20demayo Chapter 175 – Going Legit
Chapter 175 – Going Legit
Chapter 175 - 175 – Going LegitThe Dark Lord was no more. The news of his demise spread like wildfire, and even if many didn't believe it at first, after a week, the fact that Voldemort never appeared again was enough proof to push the remaining Death Eaters into chaos. The loss of connection within their marks was the final nail in the coffin; the remaining highest-ranking Death Eaters, the likes of Bellatrix, disappeared without leaving a trace. Well, the smarter ones, that is, because a few of them decided to contact those they heard about, people who paid good gold to make them disappear. Only to be met with Grindelwald, Conrad, and Quincy's spell, which extinguished their life on the spot.
Many from the Order came out to the open,
"Well, the Dark Lord died, and it is possible that they think they no longer need to support us. I wouldn't fault their thinking if that is the reason."
"Maybe..." She whispered, unsure of it. "But I thought that Hermione understood that one side's defeat is not the end. That it isn't enough."
"Going against Dumbledore may be more difficult because he is seen as the savior right now. Our latest propaganda pieces also result in fewer volunteers as the news spread that Voldemort is truly gone."
"There are still multiple volunteers." She added, but she knew I was right. Since the fall of the Death Eaters, fewer wizards and witches have been willing to become spies for us. I wasn't afraid of it; I knew it would happen. They needed time to realize we were right, and when they did, it would pick up once again. "For now," I continued, "I asked Professor Lockhart to write different pieces of news. We are also going to try to establish a proper news magazine via Luna's father."
"The Quibbler? With that weird name? I like the True Prophet moniker more..."
"It will become a section within it. Let's see if Dumbledore allows it or would take preventive measures against a different voice in his saved free world. We already published a flier stating that we are going to try and become legit, not an underground propaganda piece. People will look on suspiciously if we get silenced. I can't lie; I do hope he would try it. It would be such an easy way to stab back."
"I like it when you are sneaky..." She giggled, making me smile back at her.
"With the riches we earned thanks to the goblins, we have ample resources, not to mention our inheritance. Through the muggles, we already wormed ourselves into their highest levels. If the Order acts as Master predicts, when they had re-established the connections between muggle leaders through the new Ministry, we would have already been a step ahead of them."
"And they won't be the wiser of it! Unlike Voldemort, we are not blind to the muggles' usefulness and that we need to coexist. Not to mention, recruiting young wizards from pure muggle families is our greatest advantage!"
"Exactly. Plus, I am going to go more and more legitimate. I will establish businesses and go wholly public about it. I will confront Dumbledore in the open and compete with him there. I will frustrate him well enough that he drops all pretenses and shows us what he really wants." I added with a smile, looking towards the little box that had the Resurrection Stone within it. "While we crushed Voldemort behind the curtains, in secret, we will do the opposite to him."
"What will be your first step? I know you talked with Master while I was working with Horace."
"Would you want to return to school?" I asked, making her look at me with surprise.
"To Hogwarts?"
"Yes." I nodded, "If they are really what they say... would they refuse two students who want to return and two of the old teachers who worked really hard to bring Voldemort down?"
"I wonder... I don't think he would agree to it."
"Severus." I clapped, making her realize it, too, "If the right-hand man of Voldemort is revealed to be a hero... aren't we also deserving of a pardon?"