Chapter 1318: Nagging
Chapter 1318: Nagging
"Alright, that concludes our gathering for today. Are there any more questions?"
In the training room of the Defense Association, Albert, who had just put away his wand after a lesson, looked around at the still excited group with a nod of satisfaction.
It was good to see enthusiasm and passion; it would drive them to improve.
Speaking of which, the Defense Association had grown quietly, and the number of members had exceeded his expectations, now totaling over forty.
"When will we start our counter-attack?" someone asked, raising their hand.
Albert followed the voice and saw that the question came from Hufflepuff's Hannah Abbott.
This young lady had been helping to manage the students at the shelter and had done an excellent job. After much consideration, Cedric felt that she should receive more formal Dark Magic Defense training, so he recommended to Albert that she join the group for practice. After all, Hannah was already of age, free from the constraints of the Trace, and had passed her Apparition test.
"Many people believe that someone should stand up and lead the resistance against the Death Eaters and Voldemort."
Many members chimed in, their meaning clear.
Victory after victory had boosted the confidence of most Defense Association members, and they were eager to show their mettle.
"And then?"
Albert asked expressionlessly, "Get targeted by Death Eaters and suffer betrayal?"
As soon as these words left his mouth, the room fell into a dead silence, only to erupt into an uproar moments later.
Murmurs filled the room as everyone stared at Albert in surprise, clearly not understanding why he would say such a thing.
"I have to tell you all a very cruel truth."
Albert raised his hand to signal for quiet, and when the room had calmed down, he continued, "Don't be fooled by the fact that everyone is expecting someone to stand up and lead the resistance against Voldemort. Those words are nothing but false lies. I never deny that people long for peace, but most lack the courage to stand up and fight for it themselves. They would rather wait for a messiah to save them from their misery."
"I understand your desire to lead the resistance against Voldemort, but what most people need is a messiah, someone who can bring them peace without them having to fight for it themselves because it's too dangerous."
"Don't forget, this is a cruel Wizarding War, not a game we play at school. Wars claim lives, and everyone only has one life to lose. I don't want any of you to be manipulated and lose your lives pointlessly in this brutal war."
Looking at the bewildered faces of the members, Albert reminded them kindly, "Don't forget how the British wizarding community treated Harry Potter, the so-called 'Chosen One,' in the past. Don't let anyone manipulate you into making reckless decisions."
"I never deny that there are still many people in the British wizarding community who support us, but don't forget that the most they can offer is verbal support." Albert asked the crowd, "Do you know what verbal support means?"
Everyone looked at each other, and for a moment, no one answered.
"Let me give you an example." Albert suddenly pointed at Lee Jordan and said to Fred, who was standing next to him, "This guy wants to steal your girlfriend. Punch him!"
The crowd looked on in astonishment.
"Yes, I support Fred punching Lee Jordan." Albert spread his hands, "It's that ridiculous."
"Can't you come up with a better example?" Lee Jordan rolled his eyes at Albert.
The room immediately filled with laughter.
"To be honest, I never expected to get much support from others because I am well aware of the situation in the British wizarding community." Albert raised his hand to quiet the laughter, "Human nature is unreliable, and if the Death Eaters want someone to betray us, they just need to capture their family members and threaten their lives. To ensure their family's safety, most people would choose to betray us and stab us in the back.
However, the most ridiculous part is that even if they do betray us, they won't get their family members back because the words of Dark wizards are meaningless. They will continue to hold their loved ones hostage and treat the traitor like a puppet on a string."
Many frowned upon hearing this, seemingly judging the credibility of Albert's words.
"I assume you all know the famous 'Chosen One,' Harry Potter." Albert brought up a familiar name as an example, "Harry's father, James Potter, trusted his friend Peter Pettigrew too much and declined Dumbledore's offer to be their Secret-Keeper. As a result, they never expected that Pettigrew had already become a Death Eater and a spy for Voldemort within the Order of the Phoenix due to threats against his life. And as you know, the Potters appointed Pettigrew as their Secret-Keeper, which led to their betrayal and deaths."
"As a friend of the Potters, Pettigrew didn't hesitate to betray his friends. Do you still believe that others won't betray us if they are in a similar situation?"
"No, trust me, they are not as reliable as you think."
"If we can't trust them, who can we trust?" someone asked.
"Everyone in the Defense Association is trustworthy." Albert explained, "If you haven't forgotten, you should remember the list you signed when you first joined. I cast a strong contract magic on it, and we will know immediately if anyone betrays us."
"Can't it be broken?"
"Of course, it can, but I won't give them the chance."
Many started to wonder why Albert was telling them all this. Clearly, something had happened, or something bad was about to happen, and he was giving them a heads-up.
After all, they knew that Albert was not one to nag.
"Alright, perhaps this is not enough to convince you, and I never intended to. I believe that as adults, you can make your own judgments. Now, I want to talk about another shelter, a temporary one for other wizards who are being persecuted."
Albert actually hated nagging about these things, but he noticed that the members of the Defense Association had become a bit restless due to their consecutive victories. He needed to calm them down and make them aware of the current situation before someone or a group of them did something foolish.
"Has something happened?"
Cedric exchanged glances with the others and continued to listen quietly to Albert.
"Not long ago, Harry visited that shelter to try and encourage them to stay strong," Albert said with a mocking smile, "Just like many of you have said, people want someone to lead the resistance against Voldemort, and Harry Potter has indeed taken up that role. He is the most prominent figure, but very few have responded to his call, if any at all.
