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Chapter 696: Discussion and Outlook
Chapter 696: Discussion and Outlook (Additional Chapter for Yulan Yuehe)
"Ah, I apologize." After rambling on for half an hour, Professor Dumbledore took off his glasses to clean them and said, "I'm sorry. Sometimes, older people tend to get lost in memories, and I kept you waiting."
"That's alright, Professor", Liam smiled. "From the stories you just told us, we learned a lot about things we never knew before. This will help us plan our next move."
"Oh, did you pick up on something?" Dumbledore looked at Liam curiously with his blue eyes. He had been a bit out of character earlier, but he also hoped that through those stories, he could remind Liam that the people they killed in the war had families and friends, that they were living, breathing individuals, not just abstract figures like Death Eaters.
So Dumbledore was very curious about what Liam had gleaned from his stories. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table in a posture of earnest attention.
"I realized that the connections among Britain's wizards are far more extensive than I had imagined", Liam said. From Professor Dumbledore's stories, Liam discovered that the web of relationships woven by the Pureblood Families was far more complex than he had thought.
This also made him reflect on how, even in the original story, despite the deep-seated conflicts, Purebloods like Neville and Ginny could still attend school in their seventh year. Even when they organized resistance activities, the Death Eaters did not harm their lives. This couldn't be simply explained by a reluctance to waste the lives of Pureblood Wizards.
"For us, this means that to avoid harming the innocent, we still have a lot of work to do", Liam said, looking at Dumbledore. "I'm sure many people have asked you to rein in our actions and stop the killings."
"Yes", Professor Dumbledore nodded, acknowledging this. "Indeed, some have come to me, asking me to stop your killings and destruction. Children, you must understand that any killing leaves an indelible scar on the soul. Of course, I'm not asking you to be overly cautious in battle; that would be unreasonable. I just hope that you can minimize the killings when possible."
"We are not bloodthirsty. You can see from our previous actions that we didn't even harm the House-Elves who attacked us, because they were just following orders, mere tools", Liam explained. "Everyone we killed had clear evidence against them, proving they deserved it!"
"No one has the right to decide another's life, no one", Headmaster Dumbledore raised his voice. "So your post-war execution of helpless Death Eaters was an inappropriate action."
"Then what should we do?" Liam realized that Dumbledore didn't object to killing enemies in battle. After all, Dumbledore had experienced many brutal wars, both Wizard and Muggle. He just wanted everything to follow a certain order, like trying the criminals and punishing them according to their crimes, rather than Liam's method of executing them through primitive, bloody revenge.
"I don't know", surprisingly, Dumbledore didn't launch into a lecture as he usually did. Instead, he shook his head, looking troubled. "After all, you had to protect the hostages and escape while surrounded by enemies. It wouldn't be reasonable to insist you bring them back for trial, which would put you in danger. But releasing them would only lead to more casualties."
"Yes, that's the biggest problem we face, Professor", Hermione added. "Killing is indeed a terrible choice, but it ensures that they won't do any more harm, and no more innocents will be hurt."
"You—sigh!" Professor Dumbledore let out a long sigh. In wartime, it's often impossible to achieve the perfect outcome. Even the so-called most powerful White Wizard, Professor Dumbledore, couldn't come up with a solution that would satisfy everyone in this situation.
After all, the current Headmaster, Dumbledore, who has held the position for many years and is well over a hundred years old, is not a saint, but he is a truly good person. From his perspective, he cannot condemn Ryan and the others for protecting those innocent Muggles, even if their actions involved killing. He also cannot deny that the methods Ryan and the others used, though radical, were reasonable given the circumstances.
"Alright, let's move on from this topic", Dumbledore waved his hand weakly, a sense of weariness evident in his demeanor. The core of the Wizarding World is still power, so for someone like Liam, who is roughly on his level and clearly an ally, Dumbledore can only use persuasion rather than issuing commands.
Thus, when he realized he couldn't find a convincing reason to persuade them, Dumbledore abandoned the previous discussion and moved on to the next issue. In his eyes, the most important thing now is to defeat Voldemort and restore order to the British Wizarding World. Some less-than-ideal actions can be set aside for the moment.
Not to mention, while the killings by Ryan and the others do not align with the Headmaster's moral standards, they did attract Voldemort and the Death Eaters' attention, significantly reducing the pressure on Dumbledore's side.
"Besides the issue of the killings, there's also the matter of the destruction of various manors and plantations. I hope you can provide a reasonable explanation for this", Professor Dumbledore quickly regained his composure and moved on to the next question. "The damage you've caused won't be easily repaired, and in many places, the work required will be almost as extensive as a full reconstruction."
"Keep in mind, these ancient magical plant gardens, magical creature farms, house-elf workshops, and mines are crucial components of the British Wizarding Community and part of its foundation. If you continue this way, even if we win the war, the losses will be severe."
"But that's something we'll need to consider after we win the war, isn't it?" Liam said seriously. "If we can't completely cut off the Death Eaters' sources of wealth, I don't think we need to worry about the future of the British Wizarding Community. Besides, these manors have already been mortgaged to American wizards and, strictly speaking, no longer belong to Britain."
"By destroying those manors, we not only cut off part of the Death Eaters' cash flow and supplies but also created a large amount of bad debt for the American Gringotts and the American Magical Congress. Given that our cousins across the Atlantic are unwilling to join the fight directly, the significant losses will force them to cut their losses, meaning they will reduce their covert support for the Death Eaters."
"The most crucial point is that we already have a way to make up for these losses", Hermione added, addressing Professor Dumbledore's concerns. "Our intensive plantations in the north can provide a significant portion of the resources. Additionally, I will stay here over Christmas and build a few plantations or workshops in our controlled areas to fill most of the gaps."
"That would indeed be good news if it can be done", Dumbledore stroked his white beard. "However, as far as I know, such efforts will require a substantial amount of resources and wealth to sustain."
"Please rest assured, I have no issues with that", Liam firmly assured Headmaster Dumbledore.
(End of Chapter)
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