Chapter 1730: A War Without Victors (180)
Chapter 1730: A War Without Victors (180)
It was the holiday blues that had the young people, fresh from their Christmas celebrations in Avalon, lounging around the fireplace, looking rather sluggish and reluctant to move.
In small groups, they huddled around the hearth, leaning against the warm cushions while enjoying the leftover desserts from the previous night's gala and whispering about the events that had transpired.
Especially the young men who already had partners, each boasting about their own exploits, drawing envious glances from those around them.
Then, out of nowhere, a voice floated in: "So, when are you guys planning to get married?"
This question seemed to choke the once-playful youngsters, plunging them into an eerie silence.
"What if you accidentally get someone pregnant? What then?"
Cedric, holding a large platter of pancakes, scanned the group, particularly those who had been the most carefree moments ago. He placed the platter on the small table in front of them, "You'd better pray that you..."
"That's enough, Cedric. You don't need to scare them," Fred interrupted, pouring a freshly warmed Butterbeer for Cedric, who had brought the food.
Undeniably, Fred had enjoyed a wonderful night with Angelina, and their relationship had blossomed during their intimate conversations. However, Cedric's concern was valid, and Fred secretly hoped they would have a child soon, putting an end to Angelina's aspirations of becoming a Quidditch player.
As for the others, it would depend on whether they had the same luck.
If they were to find themselves in that situation, the days ahead would be challenging.
After all, the idea of marriage seemed too distant for these young graduates from Hogwarts, who had barely had time to find employment.
Other solutions were not within Cedric's consideration.
Most of the young men were unprepared, and their actions the night before were impulsive, without much thought for the consequences.
"I don't see it that way."
"No, I wouldn't say those things if I were you," Harry said, pausing from his work to take a warm pancake.
"I thought you'd already started working at the Ministry of Magic, Harry." Cedric waved a greeting to Harry.
"No, I've been busy for half a year already. Everyone's exhausted, and this Christmas break is a much-needed rest," Harry replied.
Harry stared at the potato pancake he had taken a bite from, deciding to find a way to get a cookbook from Albert to give to Ginny.
Mrs. Weasley's cooking was indeed excellent, but there was a significant gap between individuals. After tasting Avalon's cuisine, Harry had lost interest in British recipes.
Despite the simple cooking methods, the difference in the final dishes was startling.
"Harry, is the Ministry of Magic still hiring?" someone suddenly asked.
"Yes, they are! The Ministry still has many vacancies, but..." Harry's tone trailed off, avoiding any further explanation to prevent any unpleasantness.
After all, he was supposed to have stayed to help build Avalon, not thrive in the Auror Office at the Ministry of Magic.
"You should be a full-fledged Auror by now," Cedric said, changing the subject. "But I've heard that the British Wizarding World has been in turmoil lately, with tensions rising between wizards and elves."
"It's not as bad as you think. Both sides are actually quite restrained," Harry lied, steering the conversation in a different direction. "When are you and George planning to get married?
"Harry, you're more concerned about our wedding than my mom," Fred couldn't help but roll his eyes at Harry, "It'll probably be in July or August next year, but the date hasn't been finalized yet. Though, it doesn't really matter."
"It's not that I'm concerned about your wedding, it's Kingsley," Harry replied, well aware of Kingsley's worries, "He seems to think that Albert will start his world tour right after your wedding."
Reluctantly, they had to admit that Albert's strength had suppressed many unsettling factors in the British Wizarding World.
Once he left, the United Kingdom might collectively experience a major event.
This was something Kingsley definitely didn't want to happen.
"Has he tried to convince Albert to stay?" Fred asked tentatively.
In fact, not only Kingsley, but the residents of Avalon also didn't want Albert to go on a world tour next year. His presence in the UK made everyone feel more at ease.
"Do you think that's possible?" Harry rolled his eyes at Fred, "If it were, Kingsley wouldn't have to worry about everything erupting at once."
"Yeah! How could that be possible?" Cedric looked at Harry and said with a meaningful tone, "Albert doesn't really want to go on a world tour. He's just planning to leave the UK temporarily because he can't handle all these troubles."
Even with Albert's suppression, there was no guarantee that incidents wouldn't occur.
If these issues couldn't be released, constant suppression would only lead to bigger problems in the future.
However, they didn't really need to worry too much.
Even if the British Wizarding World experienced turmoil, it was highly unlikely to affect the residents of Avalon.
Unless they actively got involved, the trouble was unlikely to find them.
Everyone fell silent upon hearing this.
Only after Harry left with the food did someone speak up, "Perhaps, we should speed up the construction of Avalon a bit."
The current construction progress of Avalon wasn't slow, but it would take more time to fully realize Albert's vision.
They could afford to wait for a year or even longer, but time might not be on their side.
Once Albert started his world tour, could Avalon, still under construction, withstand the test of time?
Even they themselves didn't know.
But even if they hurried, it seemed there wasn't much they could do.
Their progress was already fast, and it was difficult to increase it further.
...
"Oh, they want to finish the villa area first?"
Albert wasn't surprised to hear this news from Shanna.
"Yes, they probably can't wait to settle in Avalon."
Shanna was willing to bring this up to Albert, but that didn't mean she supported others disrupting Avalon's construction process.
As the head housekeeper of Avalon, Shanna was more aware than most that each step had its significance. Otherwise, even if the villa area was completed, they would likely be unable to move in.
Just providing water to the villa area was a big issue, and sewage disposal was also unsolved. Moreover, the problems they would face were far from just these.
Instead of spending a lot of time cleaning up the mess later, it was better to solve all the problems in one go.
After listening to Shanna's explanation from Albert, everyone accepted his words. They realized that building a village required careful planning and was by no means as easy as they had imagined.
(End of Chapter)
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