Chapter 280 - 280

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Once in a small park grove, I immediately looked around, holding my wand at the ready. Dumbledore sat on a bench, in his usual purple robes, under the light of an ordinary street lamp, next to an overgrown and unkempt tile path.

"Mr. Knight," the headmaster smiled into his beard, "Nice evening, isn't it?"

The feeling of magic made it clear that it was Dumbledore in front of me, and therefore I did not play spies and ask something. Taking off the hood from my head, I removed the concealment and other charms, except for the muggle-repelling, allowing Dumbledore not only to look in my direction but also to see myself.

"You're right, Headmaster."

" Have a seat, " Dumbledore gestured to a seat next to him, and I followed the invitation.

There was a silence in which you could clearly hear the noise of the city still not sleeping. I was familiar with this small park — literally across the street, right in front of us, there should be an Alphard house, like the one on Grimmauld, among other brick houses standing close together. Like Grimmauld Place, this place was neither elite nor even "above average." The walls of the brick houses were slightly blackened, and a few glasses in the windows were broken, and clearly, no one had lived there for a long time.

"While we wait for my ... associates, I would like to tell you a little about the situation," Dumbledore began, looking straight ahead. "During the last civil war, I gathered concerned wizards willing to oppose the arbitrariness and cruelty of the Dark Lord."

I decided to dilute the next pause with my own questions.

"But shouldn't the Ministry, DMLE, and Aurors somehow oppose the illegal actions of the Dark Lord?"

"They should. You're right," the Headmaster nodded. "But there are several reasons for their inaction and the inaction of the other wizards. Voldemort..."

When Dumbledore said the name, I checked the area around for Taboo protection. Protected. My actions attracted the headmaster's attention, and he clearly understood their meaning, nodding approvingly.

"...Voldemort has always been cunning and cruel. He attracted people to his side with promises of strength, power, wealth, and permissiveness. He promised the wizards he needed that they would take their rightful place in the world. The greedy went for money, the ideological ones - for an idea. Maniacs and murderers - for permissiveness. Many wealthy families supported Voldemort in one way or another, not only in word and deed but also with money. A wizard is primarily a human being. And human is a vicious creature, Mr. Knight. You can buy a lot for gold. This is what Voldemort did then, bribing various officials and employees of the Ministry of Magic, and this almost completely nullified opposition from the law."

A light cool breeze blew as if bringing with it anxiety, and the headmaster, meanwhile, continued his story:

"Ordinary people are often simply unable to resist anything. Tell me, Mr. Knight," Dumbledore looked at me. "You, being raised among the Muggles, probably thought: «But what is so difficult to pick up a wand and protect yourself?» There are so many different weapons, methods of defense and attack in the Muggle world, and everyone can take it to defend themselves. But answer the question - how many people are really capable of picking up this weapon, how many of them know how to use it, and how many are ready to use it?"

"Few."

"Keep the proportion and carry it over to Magical England. There you have it, that small number of wizards capable of action. To anyone familiar with the ordinary world, its size, diversity, and population, it would seem ridiculous for one of the opposing sides to have three or four dozen strong wizards, a hundred or two medium, and under five hundred magical creatures and frankly worthless, but embittered and immoral wizards, weak but capable of any vileness."

Another gust of wind hinted that the weather could deteriorate at any moment, and the sky was about to be covered with clouds.

"But the far more serious weapon of Voldemort and his minions is fear. Banal but inescapable for the magical population," the headmaster ran his hand along his gray beard. "It is not customary in the wizarding community to kill. Even more so, it is customary to avoid killing. At first and second glance, one may encounter all kinds of unacceptable attitudes toward living human beings and individuals, but not murder. Even in the old days, before the Statute, two wizards or families could always find a consensus. Voldemort instilled fear into the hearts and souls of people by the fact that he and his men could kill without any remorse or hesitation. At any moment and anyone, be it a muggle or a wizard. And it doesn't matter, for the sake of purpose, interest, or banal entertainment. That was what disarmed wizards the most - the fear of the unthinkable, the unprecedented. Fear of death. The fear of something that didn't happen before."