"I thought you hated that fellow," Dumbledore said, raising an eyebrow and smiling mockingly. "You need to have some faith in him. Alan is a cautious and clever boy. What's most rare is that he also shows a strong sense of justice. After all, I don't think we need to worry about a young wizard who can fight a Potions Professor to a standstill."
"That's because I held back at first!" Snape fumed, his voice rising at Dumbledore's taunt.
"Even so, it's still equivalent to an adult wizard who held back, isn't it? I am curious to see what he will do in such an environment," Dumbledore mused.
"You still want to test him with something like this? Be careful not to play with fire," Snape warned, glaring at the Headmaster before flicking his robes and striding out of the office.
In the empty room, Dumbledore remained still, his gaze seemingly piercing through the distant void. He murmured to himself, "Perhaps. But I don't want to cultivate another Dark Lord. Alan, in this situation where enemies surround you, what choice will you make?"
Meanwhile, back at the castle, Alan sought out Rozier. After a whispered conversation in a shadowed alcove, he handed the boy a small bottle of potion.
"What do you mean? Do we really have to go this far?" Rozier looked at Alan in disbelief after hearing his instructions.
"I've been preparing for this for a long time. I even had you suggest the idea of this 'Purity Committee' to Yaxley. Isn't that precisely for this moment? Otherwise, do you think your standing in his inner circle would be so high?" Alan said with a cold sneer.
"But... but what if you fail? I'll be ruined," Rozier said, thinking only of his own neck being on the line if the plot was discovered.
"You're not in a position to negotiate, and it's too late to back out now. Remember what I said: think carefully about the consequences of defying me." Alan paid no mind to Rozier's protests. He wasn't afraid of the boy turning traitor; he had prepared far too many contingency plans for this scheme to fail on account of one coward.
Rozier watched with a resentful gaze as Alan turned and disappeared from sight. He regretted ever provoking this guy in the first place. He had actually listened to Alan's suggestions and instigated Yaxley to establish the committee, and now he was trapped. Finally, Rozier sighed, knowing Alan was right. He shook his head helplessly and walked toward the common room.
"What did you say? Alan is going to Hogsmeade during Christmas? Are you sure?" Yaxley asked, looking up as Rozier entered his quarters.
"Yes. I overheard it while he was chatting with Vivian. Apparently, Vivian and Higgs are also planning to stay at Hogwarts during the holidays. They've been cooped up for too long and can't stand it anymore," Rozier reported truthfully, exactly as Alan had instructed.
"Haha!" Yaxley burst out laughing, his eyes gleaming. "The brat finally couldn't hold back. Vivian and Higgs, huh? Scum always hangs out with scum."
Yaxley paced the floor happily before turning back to Rozier. "Well done. But this needs to be confirmed. Let's wait and see. If those two actually apply to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas, then it's a certainty. We absolutely cannot let this annoying fellow off the hook this time."
The Christmas holiday approached quickly. When Vivian and Higgs both applied to stay at the castle, it confirmed Rozier's intelligence in Yaxley's eyes. However, Yaxley and his core group did not apply to stay; doing so would have been too suspicious.
Instead, they boarded the Hogwarts Express with the other students but secretly disembarked at Hogsmeade station. They gathered at the home of a pure-blood student who lived in the village, waiting in the shadows.
"What's the word? Any news?" Yaxley asked the two scouts he had sent out after forty-eight hours of waiting.
"We found them. We saw Higgs and Vivian at the Three Broomsticks. They seem to be waiting for someone. Alan will likely meet them there soon," the scout reported.
"It won't be easy to make a move in a place that crowded," Wilkes noted.
"Hmph, I already thought of that. Look who this is."
Yaxley gestured to the side. Wilkes followed his finger and saw another Vivian standing there.
"This is...?"
"What's the matter, Quake? You don't even recognize me?" the second Vivian said with a mocking smirk.
"Milly? Is that Polyjuice Potion?" Wilkes circled the girl curiously.
"That's right. That brat Vivian dared to defy me earlier, so I made sure to pull out several strands of her hair. They've come in quite handy," Milly Osborne, transformed into Vivian, said proudly.
"I told you I was prepared. When Milly clashed with Vivian last time, I had this plan in mind and specifically had Rozier brew the potion. Now is the time for it to be useful," Yaxley said, clearly pleased with his own foresight. The surrounding wizards showered their leader with flattery.
However, Travers remained skeptical. "What if Alan doesn't fall for it? The boy is cunning. Are you sure you can lure him away?"
"That depends on Milly's acting. No problems, right?" Yaxley asked.
"Don't worry. Dealing with a little brat is nothing to me. Honestly, this much effort for one mudblood is a waste of time. Let's just get on with it," Milly guaranteed haughtily.
"Don't underestimate him," Yaxley warned. "According to Wilkes, he's strong and knows some unusual magic. This needs to be handled carefully. We have to clean up the mess so nothing can be traced back to us."
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