"If this were in Asia, I might actually think their strategy's pretty cool," Cohen said. "But too bad for them, we're in Britain. All I can say is they need to do their homework."
"What do you mean?" Von Braun thought maybe he hadn't explained it clearly. "What I'm saying is—they'll stage some terrifying incidents around you, then pin the blame on you. Before you know it, the whole wizarding world will suspect you, isolate you, turn against you…"
"Yeah, I get it," Cohen nodded. "That's exactly why I'm saying it won't work here in Britain. How many people are even in the British wizarding world? Even if they all turned on me, so what?"
"?"
"Plus, half of them are reclusive wizard families whose only connection to the wizarding world is probably the *Daily Prophet*," Cohen went on. "Do you really think the *Daily Prophet* would dare smear me? An evil, untouchable dark magic experiment that the Ministry's hushed up to avoid a public panic?"
"Huh… maybe not?" Von Braun started to see Cohen's point.
"Think about it. Back when Voldemort was running the show, did the *Daily Prophet* ever say a single bad word about him?" Cohen asked. "The media's just in it for the money—they're not about to risk their necks digging up the truth. Voldemort might not have bothered showing up at their windows in the middle of the night—he's too full of himself to waste time chasing people down for no reason…"
"But I would."
Cohen said it as casually as if he were talking about what bread to have for breakfast.
"Everyone knows one thing—Dementors eat souls."
"No wonder Headmaster Dumbledore didn't seem the least bit worried when he heard about this…" Von Braun muttered.
"You told Dumbledore about it too?" Cohen asked, intrigued. "What'd he say about me? And what about you—how'd he treat you?"
"I felt like he saw right through me with one glance," Von Braun said. "He thanked me for the info and said we could keep in touch about the Silver Key's next moves. I think he wants me to stay in their meetings and gather intel…"
"You'd keep doing that even if he didn't ask," Cohen said confidently. "What'd he say about me?"
"'Cohen's a smart and brave kid. These little tricks won't get the better of him—and I trust he won't make the wrong choices,'" Von Braun relayed. "Dumbledore seems to have a lot of faith in you."
Cohen had a hunch Dumbledore had told Von Braun to pass that message along.
"He's basically saying that as long as those Silver Key folks don't frame me for something I didn't do, he'll back me up in court," Cohen translated. "Now I really don't have to worry. My birthday and that summer trip with the phyllifly tracking expedition are safe."
"There's no such thing as a phyllifly, you know," Von Braun pointed out. "I took an advanced Care of Magical Creatures class back in school, and I've never heard of a 'phyllifly.' You might end up disappointed."
"It's about the trip, man. I've never been to Peru," Cohen said, raising an eyebrow. "Beats staying home and playing chess with my dad. He cheats with magic every time, but I don't feel like countering with spells to fix the dice. If we both cheat, no one wins."
"Good luck with that," Von Braun said, still skeptical about Cohen tagging along with Luna's family on some "phyllifly tracking expedition." "Xenophilius is a bit… unhinged. One of the Silver Key members visited his place once—they wanted him to join because he knows how to make cockatrice eggs. I followed them, and after the guy left, I went in to warn Xenophilius about the Silver Key."
Von Braun sighed.
"But he kicked me out and swore he was with the Silver Key now."
No wonder Luna knew Von Braun…
"He's not crazy," Cohen said. "The Silver Key threatened him with Luna. And he probably snapped at you because of your Silver Key ties—no one knows if you were sent to test him."
Von Braun nodded, getting it.
"I'll keep you and Dumbledore in the loop if I hear anything new about the Silver Key," he said. "After splitting into conservative and radical factions, they've broken off into tons of tiny groups. It's hard to keep track…"
Suddenly, Von Braun paused, his gaze drifting to Cohen's eyes, like he was pleading for something.
"Can you promise me one thing?"
"No lifelong spy duo with you—too long a commitment," Cohen shot back instantly. "Plus, you're way too old."
"Don't destroy the world," Von Braun said softly. "At least… not in the next few years. My father was supposed to retire after what happened to my brother Joshua, but he stayed on the Knight Bus, thinking he might hear something about him. Then he got complaints about his work from a bunch of passengers… He's finally retired now. I tweaked his memory a bit so he could enjoy his old age in peace—he doesn't have many years left…"
"Fine," Cohen said.
Von Braun looked up, surprised at how quickly Cohen agreed.
"I was already planning to ditch the whole world-destroying thing, and you just happen to be a professor…"
Cohen paused, then added, "You know what to do, right, Professor Von Braun?"
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"Like, Gryffindor points or something," Cohen clarified when Von Braun still looked confused. "I was gonna ask for a homework pass, but in this situation, you're not exactly gonna lock me in detention for skipping it…"
"Are you kidding me?" Von Braun's face cracked. "That's what this is about?"
"Pretty much. Fifty points to Gryffindor for Cohen saving the world again sounds fair."
Cohen turned to leave but glanced back at the door. "No matter how much Dumbledore pays you, write that resignation letter by the end of the year. This job's cursed. If you stick around too long, some 'unavoidable force' might nudge you out. And if you're gone, who's gonna take care of old Mr. Von Braun?"
---
It wasn't just the "Silver Key mole" Von Braun who approached Cohen in April. Lucius Malfoy showed up too.
He caught Cohen during the last Quidditch match of the school year. With Dumbledore watching the game, Lucius figured it was safe to meet Cohen in the Forbidden Forest.
Lucius had already been booted from the school board—thanks to Voldemort's scheme. Once Dumbledore returned, the other board members flipped sides, claiming Lucius had bullied them into signing that dismissal letter.
But when Cohen got to the forest, he realized Lucius wasn't alone. Narcissa, Draco's mom, was there too.
"Has the Dark Lord done something to Draco?" Narcissa asked Cohen, her voice dripping with worry.
*(End of Chapter)*