"The Dark Lord won't be willing to endure the loss that happened in the first half of the year, he'll certainly find a way to get it back, and now it seems he's already making moves."
Dumbledore's words left the Weasleys frozen in their seats, Arthur quickly reacted as he asked with a sharp voice.
"Are you saying that someone in the wagon was inciting Percy to betray us?"
Dumbledore looked at him and said with a relieved expression.
"It's not that much of a stretch Arthur, Percy did not act in a harmful way towards us, he could have done more against us to get closer to what he desired, but he must have refused to do that, he just believes now that the future is on the other side, and he is trying to go the way he thinks that is beneficial to his future."
"Percy is not the one who caused us the problem, it's the problem itself, it's just that the problem has happened and there's nothing we can do to change the outcome, but the person who created the problem apparently still might be on the wagon."
"Perhaps he infiltrated the wagon way early on, but we never found him until this time, when he started making moves and somehow made contact with Percy, which then intensified the resentment he had in his heart against us."
Molly wiped the tears from her face, although she was sad and upset about Percy's betrayal, she had not lost the ability to think.
"But why did they choose Percy? Even if he usually performs well in school, how does abetting him to betray us will affect us? And what good will it do to the Ministry of Magic? This not only reveals the information of the man who infiltrated the wagon, but also does not change the current situation half a bit."
Lupin pondered and replied.
"Could it be that they are trying to use Percy's betrayal as a model, and after he joins the Ministry of Magic, he will be grandly reused, and the Daily Prophet will make a big deal out of it? Few purebloods families are more inclined towards us from the past, but their children and grandchildren may not necessarily share this view, and Percy is setting a benchmark for them, and the attitude of the Ministry of Magic towards him will indicate that they will not pursue or even focus on this as long as they are purebloods who are willing to serve the Dark Lord, even if their families are standing in an opposite side to them."
His words did offer a possibility, but similarly, McGonagall offered a different view.
"This is not in line with the nature of the Ministry of Magic as well as the Dark Lord, Percy's matter can indeed set a benchmark, but it can't have much impact on us now, in terms of public opinion they may be able to make a lot of noise by using this matter, but in fact, we never had any say in the sphere of public opinion. If they really want to make some kind of retaliatory response to what happened in the first half of the year, this is a bit like a clap of thunder without lightning."
Percy's betrayal, especially this image he left behind did strike a bitter chord in the hearts of both the Weasleys and the professor on the wagon.
But to be honest, the actual significance of his betrayal is not really very significant, even if he is indeed the best performer among his peers, he is not so great that one person's movement can change the current situation.
If the person he was in contact with had used the Imperius Curse to force Percy to do something more outrageous on the wagon or even more ruthlessly kill any of the students in the school outright, the situation would have been much worse, and the blow to both Hogwarts and the Order of the Phoenix would have been enormous.
But now he chose a choice that can be said to be a minor "revenge" tactic, it made people feel very incomprehensible.
But no matter what the reason behind this matter is involved, the fact that Percy has betrayed them can not be changed, Arthur took a deep breath and bowed his head to Dumbledore and said.
"I am deeply disappointed that my son made such a decision, Dumbledore. I am sorry."
Dumbledore naturally can't have any prejudice against the Weasleys because of this incident, so he said in a broad tone.
"It's not your fault, every people will have different opinions for sure, he just went and chose the path he wanted to go down, even if we all thought it would be the wrong one."
"I want to postpone my duties over in France for a while." Arthur grabbed Molly's hand, his mood was obviously low as well, "To take Molly out for a break, and, if Percy did actually join the British Ministry of Magic-"
Dumbledore interrupted with a serious expression.
"He will not affect you, Arthur, everyone will not suspect you, that I can guarantee."
"Of course, I know that, I'm just trying to do this for my own mind." He looked up at Dumbledore with a hint of pleading in his gaze, "A little comfort to us, I suppose."
Dumbledore remained silent for a moment and ultimately nodded.
"Well, I respect your opinion, I will ask Sirius to bring someone to take over your duties."
After determining Percy's ultimate destination, the Weasleys didn't stay long in the wagon; they didn't visit the other children who are still at school because they simply didn't know how to inform them of such an outcome.
And after they left, McGonagall inquired Dumbledore.
"Is it possible that Arthur and Molly are going to meet Percy alone?"
Dumbledore somewhat wearily took off his glasses.
"Don't worry let them make their own decision, if there is a need, Arthur will never hide it from us."
"Then if the Daily Prophet reports later about Percy joining the Ministry of Magic, should this be hidden from the students on the wagon?"
Dumbledore shook his head.
"This is not the same as the Horace case, we are protecting these students, not cutting off their access to information from the outside world. If we always just selectively tell them some information, then sooner or later when they find out everything, they will lose trust in us."
He did not say exactly what is different between this time and the time of Slughorn, but McGonagall also did not ask more questions, she faithfully carried out the task given to her by Dumbledore.
Later, things did develop as they had predicted in the Headmaster's office.
The next day's Daily Prophet headline was about Percy "making the right decision" to join the Ministry of Magic.
The third son of the Weasley family, from the famous pureblood traitor family, had turned himself in and gotten a pardon, and then Minister Fudge hired him as the new head of the Improper Use of Magic Office of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
The wagon did not hide this matter, just at noon on the fourth day of Percy's disappearance, Fred, George, Ron and Ginny, who were still a bit worried about Percy's disappearance, had all read the article.
A parent of a half-blood student sent that day's daily newspaper to the wagon, and that day, the entire school students all knew where the missing Percy had actually gone.
At the very noon on that day, the Weasley children who were on the wagon all gathered together.
----
#Myles Mansfield, Thanks for all your love and support.
Read advance chapters on P@treon. If you have some extra pocket money, Support me at P@treon: www.p@treon.com/Crazy_Cat.
Happy Reading!!!
#Myles Mansfield, Thanks for all your love and support.
Read advance chapters on P@treon. If you have some extra pocket money, Support me at P@treon: www.p@treon.com/Crazy_Cat.
Happy Reading!!!