Chapter 1389: An Irresistible Offer
Chapter 1389: An Irresistible Offer
In the following days, members of the Defense Association, led by Fred, George, Lee Jordan, and Cedric, continued to enthusiastically clear the Inferi lurking in the forest.
Although the initial excitement of battling the Inferi had faded, the group still maintained a high level of enthusiasm as they could noticeably feel their strength improving rapidly.
This was far more intriguing than practicing spells back at the Association's headquarters, and after familiarizing themselves with handling the Inferi, they rarely encountered any significant troubles. During their extermination missions, they even had the opportunity to test out bold strategies on the hapless Inferi, providing them with no small amount of entertainment.
If not for the sheer ugliness of the Inferi, many members would have gladly spent all their waking hours fighting them.
After all, for safety reasons, it was not permitted to venture too far from the Association's base.
Back at headquarters, aside from their daily routine of training and exchanging insights on spells, the members could only pass the time by playing Wizarding chess or cards, and some even learned to cook simple meals for themselves.
It was clear that the monotony was getting to them.
They needed an outlet.
During this period, the main force of the Association encountered a group of Death Eaters who had come to investigate the situation. Tensions ran high, and a fight nearly broke out.
As the Association members prepared to rally their companions and surround the enemy, the Death Eaters, upon seeing the fireworks in the sky, immediately lost their nerve and scurried away.
There was no stopping them; it seemed like an ambush, and with their superior numbers, if the Death Eaters didn't flee quickly enough, they'd be surrounded with no chance of escape. Clearly, they had only come to inspect whether the area was being watched by the Mud-bloods and weren't prepared for a full-blown battle.
In fact, it was a good thing those Death Eaters ran fast, or they might not have gotten away at all.
The battles against the Inferi were no longer enough to satisfy the Association members, and many had become emboldened to the point of wanting to take on Death Eaters for practice.
As for whether their opponents were Death Eaters or Dark Wizards, no one really cared about such details. They were all enemies, and the members of the Association were eager to teach them a lesson.
So, when the enemy slipped away, they couldn't help but feel disappointed and frustrated with Lee Jordan's team for not holding them back.
"If I were them, I'd turn tail and run too, without bothering to count how many of us there are," Lee Jordan said irritably. "And when I set off the fireworks to alert you, running was their only smart option. This world isn't full of idiots, especially not among Dark Wizards. The truly stupid ones have long since perished."
Everyone felt regretful, as a fight against Dark Wizards was something no one present would have shied away from.
The only person they truly feared was Voldemort, and as long as he didn't show up, the Death Eaters were nothing but a bunch of cowards, not worth their concern.
Of course, there was also the fact that their group numbered forty-three, and after systematic training and learning, their combat experience far surpassed that of most Dark Wizards. It would take at least forty Aurors to pose a challenge; otherwise, sending a handful of Death Eaters or Dark Wizards was simply feeding them experience.
The members of the Association found the situation dull and uninteresting, but instead of dispersing, they chose to hide and wait, hoping to lure in a bigger fish.
After all, now that the Death Eaters knew of their presence here, surely they would send someone to deal with them.
However, the result was nothing but disappointment. The Death Eaters never showed up, acting as if they had never encountered the Association members at all.
The Death Eaters were cowards! This was the conclusion the group came to after much discussion.
Of course, it was merely their own wishful thinking.
The truth, known only to Fred and the others in charge, was that both sides were exercising restraint to avoid a large-scale conflict.
Albert's instructions were clear: their task was to clear out the Inferi created by the Death Eaters, not to directly confront and overthrow their strongholds or put a stop to their persecution of Muggles.
Although many members had become inflated with confidence, even calling for the eradication of the Death Eaters, especially with Albert's tacit encouragement, there was a purpose to his lenience.
"Our goal is to assist Harry in ending the Wizarding War and defeating Voldemort once and for all, not to wipe out the Death Eaters," Albert explained. "To achieve final victory over Voldemort, we must bide our time and wait for the opportune moment."
While these words didn't satisfy everyone, they knew Albert's capabilities, and trusted that he had his reasons. Most importantly, no one thought that Albert was afraid; they believed he would lead them from one victory to another, and all they needed to do was focus on becoming stronger.
And so, the members of the Association obediently returned to battling the Inferi.
As they gained a deeper understanding of these dark creatures, the Inferi ceased to be a threat, especially with the growth and improved coordination they had achieved through their battles.
