Chapter 1425: A Difficult Problem
Chapter 1425: A Difficult Problem
Ever since the Ministry of Magic established that useless "Watchdog Committee", the entire British wizarding community has been in an uproar. Many wizarding families with missing loved ones have been specially targeted by the Ministry, especially those with any connection to Albert who have not chosen to hide. These unfortunate families have been summoned to the Ministry to explain the whereabouts of their missing relatives and clarify if they are working with Albert Anderson against the Ministry.
Numerous families have been fined and even imprisoned temporarily by the Ministry due to this witch-hunt.
This issue has even made the front page of the Daily Prophet, with the Ministry calling upon the missing wizards to turn themselves in to clear any misunderstandings.
"I warned them," Cedric murmured, his hand shaking slightly as he held the latest issue of the Daily Prophet.
In fact, the Diggorys were not the only ones who had been caught; other members of the association and refugees hiding in the shelter, such as Mr. Johnson, Angelina's father, had also been swept up in this mess.
"What should we do now?" Angelina turned to Fred in desperation, but even he was at a loss for a solution.
Ultimately, their adversaries would stoop to any level, and conventional methods were useless against such underhanded tactics. If they wanted to avoid defeat, they would have to resort to similarly unscrupulous means.
It had to be said that the Ministry's strategy effectively lowered everyone's moral standards.
This was not a good development.
To stabilize the morale of the Defense Association, Albert had no choice but to station himself at the association's headquarters, providing emotional support to the others.
As for a solution to the problem, Albert was just as clueless for the time being.
No one in their right mind would believe that surrendering to the Ministry was a good idea, and the Ministry had no credibility whatsoever. This was evident from the fact that they had only paid half the promised bounty.
"Is there really no other way?"
After all, these were their families, and most of the members were deeply concerned. They kept pestering Albert, hoping that he would provide a solution.
"Why don't we just destroy the Ministry of Magic entirely?" Albert suggested, leaving everyone stunned. "If the Ministry is gone, then those who have been captured won't have to worry about being arrested by them anymore."
"Don't joke about this, it's not funny at all." Shana placed a cup of tea in front of Albert and sat down on the sofa beside him. She picked up the newspaper from the table and said, "Umbitch has a lot to answer for."
"I'm not joking," Albert replied, sipping his tea. "Ever since Scrimgeour was brutally murdered and the Death Eaters took complete control of the Ministry, it ceased being the Ministry of Magic."
"Perhaps we could secretly get rid of Umbitch," Kenneth suddenly suggested. "That woman is nothing but trouble."
"Well..."
"I think it's a great idea," George chimed in, giving Kenneth a quick glance. He knew this was Albert's idea, so he readily agreed. "Solving the problem at its source is undoubtedly the most effective approach."
"Even if we don't kill her... we should make Umbitch disappear and prevent her from causing more trouble for us," Cedric said, his eyes flashing with anger.
"We could turn Umbitch into a toad and keep her as a pet," Angelina suggested.
"That punishment is far too lenient, especially after all the despicable things she has done," Albert said, shaking his head. "She deserves the cruelest punishment imaginable."
"We could turn her into a toad and make her live out the rest of her life as one," someone suggested.
"I agree."
"That's a brilliant idea."
"Let her live the rest of her life as a beast!"
The room buzzed with voices as everyone discussed their ideas, but Albert found the noise irritating.
People needed an outlet for their anger, and Umbitch, the instigator of all this chaos, was an ideal target.
She had proven time and again that she was nothing but a nuisance, from her actions during her tenure as a professor at Hogwarts.
There was no room for sympathy for such a troublesome individual.
After all, they had learned the hard way during their months-long battle with the undead that showing mercy to their enemies would only bring harm to their own people.
Moreover, they had not forgotten Umbitch's treatment of Muggle-born wizards. In their eyes, she was no better than a Death Eater, perhaps even more evil. Whatever miserable fate befell Umbitch, she deserved it.
"However, while getting rid of Umbitch is not difficult, her disappearance might cause problems," George said, turning to Albert. "The Death Eaters will surely assume that we are responsible, and they might take their revenge on the captured wizards."
"That's why I suggested dismantling the Ministry," Albert said with a smile.
Well! Everyone now realized that Albert had intentionally left them with this conundrum.
"How about we sneak into the Ministry at night and rescue them?" suggested Lee Jordan, one of the few people in the room who felt relatively carefree, as his family had left the country long ago.
"What if there are traps?"
"As long as the mysterious person doesn't show up, the Ministry won't be able to stop us," Fred said, seeking Albert's support.
"Not everyone has the courage to join us," George added. "What if they refuse? How can we convince them not to let their loved ones be captured by the Ministry again?"
"We'll persuade them," came the determined replies.
Everyone had made up their minds.
"That's the most troublesome part," Cedric admitted, his thoughts turning to their previous failures. "We couldn't even convince ourselves, let alone our families. Otherwise, they wouldn't be in this situation."
A somber silence fell upon the group.
They had all tried to persuade their families, but to no avail. Some had even opposed their efforts to stand up against the mysterious figure.
Perhaps this was the real problem Albert wanted them to solve! "This time, I will convince them," Cedric declared. "If they still refuse to listen, I will modify their memories and hide them away, just like we did with Granger." After witnessing the despicable tactics employed by the Ministry, he knew there was no other choice.
No wonder Albert had hidden his own family from the very beginning.
"You're being too presumptuous," Albert interrupted as he noticed most people were leaning towards Cedric's suggestion. "I suspect this matter is not as simple as you think. I'm certain that the Ministry's decision to detain these people is a trap. Don't forget that we've rescued people more than once. They're not fools, and they'll likely anticipate that we'll try to rescue these captives as well. I wouldn't be surprised if they've set up a trap, waiting for us to fall into it."
"You'll help us, won't you?"
"I won't lead you into a trap. That would be the most foolish thing to do," Albert said, feeling the need to remind them of the dangers.
"So, what should we do?"
Everyone turned to Albert, awaiting his final decision.
(End of Chapter)
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