Chapter 351

After returning to school, Harry's first action was to rush to the Headmaster's office to discuss a strategy with Snape. Since Saruman's plan began, Harry had sought Snape far more frequently, so Snape generously revealed the office's password pattern to him—a list of potion ingredients arranged in alphabetical order.

When Harry burst into the office, Snape was staring blankly at a cauldron bubbling furiously; he waved his wand impatiently, and the door slammed shut with a bang.

"Professor, I've discovered something terrible—Nagini has changed her mind," Harry gasped. "I don't know how to persuade her; she insists—"

"Calm yourself, Potter," Snape said coolly. "Someone received the news before you. He has arranged to meet me at nine tomorrow morning—perhaps we should change that to 'us.'"

"Who?"

"Who do you think persuaded Nagini?" Snape did not answer directly.

"Perhaps it's neither Lucius nor Bellatrix, but someone else—who first allied with Bellatrix, then switched sides when things turned sour, and now cooperates with Lucius," Harry said, voicing the conclusion he'd reached after hours of thought in the Minister's office. "It's William. White House is the only one who could do this—and neither Lucius nor Bellatrix alone could speak Parseltongue."

"Correct—it is him. But you misused the word 'only.'" Snape pulled a letter from his desk drawer; its edge bore a red stamp.

Early the next morning, Harry arrived punctually at the Headmaster's office and saw a broad-shouldered, muscular back with neatly combed iron-gray hair.

But when the figure turned around, Harry recognized an old acquaintance: Major Bondarev, who had repeatedly appeared at Voldemort's meetings but vanished suddenly halfway through his fourth year.

"Hello, Harry," Bondarev said, his English perfectly accented, devoid of any trace of Russian intonation.

"Long time no see, Major," Harry said, excited. This was perhaps the first time he'd met a Soviet face-to-face—or rather, the Soviet he'd imagined: tall, muscular, stern-faced, meticulous, decisive—a seasoned officer, not some beautiful yet sharp-tongued girl.

"We've never met before, have we? Why do you look like you know me?" Bondarev withdrew his hand warily.

"Uh… we've known each other through reputation?" Harry fumbled. "As the Chinese often say, every meeting is a reunion after a long separation."

"Alright, let's get to business," Bondarev said, studying Harry with a meaningful glance before pulling out a chair and sitting. "We originally had no intention of interfering in your internal affairs. But since White House has intervened, I suppose we can no longer stand idly by."

"How do you intend to assist Harry?" Snape asked politely.

"Personally, I'd be happy to deploy an army to wipe out every Death Eater for you," Bondarev said seriously. "But the military may not approve my proposal—and you may not welcome it."

"Indeed, we're attempting to resolve this with more humane methods," Snape replied, still courteous but with a subtle edge. "From yesterday's letter, it seems you're fully aware of our plan. I wonder… does this mean someone among us has defected to your side?"

"No traitors. You can rest easy," Bondarev said slowly. "Actually, if viewed from a broader perspective, your plan isn't hard to deduce."

"We couldn't ignore Gilne's existence. And the registered legal entity of Runwolf Foods in the Muggle world happens to be Harry's grandfather. So regardless of whether Grine is Lupin himself, or the true nature of Regulus and Sirius's relationship, we can be certain they're all on Harry's side," Bondarev said casually. "Add to that your private Potions tutoring of Harry—even if it's truly just tutoring—it confirms you're aligned. Now you and Regulus have jointly introduced the Saruman story. We find it far more plausible that this is a grand scheme by Harry Potter to consolidate domestic power than that Saruman actually exists."

Harry took a deep breath. He'd thought the entire plan was flawless.

"Lucius likely suspects this too—but he's powerless to resist, so he turned to White House," Bondarev said, interlacing his fingers with quiet confidence. "We believe Lucius didn't merely ally with White House—he also partnered with Bellatrix. Otherwise, he couldn't have outmaneuvered both Severus and Regulus. I suspect he'll abdicate the throne to Delphini after his election."

