Chapter 242
Fred quickly reeled in the Extendable Ears, and with a loud crack, both he and George disappeared. A few moments later, Mrs. Weasley appeared at the doorway.
"The meeting is almost over, so go get yourselves ready. I'll call you as soon as everything is prepared. You can come downstairs now—everyone is eager to see you, Harry! And who left all those Dungbombs outside the kitchen door?"
Ginny replied without showing her usual blush, "Crookshanks... he likes playing with them."
Mrs. Weasley nodded.
"Oh... I thought it was Kreacher. He does strange things like that. And don't forget to keep your voices down in the hallway. Ginny, your hands are filthy. What have you been doing? Please go wash them before dinner."
Ginny stole a glance at the others and followed her mother out of the room, leaving Harry alone with Ron and Hermione.
Both of them watched him anxiously, as though they feared he might start shouting again now that everyone had left. Seeing them standing there so nervously made Harry feel ashamed.
"Look..." he muttered.
But Ron shook his head, and Hermione said softly, "We know how angry you are, Harry, and we don't blame you for it. But you have to understand that we tried to convince Dumbledore to—"
"Yeah... I know," Harry interrupted shortly.
He searched for another topic of conversation, because merely thinking about Dumbledore caused the anger in his chest to flare up again.
Ron led the way to the door and toward the staircase. But before they descended, he suddenly raised a hand to stop Harry and Hermione.
"Wait... they're still in the hallway. We might hear something."
The three of them peered over the banister. The dark entrance hall below was crowded with witches and wizards, including all of Harry's guards.
They were whispering excitedly among themselves. Right in the middle, Harry spotted the shiny black hair and hooked nose of the teacher he disliked most at Hogwarts: Professor Snape.
Leaning over the railing, Harry became intensely curious about the role Snape played within the Order of the Phoenix.
A thin, flesh-colored string suddenly dropped in front of Harry's eyes. Looking up, he saw Fred and George above them, carefully lowering the Extendable Ears toward the gathering below.
A moment later, the adults moved toward the front room, and a voice became clearly audible.
It was Albert.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George all listened carefully as Albert spoke inside the meeting room.
The atmosphere inside was tense after Albert had revealed his dream, and everyone's eyes remained fixed on him, waiting for him to continue.
Albert let out a small sigh, gathered his thoughts, and spoke calmly yet confidently.
"Three days ago, I had a dream... or rather, a vision. I saw Voldemort sitting in the Riddle Manor, speaking with Peter Pettigrew about a plan to create chaos in Azkaban. He intends to free his loyal followers—those who remained faithful to him until the end."
Most of those present looked confused. They exchanged glances, clearly uncertain of what Albert meant.
Tonks was the first to speak.
"Wait... are you saying you saw this in a dream? How can you be sure it wasn't just an ordinary nightmare?"
Before Albert could answer, Moody leaned forward, resting his elbow on the table. His magical eye spun constantly as he stared at Albert.
"I understand you're talking about a dream," Moody said sharply, "but why does it sound like a genuine vision? How can you see Voldemort's plans with such precision?"
Albert hesitated briefly before deciding to be honest.
"Because there is a connection between Voldemort and me."
The entire room froze.
However, Sirius, Lupin, and the Weasley family showed no surprise—they had already learned this during Sirius's exoneration celebration.
Snape, who had been sitting comfortably in his chair, suddenly straightened up in shock. Moody, meanwhile, showed no surprise at all. He simply placed a hand on his chin, as though he had expected something like this.
Albert continued carefully.
"I don't yet know the exact reason, but I've been seeing visions connected to him. Not all of them are clear, but they are real. Whenever he discusses something important with his followers, I can see it—as though I am actually there."
Silence filled the room as everyone tried to process his words.
Finally, Lupin spoke seriously.
"If You-Know-Who hasn't begun carrying out his plan yet, then we still have time to stop him. We cannot allow him to succeed."
Albert slowly shook his head.
"Impossible."
Kingsley Shacklebolt frowned.
"Why do you say that?"
