Chapter 1304: A Solution
Chapter 1304: A Solution
"Welcome to Dumbledore's Army," Albert began, sizing up the group of familiar faces, all of whom were Harry's acquaintances and supporters.
The room fell silent as everyone waited for Albert to continue, curious about the purpose of this gathering.
Albert got straight to the point. "As you all know, many witches and wizards in the British magical community have chosen to remain neutral, sit on the fence, or even side with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Our only option now is to unite those who share our values and are willing to stand against him."
"Of course, there's another crucial reason," Albert added.
"What reason is that?" Hannah spoke up.
"According to a prophecy made over a decade ago, Harry is destined to battle He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and he needs our support," Albert revealed, leaving the group stunned.
"Is this the important matter Harry mentioned?" Dean asked, unable to contain his curiosity.
"Yes, and Harry is preparing for this inevitable confrontation," Albert confirmed.
"We can't stand by and let him face this threat alone, not against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his legion of followers. He needs our help, and we are the ones who can provide it," Albert stated, his words earning a round of enthusiastic applause.
"Fighting against a Dark Wizard is incredibly dangerous, and needless sacrifice is unnecessary. However, don't let that discourage you. Even if some of you are younger or not yet skilled enough for the battlefield, there are still ways to contribute and help Harry defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," Albert continued.
"We can fight too! We're not afraid of death," the Creevey brothers protested.
"I know," Albert said gently. "But don't worry, you'll undergo rigorous Dark Arts defense training to better protect yourselves."
"Will you be the one to teach us?" Dean asked eagerly. "And does this mean we're now part of the Defense Association?"
Everyone leaned forward, keen to hear the answer to this question.
"You are already considered peripheral members of the association," Albert replied.
"Peripheral members?" The group echoed, their expressions a mix of surprise and confusion.
"The formal members of the Defense Association have undergone rigorous training. Take Cedric, for example," Albert said, gesturing to Cedric. "His Dark Arts defense skills are on par with those of an Auror. He could easily take down three or four of you on his own."
Cedric rolled his eyes, knowing Albert was deliberately provoking them.
"How can we become formal members, then?" Justin asked, unable to hide his eagerness.
"You still need to hone your combat skills, and when the time is right, we'll be happy to welcome you as full members," Albert said, choosing not to set a specific standard. "However, I must warn you that joining the Defense Association means facing genuine dangers and challenges, and it could even cost you your lives. You need to be mentally prepared for that possibility."
The group exchanged glances, clearly taken aback by Albert's blunt statement.
"Now, I'm here today to address your concerns," Albert continued, raising his hand to quiet them down. "First, we'll improve your living conditions to make your lives more comfortable. But this requires your active participation; you'll need to use magic to achieve this, rather than complaining and expecting others to do the work for you, like those outside."
"I know there's a shortage of food, but you can grow some quick-maturing vegetables to supplement your diet. I'm sure that won't be a problem for members of Hufflepuff House, right?" Albert said to Hannah. "I'll take care of the seeds for you."
"I think we can manage that, but we don't have suitable soil, and here..." Hannah trailed off, her concern evident.
"You have your wands, and you can create a greenhouse on the roof," Albert said calmly. "Don't underestimate yourselves. Many things depend on whether or not you're willing to take action. For example, you can use the 'Scourging Charm' to clean this place. It's not an overly difficult spell, so why not start taking care of your surroundings? I'm sure you don't want to live in such dismal conditions."
The group fell silent once more, and finally, at Hannah's urging, they began to clean the room using magic.
It didn't take long for the seven of them to restore the room to a clean state, even scrubbing away at the more stubborn stains.
"See? You're perfectly capable; it's just a matter of whether or not you're willing to put in the effort," Albert said gently. "Now, I'll give you half an hour to clean up your living quarters. I'm sure you'd like a more comfortable environment too, and when you're done, I'll treat you to something to eat."
"Do you say this to everyone?" Cedric asked, a hint of skepticism in his voice.
"I do, but it's difficult when they're not willing to help themselves. What can I do if they starve themselves to death?" Albert shrugged. "To be frank, if they're presented with food and are too lazy to eat it, then they deserve to go hungry."
"That's a bit..."
The group fell silent, knowing that what Albert said was true, no matter how harsh it sounded.
"But Hannah and the others listened to you," Cedric pointed out, still struggling to understand.
"They were probably members of Dumbledore's Army at school, and they support Harry. It's easier to convince them to trust me," Albert explained.
"That makes sense. If we teach them how to take control of their environment and improve themselves, they'll get back on track and stop complaining about their circumstances because they'll know they have the power to change them," Shana chimed in. "They'll feel a sense of accomplishment, and those who choose not to listen will have to continue enduring the conditions, but that's their choice."
"After all, convincing a small group is always easier than convincing the majority!"
"I never thought of it that way," one of them murmured.
"You've had your mind mostly on Qiu Zhang, so you haven't paid attention to the rest," Albert teased with a smile.
Cedric blushed slightly as the others teased him about when he and Qiu would get married.
"Ahem, I'm still young, and there's no rush to get married," Cedric replied, a hint of embarrassment in his voice.
Cedric did have feelings for Qiu, but with the current situation, it wasn't the right time to discuss such matters. The tragedy of Bill and Furong's wedding served as a stark reminder of the risks.
"You should seize the opportunity while you can," Albert advised gently. "If you wait too long and let those initial years pass, the desire might fade."
"What about you, Fred?" Cedric asked, trying to deflect the attention.