"White House's role here is equally intriguing. Perhaps they're simply their usual stingy selves—or perhaps William has limited resources. Either way, they've provided only one Parseltongue expert and a covertly supportive stance," Bondarev sneered. "So, to prevent escalation, we can only offer advice, some intelligence, and one operative."

"Go on," Snape said, offering a false smile.

"My advice: change your approach. Instead of exhausting yourselves trying to consolidate power, simply eliminate your rivals," Bondarev said. "Nagini is in the Ministry. You already cooperate with the Ministry—arrange to kill her. The cup is in the Lestrange vault. We can arrange a goblin to assist you in stealing it."

"You want to target the Horcruxes?" Harry suddenly realized the Soviet's suggestion carried hidden malice. If Nagini and the cup were truly destroyed, all Horcruxes would fall under Harry and Snape's control—so why not resurrect Dumbledore then? Did they prefer a house without adults? Could the Soviets come knock on the door now?

"Losing the Horcruxes means losing your voice among the Death Eaters," Bondarev said, his tone seductive. "You could easily dispose of them through political means."

"A fine suggestion. I admit I'm tempted," Snape said slowly. "The Horcruxes have always been a thorn in my side. Until they're removed, the shadow of Voldemort will never truly lift."

"So our analysis was right—you truly are Dumbledore's man," Bondarev said, gazing at Dumbledore's portrait, which swayed slightly on the wall, and smiled the same smile.

"Always," Snape whispered.

"Only when no one here remains loyal to him does he truly leave this school," Bondarev nodded slightly. "Clever, Albus. Very clever."

Harry vaguely sensed that Bondarev truly believed Dumbledore had left behind a Horcrux. He instinctively wondered: what could Dumbledore's Horcrux be? The answer wasn't hard—Dumbledore had never taken another life. So it must mean that, in that summer when he was seventeen, he'd been swayed by Grindelwald's manipulation, murdered his own Obscurial sister, and casually made a Horcrux.

And that Horcrux was the Deluminator. If every one of Dumbledore's relics carried hidden meaning, the Deluminator was surely the one secretly passed into his hands through Eve's hands, unnoticed by all.

After crafting the story in his mind, Harry adjusted his Occlumency posture slightly—he wanted to test the Soviets, to see if they truly feared Dumbledore, or how much.

"At Hogwarts, anyone in need receives help," Harry said, his voice tinged with sorrow. "He once said that."

"By the way, if we kill Nagini, what happens to the election? Do we just abandon it?" Snape steered the conversation back. "Or do we openly declare our support for Harry?"

"I have a suggestion. Do you remember the spell Grindelwald used?" Bondarev looked at Harry. "Since your entire election was inspired by that election, why not borrow his method too? After all, Grindelwald's notebook seems to have been left to you."

"Uh… yes, but I'm not sure he wrote that spell in it," Harry said. "But wasn't he exposed at the time? I think this would be no different from openly declaring our hand."

"It's very different to Death Eaters," Snape shook his head. "When choosing a Dark Lord, using Dark Magic to cheat—and then forcing others to accept the rigged result—is normal, acceptable, even expected by Death Eaters or those seeking to join them. But if we turn it into a coup, they might resist."

"Then I'll check later whether he recorded that spell in the notebook," Harry scratched at the goosebumps on his arm—he couldn't fathom how twisted the Death Eaters' thinking was.

"Yes, you can finalize your broad plan first," Bondarev seemed ready to leave. "The intelligence and assistance I promised remain available—just contact me."

"Thank you sincerely," Snape rose and shook his hand. "Without your intelligence and help, we could never have dealt with the cup."

"Then you'd better discuss a proper plan now," Bondarev said, picking up his coat and cloak from the shelf and opening the Headmaster's office door.

Snape gave Harry a look to dismiss himself, then immediately walked beside Bondarev. "I'll see you out."