Chapitre 63: Chapter 29: Actions And Counters
"So, why were you so insistent that we downplay Mouldyshort's return? And by the way, I love that name you gave him." Sirius asked as soon as he'd Apparated them to just outside The Pottery's grounds.
"Thanks and because telling the full truth would have been counterproductive." Harry sighed as they started walking up the driveway. "You saw how freaked out Fudge was, right? Well, Bagnold was there too."
"That bitch?" Sirius snarled, then he looked thoughtful. "Damn! She does have a seat as a former Minister…"
"She was preparing something." Harry continued. "I couldn't really see much from the angle I was at, but she had a sheaf of notes and I caught the words impeachment and previous experience."
"She was preparing to try and oust Fudge to get back into power?" Sirius asked and Harry nodded.
"That's what I think. Now, Fudge may be weak and spineless, but he knows he's in trouble. He also knows I have blackmail material on him that could destroy him politically, even more so now that I've publicly spoken out for him. However, I'll be at Hogwarts so I need someone else to act as his handler. Someone who is willing to publicly say that they don't hold a grudge against him for his predecessor's illegal actions and congratulate him for overseeing a trial which included the use of veritaserum…"
"I hate politics." Sirius whined.
"You have Remus to guide you." Harry countered. "He can watch through the camera and whisper instructions into your ear. Heck, if you need more than that, I'm fairly sure Jor-El could create some contact lenses that'll project images that only you can see. It'd let you read an entire speech without seeming to need notes."
"That… could work." Sirius finally admitted. "I don't like it, but it could work."
"We need to peel Malfoy off him and you're the best bet… if you can stop acting as a reckless playboy every chance you get."
"Agreed." Remus said as he stepped out of the front door of The Pottery. At Sirius' confused look, Remus tapped his ear to indicate that he was still wearing the earbud. "We need to do a charm offensive, Padfoot. The larger, the better."
"You two plan." Harry said as he stepped inside. "I'm heading back to Hogwarts."
Sirius grabbed Harry and pulled him into a hug.
"Take care, pup." He half-whispered before letting Harry go and Remus clapped Harry on his shoulder.
"We'll let you know what we've come up with." He offered.
"Thanks, Moony."
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"Minister, are you alright?." Umbridge noted as Cornelius dropped into his chair with a sigh of relief.
"I am." Fudge agreed with a scowl. "I hate to admit it, but Potter and Black just saved my political career. Of course, I'll have to increase the Auror's budget quite a bit… Dolores?"
"Yes Minister?"
"Find out how much the Auror department was receiving at the end of the last war and have their budget adjusted to match, including inflation."
"Of course, sir." Dolores made a note. "Sir… you know that Lord Malfoy will object to this?"
"I know." Fudge growled. "But he's been encouraging me to switch money to the other departments and away from the Aurors. If he knew this was coming, he's had us place our wand in the bedroom before leading us into the garden. All this time I believed him about being under the Imperious, but what if he was never freed from it? What if all his suggestions were the result of him being controlled? Maybe by Pettigrew…"
"That would make sense, sir." Dolores admitted. "Do you wish for him to be taken into protective custody?"
Fudge paused, looking conflicted, then shook his head almost unwillingly.
"No. At the moment, there isn't any actual proof and I don't want to pull a Bagnold. If the press doesn't rip me apart, the courts will and I don't want to lose everything I've worked so hard to get."
"Very good, sir."
Fudge nodded as he calmed down.
"Potter's almost certainly right. Pettigrew was a traitor and probably You Know Who's right-hand man for a lot of the last war… plus he was a member of the Marauders at Hogwarts. If anyone could set up a fake You Know Who and get them to act as a leader, it'd be him. But who would the fake be? It has to be someone fairly powerful…"
"There's been no sign of Gilderoy Lockhart for quite some time." Dolores pointed out and Fudge blinked.
"Why would someone like Lockhart become a puppet Dark Lord? I mean, sure he's got a huge ego, loves being in the limelight and having everyone listen… to… him… Really? I… I guess he could be… Find out, Dolores. I want to know one way or the other by the end of next week."
"Of course, sir."
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Neville was scowling at the book he was holding when Harry emerged from his trunk. Harry paused for a moment before swinging himself out of the trunk.
"Nev…?"
Neville slammed the book closed, causing Harry to jolt, then he leaned back and rubbed his eyes.
"Sorry, Harry. It's… dammit! It's the Lestranges. All three of them. You know my parents are in hospital… did I ever tell you why?"
Harry shook his head wordlessly and Neville leaned forwards.
"It was just after you killed Mouldyshorts… heh. Good name for him. Anyway, my parents were in hiding until word came out that he was dead, so they came out of hiding. But although he was dead, not all his followers had been caught. My parents were tortured by the Lestranges who were seeking information on your location. They knew my mother was your godmother, you see. They thought that if they found you, they could use you somehow to bring him back and my mother was the key to finding you, but she didn't tell them. They tortured her and my dad into insanity, but she kept you safe."
"I don't think she knew my location." Harry half-whispered. "I'd been placed in hiding by then. Only a few people knew where I was… my so-called relatives plus Dumbledore, McGonagall and Hagrid."
Neville sagged. "I… didn't know that… But the Lestranges were still using the crucio on them when the Aurors finally responded. They killed five of the Aurors before being captured and sent to Azkaban while I ended up being looked after by gran…"
Harry frowned. "Nev… how were your parents affected?"
