bacchusnovels Chapter 524 The Phoenix Order's Salary Thief
Chapter 524 The Phoenix Order's Salary Thief
Chapter 520 The Phoenix Order's Salary Thief
Although it was just a short sentence, Sean could vaguely sense Mundungus's loyalty to him between the lines.
If everyone in the wizarding world raises their right hand high and shouts "Sean Phillips" before going to sleep, after waking up, or even while sleeping, it's as if they're calling out "Sean Phillips" in their sleep.
The wizarding world will undoubtedly have a brighter future.
"The meeting is over," Sirius reminded him from the side.
"Oh, oh, sorry." Mundungus scratched his head awkwardly, glancing around at his surroundings. "Is dinner ready?"
"It will take a little more time," Molly replied.
"Okay," Mundungus said somewhat dejectedly, then rummaged through his pockets and finally pulled a pipe from a worn-out bag that looked to fit the kitchen environment. He put it in his mouth and prepared to light it.
He raised his wand and waved it gently, and the pipe butt immediately burst into flame.
Sean looked at him with considerable admiration.
It turns out that not only the Ministry of Magic has pay thieves, but the Order of the Phoenix also has pay thieves.
Now... it's really working out. You could say Dumbledore has created a "real cabinet."
Sean never hesitated to praise every pay thief, as long as... they didn't work for him.
A few seconds later, puffs of green smoke began to swirl around Mundungus, enveloping him in a strong aura. But before he could inhale for long, Molly loudly stopped him, saying, "Mundungus, we're going to have dinner in this conference room later. Can you please stop smoking this junk?"
"Ah," Mundungus quickly extinguished his pipe, taking a few deep drags before it went out, "I'm sorry, Molly."
"You, you, you," Molly pointed to a few people, then turned to Ginny, "Ginny, come with me to the kitchen and lend a hand."
then-
With Molly's arrival, the kitchen became much more lively and orderly.
One person is responsible for supervising the knife to automatically chop meat and vegetables, another person is supervising the spoon to stir the pot, and the other people are responsible for getting plates, knives and forks and other tableware.
To be honest, this is very similar to the future of the Muggle world.
Some simple tasks can be replaced by robots or assembly lines, but these still require human supervision. However, this raises the issue of efficiency.
Judging from the current state of the kitchen, efficiency actually needs improvement.
In the conference room, a heated discussion about fairies is underway.
“They’re still tight-lipped and won’t say a word,” Bill said, frowning. “I still don’t understand whether they believe Voldemort has really returned. Of course, they probably don’t want to take sides and avoid getting caught up in this storm.”
"I believe they would never side with Mystic," Arthur said, shaking his head. "Their losses were heavy too. Remember the last time Voldemort slaughtered that goblin family? It happened near Nottingham."
“I think it depends on what they get in return,” Lupin interjected. “I’m not talking about gold. If someone promises them the freedom we haven’t given them for centuries, they probably won’t be able to resist the temptation.” He turned to Bill and added, “Bill, is there any hope for things to change on Lagno’s end?”
“He’s still very hostile towards wizards,” Bill sighed. “And he’s furious about Bagman, believing the Ministry of Magic covered it up. You know, the goblins still haven’t been able to get their gold from him—”
—
It's worth mentioning that the real Bagman is still imprisoned, while the current Bagman is Peter Pettigrew... He naturally wouldn't be able to cash out his bet out of his own pocket.
Before Bill could finish speaking, a loud laugh suddenly erupted from the center of the table, so loud it almost drowned out Bill's voice.
Fred, George, Ron, and Mundungus were laughing so hard they were doubled over.
"—Later," Mundungus laughed, breathless, tears streaming down his face, "believe it or not, he actually said to me, 'Hey, Mundungus, where did you get all these toads? Some bastard stole all my toads!' I replied, 'Stole all your toads? Those belong to Wilgan, what are we going to do? So you'll have to buy some more, right?'"
He paused, then continued laughing incoherently, "Believe it or not, that stupid ugly freak actually bought all his toads back from me, and for much more money than he originally bought them—"
"Mundungus!" Molly came over carrying a pot of freshly cooked stew. "Don't tell my children this!"
Fred and George immediately fell silent, exchanged a glance, but didn't add anything further. It seemed... they still had a lot to say.
As everyone's attention turned to the steaming food, the atmosphere instantly became warm and inviting.
Housewives like Molly seem to possess a magical ability; no matter how poor the cooking conditions or how scarce the ingredients, they can always whip up a delicious meal. Just look at the food on the table:
A steaming stew sits beside a large plate of golden, crispy roasted potatoes, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. And of course, there's a vibrant, perfectly cooked, fresh salad... a feast for the eyes and the palate.
Molly busied herself distributing the stew to everyone, and the remaining food in the pot gradually diminished with her movements until everyone's bowl was full.
"Come on, eat," she said. "Everyone's tired; you'll need energy if you eat."
Therefore, every family needs such a virtuous woman.
The atmosphere at the table became more relaxed, and everyone started picking up food, discussing their recent experiences, with occasional bursts of laughter.
Even if it's Ginny? Even if it's Ginny!
Even she briefly forgot her previous troubles, lowered her head and focused on picking up roasted potatoes, enjoying them immensely.
After a flurry of activity, the conversation at the dinner table gradually came to an end.
There was no more leftover food in anyone's bowl, only a few pieces of bone and vegetable scraps—this was undoubtedly the greatest, silent praise for Molly as the chef.
Fred and George had already started playing with their wands, occasionally muttering "spells" under their breath; Ron leaned back in his chair, his eyes slightly narrowed; Harry smiled, leaned back in his chair, and took a relaxed breath.
Reason returned to Ginny's body once again.