"I'm willing, but Angelina wants to play a few more seasons before retiring," Fred shrugged. "So, we've decided to wait until after this war is over..."
"Perhaps you should consider getting engaged first, and you can figure out the wedding details later," Albert suggested.
Albert interrupted, preventing Fred from claiming her without reason.
"That's a good idea. I'll discuss it with Angelina when I get back, but I don't know if she'll agree," Fred acknowledged Albert's suggestion.
"We've talked about this, and Qiu Zhang agreed, but it's not appropriate for us to contact our families right now, you know how things are," he added.
As they spoke, Hannah had already finished cleaning with the others and returned to find Albert.
"I think you need beds!" Hannah exclaimed.
Albert looked at the empty room and waved his wand, summoning cardboard boxes out of thin air. He then used the Sticking Charm to glue the boxes together, forming a single bed.
"This will collapse with the slightest pressure," Hannah commented.
"Of course, you need to transfigure it. Watch," Albert said as he cast a spell on the cardboard bed, transforming it into a simple single bed.
"Tables and chairs can be created in a similar way. Transfiguration magic is more practical than you think, but you must know how to use it. If you're not successful, you can try working together to transfigure an object. It's usually not too difficult as long as the surface areas of the objects are roughly the same," Albert explained, providing a demonstration.
Hannah paused, feeling embarrassed. "But we don't know the spells, so we can't turn it into a bed like you did."
"Oh, right, that was a big oversight on my part. I'll teach you the spells," Albert admitted, having not considered the issue of spells since absorbing Dumbledore's knowledge from his Transfiguration notes. He now relied less on specific spells.
"Alright, let's head to the kitchen. I believe everything should be ready by now. As promised, I've prepared some food for you. Rest assured, it's not boiled potatoes," Albert said, leading them to the kitchen. The house-elves had prepared a sumptuous feast as instructed.
However, to everyone's surprise, the entire spread was made from wheat and potatoes.
"There are numerous ways to cook wheat and potatoes. You just don't know how. Otherwise, you could easily have a different flavor every day," Albert explained as he handed a bowl of steaming knife-cut noodles to Hannah. "Taste it. I think this is more convincing than anything else."
"So, there's none left for us," Lee Jordan pouted, having tagged along. "Watching them eat made me hungry."
"Are these vegetable pies?" Andy asked, eyeing the dumplings curiously. "They taste pretty good."
"They're vegetable fried dumplings, made from wheat and vegetables," Albert clarified. "You can change the filling as you like."
Everyone was skeptical, never imagining that wheat and potatoes could be turned into such delicious dishes.
"Albert is quite the food connoisseur," Shana said, waving her wand and producing two books that she handed to Hannah. "Here's Albert's Magical Cookbook. I compiled it myself. Even with simple ingredients, you can make delicious food, so stop complaining about the meals. It's because you don't know how to cook."
Shana playfully winked at Albert and added, "I plan to publish this book someday. I hope you don't mind!"
"Not at all," Albert replied with a smile.
"The house-elves here can cook all these dishes. I suggest you ask them for guidance whenever you can. It's a rare opportunity, especially for the young ladies. You may not find such qualified teachers again," Albert advised, turning to the house-elves. "Please take care of them."
"We will do our best," the house-elves replied with a bow.
Hannah's expression was peculiar, as Albert referring to the house-elves as teachers was unthinkable in the wizarding world. Only Albert could make such a suggestion so calmly.
After everyone had their fill, Albert continued, "That's about it. You need to stick together and spend more time practicing spells. We'll send people to instruct you as well. Believe me, with hard work, you'll make greater progress than Hogwarts students because you have more time."
"Is it the same with the Defense Association?" Hannah asked curiously.
"Yes, more or less. But we spend most of our time training for combat," Shana replied.
"Most members have gone through a stage of accumulating spells. This process usually takes about a year," Albert added thoughtfully. "So, don't rush. Once you have a good grasp of spells, I'll officially invite you to join the Defense Association and teach you how to fight Dark Wizards, not just throw spells at each other like children. This is knowledge you won't learn from books, and it's one of the benefits of joining the Defense Association."
"Can we become as strong as Cedric then?" Justin asked eagerly, understanding the importance of strength in these turbulent times.
"With that experience, you'll essentially have the combat capabilities of an Auror from the Ministry of Magic. You won't need to fear even ordinary Dark Wizards because their combat skills won't be as refined as yours with systematic training," Albert assured them.
Seeing the group's eager expressions, Albert continued, "You'll be able to defeat them more easily and, with some Dark Magic defense equipment, you'll have no problem protecting yourselves."
They believed him, especially after witnessing Fred and George thoroughly beat up the Death Eaters who had been watching them earlier.
Everyone was amazed as they witnessed Albert's skill in persuading the members of Dumbledore's Army.
They knew that this matter was likely settled. At the very least, Albert had painted a promising future, and their situation would soon improve.
While others might resent this development, what could they do?
They had been bought with galleons, so could they really fight for their pride?
No one would be that foolish.
For those who wanted a better life, joining Dumbledore's Army was their best option.
As Albert had said, it was easier to let them convince themselves than to try to persuade them with words.
"By the way, one of the contact devices lit up this morning," Lee Jordan mentioned as they returned to the Defense Association headquarters.
"Let's observe for a couple of days first, in case they're being controlled by the Death Eaters' Killing Curse and leading us into a trap," Albert said calmly. "It's always better to be cautious."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
