Chapter 589: Dumbledore Takes Thought!!
Darren showed an embarrassed expression.
He said hesitantly, "It… doesn't really work. As long as you raise your wand, I can't muster even the slightest resistance in my mind."
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding…]
Dumbledore looked helpless.
"Not at all?" he asked.
Darren nodded, looking ashamed.
Dumbledore gazed into his eyes tentatively and said softly, "Legilimency."
[Ding, sensing that the host is being subjected to Legilimency. Should the memories be falsified?]
So that was it.
As expected, the system prompt appeared. He truly couldn't bring himself to resist being examined with Legilimency.
Darren sighed helplessly, then deliberately fabricated a series of false memories.
The boy watched Harry being locked in Umbridge's office. He took the initiative to enter, only to be humiliated and bullied.
The boy tried to close his eyes to sleep, but couldn't. Every time he did, the faces of the dead he had seen appeared vividly before him.
The boy fought Voldemort until his entire body was soaked in blood, yet still said stubbornly: Even if I die, I won't let you hurt my brother.
The boy tried again and again—
Each scene made Dumbledore's body tremble slightly.
In the end, Dumbledore took the initiative to cut off the Legilimency.
He leaned back in his chair, smiling bitterly for a long while before finally speaking.
"As expected, child, you have no defenses against me at all."
"And your memories are so painful that even I needed some time to keep myself from being overwhelmed."
"Also, child, you can't sleep peacefully day or night. No wonder you're always so tired… I think you should go to Poppy regularly and take sleeping draughts."
"I've wanted him to do that for a long time," Snape said coldly, "but our Mr. Darren Potter is unwilling."
Darren immediately showed an embarrassed expression.
"I'm worried about leaking the plan. If it really were exposed… then everything everyone has done would be wasted."
"And I've been there before. I wouldn't joke about my own body."
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding…]
"Been there?" Snape sneered. "If Mr. Potter means fainting in History of Magic and finally being sent to the hospital wing by Mr. Harry Potter, then yes—you certainly have."
Snape's tone grew even more mocking. Darren looked weak and pitiful.
He pretended not to understand what Snape was implying.
This made the members of the Order of the Phoenix sigh almost in unison.
They all understood.
Darren was afraid to go to the hospital wing because he feared being taken advantage of while unconscious.
If someone used that chance to pry into his mind and obtained the Order's plans, many of them wouldn't escape unscathed.
Especially with Umbridge still at Hogwarts.
At this time, Dumbledore's control over the school was limited, which made Darren even more cautious.
So he would rather endure it himself than risk going to the hospital wing.
They understood that Darren was doing the right thing.
His caution was justified, and no one could refute it—not even Dumbledore.
Dumbledore was silent for a moment before changing the subject.
"After school resumes following Christmas, Darren, you'll come to me every Monday to learn Occlumency."
"At other times, you'll practice acting with Severus. The act of your falling-out must be carried out."
"At the very least, you must convince Voldemort—and Harry—that you've truly broken with us."
"You'll need to put on a scene in front of Harry soon."
"Since Severus can't teach you properly, we'll all teach you today. You need to find the right feeling."
Dumbledore said this with a smile.
For the next hour, he tried to get Darren to display conflict and hostility toward Snape.
But by the end of it, Dumbledore looked utterly defeated. He finally understood Snape's exhaustion.
Because Darren truly couldn't act.
He simply couldn't put on a convincing expression.
Whenever he tried, it was painfully obvious that he was acting—exaggerated and stiff.
Just like his lying skills.
In the end, the members of the Order of the Phoenix gave up on expecting anything from his acting.
They adopted the method Darren himself had suggested to Snape earlier.
Simplify everything.
Reduce emotions to the bare minimum.
Let him memorize the sequence of actions instead—no need to show feelings, just perform the steps.
As long as the actions were correct, it would look real enough.
So Darren was sent off amid a chorus of complaints about his hopeless acting skills and jokes about how even Merlin couldn't save him.
The entire procedure had already been drilled into his memory.
No emotions, just actions.
Of course, in addition to that, Sirius Black and Snape also needed to put on a show of mutual hostility—one where they looked like they wanted to kill each other.
Both Black and Snape said there was no need to rehearse.
They could argue at any time.
Fighting wouldn't be a problem either.
This made all the members of the Order of the Phoenix silently despise the childishness of the two of them.
...
At that moment, Harry was playing wizard chess with Ron.
They weren't trying to eavesdrop on Darren's meeting.
Certainly not because of a sudden surge of conscience.
Rather, they had clearly seen Darren cast a soundproofing charm on the door.
It seemed that, because Harry had once overheard things in the hospital ward and it had left him with psychological shadows, Darren had specifically reminded everyone—
Always cast a silencing charm. Never let Harry and the others overhear again.
Harry felt like he should be angry.
After all, Darren knew so many things and never told him.
Now, even his "right" to eavesdrop had been taken away.
But he still couldn't bring himself to be angry with Darren.
He knew Darren was exhausted.
And he knew that Darren kept things from him only because he didn't want Harry to be upset—everything was for his sake.
How could Harry make things worse at a time like this?
That thought didn't last long before it was interrupted.
Mrs. Weasley knocked on the door and said cautiously, "Harry, come downstairs. Professor Snape is looking for you. He has something he wants to say."
"What?"
"Have you gotten yourself into trouble again lately?"
Harry and Ron looked at each other.
They couldn't figure out what Harry had done to make Snape come all the way here from Hogwarts.
Harry racked his brain, but couldn't think of anything.
In the end, he could only guess that maybe his homework had earned another D, or perhaps Snape was planning to give him another detention.
A minute or two later, Harry finally reached the living room.
Snape was standing face-to-face with Sirius Black, sparks practically flying between them.
Darren stood beside them, silent, his face stiff and dark, clearly irritated.
Harry's heart lurched.
The only thing that could make Darren look like that…
Was Snape planning to fire him?
That wouldn't be so bad. Maybe then he could stay here with Black instead.