Harry Potter: I started checking in from Diagon Alley

Chapter 207 Chaos! Battle is imminent!

"what?"

"how so!?"

Moody's statement elicited gasps of surprise. The reactions of the others were filled with shock and disbelief, and they all gasped in astonishment, their faces etched with terror.

To ordinary wizards, Dementors are evil creatures that inspire fear and dread.

Ordinary wizards have almost no chance against them unless they can use a Patronus Charm.

If you don't know the Guardian Charm, you'll almost certainly die or be seriously injured if you encounter a Dementor.

These evil magical creatures, exuding a chilling aura, cannot be dealt with using ordinary spells.

The guardian spell can only drive them away.

Even wizards who can use the Patronus Charm cannot all remain calm in the face of Dementors.

Because using the Guardian Charm requires first adjusting one's own joyful emotions.

The appearance of Dementors contradicts this condition from the outset.

Now, the Dementors have all turned to Voldemort.

Even the wizards of the Order of the Phoenix couldn't remain calm upon hearing this news.

Wizards like Dumbledore and Eric naturally wouldn't be afraid of Dementors.

But others are different.

Mundungus Fletcher, a somewhat sleazy-looking wizard, wiped the sweat from his brow and asked in a trembling voice, "Aren't Dementors supposed to belong to the Ministry of Magic?"

Moody looked at him coldly, a hint of mockery in his eyes, and said, "Dementors are not under the Ministry of Magic's control. Have you forgotten that they attacked the Hogwarts Express last year?"

“Oh…” Mundungus Fletcher gave an awkward laugh.

"Stop with your wicked thoughts!" Moody sneered, pointing at him and shouting sternly, "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking, Fletcher. You've been wanting to run away for a while now, haven't you?"

Mundungus Fletcher's face turned pale, and he quickly shook his head in denial, saying, "How could this be? How could it be?"

Moody glared at him coldly, his expression growing even more serious: "Hmph! Who doesn't know the shady things you've done in the past? You think I don't know?"

Mundungus Fletcher's lips trembled a few times; unable to answer Moody's question, he could only helplessly shut his mouth.

No one present took his words seriously.

Mundungus Fletcher was originally a rather notorious thief.

He was short, wore a tattered black cloak, and always had a sly smile on his face, making him impossible to like.

His joining the Order of the Phoenix was entirely at Dumbledore's behest.

According to Dumbledore, everyone has their own area of ​​expertise.

Mundungus Fletcher may have mediocre combat skills, but he is very helpful to the Order of the Phoenix in terms of intelligence. He is also familiar with all sorts of people in the magical world, making him a specialized talent.

The Order of the Phoenix did indeed primarily use him to contact wizards who roamed the gray areas.

In the magical world, there are also black markets similar to Knockturn Alley, places that operate outside the jurisdiction of the law.

Mundungus Fletcher was very useful in these dealings, as he was able to gather a great deal of valuable intelligence in these places.

Ignoring Mundungus Fletcher, Professor McGonagall, sitting next to Dumbledore, asked, "Seriously, what should we do now? They've become much stronger since they captured Azkaban."

Her voice was low and serious, and her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, revealing her inner unease.

Dumbledore listened quietly, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

On the wall of the room, a huge map was unfolded, marking various important locations in the magical world.

A mark has been painted on the site of Azkaban, signifying that the Ministry of Magic and the Order of the Phoenix have lost control of the location.

Besides Azkaban, many other areas were marked to indicate that these areas were in constant conflict.

During this period, the war had spread in full force.

Aurors and Death Eaters clashed in various locations.

Dumbledore walked up to the map and gently touched the markings on it with his finger, as if searching for something.

Everyone watched him silently, anticipating Dumbledore's next words.

Suddenly, Dumbledore stopped in his tracks, looking at the map thoughtfully.

Dumbledore turned around and first reassured her, "Don't worry, Minerva, we'll find a way. Kingsley, and Tonks, you two are Aurors, how's the morale within the Ministry right now?"

“There’s almost no room to go any further,” Tonks said curtly, shrugging her shoulders as she looked at Dumbledore with a wry smile.

As an Auror, Tonks also participated in the battle of Azkaban, making her one of the firsthand witnesses. She recounts the scene and the subsequent events in detail.

As Tonks spoke, the atmosphere in the room became heavy and silent.

The Aurors had once been full of positive belief in resisting the Dark Lord, but after this crushing defeat, their morale was utterly low.

Yesterday alone, five Aurors announced their resignations, a piece of news that hit all Aurors like a bomb.

This forced Scrimgeour to issue an order that, given it was wartime, no resignations would be accepted.

However, these verbal orders still couldn't stop those who wanted to escape.

Tonks' words made everyone realize more clearly how serious the situation was.

The fall of Azkaban had a far greater impact than they had imagined.

Mundungus Fletcher felt a pang of panic. He was the same kind of Auror who wanted to resign; at the slightest sign of trouble, he would be the first to run away.

But now, he has nowhere to escape; the pressure from Dumbledore and Moody forces him to stay.

Kingsley added, “My position is high enough to give me access to the Ministry of Magic leadership, but the situation at the top is not optimistic either. Right now, most people, including Fudge, lack confidence in this war. Only the Auror Director Scrimgeour and Amelie Byrns are still persisting in the resistance; apart from the two of them, everyone else’s attitude is ambiguous.”

"How ambiguous is it?" Dumbledore asked.

Kingsley frowned, and after a moment's thought, he said, "Let's put it this way, they haven't openly sided with the Death Eaters yet, but if the Dark Lord shows up in person and promises them all sorts of benefits, they definitely won't be on our side."

He sighed and continued, "Especially those wizards with pure-blood backgrounds, they are outside the Death Eaters' reach, which means they can observe the situation before making a decision."

