Ron, coughing and short of breath.
"I might be old, Mr Weasley, but I'm not blind," remarked White, calmly.
Ron got back to his feet and regained his breath.
"You are too soft, and structured," said White, staring at him. "Everything you do is methodical, your movements are predictable," he added.
Ron stared back at White, not quite sure how to react or what to say. "I'm trying, Professor," he replied, finally.
"Vary your speed, Mr Weasley! There are very few who can deal with variable speed. Practice holding the wand a little more flexibly, and let your wrists do the work," said White.
Ron nodded at White as he took in the advice.
"Bring a bit of chaos, Mr Weasley... Your friend was good at it... It's time you started looking at others and raising your game," finished White.
"Yes, Professor," replied Ron, confidently. Though, he wasn't quite sure what White meant by chaos.
White started walking back to his spot but paused after a moment and turned back. "Do you sleep at night?" he asked.
Ron stared at Professor White, confused. "I'm not sure I follow, Professor," replied Ron.
"Are you able to sleep, Mr Weasley? Do you get sleep when you close your eyes?" repeated White.
"Yes, yeah, I do," replied Ron, perplexed and a little hesitant.
"Do you lay awake at nights picturing Eldon Redwood's eyes? Do you still hear the pin-drop silence?" asked White.
Ron's expression turned, he stared at White as if he had read his soul. "How... do you know?" he asked, stammering.
White took a few steps towards Ron as his gaze softened just a tiny bit.
"I spend every night wishing I had done something different..." muttered Ron, sulking.
"Do you regret killing Redwood?" asked White.
Ron contemplated his reply for a few seconds. "In my dreams, I leave Redwood on the floor... and save Percy every time," he replied.
White stepped closer to Ron. "Mr Weasley, guilt will consume you, if you let it," he remarked. "There's nothing you could have done to help your brother. It all happened way too quickly," he added.
Ron put his head down, in disappointment.
"And what you did to Redwood, was the right thing. You were ruthless... That's what I admire about you. You didn't hesitate in that moment," said White, a hint of a smile on his face.
"Really?" asked Ron, a little confused. "Everyone seems to question what I did. Nobody says it outright, but their way of talking about it... You are the only one who has told me that I was right," he remarked.
"Nobody around you understands war, Mr Weasley. They have all seen it, but nobody has that ruthlessness that's needed to win a war," retorted White, strongly. "And we need someone to be ruthless," he added.
Ron was taken aback by White's admission.
"I saw your eyes that evening. I saw the fire in you... You were ruthless that day. Let your ruthless side take over once in a while," he exclaimed.
A few weeks went by and things started to heat up. Behind the scenes, with the help of White, the Order managed to unite many wizarding communities, forces, and ministries even, against Voldemort and the UK's Ministry of Magic.
Ever since Voldemort became the Minister of Magic, many of the ties that the UK had with its neighbouring countries, magical governments and other institutions saw a sharp decline. While Voldemort spun the declining quality of the ties for his narrative of bringing the country together against "foreign invasion", the Order used it to strengthen its ties with the very institutions. In many parts of the world, Dumbledore's name was associated with them, and it carried a weight of its own. White aka Grindelwald used his connections and resources to spread the word against Voldemort and his policies and unite them all behind the Order of the Phoenix.
And then there was the ever-increasing fear that many magical communities had about their discovery. Voldemort's dynamic and volatile policies had an increasing effect on Muggles, and it seemed like the Wizarding World would be discovered at any time. As recently as a couple of weeks back, the French Minister of Magic sent an official notice to the UK's Ministry of Magic about the dangers to the International Statute of Secrecy that their policies posed.
Overall, in the past few weeks, there was a cloud over the political climate of the country, and its impact was felt in Hogwarts as well. However, things turned personal again, pretty soon.
It was early in the morning when Sirius Black walked over to the table seating Ron, Hermione and the rest.
"Ron, Hermione, can I have a word with both of you?" asked Sirius, a tone of urgency in his voice.
"What happened?" asked Ron, getting up. Hermione got up as well. The rest of them at the table, Neville, Draco, Colin, Daphne and Luna stared at Sirius, surprised.
