Chapter 1563: A War Without Victors (XIII)
Chapter 1563: A War Without Victors (XIII)
After chatting with Albert along the way, Kingsley's attitude towards certain matters changed, especially regarding the mess at Hogwarts, and he was more willing to spend time and effort to resolve it.
The acting minister seemed to believe that they shouldn't waste their limited time and energy on the dead anymore, and as a result, a thorny issue that had plagued them was easily resolved.
At the very least, they no longer had to consider how big a mass grave they would need to dig to bury the hundreds of bodies without any subsequent problems.
It would definitely be much easier to find a place to burn the bodies of the fallen Death Eaters to ashes than to bury them.
After a brief discussion between the employees of the Ministry of Magic and the professors of Hogwarts, it was finally decided to burn the bodies of the dead Death Eaters in a desolate area at a distance from Hogwarts to avoid the smoke and smell from affecting the school.
Many people sensed the changes in the Ministry, and even the employees were surprised. It was as if a dull set of gears had been well-oiled and had started turning silently and smoothly.
The entire Ministry was dealing with the various messes left over from the Wizarding War in a staggeringly efficient manner.
In the eyes of others, this meant that Kingsley was indeed fit to be the acting minister.
However, the silent members of the Order of the Phoenix had already guessed the reason.
Kingsley had obviously received guidance from a "wise man."
They all knew that Kingsley had wanted to hire Albert as his senior advisor to help him through this difficult period.
Judging from the changes in the Ministry, Kingsley had undoubtedly succeeded.
Those who had truly understood Albert's "crisis plan" could see its influence in the way the Ministry was handling matters.
Kingsley had merely refined and improved upon that plan. But the remaining members of the Order at Hogwarts didn't dislike Kingsley's decision. They, too, were already exhausted and hoped to get rid of the mess that burdened them. Kingsley had used the Ministry's name to do what they wanted to do but couldn't.
This was undoubtedly a welcome turn of events for everyone involved.
"So, why didn't we just do this from the start? It would have made things much easier for us," Professor Slughorn blurted out during the temporary meeting.
To be honest, facing a mountain of bodies day after day would make even the most mentally resilient person feel physically unwell and lose their appetite. Burying the dead as soon as possible was the greatest respect they could give.
Professor Slughorn's words resonated with the group, and at least most people thought Kingsley was doing the right thing. Some matters required swift and decisive action, rather than wasting unnecessary time and energy, ultimately dragging everyone down.
Anyway, everyone had been busy for two consecutive days and was already exhausted, but they still couldn't afford to take a break.
"How does the Ministry plan to deal with the Inferi in the ditch? Are they going to burn them to ashes as well?" Lupin, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, asked about another matter.
"The Auror Office has suffered heavy losses," Moody said, ignoring Lupin's question. "Kingsley intends to lift the restrictions and allow those who participated in the Battle of Hogwarts and are interested in becoming Aurors to join the Auror training program directly."
"They still plan to use the Inferi from Hogwarts to train new Aurors, don't they?" Sirius wasn't surprised. It was the sensible thing to do as long as the Ministry wasn't foolish.
"That's unavoidable," Moody replied. "The war may be over, but there are still a large number of Inferi left by Death Eaters on British soil. The Ministry needs to send a large number of experienced Aurors to deal with this mess before the Inferi cause any more unrest."
When it came to dealing with Inferi, experienced members of the Defense Association were actually the best candidates. But most of these elite wizards, personally trained by Albert, had no desire to become Aurors.
Moody, who had talked to Kingsley not long ago, also understood his dilemma and choices.
Many times, it was impossible to please everyone, and solving problems was what the higher-ups should focus on now.
Of course, Kingsley hadn't forgotten to build his own influence, lest he be used as a tool to clean up the mess and then discarded afterward.
