Chapter 291

Before meeting Kreacher, Harry had plenty of other things to do: besides the weekly Phoenix Society meeting, he was buried under an overwhelming pile of homework—perhaps impossible to finish.

And from Saturday morning's newspaper, Harry learned that Nymphadora Tonks, portraying "Nyx Tonk," had publicly refuted Aurelius's origins.

Harry skimmed the article: Zhang Qiu's fabricated "virtual husband," Tang San, was a treacherous and ruthless Dark Wizard, offering a partial explanation for her silence from Dumbledore. She had even devised a fictional Dark Wizard family called the Tang Gate—enough to quell domestic wizards' idle curiosity and deter hostile observers.

Public reaction remained unclear, but among Hogwarts students, Harry heard mostly favorable opinions about Albusus. Gryffindors angrily blamed Nyx for choosing a Dark Wizard over returning to Albusus; Ravenclaws saw it as a tragic misunderstanding, nothing to condemn; Hufflepuffs sighed sympathetically: the Dumbledore family was doomed to unrequited love and misfortune.

Only the Slytherins were different: as Harry approached, he heard a girl passionately declaring, "... his woman lost the Lestrange bloodline and still dares to give interviews—she's shameless..."

Fortunately, Nyx was fictional; otherwise, she might have angered the Lestranges too! Harry shook his head helplessly, gathered his things, and resolved to finish as much homework as possible before the meeting—starting with the History of Magic copywork.

Before heading to the Three Broomsticks to meet Sirius, Harry hesitated about bringing homework—but dismissed the idea. No matter how overwhelmed he was, he couldn't half-focus on one task. Snape had far more duties at school, yet Harry never saw him prep lesson plans during meetings.

But when Harry sat down at the Phoenix Society meeting, he noticed Snape was even busier than he'd imagined: he hadn't shown up at all.

"Before we begin today's meeting, I'd like to say a few words about Albusus," Dawlish spoke as most members arrived, "Most of you have read the papers—it's no longer news, and the matter is settled."

Harry nodded slightly. Compared to medieval history, even sibling incest wasn't unusual—let alone first love.

"But we must recognize this rumor was a Death Eater smear campaign," Dawlish said sternly. "If Albusus hadn't written to the child's mother to ask her to clarify, this would've been irreparable!"

Several Phoenix members nodded, unaware: how could a long-term resident of Tianchao even care about British newspapers, let alone "disapprove"? But with Albusus's letter, the story made sense—complete, plausible, convincing.

"Think carefully," Dawlish continued. "This time, Albusus managed to contact the child's mother. But what if next time it's one of you targeted by Death Eaters with false rumors? Can you prove your innocence?" Harry noticed his speech was sharper than usual—clearly rehearsed.

"Crucially, we stand united in the Phoenix Society, fighting for justice. If Death Eaters target any of us in the future, we must trust each other," Dawlish nodded solemnly. "As long as we don't doubt one another over baseless gossip about private lives, what do outsiders' words matter?"

What outsiders said—how could it possibly not matter? Harry glanced helplessly at the wheezing old man; he'd oversimplified everything.

"He's right," Harry spoke up. With his current standing, even a few words from him were heard. "Let's use this moment to formalize the Phoenix Society."

"Formalize?" Several elders frowned.

"Simply put," Harry said, "our operational methods and principles are undefined. Previously, we only followed Albus's orders—but now he's gone. We can still solve specific issues in meetings, but our guiding principles and discipline deserve discussion."

"Unnecessary," Moody growled. "The Phoenix Society disbanded after Voldemort's fall. This version was only reformed years ago. Once we clean up the Death Eaters, we can disband again."

Harry easily saw younger members like Dedalus Diggle and Emmeline Vance freeze mid-smile.

"Voldemort was just one symbol," Sirius interjected supportively. "What if a worse Dark Wizard emerges? I believe the Phoenix Society should endure—someone must stand for justice."

"There's the Ministry and the Auror Office," Moody replied, his voice less assured.

"You all see what the Ministry's become," Sirius shrugged.

"So if we truly want the Phoenix Society to survive, we must start by ensuring it never becomes like the Ministry," Harry said seriously. "From the outset, we must draft principles and discipline to exclude the cowardly and the power-hungry—only the upright may join."

Sirius and Lupin seemed moved; Harry suspected they thought of Peter Pettigrew. That tragic man had been dragged into the Society by them—proof the old recruitment system had flaws.

"Harry's right," Dawlish agreed. "When recruiting new members, we must verify their courage. That's key. Any other suggestions?"

"Must be intelligent and capable." "Cannot be selfish." "Must accept our ideals and rules."

Most of the meeting was spent debating these points. They reached preliminary conclusions: the foremost was the Society's manifesto—its long-term goal: eradicate all Dark Magic. Given many nations still openly teach it, this was a daunting task. For now, the short-term goal and minimum standard: eliminate or reform every Death Eater, extinguishing any hope of Voldemort's return.

For new members: they must first acknowledge the Society's manifesto and join voluntarily. After being recommended by an existing member, they undergo a two-month probation, followed by a vote from full members before admission.

Normally, the Society's core principles and member identities must remain secret—to protect isolated members from retaliation. But some public figures must liaise with other organizations or the Ministry. Thus, Dawlish became interim leader; if Albus Dumbledore could never be revived, he would be confirmed as permanent head.

Dawlish would draft a detailed charter, discipline, regulations, and organizational structure within the coming week, to be discussed by all next week. For now, everyone agreed to establish multiple internal positions: organization, decision-making, publicity, finance, and more.

Among these officially recognized positions, the most vital was forming an army. Dumbledore's Army was defined as bound to aid the Phoenix Society until Dark Magic was utterly eradicated. Since its current recruits were mostly students, this crucial role was unchallengingly assigned to Harry.

Only briefly did they touch on Horcruxes before the meeting ended—and the results were predictable: those investigating Malfoy or Lestrange had made no progress.

Mundungus Fletcher, assigned to investigate Hua Fa, claimed bizarre progress: "I suspected Hua Fa was a pseudonym, so I traced it to Tianchao. Indeed, 'Hua' is a Tianchao surname. Stories of 'Hua Yuanjia defeating a British strongman' are everywhere there. I suspect Hua Fa is deeply connected to Hua Yuanjia—perhaps he *is* that 'strongman.'"

"But my investigation shows Hua Fa is a tall, slender wizard—not a strongman," Kingsley stated calmly.

"Exactly!" Mundungus nodded eagerly. "That's when it hit me: Tianchao storytellers must've misheard. 'Strongman' was a homophone—Hua Fa's real name might be Dudley Dursley! I can't recall where I heard that name, but it's a lead worth pursuing."

"I have another suggestion," Sirius offered neutrally. "He has another surname: Bach. Have you checked Germany?"

"Very logical," Lupin intoned seriously. "Mundungus, have you heard of Bakhmut? I suggest you go to Ukraine."

As Harry listened, his toes nearly tore through his shoes—he fought hard not to laugh.