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Chapter 736: Of Course Forgive Him!!
"Alright, before we continue, we need to report the recent deaths."
"These are incidents that the Daily Prophet has deemed unworthy of coverage.
For example, Gardley—a family of five Muggles were found dead in their home. The official report claimed it was a gas leak.
However, the Order of the Phoenix has confirmed that they were killed by the Killing Curse.
In addition, in Godric's Hollow, the body of Bathilda Bagshot was discovered. She is believed to have been dead for several months.
According to the Order, traces of dark magic and spell damage were found on her body.
Listeners, please join us in a moment of silence for the victims."
Harry and the others fell silent.
Their hearts were heavy, yet there was also a sense of relief.
At least… none of the names mentioned were people they knew.
"Thank you. The silence is over. Now, let's hear from our first contributor—Royal."
"Good evening, everyone!"
It was Kingsley Shacklebolt.
Harry and the others called out his name at once.
"At times like these," Kingsley continued, "we must stand together—whether you are hiding in safety or living on the run.
Do not lose hope. Believe in yourselves…"
His words were steady and encouraging.
Finally, he stopped.
"So, Royal, do you still believe Harry Potter is alive?"
That voice—
It was Remus Lupin.
Harry and the others recognized him instantly.
"Yes," Kingsley replied firmly. "He is alive. And we must also trust Darren Potter, who continues to lead from within Hogwarts.
If Harry Potter had died, Darren would already have taken far more drastic action.
And if Harry were dead, the Death Eaters would not hide it—they would celebrate it."
"Excellent. Thank you, Royal. Now let's move to our next contributor—Romulus.
Romulus, you mentioned you have urgent news?"
"Of course."
The voice was unmistakable—Sirius Black, speaking with unusual seriousness.
"Just a few hours ago, we received word that Rubeus Hagrid…"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione all went pale.
But fortunately, the news was not as bad as they feared.
"He hosted a gathering at his home in support of Harry Potter and in protest against the sealing of Darren Potter.
He narrowly escaped capture and is now on the run.
We believe that having the support of a sixteen-foot-tall ally could be quite useful."
"That's right—it would help," Lee Jordan's voice cut in.
"But while we admire Hagrid's courage, we do not encourage such actions.
Even Harry Potter's closest allies believe this was reckless, and we urge everyone not to follow his example."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Now, regarding the Dark Lord.
Reliable sources indicate that he is currently abroad.
So please stop spreading wild rumors.
If all those rumors were true, there would be a dozen Dark Lords walking around right now.
And for the latest rumor—that looking into his eyes will kill you…
That's a basilisk, not the Dark Lord!"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione burst into laughter.
For the first time in what felt like forever, they laughed freely.
"Alright," Lee continued, "let's hear from our final contributor—Gwenog—about the current situation of our leader within Hogwarts, Darren Potter."
"Good evening, everyone. I'm Gwenog. I'll report what I can about Darren."
Harry froze.
"They're talking about Darren?" he whispered.
Ron grinned. "That's why I wanted you to hear this."
The voice—
It was Ginny Weasley.
"I can't reveal too much about Darren's current condition," Ginny said carefully.
"We can't risk information leaking.
But I can confirm this—rumors that Darren Potter has died and been replaced are completely false.
He is alive.
Potterwatch itself was established under his guidance, and he continues to coordinate certain actions within Hogwarts.
There are also rumors that Darren Potter and Harry Potter are at odds.
Those are clearly spread by the Death Eaters.
Their bond is as close as ever—like twins."
Harry couldn't help smiling.
A quiet, proud smile.
Of course.
Darren and him—they had always been like that.
"Alright, that concludes today's broadcast.
The next password is 'Albus.'
Stay safe. Until next time."
The radio fell silent.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione remained where they were, still immersed in what they had just heard.
They had been cut off from the outside world for so long that they had almost forgotten—
They weren't alone.
"From what she said… does that mean Darren is alright now?" Hermione asked suddenly.
Harry felt a surge of hope.
But he quickly shook his head.
"If he were truly fine, he would have found a way to escape with Ginny and the others and come to us.
He wouldn't still be under the Death Eaters' control, like Phineas described.
Maybe… he's close. Maybe he's almost there.
But this is probably the last time he has to endure all this."
While Harry and the others were thinking about Darren—
Darren himself was currently feeling nothing but disgust at his living conditions.
He absolutely hated sharing a room with others.
Now that the holidays were over, it had become permanent.
Especially Crabbe and Goyle's snoring—every night, Darren had to cast a silent spell on himself just to get any sleep at all.
Since he couldn't openly use magic, Draco Malfoy had started to suspect that something was wrong with him.
Malfoy spoke to him cautiously these days, as if afraid Darren might suddenly lose control.
Snape had clearly heard Malfoy's reports.
Quietly, he restored some of Darren's privileges.
However, the look in Snape's eyes had become increasingly complicated.
He still treated Darren well—but that complexity was undeniable.
Darren suspected that Lord Voldemort had already told Snape about his bloodline.
That alone would be enough to make things awkward.
In Darren's mind, Voldemort had probably explained it in the worst possible way—something involving Lily Potter.
That would definitely have triggered Snape.
Still, Darren wasn't concerned.
Snape would come to terms with it eventually.
After all—
Even if he had Voldemort's bloodline…
He also had other bloodlines.
Plenty of them.
Some known, some unknown.
He had never even activated the bloodline lottery fully.
There were probably far more hidden within him.
Which meant—
There was only one reasonable conclusion.
Everyone just needed to be a little more broad-minded.
What else could they do?
Of course—
Forgive him.