Chapter 208 The most needed thing right now is time!

Voldemort's ideology was even more extreme than the views that Grindelwald had promoted during his heyday.

Voldemort saw himself as the successor to Slytherin.

One of Slytherin's most famous ideas is that he discriminates against half-blood wizards.

When Slytherin founded Hogwarts, he clashed with Gryffindor and two other boys over this very idea.

Ultimately, Slytherin left Hogwarts.

In this respect, it can be said that Voldemort and Slytherin were both representatives of pure-blood wizards.

They have an extreme aversion to half-blood wizards and Muggles.

Voldemort's governing philosophy largely followed this view.

“Hmph, they’re all cowards,” Moody said. “We should take the initiative. We can’t do anything by relying on the Ministry of Magic.”

“No, Alastor,” Dumbledore said. “The Ministry of Magic represents the official stance and is a position we absolutely cannot give up. Besides, we have too few people. Even if you can handle three Death Eaters at the same time, what if three more come? Not everyone has your strength.”

Moody turned his head away. Of course he knew Dumbledore was right; he was just angry.

Professor McGonagall said, “The problem now is that we need to decide whether to respond to their occupation of Azkaban, and if we do retaliate, how should we do it? The Ministry of Magic has a large number of Aurors, but their overall combat strength is clearly insufficient, and they have just gone through a major battle, so it is difficult for them to spare any manpower to support us.”

“We must take the initiative!” Moody said firmly. “I think the longer we drag this out, the more disadvantageous it will be for us. We must take advantage of the fact that the Dark Lord has just returned and wipe out his followers.”

“I agree,” Ron’s father, Mr. Arthur Weasley, chimed in. “He was defeated by Dumbledore, Eric and you working together during the Quidditch final. We can publicize this and suppress them in the media. The Ministry of Magic and the Daily Prophet are our allies now, and we can spread the news through them.”

Moody looked at the others at the table and asked, "What do you think?"

Professor McGonagall said in a low voice, "I don't think we should actively seek a decisive battle, but it's probably the best decision we can make right now."

“Hmph, they’re all a bunch of cowards,” Moody said with a sneer, squinting as he scratched the patterns on the table. “We should take the initiative. We can’t do anything by relying on the Ministry of Magic.”

Dumbledore shook his head slightly, looked intently at Moody, and said firmly, "No, Alastor. The Ministry of Magic represents the official stance, and it's a position we absolutely cannot give up. Besides, we have too few people. Even if you can handle three Death Eaters at once, what if three more come? Not everyone has your strength."

Moody turned his head away, biting his lip. He knew, of course, that Dumbledore was right; he was just furious. His gaze wandered around the room, finally settling on Professor McGonagall.

Professor McGonagall looked at the map on the table, her brow furrowed as she pondered her next move. "The problem now is, we need to decide whether to respond to their occupation of Azkaban, and if we do, how? The Ministry of Magic has a large number of Aurors, but their overall fighting strength is clearly insufficient, and they've just experienced a major battle; it's difficult for them to spare any manpower to support us."

Moody slammed his hand on the table and said seriously, "We must take the initiative! I think the longer we drag this out, the more disadvantageous it will be for us. We must take advantage of the fact that the Dark Lord has just returned and wipe out his followers."

Mr. Arthur Weasley chimed in, “I agree. He was defeated by Dumbledore and Eric together in the Quidditch final. We can publicize that and suppress them with public opinion. The Ministry of Magic and the Daily Prophet are our allies now, and we can spread the news through them.”

Moody glanced at the others at the table and asked, "What do you think?"

Professor McGonagall said in a low voice, "I don't think we should actively seek a decisive battle; the risk is too great. But it's probably the best decision we can make right now." She gently smoothed her hair and gazed at the fine markings on the map.

"why?"

Professor McGonagall's expression turned serious. She replied with a grave look, "Because the start of the new school term is approaching. Although it's currently the holidays, many parents have already written to me expressing their reluctance to send their children back to Hogwarts for the new semester. The Dark Lord's rise has caused panic among many parents; they don't want their children to face the threat of the Death Eaters, especially with Dumbledore as the Headmaster of Hogwarts. They are worried about their children's safety."

Where Dumbledore is, one can truly feel safe, for he is the most powerful white wizard.

However, everyone in the world knows that Dumbledore is Voldemort's greatest adversary.

Now that Voldemort has returned, Dumbledore will surely become an obstacle he desperately wants to eliminate.

Professor McGonagall sighed and continued, “That’s understandable, but if this continues, Hogwarts might have only a handful of students left when school starts. Hogwarts is more than just a school; it’s a symbol of the British wizarding world. If we close Hogwarts, it will be a huge blow to the confidence of others.”

“That’s right!” some people echoed.

“Yes, I agree.” Others echoed this sentiment.

Professor McGonagall's remarks were met with widespread approval.

Dumbledore listened quietly to the discussion, thought for a while, and finally said, "We will not move."

"Not moving?!" Professor McGonagall and Moody asked in unison.

“Yes, they are launching an attack, and we will defend to the death,” Dumbledore said thoughtfully. “Our biggest disadvantage is our numbers. Through this battle, the number of Death Eaters and the dark wizards who follow Voldemort will increase significantly. Even if we include the members of the Order of the Phoenix and all the Aurors, we will still be outnumbered.”

Dumbledore explained, “Apart from the Aurors, the Ministry of Magic’s members are not reliable in terms of combat ability; they are not even as good as the Hogwarts students. Therefore, in this situation, what we need to do most is to hold our current position, strengthen our defenses, and then wait for the opportunity to counterattack.”

"What we need most right now is not the strength to retaliate, but time."