Chapter 1219: A Matter of Importance
Chapter 1219: A Matter of Importance
"It seems my luck hasn't run out yet, to escape death at the hands of those scumbags!"
Truman awoke, rubbing his aching head as he opened his eyes. Seeing Cedric sitting beside him, flipping through a copy of 'A Guide to Self-Defense', he breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed his life had been spared.
"Albert thought you might be in danger, so he sent us to get you out of there," Cedric said, setting down his book and asking with a smile, "How are you feeling now?"
"Not great," Truman winced. "The Cruciatus Curse is no joke." He looked around, curious about his surroundings. "Where are we?"
"A temporary medical ward at the Defense Association," Cedric replied without hesitation.
Truman tried to sit up in bed but grimaced in pain. "What happened to those scumbags afterward?"
"They've been captured by the Ministry of Magic," Cedric said as he picked up a paring knife from the table and began slicing an apple into small pieces. He popped one into his mouth before offering the plate to Truman. "As for whether they'll get the death sentence, who knows? But they'll definitely be spending the rest of their lives in prison for using an Unforgivable Curse." He took another bite of apple and continued, "What are your plans now? My advice is to lie low for a while."
"Resign?" Truman understood Cedric's implication.
That was indeed the best option.
After all, he had been targeted by Death Eaters. If he didn't go into hiding now, they might come after him again, and he might not be so lucky next time.
"What about you? What are your plans going forward?" Truman asked in return.
Cedric had already gone into hiding due to the Death Eaters, abandoning his promising career at the Ministry.
"Albert said that after this Wizarding War is over, I can return to my job at the Ministry," Cedric replied. "The new Minister is likely to be Kingsley from the Order of the Phoenix, and having that connection will make it much easier to climb the ranks in the future." He took another apple slice and added, "You could consider returning to the Ministry as well."
"I think I'll pass," Truman said with a bitter laugh. "It's tough for a Muggle-born wizard like me to get a good position with all the discrimination. I think I'll help Albert with that large greenhouse he wants to build."
"Oh, I know about that," Cedric said, pulling a simple map of the village's layout from his robe pocket. "Albert also asked me to get Professor Sprout to be an advisor."
"He always has everything so well planned out," Truman said with a wry smile as he glanced at the map. "I just wonder when this damn war will finally end!"
"Probably within the next two years," Cedric said confidently. "This Second Wizarding War will be over soon, we just need to be patient." He trusted Albert's predictions.
"I'm more curious about why those scumbags wanted to capture me in the first place," Truman said through gritted teeth, still feeling the lingering pain of the Cruciatus Curse. "Is it just because I'm Albert's friend? Because I attended that wedding?"
"It's because the mysterious man, or rather, the Death Eaters, are desperate," Kenneth said, appearing in the doorway. "They're willing to resort to any underhanded tactic to achieve their final victory, and you, as a Muggle-born wizard, were an easy target to inflict damage without causing widespread panic."
"What about the others?" Truman asked. "Are they being targeted by the Death Eaters as well?"
"They're fine for now," Cedric shrugged. "The Death Eaters probably won't dare to make a move after getting their hands burned like this. The Ministry has captured quite a few of them this time."
"That's to be expected," Kenneth said. "Even if the mysterious man has a lot of followers, he can't afford to keep wasting them like this. Many of those who join up are just looking to take advantage of the chaos for their own gain, not to risk their necks..."
"...They're willing," Truman interrupted, his voice bitter. "Otherwise, they wouldn't have come after me, not just this once, but remember what happened to you, Cedric?"
"There will always be those who are tempted by the prospect of gain," Kenneth acknowledged.
"I think Albert should hit them hard," Truman said. "Teach them a lesson so they won't keep trying to mess with us."
"Truman took the last apple from the plate and devoured it in big bites, 'We must give those scumbags a piece of our mind, or they'll keep causing trouble.'"
"Do you think there's a chance the Ministry of Magic will lure out the Death Eaters and deal with them?" Kenneth withdrew his hand that was reaching for the plate and asked with a smile.
"If you want some, peel it yourself!"
Cedric pointed at the paring knife on the table.
"What do you think?"
"It's useless. The only reason the mysterious man and the Death Eaters are so extreme is that Albert has been hitting them hard in collaboration with the Ministry of Magic, forcing them to resort to desperate measures to try and kill Albert."
"How is that even logical!" Truman couldn't help but retort.
"Even Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix has had members killed by Death Eaters more than once," interjected Lee Jordan as he walked in, handing a potion to Truman. "Here, this will reduce the pain from the Cruciatus Curse. In a couple of days, you'll be as good as new."
Truman took the potion and drank it in one go, then asked, "So, we can only hide here for now?"
"Albert thinks something big might happen soon, and he doesn't want us to get caught up in it and lose our lives unnecessarily," Lee Jordan reminded them.
"What big thing?"
"I don't know, but something is definitely going on. It's already quite something that Albert shared this information with us; usually, he's reluctant to explain things to others," Lee Jordan said with a shake of his head.
The others exchanged glances, feeling that there might indeed be a good reason for this.
"Could it be that the Order of the Phoenix has been drawing the Death Eaters' fire, and because Albert's vendetta has become too prominent, that..."
Cedric stared at Lee Jordan's expression, as if trying to discern something from his face.
"Don't look at me like that, I don't know much more than you do," Lee Jordan said helplessly, spreading his hands. "But there will definitely be a major operation soon, and Albert seems to be preparing to deal a heavy blow to the mysterious man and the Death Eaters."
"So, that's why he wants us to lie low?" Truman was intrigued by what Lee Jordan was saying.
"It's more that he doesn't want us to get hurt. Haven't you noticed that no one from the Defense Association has been harmed so far?" Lee Jordan pointed out. "He's always trying to ensure our safety as much as possible."
"That..." Everyone felt that this made sense.
"In general, we still need to improve our own abilities. At the very least, if we encounter an ambush, we should be able to escape calmly, so let's train hard recently," said Cedric.
"That's also why Albert always emphasizes the importance of self-preservation first," Lee Jordan took a bite of an apple and said, "Take Truman's situation as an example."
"If you had jumped out the window back then, you might have had a chance to escape. Although there were a few Dark Wizards outside, you could have fled on a broomstick and escaped from above," he continued.
"I didn't have a broomstick, and my mind was blank at the time. I originally thought that after they left, I could Disapparate and leave, but they used a spell to completely seal the house, making Disapparating impossible," Truman said, not feeling that his judgment at the time had been wrong.
"Actually, you could have used a Portkey, even if making one on the spot is illegal. I think it's necessary to use a Portkey to retreat in an emergency," Cedric suggested. "I think we should ask Albert to teach us how to make Portkeys when he has the time."
"Well, you don't have to worry about that. Albert is already developing similar magical tools, it just takes some time. And the Ministry of Magic definitely won't allow Portkeys to be used indiscriminately," Lee Jordan said with a shrug. "The Ministry tightly controls Portkeys; if you're caught misusing them, you'll likely be hit with a hefty fine."
"He really has thought of everything," Kenneth quipped. "Speaking of which, it's been a few days since he last came to teach us Dark magic defense. Do you know when he'll be coming to teach us again?"
"Once you've mastered what Albert taught you last time, he'll come to continue your lessons. Otherwise, if you don't learn what's been taught, you'll easily fall behind, and teaching too much at once isn't very effective," Lee Jordan said, looking at each of them in turn. "So, you should all work hard at practicing."
(End of Chapter)
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