"Because he is no longer working alone," Albert answered darkly. "At this very moment, he has already begun planting seeds inside the Ministry."
Silence returned.
Arthur Weasley leaned forward slightly.
"What do you mean, Albert? How could he have influence inside the Ministry?"
Albert took a deep breath.
"First of all, what I'm about to say must remain absolutely secret. Don't tell anyone what I'm about to reveal about Voldemort—not even Harry, Ron, or Hermione."
Arthur interrupted immediately, his voice filled with warning.
"Don't say that name again!"
Albert raised an eyebrow and slowly turned toward Arthur.
Yet he remained calm.
"Whether I say his name or not won't change the fact that he's here—and that he has already begun carrying out his plans."
Moody spoke heavily.
"If what you're saying is true, then Voldemort has not only returned, but he's already begun implementing long-term plans. Taking control of the Ministry? That's madness... but it's possible."
Albert nodded.
"Yes. And that's not all. I saw his followers with my own eyes that night in the graveyard. The Death Eaters who escaped imprisonment still remain loyal to him. That means they may have already begun placing their pawns inside the Ministry from the very moment of his return. Which would make freeing the Death Eaters from Azkaban incredibly easy—as though it were nothing more than a routine administrative process."
Snape, seated in the shadows against the wall, listened silently. Yet now he raised an eyebrow in surprise at the depth of Albert's analysis.
He had always known Albert was intelligent, but he had never imagined the boy could construct such a complex strategic picture.
Kingsley folded his arms.
"If the escape of the Death Eaters is as inevitable as you say, then the entire Ministry could fall into Voldemort's hands. But there's one thing I don't understand."
He looked directly at Albert.
"Why would Voldemort go to such lengths to make Fudge refuse to believe in his return? Wouldn't it benefit him if everyone knew he was back and feared him as they once did?"
Albert smiled faintly.
"Because he is planning something he does not want the Ministry to know about until the proper time."
Moody raised an eyebrow.
"And what could that be?"
Lupin, more impatient than the others, immediately added:
"Yes. What could possibly be important enough for him to hide his return over?"
Albert sighed softly.
"Because he hasn't fully regained his power yet. He needs something specific inside the Ministry to restore himself completely before revealing his return to the world. Though sooner or later, he would regain his full strength even without it."
Everyone listened attentively.
Even Sirius, seated beside Albert, looked worried.
"What does Voldemort want from the Ministry? What could be hidden there that he would conceal his return until he obtains it?"
Albert answered quietly:
"The Philosopher's Stone."
Dead silence swept through the room.
Even the walls seemed to stop vibrating.
Moody's magical eye widened, while Tonks stood frozen in disbelief.
Albert continued, staring down at the table.
"The Philosopher's Stone, once protected by Dumbledore, was the one object capable of granting Voldemort a complete body and limitless power. After he attempted to steal it through Quirrell years ago, Dumbledore realized that Hogwarts was no longer a safe place for it. So he transferred it to the Ministry, where it is kept under heavy protection."
Arthur swallowed nervously.
"But... Fudge is the Minister. Surely the Ministry is still a safe place?"
Albert shook his head seriously.
"Are you certain of that? Remember that Lucius Malfoy possesses enormous influence within the Ministry, and his close relationship with Fudge allows him to manipulate him easily. If Lucius begins influencing the Minister's decisions, the Ministry itself could fall into Voldemort's hands before we are even able to act."
Everyone sat in stunned silence.
But no one was more shocked than Snape.
He had expected Albert to be clever, but he had never imagined the boy was capable of thinking with such precision. Albert planned every step as though he himself were a Minister.
At last, Moody smiled and clapped twice loudly.
"My boy, you're a genius. I never expected your thinking to reach this level."
Slowly, the others began applauding as well—not merely out of admiration for Albert's analysis, but because they realized they now possessed extremely valuable information about Voldemort's plans.
Information that might mean the difference between victory and defeat in the coming war.
Albert blushed deeply and said shyly,
"Don't mention it, everyone. It's simply my duty. Since this concerns our primary objective, helping is the least I can do."
To be continued...