https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1645-A-War-Without-Victors-Ninety-Five-/12529419/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1647-A-War-Without-Victors-Ninety-Seven-/12529421/
Chapter 1646: A War with No Victors (Ninety-Six)
Chapter 1646: A War with No Victors (Ninety-Six)
The rapid patter of hurried footsteps echoed along the corridor outside, followed by the sudden push open of the wooden door to the lounge. Tonks, clad in the distinctive Auror uniform, appeared breathless at the doorway.
"What's going on?"
Tonks found everyone in the room staring at her.
Harry stood up from his seat and quickly approached Tonks, lowering his voice as he asked, "How did you get here? How's Remus?"
"Remus is currently asleep," Tonks explained after catching her breath. "The potion provided by Albert seems to be working. Although he still looks to be in pain, there are no signs of him waking up. It's as if he's having a nightmare. And Sirius is there, keeping an eye on him."
"Alright, take a seat for now."
Gideon Robards walked over and gestured for the two to sit down before clearing his throat to address the Aurors gathered in the room. "I believe you all know why we're here tonight."
He paused, ensuring that no one had any doubts, and continued, "Based on the previous werewolf attack, we have reason to suspect that someone is planning to use werewolves for some nefarious purpose."
"Do we have any evidence?"
A young Auror, new to the team, amended his question after being given a cold glance by Gideon Robards. "I mean, are we really expecting a large group of werewolves to show up tonight?"
"If we had solid evidence, we would be making arrests right now," Gideon's gaze swept across the room. "Of course, we also hope that this is just a false alarm. Not many people would willingly want to deal with werewolves in their transformed state during a full moon. But all signs indicate that some lunatics are likely to use werewolves for their twisted purposes, so we must take precautions to prevent the worst-case scenario."
Everyone was well aware of whom Gideon was referring to as lunatics, given the previous incidents involving Inferi. The Ministry's cautious approach was understandable.
Werewolves were far more dangerous than Inferi.
"If the situation allows, consider capturing them alive. The Ministry will offer a reward, although the bounty isn't much..." Gideon's tone turned serious. "Your safety always comes first. Don't be merciful just for the sake of a small reward. When you encounter a transformed werewolf, use the most powerful spells at your disposal, and even killing them on the spot is permitted."
"You all know the terrible consequences of being bitten by a werewolf, so don't let me hear that any of you have been careless enough to get bitten. Am I clear?"
"Yes, sir," the group chorused.
"Good. If there are any more questions, ask them now while we still have time." Gideon Robards nodded in satisfaction, leaving the remaining time for any further inquiries.
"I recall Albert inventing a spell specifically for werewolves," Harry stood up to voice his confusion. "Why haven't we widely taught that anti-werewolf spell to the Aurors?"
The specialized spell was known to be quite powerful, and Harry was puzzled as to why the Ministry hadn't disseminated it among their ranks.
"Oh, you mean the Humanization Curse?" Gideon Robards knew what Harry was referring to and raised his hand to signal him to sit down.
"That spell can indeed force a werewolf to revert to its human form effectively. But as far as I know, it's even more difficult to master than the Patronus Charm. Only wizards with exceptional memory like Albert Anderson might be able to use it. It has been deemed to have no practical value in actual combat, so the Ministry never expected you to be able to use it from the start."
After finishing his explanation, Gideon turned his attention to Tonks, who shook her head and said, "Unfortunately, the Humanization Curse is extremely challenging. I practiced for two months but still couldn't get the hang of it."
"That's the situation, but we can't deny the value of the Humanization Curse.
Gideon Robards seemed to recall something, and suddenly brought up another matter with the group.
"As far as I know, our Minister seems to be planning to implement a werewolf registration system and a capture unit."
"Is that even possible?"
Everyone was skeptical, as attempts like this had been made before, only to end in failure. After all, no werewolf would willingly out themselves.
"Of course, it's possible! Don't forget that during the recent Wizarding War, werewolves perished in large numbers. There can't be many left in Britain now."
Fewer werewolves meant better management.
"As long as we can control the remaining werewolves and centralize their management during the full moon, we can completely eliminate the immense threat they pose to the British wizarding community."
Centralized management?
How could that be possible! Had Kingsley gone mad?
Everyone was shocked by Kingsley's boldness, but upon further reflection, they realized that this was indeed the best opportunity to eradicate the werewolf threat.
"There will surely be many werewolves unwilling to register, and centralized management won't be easy, will it?"
The group was well aware of the challenges ahead.
"No, it's not as difficult as you think," Gideon Robards reminded them. "As Tonks mentioned earlier, Albert invented a potion specifically for werewolves. It can induce a deep sleep during the full moon, reducing the danger posed by transformed werewolves."
The Ministry would never provide werewolves with Wolfsbane Potion—a costly and challenging potion to brew, it was never intended for impoverished werewolves.
"However, the potion Albert gave Lupin is a potent analgesic that induces a forced sleep, even during the full moon. The werewolf will remain asleep despite the pain of transformation, effectively neutralizing the threat they pose."
Most importantly, this potion was relatively inexpensive. The only hassle was the need for someone to administer the antidote to wake them up, which the Ministry could use as leverage to control the werewolves during the full moon.
Werewolves were only a threat during the full moon, so with proper centralized management, their danger could be averted.
Moreover, should werewolves ever cause harm to the British wizarding community, Kingsley would need a solution to reassure the public of his competence.
As for those werewolves unwilling to submit to management, they would be captured or killed during the full moon.
For those willing to cooperate, the Ministry could offer them a relatively easy, albeit low-paying, job.
At least this way, they wouldn't go hungry and could live with some semblance of dignity.
This plan wouldn't cost the Ministry much, and it could gradually eliminate the werewolf problem.
Even Gideon Robards was eventually convinced, and with the werewolf situation resolved, this plan could be set in motion.
But how would they find the werewolves?
That was never a difficult task; there were always those willing to sell out their own kind.
Of course, by sharing this information with the Aurors, Robards was also subtly implying that with the current low number of werewolves in Britain, any sudden appearance of a large group would indicate someone was intentionally creating werewolves.
And there was little doubt as to who that might be.
Everyone in the room would undoubtedly want to bring them to justice.
However, things didn't go as expected.
After a long night of waiting, there was still no sign of any werewolves. Just as the group began to doubt their presence, the lounge door was flung open once more, and Gideon Robards' assistant, breathless, leaned against the doorway and called out, "Werewolves! They're here!"
(End of Chapter)
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