"Oh my god, it's getting chaotic out there!"
In a corner of the noisy Gryffindor common room, Hermione was sitting in an armchair reading the latest newspaper, waiting for Harry and Ron to return to the dormitory.
The news in the newspapers all show one thing: the mysterious man is slaughtering Muggles wantonly. Even though the Ministry of Magic wants to stop it, it is still hindered by the trouble caused by the dark wizards.
For the entire Ministry of Magic, hiding the existence of the magical world is the top priority. As for organizing the Death Eaters to massacre Muggles, it all depends on whether they can spare the extra energy.
What’s worse is that the last wizard war lasted for eleven years before it ended. How long will this wizard war last
How many innocent people will die in this war
"Hermione, we should go," Harry reminded.
"Oh, I'll come."
Hermione closed the newspaper, stood up, and walked towards Harry and Ron.
"What are you looking at?" Ron asked puzzledly.
"The latest issue of the newspaper."
"I haven't seen it yet. Is there any news?" Ron asked again.
"The You-Know-Who has dragged many Muggles into this war. They are being slaughtered by the Death Eaters, and the situation in the wizarding world is getting worse and worse." Hermione lowered her voice and said, "It is said that some wizards do not want to be involved in this wizard war and have fled overseas and immigrated to other English-speaking countries."
"I'm now considering whether to send my family away. After all, if they are targeted by the Death Eaters because of me, I mean they are just ordinary people and should not be involved in this wizard war." Hermione stopped and looked at Harry standing there in confusion, "What's wrong, Harry?"
"I'm sorry, I've implicated you." Harry said bitterly. He knew that Hermione's situation was caused by him, but he also knew that he needed Ron and Hermione's support.
"Don't say that. You should remember Albert's prediction. Muggle wizards will also be in big trouble. I shouldn't implicate them." Hermione looked around and made sure that there was no one around before she whispered, "They have always wanted to visit Australia. I think immigrating to the Far East is a good choice. I believe that the You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters will not bother to search for them."
Hermione had already planned to find an opportunity to make her family forget about her, change her name and immigrate to Australia. And this had to happen as soon as possible, and it would be best if she disappeared from under the Death Eaters' noses before they set their sights on her.
If possible, Hermione actually wanted to send her family away during the Christmas holidays this year.
It just so happened that after September 19th this year, she had become an adult, and even if she used magic outside, she would not be detected by Trace.
However, this matter was undoubtedly a very heavy topic for Hermione.
When the three of them arrived near the Room of Requirement, they found that many students were gathering there, and they greeted Harry and the other two enthusiastically.
When everyone entered the Room of Requirement, they found that there were already other people inside. Everyone was surrounding a very handsome man and seemed to be talking about some interesting topic.
"Thank you for coming to help, Cedric." Harry went up to shake hands with the handsome man. "I thought Fred and George would come too."
"They are busy making things to make money. I heard that the Ministry of Magic has ordered a batch of defense against the dark arts props from them." Cedric greeted several acquaintances with a smile, and did not forget to talk about this with Harry. "It seems that they are preparing it for the Aurors of the International Confederation of Wizards. I heard that aid from other countries is finally coming, and it will help stop the dark wizards from stirring up disputes everywhere and avoid attracting the attention of Muggles."
This is actually a statement from the International Confederation of Wizards, which believes that this war should not attract the attention of Muggles, or at least the existence of wizards should not be exposed to Muggles.
"Perhaps, the Second Wizarding War will end soon." Someone muttered softly.
"Maybe, who knows?"
"The last wizard war lasted for eleven years, and many wizards were brutally killed. The current situation is even worse than the last time." Susan Bones noticed the gazes of others, curled her lips and sneered, "The Bones family was the victim last time. My uncle, aunt and cousins were all killed by Death Eaters, so don't be lucky, be careful that you will be affected this time."
"Ahem, it won't hurt to learn some Defense Against the Dark Arts now!"
Cedric coughed lightly and briefly discussed the content of today's class with Harry.
