Chapter 148: Order of the Phoenix Meeting

The gathering was held at a small countryside farm in Scotland.

Upon learning the location, Ma Jun used Apparition and arrived in an instant.

During his time at Hogwarts, Ma Jun had thoroughly mastered this spell, and during the past few days back at the manor outside London, he practiced it whenever he had free time.

It had to be said that this skill was remarkably powerful, allowing for instantaneous travel.

Ma Jun had tested it; if he cast the spell with all his might, he could circle the globe just twice, though doing so left him utterly exhausted.

It was nearing noon, and the warm sunlight cast a golden brilliance over a vast wheat field.

In the center of the field was a circular clearing, dominated by a three-story cottage. True to architectural styles in the wizarding world, the building was crooked and lopsided, yet miraculously stood firm.

It was clear that enchantments had been placed upon the house; Muggles would see only a wheat field and remain entirely oblivious to the dwelling.

Ma Jun walked up to the house, and before he could even knock, the door swung open on its own.

Inside, bypassing a short hallway, he rounded a corner into a large parlor dominated by a long dining table.

Quite a few people were already seated around the table, while others bustled about, serving drinks and platters of vegetables.

"Welcome, Professor Ma Jun!" Dumbledore stood from the head of the table, smiling warmly at Ma Jun, before turning to the others. "We have a new member joining our ranks!"

"Where is this?" Ma Jun feigned ignorance, sweeping his gaze across the gathering. "Oh, Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall, and... everyone is here. Is this some kind of Hogwarts student reunion?"

"Let me introduce you!" Dumbledore said. "This is Professor Ma Jun, currently a prominent figure in the wizarding world. I'm sure all of you have heard of him." He then turned to Ma Jun. "This is Lupin, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley..."

Ma Jun greeted them one by one, took a seat, and smiled. "It seems this gathering isn't entirely a social affair, is it?"

"Indeed not!" Dumbledore said. "Professor Ma Jun, the truth is, we are an organization known as the Order of the Phoenix."

"The Order of the Phoenix?" Ma Jun wore an expression of flawless surprise, as if he were hearing the name for the very first time.

"It is an organization dedicated to fighting Voldemort," Dumbledore explained. "It was established quite a long time ago. Of course, not everyone is present today..."

Dumbledore spoke at some length, briefly outlining the origin of the Order of the Phoenix along with its aims and principles.

"It has been a long time since we last gathered together," his expression grew grave. "Now, with new circumstances arising, it is time for us all to consult one another!"

"Wait, Professor Dumbledore, might I also join the Order of the Phoenix?" Ma Jun asked.

"Of course!" Dumbledore nodded with a smile. "You are young, possess a strong sense of justice, and are exceptionally capable. The Order of the Phoenix would certainly welcome you!" He looked toward the others. "In fact, it was Mr. Ma Jun who first discovered the diary Horcrux."

"I've heard Ron speak of you; you're a wonderful professor. Welcome aboard!" Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were the first to offer their congratulations to Ma Jun.

McGonagall, Lupin, and the others followed with warm congratulatory remarks.

Only Snape sat in stony silence, his face dark. Ever since Ma Jun had thoroughly thrashed him, his animosity toward Ma Jun had only deepened.

After more than a year of observation, Dumbledore had largely come to trust Ma Jun, so his joining the Order of the Phoenix felt entirely natural. Unlike his induction into the Heaven and Earth Society during his time in the Deer and the Cauldron plane, there were no tedious or complicated initiation rites here.

At that moment, Mrs. Weasley served a hearty spread of dishes onto the table, and everyone ate while chatting and laughing, using the time to grow more familiar with one another.

"Mr. Lupin, if you don't mind, I could recommend you for a position at the Ministry of Magic. At least you would have steady work," Ma Jun said politely, swallowing a bite of beef.

Remus Lupin was a werewolf, and a close friend of Harry's father James and Sirius Black. Because of his werewolf status, he faced constant discrimination and lived in relative poverty.

In truth, what baffled Ma Jun was that impoverished wizards, as long as they knew some magic and refrained from breaking Muggle laws, could live quite comfortably in the Muggle world; he simply couldn't understand why they refused to do so. After all, this wasn't the Middle Ages, and wizards had long faded from Muggle awareness. As long as one was careful, their identity would never be exposed.

Lupin said gratefully, "Thank you, but I am a werewolf, and there are a few days every month when I am indisposed. Working at the Ministry wouldn't be quite suitable."

"That's not a problem," Ma Jun said. "I know Professor Snape has researched a potion that allows you to retain your humanity while transformed. As long as the work is relatively unpressured, no one will object." He turned his head and said cheerfully, "Professor Snape, surely you wouldn't begrudge helping a friend, would you?"

"If that is the case, it sounds splendid. Having someone well-placed in the Ministry would make tracking down the Horcruxes much easier," Dumbledore agreed, nodding in approval. "Snape, this will require some trouble on your part."

