Dumbledore had indeed intended to secure additional compensation for Sirius, and he'd actually voiced this concern, but was diplomatically rebuffed by both the Ministry and Fudge, achieving absolutely no results.
"Seems the Ministry's already irritated by Professor Dumbledore's guidance and interference during the trial proceedings. How utterly petty."
Hermione pursed her lips disapprovingly, muttering quietly into her earpiece.
Sirius Black had now been released from his magical restraints. He currently fixed Peter Pettigrew—who remained under Veritaserum's lingering effects—with a menacingly dark stare. Then, without uttering a single word, he pivoted and departed with decisive finality, not even bothering to inform Dumbledore of his intentions.
This peculiar behavior was immediately detected by the astute Hermione, though she couldn't fathom Sirius's motivations. Nevertheless, she relayed this observation to Glenn.
"Peter Pettigrew's now under Auror supervision, though they're still receiving detailed instructions from Minister Fudge—likely regarding procedural requirements and Azkaban transfer arrangements... Appears quite bureaucratic. You probably have approximately fifteen minutes for final preparations."
"Fifteen minutes... Understood."
Glenn nodded curtly, then settled into a cross-legged position, entering deep meditative focus while activating his enhanced sensory abilities.
Within the constructed darkness of his consciousness, Glenn meticulously recreated the precise locations of his recently installed devices. Dozens of luminous points materialized throughout the mental void as Glenn concentrated, forming an intricate three-dimensional tactical map.
His thoughts shifted, rotating the dimensional image to provide aerial perspective. Through pure mental manipulation, Glenn marked each device's operational radius with gray trajectory lines. The light points immediately projected intersecting gray beams that wove together with emissions from neighboring apparatus, ultimately coalescing into an enormous, irregularly-shaped gray zone of comprehensive coverage.
Snap. Glenn compressed the gray area within his mental visualization. Snap, snap. Two distinct sounds this time. Within his consciousness's black realm, beyond the central gray zone, two crimson dots appeared, each extending red connecting lines that merged into a single pathway.
That unified red line passed directly through the heart of the gray operational area.
Those crimson markers represented Ministry headquarters and the sea-bound fortress of Azkaban.
Glenn's chosen forest lay precisely along the unavoidable route between Ministry and prison.
Mountain-encircled, escape-proof—the perfect ambush coordinates.
"...Three deficient positions remain, insufficient for achieving optimal effectiveness."
Assessment complete, Glenn reached his tactical conclusion and immediately rose, heading toward his identified weak points to continue installation work.
Approximately fifteen minutes—time constraints were intensifying.
"Professor Snape, rendezvous here and await my signal. Ministry personnel are preparing departure—we must accelerate operations."
Delivering that directive, Glenn plunged into the dense mist while maintaining his Lumos beacon. By now, complete darkness had descended, the fog had thickened considerably, and combined with the overcast conditions, visibility had dropped below ten meters.
However, Glenn found these conditions entirely satisfactory.
The more severely compromised the visual range, the more perfectly his strategic design functioned.
Glenn resumed device installation procedures.
Yet time proved more generous than anticipated.
When Hermione's voice returned through the earpiece, over twenty minutes had elapsed.
Ministry administrative efficiency truly is pathetically inadequate.
"Peter Pettigrew has been escorted away under Auror guard—they deployed seven Aurors total. I didn't pursue them. Next, I'll request Professor Dumbledore's permission for a Ministry tour while monitoring developments here. You should conclude operations swiftly on your end. I'm maintaining radio silence now to avoid compromising your mission."
"Glenn, prioritize safety above all else."
Hermione positioned herself beside the Ministry's ornate fountain, feigning fascination with its magical mechanics while using peripheral vision to track the Aurors escorting Peter Pettigrew beyond her sight line, then offered her cautionary reminder.
"Understood. Thank you for your invaluable assistance."
Glenn's response crackled through the earpiece, leaving Hermione somewhat exasperated.
You consider the minimal task you assigned me 'invaluable assistance'?
This remained purely Hermione's internally resentful commentary. Having declared communication silence, she would absolutely maintain it—after all, Glenn's mission carried genuine peril, demanding flawless execution.
Now she needed to devise methods for extending her Ministry presence.
With this objective, Hermione turned gracefully, already displaying a brilliantly cheerful expression as she approached Dumbledore and Fudge, who continued their conversation nearby. She approached with measured steps and gazed up at them expectantly.
"Professor Dumbledore, Minister Fudge, might I quietly explore the premises briefly... just a short while? I promise not to inconvenience the Ministry staff."
"I consider this entirely reasonable, Miss Granger. After all, our schedule remains quite flexible today. What are your thoughts, Cornelius?"
To Hermione's astonishment, Dumbledore immediately endorsed her request without hesitation and even advocated on her behalf to Fudge.
Furthermore, Hermione harbored growing suspicion that Professor Dumbledore had already penetrated their operational plan and was now providing subtle encouragement.
"Certainly... of course, please explore freely. However, I regret I cannot provide personal accompaniment—earlier proceedings require my immediate administrative attention, so I must depart presently."
Fudge appeared genuinely pressed for time, presumably needing to verify that forthcoming newspaper coverage regarding the Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black revelations would present appropriate Ministry perspectives—crucial for managing public opinion during the coming weeks.
Excellent. Minister Fudge won't interfere with my activities. So next...
Hermione cautiously directed her attention toward Dumbledore, discovering the elderly wizard regarding her with an enigmatic smile, his azure eyes revealing nothing of his inner thoughts.
"You may continue your exploration until whatever hour suits you, Hermione. Naturally, should you encounter difficulties requiring assistance, please don't hesitate to seek me out. After all, we have considerable time remaining in our day."
"...Yes, I understand completely, Professor Dumbledore."
Hermione's expression grew slightly rigid. She felt certain that Professor Dumbledore already anticipated upcoming events and was now providing coded guidance.
What exactly does he mean by 'seek me out if you need assistance'? I won't require any help within the Ministry—the only person who might need assistance is Glenn.
Well... Glenn, you'd better complete your mission expeditiously. If Professor Dumbledore grows impatient and abandons the Ministry to locate you directly, that would prove most unfortunate indeed.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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