Chapter 578： night talk

Dumbledore handed Umbridge to the Auror in Hogsmeade village. She was rudely excavated by Voldemort's recent memory, and her brain is not very clear at the moment, and may even leave sequelae.

Then he took some time to appease the panic-stricken villagers of Hogsmeade village, "Except for the heavy wind and sand in the past two days, there will be no other impact." After that, he came to the Pig's Head Bar.

Aberforth sat at the door of the bar, looking tired and scarred.

"You shouldn't have run out, you're too badly injured—"

"Let me lie among the corpses on the ground?" Aberforth roared angrily, "Why don't you try it?"

Dumbledore was slightly silent, "Okay, then I'll take you to St. Mungo's, you need treatment."

"It's not a big deal, that **** wanted to see me begging for mercy, but I didn't do what he wanted," Aberforth said gruffly, spitting **** spit on the ground, "You're here sooner than I thought. ."

But Dumbledore insisted on taking him to the hospital. In St Mungo's, Dumbledore took the time to chat with a portrait of Dalys Derwent. Dalys Derwent, the former headmaster of Hogwarts and St. Mungo's healer, is a well-known wizard with portraits in many wizarding institutions.

"The Ministry of Magic is busy. Those dark wizards have no regard for secrecy laws, and they blasted a big hole directly from the welcome entrance—" said the old witch with long silver curly hair.

"The red phone booth?" Dumbledore interrupted.

"Yeah, a lot of Muggles have seen it," Dalice said angrily. "The Ministry will be busy with this for a long time to come. I don't want it to delay the trial of Wizengamore. A lot of dark wizards," she added.

Dumbledore smiled and said, "Probably not so fast, the last war's trial lasted a long time. But our new minister is not bad, she'll take care of it... How's the situation at school, Minerva? Sent the Patronus to tell me something, and I want to know the latest progress..."

"Oh, they are really getting more and more capable, those little guys!" Dalys said with great enthusiasm, "It really opened my eyes, they don't seem to want to wait for the support of the Ministry of Magic, but solve the problem by themselves. - They even formed a reinforcement force out of the school to help the nearby village of Hogsmeade with the surrounding Inferi and Dementors. Exciting!"

"Minerva agrees?" Dumbledore asked in surprise.

"The opposition is invalid, the students are very enthusiastic..."

Ten minutes ago—

Felix, Harry, Sirius and the others returned to school, and Ron and Neville trotted over.

"How's the situation?" Ron looked at the people who came back, "We found Avery on the road, he fell so hard, we didn't dare to move him, and left him where he was until the professionals dealt with it. What about Umbridge?"

"She ran away," Harry said briefly, Ron stared, and Harry added: "But her plot failed, and there was Professor Hepp at the 'critical moment'—" He took a peek, Felix smiled at him, not rejecting this statement.

This made Harry very depressed. He hinted so clearly, but the professor still didn't respond. Well, he planned to analyze with Ron and Hermione in private.

"Okay, running a small role, I see." Ron smacked his lips, and then he said excitedly, "Neville just made an idea, which I think is not bad. Want to hear it?" He looked at Harry, look at the others again.

Everyone looked at Neville, and Neville said shyly: "There are a lot of Infernal corpses and dementors outside, some of them may have gone to the village of Hogsmeade next door. There are many wizard families living nearby, not all of them. Can deal with Dementors..."

"You want to support Hogsmeade?" Harry said in surprise, and Felix also looked over, which was an interesting idea. Harry praised without hesitation: "Neville, you have a good idea, and we can really help."

Neville shook his head, "I'm just making suggestions, Ron, Luna and the others helped perfect the plan, especially Luna, who solved the problem of not having enough brooms—"

"She's here too?" Harry asked, looking in the direction of Hagrid's hut and spotting Graup easily - he was too bulky and was walking up and down the edge of the Forbidden Forest, with the help of Graup Positioning, Harry vaguely saw a few small dots around, he tried to catch the yellow-haired man, he found, Luna was stroking the black winged horse-shaped creature-

"Thestrals?" He was both surprised and enlightened.

"Our broom has been robbed, and we always have to use our brains to find a replacement." Fred said with a smile, and Moody's magic eye looked over, and he shrank his neck nervously. "Just kidding, Professor Moody, don't take it seriously!"

"I have to remind you," Felix chimed in, "your ideas are good, but you have to get the school's approval first... The one who is calling the shots right now is Professor McGonagall." He ran over, half of his hair was loose, and he looked menacing.

"Uh..." Harry was stunned, looking at Felix tentatively, "Will you speak for us, Professor?"

Felix blinked, "I'd love to be on your side, but... I have to maintain the relationship between my colleagues, so it's up to you to convince her." Harry stared at Felix in astonishment.

In the end, Professor McGonagall was persuaded, but she urged several professors to accompany her. Sirius, Flitwick, Sprout, Tonks, the Longbottoms, Emmeline Vance led the team, and more than 30 students rode brooms and Thestrals into the sky.

The students who rushed out of the castle looked at these people as if they were heroes, applauding and cheering enthusiastically.

Harry hovered in the sky on his Firebolt, watching with exhilaration as students and professors set off from the bright Hogwarts school and soared into the sky. When he turned around, he saw Draco Malfoy in the crowd - he stayed at the school, his eyes fixed on the sky. Harry saw unwillingness and jealousy in Malfoy's eyes, but unexpectedly didn't hate the look, because he suddenly realized that Malfoy wanted to be one of Hogsmeade's supporters on the broom.

Unwillingness and jealousy can also be called envy.

Those who remain do their jobs.

