https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1594-A-War-Without-Victors-Forty-Four-/12529322/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1596-A-War-Without-Victors-Forty-Six-/12529327/
Chapter 1595: A War Without Victors (Forty-Five)
Chapter 1595: A War Without Victors (Forty-Five)
Just then, Harry and Ron returned home from their day's work, breaking the awkward tension in the Great Hall.
Neither Hermione nor Ginny made any mention of the previous topic, instead shifting their attention to the two weary figures. Despite their exhausted appearances, it was clear that Harry and Ron were satisfied with their current occupation.
"Today was exhausting," Ron said as he plopped down on the sofa next to Hermione, grabbing a pie and taking a large bite, clearly famished.
"What happened today?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she brought over a cup of hot cocoa for the boys.
"A small group of Inferi suddenly attacked a Muggle village," Harry replied, remembering to thank Mrs. Weasley for the drink. Ron, who was busy munching away, earned a scowl and an eye-roll from his mother.
"The attack came out of nowhere. Over a dozen Muggles perished. The Muggle police rushed to the scene and tried to shoot the Inferi, but their guns had no effect. It was complete chaos, and everyone was scrambling to calm the situation," Harry continued, recounting the events. "Afterward, we found traces of Dark Wizard activity nearby but no other Inferi. We suspect it was orchestrated by Death Eaters to incite chaos and trouble for the Ministry."
"Those scumbags should be taken out on sight," Ron grumbled, still bitter about letting those Death Eaters escape. "Harry, I think you should suggest to Kingsley that we need to be ruthless with those bastards."
"I've never thought I could change Kingsley's mind. Otherwise, I would have urged him to get rid of Umbridge already," Harry said, knowing better than to hold such unrealistic expectations.
"Didn't you say that Kingsley already promised to deal with Umbridge privately once the situation stabilizes?" Ron asked nonchalantly, bringing up the topic without hesitation.
Hermione stared at Harry and Ron, shocked by this revelation. "When did this happen?"
"Not long ago. Kingsley mediated a peace negotiation between Harry and other wizards who held a grudge against Umbridge. He promised to execute her within a year," Ron explained to Hermione.
"Why privately?" Ginny asked, confused.
"Apparently, Kingsley can't sentence Umbridge to death directly, but that verdict was still unsatisfactory..." Ron trailed off.
"I think Kingsley shouldn't handle it privately. Umbridge should be executed by legal means, given the multitude of crimes she's committed. She deserves to die many times over," Hermione said, not out of cruelty, but because she understood the grief and anger of the Muggle-born wizards' families who had lost their loved ones to Umbridge.
"Even Albert couldn't convince Kingsley," Harry said, devoid of any expectation. He merely hoped that Kingsley wouldn't go back on his word; otherwise, who knew what would happen.
No one wanted to be pushed around, especially now that they had power. If the law wouldn't deliver justice, they would take matters into their own hands.
Harry had a feeling that those Death Eaters would eventually stir up major trouble.
"I suspect this attack was orchestrated to cause trouble for Kingsley, and there might be more such incidents in the future," Hermione said quietly, steering the conversation away from the awkward topic of the Ministry's inability to uphold justice.
"What's the Ministry planning to do about it?" Mrs. Weasley asked, suspecting that Arthur might also be working late into the night due to this incident.
"I think we should ask Albert for help in finding the mastermind," Hermione suggested, offering what she believed to be the simplest solution at the moment.
"We heard that the Auror Office contacted Albert immediately, but his asking price is astronomical! The Ministry doesn't have that many galleons to hire him," Ron said helplessly, relaying the information they had gathered.
"Are you sure it's not because the Ministry wanted to freeload off Albert and got flat-out rejected?" Hermione doubted this.
This wasn't the first time the Ministry had tried something like this.
"One thousand galleons," Ron shrugged.
"Is that a lot? It's only a few Aurors' monthly salaries put together." Hermione thought the Ministry was trying to get something for nothing, and asking Albert for help was definitely the most cost-effective solution at the moment.
"The main issue is that he doesn't accept credit, and the Ministry doesn't have the extra galleons to pay him for his divination services." Harry shrugged, getting to the heart of the matter.
If Albert accepted credit, the Ministry would be more than happy to hire him to solve this big problem.
But Albert was not Dumbledore; he had no intention of letting the Ministry freeload, regardless of whether they were carrying the banner of good intentions.
"Isn't Albert Kingsley's advisor?"
Mrs. Weasley, who had just brought over some late-night snacks, was also startled by Albert's divination price.
"That senior advisor title is just for show, and I hear he doesn't even get paid." Mr. Weasley kissed his wife's cheek and turned to Harry and Ron, asking, "I heard you let those guys get away?"
"As soon as they spotted us, that group immediately disapparated."
"A lot of people are saying that it's the Death Eaters' revenge?" Mr. Weasley sighed. "This is a big problem. If it's not resolved quickly, we probably won't be able to rest easy going forward."
"Aren't all the Death Eaters already..." Mrs. Weasley looked anxiously at her husband.
"There are always a few who slip through the net, and there may be other troubles in the future." Mr. Weasley was equally pessimistic about the situation.
If a few more similar incidents occurred, it would likely keep the entire Ministry busy and call into question Kingsley's capabilities.
Moreover, if the Death Eaters sought revenge, their family would undoubtedly be at the top of the list.
An inexplicable sense of unease spread through the Great Hall.
"What kind of pie is this?" Harry stiffly forced a change of topic.
"Red bean paste pie. I learned it from Dobby. It's a shame we can't make pies as good as his," Ginny said, following Harry's lead.
"The crust is too hard; it might be better if it were softer." Ron was also trying his best to shift the conversation to a lighter topic.
"I heard Albert is recruiting house-elves who have been cast out by their wizarding families." Harry looked at Hermione, who was organizing her files, "Do you know anything about this?"
"I've heard a bit, but there shouldn't be many house-elves that have been driven away by their wizard families. After all, who would willingly give up their slaves?"
Hermione didn't seem keen on discussing this further and steered the conversation elsewhere, "By the way, Harry, I heard your wedding with Ginny is on the 15th of August this year?"
"Isn't the wizarding village still under construction?" Ron looked at his parents in confusion, "Or do they plan to hold the wedding here?"
"Sirius said he'd take care of it." Harry reached out and held Ginny's hand, "I don't think it'll be a problem. We'll just invite a few good friends."
After all, he was the last of the Potter family, and aside from his godfather, the Dursleys certainly wouldn't want to attend his wedding.
"Sirius said he'd go to Albert for help and borrow the venue they used for their wedding." Mr. Weasley also didn't seem concerned about the wedding venue.
"Albert probably won't hesitate to lend a hand," Hermione agreed, "But the date is drawing near, so you should put more thought into this."
Speaking of which, Hermione picked up the organized files and planned to head back to her room, freeing up space in the Great Hall.
"Are these the electricity documents?" Mr. Weasley finally couldn't resist asking, "I heard Albert plans to use so-called renewable energy to build an internal electricity grid to power the entire village."
"Yes, but I'm just helping out, so I don't know much about it."
Hermione lied; she just didn't want to discuss these dry and boring matters with a layman.
(End of Chapter)
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