The noble Phoenix narrowed her eyes and lifted her head slightly. Wisps of smoke curled up from the scattered silver instruments on the desk, and the Headmaster's Office suddenly fell silent…
An unsettling kind of silence.
"So…" Phineas Black sounded visibly shaken. "Jon, you're saying that the Dark Lord—He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named—will come to Hogwarts Castle tonight?"
"Yes." Jon Hart nodded.
Moments earlier, he had laid out his entire analysis to the former Headmasters of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
As his words lingered in the air, the elderly witches and wizards in the portraits all frowned deeply.
"Could it be… that you've already secretly summoned Albus back?" Phineas Black asked tentatively. "And… and his old… old friend… If they were here, then perhaps…"
"I wish I had, but unfortunately I haven't." Jon shook his head. "The last time we contacted Professor Dumbledore was a month ago. At the time, they were attempting to cross the Bering Strait without using magic."
"Oh, good heavens!" Phineas looked on the verge of fainting. "Then how is Hogwarts supposed to defend against him? He's practically the most gifted Dark Wizard Britain—no, all of Western Europe—has seen in centuries…"
"How can you be so certain he'll come to Hogwarts?" Headmistress Dilys Derwent asked softly, her brow furrowed. "You said he has only one Horcrux left… Given how deeply he fears death, would he really dare to risk his life?"
"In a sense, I deliberately lured him here," Jon said calmly. "The bait is Dumbledore."
"Dumbledore?" The portraits' eyes widened all at once.
"That's right." Jon nodded. "Tom doesn't know that Albus Dumbledore has already died once and is currently vacationing fifteen thousand miles away from Hogwarts. From his perspective, he's been at an absolute disadvantage since last June. His best chance to turn the tables is to find a way to kill Albus Dumbledore…"
"…Once Dumbledore is dead, no one in the British wizarding world will be able to stop him. And the fear ordinary wizards feel toward him will surge in a very short time."
The former Headmasters exchanged thoughtful looks and nodded.
"For the past six months, they've been trying to do exactly that—Katie Bell's opal necklace, Horace Slughorn's mead. Of course, those attempts were crude and had no real chance of succeeding." Jon spoke with quiet certainty. "But now it's different. Draco Malfoy has successfully installed his Vanishing Cabinet at Hogwarts, and they've already managed a successful infiltration…"
"…If I were Tom, I wouldn't let an opportunity like this slip through my fingers."
Dilys shook her head. "But didn't he assign the task to that Slytherin boy? He also placed two adult wizards inside Hogwarts and gave him multiple Death Eaters to command."
"In theory, yes." Jon smiled faintly. "But if it were me, I wouldn't entrust a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity like this to a seventeen-year-old. If it fails, the loss would be enormous."
As he spoke, Jon stood and picked up a silver rat figurine from the desk. Carefully wiping away a faint smudge, he continued,
"From the intelligence I've gathered, Tom is thinking the same way."
...
"Then what should we do?" Dilys Derwent asked cautiously.
Meanwhile, Phineas Black had quietly pulled on his boots and set his top hat on his head, looking as though he intended to flee into another portrait. The other Headmasters quickly noticed and promptly restrained him.
"To be honest, we'll have to take some risks," Jon admitted. "But they shouldn't be too great. Hogwarts Castle was the first place Tom ever considered home. He probably treasures it more than I do. I don't believe he would cause widespread destruction inside the castle—or even on the grounds…"
"…And in his eyes, the students of Hogwarts—aside from a handful of Muggle-borns—are his core supporters. He won't deliberately stage a massacre here. Besides, if they're planning to ambush Dumbledore, their infiltration would need to be subtle. That said, I won't deny that Hogwarts is still in danger."
"Which is why we need proper defensive measures." Jon's expression turned serious. "Dexter, contact Minerva immediately. Have her issue an announcement: starting today, any student found wandering the castle after eight in the evening will be expelled on the spot."
"Understood." The Headmaster responded at once and disappeared from his portrait.
"Chris, go to the Ministry of Magic. Inform Rufus Scrimgeour at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Tell him I believe Hogwarts' defenses need reinforcing due to the incident at Azkaban. Have him dispatch several teams of Aurors to Hogwarts Castle."
"Understood, Jon. I'll make sure he agrees."
"As for you, Phineas…" Jon paused before continuing. "Go to Grimmauld Place. Tell every member of the Order of the Phoenix to prepare for battle and come to Hogwarts."
Phineas Black nodded, though unlike the others, he didn't immediately leave his portrait.
"And you…" Jon gently tapped Fawkes on the head. "Take a feather and deliver a letter to Harry Potter of Gryffindor. Tell him to come to my office at eight tonight."
Fawkes gave an indignant cry, clearly displeased at being tapped, but she still burst into flame and vanished from the Headmaster's Office in a streak of fire.
"What is it, Phineas?" Jon asked softly, noticing he was still there. "Unhappy with your assignment?"
"Of course not…" Phineas, usually flippant, now looked grave. "I'm simply curious about your plan. You don't seriously intend to kill He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named at Hogwarts with just the Order of the Phoenix and a handful of Aurors, do you?"
"Of course not." Jon smiled and shook his head. "I'm not that naïve."