Chapter 1265: No Other Choice
Chapter 1265: No Other Choice
"Kreacher contacted me earlier." George pushed open the door and entered the room, looking towards Albert who was perusing a parchment on his desk.
"Oh, what did he want?" Albert asked, although he already knew the reason.
"You're so calm about all this," George sighed, knowing that Albert must have an idea about the situation.
"What else can I do? I've done what I could and should," Albert replied, setting down the parchment and looking up.
"They still haven't been able to locate Professor Burbage."
George knew that Albert was indifferent about the matter. If he truly wanted to help, he would have offered to search for the professor instead of idly chatting.
In fact, his earlier words had all but directly stated that he didn't care if Professor Burbage lived or died.
No one wanted to pay the price for another's mistake, and Albert's willingness to help with the prophecy already showed consideration for their past relationship.
"We can't find her? Well, that's not surprising. Crystal ball prophecies can be tricky, and it's often difficult to extract the necessary information from the visions," Albert said, unsurprised. If crystal ball divination were that powerful, it wouldn't be so widely doubted.
However, as a master diviner, Albert was aware that many people were simply unwilling to believe in prophecies or divination.
As a result, many diviners were doomed to watch helplessly as disasters unfolded before their eyes, unable to prevent them.
Dwelling on it would only lead to endless frustration.
So, he usually limited himself to issuing warnings. Whether or not the other party believed him or took action was beyond his control.
As for trying to change the prophecy—that was undoubtedly a difficult task.
Attempting to alter every prophecy would likely lead to being branded as a madman, and one might even end up dead.
"Everything comes at a cost," Albert murmured.
Albert could easily find out Professor Burbage's whereabouts by asking the spy within the Death Eaters to pass on a message. However, he had no intention of doing so. He wouldn't risk exposing the spy, no matter how low the chances were, just to pay the price for Professor Burbage's personal decision.
That was their last remaining spy, and it wouldn't be easy to insert another one into Voldemort's inner circle, especially without a certain level of standing. Some information was simply inaccessible otherwise.
"What?" George looked at Albert, confused.
"You're all overlooking something."
"What is it?" George asked, curious.
"Dumbledore is dead. The one who could have supported us and carried half the sky is gone," Albert said softly, his voice tinged with nostalgia. "The times have changed. They are no longer the same as before, and the world is no longer safe."
"Take Scrimgeour, the Minister of Magic, as an example. Without Dumbledore's protection, he nearly got killed by the Death Eaters, and many people still haven't realized this—the times have changed."
"If Dumbledore were still alive, Professor Burbage wouldn't be in this situation. But he's dead, so naturally, Professor Burbage, who stayed in Britain, won't fare any better," Albert said sarcastically. "That's how the world works. Some people have to die to serve as a bloody example for others to wake up. All I can do is try to ensure that you guys don't end up as part of that unfortunate bunch."
"So, don't worry about Professor Burbage. Her life or death now depends solely on her own luck." A mocking smile played on Albert's lips. "After all, I'm not her father, and I won't risk my life to pay for her mistakes."
George's mouth hung open.
After a long while, he stepped forward and gave Albert a hug, sincerely saying, "Thank you."
"You're welcome. We're friends," Albert replied.
"Friends... that's nice," George murmured.
"When is Bill getting married?" Albert asked suddenly.
"It should be soon," George replied, his heart skipping a beat as he asked, "Why? Is something wrong?"
"If Bill plans to marry Fleur, it would be best to do it while the wizarding world is still relatively stable," Albert advised kindly. "To be frank, I don't think the Death Eaters will kindly attend the wedding, especially considering the Weasley family's reputation among pure-blood wizards."
"You mean..." George's eyes widened as a bad feeling settled in the pit of his stomach.
"As you know, your family is quite close to Harry Potter, and you're my friends," Albert said, fully aware of what would happen.
"So, the Death Eaters will cause trouble."
"Trouble?" Albert shook his head. "No, it's an opportunity for them—an opportunity to catch you all in one place. They won't easily let it pass if they have any sense."
"Is there anything we can do?" George asked anxiously.
"You shouldn't be asking me that."
"I'll talk to Bill about this. It's not a good idea to get married during a war," George said, recalling Albert's wedding.
"To be precise, it's not a good time to hold a grand wedding," Albert corrected.
