"-Malcolm Daniels, Frederick Yunus, Semir Gomes, all of them were once brilliant young people who graduated from Beauxbatons, but they died before their big careers had begun. He took advantage of the spirit of defiance of these young people, aroused by indignation against injustice, provoked by oppression, he led them to the abyss of death by using this."
"No one can forgive such an evil deed, and no one has the right to forgive in the place of those who have been harmed, and his name will be nailed to the Pillar of Shame along with Bellatrix Lestrange, to be scorned by future generations."
The voice from the old radio had long since ceased to be clear, but the old woman in the wheelchair with the heavy blanket draped over her legs listened with unparalleled attentiveness to the speech coming out of this special radio channel known to only a very small portion of the world's population.
In the early morning of early November, there was already a lot more chill in the air.
But early in the morning, she still insisted on wheeling her wheelchair to the courtyard outside the house, staring at the not-so-strong apple tree in the garden.
It was just past the apple fruiting season, and the fruits on it had long since been picked and given to the neighbours, leaving only the branches, which were almost bare of leaves.
A neighbour's child passed by the fence, basket in hand, and looked at the usually amiable and strange granny in the yard.
"Granny Gomes, this is the bread my mother just made and asked me to bring it to you to try. She was actually going to ask me to bring some biscuits along for you, but my dad said you have bad teeth and bringing you biscuits would only bother you."
The old woman flicked the knob on the radio beside her so that the shrill howl that came from it from a man who looked like he was being tortured in some deadly way was reduced to a level that only she could hear.
Then she turned her wheelchair to the fence and took the basket of bread from the boy's hand.
"Want to come in and sit down?"
"Hasn't Uncle Semir come back? Papa says he's been out for three years."
The boy didn't say yes right away, but just stood on his tiptoes and looked around the house.
The old woman shook her head gently.
Receiving such an answer, the boy instantly looked like he was acting disappointed.
"Forget it then, Granny Gomes. You need to eat the bread early, or it won't be good enough for your teeth if it gets cold and hardens."
He waved and ran back in the direction of his house, leaving the old woman alone in the yard looking up at the bare apple tree with the basket full of bread in her arms.
"I'm the only one who knows that you've actually been here all along, Semir."
She murmured as she looked at the fruit tree that she had planted with her own hands with her five-year-old grandson, while Iniesta's icy voice from that old radio travelled all over France at the same time.
"Hang his body on the gallows and bring up the second convict."
"When you left you told me that this land was in danger. You didn't want your parents' devotion to being an Auror to be destroyed by these people, so you're going to go and join the right people to stop them."
The old woman's voice had become choked at some point.
"They lied to you, and I don't know if you thought before you died that Grandma was still waiting for you under this apple tree. But it's all right child, they have avenged us, and someone has protected this land for us."
She reached out her pale hand and stroked the rough trunk of the fruit tree.
"Rest well, Semir, and let me see what kind of future those people can really bring."
All over France, most of the families of the victims were crying out in pain as they listened to the voices on the radio.
Many of them couldn't control their emotions the way the old woman could, but those emotions were common to all of them at the moment, whether they cried out or not.
And Jon couldn't see how the people who had heard the public trial over the wizard radio would feel.
What he could see was the emotions that had been ignited in the hearts of the people at the site of this convention. Even though Voldemort hadn't occupied this land for very long, the effects he had brought with him had rippled through every part of the French magical community even before he had openly declared himself Minister of Magic.
Reclaiming a fair foothold did not erase what had once already happened here, and this was both a public trial and a liquidation.
The official who had co-operated with Bella to persecute the young Muggle wizard was a simple opening, and behind him, one criminal after another who had been apprehended in this Bloodline War was brought to the high stand.
Evil in the world could never be overrated, and with so many old scores being rehashed in just one small Hogwarts castle, it would only get worse in this land of France.
Jon hadn't uttered a word from the beginning to the end, he had simply watched in silence no matter what offence had been committed by those people brought to the high stand.
He could feel that Voldemort had brought something very special to the magical world that originally seemed calm and peaceful, but was like stagnant water.
This war of bloodlines and oppression had had a deep enough impact on everyone who had experienced it. Such an effect was certainly both good and bad, but again, it was a change from the idle and relaxed atmosphere that had previously been the norm for wizards.
The current muggle-borns were not willing to submit to pureblood rule, so they chose to rebel. After stirring up that sense of entitlement, would more people begin to wonder.
Are they now equal to the Muggles again?
And if they were equal, who was the Statute of Secrecy protecting?
Jon wasn't sure if any of the people behind him would make that connection, but what he was sure of was that someone must have thought of it by now.
