Chapter 499: Recent Developments
Hermione smirked, while Harry seemed carefree.
"What''s going on?" Luna asked, puzzled.
"Nothing, really," Harry chuckled more, "The professor, naturally, is on our side. It''s entirely normal, isn''t it?"
"You make a valid point," Luna said seriously. "But he''s too independent; sometimes, the information doesn''t match... I almost got killed by him."
"What happened?" Harry''s smile faded.
"I took a few days off recently, caught up with friends," Luna said gloomily. "As you know, I mean my kind..." Harry and Hermione nodded knowingly, understanding she referred to werewolves.
"Dumbledore wanted me to infiltrate the werewolfmunity, but my face had gained some notoriety, appeared in the papers a few times... So, I opted for semi-public activities, trying to persuade the more moderate werewolf groups, promising a stable wolfsbane potion to keep them neutral, if not on our side. One time, I encountered Felix looking for a dark wizard—aplicated rtionship exists between werewolves and dark wizards, sometimes entwined due to both being on society''s fringes, albeit under different circumstances... Conflict erupted; a few impulsive werewolves rushed in, only to be struck back by ck lightning the next moment."
"It was too fast, couldn''t react," Luna said, still shaken. "But the mission was aplished; that pack of werewolves moved out overnight."
Harry and Hermione exchanged looks."Kids, I''m not saying this to me Felix—although his methods were indeed rough," Luna concluded, "but you must realize: werewolves are all dangerous. Though divided into aggressive and moderate factions, they''re all within the danger category. So, don''t fall into the misconception that the moderates are just amiable."
"I don''t think so, Limes. You''re nicer than most people I know," a young woman''s voice entered the living room.
The witch had a pale heart-shaped face, sparkling ck eyes, and a vibrant violet short haircut. Her attire leaned toward Muggle style, with an entric shirt and patched jeans, like the rebellious girl Harry asionally saw.
Harry found the face vaguely familiar, recalling meeting her in third year after a few seconds.
"Hello, Tonks," Luna calmly introduced them, "Tonks is the Ministry''s proud auror, chosen to be stationed at the Phoenix as a liaison between both sides."
Harry and Hermione suddenly understood.
Tonks approached, highly interested, extending a hand. "Hi, been wanting to chat with you both," she said casually.
Harry and Hermione hurriedly shook hands, and Tonks leaned in to whisper, "I''ve joined the Phoenix."
"Congrattions—" Harry awkwardly replied, unable to find a fitting response.
During this time, Kreachur had remained silent. When Harry looked at him, he respectfully bowed. "Allow Kreachur to brew tea for the young master."
"Um, okay," Harry said. Then, Kreachur disappeared before his eyes. Harry found Kreachur''s attitude peculiar.
"He''s treating us like air," Luna remarked. "Because of my werewolf status, he should actually treat Tonks better, but..."
"My mum was disowned by the ck family," Tonks shrugged. "I guess he doesn''t approve of me either."
"Disowned? The tapestry?" Harry asked.
"Yeah," Tonks mimicked sparking fireworks.
Hermione looked puzzled by their conversation.
Harry softly exined, "There''s a tapestry on the second floor wall, the ck family''s genealogy. But not everyone''s on it; some members who seriously vite family traditions get removed, like Sirius did before."
Hermione nodded in understanding.
"So—wee to our gathering," Luna smiled, opening her arms and hugging Harry.
...
Harry and Hermione sat on the couch, everything feeling quite novel around them.
"Are there only a few of you here?" Hermione asked.
"Of course not, Sirius offered this ce as the Phoenix headquarters. Everyone''s usually busy, rarely get together like this, only when they find spare time," Luna exined, "Molly cleaned up a few rooms; it''s barely suitable for habitation now."
"I remember Sirius and Kreachur tidying up before," Harry said. He had stayed here a few days, and back then, the environment was pretty bad.
"Alright, let me rephrase that—it barely meets the needs of the new residents," Luna smiled. "Sirius is a bachelor, and Kreachur... I''d say he''s diligent, but he''s old, and I strongly suspect his taste has gone astray..."
Luna checked the time, "Sirius should be back soon; he said he''d try to finish work early today. I''ll go cook."
"Need any help?" Tonks asked.
"Not necessary," Luna declined, but Tonks followed her out. Soon, sounds of ttering from downstairs and Tonks'' apologies echoed, "Oh! Sorry—"
As soon as they left, Kreachur appeared again, bringing a teapot. "This is for Master Harry—" he poured hot tea into the cup considerately, then nced at Hermione, making no move.