"But once the Ministry falls, all members of the Order of the Phoenix will inevitably be affected. Most likely, they'll be interrogated, watched, and the unlucky ones might even be killed out of spite," Albert said, knowing that the situation was more dangerous than what was depicted in the novel. The main reason was that Scrimgeour, or rather, he himself, had killed a large number of Death Eaters and dark wizards, fostering deep hatred between the two sides.
"Well, things might get ugly for Kingsley and Tonks, given that the Aurors from the Ministry have killed quite a few Death Eaters in the past year. The combination of the Order of the Phoenix and the Aurors will surely attract more enmity. So, it's crucial to have a headquarters protected by the Fidelius Charm."
"But my family can't possibly all hide away. After all... "
"Would you rather hide or die?" Albert countered.
"Scrimgeour chose to die, and so did Professor Burbage. As for me, I'm not going to bet on such a slim chance," George said.
"You're right. And that traitor, Snape, will definitely leak the list of Order members," George hurriedly took out his notebook and jotted down what Albert had said. "Thank you. It's indeed necessary to remind them and prevent them from making stupid mistakes."
"The situation isn't as dire as you think. At least, the headquarters of the Order, protected by the Fidelius Charm, is safe enough," Albert consoled. "By the way, how's the radio broadcast going?"
"It's all set up. We've divided it into two channels, one encrypted and the other unencrypted, as you instructed," George said, curious as to why Albert placed so much importance on the radio channel.
"Use this opportunity to educate everyone about Professor Burbage's disappearance and the Death Eaters' and Voldemort's hatred and persecution of Muggle-born witches and wizards," Albert signaled for George to take note of this.
"Is the situation that bad?"
"Yes. I met with Scrimgeour earlier this morning," Albert said softly. "I think it's necessary to make those Muggle-born witches and wizards snap out of their illusions."
"But... "
"They won't believe it, nor will they wake up to the reality?" Albert's eyes seemed to see through the future, and he muttered, "It doesn't matter. All we need to do is remind them. We've done what we can and should. When things really happen, they will naturally recall our warnings, instead of being like sheep herded by wolves, clueless and helpless."
"You wouldn't possibly be thinking of..." George stared at him, eyes wide.
"We need more support," Albert said calmly. "There must be quite a number of witches and wizards in Britain who are married to Muggles."
"But will they really be willing to..."
"When Voldemort takes control of the Ministry and starts targeting Muggle-borns, it won't be about their willingness anymore," Albert interrupted.
"Have you prophesied something?"
"The Muggle-born Registration Committee," Albert replied.
"The what?" George asked, his expression one of bewilderment.
"It means what it says. The Ministry will investigate so-called 'Muggle-borns', accusing them of stealing wands and committing acts of violence to illegally obtain magical abilities. They will be arrested and sent to Azkaban," Albert was certain that something like this would definitely happen, whether it was Umbridge or some other Death Eater who carried it out.
"Have they gone mad?" George muttered. "How can people allow such a thing to happen?"
"What can they do even if they don't allow it?" Albert asked with a strange expression. "Do you expect them to protest to Voldemort?"
George fell silent. If Voldemort truly controlled the Ministry, all of this would become a tragic joke.
"If they don't want their spouses to suffer, they need to join us in opposing Voldemort," Albert outlined the plan to George. "Believe me, if they're not willing to wake up, then Azkaban and the Dementors will be their best companions. Most of them won't last long, and a miserable death in Azkaban will be their final destination."
"So, they have no other choice."
"No, they do have a choice. They can leave Britain," Albert said calmly. "If they're not willing to do that, then they will end up like Professor Burbage."
"But is it really meaningful to drag them into this?" George was even more confused.
"You're mistaken. It's not about me dragging them into this. Ever since the Second Wizarding War began, all Muggle-born witches and wizards are destined to be dragged into this war and become the lowest-level victims," Albert corrected him. "They only have three choices: stand up and fight, go to Azkaban and await death, or leave Britain to escape this calamity."
"So, those Muggle-born witches and wizards are naturally on our side."
"Exactly," Albert continued. "However, they still haven't realized the impending danger, nor do they understand the terrible consequences that will befall them once Voldemort controls the Ministry. What we need to do is use the radio broadcast to awaken their sense of crisis and give those Muggle-borns a helping hand, so they don't become mere sacrificial lambs in this war."
"I hope they have the courage to do so," George sighed, feeling sympathy for the Muggle-borns' predicament.
"They must have the courage," Albert said, displeased with George's sentiment. "This is war, not a child's game. You should know the consequences of losing, even if I don't spell it out for you."
(End of Chapter)
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