She was chatting with Hermione, but although her mouth was facing Hermione, the conversation was completely disjointed.
Hermione noticed that Ginny was secretly watching Professor Phillips out of the corner of her eye—no one could sense this better than her. Ginny's dangerous behavior immediately made her heart tighten.
No, absolutely not.
We mustn't let Ginny have any improper thoughts about Professor Phillips.
This is good for all three of them.
"Ginny, what are your courses this semester? I suggest you put more effort into Transfiguration; this semester is the most important year of your Hogwarts life."
'
'
Hermione did everything she could to get Ginny's attention back (at least that's what she thought).
But... it doesn't seem to work, and it actually has the opposite effect.
The more Ginny talked, the more dazed she became.
At one point, Hermione felt a deep empathy for the professors, except for Professor Phillips.
They frantically prepared lesson plans, trying to share interesting knowledge to capture the students' attention, but the students were actually daydreaming—perhaps they felt the same way back then.
"Have you eaten enough?" Molly looked at the empty plates on the table. "Then let's rest for a bit, and we'll all clean up together later."
"Mom, don't worry, we'll take care of it," Fred and George said in unison.
"You two had better keep the kitchen spotless and don't let me see anything suspicious," Molly threatened.
"It's about time to go to bed, I think," Arthur said.
"Not yet, Arthur." Sirius pushed the empty plate aside and turned to Harry. "You know what? I'm really surprised by how much you've changed this summer. You've become so much more like a grown-up."
Seemingly realizing what Sirius was about to do, the atmosphere in the room suddenly changed, so quickly that Ginny barely had time to react.
Of course, it could also be related to the fact that she had to secretly observe Sean while also dealing with Hermione's sleepy topics.
Just seconds ago, the atmosphere was relaxed and leisurely, but now it has instantly become tense and even alert.
Lu Ping slowly lowered the wine glass he had just raised, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"Sirius!" Molly immediately looked at Sirius. "Harry is too young."
"When exactly do you become an adult?" Sirius retorted. "When his father and I are the same age."
"The mistake is that Harry isn't James!" Molly retorted, then looked at Harry, "Harry, you're still in school, you don't need to know so much, especially from irresponsible people..."
"You're saying I'm irresponsible?" Sirius was a little annoyed, staring wide-eyed at Molly.
Even Ginny was captivated by this sudden turn of events.
As it turns out, it wasn't the course that brought me back to my senses, but rather a lively atmosphere.
Of course, Sean was watching all of this too—
For Sirius, Molly's accusations were like rubbing salt into his wounds.
This is already a very serious accusation.
If Sirius's gaze had any power, Molly would already be down, or on her way to St. Mungo's Hospital.
I mean, everyone knows you act recklessly, Sirius, which is why Dumbledore keeps reminding you to stay home—Molly is still dealing damage!
"I'm sorry, but I hope our conversation doesn't veer into Dumbledore's advice to me," Sirius interrupted Molly.
"Arthur!" Molly suddenly turned to Arthur and said urgently, "Arthur, please support me!"
"Dumbledore knows that things have changed, Molly."
Arthur paused, slowly took off his glasses, carefully wiped the lenses, and did not respond to Molly immediately. Instead, he gathered his thoughts and continued speaking only after putting his glasses back on.
"He agreed that Harry should be informed of the latest news to a certain extent, now that Harry is living with the Order of the Phoenix."
Hearing that Arthur wasn't entirely on her side, Molly frowned and turned her gaze back to Sean, the person she had always respected and who best represented her views at this moment.
Sean also received Molly's signal and slowly spoke.
"Personally, I think it's best to let Harry, and not just Harry, but all the children, learn the truth from us—not all the facts, Molly, but a general picture—so they don't get confused and unclear information from others."
Yes, conservatives think radicals are too conservative.
More people should know what's happening in the wizarding world now. What is it?
With external enemies at hand, Fudge and Dumbledore are locked in internal strife.
Let everyone see the ugliness of the wizarding world, and then look forward to a new wizard who can shoulder the great responsibility and lead them to peace!
Upon hearing Sean's words, Molly fell silent for a moment, which was uncharacteristic of her, but unable to save face, she still muttered a few words.
"I just want to say one thing: Dumbledore must have his reasons for not wanting the children to know too much, especially Harry. As someone who cares about Harry's best interests—"
"He is not your son," Sirius said.
“But he’s pretty much like my son,” Molly said angrily. “Who else?”
"He has me!" Sirius replied immediately.
“Yes,” Molly retorted again, “the problem is, you’re locked up in Azkaban yourself, so it’s impossible for you to take care of him, isn’t it?”
Sirius finally couldn't hold back any longer and jumped up from his chair.
"Sirius, sit down," Sean suddenly said.
Under his stern gaze, Sirius, though displeased, suppressed his anger and silently sat back down in his chair. Meanwhile, Arthur, unusually assertive, began to berate Molly.
"Molly, you're not the only one at this table who cares about Harry and the children. Apologize to Sirius."
Molly glanced at Arthur, then at Sirius, who was sitting in a chair panting heavily, and walked out of the conference room without saying a word.
It looks like she's gone to sleep.
The scene fell silent for a moment, until Sean finally spoke first, meeting everyone's gaze.
"Alright, what do you want to know?"
To be honest, only Harry and Hermione seem interested in what's happening right now. Do the Weasley twins really care about what's going on? They're probably more concerned with their grades and their upcoming shop.
As for Voldemort, who is he? Does he also need custom-made props?
Perhaps they could even create a prank nose specifically for Voldemort.
And Ron? He wanted to hear, but didn't know how to ask; Ginny didn't want to hear, and wanted to know other things.
"So, Professor, why is Aunt Molly so angry? What's been going on lately?" Hermione asked Sean, puzzled.