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Chapter Forty-Seven: Phoenix Society Secret Meeting (Part 1)
"Professor, my parents really want to see you. Come back with me for a bit, please~" Pandora said, hugging Lockhart affectionately. "I don't want to go another summer without seeing you."
"Honey, I'm really busy this summer, I have so many things to do." Anyone could tell that was just a polite excuse, but Lockhart reluctantly admitted that this time it was true.
Pandora said coquettishly, "Even if you're busy, you can't go without a day off. I can talk to Grandpa about that person for you."
Upon hearing this, Lockhart suddenly had an idea.
"Alright then, honey, I'll find some time to visit our 'parents' at your house."
"Okay, I'll wait for your news!" Pandora kissed Lockhart goodbye with satisfaction and boarded the train leaving Hogwarts.
After staying home for a few days to calm his frustration and fear, Lockhart devised his next attempt to change the plot. If successful, it would confirm that the plot could be altered; if it failed, he could simply turn around and run away without a care in the world, letting the wheels of fate keep rolling.
He gathered the members of the Order of the Phoenix whom he was most familiar with at headquarters.
"Little Gilderoy, you say you have a big plan—tell me about it, I'm itching to hear," Moody said, his magical eye fixed on Lockhart.
"Don't call me Little Gilderoy, I'm almost thirty!" Lockhart glared angrily at Moody and continued, "Fudge doesn't believe the Dark Lord is back. I'm going to pay him a private visit in a couple of days and try to convince him."
"What does this have to do with us?" Sirius interjected.
Tonks looked displeased. "Sirius, don't interrupt Gilderoy."
Lockhart: "Okay… actually, I messed up what I was going to say. Let me sort out my thoughts."
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"What should be the first thing the Dark Lord does after his resurrection?" Lockhart asked, organizing his thoughts.
"Well, first of all, he'll definitely need to rebuild his army," Sirius said. "He used to have quite a few men under him: wizards he threatened or bewitched, his loyal Death Eaters, and all sorts of monsters living in the shadows. You've heard he tried to win over giants, haven't you? Yes, giants were just one of the many monsters he wanted to bribe. He won't dare attack the Ministry of Magic with just a dozen or so Death Eaters."
"That's right, but have you thought that while some creatures are hard to find, there are plenty of two-legged Death Eaters in the world?" Lockhart deliberately kept everyone in suspense.
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Sirius seemed annoyed. "We're not students, don't give us your lecture-style talk."
"Okay, sorry, I've been in class too much. There are plenty of Death Eaters, but the strongest and most loyal ones are all trapped in one place—"
"Azkaban! I understand, little Gilderoy, we'd all forgotten!" Moody slammed his hand on the table and stood up excitedly. "That man will definitely try to rescue his gang. I captured half of them, and they're all ruthless and vicious!"
"But the Dementors, as guards, aren't likely to pose a problem. Everyone here has seen Dementors before. There's no way to escape except through Animagus transformation," Arthur Weasley finally spoke. "After Peter's escape last year, the Ministry of Magic improved Azkaban's facilities. Now even an Animagus can't escape."
"Arthur, you've been too comfortable with the Muggle authorities," Moody said, dissatisfied. "No one denies Dementors are the best prison guards, but what if the Dementors themselves aren't safe?"
"Yeah!" Tonks said. "The Dementors were working for that guy! God, maybe while we were chatting, the Dementors were negotiating with him, asking for money to release those Death Eaters!"
"Gilderoy, what's your plan? Tell me quickly, we need to act immediately." Tonks seemed triggered, and her nervousness was slightly frightening.
"Calm down, Tonks. Let Gilderoy speak first," Cyrus said, turning to comfort her. Then he looked at Lockhart. "Gilderoy, how do you plan to persuade the Minister?"
"It's impossible to persuade the Minister. Didn't you see Fudge's dismissive look?" Arthur said. "He flatly denied it."
"He's afraid of Dumbledore, so he doesn't want to believe it, and this time we really don't have enough evidence." Lockhart smiled wryly. "I'm afraid if I try to persuade him, he'll just see me as Dumbledore's accomplice in trying to overthrow him."
"The key is, even if you convince him that the Dark Lord has returned, you can't immediately convince him to remove the Dementors," Arthur said, knowing Fudge well. "So, Gilderoy, forget your excuses—even if you were little Fudge's lover, I know you definitely have a second plan. Tell us quickly."
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