"You know, Lord Olario," Edmund sighed almost in a defeated tone, "even though I hate to admit it, I must say that this time, the pure blood families have truly shamed themselves."
"For three years," he continued, "for three whole years, we have failed to form even a single coherent response to this rising reign of terror."
"Who is to be blamed for the incompetence of the Ministry? For all the terror a single man and his cronies have unleashed upon our society? For the killings, the kidnappings, the plunder? It is the Wizengamot, the body responsible to shape, control and guide the ministry, which is controlled by the pure bloods."
"Because we lack unity among ourselves and cannot come together to issue a single response to the rise of the Dark Lord, the Ministry is free to run amok as it pleases. No one is willing to take the responsibility to hold them accountable for their inaction and irresponsibility. They do what they please and wherever their loyalty and agenda lay."
Antonio nodded in understanding.
"And when I speak of disunity," Edmund went on, "I do not only mean those who support the Dark Lord. I also mean the ones who oppose him, yet cannot agree on a single course of action or a unified front."
"The situation is so fragmented right now," he added bitterly, "that I fear I am losing all hope in the Wizengamot and the Ministry alike."
"You know," he continued, his shoulders slightly slumped for the first time that evening, "I do not even know if we can actually trust the people working in the Ministry. Are they working for the Ministry or for the Dark Lord?"
'Oh! You are so correct, Lord Bones,' Antonio thought inwardly. 'The Ministry has already been infiltrated to a degree you can't even begin to imagine.'
But he said nothing. He simply waited patiently for Edmund to continue.
"Lord Olario," Edmund said, as his shoulders straightened and regained their strength again and an expression of firm resolve settled on his face, "not everything is lost. As long as I am alive, I will not allow the Dark Lord to fulfil his ambitions or destroy our society."
"I know that we are nowhere near a perfect society. I know that discrimination against half bloods and Muggle borns is rampant, and how difficult it is for a Muggle born to even make a living with a proper job, but we are on the path to progress."
"Even if that progress is flawed and slow, the Dark Lord has no right to destroy it. He has no right to turn this world into one of hatred, discrimination, and loathing toward an entire section of witches and wizards."
"What do you actually intend to do, Lord Bones?" Antonio asked. The conversation has reached in its final stage.
"I have had, still have, a lot going through my mind," Antonio replied. "The first and most important thing right now is that we need to become active in our approach. We need to be prepared for the death eaters and must counter attack them."
"Have you heard of the Order of the Phoenix?" Edmund asked suddenly, catching Antonio by surprise.
"A little," Antonio replied after a moment of thought.
"As I thought," Edmund said, narrowing his eyes slightly. "You are not as simple as you seem."
"Whatever the case," he continued, "while I do agree with the Order of the Phoenix's philosophy of directly engaging and confronting with Death Eaters, their approach is not going to work."
"How many witches and wizards can they realistically bring into their fold? A dozen? Two dozen at most?"
"Any member who joins the Order does so purely out of selflessness and a willingness to sacrifice. Unlike the Dark Lord, the order cannot promise wealth, power, or the freedom to unleash cruelty on others just for pleasure."
"The Order can never become a force that rivals the Death Eaters."
"To truly fight back against the Dark Lord and his followers, we need an institution, a structured and well established body. And no matter how bad its current state, the Ministry is still that body," he said firmly. "It is the Ministry that must become proactive."
"I had placed several proposals before the Ministry," he continued. "One of them was to create dedicated hit squads stationed across Wizarding Britain, whose sole purpose would be to intercept and eliminate Death Eaters on sight. Fast. Precise. Brutal. But effective."
"Another suggestion was to implement faster and more efficient methods of communication. Owls and the Floo Network are far too slow. Even the Patronus Charm, though fast, is limited. Very few witches or wizards can wield it. The unspeakables must had been able to devise a method if asked. It need not be a full fledge message, just a signal should have been enough."
"I also proposed extracting the truth from captured Death Eaters, forcefully and mercilessly, if necessary and using that information to launch precise strikes. A couple of successful missions would have been enough to rally Wizarding Britain and shift public morale in our favour."
Antonio nodded thoughtfully. He was not entirely sure how effective these methods might have been, but they were certainly proactive steps. If they worked, excellent. If not, they would at least provide insight into what actions to take next.
"These are just a few suggestions from the long list of reforms I submitted to the Ministry," Edmund added with a shake of his head. "But everything fell on deaf ears."
"Reforming the Ministry's methods seems almost impossible," he went on, a faint glint in his eyes. "But there is still hope to reform the Ministry itself."
Antonio did not immediately grasp what Edmund meant. It took a moment for the implications to settle in and when they did, his eyes widened in surprise.
"Are you saying what I think you are saying?" he asked cautiously.
"If you are thinking that I am implying a bid for the Minister's seat," Edmund replied, his expression grim but resolute, "then yes. You are thinking correctly."
Antonio continued to stare at Edmund Bones for few moments out of surprise. He had certainly not expected all of this.
"How do we proceed about it?" He asked as he leaned towards the Bones Lord.
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