HP: The Duelist of Hogwarts - 443

Chapter 443: Another Dream

Once again, Harry woke from sleep with a start.

He stared for a moment at the slightly unfamiliar room before remembering where he was. Because he and Ron had stayed too long at St Mungo’s visiting Mr Weasley, they had not gone back to school, but had come instead to Number 12, Grimmauld Place to spend the night, planning to return to Hogwarts the next morning.

As the confusion faded, the memory of his dream crashed back over him.

Voldemort had killed Umbridge and was going to kill Fudge as well, then have Death Eaters use Polyjuice Potion to impersonate them, secretly tightening his grip on the Ministry.

He had to tell Dumbledore and Sean. Only they could deal with something like this.

With that thought, Harry scrambled out of bed. He did not even stop to explain to the now‑awake Ron. He wrenched open the door and hurried straight to Sirius’s room.

Lately, Sirius had been the one permanently stationed at Grimmauld Place, and tonight he was alone on duty.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Sirius, I had another dream!”

Half asleep as he was, Sirius still heard the urgency in Harry’s voice. He jumped out of bed, darted to the door, and yanked it open. Seeing Harry’s anxious face, he asked at once, “Harry, what is it? What did you see?”

“Sirius, I saw Umbridge and Fudge killed,” Harry blurted. “Voldemort wants to have Death Eaters take their places and control the Ministry. We have to tell Dumbledore and Sean!”

Sirius might act carelessly most of the time, but he knew what was important when it mattered.

As soon as he heard this, he went to contact Dumbledore. He picked up a special magical object called a Two‑Way Mirror, which was essentially a magical version of a video call. The knowledge of how to make them had faded over time, and very few remained; the ones the Order currently used were part of the Black family inheritance.

Ever since Sean had helped Kreacher recover Regulus’s body and see it properly buried, the relationship between Kreacher and Sirius, while still bad, was no longer openly hostile. For Sean’s sake, Kreacher had reluctantly agreed to acknowledge Sirius as the heir of the House of Black.

In truth, if Sean had had any real blood tie to the Blacks, Kreacher would probably have transferred his allegiance to Sean long ago.

Back to the matter at hand.

With Kreacher’s recognition, Sirius had taken possession of the Black family’s true legacy, which included two pairs of Two‑Way Mirrors.

Linked by magic, the four mirrors were paired up. One mirror was kept here at Number 12, Grimmauld Place, and its twin was at the Burrow, carried by Mrs Weasley. One was in Sean’s hands, and the last belonged to Dumbledore.

Sirius called Dumbledore and Sean in turn, but to his surprise, neither responded.

“Sean and Dumbledore are not answering,” he said.

Harry stared at him. “Why? Has something happened to Professor Dumbledore and Sean?”

Sirius shook his head. “That should not be the case. With Dumbledore’s and Sean’s strength, as long as they do not run straight into Voldemort, there are very few who could threaten them. It is more likely that something special is interfering. You said Sean went back to his orphanage, didn't you?

“I have heard that the orphanage is under the Fidelius Charm as well. Our mirror here has extra enchantments so it can still function from this side, but Sean’s probably does not, so we cannot reach him.”

“What about Professor Dumbledore?” Harry pressed.

“Probably something similar,” Sirius said. “Some kind of magical interference is blocking contact for the moment.”

Harry frowned and looked at him. “Then what do we do now, Sirius?”

Sirius hesitated, then said, “I will leave messages for Dumbledore and Sean. As soon as they are clear of whatever is interfering, they will receive them. Until then, we go to the Ministry and have a look for ourselves. If we are careful, it should not be too dangerous.”

“We? Can we really do that?” Harry asked.

“Of course we can, Harry!” Sirius said, looking at him with a grin, as if reminded of something that both thrilled and delighted him. “I am sure you and I will work together perfectly. It is a pity Remus has gone with Dumbledore to investigate Voldemort and the Death Eaters. If the three of us were together, our teamwork would be flawless. Even if we met Voldemort, we could still get away.”

Harry wavered, but then he thought of Dumbledore, so busy he had barely set foot in Hogwarts lately, and of Sean, relying on a Time‑Turner just to make room for study and research. Suddenly, Harry felt he really ought to share some of that burden, not shove everything onto them.

With that in mind, he looked back at Sirius. Just then, Harry suddenly felt that something in Sirius’s gaze was off. It was as if he were not looking at Harry at all, but at someone else entirely.

“Sirius?”

At the sound of his name, the unfocused look in Sirius’s eyes sharpened again. He looked at Harry and said, “Well, Harry? Have you made up your mind?”

Harry nodded seriously. “I am ready. Let us go.”

“I knew you would agree,” Sirius said. “You are James’s son, after all.”

James’s son…

Harry opened his mouth to say something to Sirius, but Sirius had already stepped aside and was pulling on his clothes, getting ready to head for the Ministry. It was obvious he was faintly excited, even looking forward to it.

Seeing him move, Harry hurried to get dressed as well.

By then, Ron and Hermione had woken up, and the noise roused the twins and Ginny too.

“Harry, what is going on? Where are you and Sirius going?” Hermione demanded.

Harry briefly explained his dream and the fact that they had been unable to reach Dumbledore and Sean for the moment.

“Harry, I do not think you should go to the Ministry,” Hermione said at once. “Even if Umbridge and Fudge really have been… killed, your safety still has to come first.”

“I know, Hermione,” Harry said. “Sirius and I are only going to take a look. We will not get involved. After all, we cannot just push everything onto Professor Dumbledore and Sean, can we?”