When Dumbledore directed the question back to Alex, he paused for a moment to collect his thoughts before answering.

  "First off, there’s a high ce this information could be false. After all, I overheard it from a student at Hogwarts. There’s no guarahat what he said was accurate, and even if it was, it’s possible his family members were just bragging."

  Dumbledave Alex a thoughtful look. "A, you chose to pass this information on to us?"

  Alex nodded."Better safe than sorry. If the information turns out to be false, nothing is lost. But if it’s true and I didn’t warn you, it could endanger my friends. I couldn’t live with that."

  Dumbledore smiled approvingly. "Cautious and wise. You ha well, Alex." He then turo the group. "In fact, I’ve received simir intelligence from other sources, which is why I vehis meeting."

  Alex raised an eyebrow, realizing why Dumbledore had taken his tip so seriously. Clearly, the headmaster had more information tha on. Perhaps Dumbledore had magical fht, or maybe there were informants among the Death Eaters.

  The others around the table seemed to have a moment of uanding as Dumbledore"s words sank in.

  "If the Death Eaters are pnning an attack around Christmas, the key question is: who is their target?"

  Edgar Bones, his hand stroking his thick beard, asked thoughtfully. "Are they going for a rge-scale assault, or is it an ambush on a single person?"

  Gideo chimed in. "It’s uhey’ll target individuals. With the holidays approag, most people are with their families, so there’s little reason to be out and about alone."

  Moody nodded. "Still, it’s important we remind everyoo stay vigint, especially during the holidays."

  Everyone around the table nodded in agreement.

  "If they are pnning something big, it will probably happen at a time when people are gathered together. Do any of you pn on hosting any rge gatherings over Christmas?" Emmeline Vance asked, her voice calm but thoughtful.

  Gideon grinned."Yes, my brother Fabian and I are spending Christmas at the Burrow with our sister Molly and her family."

  Sirius added, "Me, Lupier, and Alex will be at the Potters’ Christmas dinner."

  Dumbledore also chimed in. "The Longbottoms and the Mons are having family gatherings as well."

  Moody, sitting with his arms crossed, scoffed. "Well, I’ll be spending Christmas alo the Ministry, so I guess I’ll be safe," he said sarcastically, but Alex could sense a bit of genuine humor behind the gruff statement.

  Alex could’t help but chuckle at Moody’s ued sense of humor, l his head to stifle his ughter.

  Moody narrowed his one good eye at Alex. "What’s so funny, boy? It’s easier to stay safe when you don’t have a big family to worry about."

  "I agree," Alex replied, trying to keep his face serious. "I live alone most of the time, and it’s not so bad."

  Moody couldn’t help but let out a grunt, clearly a little annoyed but not able tue. He turned babledore. "The Ministry will be short-staffed over Christmas. With most departments on holiday, including the Aurors and the Magical Acts and Catastrophes Unit, there won’t be many people monit magical activity in London. If the Death Eaters strike, we’ll be slow to respond."

  Dumbledore’s expression grew more serious. The holidays posed a unique problem—while most wizards and witches were busy with their families, it left them vulnerable. If an attack came, the Ministry’s reduced presence could make it difficult to mobilize quickly.

  Sirius, uo sit still, smmed his fist oable. "Why are we sitting around waiting for them to make a move? We should strike first and take them by surprise."

  Dumbledore raised his haly to calm Sirius. "I uand your frustration, but moving too hastily could backfire. If we escate the flict, it could work in the Dark Lord’s favor. We must be careful."

  Alex couldn’t help but feel a little surprised. Even Dumbledore, the stro wizard he knew, wasn’t certain about defeating Voldemort yet.

  After a few moments of thought, Dumbledore spoke again. "We’ll prepare for the worst. Sirius, take Alex bae and enjoy the holiday season. Luckily, we’ve already takeions, and with uard up, there"s a othing may happen at all."

  Relutly, Sirius nodded. "Fine," he muttered. He stood up, signaling to Alex that it was time to leave.

  As Sirius and Alex left the basement, Dumbledore turo the remaining members. "Do you have any more specififormation?" Edgar Bones asked, his gaze sharp.

  Dumbledore nodded slowly. "Yes, I have more information from another source. I’m almost certain the Death Eaters will attack around Christmas, but I still have some reservations."

  "You mean there’s something we’re missing?" Gideo asked, frowning.

  Mad-Eye Moody, ever watchful, seemed to have an idea. His magical eye tracked Sirius as he left the room. "I think I know where yoing with this, Dumbledore."

  Dumbledore sighed. "Yes. The reason I’ve called only a small number of you here today is that I fear there may be a traitor within the Order."

  The room fell silent. Gideon looked shocked. "You think we have a mole?"

  Dumbledore nodded. "The Death Eaters seem to know too much about us. Despite our best efforts to keep members’ names and addresses secret, they’ve been able to track us far too easily."

  Edgar leaned forward. "So, is that why you didn’t tell Sirius?"

  Dumbledore raised his haly. "No, it’s not about Sirius. I trust his loyalty pletely. But his impulsiveness aional nature make it difficult for him to keep secrets. We need someone who keep a level head under pressure."

  Moody grunted. "I’ve had my suspis too. My bet’s on Mundungus Fletcher. That guy’s always skulking around, smuggling Merlin-knows-what."

  Dumbledore didn’t firm or deny. "We o be careful. Keep this information among ourselves for now, and we’ll tinue iigating quietly. The st thing we need is for the Dark Lord to find out we"re onto him."