"Very well..." Snape detested Lupin even more than he detested Ma Jun, but for the sake of the fight against Voldemort, he forced the words out with an unwilling grunt.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Ma Jun!" Lupin said excitedly. This time he did not refuse, for his life had truly become destitute to the point where even his trousers were patched.

"Don't mention it," Ma Jun said with a genial smile, immensely pleased at how easily he had secured another person's friendship.

After lunch, the dining table was transformed into a conference table, and the assembled company began a heated discussion on how to deal with Voldemort.

By this point, everyone's expressions had grown solemn as they passed around Voldemort's diary to examine it.

"Creating a Horcrux requires taking human life!" Lupin said with indignation. "Voldemort is a madman; he is a thoroughly wicked dark wizard!"

"It is truly hard to imagine if the wizarding world were to fall back under his rule," Mrs. Weasley said with deep anxiety. "We sacrificed so much just to earn the peace we have today!"

"The issue now is that we must find all the Horcruxes," Ma Jun said. "And that is precisely where the difficulty lies. We do not know how many Horcruxes Voldemort created, and searching for them would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. However, I have already managed to piece together a few clues."

"What are they?" Dumbledore asked expectantly.

All eyes converged on Ma Jun.

Stirring up sentiment and taking the helm in leading meetings was second nature to Ma Jun; he was hardly a stranger to it.

He spoke fluently and with complete confidence. "Based on my collection, analysis, and meticulous study of various records, I have discovered that... splitting the soul too many times leads to death! As everyone surely knows, the process of creating a Horcrux requires not only murder, but the continuous fragmentation of one's soul."

Ma Jun took a sip of water and continued, "Last year, Voldemort appeared, attempting to steal the Sorcerer's Stone! From Harry, I learned of all Voldemort's movements. I discovered that his intellect seemed to have severely diminished, and he even engaged in actions that defied logic."

This illogical action referred to the time during Harry's first year at the Quidditch match, when Voldemort, in broad daylight and in front of numerous professors, cast a curse at Harry in an attempt to kill him.

Had he been the rational Voldemort of old, such a reckless move would never have cemented his reputation as a truly terrifying dark lord.

"Therefore, I boldly surmise that Voldemort's soul has been fractured to its absolute limit! He must surely realize this and will not create any more Horcruxes. Thus, I can state with certainty that he has created a total of seven Horcruxes!"

"If we can be certain of that, then we at least have a definitive goal. We know what we are up against!" Mr. Weasley said excitedly.

"I agree with Ma Jun's hypothesis," Dumbledore said after a moment of quiet contemplation, nodding in agreement.

"Then the question now is, we must find every single Horcrux," Ma Jun continued. "What we can confirm so far is this diary, and..." He paused. "...Harry!"

"Harry?" Lupin said in astonishment. "You mean... Harry... is also a Horcrux?"

"That is correct. I have confirmed it; there is indeed an extraneous piece of soul residing within Harry. It was left behind when Voldemort attempted to strike Harry down that night. Otherwise, Voldemort would not have lost his physical body in the process! Professor Dumbledore has also verified this fact." Ma Jun said in a deep voice.

"That is indeed the case..." Dumbledore corroborated.

"How could that be? If that's true... then... Harry must..." Lupin grew even more agitated and stood up abruptly.

The revelation that Harry was a Horcrux shocked everyone in the room, and they began to murmur anxiously among themselves.

After Dumbledore offered an explanation, he conferred with the others and suggested setting the matter aside for the moment to focus on other objectives, as none of them could bear the thought of actually letting Harry die.

"Very well, for now, our task is to uncover all the Horcruxes," Ma Jun said. "I already have some ideas. When Voldemort made his Horcruxes, he certainly wouldn't have chosen ordinary objects at random. They would have to be items of significance or great value to him. Consequently, the best approach is to study his life history! But the problem is, we currently know next to nothing about it."

"I know a fair bit," Dumbledore said. "After all, I was the one who brought him to Hogwarts in the beginning. In a sense, I watched him grow up."

"What?" Everyone stared in astonishment, having never known this detail.

Judging by this, Dumbledore's mentoring of Voldemort had been less than stellar, though it seemed he had applied those lessons to cultivate Harry with exceptional success.

"In the beginning, he was not called Voldemort, but Tom Riddle. His father was a Muggle, and his mother was a descendant of the Slytherin family." Dumbledore clearly had a thorough understanding of Voldemort, as any prudent leader would of a major adversary. He recounted everything smoothly—from Voldemort's birth and upbringing to his graduation from Hogwarts and subsequent disappearance—laying it all out in meticulous detail.

"Then we ought to go to the places where he grew up and investigate. While he is still reduced to a disembodied spirit and unable to act, it is best we track down all the Horcruxes," Ma Jun concluded. "Professor Dumbledore, perhaps you could assign the tasks to everyone?"

After a brief period of thought, Dumbledore proceeded to assign the search locations to the members. With that, the meeting concluded on a perfect note.

And under Ma Jun's deliberate intervention, the grand curtain on the war against Voldemort slowly rose ahead of time!