After another loud and intense cheer sounded, and a pair of struggling legs stopped moving completely and hung down helplessly, Jon looked in the direction of the north.
There is a man who can see into the future, is it because of what he saw that he is planning what he is doing now?
Jon's thoughts drifted off, but soon drifted back again.
Still, whatever Grindelwald was doing now, as long as Dumbledore didn't make it clear that he was going to re-flip the script with him, that meant that for the time being he was safe.
The enemy they clearly had to face now is still Voldemort, who is still close by in Britain.
This public trial lasted for an entire day, not even leaving a gap for lunch, but not a single person left the room during the process from start to finish, and everyone witnessed the gallows go from being empty at the beginning to being filled with corpses.
One gallows was certainly not enough, but the most convenient part of magic showed itself, and soon a new one was transformed by Transfiguration and stood right next to the rack full of bodies.
But in truth, even if it had taken all day, it wouldn't have been enough to finish the public trial of all the convicts in the prison who had been arrested and committed crimes.
Iniesta and the others could only pick the most serious ones as the main characters of today's public trial.
The purpose of this public trial, of course, was not just to hold a trial for these convicts.
At dusk, just as the third row of gallows was being filled, the trial finally came to an end.
But while the public trial was over and Iniesta walked off, Dumbledore made his way to the high stand in full view of everyone.
Most of the people on the scene had a stunned look on their faces, clearly not expecting anything else at this point in the day that would cause Dumbledore, the de facto supreme leader of the Witching Horizon, to take the stage.
There was also a part of people who looked like they had already guessed something, and after seeing Dumbledore on the stage, their faces showed an unsurprising expression, and at the same time, they held their breath.
Even though they had already vaguely guessed it, they still couldn't believe it. Right now, did Dumbledore really dare to make that speech?
"To this land and this country, I am actually just a guest."
When Dumbledore's not-so-loud voice rang out, the entire venue became quiet, but after he spoke those words, the noises resounded once again.
These French wizards hadn't looked at Dumbledore as an outsider since he had led the Witching Horizon into the re-correction camp.
Perhaps a commander from a foreign country would still cause some people to reject him, but for a leader like Dumbledore, who was completely using his reputation and strength to hold up the entire army, he would only be regarded as one of their own by the locals no matter where he went.
To exclude him would be to exclude all possibility of success.
"Of course, we will always be the same people when it comes to the ideal and position. I don't really like to make long speeches. One of the things the students at my school liked most about me when they first met me was that I never talked any nonsense at any time everyone seemed happy or sad, and it's certainly the same today."
He stood right in front of those three rows of gallows, facing the hundreds of people crowding the venue.
There was also what looked like a microphone device at his side, transmitting every word Dumbledore was saying right now to all parts of Europe, and even in Britain, there were people from the Ministry of Magic listening in on the public meeting hall.
"Since the fall of Hogwarts Castle, we have been in exile in Britain for nine years, we have been in France for two years until now, and the Wizard Equality Front has only been in existence for two years. But it was during those two years that we shattered Voldemort's delusional intentions to rule France and shattered his ambitions to spread out from Britain. From what began as a group of bereaved dogs, we have now formed a confrontation with him, and it has cost untold numbers of lives and blood."
"Parents lost their children, wives lost their husbands, and young children lost their mothers and fathers. Countless families have been shattered over this, and for 10 consecutive years students have been forced to be separated from their families and have had all memories associated with them hidden, beginning this displacement and escape."
There was a cry that rang through the venue, it wasn't a strong voice, more like the sound of some people suppressing sobs.
And instead of being muffled by such a cry, Dumbledore's voice became more vigorous.
"Perhaps many have not yet had the time to be able to come to terms with the current situation, but the truth is before us. Whether to maintain this false peace at the moment or to invade Britain and hang those scum who cannot be called human beings on the gallows, I don't think any of us will have a second answer!"
Around the meeting hall, those original glass walls suddenly disappeared.
This made the originally bloated scene of the public trial assembly looser, but such looseness didn't last more than a few seconds before countless wizards dressed in white Witching Horizon's standard robes swarmed in from all directions!
This place had once been stormed by seven men in the same clean white robes, who had once blown up the French Ministry of Magic with their lives, which had just been claimed by Voldemort to rule.
And on this day, there were no longer just seven men in white robes, the white torrent spread throughout the entire venue, each of their faces excited and determined, their bright eyes lit up with a twinkling light!
Along with Dumbledore's words, the emotions of everyone present that had been released during the day's public trial were all mobilised.
Looking at the bodies hanging on the gallows, the French wizards who were sitting on their seats and those who were already standing stood upright.