Moody watched over the dark wizards he had captured, Madam Pomfrey treated the little wizards who were scratched by the Inferi or tripped over stones, Kingsley returned to the Ministry of Magic, Felix and Professor McGonagall stayed at the school to appease - To be precise, ordering the students back to the safety of the castle - they were so over-excited tonight that they seemed to want to party out all night.

"We can move the kitchen outside and wait for those people to come back from Hogsmeade."

"You said, will they bring back some Honey Duke's candy by the way?"

This idea was quickly suppressed by the dark forces on campus headed by Professor McGonagall. Although the sky above Hogwarts was as bright as day, it was not safe outside the castle. Strange.

They have to go through it carefully.

Later in the day, Dumbledore returned to school. He got to know Moody, McGonagall, Felix, Snape one by one, and the night was getting darker. Snape stayed in his office, feeling the heat and pain in his arm, and stood up blankly.

...

"So you came to see me empty-handed, Severus?"

"Master, I have done everything I can, and even exposing myself would not be better." Snape lowered his head and said, "Please allow me to explain. I dare not hide anything." The tattered windows spilled over him, making his face very pale.

Voldemort sat in the dark, with no light around him, his snake-wood staff making a "hissing" sound. He had seen fragments in Umbridge's memory of what Snape had done, but he was still full of anger.

Snape waited for a moment, and when he saw that Voldemort did not stop him, he said:

"You asked me to act by chance, and I did: I gave Umbridge the password for the principal's office at a critical moment, and then led Potter away. Then the Inferi army broke in. Although Dumble Lido was not there, but McGonagall exercised the right of vice-principal for the first time: summoned the other three deans and all the professors. It would be too suspicious if I did not show up. You know, I did not gain much trust in the Order of the Phoenix. Too many people are staring at me.

Sirius Black and I are enemies, and I don't have much friendship with Minerva McGonagall. Harry Potter and his friends are even more hostile to me, and Potter still has the original Marauder in his hands. Maps, even if you told me how to hide myself, I couldn't do it lightly, that would raise even more suspicion.

I have a teacher-student relationship with Felix Hepp, but the last time I ventured into the information about the crown may have consumed some trust. As for Dumbledore, he never put secrets in a basket, just like he did this time Secretly arranged for someone from the Order of the Phoenix to enter the school... He must have noticed something, but I didn't.

I even pretended a mistake to stop Potter when he was trying to catch Umbridge, but Felix Hepper suddenly showed up and put the plan in jeopardy.

After Dumbledore came back, he took the locket and crown directly, and I didn't have any chance to intervene. "

Snape told what had happened, and when he said this, he suddenly frowned, "There is something strange, I don't know if I have exposed: I have hinted to Umbridge that I am a spy, but She was caught by Dumbledore. In case she gives anything—"

"Don't worry, I messed up her head." Voldemort's high-pitched, clear voice came from the darkness.

"Felix Hepp is a memory master..." Snape reminded.

Voldemort sneered.

"If they investigate, they'll find out that Umbridge will identify a large group of spies, and you're just one of them. You didn't tell Avery your identity, did you?"

"No. I've always been cautious," Snape said.

"That's not safe," Voldemort stood up and paced the empty room. "He's in St. Mungo's now?" Snape nodded. wake up."

"Then don't wake up," Voldemort said murderously. The "hissing" sound of the snake wooden staff became louder, as if there were hundreds of snakes roaring in the house.

"Master? You still want me to go back to school?" Snape asked in a low voice, showing just the right amount of dissatisfaction.

"You don't want to, Severus?" Voldemort asked softly. He came over, bathed in moonlight, his bare pale skin seemed to glow. On that snake-like face, red eyes stared at Snape.

"No—of course—not—" Snape said hesitantly. "I thought—I could—this time—could come back—return to the Death Eaters."

Voldemort watched him silently for a moment.

"Are you tired of years of undercover work?" he said slowly, twisting the snake-wood stick between his fingers, "I need you to do one last thing for me, Severus. This one. When you're done, you can return to the Death Eater family."

Snape raised his head and glanced excitedly, then lowered his head again, "Thank you, Master. I'm willing to serve you, just like I did ten years ago."

"Very good. Dumbledore and I agreed to a duelThere must be a death...but I haven't settled on a specific time, do you know why?"

"I don't know, Master," said Snape.

"How's the injury on Dumbledore's hand?" Voldemort suddenly changed the subject.

"He pressed the wound down to his left hand, and every once in a while he needed to take potions. I've never seen magic so powerful, stronger than any curse, and the average person would have died long ago—"

"I have faith in my magic," said Voldemort, and Snape shut up.

After a long time, Voldemort said: "Weak Dumbledore as much as possible, Severus, but don't kill him, I want to see him fall in front of me. Your talent in potions is unparalleled. , I believe you can move your hands and feet without knowing it."

"But Dumbledore may have noticed..."

"It will be too late then, Severus, you have already retired, and I will give you all the glory that belongs to you. So be bold, Severus, and I await your good news."

...

"Voldemort is ready to abandon you."

Dumbledore murmured, and Snape stared at him. It was early morning, but Dumbledore showed no sign of falling asleep. He was really dressed, sitting at his desk with a black gemstone ring in his hand.

"He's not sure if Umbridge will leak, those words are just to comfort you, I guess he has other assignments for you? And it's very time-sensitive?"

"He asked me to poison you," Snape said coldly. "The sooner the better."

Dumbledore smiled.

"Ah, so it is. I've been worried that he'll take anger at you, and that's probably the biggest risk tonight. When Voldemort left, he was very grumpy, and he hasn't been in a good mood for a while..."