Harry Potter and the Secret Treasures

The wedding was about to begin. Evan and Harry were exhausted, and Ron, mopping his forehead on his sleeve, emerged from the crowd.

“Nightmare, Muriel is,” he complained. “She used to come for Christmas every year, then, thank God, she took offense because Fred and George set off a Dung-bomb under her chair at dinner. Dad always says she’ll have written them out of her will — like they care, they’re going to end up richer than anyone in the family, rate they’re going. … Wow!”

Evan and Harry turned around to see what had surprised Ron. Hermione and Elaine were walking toward them, both smiling.

Hermione was wearing a floaty, lilac-colored dress with matching high heels; her hair was sleek and shiny.

Elaine was dressed in a black gown that matched her aura, giving off an air of mystery, which only made her look even more delicate and charming.

The two of them had just stepped out of the house, and in an instant became the center of attention. Many of the young men among the guests were glancing in their direction.

“How do I look?” Hermione asked Evan a little nervously as she came closer.

“Stunning!” Evan whispered.

“Thank you!” Hermione’s lips curled up. “I wasn’t sure, because just upstairs Ron’s Great-Aunt Muriel said I have ‘bad posture and skinny ankles.’”

“She’s rude to everyone,” said Ron, staring straight at Hermione. “Trust me, you two look completely different — like new people.”

“Where’s Ginny?” Harry asked, still peering toward the Burrow.

“She and Gabrielle are bridesmaids and will be out with Fleur in a bit,” said Elaine, tugging uncomfortably at her dress and nearly tripping. “I don’t like this outfit at all. It’s too tight, so inconvenient… and why high heels? Just upstairs, that old witch said —”

“Talking about Muriel?” inquired George, reemerging from the marquee with Fred. “Whatever she says, don’t take it to heart. Best to act like you never heard.”

“Yeah, she’s just told me my ears are lopsided. Old bat. I wish old Uncle Bilius was still with us, though; he was a right laugh at weddings.”

“I remember Ron mentioned him. Wasn’t he the one who saw a Grim and died twenty-four hours later?” asked Hermione.

“Well, yeah, he went a bit odd toward the end,” conceded George.

“But before he went loopy he was the life and soul of the party,” said Fred. “He used to down an entire bottle of firewhisky, then run onto the dance floor, hoist up his robes, and start pulling bunches of flowers out of his —”

“Yes, he sounds a real charmer,” said Hermione with a pout, ignoring Fred and George’s rather cheesy jokes. She glanced around. “So, Sirius and Lupin haven’t shown up yet? Aren’t there really some problems at the Ministry?”

“Hard to say!” Evan answered. He had been worrying about that, too.

From every angle, it seemed obvious that Voldemort would be eager to topple Rufus Scrimgeour’s Ministry, and would act very soon.

If nothing unexpected happened, it would be today. Evan remembered it clearly — this was a landmark event: the moment Voldemort’s forces emerged from the shadows into the open. He had discussed it beforehand with Sirius and Lupin, but now the situation was different. Scrimgeour had gathered all the Aurors at the Ministry; would Voldemort and the Death Eaters still attack?!

Scrimgeour and his army would be no match for Voldemort, but perhaps he did not want to make a big scene and attract too much attention.

Regardless, Evan still hoped the Ministry wouldn’t be overthrown.

If the Ministry continued to hold out, it would still be of some help to him and the Order of the Phoenix.

While this assistance wasn’t crucial, or even truly helpful, it would still save them a lot of unnecessary trouble.

Of course, if Scrimgeour and the Ministry were overthrown, Evan and his team had little to lose. The current situation was dire enough. As Evan had thought last night, a Ministry so rotten it couldn’t be saved was not worth saving, nor was it worth fighting a decisive battle with Voldemort in advance.

Therefore, the Order’s mission today was simply to wait and see.

Whatever happened, Sirius and his team would not be involved. This was also the message expressed in the letter he had sent this morning.

“You’re all too jumpy. If you ask me, what could possibly happen to the Ministry?” said Ron dismissively. “As long as Scrimgeour doesn’t do anything stupid and doesn’t really lead people to attack the Death Eaters’ base, he won’t have any accidents. It’s not like You-Know-Who can just storm the Ministry, right?”

“Who can say? You’ve all got your wands on you?” After getting an affirmative nod, Evan lowered his voice and continued to say to Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Elaine, “It’s never wrong to be careful. If something unexpected really happens, we’ll just Disapparate and leave immediately. We can’t stay at the Burrow.”

“Why not?”

“Because most of the Burrow’s protective charms were placed here by the Ministry. It looks safe, but if the Ministry falls, this place will become very dangerous. Voldemort and the Death Eaters could come at any moment. We have to leave first and regroup with Sirius and the others. Don’t worry about your parents, Ron — as long as we’re not here, they’ll be safe.”

“All right, you guys, stop whispering about plans!” said Fred. “Time to go inside and sit down, or we’re going to get run over by the bride.”

Evan, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Elaine followed Fred and George into the marquee and took their seats in the second-to-last row.

Just then, a new person walked in, causing a stir, particularly amongst the Veela cousins.

It was Viktor Krum, the most famous Quidditch player in the world. Everyone craned their necks to get a good look at him.

Evan hadn’t seen Krum since the Triwizard Tournament, but he had heard about him. He had successfully graduated from Durmstrang and became a professional Quidditch player. His outstanding performances in the league had made him even more famous than before.

Fred and George went to greet him. Ron said in dissatisfaction, “Why is this guy here?!”

“Looks like Fleur invited him. I thought you two had become friends?”

“Huh, friends with someone who used an Unforgivable Curse? Do I look mad to you?” said Ron. He still hadn’t let go of the time, back during the Tournament, when Krum had ambushed him under the lake with the Cruciatus Curse and knocked him out. He had nearly died there, and the bite marks left by the Grindylows were still visible on his body.

“He was under the Imperius Curse, Ron!”

“Who knows if that’s true? All Dark wizards say they were controlled after being captured. Look at his stupid little beard.”

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