Chapter 670: A Cruel War
Chapter 670: A Cruel War
Liam's prediction wasn't an overreaction. The day after they removed the piece of Voldemort's soul from Harry, the morning newspaper brought a terrible piece of news.
"Let's see what today's news is about", Hermione said after finishing her breakfast, which had been delivered by a House-Elf. She settled into the small living room of her room and began to read the British Wizardry Gazette. "Front-page news, this is—dammit! How could they do this?" Hermione exclaimed after reading the front page, her voice filled with disbelief and extreme anger.
"What happened, Hermione?" Liam, sensing something was wrong, put down his cup of tea and looked at Hermione. He saw her eyes red-rimmed, gripping the newspaper tightly, her hand trembling slightly.
"Look at this news", Hermione handed him the newspaper. The front page was emblazoned in blood-red letters: "Death Eater Retaliation: Poca Village Massacre." Below the headline was a picture of a burning house, with a torn teddy bear lying on the ground in front of it.
"Yesterday, Death Eaters gathered and massacred a Muggle village, resulting in 46 deaths. The oldest was 74, the youngest just six months old. Additionally, 17 people suffered irreversible injuries", Liam read aloud. A flame of rage burned in his chest. He threw the newspaper to the ground, "Since they aren't human, I don't think we need to treat them like humans."
"You're right", Hermione took a deep breath to calm herself. "I think there are things these Dark Wizards haven't experienced, which is why they can act without any reservations."
After composing themselves, Liam and Hermione left their room. The corridors were bustling with students who had finished breakfast and were either heading to class or back to their common rooms. The morning newspaper had been delivered by owls during breakfast, so Liam could hear students discussing the news as they passed by. For them, the morning's news was a significant shock. Even the students from Pureblood families weren't extreme blood purists. They might not consider Muggles as equally capable as wizards, but they at least acknowledged that Muggles were human.
Seeing the terrible news, many girls had red eyes, and some boys were clenching their teeth, cursing the Death Eaters who had committed such atrocities. When Ryan and the others entered the hall, they saw a Hufflepuff girl sitting against the wall, sobbing into her hands. Several others stood around her, trying to comfort her.
"What happened here?" Liam approached Hannah Abbott, a member of their study group who was comforting her friend. "Why is she so upset?"
"Because of the news in the British Wizardry Gazette this morning", Hannah Abbott sighed after recognizing Liam. "Mary is a Muggle-born witch. In the Poca Village massacre, her uncle, aunt, and her newborn nephew were all killed."
Unlike the Daily Prophet, the British Wizardry Gazette didn't just report the number of Muggle casualties. Instead, they dedicated a section to list the names, ages, and occupations of the Muggles who had been killed, similar to how they reported the deaths of wizards. This is why the Hufflepuff girl had immediately learned about her family's tragedy after reading the newspaper.
This was a rule that Liam and Hermione had set together. They believed that the Daily Prophet's approach of reporting Muggle deaths as mere numbers made it easy for people to overlook the tragedy. By adding simple personal details, the victims became more than just numbers—they became real people, helping everyone truly understand the evil of the Death Eaters.
It seems the propaganda effect has been achieved. Liam could see everyone in Hogwarts discussing the Death Eaters' cruelty. Although for Ryan and the others, this kind of propagandistic news wasn't what they wanted to see.
"Don't worry, those Dark Wizards will definitely receive the punishment they deserve. I swear it to you", Hermione said, kneeling down and holding the hand of the young witch named Mary, trying to comfort her. "No evildoer can escape justice."
After saying this, Hermione stood up and pulled Liam away from the entrance hall, walking along the path toward the school gates. However, they didn't notice that as they left the castle gates, Professor Dumbledore was standing by the window in his office, watching them.
"Albus, aren't you going to stop them?" After a series of knocks, Mad-Eye Moody, who had just returned from Azkaban, limped over to Dumbledore. "Haven't you noticed yet? Your two students hardly leave anyone alive in their battles. I'm worried that this time they might cause a lot of casualties."
"Alastor, you're worrying too much", Dumbledore replied, turning to look at Mad-Eye Moody. "I trust that they are not the kind to kill innocents. At least during the last Ministry of Magic incident, despite the tight situation, they only killed the Death Eaters with blood on their hands, even risking exposure to spare the Scribe in the Wizengamot."
"But as you once said, killing can change a person's mind", Mad-Eye Moody said, still looking concerned. "If the price of eliminating one Dark Lord is creating a new generation of Dark Lords, then what is the point of what we are doing?"
"Right now, we must trust them, trust that these two children will not go astray", Dumbledore slowly nodded and said. "Only trust and love are what we can truly rely on. Baseless suspicion only deepens the divide between people, and that is exactly what Voldemort needs."
"Moreover, the minds of those two children are far more mature than those of their peers. I can sense their will is incredibly strong and won't be twisted by mere acts of killing." Dumbledore smiled reassuringly. "So you really don't need to worry so much. By the way, what did you come here from Azkaban for—"
Seeing that Dumbledore didn't want to continue this conversation, Mad-Eye Moody put aside his concerns and began to discuss the matters he needed to address with Dumbledore.
While Professor Dumbledore and Mad-Eye Moody were discussing, Liam and Hermione, the subjects of their conversation, had already left the grounds of Hogwarts Castle.
"Where should we go now?" After leaving the castle, the two of them left the path and entered the forest beside it. Once they were sure no one was around, Hermione asked Liam. "For the Dark Wizards who committed such cruel acts, we need to take action to warn others not to involve innocent people in the war. However, the biggest problem we face is that we don't know the specifics of the attackers. We only know it was done by Death Eaters, but we have no idea who the participants are."
"So our first step is to gather intelligence", Liam said. "For the next couple of days, we'll stay at the Manor. The fewer people who know about our next move, the better. It's crucial to isolate ourselves to prevent information from leaking. As for the intelligence, I have ways to get the information we need."
"I hope we can obtain accurate intelligence soon", Hermione said. "The sources of these Death Eaters are too complex, and I'm worried that some of them might leave Britain after making enough gold."
"Don't worry, Hermione", Liam smiled. "We're not limited to staying in Britain. If necessary, we can follow them to other places. I promise no one will escape the punishment they deserve."
(End of Chapter)
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