Chapter 719: Conspiracy
Chapter 719: Conspiracy
Finally, under Hermione's witness, Mr. Greengrass, in utter helplessness, had to swear an ancient Magic Oath of allegiance to Liam. In return, Liam promised to protect their safety and not interfere with the internal affairs of his clan under normal circumstances.
As a sign of their sincerity, Greengrass specifically retrieved a large amount of information from the clan's Chamber of Secrets and handed it over to Liam. Fortunately, Liam had no interest in their clan's unique Bloodline Magic, which allowed Greengrass to breathe a sigh of relief.
In reality, the Malfoy Family had also surrendered all their heritage except for their Bloodline Magic, which was the most critical condition Liam required for their oath. Liam didn't care much about Bloodline Magic, which Pureblood Families considered their core. To him, anything that couldn't be universally applied was meaningless.
The knowledge he had taught the Guerrilla Fighters during their raids primarily came from the casting techniques of the Pureblood Families, optimized and selected for effectiveness. Liam's own Magic came from multiple worlds, making it somewhat challenging for wizards of this world to learn. In contrast, the knowledge from the Purebloods didn't suffer from the learning difficulties caused by cultural differences between worlds. Therefore, Ryan and the others' followers mainly studied the optimized parts derived from the Pureblood Families' knowledge.
"Why did you spare the Greengrass Family?" After obtaining all the information from Mr. Greengrass, Ryan and the others returned to their Manor. As soon as they got home, Hermione asked the question that had been on her mind. "We could have killed him and interrogated his soul tonight."
"And then what? Even if we eliminate all the Pureblood Families aligned with the Death Eaters, the situation for Muggle-born Wizards would only improve slightly, but they would never achieve true equality. Don't forget, there are Pureblood Wizards on our side as well." Liam thought of the Weasley Clan, who became the biggest winners after the war in the original story.
When Liam was younger, he believed that justice had triumphed over evil. But now, he realized that the outcome was essentially one Pureblood Family replacing another. Muggle-born Wizards did gain some benefits, but the social structure remained unchanged, and things were not much different from before.
That's why he decided to keep Pureblood Families like the Malfoys and Greengrasses. A controllable clan that was openly opposed to the Pureblood Wizards on their side during the war could help maintain a balance among the Pureblood Families after the war, creating a space for Muggle-born Wizards to thrive, a space that should have belonged to them all along.
Hermione nodded slightly, understanding his explanation. Then, the two of them walked to the study, brewed a strong pot of tea, and prepared to analyze the information they had obtained from Mr. Greengrass all night.
"The only source of information about the Jumping Cauldron is this fairy tale book", Liam said, taking out the book and flipping to the story of the Jumping Cauldron. He pointed to a section and read aloud:
"During the rest of the week, no more villagers came to the Wizard's house for help, but the cauldron continued to tell him about their ailments. In just a few days, it not only brayed and groaned, jumping and shedding tears, and sprouting warts, but also coughed and retched, cried like an infant, howled like a dog, and vomited rancid cheese and sour milk, along with countless hungry slugs."
"So, this Magic cauldron can gather all the negative things around it and manifest them", Hermione keenly sensed the horror of this conspiracy, "If we reverse its effect as Greengrass suggested—"
"If the effect is reversed, it means that by placing certain targeted Elixirs in the cauldron, it can affect everyone around it simultaneously", Liam, being an Alchemical Master, easily deduced the specific function of this alchemical device. "For example, if a special poison is placed in the cauldron, it could turn everyone around into wights."
"And most importantly, if they want to infect as many people as possible and cover a larger area, the magic power distributed to each person won't be much. In that case, Wizards with magic power won't be affected, while ordinary people who lack magic power will suffer greatly. This approach aligns with the southern group's slogan of purging impure bloodlines."
"So we need to stop this", Hermione concluded. "By the way, should we inform Headmaster Dumbledore? I think if he knew about this, he would offer us some help."
"No need", Liam thought for a moment and then rejected the suggestion. "Greengrass mentioned that the Dark Lord will choose a location in the north for a surprise attack at this time. If Professor Dumbledore weakens our defenses because of us, I believe the Dark Lord will turn the planned diversionary attack into a full-scale assault. If we suffer too many losses, it won't be worth it."
"Of course, to prevent any tricks during the operation, I'll make the necessary preparations", Liam reassured Hermione, noticing her unease. "According to Mr. Greengrass, the operation will start on January 13th, giving us nearly half a month to prepare, which should be sufficient."
"Unfortunately, even he doesn't know where the Dark Lord will hold this magical ritual. We can only find out from his wife when he leaves home to begin the operation", Hermione said, sounding a bit disappointed.
"That's very much in character for the Dark Lord. He won't reveal his plans until the last moment", Liam shrugged. "Of course, it could also be a small ploy by Mr. Greengrass. He probably wants to ensure that we fulfill our promise and safely relocate his wife and children before he gives us the information."
"Right", Hermione pressed her lips together, and Liam suddenly found the gesture reminiscent of Professor Mcgonagall. However, she quickly returned to her usual expression. "Although we're losing a potential opportunity for early reconnaissance, I understand his unease during our first collaboration. To be honest, these Pure-blood Wizards are just too cautious."
"That's because they have to struggle their entire lives, not only against potential threats but also against those who were their friends the day before. Remember, every Pureblood Family that has survived to this day is not to be underestimated", Liam raised an eyebrow and stated the fact with a slightly heavy tone.
"What about Draco Malfoy?" Hermione frowned, and when she thought of Pureblood Families, Malfoy was the first to come to mind. However, Malfoy seemed entirely different from the Pureblood Families Liam described. "Why does he seem so—immature?"
"Because the Malfoys are not part of the core Pureblood Families", Liam explained. "In the eyes of true Pureblood Families, the Malfoys are just nouveau riche. Don't forget, they have never held positions in the Ministry of Magic. While they claim to prefer operating behind the scenes, it could also be because they are excluded and can't gain power in the Ministry."
"That makes sense", Hermione nodded slightly and then asked, "What about the Weasley Clan? Are they also so calculating?"
"No, of course not", Liam shook his head, recalling a fact Dumbledore pointed out in their second year: the Weasley Family is one of the most renowned pure Wizard bloodline clans.
"I think each clan has its own way of surviving. What I described applies to most Pureblood Families, but the Weasley Clan is an exception. They are well-known because of their large numbers. Think about it, the Malfoy Family has only three members, while we saw at least 100 Weasleys at the wedding. According to Mrs. Weasley, that's not even the entire clan, as many members living abroad didn't attend."
"That's a relief", Hermione lightly patted her chest, relieved that the Weasley Family's harmony and kindness were genuine and not just a facade, imagining how terrible the world would be otherwise.
(End of Chapter)
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