Chapter 1413: Prejudice
Chapter 1413: Prejudice
Late at night, in the kitchen of the Order of the Phoenix headquarters.
Mrs. Weasley, looking dazed, stared at the hot cocoa she had just made, deep in thought.
"What's wrong, Molly?"
Mr. Weasley draped his cloak over his wife's shoulders and furrowed his brows in concern.
Mrs. Weasley's shoulders trembled slightly as she turned to look at her husband. In a lowered voice, she said, "Did they really do that?"
Molly was finding it hard to accept that her sons would engage in such deeds.
"You should be well aware of the situation in the British wizarding world," Arthur said, knowing what his wife was worrying about. "If this wizarding war continues, they will all have to face it sooner or later. Rest assured, they will be fine. You should trust Albert; that boy is level-headed and doesn't take unnecessary risks."
"No, it's just..."
Molly put down her cup, her voice shaking as she said, "I just... think it's not right. You know, I really don't want them to... kill."
She knew her children well.
Fred and George, though mischievous, were still good at heart.
However, ever since they proposed that astonishing plan, Molly had felt a strong sense of unease. She couldn't understand why they had become so radical and was worried that they might be heading down a path of no return, fearing that their future would be affected.
"No one likes to kill, but... sometimes if you don't kill, others will kill you. After all, we are not Dumbledore; we can't afford to be as merciful as he is..."
Mr. Weasley gently shook his lips, well aware of how ridiculous Molly's thoughts were. Still, he could only try to soothe her emotions with gentle words.
After all, Molly was his wife, and he understood that she wasn't a naive person. It was just that when it came to their sons, her usual judgment was clouded.
No one liked to kill.
However, in times like these, being a little ruthless wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
"It's normal for them to be influenced by Anderson, considering how close they are. That guy really hates dark wizards," Moody said as he walked in from outside, a bottle of liquor in his hand to ward off the cold.
Moody, too, was averse to the idea of killing, but he couldn't find any valid arguments against it, especially after seeing the cruel way so many Muggles had been killed and turned into Inferi by dark wizards.
After all, whether it was Sirius, Fred, or George, their actions against the dark wizards only marginally increased their chances of victory.
It was truly thanks to Albert that they were now strong enough to rival the Death Eaters.
"If there was a choice, no one would like to do it," Kingsley acknowledged as he took the hot cocoa from Molly and thanked her. He took a small sip before sitting down in an armchair next to Moody.
"Those guys have gone completely insane. They recently destroyed a small village and turned all its residents into Inferi," Kingsley sighed deeply as he spoke of this matter. "The number of Muggles they've killed is far greater than you imagine. Those bastards... they all deserve to die."
Initially, Kingsley had intended to take care of this matter himself. Having spent a long time in the Ministry of Magic, he knew its inner workings far better than Sirius. However, his suggestion had been politely refused by Sirius, considering Albert's prophecy that he might become the Minister of Magic one day. It would be best to avoid any potential stains on his record.
"In Anderson's words, that's making good use of waste!"
Moody tucked the bottle inside his cloak and picked up a hard meat pie, taking a sniff before offering it to Kingsley, who was sipping his hot cocoa.
"Don't you want some supper?"
Kingsley took a bite of the meat pie and immediately understood why. He proceeded to dunk the rest of it into his hot cocoa.
"I'll go make some mashed potatoes for you. Fred and George bought this instant food from the Muggle world, and Arthur said it tasted pretty good after trying it," Mrs. Weasley offered, busying herself by boiling water and scooping several spoonfuls of potato powder into the cups, mixing it with hot water and sprinkling some pepper on top.
"How does it taste?" Arthur asked curiously.
"It's not bad," Kingsley evaluated after taking another mouthful. "It's much better than that stuff called instant noodles. It's just a bit plain, not as good as freshly made food."
"It's a bit bland," Moody agreed, adding more pepper. This dish was undoubtedly more palatable than the hard meat pie.
Even though Moody truly disliked Albert, he had to admit that the boy had given them new hope.
"If only he wasn't so ruthless," Moody said, having killed many dark wizards himself, yet still feeling that Albert was excessively cruel and had a frightening way of thinking.
Especially after Albert had used Scrimgeour's hand to kill hundreds of dark wizards, Moody had realized that he was more dangerous than Voldemort, and he couldn't fathom why Dumbledore trusted him so much.
"Being ruthless is good; our enemy is, after all, Voldemort," Kingsley said, looking deeply at Moody and shaking his head. "He's never been an easy opponent to defeat."
Moody fell silent because Kingsley was right.
"If we follow Anderson's prophecy, those dark wizards will eventually become our enemies in the final battle," Kingsley continued. "Rather than letting them become a potential threat to us later, it's better to reduce the number of enemies now. I admit that his methods are a bit... extreme, but we have no other choice."
Kingsley put down his empty cup of mashed potatoes and wore a self-deprecating expression.
"If the Ministry of Magic wasn't under the control of Voldemort's supporters, they could capture those murderous dark wizards and claim a decent bounty from the Ministry," he said. "The current situation is indeed unique, but I don't think there's anything wrong with what they're doing. Ultimately, this matter concerns not just us but the entire Ministry of Magic."
"They are just being forced to lower their moral standards a bit. Think about the people in the shelter who are under our protection," Kingsley added, hoping to dispel any prejudice they might have against Albert, as the hope of defeating Voldemort rested on his shoulders.
As for Harry, Kingsley, of course, trusted him as well, but... in any case, he wanted everyone to face reality.
Defeating Voldemort was the top priority.
A brief silence fell upon the room.
Just then, footsteps approached from the corridor, and the kitchen door opened to reveal Harry, who looked slightly surprised to see them all still awake.
"Aren't you guys sleeping yet?" he asked.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I just couldn't sleep," Harry replied, his expression complicated as he had overheard their entire conversation through his Extendable Ear.
"Would you like some hot cocoa?" Mrs. Weasley offered, starting to make a cup for Harry with the freshly boiled water.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome, Harry."
Harry looked at Kingsley and Moody and said, "I heard that Sirius is planning to get some Galleons from the bounties offered by the Ministry of Magic to subsidize our expenses?"
"Yes, Sirius is already working on it, and they've had some good initial results," Kingsley nodded in agreement. "I heard they're plotting to get a big payout from the Ministry."
"That's great," Harry said. "I heard those dark wizards have killed a lot of Muggles. It's better for those scumbags to die sooner rather than later. After all, being too merciful to the enemy can sometimes be cruel to our own people. If we don't kill them, who knows how many Muggles might die at their hands."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