"What happened, Professor?" asked Neville.
Just then, their eyes fell on Remus, walking towards them.
"Remus, will you fill them on everything?" asked Sirius.
Ron and Hermione walked over to Remus, and the three of them left immediately.
Sirius stayed back at the table and decided the address the rest of them. "We are trying to keep this a secret for as long as we can, but it's going to spread soon enough," he began as eager eyes watched him. Confusing as it might be, Sirius didn't look worried, his tone suggested that he was confused, a little shocked even. "It is about Harry," he whispered, taking a seat beside Neville.
Whatever little attention Sirius may not have had earlier, he had now.
"Harry was spotted near Grimmauld Place last night," announced Sirius.
"What?" gasped Neville, Colin and Draco together.
"Keep your voices down, please?" remarked Sirius, in a whisper. "Yes, he was seen, by a few wizards..." continued Sirius. "We suspect he may have escaped Jane and came looking for us at the Headquarters," he added. Everybody at the table was silent. "Keep this to yourself, at least till everyone eventually finds out," finished Sirius in an urgent whisper.
Meanwhile, at the Headmistress's office, Hermione and Ron were being filled up on Harry's sighting.
"What was he doing there?" asked Ron. "Why didn't he apparate to the Burrow or Hogsmeade?" he added.
"He could have gone back home too... He is the safest there, isn't he?" asked Hermione.
"He was sighted outside Grimmauld Place, but we don't know what he was doing there," replied McGonagall. "There is something else though," she added, hesitantly.
"What?" asked Ron, impatiently. "Is it about Jane? Was she there too?" he asked.
"Jane wasn't seen," replied Remus.
Ron and Hermione stared at Remus, McGonagall and Benjamin White alternatively. But there was a collective silence for a few seconds.
"What we are about to tell you is not going to be public knowledge," said Remus. "Harry, it looks like, might have been looking for something at the Headquarters," he remarked. "And he fought Kreacher for it," he added.
"What?" gasped Ron, shocked. "But why would he do that? He could have simply contacted us, and... What?" remarked Ron, confused. "Are we sure it was Harry and not Jane who fought Kreacher?" he asked.
"Kreacher was the one who contacted Sirius," announced McGonagall.
"In escaping from Kreacher, Harry was seen by many others outside of Grimmauld Place," replied Remus.
"This doesn't make any sense, why would Harry do this?" remarked Ron.
Nobody in the room seemed to have an answer to that question. As suspected by them, the news of Harry's sighting spread faster than a forest fire. Within that evening, it was all over the news and the papers. It was the only thing anyone spoke of at Hogwarts.
Harry's sudden and unexpected sighting caught the wildest imagination of everyone in the country, from people wondering if Harry was indeed kidnapped, to whether he was hiding from Voldemort.
One thing that did happen quite quickly was the increase in the amount of support the Order seemed to receive from the wizarding families. Suddenly, they started getting contacted by many, asking if the Order needed help in finding Harry Potter.
…
A couple of weeks went by in a flash. The search for Harry Potter had intensified ever since he was sighted near Grimmauld Place, but to no avail. Harry had not just consumed the thoughts and time of everyone in the Order, Hogwarts, he had also captured a significant portion of the papers, print and written media. Harry Potter was front and centre of all the talking points in the country.
It was later in the evening and Professor McGonagall was peacefully working in the Headmistress's office. It was then that she received an Owl from the Ministry of Magic, with a specially designed seal, distracting her from her work.
McGonagall opened the letter and read it urgently.
"Dear Headmistress
I wish to discuss, in person, a matter of great importance that concerns both the Ministry and yourself.
Considering Hogwarts's gates are closed and you may not prefer the Minister's office, I propose that we conduct this meeting at a neutral ground of your choice, this Friday, 22nd November, at 3 PM.
Your presence is not merely requested but required, as the decisions we must reach will undoubtedly influence all of our future.
Please confirm your attendance at the earliest. If this meeting is boycotted, there will be consequences.
