https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1568-A-War-Without-Victors-Part-Eighteen-/12528611/
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Chapter 1569: A War Without Victors (Nineteen)
Chapter 1569: A War Without Victors (Nineteen)
Fortunately, no one wasted more time on such questions.
With the help of Dobby the house-elf, the group returned directly to the headquarters of the Defense Association. After packing the necessary items, they once again set foot on the familiar land.
The only blemish on this expedition was the pervasive traces left by the Hogwarts students who had previously taken refuge here.
"Let's set up the tents for resting first," Albert suggested, pulling out a tent package from his briefcase and assigning his companions to erect it at a designated spot, providing a space for everyone to eat and rest.
And so, the construction of the village began in earnest.
Some were tasked with demolishing the ruins of houses, while others cleared the rampant weeds or leveled the ground, sorting the debris into designated piles.
As for Albert, he didn't just oversee the operation. After assigning tasks, he walked with Sanaa to demarcate various functional areas on the land, ensuring that everyone could follow the pre-planned progression of the project without confusion.
"This place will definitely become an enviable village," Sanaa remarked softly as she examined the detailed map in her hands. "I wonder if those who chose to opt out will regret their decision when they see what they've missed out on."
"I'll leave room for their regret, but they can forget about having their own villas here," Albert replied, knowing full well how those who missed this opportunity would react once the village was complete.
"It seems you had everything planned from the start," Sanaa commented, thinking that those who had shown enthusiasm at the beginning wouldn't have been complained against even if they had contributed less due to their work.
"Of course, it's important to make distinctions. That way, those who choose to stay and help build the village won't have any complaints," Albert acknowledged the importance of creating a contrast, aware that without it, even he might feel unbalanced, and others would appear foolish.
Albert stuck a sign that read "park" into the ground and began to demarcate a large area with limestone, adding more signs with the same label to clarify the purpose of the space.
"Do you really plan to turn this entire area into a park?" Sanaa questioned, sensing that Albert intended to build the village with a Muggle-inspired approach and style.
"Yes, this area will become a park, greenhouse, herb garden, and orchard. The breeding grounds will likely be downstream of this river," Albert explained.
"It feels less like you're building a village and more like you're constructing an ancient noble estate," Cedric interjected, unable to hold back his comment any longer.
"No, I think the term 'paradise' suits it better. Perhaps future villages will be this clean, tidy, and comfortable," Sanaa envisioned, relishing the idea of living in a utopia like Hogwarts. "I'd wager that countless people will want to move here once it's complete."
"Well, it certainly sounds amazing," Cedric admitted as he brought up the reason for his visit.
"Kingsley has already dispatched people to gather the necessary building materials—wood, bricks, and raw materials for cement mortar. They should all arrive in the next few days, but we'll need enough manpower to transport them here. If possible, it would be ideal to have a larger container to make the transportation more convenient," Cedric reported.
Albert knew Cedric had his eyes on the convenience of his briefcase, and he couldn't help but smirk. "I think I have an extra large container in my briefcase. I'll bring it tomorrow."
However, it was surprising to see the Ministry of Magic being so efficient. Upon further thought, the reason wasn't difficult to guess.
With Kingsley's special attention, the Ministry of Magic wouldn't dare slack off. Moreover, acquiring those building materials wasn't exactly a challenging task.
"If possible, I'd rather not wait until tomorrow," Cedric suddenly said. "Given the Ministry's efficiency, they might finish the task today, and I'd like to be prepared for that possibility."
"All right, I'll have the house-elves bring the boxes later."
Albert still couldn't quite believe that the Ministry of Magic could be so efficient, but he agreed anyway; it wasn't a task he needed to concern himself with.
"Then I'll take my leave. I still have some matters to attend to back at Hogwarts," Cedric said, waving briefly to his girlfriend as he turned to go.
"What matters?" Sanaa asked curiously.
"Teaching the young Aurors how to deal with Inferi. They call it early training in teaching students Dark Magic defense, but I think Mad-Eye just wants to be lazy," Cedric complained. "He wants me to teach them how to deal with those cursed things."
"It won't hurt to be prepared," Albert commented.
"I'm just afraid he'll push all the work to me in the future," Cedric grumbled.
Sanaa, looking at the marker for the artificial lake that had been placed next to the one for the septic tank, muttered, "I will never eat fish from that lake again."
"Don't be silly. I've hardly seen any Brits eating freshwater fish from a river anyway," Albert reassured her.
Albert carefully observed their surroundings and took the parchment map from Sanaa to compare it with his plans, finally deciding to move the orchard to this side.
By the time Albert had finished planning the outskirts, the demolition of the remaining buildings was complete, including a few that had previously been protected by the Fidelius Charm. The entrance to the underground shelter was now fully exposed.
According to Albert's plan, a statue commemorating the Defense Association and those who fought would be placed above the underground shelter, with the surrounding area becoming the central street of the entire village. This would prevent the underground shelter from being accidentally dug up and collapsed during the construction of the villas' foundations.
To achieve this, Albert not only used lime powder and wooden signs but also marked out exactly how much needed to be dug out.
With such a massive workload, Albert should have enough time to accompany Hermione to Australia to find her parents.
He had even specifically instructed Sanaa that if they had any energy left after solving the foundation problem for the villas, they should also take care of a few wells and the village sewer system. He didn't want them to forget about the sewers after haphazardly building the houses, like the Weasleys tended to do.
"I suspect you're dreaming. This amount of work is no joke, especially the sewers. You'll probably have to handle that yourself to make sure it's done properly," Sanaa said, voicing her doubt that they could accomplish all that Albert had planned in a week, or even half a month.
"If everything goes smoothly, I predict it will take about a year to perfect the residential area and some of the facilities," Albert shared his prediction with the group during their break, giving them a glimpse of the grand plan.
Moreover, to save time, Albert intended to start work on multiple areas simultaneously and even plant some fruit trees in advance—a series of ideas that left everyone stunned.
"You're a ruthless boss, planning to squeeze every drop out of us!" Fred exclaimed.
If it weren't for the fact that every task was arranged in an orderly manner and divided into specialized sections with people in charge, most of them would probably be lost.
"Believe me, no one wants to waste time here. If we don't slack off, we'll be done in no time," Albert assured them.
The group exchanged glances, unsure what to say.
However, they chose to trust in Albert.
They knew that following his blueprint would result in an incredible place, one that was worth investing their time and energy into.
As they whispered among themselves, discussing potential house layouts, Sanaa lowered her voice and said, "I think they can't keep up with your way of thinking."
"It's fine. I didn't expect them to keep up from the start, and I can drag them along with me on this wild ride," Albert replied, listening to the murmurs around him as he finalized the house designs he had already prepared.
"You already had the house designs chosen from the start?" Sanaa asked, looking into Albert's eyes. She knew that he called this "involvement."
"Yes, so I'll trouble you with that over the next few days. I'll remember to bring you a souvenir," Albert said, and then he walked away amid the calls of the others.
(End of Chapter)
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