The popular Harry and the handsome Cedric always attract the girls' attention. More importantly, everyone knows that it is obviously very difficult for Harry alone to teach everyone here Defense Against the Dark Arts.
"Cedric, I heard from the professor that Dumbledore has strengthened the school's defenses. How did you sneak into Hogwarts?" Ernie Macmillan asked curiously.
"Quietly? No, I actually came in through the main entrance of the school." Cedric said something that was hard to tell whether it was true or not, "Which means that I have the principal's permission to stand here."
"Oh, the principal actually allowed it."
Everyone was surprised that Dumbledore would allow someone to teach them Defense Against the Dark Arts instead of letting them learn from the Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
"Is the situation outside really that bad?" someone else asked.
"It's terrible. After all, this is the Second Wizarding War. The minions of the Death Eaters are rampant and causing trouble everywhere in the Muggle world." Cedric clapped his hands and said to everyone, "I'll just say some things straight."
The noise in the room gradually died down until there was a dead silence. Cedric said, "Albert believes that we need to prepare for the future. He persuaded Dumbledore to let me come and help Harry teach you Defense against the Dark Arts. After you graduate from school, you can consider joining the Defense Association."
He paused and continued, "Of course, whether to join or not is your freedom. No one will force you."
"Defense Association?" Susan raised her hand and asked, "You mean the DA meeting?"
"Yes, our Defense Association is actually similar to the current one, except that it is no longer a school-based group." Cedric introduced the Defense Association to everyone with a smile, "We are a mutual aid organization that supports Harry and opposes You-Know-Who, just like the current DA (Defense Association) gatherings, or you can think of it as an extension of the DA gatherings."
"Albert will teach you more advanced defense against the dark arts. You can think of this as laying the foundation for you."
"Members of the Defense Association will keep in touch with each other and provide mutual assistance. When they encounter trouble, at least they will not be helpless. If they are targeted by the Death Eaters, we will also help hide them." Cedric made a quiet gesture and continued, "Albert believes that in the near future, there will be a battle between Harry and the You-Know-Who, and it will end this war forever. At that time, we will stand behind Harry and support him, instead of letting Harry face the You-Know-Who and his minions alone."
Everyone turned to look at Harry, making him very embarrassed.
"Okay, we have limited time, so it's best to start now. As for whether to join the Defense Society, you can make a decision after you finish the Ultimate Wizarding Level Examination." Cedric smiled kindly at Harry and helped him out.
After Cedric finished speaking, he handed over the hosting of the party to Harry, and then began to cooperate with Harry to explain to everyone how to set up a safe temporary camp in the wild.
"If you want to avoid being hunted by the enemy, you must choose a remote enough location for your camp. As long as the enemy doesn't know where you are hiding, it will be difficult for them to find you in a short time."
Harry began to talk about his understanding of setting up a temporary camp according to the original plan. "Of course, wizards can use spells to track the whereabouts of others, but as long as you master the means of anti-tracking, you generally don't have to worry about being found easily."
"There is one thing that underage wizards must pay attention to. Because you are still underage and carry traces on your body, once you use magic outside of school, the Ministry of Magic will know it immediately. If the Death Eaters control the Ministry of Magic one day..."
"Do you think the Death Eaters will take control of the Ministry of Magic?" Colin Creevey asked, raising his hand.
"I don't know, but I think..."
"I think the You-Know-Who will try to do that." Cedric interrupted immediately, "Also, don't shout the You-Know-Who's name outside. It's easy to be targeted because the name is enchanted. Once you use it, even if you say his name in your own safe house, the Death Eaters will break through all your defensive magic and appear in front of you in the first place."
"Of course, they don't dare to do that now, but once the Ministry of Magic is really conquered, they will do that. So even if you are not afraid of the You-Know-Who, don't shout that name randomly, because it is a bait, a bait for the fish to take the bait. Albert told me that this is prepared for the members of the Order of the Phoenix."
There was a dead silence all around. Ron and Hermione looked at Harry. They both knew that Cedric was talking to Harry.
