The shops in Diagon Alley were quieter than usual.
"It's only natural when your shopfront is plastered with rows of Death Eater photos," Mrs. Mogin remarked, eyeing the asurents on Felix's robe.
Felix received warm service at the robe shop.
Glancing at the wanted posters and various purple notices in the display window, he agreed with her reasoning. Pedestrians hurried along the street, purposeful and focused, heading straight to their destinations. After their purchases, no one lingered, swiftly departing via the public fireplaces.
Erging from the store, he strolled into the Leaky Cauldron with a vanilla ice cream from Florean Fortescue's, spending the entire day there.
"The principles behind the Anti-Thief Cascade are intricate. It hinges on a mix of seventeen alchemical materials and various magic incantations. So obscure aspects might involve unique fairy magic. I checked; the ergence of the Anti-Thief Cascade technique coincided with the honeymoon period between wizards and fairies?"
"Absolutely right, Mr. Haipu," a Ministry employee dispatched there said. "Those fairies were deplorable, sneaking things in during their interactions!" the short, stout wizard grumbled indignantly.
"But you all never noticed," Fred remarked quietly to George amid the crowd.
Next, everyone worked collaboratively, each fulfilling their role. Clentine was right; the research wizards at the Future World company were incredibly efficient. Several Ministry staff present marveled; they found their knowledge of the Anti-Thief Cascade swiftly understood and digested, as though they weren't dealing with individual minds but rather a creature with dozens of heads.
By quitting ti, the researchers at Future World had caught up to the Ministry's previous progress, successfully reconstructing the ratios of three alchemical materials.
"Tonight, I'll be staying at the old manor," Felix told Fred and George. They were currently in a room at the topmost level of the Leaky Cauldron. The interior was plain, much like an unused office, but its fireplace was connected to the Black Manor.
If Tonks and Sirius Black connected the Ministry and the Order of the Phoenix, what Reims Lupin connected was the 'Future World' company, led by Felix, and the Order of the Phoenix. In so way, Fred, George, and Penelope played similar roles.
It took Percy a while, arriving half an hour later than anticipated.
"Miss Bones has been working you too hard," Penelope grumbled.
"The departnt is severely understaffed," Percy said cheerfully, "it's my ti to shine!" He hastily rolled up a few docunts and stuffed them into the pockets of his robes before swiftly passing through the fireplace, just in ti for a pot of piping hot food.
Mrs. Weasley warmly welcod Penelope.
"We got back too late yesterday. Harry's birthday feast had to be canceled, and I haven't had much of a chance to talk to you," Mrs. Weasley said.
"Mom, there'll be plenty of ti for that," Percy muttered.
"But those initial few tis were the most important," Mrs. Weasley said sternly.
At the dinner table, Bill was discussing his new job.
"It took so adjusting initially, sitting in an office, much less exciting than what I used to do. The advantage is having a lot more ti to help out at the Order of the Phoenix… I'm paired with a group of elderly n whose pace of life is frighteningly slow." He mimicked his colleague, passing a bottle of ketchup to Harry at a snail's pace, ten tis slower.
Everyone at the table burst into laughter. Harry unintentionally t Ginny's eyes; her wide grin quickly vanished, and her handling of the cutlery beca more refined. "Exactly, Ginny's imitation is spot on," Bill praised loudly.
Hermione chuckled.
"What's wrong?" Ron asked her, puzzled.
"Nothing," Hermione quickly said, then turned to Harry, whose face suddenly felt extrely hot for reasons unknown.
Dinner consisted of stew, syrupy fruit pies, and vegetable soup. Felix, having set down his utensils just before Mrs. Weasley served soup, drew her attention towards Penelope.
"Doesn't the food suit your taste, dear?"
"Oh, no," Penelope said, only to find her soup bowl instantly refilled.
Sirius arrived late, finding everyone almost finished with their als, deeply engrossed in their conversations. He took a seat at the empty spot and voraciously ate the remaining food.
"The interrogation is only a third done—" he finished the soup in one gulp, "thanks, Molly, a bit more—Everyone's claiming they were Imperiused, but Alia isn't planning on letting them off easily, especially Yaxley and Macnair; they both have a history."
Felix knew well: the forr was seen as the mastermind behind the Quidditch World Cup disturbance, while the latter was a convicted Death Eater who had just escaped Azkaban a few days ago. Alia Bones wasn't keen on leniency.
Sirius wolfed down a filled pastry roll in three bites, let out a satisfied sigh, slowing down his pace.
Ron stared at him, eyes wide, as if watching an intriguing TV show.
"Oh, Sirius," Felix inquired, "I heard a Mute was injured?"
"Really?" Sirius looked up from his bowl.
"Nad Bode," Felix reminded.
"Bode," Sirius pondered, speaking slowly, "rings a bell… seed to have stumbled upon sothing unexpected and was sent to St. Mungo's. I was too busy yesterday to pay attention to these trivialities. What happened?" He asked sensitively.
"We'll discuss it at the eting," Felix replied succinctly.
Sirius pondered, having spent a month beside Alia Bones. His sense of sll had sharpened; he imdiately sensed this might not be a coincidence. Harry, Ron, and Hermione showed interest in the matter.
"That na sounds familiar," Ron muttered.
"We t him at the Quidditch World Cup camp," Hermione whispered, "he works in the Departnt of Mysteries?"
Harry rembered. Suddenly, it clicked in his mind, linking it to Voldemort. He looked at Mr. Weasley, "You told us, the Departnt of Mysteries' work is highly confidential."
"Well—" Mr. Weasley's expression was shocked, but Harry was struggling to piece together his thoughts.
"This ans… Voldemort wants sothing from there! Or so information! And Bode is either a Death Eater undercover or cursed!"
"Children—" Mr. Weasley hesitated.
"It's alright, Arthur," Sirius said, "let them analyze it. I can take this to Alia—what I an is, even if we stop them, they'll discuss it privately. Better to listen; they might co up with useful insights."
Harry glanced gratefully at his godfather. "Uh," he suddenly faltered.
"What exactly is Bode's job?" Hermione inquired. Sirius frowned, "I'm not sure—"
"Which hall? The Ti Hall, Prophecy Hall, Brain Hall, Space Hall, or the room with the stone archway?" Hermione asked again, almost catching Sirius off guard.
"How do you know!?" Sirius nearly bit his tongue.
"You…uh… I guessed, from so book?" Hermione glanced sneakily at Felix. "I—um—guessed from so book?"
"
Brilliant guess," Sirius muttered under his breath. "He's researching sothing… about the future?"
"Future!" Harry's eyes widened. "The prophecy!"
"Exactly," Hermione said excitedly.
"The prophecy about
and Voldemort?"
"Yes, Harry," Hermione confird.
"But that's at the Ministry," Ron pointed out.
"The real one might be there," Hermione said softly.
Mr. Weasley looked grim, "That's why Voldemort is obsessed with the Ministry. There must be sothing we're unaware of." Sirius nodded solemnly, indicating he'd discuss this with Alia.
Felix took note of their intense discussion, feeling they'd stumbled upon a substantial clue. He could sense the gravity of the situation. The prophecy held trendous importance, and Voldemort seeking it was an ominous sign.
As the evening progressed, Felix excused himself, bidding the others good night. He stepped into the fireplace, disappearing in a flash, heading to the Black Manor to oversee preparations for tomorrow's eting.
>
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