Inside a small house deep in Knockturn Alley, however, the atmosphere was entirely different from outside.
A single oil lamp lit the cramped room, its flame casting swaying shadows on the walls.
Four shabby chairs stood around a wooden table, on which lay the latest issue of the Daily Prophet and a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (complete edition).
Four people in black robes sat in the chairs, their hoods hiding most of their faces, leaving only their chins and lips exposed.
The black-robed man at the head of the table spread the Daily Prophet flat and jabbed a fingertip hard at the front page.
"The day after tomorrow." His voice was low. "Dumbledore will go to the Ministry of Magic for a public inquiry."
The three black-robed figures opposite him exchanged glances. One of them added, "That bunch of other professors from Hogwarts will go with him, too. He'll have to bring people to back him up."
"McGonagall, Flitwick, Snape," another counted on his fingers. "Those three, at least, won't miss it."
"That means half the castle's defenses will be gone."
The black-robed man at the head of the table glanced at them from beneath the shadow of his hood, took his finger off the newspaper, and tapped the table lightly twice.
"You should all have seen that book by now."
He raised his chin, gesturing with his lips toward the other book at the corner of the table, its edges already curling.
It was Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (complete edition).
"Your master isn't dead." The black-robed man lowered his voice further. "He isn't dead. He's somewhere out there right now, waiting to regain his strength."
"He needs the Philosopher's Stone to regain his strength."
The other three Death Eaters' breathing grew noticeably faster.
"Then we..." one began, a hint of uncertainty in his voice. "We go to Hogwarts and look for the Philosopher's Stone?"
The moment he finished, the black-robed man at the head of the table scoffed.
"Look for the Philosopher's Stone?" He sneered, leaning back a little. "Do you think Dumbledore would leave something like that somewhere anyone could casually find it?"
"The book described all those obstacles, but those would only keep out students and fools."
"Once Dumbledore leaves the castle, that thing will certainly be moved somewhere safer. It might not even be at Hogwarts anymore."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the other three faces, mostly concealed beneath their hoods.
"So we're not looking for the Philosopher's Stone."
"Then..."
"We're looking for hostages," he said slowly. "Hogwarts is full of students. Just grab a few who matter and force Dumbledore to hand over the Philosopher's Stone."
"What if Dumbledore refuses?" a Death Eater asked.
"He'll hand it over," the black-robed man at the head of the table said with certainty. "He's the 'greatest wizard of our time.' He won't stand by and watch a group of children come to harm."
"Besides, Harry Potter is among them."
"Harry Potter?" Another Death Eater raised his head. "The boy who caused our master's defeat?"
"That's right, Scarhead." The black-robed man at the head of the table lightly patted the book's cover. "Dumbledore treats Potter like his own child."
"If we have Potter, never mind the Philosopher's Stone-Dumbledore would even hand over his own wand if we asked."
After a moment's silence, the Death Eater sitting opposite him spoke, his tone distinctly hesitant.
"But... how do we get in?"
"Hogwarts Castle has thousands of years of magical protection. You can't even use Apparition there, and the Forbidden Forest is full of dangerous creatures. If we try a frontal assault-"
"Who said anything about a frontal assault?" The black-robed man at the head of the table cut him off. A sliver of pale chin showed beneath his hood, and the corners of his mouth suddenly curved upward.
He stood and walked over to a cabinet covered with an old cloth in the corner of the room. Reaching out, he pulled back a corner of the cloth, revealing part of a dark wooden cabinet.
It was a freestanding cabinet with double doors, roughly chest-high on a grown man.
An oval brass plate was set into the doors, the lettering worn almost beyond recognition.
"Borgin and Burkes' Vanishing Cabinet." He uttered the words with a hint of undisguised smugness.
"And as luck would have it, I happen to know there's a passage between it and Hogwarts."
"There's such a thing?" The Death Eater opposite him was visibly stunned.
"That fellow Borgin was actually hiding a magical item that leads straight to Hogwarts? Is he mad?"
"He doesn't know what that thing he has actually does." The black-robed man sneered. "He thinks it's just an ordinary piece of old furniture, hardly worth anything."
"But I know it leads to Hogwarts, and that route still hasn't been blocked."
Another man reached out to touch the Vanishing Cabinet, only for the black-robed man to smack his hand away.
"Don't touch it." His voice sank. "Our operation the day after tomorrow depends entirely on it. If you break it, I don't have another."
The man whose hand had been slapped away pulled his arm back and muttered, "...How did you find out about this thing? I've never heard anyone mention it."
The black-robed man paused, taking his eyes off the Vanishing Cabinet.
"I have my own sources," he said curtly, as though unwilling to waste more words on the subject.
"You don't need to know how I know. You only need to know this thing works."
The other three looked at one another. None pressed him further.
The black-robed man covered the Vanishing Cabinet with the old cloth again.
"Go contact the others." He turned his back on the three and reached up to draw his hood tighter, hiding most of his face.
"Bring as many as you can. Gather right here before dark tomorrow."
"The morning after tomorrow, once Dumbledore leaves Hogwarts with his people, we move."
"Remember, take them alive."
"Those students are bargaining chips. They're useless dead."
The other three rose as well, their black robes rustling.
"Understood," they answered almost in unison.
"I'm going to give Dumbledore a big surprise," the black-robed man added, his voice carrying a kind of suppressed hatred and excitement.
He walked to the door of the little house, turned sideways, and pushed it open.
The darkness outside swallowed most of his figure, leaving only a vague outline standing there.
Just then, the wind lifted a corner of his hood, revealing a fine silver chain around his neck.
A small pendant hung from the end of the chain. It was a strange symbol: a triangle enclosing a circle, with a vertical line running through the very center to the bottom.
Without lingering, he stepped into the night.
The three Death Eaters behind him remained where they were, watching the wooden door close again.
One Death Eater narrowed his eyes toward the doorway and murmured to himself, "Just how much does he hate Dumbledore?"
Another Death Eater also made to leave the house, sneering as he walked. "Why do you think he joined us? Because he liked that mark?"
"He hated Dumbledore before he ever joined us. It started when Dumbledore defeated that... that leader."
The remaining two exchanged a glance and left the little house one after the other.