Late at night, Fred's arrival woke everyone who had remained at Order of the Phoenix headquarters.
As they drank the strong tea Mrs. Weasley had just brewed to stave off their drowsiness, they listened to Fred explain why he had come to Order of the Phoenix headquarters at this hour.
"So, you're planning to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic at night and rescue the imprisoned wizards?"
Ron was left gaping by Fred's words. He had never expected the Defence Association members to be so bold.
They were planning something huge! "Isn't this a bit too hasty?"
Everyone looked somewhat uneasy. They all knew what consequences would follow if they brazenly stormed the Ministry of Magic to rescue people now.
Though this might also be the best solution available at present.
"Albert believes this must be a carefully prepared Death Eater trap, so we have to get them out before they can react." Fred understood everyone's misgivings about the Ministry of Magic, but he still explained, "We've already confirmed it from Umbridge herself. But as long as we know about the traps they've laid in advance, it'll be easy to deal with them. We can get the prisoners out before the other Death Eaters react and escape the Ministry of Magic safely."
Fred had great confidence in Albert. Though he felt the Defence Association alone could handle this, Albert must have had deeper reasons for sending him to notify the Order of the Phoenix.
"You captured Umbridge?"
Percy was shocked by the Defence Association's utter recklessness. He had never imagined they would capture Umbridge, much less subject her to brutal interrogation.
"Albert thinks you can take this opportunity to recruit the rescued people into the Order of the Phoenix." Fred did not answer Percy's question. He actually hoped everyone would follow