"Why wouldn't they dare now?" Susan Bones asked, raising her hand.
"Because the Ministry of Magic has tried sting enforcement before." Cedric explained with a smile, "Of course, if this really happens, I believe Albert will definitely have a way, so you don't need to worry, the Ministry of Magic will not collapse easily."
"That's about it." Harry was a little depressed, but he continued to carry out today's lesson step by step, teaching everyone how to set up a temporary camp.
"Intrusion Charm, Shielding Charm, Mute Charm, Disillusionment Charm..."
"Although these spells are not very powerful defensive spells and are relatively simple to learn, their purpose is to prevent others from finding you easily. When the enemy appears near you, it can also buy you more time. Running away immediately is the best option. Of course, you can find this part of knowledge in the Self-Defense Guide." Harry looked at the people in front of him and solemnly reminded them, "It is best not to have a fluke mentality, unless you are at the level of Albert who can knock down fifty Aurors by himself, and you have an absolute advantage."
"I thought I had a good defense against the dark arts, so I didn't run away right away. That's why I was caught by a group of dark wizards. I was cursed with the Cruciatus Curse, and it was Albert who finally rescued me from the dark wizards. So you'd better learn from this." Cedric reminded, "Not everyone can be as lucky as me and escape within an hour after being caught."
"Maybe the Sorting Hat sorted you into the wrong house," Harry joked. "Although the Intrusion Charm can be replaced by those peepholes or detection pocket watches, it is still a relatively practical spell. It can detect intruders who break into the vicinity and trigger the alarm at the first time. Especially when you are setting up a camp, you can't always pay attention to whether there are people. And things like peepholes can easily attract enemies and are not reliable in terms of concealment."
After Harry began to explain the purpose of these spells to them one by one and taught them how to use these spells, with Cedric's help, Harry's work became much easier.
Before the meeting ended, Cedric gathered everyone together again and kindly reminded them, "I have one more thing to tell you. You'd better keep it a secret and don't spread it around. If you join the Defense Society and someone colludes with the Death Eaters to let them know that you have joined the Defense Society, you may be visited by the Death Eaters soon. So it is very important to keep it secret. It is related to everyone's safety."
"How much do you think they'll listen?"
After the meeting, Harry looked at the crowd whispering and talking, and turned his head to ask Cedric, he did not forget that there were almost no secrets in Hogwarts.
"I don't know. If they spread rumors, they will deserve it if they get into trouble." Cedric shook his head. "By the way, Harry, let's continue talking about the topic we didn't finish last time!"
"Did he say anything about the opal necklace, and whether it was made by Malfoy?" Harry suddenly asked. He still cared about this matter.
"Harry, I think you should ask something important." Hermione interrupted with a frown. She really couldn't understand why Harry always thought that Malfoy was a Death Eater. Even if there was a grudge between the two sides, there was no need to slander someone like this.
"No, we haven't been in touch with him for several days. We may have to wait a while!" Cedric reached out and patted Harry's shoulder. "If you have any questions, ask. I will tell you what I know."
"Will the Ministry of Magic really collapse?" Harry asked after hesitating for a moment.
"Yes, at least Albert thinks so." Cedric said affirmatively.
"But... how could it be possible?" Ron's eyes widened. He really couldn't understand why the Ministry of Magic would collapse.
"Albert believes that the You-Know-Who will kill Scrimgeour," Cedric said. "If he wants to, he will definitely find an opportunity. After all, the gap in strength between the two sides is there, and Scrimgeour is not hiding. This is almost inevitable."
"Then will Dumbledore..." Harry didn't finish his words, but his meaning was very clear, and the atmosphere on the scene became dead silent.
"Albert didn't say it directly, but he seems to think that Dumbledore will lose his deterrent effect on the You-Know-Who in the near future." Cedric chose his words carefully and said, "You don't have to ask Albert, he won't tell you."
"That injury, really hasn't been healed?" Harry murmured softly, "No wonder he started giving me lessons this year."