Chapter 264 – Conversation
Phineas took over and said,
"So, his soul was drawn back to his body, and he survived. The wandering soul of You-Know-Who, traumatized by the curse on Harry, lost some of its legendary power and was drawn to the Door—so he entered?"
Dumbledore nodded gravely.
"That's probably the case. In that plane, his soul was nourished and recovered. According to his research on Horcruxes, he must have been able to understand the truth about that door and that plane. So it's not impossible for him to find a way back with Peter Pettigrew."
The others frowned. If what Nicolas had said was true, a more dire problem was unfolding.
For years, the Ministry of Magic had treated Passing Through the Door and the Dementor's Kiss as the harshest punishments, condemning many powerful dark wizards this way.
Now, if Voldemort could bring back Peter Pettigrew, he might bring others back as well. Even if not all would follow him, their mere return could plunge the wizarding world into chaos.
"I hope I'm wrong," Dumbledore sighed.
Phineas, sitting opposite him, nodded, set down his teacup, and said with a weary breath,
"It's too late for regrets. No matter how it happened, Voldemort and Pettigrew have returned. What matters now is how we respond to the consequences of their return."
He hesitated, unsure whether to voice his next concern.
Dumbledore noticed and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "Say what's on your mind. No one here will judge you."
Phineas nodded slowly.
"I'm worried about the Ministry of Magic."
Sirius's expression darkened. "Those Ministry cowards—especially Fudge. It was Voldemort who attacked Phineas, and the Ministry bungled everything. But instead of facing it, Fudge threw out sacrificial scapegoats and covered up the truth."
After Nicolas's explanation about Death, Dementors, and the Door, he had remained silent—sipping his tea, nibbling pastries, and watching the conversation unfold. He was a man ready to face death. His wife would pass before him, and he would follow her in September, beginning his journey into the afterlife.
Whether Voldemort returned or not was no longer of consequence to him.
Phineas sighed, shaking his head. "Don't get so worked up, Sirius. I haven't even said how I feel."
Sirius fell quiet, leaning forward slightly, his legs jittering. It looked as though if Phineas uttered even a word against Fudge, Sirius would storm the Ministry with the Black family's fury.
Seeing this, Phineas burst out laughing.
"Don't be like that, Sirius. I knew exactly how Fudge would behave. He and Professor Dumbledore are opposites. Fudge is utterly self-serving."
"To him, anyone who threatens his control of the Ministry is an enemy—including Professor Dumbledore, who once supported him."
Phineas turned to Dumbledore and said, "Professor, Hogwarts must be cautious."
Dumbledore asked, "You believe Fudge might side with Tom and act against Hogwarts?"
Phineas shook his head, sipping his tea.
"No. I doubt he'd ever ally with Voldemort. But he might undermine Hogwarts and your reputation out of fear. He won't seek help—even with Voldemort's return. He's obsessed with consolidating power."
Phineas looked at Sirius and smiled.
"So there's no need to get angry. Fudge will bring about his own downfall. He'll likely be attacked by Voldemort and won't survive long."
He paused, face turning serious.
"What concerns me more is Harry's safety."
Dumbledore's brows lifted—he was about to mention Lily's protective enchantment when Sirius interrupted.
"Yes, Harry!"
Sirius leapt up, ready to Apparate.
"Wait! This is Hogwarts—you can't Apparate here!" Phineas grabbed his arm.
"And even if you could, we need to finish our discussion first. For now, Harry is safe. Lily's protection still shields him. Voldemort can't harm him directly. To find Harry, they'd need Ministry authorization or pursue him the Muggle way—through leads or tracking."
"But the spell only guards against Voldemort—not against his Death Eaters," Phineas added.
Dumbledore slowly lowered his teacup, deep in thought.
How could they protect Harry? The prophecy had already cost the Potters their lives. The same curse would draw Voldemort to Harry again.
So, Harry must be moved and protected. But the protection Lily left behind required Harry to live with his blood relatives—at least part of each year.
"What Phineas says is true," Dumbledore finally said. "We can protect Harry now, but not forever. We can't hide him for the next seven years."
Sirius sat down, realizing his rashness. His concern for James's son had overtaken his judgment.
Phineas looked grim. He shared Dumbledore's worry. Harry was key to Voldemort's defeat. And while Phineas did not wish to confront Voldemort himself, he knew Harry had to be prepared.
"We must train Harry—not just with theory, but practical experience. We can't keep him hidden forever."
"But if we let him live freely, he'll still need to return to his aunt's home once a year to maintain the protection. And during that time, we can't fully protect him."
The room fell silent.
Then Dumbledore spoke. "I've stationed members of the Order of the Phoenix to watch over him."
Phineas nodded.
"I know. Arabella Figg, a Squib. She lives on Wisteria Walk, near Privet Drive. She takes care of Harry—has many cats, most with Kneazle ancestry."
Dumbledore and Sirius exchanged glances.
Sirius asked, "How did you know that? Even I didn't know she was part of the Order."
Phineas shrugged.
"Harry is your godson after all, and he is the child of Senior Lily. So, I have asked people to look for Harry's whereabouts a long time ago. It's not hard to find, is it? Harry was not adopted by a wizard after that night eleven years ago, oh, now it's twelve years ago. In other words, he is not in the wizarding world. I think this is what Professor Dumbledore did on purpose. He didn't want Harry to live in such a grand fame since he was a child, because that would make him lose himself."
"So, Harry was sent to the Muggle world. It would not be Professor Dumbledore's idea to hand over the savior of the wizarding world to an unknown Muggle. Therefore, the person who adopted Harry must be his relative. What's interesting is that no Squibs were born in the Potter family in recent years, so there would be no Muggle relativesof the potters. Then, there is only one person who can adopt Harry, Lily's biological sister, Petunia Evans."
"It really took me a lot of effort to find their family. As far as I know, Lily and Professor Snape were good friends before entering Hogwarts, so the Evans family must live not far from Professor Snape's home. I set my sights on Spinner's End in Cokeworth, and sure enough, I found the Evans family. Later I learned that their eldest daughter, Petunia Evans, married a Muggle named Vernon Dursley, and lived at 4 Privet Drive, a suburban street in Little Whinging, Surrey."
"After finding Harry, I asked people to pay special attention to his surroundings, and sure enough, I found this Squib. A Squib did not live near the Potter family before the incident. After Harry went there, she moved there and was very kind to Harry. If she is not someone left by Professor Dumbledore, then who could she be?"
Dumbledore smiled sadly.
"Phineas, I underestimated you. I always knew you had immense magical talent—but I didn't expect you to uncover the Order's secrets without any of us noticing."
He was grateful now for the bond he had forged with Phineas. After early tensions, he had chosen to trust him—and taken an Unbreakable Vow to ensure their alliance. It was a choice that likely prevented Phineas from walking a darker path.
To Dumbledore, if Phineas had ever turned to darkness, not even the Elder Wand could stop him.
Phineas didn't quite realize Dumbledore's thoughts. He was mostly thankful his deductions aligned with canon. His men had investigated, but most of his theory came from what he already knew about Harry's life in the books.
After a moment, Dumbledore added,
"Indeed, Mrs. Figg is with the Order. I asked her to live near Harry and keep watch. If necessary, she would notify me in time so that I could rush over. But she's a Squib—no match for Death Eaters."
Phineas offered,
"If we can have a Squib watch him, why not a wizard?"
Both Dumbledore and Sirius blinked—of course. That simple shift could change everything.