Chapter 1300: Growing Stronger
Chapter 1300: Growing Stronger
Recently, the British magical world has been in a state of unrest.
Discussions about the Ministry of Magic offering rewards for information on Muggle-borns are rampant, and a group of witches and wizards seeking to profit from the capture of Muggle-borns have joined forces, expanding the ranks of the hunters.
In just a few days, under Galon's enticement, Azkaban has welcomed a new batch of inmates, and even some unfortunate Muggle-borns living in the gray areas have fallen victim to this crackdown.
Just as Albert had anticipated, the "Self-Defense Guide" has finally proven its worth. A small number of Muggle-born witches and wizards who had purchased the guide managed to hide their traces, disguise themselves as ordinary Muggles, and successfully blend in with the Muggle population, evading capture by the hunters.
Of course, many Muggle-borns who have integrated into the magical world did not choose to hide back in the Muggle world. Instead, they opted to flee to remote and uninhabited areas, embracing a life of wilderness survival. Interestingly, only a small number of witches and wizards chose to leave the country to avoid the disaster altogether.
Albert was left speechless by this, utterly perplexed by their line of thinking.
If they were going to venture into remote areas anyway, why not just leave the country and find safer options elsewhere?
"Their mindset is different from yours," Isabelle reluctantly admitted that her husband was right, and fleeing the country would indeed be safer. "Perhaps they don't have the means to leave, and not everyone shares your sense of adventure or your level of preparedness. Not everyone possesses your magical prowess, Albert. For ordinary witches and wizards, their jobs and families are their entire world."
"You're right, dear," Albert said softly. "I think I know what to do."
"But you've already done your best to help them, haven't you?" Katrina failed to understand what more Albert intended to do.
"Be careful," Isabelle kissed Albert's cheek and reminded him, "Will you be back for dinner?"
"Leave me some supper," Albert replied.
"I thought you'd find a way to stop him from going on these adventures," Katrina said, watching Albert's departing figure.
"I've tried," Isabelle shook her head, "And I trust that he won't take unnecessary risks."
"The situation in Britain is dire. Maybe he won't take risks, but his friends will. You know what Gryffindors are like," Katrina added.
...
"I thought you'd forgotten all about the association!"
Sana placed another cup of tea in front of Albert, her tone tinged with resentment.
Albert steered the conversation in a different direction. "How's the student transfer going?"
"Not great," Sana admitted.
She sat down across from Albert and filled him in on the events of the past few days. "Not all students are willing to trust us. Maybe it's because the professors are all sporting Mr. Shacklebolt's faces, or maybe there are other reasons. Thankfully, two-thirds of the students are willing to trust us and enter the Defense Association's headquarters."
Sana emphasized the word "headquarters."
"Of course, the situation over there isn't ideal either. Cedric has been trying to get them to clean up the place, but it hasn't been very effective. I'm sure Cedric has a lot he wants to discuss with you."
"That's to be expected," Albert replied, unfazed by the resentful look Sana gave him. "After all, they've never had to do these things before. At Hogwarts, most of the work is done by house-elves. It's not surprising that these students have poor self-care abilities when it comes to daily life. But now that they're refugees, they don't have house-elves to rely on, so it's already a feat that they're able to feed themselves. If they can't accept that, they're free to leave."
"Don't expect any gratitude from them," Sana said irritably. "They probably hate you and think you're deceiving them."
"I never expected their gratitude," Albert shrugged. "Lately, I've been asking Lee Jordan to broadcast more stories about the plight of Muggle-born witches and wizards. Happiness is all about contrast."
"Do you think they'll believe it?" Sana asked skeptically.
"We're not deceiving them, we're telling them the truth," Albert set down his teacup and said coldly. "At the end of the day, if they can't figure out how to save themselves after crossing the Confundus Zone, then they deserve their misfortune."
"You're ruthless," Sana remarked. "By the way, I think you should go and take a look at the headquarters. The situation there really isn't good." Cedric sat down next to Albert and sighed softly. "I suggest you go and visit them. I'm sure your presence will boost their morale."
"Are you sure you don't mean that I should go and listen to their complaints?" Albert shook his head. "Besides, as their Secret-Keeper, if I show up there, it means the headquarters is compromised, and it will no longer be a safe haven."
"You're right, but..." Cedric wanted to say more, but Albert stopped him.
"They are incredibly fortunate," Albert argued. "The Ministry of Magic has deployed a large number of people to search for Muggle-borns. How many do you think will come out of Azkaban alive?"
"Should we try to persuade the students who didn't go to the safe house again?"
"They need to take responsibility for their own lives, not us," Albert corrected. "We've already tried to convince them, and we've even taken great risks to leave them a means of contact. We've done everything we can."
Albert looked directly into Cedric's eyes and calmly asked, "Do you think we should grovel and beg them to go to the safe house?"
Cedric was left speechless.
"That's how it is," Albert emphasized. "If Death Eaters show up at their door one day, it's not our problem. We've done all we can."
Not long ago, Albert received the latest news from Percy.
Umbridge had failed to obtain the desired list from Snape (it had been hidden by Professor McGonagall), so she resorted to the most violent means possible—she extracted the information directly from the mind of the wizard who had made the record. Who knows how much information she acquired?
Either way, that wizard was dead now.
This turn of events took Albert completely by surprise. No one could have foreseen Umbridge's ruthless move.
Albert didn't tell anyone about this.
Because even if he did, others might not believe him.
Perhaps only a harsh lesson would make them truly wake up to the reality of the situation.
This was the dilemma of a Seer—but Albert had now learned to accept it calmly.