"Impossible!"
Many members widened their eyes in surprise, suddenly understanding why Albert had just gone to great lengths to tell them all that.
As persecuted Muggle-born wizards, most people didn't have the courage to stand up and rebel against the Death Eaters. How could you expect those who were still unscathed to bravely step forward and risk their families' lives?
Maybe there would be some, but they would undoubtedly be a minority.
"This is a war, a cruel war. So I want you to recognize the reality. Currently, among the entire British wizarding community, only those of us standing here, along with the Order of the Phoenix, and a very small number of other wizards have the courage to stand up and fight back." Albert raised his voice to emphasize his point.
"I've never deceived you, as that would be meaningless. If you don't believe me, just look at what happened to Scrimgeour. He once tried to protect the Aurors by dueling with the Death Eaters, hoping to keep them safe so they could become a crucial force in the resistance against the Death Eaters. But look at what those Aurors did—they betrayed Scrimgeour's expectations and became the Death Eaters' lackeys."
Everyone was left dumbfounded by Albert's words, but they had indeed heard similar news from the Wizarding Wireless Network not long ago.
Back then, none of them had thought much of it, never expecting it to turn out this way.
"Even the Aurors have turned to the Death Eaters?" Many members widened their eyes in disbelief. "I thought many Death Eaters had died at their hands?"
"Yes, but that was due to Scrimgeour's orders, and he's already dead, taking all the hatred with him to his grave and saving most of them." Albert said coldly, "So, don't hold on to unrealistic fantasies."
"What we need to do now is unite everyone we can, and prepare for the upcoming decisive battle." Albert looked at the bewildered members and said loudly, "Although in my prophecy, the scales of victory have already tilted in our favor, we must not relax before defeating the Death Eaters and achieving victory, because our enemies are equally strong."
"So, are we just practicing spells and combat techniques from now on?" Dean asked in confusion.
"Yes, that's what you need to focus on the most right now." Albert nodded, "As for those 'supporters' from the outside, we'll lend a helping hand whenever we can. But we won't risk our lives for them—our own safety always comes first."
A burst of enthusiastic applause filled the room.
Several members even came forward to give Albert a big hug.
No one thought that he was just spouting nonsense.
The members present were all adults and had their own judgment. They understood that Albert, who usually didn't like to ramble, had taken the time to explain all this to them for a reason.
They knew that Albert was teaching them an important self-preservation technique, just as he had said: "We never hesitate to lend a helping hand to others, but we will never endanger our own lives in the process."
"It must have been hard for you to say all that." Fred smiled and lightly punched Albert on the shoulder.
"I just want them to stay calm and not do something stupid in a fit of passion, only to throw their lives away." Albert warned, "The Defense Association has already caught the attention of the Death Eaters. If we're not careful, someone will get into trouble sooner or later. If something like that happens, it will seriously affect everyone's morale."
In the near future, morale would be crucial when facing off against the Death Eaters and their minions.
"So, should we stop our recent practices?" George asked with raised eyebrows. They had been going out in groups to find Dementors and practice the Patronus Charm.
"How's it going?" Instead of answering, Albert asked a question.
"It's okay."
"Just okay?"
"It's just like you said—not everyone can cast their Patronus when facing a Dementor." George nodded.
"About how many people succeeded?" Albert asked directly.
"About a third." Fred's face showed some embarrassment.
In fact, even he and George had difficulty casting their Patronuses when facing Dementors.
"If we have more time, we'll definitely be able to cast our Patronuses when facing Dementors."
"Time? You don't have time to mess around anymore."
"Why not? We just...
"Don't you know what you've been up to lately?" Albert interrupted impatiently, "The Order of the Phoenix isn't causing as much trouble as you are. If the Death Eaters aren't focusing on you, who else would they be targeting?"
"We couldn't refuse when that Slytherin kid offered to help. You know his whole family was killed by a Dark wizard, and he wants revenge." Fred tried to explain, "You know we can't turn down someone willing to join the vigilante squad, even if they're underage."
The people present felt a bit embarrassed, but it was undeniable that their combat experience had grown rapidly thanks to the battles with the group of Dark wizards.
"I hope you didn't let him kill anyone."
"No." George shook his head, "We just let him beat them up to vent his anger. His hatred has lessened a lot recently, and now he's focusing on practicing spells. I think he'll become a good helper for us in the future."
"Take a break for now, and stop practicing with the Dementors. Don't blindly step into someone else's trap."
"We're not idiots, how could we easily fall into an ambush?" Lee Jordan thought Albert's worries were unnecessary. Every time they went out to practice the Patronus Charm with the Dementors, they would target solitary ones and never give the Dark wizards time to react. Even if there were Dark wizards around, they wouldn't be a match for them. Just looking at the wands stored in the cabinet showed their impressive achievements, and who knew, maybe the wand prices in the market would rise because of them! "If they can't find you and choose to indiscriminately attack Muggles, will you help then?" Albert reminded them, "Remember, they are Dark wizards, and they will resort to any despicable means. So, don't push them to the point of desperation, or they might go crazy and force you out in other ways. Also, we have an operation coming up."
"What operation?"
"Hogwarts is about to start a new term, and there will likely be Death Eaters and Dementors inspecting the train. We're going to teach those guys a lesson, boost the confidence of the Defense Association members heading to Hogwarts, and guide them to rebuild Dumbledore's Army."
"So, are you going to lead us in this operation yourself?" The Weasley brothers widened their eyes, their faces filled with disbelief.
(End of Chapter)
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