Chapter 156: Voldemort, We Are Waiting for You (Third Book/Chapter Three)

Everything was perfection itself. To all appearances, Max had stumbled upon Black purely by chance and successfully captured the criminal.

No one would ever give a single thought to the role a tiny little mouse might have played in the entire affair.

Because of Max's company, Harry had been able to visit Hogsmeade, which meant the Marauder's Map—that functional equivalent of a GPS tracker within the school—remained safely in the possession of George and Fred, the irrepressible prankster twins of the Weasley family.

Thus, the existence of Peter Pettigrew remained completely unknown to living souls!

After Max and the others returned to Hogwarts, the students learned the news of Black's arrest and once again showered Max with congratulations.

Taking advantage of the arrival of the Christmas holidays, Dumbledore decided that the Order of the Phoenix should hold another meeting to finalize the definitive plan for dealing with Voldemort.

Snape had successfully persuaded Lucius; they had already located Voldemort's lingering wraith and had successfully won his trust.

Had it been the Voldemort of earlier years, he likely would not have bestowed his trust upon others so easily, but now he was utterly out of options. For the sake of resurrection, he was forced to temporarily place his trust in his former subordinates.

The meeting was held within the Headmaster's office, and its primary agenda was to debate the finer details of various operational plans.

Just like the previous gatherings, this meeting did not feature the entire roster of the Order; instead, it was attended by only a select few of its elite. Although Hagrid was right there in the castle, Dumbledore had not summoned him, nor had Mr. Weasley brought his wife this time.

Following a fierce and intense debate, the comrades present finally reached the following consensus: once Voldemort was successfully resurrected, he would first be manipulated into personally destroying the Horcrux residing within Harry's body. Following that, everyone except Max and Dumbledore would rapidly destroy all the remaining Horcruxes in their possession, including the snake, Nagini.

And finally, Dumbledore and Max would join forces to slay Voldemort once and for all!

This final clause had been proposed by Dumbledore himself. Max could tell that in making this decision, the old man was embracing a mindset of facing death with no thought of return.

In truth, that was precisely the case. After discovering the Resurrection Stone, a temporarily unhinged Dumbledore had desperately desired to bring back his sister and his mother, hoping to mend the lifelong regrets of his existence. Yet, in an unguarded moment of carelessness, he had fallen victim to the curse Voldemort had placed upon the ring. Regardless of anything else, he now had barely a year left to live.

"Then..." Mr. Weasley frowned, his voice deep as he asked, "Do we need to explain the truth to Harry? You must understand, he is bound to be involved in this!"

Auntie Rowling had written it this way, and everyone was obligated to follow the rules.

"He must be told!" Snape said, his face cold and hard. "He has to confront death face to face; that is his destiny!"

"We are well aware that this is Harry's misfortune!" Lupin said. "Fortunately, Professor Dumbledore has already found a way to ensure Harry can survive this! But he is still a child; he should not have to bear such a burden."

"I agree!" Max glanced at Lupin. Now holding a steady job, Lupin no longer looked as utterly destitute and down-and-out as he had when they first met. "There are many times when we must resort to well-intentioned lies. We can simply have Lucius seize Harry, and the matter will be resolved. Otherwise, if Harry learns that his ultimate fate was predetermined from the moment of his birth, the sorrow he feels will likely be beyond measure."

In the original plotline, guided earnestly by Dumbledore, Harry had grown up strong and robust at Hogwarts, cultivating courage, acquiring abilities that surpassed his peers, and learning the true meaning of love. A resilient heart had enabled him to bravely choose to face death head-on.

Yet now, Max had thoroughly disrupted everything. Harry was still too young; upon learning the cruel truth, he would undoubtedly suffer a complete breakdown!

"Fine, fine, we'll do it your way then!" Snape said with displeasure. "Furthermore, Voldemort is no naive youngster. To ensure he harbors no suspicions, it is best to let everything unfold naturally. If I recall correctly, the Ministry of Magic seems intent on reinstating the Triwizard Tournament in the upcoming school year. We could use that opportunity to lure Harry over and resurrect Voldemort!"

"That is a decent idea!" Max shrugged. "However, Professor Snape, I firmly believe that the prospect of regaining his life will make Voldemort throw caution entirely to the wind. All it takes is for you to persuade Lucius to snatch Harry away to the designated location, and our objective will be accomplished just as well. After all, delays only breed trouble!"

"Indeed, let us resolve this business with Voldemort as swiftly as possible!" Dumbledore agreed approvingly. He simply could not afford to wait that long; by the next school year, his corpse would likely be completely rotted away. The old man would never be able to rest in peace without seeing Voldemort die with his own eyes.

Deep within his heart, Dumbledore harbored a profound and agonizing sense of guilt. Voldemort was someone he had introduced into the magical world, and one could even argue he had nurtured the monster with his own hands. In the end, that child had grown into a universal terror. This was something Dumbledore found utterly impossible to accept, no matter how he tried.

Aside from the accidental death of his sister, the rise of Voldemort remained the greatest regret of Dumbledore's entire life.

"Then let it be decided thus. Once the holidays begin, Professor Snape and Lucius will act in concert to abduct Harry and take him to the graveyard of Voldemort's father. The rest of us will make our preparations in advance and Apparate directly to the scene. We must ensure nothing is left to chance and destroy Voldemort in a single battle," Max concluded, summarizing the plan. "That is how we guarantee the safety of the magical world."

"Should we notify the Ministry of Magic?" Mr. Weasley inquired. "They ought to contribute their share of the effort as well. Besides, when the time comes, Voldemort will likely summon his former minions."

The others remained silent, all turning their gaze toward Dumbledore. The Headmaster himself held no fondness for the Ministry; though advanced in years and possessed of consummate political skill, he had long grown weary of such bureaucratic squabbles. After a brief moment of silent contemplation, he looked toward Max.

Max feigned a thoughtful expression as well. "If we reveal absolutely nothing, I fear that once the deed is brilliantly accomplished, those stuffy bureaucrats will instead turn around and harbor suspicions against us. I suggest we might notify a select group of Aurors, though without revealing the specific details. We simply tell them that a nest of dark wizards has been discovered, and have them Apparate to the location alongside us when the time comes. By doing so, we at least grant the Ministry a share of the credit!"

Dumbledore smiled and nodded. "Professor Max, your judgment is sound. I agree with it completely, and I trust your discretion. I leave everything in your hands!"

"I shall see it done," Max nodded solemnly.

"As for the exact timing, to prevent any unforeseen accidents, I will inform you at the very last moment." Dismissing Max, Snape swept his gaze across the assembled company. As a crucial pillar of the plan, and driven by the desire to avenge his beloved Lily, he would absolutely not allow any mistakes to ruin things.

"Quite right! I am in full agreement with Professor Snape. It's not as though he lacks a brain; this is a remarkably good decision!" Max laughed.

Had he been in their position, he would have decided upon the exact same course of action. After all, the hardest thing to ever truly fathom is the human heart. That was precisely why, throughout his travels across various planes, Max chose to place his absolute trust in nothing more than his biochemical soldiers and his four loyal servants.