After all, having come from an era of declining moral standards, he might not have deliberately done bad things, but ultimately, he was still a self-interested individual.
"By the way, there's one more thing," Sana suddenly said. "Fred and George have been using the Death Eaters who are monitoring the safe house as practice dummies lately. I think you should convince them to stop. If they keep doing this, they might really anger the Death Eaters one day, and if a truly troublesome opponent shows up, they'll be in big trouble."
"They need an outlet, don't look at me like that. I would never hypocritically persuade others to give up revenge." Albert's words surprised those present. "However, I will remind them to be mindful of the limits."
"I think it's perfectly fine to use those Death Eaters as training targets," Fred said, not feeling that he and George had done anything wrong. "Those students need to vent their anger, and letting them unleash their fury on Death Eaters is undoubtedly a good choice."
"I hope you remember to erase their memories, and... never mind." Albert finished his cup of tea and pointed to the spot next to Sana.
"I want you to know that you're risking your lives," Albert said to Fred as he sat down. "If you really want to take revenge on them, it's best to find another place to do it, not right under their noses. That would be extremely foolish. And George, I hope you remember your Secret-Keeper identity."
"Okay, you're right about that!"
Fred accepted Albert's suggestion, as Albert did not stop them from seeking revenge on the Death Eaters.
"I'll be careful," George said.
Noticing the looks from Sana and Cedric, Albert shook his head. "Hatred is not easily eliminated. Harry seeks trouble with the mysterious man, not because he is the savior, but because the mysterious man killed his entire family. So, of course, he wants revenge, regardless of whether he is the savior or not. But I still hope that the two of you can remain rational and not let your hatred cloud your judgment to the point of sacrificing your lives. That would be extremely foolish."
"You're right, we'll be careful," George said, giving Fred a meaningful glance. Changing the subject, he continued, "We've been trying to get some sleeping bags for them from Muggles lately. There's almost nothing in the shelter, and their lives are quite difficult."
"Have they forgotten that they're wizards?" Albert said exasperatedly. "They have wands; if they're lacking something, they can just use magic to create it directly. They can also practice their Transfiguration spells. Magic is something that needs to be used frequently."
"That's not easy; not everyone is like you, and Transfiguration is the most difficult subject of all." Cedric felt that Albert was taking it too much for granted.
"Of course, I know it's not easy, but it requires practice, and they can learn from each other. Nothing comes easily." Albert tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "Practice, practice, and keep practicing. This is much faster than how they learned things at Hogwarts. Don't underestimate their potential. I believe that if they persist for a year or two, they might even surpass Hogwarts students in Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"Okay, you've convinced me," Cedric shrugged. "But I still think they need someone to guide them, and you're undoubtedly the most suitable person for that."
"You can't expect a group of students to be like you," Sana agreed, deciding to pass the buck to Albert. "In fact, if it weren't for your guidance, things would be a mess here, too."
"Are you sure you don't just want me to go and listen to their complaints?" Albert looked suspiciously at the others.
"Why would you think that?" George countered.
"Because I've already guessed what I'll be facing when I go there, but that... doesn't mean much." Albert sighed softly. "Okay, you're right. They need someone to guide them. Are you satisfied now?"
"It looks like you're finally willing to pay them a visit."
Not just Cedric, but everyone laughed happily.
"They need someone to listen to their complaints," Albert shook his head. "But in the end, they have to rely on themselves. We can help them for a while, but not forever. They must recognize the reality and pull themselves together."
"That's difficult," Fred said.
"Then let them suffer a little," Albert said without hesitation.
"What do you plan to do?"
"The house-elves will have to return to Hogwarts after the summer holidays and won't be able to continue preparing food for them, so they must learn to fend for themselves, or they'll be eating boiled potatoes every day, or going hungry." Albert said with a malicious smile, "I'm sure that when they're hungry enough, they'll swallow anything."
"House-elves..." Cedric seemed to think of something.
"Dobby is busy taking care of you guys. Next time, remember to come to the kitchen to help, or perhaps you wouldn't think like that. And he's being paid by Albert, by the way," Sana said, patting Cedric's shoulder.
"Sorry."
"How's it going with the Order of the Phoenix? Have they found a suitable candidate yet?" Albert asked, changing the subject.
"Ted, Tonks' father, is willing to help, you know, because of Lupin, he doesn't want to stay at the Order's headquarters," George explained. The Order also had several partners who were willing to provide shelter and assistance.
"Actually, Lupin doesn't mind going there, but considering Tonks' situation, he eventually gave up," Fred said, feeling that the relationship between Lupin and the Tonks family was quite problematic.
"His werewolf identity is a problem. You would mind, too, if you were them," Albert said matter-of-factly. "But since he married Tonks, he should have been prepared for this."
"I heard you approve of them being together," Fred said suddenly.
"It's not like my daughter is marrying him. Why would I object?" Albert said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Everyone exchanged glances, at a loss for words. Indeed, that made sense.
"By the way, Hannah Abbott wants to join us. Her parents were both killed by the mysterious man," Cedric said, remembering the young woman who had contacted him recently.
"Is she of age? If she still has the Trace on her, that could be a problem." Albert raised an eyebrow. "We'll have to wait until the Trace disappears before we can consider it."
"She's of age," Cedric confirmed. "What do you plan to do with her?"
"I remember Miss Abbott was a prefect. If she's willing, she can go to the shelter first and help take care of the kids there, as well as learn some Dark Arts defense with the others," Albert thought for a moment. "At least she'll have her classmates there, and it won't make them hate pure-blood wizards. They must understand that their suffering is caused by the mysterious man."
"You really know how to make use of everyone, don't you?"
(End of Chapter)
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