#48 - Order of the Phoenix

Before Anduin could finish, Sirius interrupted, "I'm talking about my house. How did it become like this after I just left for a while? Good heavens, this looks even newer than when I first bought it!"

Anduin thought Sirius was asking about how the dishes were made and was about to explain it to him kindly, but it turned out he was asking about this. He had to say, "Come on, we're wizards. Isn't this just a matter of waving a wand?"

"You're pulling my leg. I've seen other people use cleaning charms, and they're nothing like this. Damn, even the grease stains on the carpet are gone," Sirius said, looking around in disbelief.

"That's because other people's skills aren't up to par. I have a unique cleaning spell," Anduin said with a mysterious look.

After dinner, Sirius still seemed to be recovering from the shock. He walked from the living room to the kitchen, and from the kitchen to the bathroom, touching and looking at everything as if he were in someone else's house.

Anduin, after cleaning the table, walked out of the kitchen, glanced at Sirius, and after thinking for a moment, said, "Sirius, there's something I need to tell you."

Sirius turned around cheerfully and said, "Yeah, what is it? By the way, you're really good at managing housework. You're practically as virtuous as a housewife, and you're a good cook too."

Anduin was speechless at Sirius's description, rolled his eyes, and said, "I'm talking about serious business. I heard that the Death Eaters might attack members of the Order of the Phoenix around Christmas."

As soon as Sirius heard this, he immediately became serious and said, "Are you sure? How does a kid attending Hogwarts know so much?"

"Then you should know that this student attending Hogwarts was sorted into Slytherin," Anduin said to Sirius with a playful look.

Sirius raised his eyebrows upon hearing this and said, "Are you saying?"

Anduin walked to the fireplace, sat on the sofa next to it, and motioned for Sirius to sit down as well, saying, "That's right. I heard it from a senior Slytherin student. His name is Quake Wilkes. He said he heard it from an elder in his family. Do you know any Death Eaters named Wilkes?"

"The identities of Death Eaters are often kept secret. I only know a few people, but I do have an impression of this Wilkes. He's very close to Snape, Avery, Mulciber, and Rosier. I've long suspected that guy, but the Ministry of Magic says there must be concrete evidence to arrest these guys, but they all wear magical masks when they're in action, so unless they're caught on the spot, it's useless," Sirius said bitterly.

"You mean, even if you already know who some of the Death Eaters are, unless they're caught on the spot, even if they run up and wave in your face, you can't do anything to them?" Anduin looked at Sirius in disbelief. Didn't these people know what 'suspects' were? Wouldn't they detain and interrogate them? Or was there some other force preventing them?

Sirius narrowed his eyes, as if recalling something unpleasant, and said, "That's right, but the situation has improved a lot since Millicent Bagnold came to power. In the past, even if someone made evil remarks or secretly tortured Muggles, they couldn't be directly convicted even if Muggles identified them. There were many people in the Ministry of Magic and the Wizengamot Council who secretly supported the Dark Lord."

Sirius paused and then continued, "However, Millicent Bagnold's attitude is very firm, and Dumbledore is constantly lobbying members of the Wizengamot to support her. Now, the means that can be used are much broader than before. In the past, we could only passively defend, which was very passive."

"Then can't you directly take those suspected Death Eaters away under the pretext of 'assisting in the investigation' or something?" Anduin was very surprised by the low efficiency of the British Ministry of Magic and lamented the intense internal political infighting.

"It's still not possible in this regard. Some people don't dare to offend the Dark Lord, and some even support the Dark Lord. Moreover, many Death Eaters are members of pure-blood families, and they have intricate relationships with many Wizengamot members. Without solid evidence, we can't act at all," Sirius said helplessly.

"Then you must quickly contact the Order of the Phoenix and tell them to be careful and vigilant. If you can prepare well, maybe this is an opportunity!" If the external environment cannot be resolved, then you can only find a way from within, Anduin said to Sirius.

Sirius stood up and paced back and forth in front of the fireplace, thinking about something. After a while, he nodded and said, "That's right. I must quickly notify Dumbledore. Whether the Death Eaters will really show up or not, it's good to be prepared, but if the Death Eaters discover that we have an ambush, they will definitely investigate the reason for the leak, which may put you in danger."

Sirius considered that, first of all, this warning message from an underage wizard, although he himself attached great importance to it, he was not sure whether it was necessarily accurate. Secondly, if the attack really happened, the Death Eaters were likely to investigate themselves, and Anduin, who was related to the leak of the message, might be in danger.

After thinking for a while, Anduin thought that although there was this possibility, his news was actually obtained from Rosier, and it was unlikely that he would be exposed. If he was really exposed, he might as well just stay in Hogwarts in the future.

After thinking it through, Anduin said, "My source of information is very secret, and it's unlikely that anyone will notice it's me, so there's no need to be particularly concerned. Besides, I'm not a pushover either. Have you forgotten who saved your life?"

As soon as Sirius heard Anduin mention this, he immediately became unhappy and said, "You need to understand that without you getting in the way, I could have killed those two idiots anyway. The only reason you weren't injured by the Death Eaters is because you were lucky."

After saying that, he came to the fireplace, pulled out his wand, and cast a spell on the fire. Before long, the face of an old man appeared on the charcoal fire, and it was vaguely recognizable as Dumbledore.

"What's wrong, Sirius? It's rare for you to contact me directly in this way," Dumbledore, composed of charcoal fire, looked at Sirius.

"It's like this, I have a situation to report to you..."

Sirius relayed the information Anduin told him to Dumbledore again, and also put forward his own guesses.

"Hmm, very important information. Anduin, is it? I remember, I heard you and Lily mention him before. I didn't expect him to be living in your house. I will personally host a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix tomorrow. Could you please bring Anduin along? After all, some things need to be confirmed in person," Dumbledore said.