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Chapter 811: The Situation in the Wizarding World
🕑 Added 2023-07-09 00:51:34 +0000 UTCEvan could think of everything inside that old house, but he couldn’t remember the address or speak it out.
12 Grimmauld Place was protected by the Fidelius Charm, and everything there was concealed by magic...
"Yes, the Order of the Phoenix Headquarters is located at 12 Grimmauld Place in London!" said Dumbledore softly.
As he spoke, the address of Number 12, Grimmauld Place, suddenly appeared in Evan's mind, incredibly clear. However, he still couldn't tell anyone about the place, as it was bound by powerful magic, the Fidelius Charm used by Dumbledore.
"I must thank you again, Sirius!" Dumbledore continued. "We need a safe place to be the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. To be honest, there is no more suitable place than the Black family's ancestral home. It is protected by many spells I can imagine, second only to Hogwarts, as long as we simply replace some of the ineffective ones."
"That's nothing. Otherwise, the house would just be sitting there idle. I'm glad I can do something for the Order of the Phoenix," said Sirius, suddenly turning and frowning at a portrait on the wall.
His great-great-grandfather Phineas had just yelled 'the black sheep of the family', causing chaos in the Headmaster's office.
"Well, Remus is waiting for you there. It's very late. I think the two of you are better off now!" said Dumbledore, beckoning slightly upward, and the burning flames in the fireplace suddenly turned emerald-green.
Evan walked into the fireplace, and after a dizzying spin, he got out of the fireplace at Number 12 Grimmauld Place.
It was completely different from before. The last time Evan came to the kitchen of this old house, it was almost a cave-like deep room. The room was surrounded by rough stone walls, moth-eaten curtains covering the secret passage leading to the underground library, the ground was covered with dust, dangerous Dark magic items were scattered everywhere, and the air in the whole house was very dull, like a haunted mansion.
Now, here was a whole new look.
The dark ceiling and floor were gone, polished until they shone as if waxed, and they could almost reflect the silhouette, the curtains and decorations inlaid with the Black family's crest were all replaced with new ones. Everything was neatly placed in the cabinet.
Evan blinked and almost didn't recognize it. Was it really 12 Grimmauld Place?!
"Kreacher did it. It took him about a year to clean the house, although no one lived here," said Sirius, pushing Evan out of the large fireplace. "When my mother was here, it did look like this."
"Good evening, Master Sirius, Master Evan!" A bullfrog-like voice sounded, "Welcome back … change your shoes, please!"
Evan saw the house-elf Kreacher running up with two pairs of slippers, and the clothes he wore were washed clean.
A fake Slytherin locket hung around his neck, with a photo of him and Regulus in it, a Christmas gift from Evan.
As for the locket that Regulus used to replace Voldemort's Horcrux, it was still in that dark and gruesome cave. No one could drink all the liquid that Voldemort left in the stone basin, and it was impossible to get that locket.
But now, everyone knew that it was a fake locket, and naturally there was no need to take it out, and Dumbledore would not drink those deadly poisons.
For Kreacher, the replica that Evan had given him was sufficient.
Like this old house, he was now radiating new vitality, not looking old or decadent at all, and he was extremely respectful to Evan.
After Evan and his friends recovered the body of Regulus, and let Kreacher understand why he died, Kreacher's attitude improved greatly. It was no longer the same as before, and the whole person was more diligent and worked like a true house-elf.
"Good evening, Evan … Sirius, Dumbledore informed me that you‘d come back today," said Lupin with a smile.
He was sitting at the long wooden table in the middle of the room, still wearing the old patched robes, looking in good spirits.
"Hello, Remus!" Sirius walked over and hugged him, and Evan hurriedly greeted him.
"So, how was your trip?" Lupin asked, pouring them each a cup of coffee.
"A lot of things happened. We’ll tell you about it..." said Evan, turning around and looking at the house-elf behind him, "Kreacher, could you please get us something to eat? We haven't had dinner yet. Don't bother too much. Just keep it simple!"
"No problem, Master Evan, this is an honor for Old Kreacher." He bowed and disappeared with a loud crack.
"I like this house-elf; he has a much better attitude than I remember," said Lupin, motioning for Evan to sit next to him. "Of course, he still whispers bad things about me behind my back, but at the very least he won't drive me out of here as before."
"Says bad things?" Sirius frowned. "I’ll tell him not to do that ..."
"No need, Sirius. It’s good to maintain the current state. You know, in most wizards and magical creatures’ eyes, I’m not a very welcomed visitor," said Lupin, waving his hand. "Being a werewolf is a professional hazard, after all."
There was a moment of silence. Being a werewolf had a great impact on Lupin, which kept him unable to put down his burden and start a new life.
"Well, tell me about the interesting things that happened on your trip to the giants’ tribe?"
Next, Evan and Sirius briefly recounted what happened, and asked Lupin about the current situation in the wizarding world.
"Not so good. There’s no news about Voldemort's return. All the media are silent. As for our newspaper ..." Lupin smiled bitterly. "Just like before you left, they sent special personnel to check the content of our reports, and implemented strict control. The number of newspaper subscriptions continues to decline. I have protested to the Ministry of Magic during this time, but all our appeals have fallen on deaf ears. No one has responded."
"They can't keep doing this. People need the truth. We can separate the news of Voldemort's return from the claims of the order of the Phoenix, and mail them secretly to those who need them," Evan suggested.
"That’s a good idea, but if it’s discovered or reported, Fudge will definitely not miss this opportunity. Dumbledore said we’d better not stimulate him and confront the Ministry of Magic," said Lupin. "Fudge has done a lot of crazy things recently. I heard that he has prepared to intervene in Hogwarts teaching activities. Next term, the Ministry of Magic will send a High Inquisitor to Hogwarts to conduct an overall assessment of the school education. The matter has been determined. I just don’t know the candidate! "
Evan knew who the High Inquisitor was, and before his eyes came the terrible image of a woman, looking like a large, pink toad.
