Chapter 282: The Toad’s Endgame and The Approaching Deadline

Bellatrix scoffed loudly, waving a dismissive, elegant hand in the air.

"I care incredibly less for the toad’s specific political motivations, Orion," Bellatrix drawled, her tone dripping with aristocratic boredom. "Whatever petty squabbles she is trying to settle within the Ministry are entirely irrelevant. She wanted chaos to prove Fudge is weak, or she wanted an army to enforce her own bigoted agenda... it doesn’t matter. She opened the cage. That is the only action of hers that holds any significance."

She smirked, a cruel, sharp expression. "When the Dark Lord returns, her usefulness will end. She will learn exactly who holds the leash."

Orion nodded, accepting the answer. The ’why’ of Umbridge’s treason was secondary to the ’how’, which he now had confirmed. He pivoted smoothly to the remaining unknown variable.

"And what about the vigilante?" Orion pressed gently. "The individual who attacked Rookwood, and then Dolohov?"

Bellatrix’s expression darkened slightly, a flicker of genuine irritation crossing her features.

"Rookwood mentioned him," Bellatrix confirmed, her lip curling. "He said the attacker was sloppy. Aggressive, yes, but relying entirely on brute-force spells and destructive hexes rather than finesse. He lacks the refinement of a true duelist."

She lifted her chin arrogantly. "Dolohov could have easily dispatched him in Hogsmeade, had the situation been more favorable. But he was caught off guard, and the arrival of the trainee Aurors complicated the situation even more. Dolohov chose retreat over risking capture."

She patted Orion’s cheek, a surprisingly gentle, almost maternal gesture from a woman capable of casting the Cruciatus Curse without blinking.

"Do not worry about the vigilante, my sweet godson," Bellatrix assured him. "If he is as weak and uncoordinated as Rookwood claims, we can deal with him easily later. He is merely a nuisance."

"I see," Orion said, offering a respectful nod. "Thank you for indulging my curiosity, Aunt Bella. Your insights are... incredibly illuminating."

"You certainly do have a way of pulling secrets out of your godmother, don’t you? My sweet talking, Orion." Bellatrix smiled. She caressed his cheek one last time. "Rest well, little star. I am sure we will have much more to discuss before you return to that dreadful school."

She turned and glided gracefully back toward the Manor, her dark robes blending into the gathering gloom of the winter early-evening.

Orion stood alone in the frozen garden, waiting until she was completely out of sight.

He let out a long, slow exhale. His heart rate, which he had kept artificially steady with Occlumency, finally spiked with the realization of what he had just accomplished.

"Sparkle," Orion murmured into the biting wind, "remind me to personally buy Luna Lovegood the largest, most expensive box of Honeydukes chocolates I can find. Her monkey theory just saved my life."

"Noted," Sparkle’s interface buzzed happily in his mind. "That was incredible. She didn’t suspect a thing. The Familiar’s Orb is working perfectly."

"It established the baseline of trust," Orion agreed, turning to walk back toward the house. "But how long until the bond is absolute? Is one week enough to finalize the tether?"

"It depends heavily on how much you can actively influence the bond," Sparkle explained, projecting a small, filling progress bar. "The Orb creates the foundation, but your interactions—flattery, shared secrets, perceived alignment of goals—accelerate the process. Given how well that conversation just went, it should not take more than two weeks, even with relatively slow progress."

Orion nodded, crunching over the frosted gravel.

"Then the goal is absolute loyalty before the Christmas holidays end," Orion declared, his mind already shifting to the next phase of the operation. "If I can secure her allegiance before I return to Hogwarts, I essentially possess a remote-controlled weapon of mass destruction that answers only to me."

He pulled his thick cloak tighter around himself as he reached the glass doors of the Manor.

"Anyways," Orion said, slipping back into the opulent warmth of the receiving room. "We have the intelligence. It is time to analyze the new data and make the necessary adjustments to some of our long-term plans regarding the Horcruxes and the Ministry."

He headed straight for the grand staircase, intent on reaching the sanctuary of his bedroom.

"Also," Orion added, a spark of genuine anticipation lightening his mood. "Let’s go see the achievements I have gotten. Both from the Dementor incident yesterday, and from successfully tagging a psychotic Death Eater with a magical Pokéball today."