Yours sincerely,
Lord Voldemort
Minister of Magic"
The following morning, McGonagall showed the letter to Benjamin White.
"I'm going to reply to him, agreeing to have the meeting," said McGonagall.
"Are you sure, Minerva?" asked White.
"I am," replied McGonagall, convincingly. "Let's hear what he has to say," she added.
"We will invite him to Hogsmeade," suggested White. "We will surround the place," he added.
"That's not neutral ground, is it?" questioned McGonagall.
"We'd be foolish to give in to his request. If he wants to talk to you, he can very well do it where we want," replied White.
And it was decided. Headmistress McGonagall was going to meet with Lord Voldemort, in a private parlour at Hogsmeade.
…
On Friday afternoon, McGonagall and White left Hogwarts and travelled to Hogsmeade. The fully magical village was all ready to host the Minister of Magic as a guest. That afternoon, the village was as good as deserted. The residents were all inside their houses, the shops were paid in advance to keep their businesses closed for the afternoon. White had arranged his army to cover all the entries and exits, and a special force at the ready if anything were to go wrong. McGonagall made her way to the parlour, right before 3 PM. While White decided to welcome Voldemort at the entrance of the village.
Right on time, Voldemort arrived, apparating right outside Hogsmeade. He was dressed in unsurprisingly dark black robes, but with dark green stripes that ran down the sides. However, surprisingly, he was all alone.
"Welcome to Hogsmeade... Minister," greeted White, politely.
"Good Afternoon, Professor," greeted Voldemort and held out his hand.
The two dark wizards shook hands, almost as if they were sizing each other up.
"All this protection..." sighed Voldemort as he looked around, though there wasn't anyone visible to the naked eye. "Are you really that afraid of me, Professor?" asked Voldemort, sniggering.
"There will come a day, Tom, when I will see fear in your eyes. Enjoy your time till then," snapped White, with a nonchalant grin.
Voldemort chuckled at White and walked past him. The two of them walked towards the parlour. However, it was only Voldemort who entered the room.
"Good Afternoon, Headmistress," greeted Voldemort.
"Good Afternoon," greeted back, McGonagall.
"I expected better from you, Minerva. Has Hogwarts stopped treating her guests with respect and pleasantries?" smiled Voldemort as he sat down opposite her.
"I apologise, Tom, that our welcome wasn't up to your expectation," replied McGonagall.
The two of them stared at each other for a few moments before Voldemort spoke up.
"Let us not waste each other's time and talk business," he began.
McGonagall nodded in response.
"I'm here to talk to you about Harry Potter," announced Voldemort.
McGonagall stared back at him, feigning a look of indifference.
"I would like to offer my help in finding Harry Potter," remarked Voldemort.
"Hasn't the Ministry already deployed a lot of resources in finding Harry Potter?" retorted McGonagall. "I read that Aurors are spending day and night looking for him," she added, smirking.
Voldemort grinned at McGonagall in response. "Minerva..." he began and paused. "I hope you don't mind," he added.
"Oh, please do continue," replied McGonagall. "It's only fair you refer to me by my name when I refer to you by yours," she added.
"Let me be honest here," began Voldemort. "We have been playing games for far too long, and I am tired now," he said. "We both know that the Ministry hasn't done enough to find Harry Potter and I want that to change," he remarked.
"You have spent a lot of years trying to get close to Harry, Tom... And you haven't done that very well, have you? Why do you think this time you will do any better?" retorted McGonagall.
Voldemort grinned once again, though this time, his true reaction wasn't quite well hidden. "James... Lily... John... and many more would disagree, don't you think?" retorted back Voldemort.
And this time, McGonagall was the one who had to bite her lip, stopping herself from reacting.
"What do you want, Tom?" asked McGonagall after a pause.
"I have already told you," replied Voldemort. "I want to help you find Harry Potter," he said.
"And what do you want in return?" asked McGonagall, blankly.
"I knew you were good, Minerva, you understand the world so much better," sighed Voldemort. "I want Hogwarts to let down its guard. It's been far too long now, I have let all of you enjoy your... rebellion or whatever this is supposed to be," he scoffed. "But it is time Hogwarts is brought back into the fold," he remarked.