With Kingsley's deliberate indulgence, the changes in the Ministry were quickly spreading throughout the entire British wizarding world through The Prophet and the Wizarding Wireless Network, so that wizards across the country would know that their acting minister, Kingsley Shacklebolt, was fully capable of taking on the role of Minister of Magic and perhaps even doing a better job than his predecessors.
The press conference was undoubtedly a great success, and the best proof of this was the announcement of several major events by the acting minister at the press conference he held.
The news that Albert Anderson had been successfully appointed as the Senior Advisor to the Minister of Magic and that the famous Harry Potter had been invited to join the Auror Office spread like wildfire, and everyone understood what it meant for these two major contributors to the end of the Wizarding War to support Kingsley.
Kingsley's tough stance on Voldemort's remnants also won him the support of the majority of wizards who had endured much suffering. Even his explicit statement that he would use Veritaserum during interrogations to ensure that no criminal would escape justice and no innocent wizard would be falsely accused gained widespread support, and the few dissenting voices were drowned out by the overwhelming approval.
Of course, Kingsley's stance on the use of Veritaserum was a major reason why people were willing to trust him not to abuse its power. The carefully monitored use of Veritaserum would be a nightmare for any remnants of Voldemort, leaving them nowhere to hide.
Moreover, Kingsley's decision to hold a memorial service at Hogwarts for those who perished in the battle further solidified the support of his former comrades-in-arms.
What delighted Kingsley even more was that over half of the members of the Wizengamot expressed their support for his actions that very evening and hoped that he would swiftly restore peace to the wizarding world.
An anonymous member of the Wizengamot even went so far as to tell reporters that Kingsley was likely to become the new Minister of Magic, as he had the support of the majority.
This was undoubtedly a bombshell revelation.
The statement from the Wizengamot caught many pure-blood families off guard, especially those who had secretly supported Voldemort's control over the Ministry.
Everyone knew that Voldemort had not gained control of the Ministry by himself, no matter how powerful he was. He had undoubtedly had the backing of several pure-blood families, who had profited greatly from his rise to power.
These families were well aware of this, and they knew that they had to reach some sort of understanding with Kingsley before he firmly established himself as the Minister. Otherwise, they risked being ousted from their positions of power.
However, they never anticipated that a large number of Wizengamot members would support Kingsley and help him secure the position of Minister without the "acting" prefix.
What truly terrified the pure-blood families was the list of victims that the Ministry was currently compiling.
The list, though incomplete, revealed that a significant portion of Britain's wizarding population had suffered persecution at the hands of Voldemort, with those from Muggle families bearing the brunt of his cruelty. Many of the survivors had gone on to participate in the Wizarding War and emerged victorious, despite the heavy losses.
This was truly a terrifying thought.
Hatred does not simply disappear; it is transferred.
Anyone with a semblance of intelligence would realize that this presented a significant problem.
It was better to channel the hatred than to try and contain it! Having a former comrade-in-arms like Kingsley administer justice and guide the people's anger was the most sensible course of action.
Allowing those filled with hatred to seek vengeance on Voldemort's remnants was far wiser than letting their anger fester and one day explode, destroying the fragile order that had been established.
The pure-blood families, as beneficiaries of the status quo, did not want to see the British Ministry of Magic descend into chaos, and so they placed their hopes in Kingsley.
To appease the emotions of the victims, the Ministry recognized the valiant sacrifices made by those who had fought in the battle.
As for whether they would be awarded the Order of Merlin or a specially designed medal to commemorate their bravery, some considered it a minor detail.
It was a mere token of honor, and one that could easily be bestowed.
"My senior advisor has provided me with numerous valuable suggestions, and he was the first to bring this issue to my attention."
Kingsley never denied this, and now that his control over the British Ministry of Magic had strengthened, he was determined to act decisively to resolve the issues at hand.
And so, as the remnants of Voldemort, the Death Eaters bore the brunt of the backlash, becoming the target of everyone's anger.
(End of Chapter)
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