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Chapter 1698: A War Without Victors (One Hundred and Forty-Eight)
Chapter 1698: A War Without Victors (One Hundred and Forty-Eight)
It was unclear if Albert's words had any influence, but tensions between the wizards and the fairies deteriorated further, possibly due to other underlying reasons.
Rumor had it that the root of all these problems could be traced back to Voldemort, even in death, he continued to wreak havoc.
The fairies believed Voldemort was part of the wizarding community, and during his brief rule over the British magical world, he had brought nothing but disaster to the fairies of Britain. As a result, some fairies felt that the British Ministry of Magic should bear some responsibility and compensate them for their significant losses.
The outcome was predictable.
The British wizards had already suffered greatly at the hands of Voldemort and were in no position to clean up his mess. Naturally, they refused to yield to the fairies' "extortion," categorically denying their demands and asserting that wizards were also victims.
However, the fairies would not accept such "preposterous" excuses. In their eyes, Voldemort was indeed a wizard, and the Second Wizarding War was an internal conflict within the wizarding community. They believed that since the war had severely affected the fairies and caused them tremendous losses, compensation and concessions were only fair.
The stalemate between the two sides further strained their relationship.
Undoubtedly, this was a scenario that many welcomed, though it was uncertain if there were hidden manipulators at play.
Wizards, who had never held favorable views of fairies, began to advocate for a tough stance against the fairies' unreasonable demands.
No one was willing to bear the consequences of Voldemort's actions, and the idea of paying for his misdeeds was unacceptable. Even Kingsley publicly expressed sympathy for the fairies, calling them fellow victims and suggesting that they should join forces to overcome their shared challenges—words that held little weight.
It was clear to all that Kingsley had no intention of conceding on this matter, unless he wanted to relinquish his position as Minister.
As Albert had predicted, the situation had escalated beyond the point where individual will could easily make a difference. The underlying currents were strong, and one could only guess at the number of people working behind the scenes to sabotage any progress.
Among them were the revenge-seekers, who were never ones to shy away from stirring the pot.
At that moment, they were gathered in their hideout for an important meeting.
"The cause of this incident is most likely..."
Neville Longbottom, their source of intelligence within the Auror Office, was sharing the latest information he had gathered from his Auror friends with the group of revenge-seekers.
Yes, Neville was no longer an Auror.
Recently, the Ministry had reassigned several Aurors, forcing most of the younger ones to join an office called the Crisis Response Unit.
This treatment had further soured Neville's opinion of the Ministry, and he had finally set aside his hesitations and started providing intelligence to Nelson and his group.
Ideally, Neville would have preferred to follow in his parents' footsteps and become an outstanding Auror for the Ministry. He wanted to make his grandmother proud and show that he could stand on his own. After a few years in the Auror Office, he had planned to contribute to the peace of the magical community before eventually becoming a teacher at Hogwarts.
Unfortunately, Kingsley shattered those dreams.
"So, this is the fairies' retaliation?" someone interrupted, breaking Neville's train of thought.
"That's not the main point," Nelson cut in. "What matters is Kingsley's stance toward the fairies."
"Kingsley's stance?"
The group turned to Nelson, awaiting his insight.
"He intends to take action against the fairies."
The statement left the room in silence, each member considering the implications.
"It's likely because Kingsley hasn't given up on taking galleons from the Death Eater families' Gringotts vaults to plug the Ministry's financial hole," one of them offered.
Neville, aware of the attention he was receiving, continued, "From what I've heard, the wizarding community has already come to an agreement on this matter, and they're just waiting to resolve the issue with the fairies."
Honestly, Neville had been astonished when he'd first learned of this development and couldn't fathom why Kingsley would pursue such a course of action.
Was he really so eager to incite another fairy rebellion so soon after the Wizarding War?
"This is good news for us," Nelson said, his tone suggesting he already knew more than he let on. "As for our next move, I suggest we fan the flames and push for more chaos within the British magical community. That will provide the perfect cover for our own plans."
"You mean we should stir things up from behind the scenes, creating enough turmoil to distract them until next summer?" one of the group members asked.
"Yes, that's my thinking," Nelson replied, raising his hand for emphasis. "But let's not rush it. We have at least until next summer."
"Why next summer?" someone asked, confused.
"I've received word that Mr. Albert Anderson will be embarking on a world tour next summer. He will step down as Kingsley's senior advisor and leave the British magical community. We can make our move then."
"I don't think Albert would stand in our way regarding our revenge against those Death Eaters," Neville added. While he didn't know Albert well, he had heard stories about the genius from Harry and Ron.
"His position as the Minister's advisor is probably just a front anyway," another member chimed in.
"He definitely has a deal with Kingsley," Nelson said, "and there are plenty of signs to support that. Take the construction of the wizarding village, for example. Do you really think they could have pulled that off without the Ministry's help?" Of course, he didn't mention his own connection with Albert, but it wasn't difficult to convince the others.
Besides, this was in line with Albert's wishes. Albert was well aware of their plans, and he had no intention of interfering. Once he left Britain, whatever happened in the country was no longer his concern.
In an ideal scenario, they would quietly spark a third fairy rebellion. If the Ministry and the fairies became completely estranged, the Ministry would be too preoccupied to notice their other activities. By the time they realized what was happening, it would be too late.
The group gave no thought to the consequences of inciting another fairy rebellion. In any case, their new Minister seemed to be looking for an excuse to take action against the fairies.
There had been fairy rebellions in the 17th and 18th centuries, so another one in the 20th century wouldn't be out of the ordinary. They even had a ready-made reason for the rebellion.
The fairies wanted the right to wield wands and sought to prevent the Ministry from controlling Gringotts Bank.
All they needed to do was create a significant conflict between the fairies and the wizards.
And they had already identified the perfect starting point—the Fairy Brotherhood.
According to Neville's intelligence, this fairy organization included several extreme radicals who could easily be manipulated to provoke conflict between the two sides without raising immediate suspicion.
Even if that plan failed, they had other tricks up their sleeves. During this period, Nelson and his group had not only been training in Dark Magic but also brainstorming various revenge schemes. They were confident that one of their plans would succeed.
(End of Chapter)
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