bioinnovel Chapter 234 Planning and Secrecy
Chapter 234 Planning and Secrecy
Chapter 234 Planning and Secrecy
Later that day, the Blake siblings, who had temporarily reconciled, went down to the kitchen in the basement.
This is a room that feels like a cave, with chandeliers casting mesmerizing light and shadow overhead, and a large fireplace warming the entire kitchen.
Rows of heavy iron pots and pans hung from the ceiling, looking more like torture instruments of unknown purpose than kitchen utensils.
Belvina and Blake sat facing each other on either side of a long wooden table, while the house-elf Kreacher served a steaming dinner and opened a bottle of wine to accompany it.
"That wretched, ungrateful Sirius Black, is he going back to live at home?" Kreacher continued to speak ill of him in front of everyone. "Poor old Kreacher has to stop Sirius Black from destroying the mistress's house."
The house-elf helped serve the food while Sirius Black used his bullfrog-like voice.
If it were up to Sirius's usual temperament, he would have kicked Kreacher out long ago. But when Sirius saw the locket around his house-elf's neck and thought of Regulus, who had drunk poison and sunk to the bottom of the lake, he couldn't bring himself to say those words.
When Kreacher shuffled slowly out of the kitchen, Sirius finally had a lot to say.
"Kreacher, is he still thinking straight?" Sirius asked. "Did he drink poison and ruin his brain?"
"That's a possibility," Belvina said. "But Kreacher never speaks ill of me, and guess why?"
Sirius rolled his eyes, pursed his lips, and made a series of funny faces.
What else could it be? It's because Sirius Black once ran away from home, breaking Mrs. Black's heart.
"By the way, Professor Dumbledore doesn't want you to bring Harry to live with you, right?" Belvina asked.
"Yes, I am Harry's guardian, I am his godfather!" Sirius said with dissatisfaction, his heart full of resentment whenever he talked about it.
"The Godfather who's been missing for twelve years," Belvina said. "Has your brain been sucked dry by a Dementor? You can't bring Harry over."
But you can go see him at the Dursleys' house.
Sirius Black slammed his fist on the table, then exclaimed in sudden realization, "Oh yeah! How could I forget that? I need to go to Privet Drive and see how the Dursleys mistreated Harry! How dare they treat him like that!"
Belvina took a sip of her drink and then said, "I've never met the Dursleys, but I imagine they're Muggles who despise such mysterious things as magic. Yet, even so, they adopted my sister's son."
"You're not trying to say Dursley is a good person, are you? That's not like you."
"Just stating the facts. The Dursleys were probably the kind of stupid and stubborn Muggles who adopted Harry, gave him a place to live, and fed him."
Belvina raised her glass again and continued, "Although they always made Harry do chores, wear his cousin's old clothes—and sometimes they might not even have enough to eat, they still took Harry in and didn't let him end up on the streets."
"It's my fault," Sirius sighed. "If I hadn't gone to Azkaban, Harry might have lived with me."
Even if he has to live on Privet Road, with me around, the Dursleys won't dare to mistreat him.
"Congratulations! You've finally realized how foolish you were back then, my foolish brother."
"Ha! I really want to tear your mouth apart, my annoying sister."
After saying that, the two picked up their knives and forks and began to enjoy their unfinished dinner.
After a while, Sirius, having eaten and drunk his fill, stretched and casually asked, "What did Amelia say to you today?"
"Are you two very close?" Belvina asked, slightly puzzled. "Or did you two know each other before?"
"We used to know each other quite well. Amelia's brother, Edgar, was an original member of the Order of the Phoenix, and one of its founders," Sirius said. "Edgar was a remarkable man; he was later murdered along with his wife and children."
Murdering the whole family is the basic operation of a cannibal.
Belvina appreciates this point: the weeds must be cut at the root.
"I forgot about Edgar Burns for a moment," Belvina said. "Amelia persuaded me to return to the Ministry of Magic and take over Crouch's International Magical Cooperation Division."
Sirius thought for a moment and said seriously, "I don't recommend you go back to the Ministry of Magic. That place is always a mess. If that day really comes, the Ministry of Magic will definitely collapse immediately."
When Voldemort was running rampant in Britain, the Ministry of Magic, the official organization, appeared extremely incompetent.
Neither Jenkins nor Mintham could stop Voldemort's rise to power.
If it weren't for Harry Potter's sudden emergence, Barnard's position as minister probably wouldn't have lasted long. Although she and Barty Crouch limited the Death Eaters to some extent, they were powerless to deal with Voldemort.
Sirius put down his knife and fork, then added, "I'm not holding a grudge against the Ministry of Magic or speaking ill of it, but there are just too many problems within the Ministry. Even if you go back and become the Director, can you solve these problems?"
As he spoke, Sirius shook his head. He was very disappointed with the Ministry of Magic, both the Ministry of Magic of the past and the Ministry of Magic of the present.
"The Ministry of Magic is rotten to the core, like a crumbling castle in the air," Sirius continued. "Unless someone has the courage to tear it down and rebuild it, no one can do anything about the Ministry of Magic."