Hermione awkwardly poured herself a cup of tea and started sipping.
"If Master Harry has any orders, just call for Kreachur. Kreachur is at your service," the household elf vanished with a "pop."
Harry whispered, "Kreacher served the ck family for generations, deeply influenced by pure-blood beliefs. Sirius spent quite a bit of effort to stop him from swearing, but I reckon he only seeded halfway. Kreacher nowpletely ignores non-pure-blood wizards."
"I understand," Hermione said, holding her teacup, gazing with interest in the direction Kreacher had disappeared.
"Let''s go, I''ll show you around the house. I''ve been here a few times before, but it''s odd, I haven''t found a suitable ce for practicing magic... We''re currently on the second floor. The ground floor is the entrance hall and dining room, while the third floor has several bedrooms, but during thest clean-up, a lot of junk was piled up inside, I''m not sure what the situation is now... At the end of the corridor is the study..."
Harry and Hermione nced into the study, where a professor sat muttering to himself. "Animagus?" he lifted his head, looking at them, "Has Sirius returned?"
"Not yet," Harry replied honestly.
"Professor," Hermione asked, "where can we practice magic?"
"There are two ces. On the fifth floor, apart from two bedrooms that used to belong to Sirius and Regulus, there''s a spacious activity room that was previously locked. Practicing regr magic there isn''t a problem. The kitchen is on the underground floor, but through another hidden entrance and down a long flight of stairs, you''ll find a huge space, somewhat like a basement level two. I suspect it was the ck family''s spell experimentationb,ter abandoned. However, the walls there are made of extremely solid stone, and there are various magical protections..."
After Felix finished exining, he inquired, "By the way, do you know about the honors?"
"Honors?" Harry and Hermione eximed in unison.
Felix smiled, "Ms. Bones herself mentioned it. You have the chance to receive the Second Order of Merlin; it''s not a hoax."
Harry hadpletely forgotten about this.
Even upon returning to the living room, Harry''s mind remained dizzy. Was he about to receive the Order of Merlin?
...
As it neared eight o''clock, some noises drifted down from downstairs.
Harry perked up his ears, recognizing familiar footsteps. It was Sirius!
"Harry!" Sirius appeared at the living room door, smiling at him, "Mondongus has finally managed something sensible." He sat opposite Harry, almost plopping onto Mondongus, "Oops—"
"Is it dinner time?" a sleepy Mondongus mumbled.
"Not yet," Sirius replied, shifting to another spot, allowing Crookshanks to leap onto him, seeking a scratch under its chin.
"What have you been up totely?" Harry asked.
"Plenty to do," Sirius slumped wearily on the couch, "We''re in a preparatory phase. Both sides are cautious; we haven''t had direct confrontations—except for a few incidents involving Inferi. We suspect Voldemort is secretly recruiting, gathering forces, or nning something... never idle. On our end, it''s about fortifying defenses," he nced at Harry, "living on the move while handling family matters; that''s the situation."
"The wizarding world has been peaceful for many years. Most folks aren''t vignt; there are plenty of loopholes to exploit. You might have heard about Azkaban... Amelia''s been quite the paperhangertely."
"And the Floo Network," Mondongus mumbled in his sleep.
Sirius grinned.
"True, who''d have thought the inconspicuous Floo Network Authority would be so crucial during wartime? Amelia''s ordered the team to clear out old and illegal routes and monitor any anomalies—"
"What about here?" Harry remembered Mondongus mentioning the ck family''s involvement in some aspects of the Floo Network.
"No need to worry for now," Sirius smirked mischievously, "This ce is under a loyalty enchantment. The Ministry can''te snooping; at most, they''ll discover uncontrolled nodes but won''t be able to locate us."
...
During dinner, they exchanged information.
"Fudge''s been sent to various European countries, advocating vignce against Death Eater activities... making good use of him," Sirius shrugged.
Harry was greatly surprised.
"Molly mentioned she''s moving in with a few kids in a couple of days," Lupin also shared.
Harry and Hermione were thrilled to hear this news.
"I''ll be gone for a few days," Felix said, "I''ll return before the honors ceremony starts."
"Where to?" Lupin keenly inquired.
"Visiting Mr. Scamander; I miss those little creatures he keeps in the basement."
>
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