The next two days passed in a blur for Wizarding Britain. Antonio's speech and the points he had raised in his speech became a constant source of discussion throughout the entire country. From the poorest households to the highest of the elite, his words were on the lips of every man and woman.
There were many who supported his views yet had still not been able to gather enough courage to speak against the Dark Lord. Although the myth of Death Eater invincibility had been shaken almost completely, most still lacked the bravery to voice their opposition publicly. But what Antonio had done was ignite a spark, one that was quickly growing into a roaring fire.
Coupled with the three events of the past few days, Antonio killing two Death Eaters, Lord Bones killing eight, and the mysterious discovery of two more dead Death Eaters in the town of Lexacroc, Antonio's speech had stirred conflict within every wizard and witch.
The attack on Hogsmeade, which should have strengthened the Death Eaters' reign of terror, had instead been twisted into an act of cowardice of attacking children by Antonio.
True, a common man was still afraid of a Death Eater. Many feared that someday they too could be killed just like the people in Hogsmeade. But the belief that Death Eaters were untouchable had been broken. People now understood that in front of a powerful wizard, Death Eaters were nothing more than lambs for slaughter.
Some even began to think that with enough courage, and especially more numbers, they might be able to bring one down themselves.
There were others who condemned what Antonio had done. They outright rejected every point he had made without offering a single logical explanation. These were either Death Eaters themselves or unwavering supporters of the Death Eaters.
A few, the pacifists, were worried as well, claiming that Antonio's actions were akin to poking a beehive, certain to plunge the situation into further chaos. These were the people who clung to the status quo, who never made any effort to change things on their own. The old Dumbledore would have been the greatest name in this category.
Then came the challenge Antonio had issued so boldly. It had become another centre of storm. Since no refutation came from Dumbledore's side, the public assumed that the Chief Warlock agreed with everything Antonio had done. Even if Dumbledore had not known beforehand, he clearly had no objection now. Maybe he too thought that the Dark Lord possesses no danger to him.
And with each passing day, the anticipation only grew, would the Dark Lord respond to such provocation? They wondered if it was calm before the storm?
No one knew whether Voldemort would dare attack Dumbledore. But the aged and experienced among the population could sense that a massive response was inevitable. And if it was not directed at Dumbledore.
Then chances were very high that it would come for Antonio, the man who had sparked it all.
But all this mess had little effect on a certain person, or rather, he did not have the time to indulge in these matters. He might have desired to give these things a thought but he thought better not to think about such matters which might induce hesitation in his decision.
He had been far too busy preparing for the marriage of his granddaughter. And that someone was Raphel Sinistra. Today was the day his granddaughter was to be married. Aurora Sinistra was to wed Alex Timirus.
Ideally, he would have been a very happy man, for this wedding was going to bring him immense benefits. Benefits. He was 'giving' his granddaughter for benefits, not that the Timirus family or Alex Timius were inferior in any or lacking in anything. They were as perfect a match as they could have been for Aurora.
He was finally going to be included in the circle of the Death Eaters, and not just as any member. If he had wanted to become an ordinary follower, he could have done so long ago. No, he was going to become an elite within their organisation. And all that without spending a single dime. Alex had promised to bring him personally to meet the dark lord and he had been ecstatic.
Alex Timirus and the entire Timirus family would handle everything. His family would rise in status and he would have nothing to worry about, no efforts to make.
But in the past few days, his joy and excitement had dimmed. When he had first planned to align himself with the Death Eaters a few weeks ago, they had been invincible and untouchable. Even their lowest-ranking member had been enough to make him and countless others tremble only by their presence. Their attire and mask alone were symbols of power.
But all of that had changed in the last few days. And it had all begun with that damned Lord Olario. Event after event had shattered the glorious image he had constructed in his mind about the Death Eaters. The myth of their invincibility had been shattered and the speech that Antonio had given had only been aggravating things.
Raphel Sinistra could not deny that he had been shaken by Lord Olario's speech. He had been present in the council hall himself. And that is why he was keeping himself away from all the talk that had been ongoing. He did not want to produce hesitation and uncertainty in his mind.
Unlike the Death Eaters, who were stuck with the choices they had made, he still had a slim chance to back out. A tiny chance, one he knew would not be easy to take. For if he backed out, he would face the wrath of Alex Timirus. And Raphael knew well that his family would not survive the backlash of such a decision.
While Raphael was busy making preparations for the arrival of the guests in the lawn of the Sinistra manor, a very different scene was unfolding inside the manor.
"Are you sure that he will come?" a shrill voice of a woman cut across the tense, suffocating atmosphere of the room. This was the voice of Ivory Sinistra, mother of Aurora and wife of Drafel Sinistra.
"I had not spoken with him the past couple of days but we had finalized our plans," Drafel answered with a tint of insecurity in his voice. "He should not back out."
Ivory sighed, her tone defeated.
"Mom," Aurora interjected, her voice calm. "If he comes, he comes. If he does not, I will take this as my fate."
The couple looked at their daughter with pity and sympathy but there was nothing they could say. There was nothing they could do.
And though Aurora had spoken such calm words, she was placing all her hopes for Antonio to come. She was desperate to see him. To see him save her.
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