They were dressed differently from the members of the Witching Horizon who wore white robes around them, but the same look flowed from their eyes!
"End this! Hang them!"
The shouts rang out like waves, such that they grew louder and more unified, and eventually it was as if they were about to lift the ceiling of the Ministry of Magic.
And directly above the French Ministry of Magic, on the Place de Furstemberg that had once suffered an explosion, some pedestrians who were strolling around also felt the ground trembling slightly, and the shouts that were like waves penetrated through the soil, making the sunset that had already slanted in the west met with the intensity of it as well!
All of this happening at the convention was not just limited to the eyes, through the wizard radio, almost the entire magical government of Europe heard this speech of Dumbledore, as well as the shouts of those French wizards under the stand.
Expressions of many people who were guarding in front of the radio changed on the spot, all came to this point, so no matter who, they could guess what Dumbledore really wanted to do!
Inside the British Ministry of Magic, the Auror Office has long been in chaos. The Aurors have been listening in on the proceedings from the very beginning of the public trial, and by now, they finally know exactly who the final spearhead of this public trial is going to be pointed at!
Some people rushed out of the Ministry of Magic, wanting to report the news at the first opportunity, and it was at this time that Dumbledore's voice resounded.
"This time, the war will be started by us! No longer will we have to passively suffer the oppression and injustice brought to us by our enemies, but we will use violence to eliminate it all! Gallows should not be erected only on French soil, as the British Isles need them more! It is more necessary that the source of all these evils, the man who calls himself Voldemort, be put on trial, that a noose be put around his neck, and that the darkness of the night that hangs over us be eliminated once and for all!"
----
Thanks for all your love and support.
Completed novel. Read all advanced chapters on P@treon. If you have some extra pocket money, Support me at P@treon: www.p@treon.com/Crazy_Cat.
Happy Reading!!!
Thanks for all your love and support.
Completed novel. Read all advanced chapters on P@treon. If you have some extra pocket money, Support me at P@treon: www.p@treon.com/Crazy_Cat.
Happy Reading!!!
"Quickly, report this news to Head Karkaroff!"
The entire British Ministry of Magic's Auror Office had been in chaos. Originally, at the beginning of the public trial, those Aurors were still discussing that such a move by Witching Horizon was purely self-deception and self-congratulation, using the lives of these already captured purebloods to solidify the rule of the newborn French Ministry of Magic.
While the public trial was in progress, those purebloods or half-bloods who had been hanged on the gallows cried out miserable wails, which made the hearts of the Aurors who were listening to the public trial inevitably feel a sense of empathy.
But all the sins described to be committed by those convicts, which could be said to be evil acts that no human being could listen to, the Aurors couldn't help but feel a strange feeling of intolerance in their hearts but also felt that they were not qualified to raise such emotions.
So when this public trial went on until noon, there were already many Aurors who were originally still very interested in squatting in front of the radio just found their own excuses to leave, leaving only the two people who were appointed and asked to record the content of the public trial still standing in front.
But when Dumbledore began to speak, the two Aurors in charge of recording gathered everyone in the entire office together.
And after they finished listening to Dumbledore's speech, each of them was dry-eyed, not knowing what to say.
By this time there were already people who had reacted and rushed out of Auror's headquarters to find Karkaroff, who was supposed to be in a meeting in the Minister's office right now.
"They're declaring war on us! This is a declaration of war!"
Some of the chiefs in Auror office who were just below Karkaroff's rank had a hard look on their faces, whether it was Witching Horizon or France, many of them had not yet turned their mentality upside down, and it was the same on the British side as well.
None of them thought that Dumbledore and his entourage, who had previously been in exile in Britain for nine whole years, would be able to organise such a force only after arriving in France for two years, not only completely destroying Voldemort's plan to rule over Britain and France, but now they had even declared war first, wanting to attack directly into Britain's soil.
The first Aurors who heard the whole news, the first thought that rose in their mind was that Dumbledore was out of his mind.
But soon they recalled the compromise Voldemort made to Dumbledore this year after the failure of the Triwizard Tournament.
Some of the English wizards had already learnt that before the results of the Triwizard Tournament were known, there was a duel between their lord and Dumbledore inside the French Ministry of Magic, but no news of the results of that duel had come out.
But even if there was no news, Voldemort's compromise later on was actually the most straightforward certification.
It was only when the Aurors thought about this that they suddenly became somewhat aware of the situation.
The wind direction in the magical world seems to have changed. Three years ago when the Hogwarts wagon remained in exile on British soil, the Order of the Phoenix was like a bunch of rats in their eyes and could only carry out some small-scale operations around, and they belonged to the stage of the overall victorious strategic attack.
