Harry Potter and the Secret Treasures - H.P.S.T Chapter 1639: Next Move

“The Death Eaters have captured a lot of people. Most of them have been sent to the new Ministry of Magic for trial. Only the most important prisoners are kept at Malfoy Manor. Although we didn’t see exactly what that boy sent to the Manor looked like, it’s not hard to guess it was Ron, is it? He’s the only boy the Death Eaters would take so seriously — to send him straight to Malfoy Manor after catching him. They’re clearly hoping to get information about you two from him.”

Sirius leaned back hard in his chair, closed his eyes, and rubbed his temples. “For now, don’t tell Harry. We’ll think of a way.”

“No need for us to tell him — he probably already knows,” said Evan calmly, blinking.

“What?” Sirius froze for a second, then immediately caught on. “How could Harry possibly know?”

“You know about the connection between Harry and him,” Evan replied simply, tapping his head. “They just reconnected.”

“Although Harry didn’t say it explicitly, we could all sense that he seemed to have seen the Dark Lord interrogating Ron,” said Hermione worriedly.

“Damn it — Dumbledore said Harry must not let that connection happen again,” said Sirius sharply, sitting up straight.

“This isn’t something Harry can decide. With the Horcruxes being destroyed one by one, the Dark Lord’s soul has been severely damaged. He can’t control his soul anymore, and we can’t stop it,” said Evan. “In fact, I don’t think we need to worry too much, Sirius. This connection is more harmful to the Dark Lord, and he has inadvertently revealed many crucial secrets to Harry, which is certainly not what he wanted.”

Sirius was silent for a moment, then finally said, “Dumbledore once said that it’s the Killing Curse he left on Harry that’s at work. I don’t know much about this kind of magic. Maybe things are as you say, and it’s more harmful to Voldemort, but Harry must continue practicing Occlumency. He needs to close his mind. It’s not a question of who is more harmed, but from Harry’s safety perspective, the connection with Voldemort is undoubtedly very dangerous.”

Evan could understand that logic. Anything related to Voldemort was extremely dangerous, let alone getting into his mind.

But as long as the information obtained from Voldemort was carefully screened and judged, the benefits of such contact far outweighed the risks.

“I’ll talk to Harry,” Sirius sighed. “As for Ron, the Order of the Phoenix will try to rescue him. We’re discussing a plan to raid Malfoy Manor, but it’s best if you guys don’t get involved. Ahh, you two probably don’t know, but in just one day, things have become a mess outside. Ron’s capture is just one piece of bad news; there’s also Gringotts. Did you hear? A dragon flew out from under Gringotts! Who knows what they’re up to down there? Our people inside the Ministry can’t get any information. Mad-Eye suggested capturing some Death Eaters; he’s worried they’re researching some kind of weapon there.”

“Don’t worry, there’s no secret weapon at all,” said Hermione.

“That’s right, someone broke into Gringotts and released the dragon guarding it,” Evan followed up.

“Hmm, that’s possible too … wait — How do you know?”

“Because we did it!” Evan replied.

“What?!” Sirius practically leapt out of his chair. “You mean—you broke into Gringotts today?! And released the dragon inside?!”

“Yes!” Evan and Hermione nodded in unison.   

Impossible!

Sirius knew Evan’s plan to enter Gringotts and retrieve the Golden Cup, but he’d never expected him and his friends to actually do it today.

Didn’t they agree to stay here all day and not wander off?! Didn’t they agree to wait for him to return so they could plan the infiltration together?! And now, suddenly, and almost in no time, they’d gone from peering into Voldemort’s mind, to breaking into Gringotts, to fighting Death Eaters and releasing a dragon! What kind of insane escalation was this?!

He’d originally thought the Gringotts news was just another disaster — if the Death Eaters really were building a secret weapon under the bank, security there would tighten, making their mission harder. He never imagined that the culprits behind the chaos were Evan and his three friends themselves.

Evan went over everything that had happened during their break-in, and as he spoke, Sirius’s face shifted from disbelief to open astonishment.

“Alright, alright, this was quite a bold move. I must say, you’ve taken a huge risk. You should have waited for me to come with you,” Sirius finally said. “I’ve told you many times before, don’t act alone. I don’t doubt your abilities, Evan, but you’re too young. How could you take Harry, Hermione, and Elaine with you? Uh, forget it. Just tell me — what else haven’t you told me?”

“Nothing!”

“So what’s your next move then? What other dangerous plan are you off to chase this time?” Sirius pressed.

“Actually, we’re not going anywhere. We’re just staying here until we decipher the information on the cup and the deed,” said Evan.

“Hmm, this is the cup left by Hufflepuff?”

Sirius took the cup from him and carefully examined the markings on it.

“I’ve heard the legend of this golden cup. It’s an ancient story passed down through generations. Originally, it was made as a vessel for house-elves to use in rituals to their gods, and it was said to have the magical power to preserve food. Later, during the war between wizards and house-elves, some house-elves sought refuge at Hogwarts and presented the cup to Helga Hufflepuff as a gift. From then on, the cup took on a distinct Hufflepuff character, becoming their family’s symbol,” said Sirius.

He turned the goblet over again, tracing the strange etching at the base with his thumb. “You’re saying this symbol contains information about the elves’ homeland? These runes… they’re an ancient magical script I don’t recognize.”

“It’s ancient house-elf script, lost for a long time, but if I have enough time, I should be able to decipher it,” Evan explained. “Like goblins, house-elves are accustomed to leaving their names and the location of their creations on the items they make. We just need to refer to ancient records about house-elves to find that place. According to the information we got earlier, the key to Hufflepuff’s hidden treasure was placed there.”

“As for this deed left by Slytherin, the information on it is much clearer. Give me time, and I’m sure I can find where it leads,” said Hermione.

Sirius looked at the two of them, remained silent for a moment, and then said, “How long will it take to decipher all this?”

“Hard to say. Searching through those ancient documents is very time-consuming; probably one to two weeks,” Evan estimated.

“Then you two will stay here for the next two weeks — no wandering off, agreed? Otherwise I’ll have no choice but to stay here myself and keep you company,” said Sirius. “During this time, we’ll find a way to rescue Ron and bring him here. As for after two weeks, whether you’re heading to the house-elves’ homeland or to that Herpo’s lair, I’m going with you.”

Translating_Wizard

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