McGonagall stared at Voldemort with a disagreeing look.
"I have played nice till now, Minerva, but I am the Minister of Magic and I am not going to let this go on forever," said Voldemort, his voice getting a little higher.
"We both know, Tom, how you became the Minister of Magic. You are not getting any support from Hogwarts," retorted McGonagall, strongly.
"Minerva... I won, and you lost," said Voldemort, his voice going suddenly calm. "Anyone who tries to brew any conspiracy against me, they will fail," he added.
There was a collective silence between the pair. And then Voldemort spoke up. "Jane is a terrorist, she terrorised the students, she went on a killing spree for the Deathly Hallows, she killed Albus Dumbledore and she now has Harry Potter with her," he exclaimed. McGonagall's eyes widened at the mention of the Hallows. "She leaves a trail of bodies everywhere she goes, and with or without you, we will find her," he added. "I am surprised you are siding with a known murderer," he remarked, sniggering.
"As opposed to siding with such a noble soul like yourself, Tom?" retorted McGonagall, sarcastically.
"Is Harry even kidnapped?" asked Voldemort earning him a glare from McGonagall. "If I don't get support from Hogwarts, I will spin the story how I see fit," he remarked.
"Is that a threat?" asked McGonagall.
"Just the truth, Minerva... I am not going to let anyone call my government incompetent," he snapped.
"Is that what you truly desire, Tom?" asked McGonagall. "Are you going to convince me that your intentions are purely political and have nothing to do with the prophecy you share with Harry?" she added.
Voldemort grinned in response. "I have won, Minerva, don't you see that?" he smirked. "I no longer care about... Harry... Potter," he announced, laughing.
McGonagall stared at Voldemort, a mixture of confusion and fear blending into her thoughts.
After a moment, Voldemort got up. "I am going to make an announcement tomorrow, maybe that will clear things up for you," he remarked. "I will expect a response soon," he added. Just before leaving the room, he stared at McGonagall, one last time. "Choose wisely, Headmistress," he said and walked out.
The following afternoon, as promised, there came an announcement from the Minister of Magic, Lord Voldemort.
"Today, I stand here, in front of all of you to make an important and imperative announcement, to address a matter that has lingered in the minds of many for far too long. With this, I hope I squash any and all rumours, speculations, and doubts inside everyone's heads about my stance on the matter.
For years, the name Harry Potter has been synonymous with resistance and defiance, an emblem of the turbulent times we have faced. However, the world has changed and so too must we. In the interest of unity, peace and the greater good of our country, I declare that Harry Potter is no longer my enemy.
The young wizard has gone through a difficult life, and currently finds himself at a crossroads with a truly dark witch, Jane Smith. I take this moment when all of us are praying for his safe return, when all of us are doing our best to look for him, to tell the world that any differences that may have been there between Harry Potter and I, no longer exist.
The slate is clean for me!
Questions have been raised against the Ministry, against me, against the efforts we have taken towards finding Harry Potter. I would like to inform all of you that I have personally coordinated with the Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and we are going to do everything in our power to find Harry Potter.
The Ministry remains resolute in its mission to protect the magical community, to ensure peace and order. Let's all take a moment towards a harmonious future, where old battles are forgotten and new alliances are formed."
And instantly, alarm bells started ringing inside everyone's head.
"Doesn't admitting something like this make him look weak?" exclaimed Ron, confused. "I mean, he can't very well tell the world that he had a feud with a 16-year-old," he remarked.
"He just did," retorted Draco. "And this is not a good sign," he added.
"What game is he playing?" exclaimed Ron.
"He just took a lot of effort into making himself look vulnerable in front of the wizarding world," sighed Hermione, shocked. "And I have no idea what he plans to gain out of this," she muttered.
Hope this one was a fun ride... And how was the ending, did you expect it? Let me know all your thoughts...
PS - I'm working on 115 at the moment, and I hope to publish 2 chapters next week. So, stay tuned! Ciao!