Then, after Dumbledore came to France and conducted that battle to attack the re-correctional centre, the situation between the two sides shifted to a strategic equilibrium.
And now, Dumbledore's speech in front of nearly all the wizards in Europe after the public trial proclaimed the strategic attack belonging to the Witching Horizon, and the beginning of the defence of the British Ministry of Magic!
Two huge turning points are clearly visible in all three phases.
The first turning point was the loss of the re-correctional centre, and the second turning point was the defeat in the Triwizard Tournament.
So who exactly was at fault for both of these failures?
Did Voldemort take too much of a chance, or did something happen on Dumbledore's end?
Few people know the inside story of this, and it's common knowledge that it was Jon who fought for victory in the Triwizard Tournament.
But the key role he played during the Battle of the re-correctional centre is still unknown.
So very few people would think of Jon as the key to the whole situation in Britain and France, and to this day, many people still think that even if Jon is talented, he is only the heir who is being trained by Dumbledore to be the next generation successor.
Although his current performance is very dazzling, is amazing, it is still far from being able to be so vital to influence the magical world in such a significant situation.
And now, Dumbledore had declared war on the British Ministry of Magic on behalf of the entire Witching Horizon, which of course made the entire Aurors of the Auror Office become disturbed beyond measure.
Soon Karkaroff, who was still in a meeting in the Minister's office, returned back to the Auror headquarters.
The speech on the radio concerning Dumbledore had already ended, but that part had also long since been recorded by the Auror in charge of recording the entire speech, so Karkaroff heard the entirety of it as soon as he returned.
"Give me the recording."
He practically squeezed these words out of his mouth, and then Auror hurriedly handed this recording over to him, and Karkaroff didn't stop for half a second as he turned around and used Apparition to leave the Auror's headquarters.
Everyone present knew what he was about to go and do, such a big matter must be the first to be reported back to the lord of Britain.
This news also spread throughout the entire British Ministry of Magic in a very short period of time.
Most of the half-bloods were on edge about this, while the pure-bloods could all be described as extremely pale.
They do not hate the war, if they really hated it, they would not have worked so hard in the war to conquer France, What they hate is that the flames of the war about to burn on British soil.
External war is to cut the cake more or less, have stable access to the interests of the pureblood family and a stable position to bring greater wealth.
But the nature of the internal war is completely different, no one knows how big the fire will burn, which also means that any pureblood family that depends on Britain to survive will be in danger of being physically annihilated.
And in the end, even if the war would be won, their losses would surely be very heavy.
So after hearing that Dumbledore had declared war on the British Ministry of Magic, none of the purebloods would be happy about it, which meant that not to mention getting a bigger share of the cake; soon the cake table that originally belonged to them was going to be lifted right off the ground.
Among them, there is a part of the people even if they do not dare to express the words straight out, in their hearts they have already attributed all this to their present lord, and at the same time also more clearly know, following this lord of their right now to play have no future at all, and they even may have to pay for this with their own bodies and lives.
Just when Britain heard the news, and was already in disarray.
The other magical governments in Europe of course also paid attention to this public trial today, and they all heard Dumbledore's final declaration.
Even though some people had already predicted that this day would come sooner or later, no one could have imagined that this day would actually come so soon.
Even this year's Christmas hadn't arrived yet, and Dumbledore was about to start a new round of war.
This time the situation is completely reversed. Before the Witching Horizon was like standing on the edge of a cliff, whenever they were knocked back a step, chances of total collapse were high. Now this situation has turned to Voldemort's side.
As long as this war is fought on British soil, once Voldemort loses, all of his previous operations over the past ten years or so will all be wiped out, and he will once again return to a situation where he has nothing to lose.
Grindelwald, who was far away in the northernmost part of Europe, of course also heard today's broadcast.
Only he rarely stayed in Durmstrang recently, but always stayed in the broken down Abbey of Hans.
After hearing that final declaration of war from Dumbledore, Grindelwald silently switched off the radio and turned to Hans, who stood behind him with his head bowed, as well as to Eric.
"The war we expected is about to begin, so the second phase of our plan can be prepared."
Hans and Erik dropped to one knee together.
"We are willing to follow all your instructions!"
"Make a portion of the Arctic experiments and plans public to the very core of the Alliance. Meanwhile, in Finland, you pick out the first suitable site for the start of phase two. and seal the site off and isolate it completely. Remember, make sure to handle relations with the Muggle government in between. Our greatest advantage is that they don't know much about our existence, that's the only benefit the Statute of Secrecy gives us."
