A day at Hogwarts.

Chapter 657 Ask Him

The warm afternoon sun shone on Hagrid's cabin. After running back, Tooth was taking a nap outside, snoring softly.

The heavy topic of Voldemort and the Department of Mysteries has been put on hold and temporarily replaced by more casual and relaxed conversation.

“Speaking of which,” Ron said, taking the last bite of his sandwich and chewing with difficulty, “Sirius contacted me yesterday via his communication notebook and asked if I had time to teach him Wizarding Chess.”

A look of smugness and disbelief crossed his face; he could hardly believe that Blake would ask him for advice on how to play chess.

Upon hearing this, Harry's lips curled into a faint smile.

"He wants to learn chess from you, really?"

He played a few games of Wizard Chess with Black during the summer. Sirius Black has never been very patient on the chessboard; his style is more about aggressive, headlong rushing in and seizing any opportunity without any regard for strategy or layout.

Lupin also played two games with Blake, and a few simple traps caused Blake to let out a wail.

Ron was able to go toe-to-toe with Lupin, and his seemingly unconventional but actually clever playing style clearly impressed Blake.

“Yes,” Ron finally swallowed the food in his mouth, his voice becoming clearer and filled with obvious excitement, “and he also said that maybe we can use a communication laptop to play chess in the future.”

He said the project had been reported to Charles, and Charles had agreed.

"In the near future, chess players will not need to be together; they can play together even if they are far apart."

Ron's eyes grew brighter and brighter as he spoke, sparkling with pure enthusiasm. He was clearly fascinated by this novel feature. Finally, he said, "Just imagine, Harry, how cool would it be to play chess at Hogwarts with people all over the world!"

"How wonderful it would be to be able to play a few rounds of games with foreign wizards while lying in bed!"

The topic was light and enticing, and even Harry, who didn't like playing wizard chess, became somewhat interested. It was like a gentle breeze temporarily dispelling the heavy clouds, allowing them to escape for a moment from the unpleasant shadow of the Department of Mysteries.

After lunch, Hermione said she needed to go back to the castle library to look up some information.

She seemed to have developed a strong academic curiosity about the mother-of-pearl-like potion in the fountain of the mysterious room Harry described, and was eager to find relevant records.

So the three parted ways at the door of the cabin: Hermione went back to Hogwarts Castle, while Harry and Ron went to the Quidditch pitch for the afternoon team practice.

The afternoon sun shone through the sparse clouds, casting dappled shadows on the tender green grass.

There was hardly anyone around, and the only sound was the rustling of the grass in the breeze, creating an exceptionally peaceful atmosphere.

Once Ron was sure Hermione had disappeared at the end of the path leading to the castle and could no longer hear their conversation, he nudged Harry's arm with his elbow, his relaxed expression fading slightly. He lowered his voice again, speaking with deliberate caution, "Hey, Hermione was with Hagrid earlier, so I didn't say much."

He glanced furtively around at the empty meadow and continued, "About the Department of Mysteries..."

He hesitated, but his meaning was clear.

Harry immediately understood, nodded, and his expression turned serious.

He fully understood Ron's concerns. If Hermione heard about their next plan, she would definitely object vehemently and immediately bring up a whole host of words such as "school rules," "dangerous," "reckless," and "lack of planning" to stop them. She might even threaten to tell Professor McGonagall.

“I’ve been thinking,” Harry’s voice also lowered, his gaze involuntarily turning to the Forbidden Forest in the distance, as if he could see through space to the dark, cold doorway of the Department of Mysteries, “that if we could figure out what Podmor was trying to get in there, maybe we could find out who controlled him and what their true purpose was.”

His intuition told him that behind a black, tightly closed, heavily guarded door lay crucial clues to Voldemort's return. Ron frowned, deep in thought, and whispered, "What's inside is definitely top-secret information from the Ministry of Magic."

"Ordinary wizards wouldn't even think about getting close, let alone know about it."

He paused, then a glimmer of light suddenly flashed in his eyes. He abruptly raised his head, as if grasping at a straw, and said, "Wait! Maybe...maybe we can ask Percy!"

“Percy?” Harry was a little surprised and raised an eyebrow.

He thought Ron's words made a lot of sense. He had also heard some rumors during the summer that Percy had gotten close to the Ministry of Magic and was now in a bright future.

“Yes, Percy!” Ron’s tone became more certain, as if the idea was becoming more and more plausible. “He’s in the Ministry of Magic now, Charles’s deputy… well, although Charles is still in school, his authority over werewolf treatment is very high, and the whole world is watching, which makes him quite influential.”

“Now he can contact a lot of people, hear a lot of news, and know the direction of the ministry.”

"Even if he doesn't know the specifics of the Bureau of Mysteries, he must be able to find out some information, right?"

"For example, is there anything special that has been receiving special attention recently, or are there any internal rumors about the intrusion incident?"

“I can write to him, just… just under the pretext of being concerned about my father’s safety. After all, an illegal intrusion has occurred, and my father’s work will be affected. It’s normal for a son to worry about his father’s safety.”

"It's better to probe indirectly than to guess blindly here."

Harry carefully weighed the pros and cons.

Now that a case has just occurred, it would be unwise to directly inquire about the internal workings of the Department of Mysteries; we might attract the attention of the Aurors.

Even now, Harry is still worried about being discovered by the Aurors for following him to the Department of Mysteries.

However, if it's a roundabout, seemingly casual inquiry tinged with concern for his family's work, Percy, despite his usual meticulous approach to things, does indeed possess a much deeper and broader understanding of the Ministry of Magic's internal affairs and his sources of information than Harry and his friends.

This seems like a viable path, though it is somewhat risky and could yield nothing or even attract unnecessary attention due to Percy's stubbornness or vigilance.

After a few seconds of silence, Harry slowly nodded, his eyes hardening as if he had made up his mind.

“Okay,” he said, his voice low but clear, “I’ll give it a try.”

"But the letter must be written very carefully, and the wording must be watertight so as not to arouse his suspicion, much less make him feel that we are spying on secrets."

“Leave it to me!” Ron patted his chest, his face regaining its radiance, as if he had received an important secret mission, and a sense of responsibility welled up within him. “I know how to talk to my serious, rule-abiding brother.”

“I’ll make him think we’re just curious and worried little brothers.”

The two reached a consensus, and their pace quickened unconsciously, making the dirt road beneath their feet seem shorter.

Ahead, the tall, familiar outline of the Quidditch pitch was clearly visible, and the other team members were walking towards it.

Ron was starting to get nervous. The afternoon's team practice was his first official practice, and it was of great significance. If he messed it up, he would be finished.

(End of this chapter)