https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1595-A-War-Without-Victors-Forty-Five-/12529324/
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Chapter 1596: A War Without Victors (Forty-Six)
Chapter 1596: A War Without Victors (Forty-Six)
"Do you think he'll back down?"
Seated around the large circular table, the heads of the pure-blood families had gathered once again after a year apart. In front of them lay the latest newspaper headlines: reports of the Dark Wizard attacks on Muggle villages.
"Probably not..."
An elderly man's words carried more resignation than anything else.
It was clear that their interim minister had no intention of heeding their "advice." Instead of continuing the policy of appeasement that had been adopted after the first wizarding war, he planned to "settle scores" within the British magical community. This relentless pressure hung heavy in the room, forcing those present to conspire and find a solution.
"So, what do we do now?"
An eerie silence fell upon the great hall, indicating that they, too, were at a loss. Otherwise, they wouldn't have needed to gather like this.
"Should we continue to cause trouble for him and force him to compromise?"
"Can we scheme to oust him or arrange for an 'accident' to befall him?"
These were the simplest and most commonly used solutions, but they were unlikely to gain consensus among the group.
Kingsley was not one to be trifled with; otherwise, he would have been dead by now. How could he have become the new minister otherwise?
"I suggest we negotiate with him again," said an elderly wizard, his fingers tapping lightly on the newspaper in front of him. "We lost this time, and concessions must be made. It's necessary to show some flexibility with the new minister."
"Concessions?" spat a middle-aged wizard. "Look at what he's doing. We may have lost, but he can't take away all our interests. That goes against the rules."
His words quickly gained approval from those around him.
The noble pure-bloods could admit defeat, accept punishment, and even relinquish some of their interests, but Kingsley was going too far. According to the consensus among British pure-bloods, now that the war was over, the best solution was to find a compromise that would ease tensions between the two sides.
However, Kingsley dared not do that, for it would solve nothing and might even exacerbate the conflict.
Moreover, times had changed.
There was an invisible hand pushing them in this direction, but some pure-bloods failed to recognize this, still clinging to outdated ways of thinking. They didn't realize that once certain actions were taken, there could be no turning back.
The minister was not the only one who would be thoroughly enraged. He had his family, allies with shared interests, and the group of wizards who had been oppressed during the war—they would all stand with him.
Everyone wished for the "Dark Wizards" to be eradicated.
Once the Ministry had weathered this storm, there would undoubtedly be a fierce counter-attack and retaliation.
However, most of the stubborn wizards failed to realize that someone had already prepared the noose for them.
All they knew was that if they didn't resist, Kingsley would strip them of all their interests in the Ministry.
That was something they could never tolerate.
"Let's wait a little longer!"
The one who had remained silent at the table suddenly spoke up.
"Perhaps we should apply more pressure and then negotiate with Kingsley. It's best to resolve this peacefully. After all, we are the losers this time, and losers must pay a price."
"What's made you so soft, Parkinson?" someone scoffed.
"Voldemort is dead, and we have no chance of winning. Cutting our losses is more important."
"You can cut your losses because the entire Malfoy family is under your thumb now, but what about the rest of us?"
The gathering eventually broke up without a pleasant conclusion, but they had tacitly agreed on one thing: to increase the pressure on their interim minister.
Concessions and compromises were inevitable, but the pure-bloods would never accept Kingsley taking everything while leaving them with nothing.
Both sides were well aware of this.
The struggle for power and interests within the Ministry would continue until one side backed down or was completely crushed.
And so, the plight of the workers below them worsened.
...
"This is a blatant warning, a threat designed to keep us running in circles!"
In the Minister of Magic's office, the Auror Office Director, still on duty, angrily reported the latest attack to Kingsley.
Although the attack did not cause significant casualties in the Muggle village, it created a huge headache for the Ministry of Magic, with many departments implicated and forced to work overtime.
Based on the residual images from the magical retrospection, the culprits were the same bunch of troublemakers from before, and the Ministry was powerless to stop them.
"We expected this, didn't we?"
Kingsley looked up at the agitated Gawain, fully understanding his colleague's frazzled state from the consecutive overtime shifts.
"We have to do something."
"Then let's step up the search and purge of Inferi. Let's mobilize more people to join the hunt and comb through the entire United Kingdom if necessary."
"That..."
Gawain Robards thought Kingsley's suggestion was outrageous. It would require an enormous amount of manpower and time to accomplish such a task.
"Can't we get Anderson to help with divining the whereabouts of those Dark Wizards?"
Gawain Robards hesitated for a moment before speaking the words Kingsley wanted to hear. "It would be best if we could also catch the troublemaker deliberately causing us trouble."
"As you know, Albert is just a figurehead, and he has no love for the Ministry of Magic. You can't expect him to offer assistance unless..."
"Unless what?" Gawain asked.
"Unless the Ministry is willing to pay him for his divinatory services?" Kingsley said with a bitter smile.
"So, the rumor is true, then?"
Gawain Robards now understood Kingsley's hesitation. As the interim minister, he did not have the authority to splurge on expenses, especially given the Ministry's current financial straits. Offering a thousand galleons for Albert's help would make him appear incompetent.
"Perhaps we can negotiate a lower price, but you can't expect him to aid the Ministry for free. We must pay him first."
Kingsley felt helpless about the situation. It wasn't that he hadn't considered seeking help from other diviners, but genuine masters of prophecy were rare, held high status, and most of them couldn't provide accurate predictions. Most importantly, they also charged fees, and their prices were not cheap either.
Freeloading was out of the question.
After careful consideration, Kingsley realized that seeking Albert's help was the most hassle-free and cost-effective option. However, the only problem now was how to convince the others.
At the very least, he couldn't be the one to bring it up proactively. Instead, it had to be discussed and agreed upon by the majority before he could make the final decision.
"I will bring this up in the next meeting." Gawain Robards agreed.
There was no other choice. Cleaning up the mess left by the Dark Wizards was already exhausting them, and if such attacks occurred every few days, they wouldn't have time for anything else.
"We must uncover the mastermind behind these attacks and eradicate them once and for all, putting an end to this trouble."
"We all know who the culprit is," Kingsley said suddenly.
The office fell into an eerie silence.
Yes, even without divination, it wasn't difficult to guess.
"I recall that group who wanted Umbridge dead. They also particularly despised Voldemort's henchmen. Perhaps we can guide them to take action... This would undoubtedly be a win-win situation. They can exact their revenge on the Dark Wizards, and we can avoid a lot of trouble." Gawain Robards understood Kingsley's dilemma, but that didn't mean they couldn't use other means.
If that bunch of failing survivors was indeed pulling the strings from behind the scenes, then they should be eliminated.
However, ever since becoming the minister, Kingsley had become more cautious and embodied the art of political compromise. So, even though he knew certain individuals might be problematic, he couldn't take any action. At most, he could only follow Gawain Robards' suggestion and find a scapegoat.
But Kingsley didn't want to do that, not because those people had once fought side by side with him, but because... they were all like ticking time bombs, ready to explode and take him and those around him down with them.
He dared not take the risk.
No wonder Albert had said he was becoming more and more hypocritical. Perhaps it was time to have a private chat with that person.
(End of Chapter)
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