The triangular offensive tactic often employed by Fred, George, and Lee Jordan, along with the Aurors' improved version of the strength-in-numbers strategy, soon became common knowledge among the Association members.
The average Death Eater wouldn't stand a chance against our coordinated attacks. They'd be overwhelmed and taken down by the onslaught of spells.
The palpable sense of growing stronger was addictive, and no one in the Association could resist the temptation of power. This drove a desire to learn more spells and become even more formidable.
Albert's appearance at this juncture, offering secrets to enhance their abilities, pushed this fervor to new heights. Fred, George, and Lee Jordan felt a sense of crisis amidst this frenzy. They had no choice but to devote more energy into improving themselves and hoped to receive specialized guidance from Albert.
They didn't want to be outshined by their peers, especially since it was only a matter of time before others caught up after their initial accumulation of knowledge.
The fervor that had gripped the entire Association was quite frightening, but there was no denying that it was beneficial for everyone, as they were all progressing at an astonishing pace—a fact that left the members of the Order of the Phoenix astounded.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron felt particularly disgruntled about this. They, too, wanted to join in the eradication of the Inferi and enhance their abilities alongside their peers, but the members of the Order refused, insisting that Harry should focus on mastering the Blasting Curse. However, this pesky Dark magic spell proved to be more challenging than expected.
To date, their progress in controlling the Blasting Curse remained slow.
As for the Death Eaters' large-scale production of Inferi, the Order of the Phoenix was keeping a close eye on the situation, but they felt powerless to do anything about it. Muggles were numerous and spread across the entirety of Britain, so there was no telling when and where the Dark wizards would strike next. At least, according to Kingsley's investigations, the Muggle world had not yet been thrown into chaos by a significant number of disappearances. Ironically, the disappearance of vagrants had led to a noticeable improvement in social security.
"You've discovered another gathering place of Inferi?"
Upon hearing this news from Fred, Sirius Black wasn't too surprised. After all, with Albert's precognitive abilities, finding the Inferi hidden by the Death Eaters wouldn't be difficult if he put his mind to it.
As for trying to use precognition to prevent the Death Eaters from harming Muggles, obviously no one would suggest such a foolish idea. Everyone understood the limitations of precognition, and no one would waste their energy on such a thankless task. It would be much simpler to just eliminate all the Death Eaters.
"Yes, Albert thinks we should be more vigilant, especially since we've wiped out two of their hiding places for Inferi. He believes it's necessary to be cautious and avoid walking into any traps set by the Death Eaters," George replied, explaining the reason for their visit—to invite the Order of the Phoenix to join them in taking down another secret base of the Death Eaters.
"If Anderson is willing, wouldn't it be easy for him to do it himself?" Lupin asked, looking at the Weasley twins in confusion. "Is he not planning to come along, or is there a significant risk this time?"
"Albert doesn't think the risk is that high, but he can't always be with us. We can't rely on him forever," Fred said, exchanging a glance with George before continuing, "We need to stand on our own and achieve true growth. Just like you can't always restrict Harry; it's not conducive to his development."
"Do you think there might be an ambush?" Moody asked suddenly.
"Yes, there's a possibility," they replied.
"Walking into an enemy ambush is foolish," Arthur said, reluctant to support his sons' adventurous plan, even though the members of the Association had shown significant improvement.
"No, you've misunderstood," George explained, feeling helpless. "I invited the Order to join us on this mission because I want to enhance our ability to handle unforeseen situations and significantly reduce the risks we might encounter in future operations. No one wants to end up in a ditch just because everything has been too smooth sailing."
"..."
George's reasoning left the group speechless as they finally realized that the Defense Association was even more cautious than they were.
"Are there any other concerns?"
"If we destroy a large number of Inferi created by the Death Eaters, it may increase their sense of urgency and cause them to kill more Muggles to make up for the loss," one of them said hesitantly after a moment of silence. It was Sirius who voiced Kingsley's worry.
"Albert has mentioned something similar, but if the Death Eaters don't stop making Inferi, the growing number of them will eventually become a catastrophe," George replied.
Both sides had valid concerns, but no one knew for sure what the Death Eaters were thinking.
"Does Anderson think the Death Eaters won't stop making Inferi?" Sirius asked suddenly.
"He didn't mention it, but he's the one who told us about the locations of the Inferi. I believe he wants us to destroy that secret base and get rid of those Inferi," George said, unable to be certain himself. However, he suspected that Albert might have received certain intelligence from his spies, leading him to believe that destroying those Inferi was necessary.
(End of Chapter)
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