Chapter 53

Castle Laboratory. Anne stood by the lab table, with Diana, Aaron, and Hermione behind her.

Holding a tiny triskelion barely a centimeter long, Anne turned to face the three of them.

“You probably remember the time in fifth year when I got injured during an experiment.”

The three nodded.

“That experiment… I said it failed. But it actually succeeded. The secret weapon is this triskelion I’m holding, but much bigger and much more stable.”

“So the secret weapon wasn’t given to you by Dumbledore?” Aaron asked.

“It was. This was created by Coton Sharp, arguably one of the greatest experts in magical botany and potion-making. At least that’s my opinion. Aren’t you worried about my body? I won’t say more, you’ll understand once you see and experience it.”

Anne hovered the triskelion in midair, casting a Blast Charm. It exploded instantly, creating a magical wind blade zone about ten centimeters in diameter beneath it.

Tiny wind blades whirled within the zone.

“You can try sticking your fingers in, but hurry,” Anne said. “It will disappear in eight seconds.”

They glanced at each other and reached in. Their fingers were quickly cut, but the wounds were shallow. As they withdrew, all three wore expressions of shock and disbelief.

Anne grabbed prepared bandages and salves, tending to their wounds.

“Inside here?” Aaron asked, astonished. “Why is the magic so chaotic?”

“This is the secret weapon. That night, I simply levitated it above Voldemort when his guard was down, then detonated it. This chaotic magic field prevents Voldemort from using any magic, no matter how powerful.”

Aaron’s eyes widened, but Hermione and Diana frowned. Especially Diana, who after a moment asked, “Does this thing still exist?”

Anne smiled at her. “Aunt Diana, if this could be mass-produced, do you think it’d still be called a secret weapon?”

Diana exhaled in relief.

“It’s extremely difficult to make. The raw materials are rare, and it’s very unstable,” Anne explained. “That night, we used the last one. Honestly, it was lucky. Voldemort came at night, and even within Hogwarts’ protective spells, he couldn’t Apparate away. He didn’t notice the little device above him.”

“How many of these exist?” Diana asked.

“Three complete ones with the highest stability,” Anne said. “Plus some smaller, less stable fragments. Today’s test used a less stable fragment. The three main ones were used the day I made them, the day Skoll was attacked, and the night of the battle. Most of the small fragments were tested on a Thestral, Dumbledore helped, so it had armor.”

“Phew, that’s good,” Diana said, then seriously added, “Anne, you must keep all information about this weapon extremely secure. No leaks.”

“I understand, Aunt Diana. The impact of this weapon on the magical world could rival even the Elder Wand! Don’t worry, I’m fine. That night, Skoll’s explanation was partly to get away, and partly to hide his identity. Anyone in the battle might not have wanted the weapon, but if the battle details leaked, someone would realize Voldemort was nearly instantly killed without resistance.”

“Voldemort’s death, and Skoll disappearing due to the weapon’s side effects, that’s the best outcome.”

Aaron stepped closer, studying Anne intently.

Confused, Anne asked, “What’s wrong, Uncle Aaron?”

“Anne… where did you learn all this?”

Anne’s heart skipped a beat. She stammered, “I… I?”

“Your father was Slytherin too, but he wasn’t as clever as you?”

“Uh—” Anne relaxed slightly, smiling. “But my mother was Ravenclaw, and Dumbledore taught me a lot.”

Everything could be pinned on the late Dumbledore, safe bet.

Diana smiled and said to Aaron, “Maybe, more often, it was just that Lambert never explained.”

Hermione and Anne exchanged a look, smiling.

“Anne, I have another question. I asked Harry, but he didn’t say.” Hermione came closer.

“Hmm?”

“How did Voldemort capture Harry? Weren’t you together at the time?” Hermione asked.

“Yes! Anne, how did Voldemort capture Harry? Explain, this is one of the top three mysteries of the Hogwarts War. Moody, Kingsley, and Arthur keep asking, and I really don’t know.”

“The top five mysteries of the Hogwarts War?” Anne asked, curious.

“The Daily Prophet compiled them,” Aaron explained. “After the war, the Order of the Phoenix and Skoll’s reputation skyrocketed. The magical world can’t stop talking about the war, the Order of the Phoenix, and the Roland family.”

“Why our family?” Anne asked.

“Because the Muggle-born wizards you rescued through the Roland family’s business channels moved back to the UK. They became the best promoters, recounting how the Roland family helped them hide and settle abroad,” Diana explained.

“But did they pay?” Anne asked.

“They didn’t need to. You saved their lives,” Diana said. “And after the Order of the Phoenix disbanded, some outer members formed an alliance, the Muggle-born Cooperation Alliance, helping impoverished Muggle-borns and raising their status in the wizarding world. Hermione, fighting alongside Harry, became one of the alliance’s best promoters. As of now, the alliance has over two thousand registered members.”

“Wow!” Anne exclaimed.

“Not only that,” Aaron continued. “The outer members of the Order of the Phoenix who were squibs formed the Squib Cooperation Organization, improving squibs’ lives and helping them integrate with Muggles. They work with the Muggle-born Alliance.”

Aaron said proudly, “All this is because of you, Anne. With the Order of the Phoenix, you protected thousands of wizards and countless Muggles. Even rough estimates say at least twenty thousand were saved because of the Order.”

Anne scratched her head, blushing. “It’s not that exaggerated. The Order of the Phoenix members did most of the work, I just planned a bit.”

“The inner members don’t think so. They believe Skoll deserves all the credit. He reorganized the system, expanded the Order, and even let house-elves participate. He saved countless wizards.”

“But not twenty thousand,” Anne said.

“Directly and indirectly! Not counting the fake bloodline papers you smuggled, just the radio broadcasts helped countless wizards. Twenty thousand is a rough estimate,” Aaron said excitedly. “Look at any wizarding newspaper now, full of praise and questions about Skoll! Because I exposed the vice president’s identity, my mailbox overflows daily. I can barely go to Diagon Alley, I almost got cornered last time! The Order of the Phoenix members constantly ask where Skoll went.”

“Uh, I did tell them not to bother you in the letters,” Anne said.

Aaron gave her a ‘did you really think that worked?’ look.

“Wow. I didn’t expect it was like this,” Anne laughed. “So… what are the top five mysteries?”

“Ahem,” Aaron cleared his throat. “Number one: Which Hogwarts house is Skoll from?”

Anne looked bewildered.

“The Prophet’s survey said this, and it topped the list.”

“Okay… number two?”

“What exactly was the secret weapon Dumbledore left?”

“Fourth?”

“Did Skoll die?”

“Fifth,” Aaron continued before Anne could ask. “What were the four barrels of wine Skoll left?”

“Ah? That counts?”

“Believe it or not. Some people took wine but didn’t drink it. Now a small cup sells for fifty Galleons!” Aaron gestured.

Anne paused, then laughed. “Diana, maybe our family should sell wine?”