I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 554 Hermione's Plan

Hearing Hermione's description, everyone present felt a chill run down their spines.

If the Voldemort of the past was known as a defender of purebloods, maintaining cooperative relationships with some pureblood families, then the Voldemort of today—who, through Deadroot, can gain the most loyal servants—does he really still need cooperation? Does he still need anyone's support?

Just like Hermione said, they couldn't gamble—and they didn't dare to gamble.

"This is an opportunity," Hermione continued, explaining her opportunity. "Now that the Ministry of Magic has fallen, the Federation will also be impacted, thus losing control over Britain."

We could reopen Hogwarts at Thornfield Castle. A temporary, rebel base. We could even invite the royal family and Downing Street to take refuge there, making it a kind of underground fortress for the government.

I don't know how long this war will last, maybe a year, maybe longer, but I believe we will ultimately prevail. Then, both sides, wizards and Muggles, who have endured hardship and war, will usher in a new future. We will fulfill our long-held wish: to unite wizards and Muggles, to merge magic and science.

Hermione spoke with great excitement, her eyes shining.

Perhaps the past week had been too oppressive, and she was deliberately trying to motivate everyone, or perhaps she genuinely felt this would be an unparalleled opportunity. But whatever her purpose—at least after Dumbledore's eternal slumber in the gardens of Thornfield Castle, this was one of the few moments that truly lifted their spirits.

"A brilliant plan," Irving commented. "It has a very good chance of succeeding."

He understood Dumbledore's plan better than anyone else. After a week of contemplation, aside from the part concerning the Outer Gods, he had almost figured out Voldemort's part of the plan.

The headmaster was giving Harry a chance to live.

Before this, because of Voldemort's physical transformation, they were unsure whether the magic of love remained within Voldemort's body.

But that day—after Harry's wand automatically blocked Voldemort's spell, everything came to a conclusion.

It exists—the magic of love still exists.

In this way, the subsequent plans regarding the Elder Wand can proceed.

Harry then had a chance to win.

Instead of perishing together with the fragments of the soul within the body.

As for whether Voldemort will fall for it—given Harry's recent connection with Voldemort's consciousness and his knowledge of his torment of Ollivander, Owen knew he would definitely be affected.

"You should discuss this with Mudy Kingsley. I think they'll probably agree, but it won't be easy."

"That's what I think too."

"After all, the more people in a safe house, the easier it is to be exposed," Irving said. "So, I plan to leave for a while after that."

"Are you leaving?" Hermione suddenly became nervous.

"Hmm—" Owen nodded. "Bella needs me, and there's also the Divine Insight Tower in the cave. And finally—in the bas-relief in the Divine Insight Tower in Canada, Dumbledore seems to have found some truths and devised some plans."

"I'll go find their research report right away," Hermione said.

"What about us?" Harry asked. "I don't want to stay here at all."

"Hmm—Harry, come with me to find Bella. The last Horcrux can't go wrong. We have to destroy it as soon as possible."

"What about us?" Ron asked nervously.

"I don't know," Irving said. "We're severely lacking in intelligence about certain things right now."

"You can help Fred and George renovate Thornfield Castle. Or work with them to gather manpower. This will definitely require some people."

"I won't leave immediately. I'll wait until at least September, after everything at Thornfield Castle has settled down. From now on, besides actively gathering intelligence, we'll focus on repairing Thornfield Castle. Dobby and Kreacher will help us procure materials. As for food, I think we can still source it from the Muggle world. I have people helping with that there. According to the plan, a few weeks should be enough."

"Um--"

The others nodded.

Although Ron, Ginny, and Koyatl were almost deeply worried about Hermione, having a plan was better than having none at all; at least they knew what to do next.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In the following week.

The group then focused their efforts on restoring Thornfield Castle. Dobby and Kreacher were able to procure most of the necessary materials, as one had once served the Malfoys and the other was an elf of the Blacks. These two pure-blood families spent a considerable amount of Galleons annually maintaining their estates and ancestral homes. The Blacks had only declined in the last twenty years; before that, their extravagance even surpassed that of the Malfoys.

So the two little elves quickly found a supplier who could provide these materials.

As for food—Dobby said he could handle it.

This surprised Irving.

After learning more, he discovered that the mysterious North American tycoon who had previously invested in Dobby's film and provided the Gemini with a cruise ship was still in contact with Dobby.

Dobby sold many magical gadgets and magical storybooks to the other party.

After the Secret Service Act became virtually defunct, he provided a great deal of information about the magical world.

The two sides continued to trade for several years.

Owen was somewhat worried about the wealthy man, but considering that the man had already made contact with Dobby before Voldemort rose to power and before North America fell, and that he was a Muggle, he didn't have too many concerns.

Meanwhile, Hermione had obtained a picture book about bas-relief from the Federation and began studying it with great enthusiasm.

As for the Muggle government—she's still arguing with Kingsley and others.

They consistently disagreed with Hermione's plan.

And they acted very tough.

How could a traditional wizard possibly agree to that?

Until one man appeared—Theseus Scamander.

Currently, the anti-Voldemort organizations are lacking a leader who can take charge.

Moody and Kingsley still had some influence within the Order of the Phoenix.

But it's not enough for the Federation and the Saints.

The Saints and the Alliance also lacked prestige within the Order of the Phoenix. Moody was concerned that Death Eaters might have infiltrated the Alliance. He knew the members of the Order of the Phoenix, but he was unfamiliar with the members of the Alliance. For now, they had to proceed with extreme caution, avoiding any measures that might expose them.

Therefore, with the death of Dumbledore, the glue that held the alliance together, the anti-Voldemort alliance was destined to split.

At that moment, Theseus Scamander appeared.

