A/N: Do you want to finish reading the book today? Do it! Now you can ;)
https://www.pаtreon.com/HPMan
May the magic be with you! Enjoy! :3
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Without much enthusiasm, simply and factually, I told about the recent events at the Ministry. Delphine listened calmly, without emotion, clarifying only a few points of interest to her.
"You have revealed yourself too much," she stated the obvious fact when I finished my story. "The Dark Lord let you go, but he didn't know yet how much damage you did to his elite. Now he knows for sure, and you really caught his attention."
"That's why I need this ritual. All-in, so to speak."
Delphine shook her head again.
"It's not easy for me to decide to hand you the means to go on a suicide mission."
"So, look at it from a different angle," I smiled. "You will hand me the means so that by going, I will not kill myself."
"What about the prophecy? If there is even a slight chance that only Potter can defeat the Dark Lord because of it, then all your attempts will be useless and will only lead you, at best, to death."
I was a little hesitant here, but as I know, it is extremely difficult to break the prophecy, and forces outside of this world are capable of doing so. Even if you consider that I appeared before the utterance of the prophecy, my Spiritual Weapon arrived years after the utterance of the prophecy. There's a good chance it could be considered an «out-of-this-world force.»
"I have to try. I don't know, and I'm afraid to even guess how long it will take for Potter to defeat the Dark Lord. Six months? A year? Ten years? What can happen during this time? Already now, by circumstantial evidence, we can count at least a dozen victims among wizards and an unknown number among ordinary people. There will be more."
"You're worried not about them, are you?" smiled Delphine weakly, looking at me. It wasn't so much a question as a statement.
"Yes," I decided not to lie. "I am concerned about my well-being and the people important to me. The activities of the Dark Lord, which he may soon promote, as well as his attention to me, are not at all conducive to that well-being. Well, and time is working against me."
Delphine looked at me in silence, tapping her index finger on the cover of the book lying in her lap. She was clearly thinking about something… How to bury me herself so that others wouldn't get that honor?
"All right. After all, if I don't help, you'll come up with some unusual way to get what you want on your own."
"Right."
The corners of Delphine's mouth twitched slightly, expressing a very slight smile.
"Come back in three days. I'll prepare everything."
Judging by the fact that Delphine opened the book again right after that sentence, I could tell that she was... Somewhat disappointed? Offended? In general, she expressed her displeasure.
"Thank you," I smiled and, getting up from the chair, went to the exit of the house.
When I reached the apparition site, I moved to the border of the protective barrier of Hogwarts and, on the move, conjuring a complex of concealing charms on myself, hurriedly moved to the castle. When I got inside, I wasn't surprised by the silence and the dimmed lights - lights out. After sneaking in quietly and passing McGonagall patrolling the castle, I had no trouble getting to the common room, where some of the members of the recent "Operation to rescue Sirius" were found. Taking off my disguise, I proceeded to an empty sofa and, with some fatigue, simply flopped down on it, spreading myself unwillingly on such a comfortable seat.
My return didn't go unnoticed, but only the twins approached me.
"Max," the left one spoke, keeping an atypical seriousness on his face. "We wanted to thank you."
To my surprise, the other twin did not continue the sentence.
"For what?"
"For saving us," the first said again, and the second only nodded. "Your advice on spells for training, your help at the ministry... Without that, we could have easily died."
I could only nod at that. After a quick look around the common room, I noticed other members of that action, along with the "ordinary" members of Dumbledore's Army. Yes, not everyone was here. Yes, there were guys from other Houses, but it's not uncommon — friends bring friends.
"Are you thanking me on behalf of everyone else?"
"Don't get them wrong," the other twin smiled a little sadly. "They're grateful, too, just..."
"...Afraid of you," everything came back to normal, and the twins began to finish phrases one for the other.
"Afraid?"
"Well, of course." the second one smiled sparingly. "You've shown yourself to be a very powerful wizard. We haven't seen anything like this yet. And... how should I say..."
"... Killed," the first twin finished clearly, immediately placing his palms out in front of him in a defensive gesture. "No, no, we don't blame you. After all, they were the wizards without whom the world would be a better place..."
"... And Azkaban has proven to be no panacea."
"Okay, guys. Where's Hermione?"
"In her room, I think. Probably asleep. It's late..."
"... And she hasn't looked up from her books since we got back."
"Thanks," I nodded to the guys, and they nodded back and returned to the others.
There was nothing else for me to do in the common room, so I went to shower and sleep.