The Butcher of Hogsmeade

"Are you crazy!" Marlene screamed before anyone else could react; she grabbed Sirius's arm, desperately trying to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.

The others weren't much better off than Marlene; their gazes towards Sirius were a mixture of emotions, as if they were looking at a madman and a warrior. The only exception was James, whose expression was the calmest of all; considering his relationship with Sirius, the two had probably discussed it beforehand.

Even Dumbledore was no exception. His eyes flickered slightly as he struggled to suppress the turmoil within him, and he asked, "Do you know what this means, Sirius?"

"Of course, it couldn't be clearer." Sirius Black smiled, feigning ease. "The bait tactic, didn't we use it very well before? We used Shen as bait, and the number of Death Eaters, dark wizards, and werewolves we caught was in double digits. I was the one who originally came up with this idea. What, do you think that when it comes to me, I'm afraid to use this method myself?"

Dumbledore wouldn't be easily swayed, and instead further reminded him: "You should understand that your situation this time is very different from Shen's; Shen, as bait, mostly attracted Death Eaters and dark wizards, while you, as the Potter family's secret keeper, are very likely to attract Voldemort himself."

"That's why we need to throw me out as bait early, isn't it?" Sirius retorted. "If we don't give them a clear target, they'll go after someone else; yesterday it was Marlene, tomorrow it could be Remus and Peter, and the day after, Stoddair? Rather than letting them bite like mad dogs, it's better to focus their attention on me. If they have a clear target, doesn't that mean we have a clear target too?"

Dumbledore fell silent, seemingly lost in thought; the others present remained silent, waiting for Dumbledore to speak.

"We should discuss the specific details. Baiting doesn't mean suicide..." After a long while, the old wizard spoke again, making his position clear: he agreed to Sirius's plan.

"Professor Dumbledore!" Marlene screamed a second time, but was immediately stopped by Sirius, who was sitting next to her. Sirius didn't speak, but simply took Marlene's hand and gently shook his head. The strength and warmth of his palm made her understand his determination.

Marlene then stopped talking, silently took Sirius's arm, and rested her head on his shoulder.

Dumbledore sighed, his voice low and sorrowful: "Before we proceed with the plan, it is necessary for you to know one thing: perhaps some have already noticed that someone who was supposed to be here today is absent."

"Edgar?" Gideon asked. "He was the one who came to Hogsmeade to inform you yesterday."

"Yes, I received the message he sent via his Patronus, and then I went with him to Mackin's farm. When we arrived, the battle had already broken out, but we saw that you had brought the situation under control, so he and I didn't show ourselves. We observed from the shadows until it was all over before we left the scene separately." Dumbledore briefly explained what had happened yesterday.

"What happened to him?" Gideon pressed.

Dumbledore countered, "He didn't go to the Ministry of Magic today, didn't you notice?"

"We've been busy interrogating the Death Eaters all day and analyzing the evidence we found yesterday. We haven't had time to go to other departments. What happened to him?"

"He's missing, along with his family; his wife and children, all gone," Dumbledore said. "It probably happened last night, or before he went to work this morning, and I received the news at dinner time. Edgar's sister, Amelia, noticed her brother hadn't gone to work today, so she went to his house after get off work and found signs of a struggle inside; she managed to ask all her relatives and friends, searching until dark but finding no one from her brother's family, which confirmed that they were all missing..."

Dumbledore spoke slower and slower, his voice low.

"Is there still a chance? We still have a chance to find them, right?" Marlene asked, her face pale, before Dumbledore could finish speaking.

Dumbledore shook his head heavily, his eyes filled with grief: "Just now, before I left my office, Alastor sent word that he had found the bodies of Edgar and his family in a wasteland outside London."

Marlene's eyes reddened, and her lips trembled as she said, "If... if you hadn't come yesterday, would our family have ended up like this? The whole family would have disappeared, and it would have taken a long time before anyone discovered that the house was empty and the bodies were dumped in some unknown place?"

Sirius noticed the girl beside him was trembling slightly, but anything he said at that moment would be inappropriate; he patted her hand, offering silent comfort.

"Was Edgar also targeted by the Death Eaters because of the Potters? His relationship with James and Lily wasn't particularly close, unlike Marlene's situation," Stodgi asked.

Dumbledore sighed: "Edgar is our most important ally in the Ministry of Magic. The Burns family has extensive connections in the Ministry, and almost all official inside information is passed to us through him. Most of the information between the Ministry of Magic and the Order of the Phoenix intersects with him, and Voldemort obviously knows this as well."

The atmosphere in the screaming shed became oppressive due to the sudden bad news, and everyone was shrouded in a deep sadness for a long time.

Finally, Sirius broke the silence: "So, no one will doubt my plan anymore, right? By deliberately revealing it, I've saved the Death Eaters from harming people everywhere. Edgar... he didn't know about the Faithful Charm beforehand, let alone my identity as the Keeper of the Secret. His family... originally didn't have to be sacrificed."

Stoj, acting as an elder brother, offered words of comfort: "Anyone can be sacrificed in war."

"At least he shouldn't have to sacrifice himself for this. He had no idea." Sirius Black didn't feel any better. "I was mentally prepared from the first day I joined the Order of the Phoenix. I'm not afraid of death, I'm not afraid of sacrificing myself for it, but... but at least it should be for something, at least it should have some meaning..."

"Before you come up with a plan, you should at least tell us why the Mysterios is specifically targeting the Potters, right?" Emily Vance spoke for the second time since the meeting began.

Dumbledore looked at James, who nodded without hesitation. The old wizard then said, "Because of James' son, Harry. A prophecy from last year foretold that this child will one day destroy Voldemort."