How much unseen turmoil and change had taken place in the outside world as a result of Dumbledore's declaration of war today, none of which the Witching Horizons headquarter in France had been informed of for the time being.
Their own focus, however, was not on that either, for a declaration of war was never the beginning of a war, but the lifting of the curtain on a dispute that had long been hidden in the shadows.
"Activate all the safe houses we left behind in Britain earlier, excluding some of them that are no longer usable, and use the parts that are still usable to act as temporary strongholds."
"Contact all of our connections within Diagon Alley, Knockturn Alley, and Hogsmeade and have them centralise all of the supplies they could possibly gather in Britain, soon all of these channels are going to be cut off."
"Inform all the higher-ups to finalise the locations we will be pulling out and occupying as quickly as possible after the mass entry into Britain, the operation is set at sunrise tomorrow."
"Have the vanguard wizard squads determine where their Apparition will land, and after they land use the fastest time possible to disrupt the Department of Magical Transportation's Apparition supervision of the entire Britain."
"Regarding the cracking of Britain's local Floo network, we also need to keep that task on track. Even if we can't make it available to our people, we still need to destroy their Floo network and cut off their transport of people and supplies."
"..."
The entire Witching Horizon headquarters was busy, and Jon followed Dumbledore through office after office where people were constantly coming in and out, and finally entered the room that belonged to Dumbledore alone.
After returning to this room, Dumbledore closed the door, isolating all the noises from the outside world, and at the same time, with a solemn expression, asked Jon to sit down opposite him.
"Although the current Hogwarts has been turned into a five-year system by me, you are still just a student when the school year begins. You have not yet graduated from the school, but everyone, including me, knows clearly that we can't treat you as an ordinary fifth-year student, and in this next war, you also have a task which no one can replace you. "
Dumbledore's voice was heavy, and he didn't blink his eyes while he spoke, always holding Jon's gaze.
Jon didn't avoid his eyes, as he knew very well that Dumbledore would surely have something else in mind for him.
"Don't worry Professor, I'm more prepared than anyone else."
Dumbledore nodded, and he was certainly always at ease with Jon.
"Horace, at my instruction, has secured a job in the Department of Mysteries from Voldemort. After stepping down from his position as Head of the Department of International Magical Co-operation, Voldemort had always restricted him as an advisor in the Minister's office, but then because of Snape, who as you know had previously been working on a potion for another Voldemort, Horace re-entered the picture of this present day Voldemort, as he did not forget that this mentor of his was one of the best professors of Potions in Hogwarts. And so the task of deciphering Snape's potion was placed in his hands."
"And this potion is extremely deeply connected to something in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic, the vial of golden sand that Snape sent to you back when he was on his deathbed. It is something very important, Jon, so important that Voldemort had to hide it from even his other self, at first I thought it was just something he discovered later on, a means to use for immortality, but after delving deeper into that vial of sand, I learnt there was more to it than that."
"So I signalled for Horace to be transferred into the Department of Mysteries as a Deputy Head, the highest position he could get, on the grounds that he had been researching the vial of potion left behind by Snape for Voldemort. The war that is going to begin next will also provide cover in disguise. You are going to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic in Britain and take up your post in the Department of Mysteries along with Horace, and find out all the details about the halls and the information about the hall that used to hold this vial of sand."
Dumbledore held the vial of golden sand in his hand, his gaze was more serious than it had ever been before.
Jon also felt Dumbledore's attitude, even back when he was infiltrating Hogwarts Castle in disguise, Dumbledore had never been as serious as he is today.
He didn't reject the mission, and it was unlikely that he could with the current situation, Jon just gazed at Dumbledore's treasure-blue eyes.
"Professor, did you discover something?"
Dumbledore was silent for a moment, he didn't look like he was trying to hide anything from Jon.
"I have a conjecture, Jon, a conjecture that is somewhat less than good for us, for everyone else, for the world. And what I'm asking you to do now is to confirm whether that conjecture is true or not."
"If it's wrong, then we'll be heading all the way to victory in this war, no surprise about that. But if I am right."
He paused, then continued.
"Maybe that Saviour prophecy that was once known as a ridiculous joke after the death of Lily's child was actually true all along."
----
Thanks for all your love and support.
Completed novel. Read all advanced chapters on P@treon. If you have some extra pocket money, Support me at P@treon: www.p@treon.com/Crazy_Cat.
Happy Reading!!!
Thanks for all your love and support.
Completed novel. Read all advanced chapters on P@treon. If you have some extra pocket money, Support me at P@treon: www.p@treon.com/Crazy_Cat.
Happy Reading!!!
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