https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1665-A-War-Without-Victors-Part-CXV-/12529444/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1667-A-War-Without-Victors-One-Hundred-and-Seventeen-/12529446/
Chapter 1666: A War with No Victors (One Hundred and Sixteen)
Chapter 1666: A War with No Victors (One Hundred and Sixteen)
Despite this, many witches and wizards remained skeptical. They believed that even if the Death Eaters were bold enough to abduct Muggles and create a large number of werewolves, just like they did with the Inferi, they wouldn't be foolish enough to carry out such acts under the current scrutiny and tension.
At the very least, it was unlikely that werewolves would appear during this full moon, or even the next. Instead, they would probably wait until most witches and wizards had forgotten about the incident, suddenly releasing the controlled werewolves to launch a surprise attack and catch everyone off guard.
In fact, not only did most people think this way, but even Isabelle had similar thoughts after reading the newspaper.
However, Albert, who truly understood the situation, was well aware that those beasts would most likely go ahead with their plan regardless.
Their intention behind the werewolf attacks was to use the threat of werewolves to create widespread chaos throughout Britain, instilling fear and panic in people's hearts. They aimed to use this to pressure the Ministry of Magic, led by Kingsley, and leverage the controlled werewolves as a bargaining chip in their "fair negotiation" with the Ministry, forcing Kingsley to compromise and make concessions.
But what they didn't realize was that the ancient families who had once sided with Voldemort were quickly losing their power and influence within the Ministry, and it was Kingsley who was orchestrating this behind the scenes.
The new Minister, indeed, took into account various concerns and had no plans to directly target those ancient families. However, this did not stop him from taking an indirect approach to defuse this ticking time bomb while its power was still relatively small, thereby gaining a reason to deal with the families who had supported Voldemort.
It was believed that those who experienced this terrible werewolf disaster firsthand would find it hard to tolerate the presence of such unstable time bombs in their midst.
After all, no one wanted to live with the possibility of malicious werewolves nearby, nor did anyone want the next unfortunate victim of a werewolf bite to be themselves or their loved ones.
The outcome of this confrontation was already predetermined.
As for the brief loss of control in Britain's situation due to these events, Kingsley didn't have a better solution. He had already done his best in advance, and those innocently affected could only count themselves unlucky.
The ones who should truly consider themselves unlucky were the small fraction of rational remnants of Voldemort's followers. They had chosen to side with him during his rise, but they never imagined that the infamous Dark Lord would rise and fall within less than two years, leaving them in a deep pit.
They gained few benefits and only caused trouble for themselves.
The most unfortunate part was that due to the Unbreakable Vow, they couldn't betray their colleagues and discreetly defect. They had no choice but to toughen up and continue.
Unfortunately, they weren't like Albert, unable to carry their incompetent teammates.
Yes, incompetent teammates.
To be honest, Parkinson and his allies were baffled by their colleagues' intention to release a large number of werewolves during the full moon.
Was it to threaten the Ministry of Magic?
But doing so would only serve to infuriate the entire wizarding community without any real benefit.
They weren't Voldemort, nor did they possess his intimidation factor. They had no grounds to expect the Ministry to simply give in to their demands.
Some of their colleagues who had realized this were already considering their own and their families' future paths.
Some even contemplated the insane idea of selling out their crazy colleagues to the Ministry, hoping to whitewash their families and defect.
After all, once Voldemort was killed by Albert, the remaining remnants would soon face their demise as well.
If they didn't quickly find a way to whitewash and defect, they would likely have to continue down this dark path together. However, the problem was the Unbreakable Vow they had taken, which meant that if they chose to betray their colleagues, they would have to be prepared to sacrifice their lives for the sake of their families, and there was still no guarantee of a reward. Instead, they might just lose their lives for nothing.
For this reason, Parkinson didn't even ask his family, who were vacationing abroad, to return.
Fortunately, none of his colleagues brought up the subject, as those few smart individuals all had their own hidden agendas.
As a result, when it came to the werewolf attack, no one was willing to offer the most sensible advice.
"With the British wizarding community on high alert against werewolves, I believe it's not wise to rush into our plan now. It's better to stall and let Kingsley and the Ministry of Magic become a complete laughingstock. It would be best to strike when they let their guard down, giving them a deadly blow. Only then will they be willing to sit down and talk with us properly."
However, this proposal, which should have been unanimously agreed upon, received no support from the others.
The reason was that if they continued to stall, they might as well consider themselves finished.
Ever since the majority of the Inferi were cleaned up by the Aurors, many of those present had realized their fate.
But they had no way back, and their only option was to take a desperate gamble.
At the very least, if they were to sell out, they needed to find an opportune moment to get a good deal.
Otherwise, once their power within the Ministry was completely eroded, they feared they would lose even this last chance.
This was the pessimistic sentiment spreading among the smarter individuals.
They were well aware that unless another dark wizard similar to Voldemort emerged, they had no other opportunity.
As for the others who still held on to a glimmer of hope, they were eager to show Kingsley that they were not to be trifled with. They wanted to make him understand that they, too, had the capability to bring about mutual destruction.
Coexisting peacefully was the best option for both sides.
Of course, the remnants wouldn't make unreasonable demands. As long as they could maintain their current power within the Ministry, that would suffice.
They didn't expect to regain what they had lost.
This was also the main reason why they had been operating so secretly.
By not leaving any evidence that could be traced back to them, they intended to negotiate privately with the Ministry and be accepted back into the wizarding community with their official identities intact.
But was that truly possible? Absolutely not.
Albert knew it, and so did Kingsley.
With the strong hand they now held, their chances of winning were high.
Even if Albert decided to remain a bystander, Kingsley would never leave such a potential threat unresolved.
Otherwise, it would only become more troublesome later on.
After all, who knew if those who had tasted success would push for more once they got a chance?
They probably would.
Human nature was weak in the face of temptation.
If it happened once, it could happen again.
Moreover, there was a group of vengeful individuals watching closely.
According to Albert's initial estimation, the worst-case scenario was that the plan to borrow a knife would fail, and he, having already prepared an excuse, would personally send them off and bear the "black pot".
However, Kingsley believed it wouldn't come to that.
He remained calm and continued his preparations. Even after the last full moon passed without incident, he still requested that various departments within the Ministry work through the night, maintaining a vigilant stance against the potential werewolf disaster.
(End of Chapter)
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