While the Chimera Project team was making quiet, revolutionary breakthroughs in theoretical magic, Harry was fighting a nightly war within his own mind. The Occlumency lessons had built walls, but Voldemort, now aware of the connection between them, was no longer just a passive presence. He was actively testing the defenses, his serpentine thoughts slithering at the edges of Harry's consciousness during his dreams.
The nightmares were becoming more frequent and more vivid. Some nights, Harry would dream he was soaring through dark, unfamiliar hallways in the Ministry of Magic. Other nights, he would be a snake, watching his master, a terrifyingly clear and corporeal Voldemort, plotting with a cowering Wormtail. He would wake up in a cold sweat, his scar burning, the feeling of malevolent rage a bitter taste in his mouth.
He dutifully reported every dream to Dumbledore, who would listen with a grave, thoughtful expression. The pieces of Voldemort's plan were being delivered to them, one fragmented vision at a time. It was a valuable intelligence source, but it was taking a heavy toll on Harry.
It was in this atmosphere of rising tension that Ariana received an urgent summons. It was not from Dumbledore, but from a Ministry owl, bearing the crisp, official seal of the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The note requested her presence in the Headmaster's office that evening for a matter of "urgent national security."
She arrived to find Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and a grim-faced Amelia Bones waiting for her. The usual pleasantries were dispensed with.
"Miss Dumbledore," Amelia began, getting straight to the point. "Your proposal for the Ministry Loyalty Oath has been… remarkably effective. We implemented it two weeks ago, under the guise of a new 'Security Initiative' considering the Mass-breakout of Azkaban."
She slid a piece of parchment across Dumbledore's desk. It was a list of names. "Fifteen Ministry employees resigned on the spot rather than take the oath, including three high-ranking officials in the Department of Magical Transportation. Another seven have, as you predicted, presented themselves to my office over the past week, confessing to various degrees of collusion and espionage. Your 'self-purging system' has worked beyond our most optimistic projections. You have effectively decapitated Lucius Malfoy's network of influence within the Ministry. Although, since the oaths are being taken bottom up, we may have to wait before taking him on directly."
"A logical outcome," Ariana said with a nod. "Those motivated by self-preservation will always fold when faced with a logically unwinnable scenario."
"Indeed," Amelia said, a flicker of a grim smile on her face. "But this success has also created a new problem. We are rooting out the old spies, but the primary threats—Lestrange and Pettigrew— remain at large. And everything our new informants are telling us points to one thing." She looked at Dumbledore, then at Ariana. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is actively planning something. Something big. His followers believe his full return to power is imminent."
Dumbledore's face was grave. "Harry's visions confirm this. He is searching for something. A weapon, a prophecy… something he believes is located within the Ministry, Amelia. Within the Department of Mysteries."
Ariana's mind connected the final dots. The visions of dark corridors. The weapon. The prophecy. It was all leading to the climax she knew was coming.
"He will not risk coming himself," Ariana stated, thinking aloud. "Not yet. He will lure Harry there. He will use their connection, plant a false vision, and make Harry believe that someone he loves is in danger. He will make Harry come to him."
"He will target Sirius," Dumbledore murmured, his eyes full of a new, dawning horror.
"Precisely," Ariana affirmed. "It is the most logical and most cruel choice. The one person Harry would risk everything to save."
Amelia Bones looked at the fourteen-year-old girl who was mapping out the Dark Lord's psychological strategy with a terrifying, cold clarity.
"The problem," Ariana continued, "is that we cannot act until he makes his move. We do not know when or how he will plant the vision. We cannot simply lock Harry in a tower; Voldemort would just change his target. We must allow Harry to be the bait, but we must control the trap. I trust in his capabilities to survive, now that he has trained himself well."
She looked at the three powerful adults before her. "Which is why I have been remaining close to him. I have been monitoring his condition and reinforcing his Occlumency training with my own methods. When the time comes, when the false vision is sent, I will be the first to know. And I must be in a position to react instantly."
Amelia Bones nodded, understanding. "And what do you need from us?"
"I require a direct line of communication to you, Director," Ariana said. "One that is secure, instantaneous, and not dependent on owls or Patronuses, which can be intercepted or noticed."
Amelia reached into her robes and produced a small, silver object. It was a beautifully crafted badge, shaped like a shield with the intersecting wands of the Auror Office embossed on it. It was identical to the ones she had seen used for navigation.
"This is a Senior Auror's badge," she said, her voice serious. She handed it to Ariana. "It is keyed directly to my own, and to those of my most trusted officers, like Shacklebolt and Tonks. It has several functions. A touch of your wand will send a silent distress signal. A second touch will transmit your exact location. A third, verbal command will open a secure, two-way communication channel."
She looked Ariana directly in the eye. "This is not a toy, Miss Dumbledore. It is a tool of immense power and responsibility, issued only to my most elite operatives. You are to use it only in the case of a genuine, critical emergency. The moment you activate it, I will bring the full force of the Auror department to your location. Do you understand?"
"Perfectly," Ariana said, accepting the badge. It was cool and heavy in her hand, a tangible symbol of her new role. She was no longer just a student, nor just an ally. She was now an official, if secret, operative in the coming war.
"Good," Amelia said with a curt nod. "Keep the boy safe. We will prepare our forces and wait for your signal."
As Ariana left the office, the silver badge a cool, secret weight in her pocket, she felt a sense of grim finality. Voldemort would make his move. He would lure Harry to the Ministry. And Harry, in his grief and fear, would almost certainly walk into the trap.
But this time, it would be different. This time, when the trap was sprung, the hunter would find that his prey was not alone. She had the law, she had the Aurors, and she had a plan. The battle for the Department of Mysteries was coming, and Ariana Dumbledore was ready for it.