https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1653-A-War-Without-Victors-Part-103-/12529427/
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Chapter 1654: A War with No Victors (One Hundred and Four)
Chapter 1654: A War with No Victors (One Hundred and Four)
Albert found it odd that the wedding of Harry, the Savior, and his wife, Ginny, who had just come of age, was attracting so much attention. It was certainly newsworthy that the ceremony had been cut short due to Death Eaters' interference.
However, it was strange that the construction of a wizarding village had become a hot topic of discussion among the wizarding community. This matter shouldn't have garnered such high interest, let alone spawned a slew of subsequent questions.
It's worth noting that Kingsley and the Aurors had attended Harry's wedding, clearly already aware of this development.
What perplexed Albert the most was the fact that it apparently required the personal involvement of Kingsley, the Minister of Magic, to suppress related reports in the Prophet.
No matter how he looked at it, the situation was peculiar.
After all, Rita Skeeter, the notorious gossip-monger, was currently residing in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Perhaps the Prophet was hesitant to report on Harry's affairs due to her unfortunate condition, and so they chose to make a fuss about Avalon instead?
Everything seemed so unreasonable... or rather, the very fact that it was unreasonable was, in itself, reasonable.
It effectively helped Albert eliminate some targets, and it wouldn't be particularly difficult to pry information out of that reporter's mouth.
Before Albert could pay her a visit, however, the reporter responsible for writing the article found herself admitted to St. Mungo's, controlled by a Death Eater's Imperius Curse.
Yes, this information came from the Ministry of Magic, or more specifically, through Cedric's report.
Suddenly, everything made sense again.
Nevertheless, the matter didn't end there.
Even though it hadn't made it into the Prophet, word of mouth spread the news across Britain's wizarding community that a second wizarding village was nearing completion under Albert Anderson's supervision.
This information piqued the curiosity of many witches and wizards, some of whom even desired to witness this legendary village with their own eyes. However, as they were unable to locate Avalon, it became an idyllic fantasy in their minds.
Then, strange rumors began to circulate—that Harry Potter resided in this idyllic village, that one needed Albert's approval to settle there, and so on.
For some unknown reason, the rumors about Avalon became more and more far-fetched, and there were even those who reported to the Ministry of Magic that Albert's village construction violated the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, simply because Avalon did not welcome outsiders.
In any case, a series of annoying and bizarre incidents emerged one after another. Although these troubles seemed to disappear without a trace, Albert had already smelled a whiff of conspiracy.
He suspected that someone was trying to cause him trouble.
This was not a pleasant prospect.
"Care to explain?"
Cedric took the initiative to approach Albert, bringing up the recent strange events surrounding Avalon.
And then, on the following evening.
Under Lee Jordan's special arrangement, Shana, as the administrator of Avalon, became a guest on Wizarding Wireless, discussing the recent hot topic of Avalon.
"Many people are saying that the construction of this wizarding village violates the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy?" Lee Jordan held a notebook, reading out a prepared question.
"No, it does not violate the statute at all," Shana replied calmly. "The village has been built with the full support of the Ministry of Magic from the very beginning."
"If it has the Ministry's support, why is it commonly believed to be solely Albert Anderson's village?" Lee Jordan was well aware of what the listeners wanted to hear, so he chose to ask pointed questions.
"It's not a rumor but a fact that the land nominally belongs to Albert. He purchased it from Muggles, intending to use it as the headquarters for the Defense Association."
"He paid for it?" Lee Jordan exclaimed.
"Yes, and it's said that he got it for a bargain due to its abandoned state."
"Incredible."
"Later, this headquarters was destroyed by Voldemort and his followers. After the end of the Second Wizarding War, Albert decided to rebuild it as a memorial to those who died fighting against Voldemort."
"I believe people won't easily forget their bravery and sacrifice." Lee Jordan said softly,
"And people think that the heroes who bravely sacrificed themselves for peace should not be forgotten either." Shana smiled and said, "which is why so many participated in the construction of Avalon."
"I actually know what everyone is wondering about?" Shana paused, then continued. "Although Avalon has received strong support from the Ministry of Magic, the entire cost was actually borne by Albert, and this money came from the bounty for killing Voldemort."
"I remember it being ten galleons." Lee Jordan exaggerated, sucking in a breath of cold air and saying enviously, "He'll never have to worry about money again in his life."
"Yes, ten galleons. But the situation may be a bit different from what people guess. A large portion of this high bounty was donated to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries to help wizards who were injured in the battle, and a portion was used to support the families of those who sacrificed their lives fighting against Voldemort. Albert believes that they have already given too much in the war and should not suffer misfortune in life as well. This money is being managed by the Minister of Magic and us.
The remaining galleons were invested in the construction of Avalon, and another purpose of building this village is to shelter those who dedicated themselves to the fight against Voldemort and to prevent them from being persecuted by his remaining followers.
As you all noticed, Voldemort's remnants are still active in the wizarding world, and they even attacked Harry's wedding. I think Albert is very farsighted, and this is probably related to him being a prophecy master."
"That seems different from what's been spreading." Lee Jordan continued on this topic.
"It's normal because those rumors were deliberately spread by Voldemort's remnants to annoy Albert, just like their attack on Harry's wedding. They can't do anything to him, so they resort to such tactics."
"Many wizards believed it easily." Lee Jordan suddenly said.
"In my opinion, it's normal. After all, Cornelius Fudge did something similar back then, and a large group of people believed Dumbledore was crazy. They even used Dolores Umbridge to drive Dumbledore out of Hogwarts."
"As we all know, Dolores Umbridge helped Voldemort persecute a large number of wizarding families of muggle descent, causing the breakdown of many wizarding families." Shana did not hide her disgust for Umbridge.
"That person has already received her punishment." Lee Jordan diverted the topic and asked, "I heard you are the administrator of Avalon village. Is that right?"
"Yes, appointed by Albert. As he was previously busy working on Professor Dumbledore's request to compile the 'Dark Magic Defense Guide' for Hogwarts, and because I have experience helping him manage the Defense Association, he entrusted me with managing Avalon." Shana said proudly.
"So, does Avalon accommodate new residents? I heard that the residents here are all members of the Defense Association?"
"Not all of them, and I'm not referring to Harry Potter and his wife." Shana continued, "In fact, to become one of the members here, one needs to help with the construction of the village, so what you see in Avalon has been built by its residents, and they have earned the permanent right to reside here."
"What if others want to settle in Avalon?"
"Avalon is still under construction and will take a long time to complete, so there won't be any new residents in the short term."
"However, when Avalon enters its second round of expansion, it should be able to accommodate more residents, and at that time, we will prioritize those who participated in the fight against Voldemort." Shana said to the listeners beside the radio, "The brave should be rewarded, especially since they risked their lives. I've always felt that Albert is very Gryffindor-like."
After the broadcast from the Wizarding Wireless, the entire wizarding world fell into an eerie silence, and various rumors seemed to vanish into thin air. Everyone knew that those rumors were spread by Death Eaters, and only a fool would believe them.
(End of Chapter)
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