章節 297: The Last Days of Absolute Freedom

"As long as you remain dead, so to speak," Monsieur Dulac explained, "Lord Voldemort will have no reason to go after your family members."

"You're not afraid of saying Voldemort's name?" Oleandra said in surprise. The only people she knew who weren't afraid of saying his name out loud were Dumbledore and Harry.

"We know of his fearsome reputation, of course, and rumours of his revival have reached us even here, but he mainly kept to your islands," said Monsieur Dulac. "However, during his reign of terror, the international magical community always kept an eye on his general movements; they ill wanted another Grindelwald on their hands. He was wise not to openly challenge the Muggle population."

Oleandra nodded. That made sense; Muggles vastly outnumbered Wizards and Witches, and if Voldemort had broken the Statute of Secrecy, then he would have been fighting both the Muggles and the entire world's magical community at the same time.

At the height of Voldemort's power, there might have been hundreds of Muggle killings under his rule, but as long as the rest of the Muggles didn't catch on, why should the international magical community have interfered, or even cared? It was just a few Muggles; they'd make more of them...

And besides, training operatives wasn't cheap; spies had a tendency to disappear under mysterious circumstances when they got too close to the Dark Lord…

As for the name Grindelwald, it vaguely rang a bell. Something to do with wanting to enslave the Muggles during the Second World War, but Oleandra couldn't remember the specifics, apart from the fact that Dumbledore had become famous for stopping him. He was famous throughout Europe, except in Britain.

"That's great and all, but I need to warn my family," Oleandra said. "I need to make sure they're safe."

"They'll be safer with you here," Madame Dulac insisted. "And this entire Voldemort debacle is actually a golden opportunity for our cause."

Oleandra raised an eyebrow. Wot?

"Voldemort will destabilize your government for us," she explained. "I imagine he will repeat his winning formula of controlling things behind the scenes, committing atrocities against Muggles and the Muggle-born. History is about to repeat itself."

"I get it," said Oleandra. "Once the Ministry falls apart, you want to organize a resistance that Voldemort will not be able to infiltrate; one based in a foreign country. But are you sure this will work? People will be reluctant to accept help from Frenchies of all people; much less let them take over."

"Not just any Frenchmen, Bretons," Madame Dulac insisted. "Not so different from you Britons; and we will have the Muggle-Born on our side as well. And mark my words, once the terror sets in, people will look to anything that gives them hope. Once we overthrow Voldemort once and for all, we will be able to establish a new government."

"From there, it will be easy to institute new policies to let the Muggle world know of magic and change the status quo," said Monsieur Dulac. "The Ministries of Magic of the world will have no choice but to accept that what is done, is done. No more discrimination based on blood purity, no more broken families, no more hiding."

That was awfully optimistic, Oleandra thought to herself. This wasn't accounting for the hysteria that would arise among the Muggles, the religious groups denouncing Wizards and Witches as the spawn of demons…

But at the rate Muggle technology was advancing, the day when Wizards would no longer be able to remain in hiding was fast approaching. Security cameras on every street, microphones, mobile phones with cameras… and who knew what else they might come up with. One day, Wizardkind would slip up, and there would be a reckoning. So, the grand reveal might as well happen on Wizards' terms.

"You make a compelling argument," said Oleandra. "But I've got a feeling you're not just telling me all of this just for the fun of it."

"You're right," said Monsieur Dulac. "This resistance will need a leader— someone that the old noble families AND the downtrodden can identify with— and to borrow your words, not a Frenchy."

"You've proven yourself to be a capable fighter," said Madame Dulac, "and you've even survived an encounter with Lord Voldemort himself. I can think of no better candidate to lead our operatives in the British Isles."

"I can see myself becoming Minister for Magic," said Oleandra lightly. "But you know, things haven't degenerated that far yet; Dumbledore's still there, and Harry Potter's more of a hero than I am."

If these people wanted a puppet leader they could control, then they had another thing coming. Oh yes, she'd use them to restore magic to the land, but if they wanted more than that, they would have to deal with her…

"We have our spies in the French Ministry of Magic; and they in turn have got their eyes in your country as well," said Madame Dulac. "According to the reports, your Minister for Magic Fudge is turning a blind eye to the threat of the Dark Lord, and is ridiculing both Dumbledore and Harry Potter."

That sounded a lot like something the Minister would do, now that Oleandra thought about it… He cared more about keeping his job and his approval ratings than actually doing his job.

"When you return, you'll discredit Dumbledore even further," said Mai with a little giggle. "He's been telling everyone that Voldemort is back and that he killed you; so when you show up again, nobody will ever believe him again!"

"Apparently, Harry Potter believes you survived," said Madame Dulac. "He's been seen contradicting Dumbledore about this publicly, so they each worked to discredit each other by making ridiculous claims. Nevertheless, you will prove that the Boy Who Lived is correct, so I suggest that you find a way to… encourage him to join our cause. I hear he was raised by his Muggle relatives, so he might be sympathetic to our cause."

Oleandra laughed a little upon hearing that. Harry had been treated horribly by the Dursleys; Hogwarts was the only place where he could feel like himself, so he was probably the last person who would accept mixing the magical and mundane worlds. Hermione and Ron might be more easily convinced, though…

"Very well," said Oleandra seriously. "I accept this responsibility— I will be your representative in the British Isles. Together, we shall save Britain, so that in the near future, we may restore magic to the land, for the greater good!"

"Well then," laughed Monsieur Dulac, "it seems we're settled! Oleandra, allow me to formally welcome you to the Order of the Round Table!"

Oleandra shook hands with everyone, wearing a brilliant smile on her face, but as she did so, she imagined herself holding a metaphorical knife behind her back.

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And so, Oleandra agreed to return to Britain at the last possible moment, when her sisters would be out of harm's way: on the first of September, when the magical children of British Isles would take the Hogwarts Express back to school.

There were only a few weeks left until school started again, so she spent the rest of her time in Paimpont, practising her sharpshooting with Enora and learning to fight all over again without Cloak the Lethifold, which had granted her the ability to fly. She'd have to relearn to parkour and do fancy flips the normal way…