"They're… they're not there any more." Neville leaned back, covering his eyes again. "They're alive and I think I can see… flickers of them occasionally, but… mum sometimes gives me candy wrappers… it's been over a decade and they haven't improved…"
Harry tapped his watch and Jor-El's image appeared.
"Jor-El, start searching medical literature for…"
"Already done, sir." Jor-El replied. "Scans of patients in question are recommended as the provided verbal description suggests the issue is primarily psychological. Use of the Raozrhyng Kypzhrig Azhuhm to bypass mental barriers is current recommended diagnosis."
Neville froze, then half-turned to look at the foot-tall image.
"What?"
"Oh hell." Harry groaned. "Nev, I think this means that you need to learn something that I've only ever told a single person before if we're to go through with this. Come on, let's get to The Pottery…"
"Why do I suddenly feel more worried than ever?" Neville asked as Harry opened his trunk again. "But if it brings my parents back, the Longbottom clan will owe you a debt we can never repay."
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"…and Hermione knows as well?" Neville asked in a shocked voice, staring at the small stone which marked the grave of the stillborn child of the Potters.
"She does." Harry confirmed. "She said that it explained far more than intentional accidental magic."
"It does." Neville agreed, then he let out a short laugh. "It's hard to believe though…"
"How do you think I felt when I found out?" Harry asked and Neville shook his head.
"I can't even begin to imagine. But Blood Adoption… that's an old ritual. Oh, I've heard of it before, it's listed in the Longbottom Library and back when everyone thought I was a Squib,one of my relatives suggested to my Gran that I be set aside for a muggleborn orphan who could be blood-adopted into the family. However, at least one of the parents-to-be needs to give their blood knowingly for it to work and with both of mine… yeah. I'm safe from that."
Harry reached out and put a reassuring hand on Neville's shoulder.
"I've got Jor-El building more interfaces so that he can connect both of your parents at once, as well as have you go in with them to help bring them back to reality. If you want me there, I will be, but if not…"
"Probably better if you are, you've already used that thing before." Naeville finally decided.
"It does look very different inside." Harry agreed. "Of course, we're going to have to find a way of getting your parents here, and quietly."
"I… don't think Gran would help." Neville sighed. "She's given up on them ever being cured. The last Healer who came to her with a recommendation for a new course of treatment, she sent packing. No, she won't like it."
"Then we'll need to find a way to do it ourselves." Harry nodded before pausing. "Although, extracting two people from a hospital sounds almost like a prank… I think I can get my godfther to help us…"
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"So, Peter, how does it feel to be a mastermind overseeing a massive scam?" Voldemort asked in an amused tone as he lowered his copy of The Daily Prophet onto the table.
"Ummm… I… I…" Peter stuttered and Voldemort laughed, picking up the paper again.
"As much as I hate to admit it, this is a truly brilliant move on their part." He continued. "By claiming that you are faking my return, they've changed the entire paradigm in a way that I hadn't anticipated. If I try to go out and claim that I am indeed who I am, no-one will believe me… at least until I prove myself by firing spells at them and even then… Of course, they've phrased it very carefully so as to not state outright that I am a fraud, but very few will notice that. I hadn't expected Lord Black to have such an acute grasp of human psychology."
"My Lord… what do we do?" Peter almost squeaked. "Sirius is a skilled duelist…"
"Who lives in a house with Wards that have been recorded by the Ministry." Voldemort countered. "By now, he will have tweaked the Animagus portion to block you, but the main portion of the Wards will be unchanged, meaning that the weakness will still be there. All I need to do is collapse the Wards and burn down his home. Even if it doesn't kill him, doing it will make it clear to all that there is no place safe from me. After all, if the infamous Black Wards could be taken down so easily, then what about the Wards of those who haven't spent nearly as much money on them?"
"May I come too, My Lord?" Peter managed to grovel while still sitting upright and Voldemort nodded.
"Of course, Peter. In fact, should he escape the flames, I'll bind him so that you can dispose of him. Same with the werewolf. Once this is over, you will be the sole Marauder remaining."
"I… thank you, My Lord!" Peter simpered. "Thank you!"
"Think nothing of it, my loyal assistant." Voldemort said magnanimously with a dismissive wave of his hand. "You are, after all, one of my most valued operatives. As such, you deserve to be rewarded."
"Thank you, My Lord." Peter repeated, grinning with dark glee.
"I think, however, that it should be a true assault." Voldemort mused. "The Giants are still deciding whether to accept my offer of an alliance, but the Vampires are almost ready to agree to my offer. By using this to show them my power, it will convince them that I am indeed worthy of their obedience."
"A brilliant plan, My Lord!" Pettigrew fawned.
"I know, my Inquisitor. I know. Now go and prepare my battle robes."
Peter scurried out of the room and Voldemort turned slightly to look at the man standing in the corner.
"Nott, I have a task for you. There's a certain pair of patients at St Mungo's that I would quite like to meet… I have a ritual or two that I need to perform and using them for it would be quite satisfying on many levels."
Nott bowed deeply and Voldemort wordlessly summoned a folder to his hand before holding it out to Nott.
"Here are your targets, Nott. Do try to do it subtly, I'd prefer it if no-one noticed that they were gone for as long as possible…"
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone