Chapter 265: School Preparation

"Then it's settled, we continue to investigate the information about the Horcruxes and try to steal them," Doge summarized.

"But the preparations for war should not stop either. This is to deter the Death Eaters and let them know we are prepared," Moody added.

"But we are not prepared to truly start the war first," Aberforth added again.

Finally, in an apparently harmonious atmosphere, the meeting of the Order of the Phoenix was declared over.

Harry chatted with Hagrid for a long time. He now not only needs to contact those big fools in the giant community, but also maintains a very close relationship with Newt Scamander, and is investigating magical animal habitats around the world to prevent them from being quietly used by people with ulterior motives.

"So, I might not be able to teach at Hogwarts for the time being," he said with some regret. "But I don't teach very well either, you know."

"No, you teach the best," Harry said sincerely. After all, he hadn't taken any other professor's Care of Magical Creatures class.

"I'm very happy to be able to set the tone before you start school," after people left one after another, Moody limped over. "Harry, you did a great job, I am very grateful."

"I..." Harry didn't know how to answer. He wasn't very familiar with Moody.

"This is for you," he handed over a photo. "This is a group photo of the original Order of the Phoenix."

Harry took a photo and recognized his parents at a glance, as well as that group of four. He felt disgusted as soon as he saw Wormtail and hurried to move his gaze elsewhere.

"This is me, this is Deng Buliduo, easy to recognize, right?" Moody pointed at the photo and said. "This is Marlene McKinnon. Less than two weeks after the photo was taken, her whole family was murdered."

Harry started to feel uncomfortable. He didn't know what Moody wanted to say.

"This is the Longbottoms, tortured into madness, still in the hospital now, poor people, better to be dead than like this... This is Benjy Fenwick, we only found part of his body... Edgar Bones, the Bones family were all captured... Caradoc Dearborn, missing, or to put it another way, no bones left... Gideon Prewett, he and his brother traded five Death Eaters before they died, very heroic... Dorcas Meadowes, a late bloomer, she almost escaped from Voldemort, unfortunately, she was just a bit short."

Harry looked at the little people squeezing and laughing in the photo. He found that except for the people he had seen in this room (which only accounted for a small half), the rest had all been murdered. His heart felt tight, especially seeing his parents, which made him feel a mix of emotions.

"Under Deng Buliduo's leadership, we started the first war. Yes, everyone in the photo had been saved by him at least once, but now?" Moody shook his head. "We can't start a war, because they have already paid a painful lesson."

"But we can't be tied up because of some scruples. We must eradicate the Death Eaters. This is so that their sacrifice is not in vain," Moody said grumpily. "If Voldemort is scary, then these Death Eaters who follow him to do evil and then hypocritically wash themselves clean are even more abominable."

"True villains and hypocrites, right." Harry could understand that feeling very well.

"A very good metaphor," Moody praised, then patted the photo into Harry's arms. "You have grown up quickly, Harry. If you are destined to become the next leader of the Order of the Phoenix, then I hope you can remember these sacrificed predecessors. They were all very good people, eh."

"I must not let anyone sacrifice again," Harry said firmly. "Since the Dark Lord who likes killing the most is gone, if sacrifices can still appear, then it is my fault."

"Don't have too much pressure, kid," Sirius stood in front of Harry with some dissatisfaction. "You can totally go to school first. The Order of the Phoenix is not your turn to bear the pressure yet."

Even though Sirius stood in front of him, Harry still didn't sleep very soundly that night. Those faces in the photo kept circling in his heart, and he also understood why those people always wanted to start a war—they were eager for revenge.

When he entered his dream, he saw Sirius and his parents standing on the edge of a cliff without saying a word, while the Minister of Magic was reading a manuscript that made people drowsy with a blank face. In the blink of an eye, his face became blurred, grew a big beard, and then laughed wildly.

After Harry opened his eyes, he was depressed for a while, but the good news was that the butler told him the Weasleys were already downstairs, which made his mood a little better.

"Spend the last two weeks at my house, kids," Mrs. Wei Wei Silai said in a tone with a hint of sympathy. "Look at you three, living in such an empty house, how cold and clear."

Harry was convinced that the layout of the Burrow was really because Mrs. Wei Wei Silai liked the feeling of a family crowding into a small house and being noisy, not because of poverty or lack of magical level.

"We can also go to Diagon Alley to stroll around. Fred and George are looking for a shop," Luo En whispered. "Mom is furious, she demands that they must—"

With a crisp 'pop', Fred suddenly appeared and clamped Luo En's neck. "What bad things are you saying again?"

"Great, you are actually slandering us in front of Harry." George messed up Luo En's hair very impolitely.

"You are looking for a shop?" Harry asked in surprise. "But you haven't graduated yet."

"What of it? We have already recruited the first clerk," Fred let go of Luo En, who was intending to fight back, and quickly Apparated to Harry's other side.

"Penelope, you know her, right," George said. "The Ministry of Magic has a new policy. In the assessment for entering the Ministry of Magic, bloodline can add points, which led to her losing to her competitor."

"This is not good," Harry frowned and said.

"However, their new policy also stipulates that for any magical shop that employs Muggles or Muggle-borns, the business tax can be reduced by ten percent," Fred introduced. "Adding the two together, we very easily invited her to be the first store manager."

"Whether this is good or bad for Muggle-borns is really hard to say," Harry's originally tightly frowned brow relaxed slightly. "But it is indeed a good thing for you. So, the Wei Wei Silai Joke Shop is ready to open this year?"

"No, the address hasn't been decided yet. We still have to go and see," George said, and with a 'pop', he ran away again.

"We will save those fireworks for you," Fred whispered, and then disappeared instantly.

Luo En waved his hand discontentedly, then said: "This is what Mom is worried about. They have to graduate first."

"Yeah, don't you think your mom makes a lot of sense?" Harry also put his arm around his neck. "If you want to do something great, you have to graduate first."

"Of course, of course," Luo En put his hand down. "This year I am prepared to run for Keeper."

Rarely, Luo En revealed some of his ambition. Harry was sincerely happy for him. And during the two weeks at the Burrow, whenever they had time, they would help Luo En train. Thanks to the muscles and reflexes brought by the knight training, everyone agreed that Luo En was very outstanding on the court.

On the night before leaving for school, when they were packing their things, Luo En picked up the tattered-covered "The Tales of Beedle the Bard", and then carefully put it into the interlayer of the box.

"By the way, Harry, the Snitch Deng Buliduo left you," Luo En said. "What's inside it?"

"It's empty," in front of Luo En, Harry always told the truth. "I suspect he originally intended to put something in it, but didn't have time."

"Alright, but what do you think he would have prepared to put in it?" Luo En said casually while folding his sweater.

"Maybe the Resurrection Stone," Harry said his guess. "According to what he said, his view of me, and Zhang Qiu's divination, I guess it might be that."

"Then the Resurrection Stone is now—" Luo En's movements stopped suddenly. "Oh right, it's now placed in the Order of the Phoenix, because it is also a Horcrux."

"Yeah, can't let the Death Eaters know it's already been destroyed," Harry continued to pack his things as if nothing had happened. "There's a sentence left on the Snitch, 'I open at the close'. Maybe he meant that after all the Horcruxes are destroyed, I can use the Resurrection Stone as a Hallow."

Talking about Deng Buliduo's passing, both of them felt a bit low. They chatted casually for a few more words and then went to bed.

Early the next morning, when Harry and Luo En were still sleepy, Ivy and Jin Ni ran over and slammed their doors.

"Come out and look! Dad borrowed a car from the Ministry! It's so beautiful!" Jin Ni shouted.

"It's a Rolls-Royce!" Ivy added. "Looks like a Ghost."

The two hurriedly put on their clothes and went downstairs, seeing Johnny English sitting at the Wei Wei Silai family's dining table, gracefully appreciating a cup of pumpkin juice.

"Ah, when Arthur proposed wanting to borrow a car from the Ministry to send Harry Potter to the train station," he said. "The Minister believes that except for me, no one deserves such honor."

"You changed cars," Mr. Wei Wei Silai said. "I almost didn't recognize it."

"Right, this is one of the guidelines for working at the Ministry of Magic," Johnny patted Percy, who was carrying a briefcase and ready to go out. "Some things you just have to ask even if you know the answer, because others hope you ask."

"The JEI model exclusive to the Director of the Auror Office, the only one in the world," he introduced while going out. "Standard V16 turbo engine, internal Undetectable Extension, chameleon circuit, also comes with a flight module. While the maneuverability is comparable to the TARDIS, it adds extreme industrial aesthetics..."

"I only hope it doesn't explode," Harry whispered to Luo En while moving the luggage. ===== CHAPTER 266 =====