As Sirius spoke, he found several wine glasses and stacked them into a wine glass tower on the long table.
Then Sirius pushed the entire glass tower over, scattering silver glasses engraved with the Black emblem all over the floor, the crisp sound echoing through the dark kitchen.
The Ministry of Magic is like an old man afflicted with illness; no matter how lively its leaps and bounds are, it's just a final burst of energy before death. Once Voldemort makes a comeback, the ailing Ministry of Magic will most likely be gone in an instant.
To cure the Ministry of Magic, which is terminally ill, a radical and drastic approach is necessary, but time is not on Belvina's side.
Frustrated, Belvina threw her knife and fork on the wooden table, bent down and crawled under the table, picking up all the scattered wine glasses like a Muggle.
Then, Belvina also piled up a tower of wine glasses on the table, saying, "Some things have to be done. The Ministry of Magic cannot collapse, much less turn against us. Someone must lead the Ministry of Magic to fight to the end."
Belvina stared at the reassembled tower of glasses and said, "Even if it's just to the level of old Barty Crouch."
When Voldemort makes his comeback, the Ministry of Magic will become a strategically important, well-connected location, where both the Death Eaters and the Order of the Phoenix will want to control magic.
To some extent, whoever controls the Ministry of Magic will have more initiative.
"If no one can lead the Ministry of Magic out of this predicament, then I will. At worst, I'll take the Ministry of Magic down with everyone else," Belvina said calmly. "Regulus chose the path for us more than a decade ago."
Sirius frowned; he genuinely didn't want Belvina to return to that filthy place, the Ministry of Magic.
"So what are you planning to do?" Sirius asked. "Go back to the Ministry of Magic now and take over Barty Crouch's position?"
Belvina shook her head and said, "No rush, and there's no need to rush. If I run back to the Ministry of Magic now, I might scare Cornelius."
Our minister is like a dragon incubating its eggs, his nerves are on edge.
The Ministry of Magic will be returned to, and the International Magical Cooperation Division will also be visited, but Cornelius Fudge must not be alerted.
Fudge's attention and concerns are now focused on Ms. Burns, and perhaps Dumbledore as well, as Belvina seeks to seize this opportunity to gain more real power.
Belvina shook her head vigorously and said softly, "I can't think that far ahead now. Who knows what will happen tomorrow? Just like Voldemort never imagined that Harry Potter would suddenly appear when he was at the height of his power."
Sirius tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table. He said, "Yeah, we might as well consider Remus. He doesn't have much time left at Hogwarts."
As is well known, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professorship at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a one-year program, and for many years no one has been able to teach it for more than a year.
Even though Remus Lupin was very capable and well-liked by his students, he could not break this pattern.
The werewolf is a bomb strapped to Lupin, and it never knows when it will explode, leaving Lupin battered and bruised.
Hermione Granger has discovered Lupin's hidden secret, which she won't reveal to anyone. What about the others? After learning that Lupin is a werewolf, will the other students still like and support him?
Furthermore, could the petty and narrow-minded Snape tolerate Lupin constantly hovering in front of him?
"Snape, that snotty-nosed guy, how could Dumbledore trust that guy!" Sirius Black clicked his tongue, puzzled. "That snotty-nosed guy will definitely not let Remus go."
He continued, "Snape mastered many spells that seventh-year students didn't even know when he was a first-year student, and he was already close to those Death Eaters. What's so trustworthy about someone like him?"
"I don't know," Belvina said. "I hate Severus, and that has never changed, but I do know he can be trusted."
As she spoke, a scene she had once seen suddenly flashed into Belvina's mind:
Under the azure sky, a boy and a girl lay side by side on the lush green grass, their smiles innocent and pure, radiating the unique beauty of youth.
At the same time, a certain song from a certain university, which she jokingly called the "simp song," was playing in Belvina's ears:
Heavens, can't you see how much I love her?
Thinking of this, Belvina coughed lightly and cleared her throat.
Then, a gossipy look crept onto Belvina's pretty face, and she asked with a smile, "Sirius, wasn't there anything else mixed in with your love-hate relationship with Severus? Like a very pretty and cute little girl, like—Lily Potter?"
"Didn't you know?" Sirius asked. "Well, when you went to Hogwarts, we were all about to graduate."
Belvina's gossipy expression deepened. She said, "Can I assume that there's some jealousy between you two because of Lily?"
"Watch out! It's not us, it's James and Snotty. They both like Lily. And as you saw, Lily has good taste; she likes James."
As he spoke, Sirius proudly puffed out his chest, as if he, as the best man, was also proud of James and Lily's wedding.
Belvina pursed her lips and nodded. So the problem lay with Lily Potter. No wonder Snape's attitude towards Harry was always so strange.
Who would have thought? Who would have thought that Severus Snape was such a romantic!
Before she knew it, a mischievous smile crept onto Belvina's face.
"Wait! No way!" Sirius's expression suddenly turned serious. "It's been so many years, it can't be, right?"
Belvina suddenly leaned forward, resting her head on the wooden tabletop, her shoulders heaving, clearly laughing uncontrollably.
Severus Snape, you heartbreaker, if you mess with me again, you're dead!!!