As a war hero, he was the most qualified to be the commander of this loose alliance. No one was more suitable than him, except for Grindelwald himself, but at present, no one knew where Grindelwald was.

Hermione's plans were largely supported by Theseus Scamander.

The long passage of time had given this war hero a clear understanding of the future path of the magical world. Since it could no longer be concealed, and since both sides shared a common enemy, there was nothing wrong with cooperating with Muggles.

It would be extremely foolish of them to push potential friends into the hands of their enemies.

As for Hermione's desire to convert Thornfield Castle into a temporary Hogwarts, this didn't encounter much resistance. Everyone agreed—Voldemort was simply too inhuman; if Hogwarts fell into his hands, who knew what kind of hell it would become. Although only Owen knew that Dumbledore had left Snape as a backup plan, given Snape's "betrayal" of Dumbledore, Voldemort would most likely make him the new headmaster of Hogwarts. This way, Snape would still protect the young wizards within his power, but anything could happen. Currently—the reputation of Hogwarts' young wizards is too great—the Ministry of Magic has been touting the golden generation of the wizarding world for over a year. Voldemort might interfere in Hogwarts affairs.

In short—the majority of them, including the professor, believed that the castle should be closed directly.

Hogwarts is no longer safe; in fact, it may become a target of public criticism. Parents will choose to keep their children at home because it will be safer.

However, the school board, which is controlled by the Death Eaters, would never agree to close Hogwarts.

Some professors, including Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout, expressed their willingness to stay at the school, even if it might be dangerous, because at least they could look after the young wizards at the school—even if only Slytherin House had young wizards attending the school this year.

Other professors—such as Professor Flitwick and Slughorn—were more inclined to follow Hermione's plan and start their own.

The two sides argued for a long time, finally making a decision in the third week of August. Hermione's plan was accepted, and most of the professors would come to Thornfield Castle. Only Professor McGonagall—for her, Hogwarts was home, and she had spent her entire life in the castle.

In Professor McGonagall's own words.

Once she left Hogwarts, she couldn't find her home.

No one pressured her further. And that was the end of it.

The last day of August. The castle began to bustle with activity.

Hermione contacted many young wizards through the DA's medals. Among them was Justin, who was already at a loss and had nowhere to hide. After learning about Hermione's plan, he immediately agreed.

But there are also cases like Zacharys Smith, whose parents have forbidden him from having any further contact with people like Irving, and who have already left the UK.

In fact, the latter accounts for the majority.

The professors' guesses were right; very few young wizards were willing to return to school, let alone come to Thornfield Castle. Coming there meant standing against Voldemort.

On the Muggle side, things are progressing much more smoothly.

Both the royal family and Downing Street agreed to move to Thornfield Castle without much hesitation.

They had no choice; if they didn't do it, they would only die.

Voldemort may not kill all government personnel, but he will certainly settle accounts with this group.

Moreover, Muggles have a much longer-term perspective and naturally understand the benefits of this plan for them.

After Her Majesty the Queen arrived at Thornfield Castle, she frequently visited the young wizards, chatting with them and helping Muggle-born wizards like Justin and Colin with their families' hiding places. Within days, the hundreds of young wizards who had previously visited Thornfield Castle, including Harry, along with the Order of the Phoenix and some professors, had become accustomed to the Queen's presence. It must be said that although the Queen herself couldn't do much, this demeanor was far superior to that of the Ministry of Magic. The contrast between the seemingly aloof nature of the royal family and their surprisingly approachable demeanor was truly comforting.

Moreover, a side-by-side comparison with the Ministry of Magic immediately reveals the gap.

At Hogwarts, Professor Sprout personally led a team, and most of the professors, including Professor Flitwick and Slughorn, arrived at Thornfield Castle.

With the professors involved, Hermione no longer needed to worry about most of the plans. This included notifying the young wizards in England, planning safe routes to the area, and verifying the identities of the young wizards—all these issues could be handled by the professors.

It's almost the end of August.

Perhaps their actions caught the attention of the Ministry of Magic, or perhaps they had been preparing to take action all along.

In short, a series of new magical policies leaked from the Ministry of Magic in the last week of August.

The Daily Prophet published these policies on its front page.

The first item was a wanted notice for several people; almost all the adults in the Order of the Phoenix, including Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Owen, were in the newspapers.

The charge was the ridiculous killing of Albus Dumbledore.

"They might as well just declare that we are the Death Eaters and they have always been the defenders of justice."

Upon hearing this, Ron launched into a scathing critique.

The absurdity and shamelessness of this incident far exceeded most people's imaginations. After all, hundreds of wizards witnessed the Death Eaters attacking the wedding—of course—if Voldemort labeled everyone present as rebels, then there would be no problem.

"The coup was very smooth, almost silent." Kingsley recounted the day the Death Eaters attacked the Ministry of Magic. "The official explanation for Scrimgeour's death is that he resigned. He was replaced by Pierce Sinkness, who was previously the Deputy Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. After Amelia Burns died, he became the Director. Now that Scrimgeour is dead, he has been taken over by Voldemort."

"After Scrimgeour and his loyal Aurors were killed or wounded that day, the Ministry of Magic surrendered easily without any resistance."

"Surrender?" Harry said through gritted teeth.

“That’s normal, Harry,” Kingsley said sadly. “Not everyone has that kind of strong will. Most Ministry employees are just ordinary employees. You can’t expect the officers at the Gobstone Club, the official headquarters of the Department of Magical Sports, who can’t even use a single Ironclad Charm, to fight Death Eaters. They have families, they have livelihoods—and most of them probably wouldn’t even be willing to quit, because if they lost their jobs, they would starve.”

Upon hearing this, Harry, Ron, and the others opened their mouths, wanting to say something, but no words came out.

(End of this chapter)