https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1629-A-War-Without-Victors-Seventy-Nine-/12529385/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1631-A-War-Without-Victors-Eighty-One-/12529389/
Chapter 1630: A War Without Victors (Eighty)
Chapter 1630: A War Without Victors (Eighty)
The news of Kingsley Shacklebolt's attack spread like wildfire throughout the British wizarding world, as if it had grown wings.
Despite two werewolves taking the fall for the incident, anyone who wasn't a fool could see that the assault was no accident but a carefully orchestrated conspiracy targeting the interim minister, Kingsley Shacklebolt.
Someone wanted Kingsley dead or ousted from power; otherwise, it would be absurd for two werewolves to suddenly appear 'near' Kingsley's home during the full moon. It was more than just a threat to Kingsley and his family; it was a calculated move to force Kingsley to confront the transformed werewolves head-on to protect his loved ones.
This meant that Kingsley risked being bitten or killed by a werewolf.
Fortunately, Kingsley acted swiftly and decisively, immediately using dark magic to kill one werewolf and scare off the other.
Otherwise, the consequences of a two-on-one werewolf attack would have been unthinkable.
For this reason, shortly after the attack, the Wizengamot convened an emergency meeting. They all realized that some matters could no longer be delayed, or else they didn't know what other unfortunate events might transpire.
The proposal to shorten Kingsley Shacklebolt's interim ministership was quickly passed by an overwhelming majority within the Wizengamot.
All that remained was for Kingsley to hold an election to gain nominal recognition from British wizards and shed the 'interim' label. Everyone within the Ministry of Magic knew that the voting process was merely a formality.
The voters were never important; they were only given a sense of participation. The vote counters had already decided everything behind the scenes. Unless Kingsley incurred the wrath of the people like Fudge had, the election results were unlikely to hold any surprises.
Just a day later, the Ministry of Magic announced through the Prophet that the voting had ended early and that Kingsley had received 65% of the votes from the British wizarding community. He was now officially and legitimately appointed as the Minister of Magic, a speed that caught many pure-bloods who had supported Voldemort off guard.
Led by Perkins, the pure-bloods hastily convened a meeting to discuss how to deal with the situation.
They had anticipated that Kingsley would become the new minister, but they never expected it to happen so swiftly and under such urgent circumstances.
In particular, the sudden werewolf attack seemed to play right into Kingsley's hands, and those unaware of the situation might even assume that the two transformed werewolves were actors arranged by Kingsley himself.
What shocked them the most was that none of them dared to admit that they had sent the werewolves to attack Kingsley.
Could it really be that the two werewolves took it upon themselves to seek revenge on Kingsley during the full moon?
Who were they trying to fool? Moreover, the fact that the other werewolf who escaped was eventually silenced was sufficient proof that the whole affair was a premeditated murder attempt orchestrated by certain individuals against Kingsley.
If the plan had succeeded, the mastermind would likely have proudly claimed responsibility. But now that it had failed, no one wanted to take the fall.
Even though they cursed that bungler countless times in their hearts, the issue still needed to be addressed.
Because, as soon as Kingsley took office as the Minister of Magic, he used his ministerial powers to disclose information and supplement the Ministry with temporary legal clauses, providing Aurors with a legal basis for the reasonable use of dark magic.
According to the latest temporary laws, Aurors were permitted to kill uncontrollable werewolves during the full moon if necessary to ensure their personal safety.
Everyone realized that the new minister intended to go on a killing spree.
These new temporary laws were clearly aimed at Death Eaters and dark wizards.
Shortly after Kingsley's temporary legal clauses were announced, some dark wizards lingering in Britain chose to leave the country rather than risk incurring Kingsley's wrath.
The new minister's unfortunate encounter would undoubtedly lead to a large-scale crackdown on the entire British wizarding community.
Whether it was for revenge or other reasons, Kingsley had to take action.
Indeed, many gray areas soon found themselves visited by Aurors, and some foolish individuals quickly ended up in Azkaban prison.
What was most frustrating was Kingsley's bold experiment, though most suspected it was a trap.
Yes, Azkaban prison was surprisingly devoid of Auror guards, and the Ministry of Magic didn't even confiscate the prisoners' wands.
Only on the day of their entrance were they informed of the temporary risks they faced.
Among these, one of the most severe regulations stated:
"Any individual who dares to escape will be hunted down by the British Ministry of Magic and may face the possibility of being killed on sight. Feel free to attempt an escape if you don't believe us."
This style of governance, which seemed to invite escape attempts only to find an excuse to eliminate the prisoners, made the malicious intent of the new minister abundantly clear to all inmates of Azkaban.
This was also one of the primary reasons why no one attempted to escape, despite the apparent lack of guards.
Those imprisoned here would only need a few months at most before being released without a stain on their records, so there was no need to take such a risky gamble.
Of course, some of Kingsley's methods were questioned by the wizarding community, but this skepticism was soon overshadowed by a magical Azkaban prison break attempt.
No one expected that the prisoners in Azkaban would not only refuse to escape but also actively repel the dark wizards who came to rescue them, leaving everyone stunned and all doubts momentarily forgotten.
In fact, anyone with half a brain knew that those vicious criminals would never be imprisoned in Azkaban, waiting for dark wizards to break them out.
Kingsley wasn't a fool; he wouldn't make such a mistake. As for the group of wizards who had made minor mistakes, they only needed to pay a fine and wouldn't be subjected to harsh treatment. Essentially, sending them to Azkaban was meant to encourage them to correct their mistakes rather than rely on the prison's infamous reputation as a deterrent to crime, as had been done in the past.
As everyone knew, such deterrence was usually ineffective.
To truly prevent crime, the best approach was to increase the cost of committing crimes.
In Albert's words, increasing the cost of crime would cause many wizards to think twice before acting unlawfully.
After all, no one wanted to waste money and end up in prison.
With sufficient funding, even the living conditions in Azkaban prison improved significantly.
However, behind these relaxed rules, there remained a strict set of laws that everyone had to consciously abide by, unless they wanted to keep wasting money in prison or risk their lives.
(End of Chapter)
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