HP: The Duelist of Hogwarts - 428

Chapter 428: Situation and Strategy

Blame was a useful thing. It needed to be dumped on Voldemort and the Death Eaters at every opportunity.

Once, people would not believe it. Twice, they would not believe it. Three times, four, five, six…

But as the number of incidents increased, sooner or later there would be one that made the Ministry staff and the Aurors pause. All it took was a single moment of doubt for them to start taking Voldemort’s return seriously.

And besides, Voldemort had truly returned. There was no fear in letting them dig.

Sean landed lightly as Kulkan touched down. The moment her body hit the earth, she shrank rapidly back into her smaller form and curled comfortably around his neck.

They were standing in a forest on the outskirts of London. Sean reached inside his cloak and tossed six miniature dragons forward.

They beat their wings and grew mid-air, settling on a large boulder ahead of him, roaring at him one after another.

Kulkan tilted her head, listening, then turned to Sean. “They say they finally found you. They are calling you chief and say they want to follow you from now on.”

“You understand dragon?” Sean asked, surprised.

Kulkan snickered. “Eat enough of something and you pick it up.”

The six dragons shivered at that, scales rustling.

Sean frowned at her. “I do not remember you eating that many dragons. When did that happen?”

“Ah, that…” Kulkan turned her head and stared theatrically at a patch of grass. “Sean, look, a rabbit. A rabbit, over there. A cute little rabbit…”

Sean smacked her on the head and dragged her off his neck. “Answer the question. When did you eat that many dragons?”

Seeing there was no wriggling out of it, Kulkan went limp in his hands like a dead snake. “It was when I went to the Bermuda Triangle. There is a dragon farm on the coast. I was hungry, and I was sick of fish, so I went in and ate three or five dra—”

She broke off as Sean raised his hand again and hurriedly corrected herself. “So I went in and ate seven or eight dragons.”

“Were you seen?”

At that, Kulkan immediately put on a wounded look, wriggling in his grip. “You are not even asking if I was full. I told you I was starving and could not eat properly then, and you only care whether I was seen. You do not care about me at all. I am not talking to you. I am—”

Smack.

The second blow quieted her down.

“I was not seen,” she muttered, finally honest. “You know my work is clean.”

After bickering with Kulkan for a moment, Sean turned his attention back to the six dragons, who were now sitting on the rock like very large, very obedient dogs.

“You want to follow me? That is fine. But you will do as you are told. Understood?”

Six doglike—no, dragonlike—heads bobbed up and down frantically in unison.

Seeing how well-behaved they were, Sean nodded. “Good. I will find you a place to stay for now. Keep a low profile. Every so often, I will have someone take you out to stretch your wings so you do not go stir-crazy.

“But the condition for following me is obedience. If you find you dislike it here, you can tell me. I will send you to a dragon reserve under my name instead. Clear?”

The dragons nodded even harder, terrified of being turned into snacks if they hesitated and caught Kulkan’s eye.

Satisfied, Sean shrank them again, tucked them back into his robes, and Apparated to the orphanage.

When the orphanage was built, Sean had asked Aldrich to expand the basement with an Undetectable Extension Charm into a vast underground space. He had even furnished it to resemble the outside world as much as possible. There were real trees, real hills, and real water, though the sky above them was artificial. Even so, it was more than enough room for six dragons to move around.

The original intention was to give the children a space to play and practise magic. For now, it would have to serve as temporary lodgings for the dragons.

“Aldrich, I am imposing on you,” Sean said.

“Master Sean, please do not be so formal. At least not with me.”

Sean smiled and nodded. “How is the orphanage doing lately?”

Aldrich’s expression grew more serious. “Master Sean, we have found signs twice that suggest Death Eaters or Dark wizards in the vicinity. The orphanage is under the Fidelius Charm, so they cannot locate it directly, but the fact that they have already reached the surrounding area means they are following some sort of trail. If this continues, they may eventually get their chance.”

“I understand. I will find a way to deal with it. Keep the children in hand. They are still young. You cannot be sure they will not cause trouble. If this place is discovered, that is one thing. If the children are harmed, that is quite another.”

“I understand, Master Sean.”

“Good. If anything happens, let me know. I will come.”

“Yes, Master Sean.”

It was late. Staying out too long was unwise. After a few more words, Sean and Kulkan left the orphanage and Apparated back to Hogsmeade, then slipped unseen into Hogwarts and returned to their room off the Slytherin common room.

Lying on his bed, Sean began to sort through his plans.

He had been back at Hogwarts nearly half a month. It was time to trigger the two Horcruxes.

Though his strength had leapt forward since the Triwizard Tournament, and he had made solid progress, he knew full well that compared to Voldemort and Dumbledore, he was still short. Perhaps this time he could last longer in a fight and even escape Voldemort’s clutches, but if he could not stand against Voldemort head-on, it meant very little.

According to the plan he and Gavin had worked out, he needed to reach a level where he could face Voldemort directly and at least avoid defeat without running. Without that, nothing else could truly begin.

So his immediate goal was to activate those two Horcruxes. With their power, his strength should finally be enough.

Turning these thoughts over in his mind, Sean slowly drifted into sleep.

Meanwhile, in the Ministry of Magic, the scapegoat he had tossed toward Voldemort and the Death Eaters the night he snatched the dragons had already begun to stir up undercurrents.

Fudge, as always, insisted it was only Death Eaters or Dark wizards using the Dark Lord’s name to make trouble. But as the incidents accumulated, doubt inevitably crept in. And at the height of that unease, Scrimgeour and Marchbanks moved, each of them quietly and decisively making their plays.