great-warnovel Chapter 189 Weasel Stronghold
Chapter 189 Weasel Stronghold
Chapter 189 Weasel Stronghold
After their annual farewell dinner, Hermione and the boys set off for the wizarding community in Devonshire, passing through the fireplace in Professor McGonagall's office.
During this time, Narcissa still kept Draco in her arms and gave him a long lecture, saying things like "Don't get into conflicts with others" and "If you encounter danger, run away and call for an adult."
The village called "Ottiri San Cachipol" is really hard to pronounce.
Besides the Weasleys, the Lovegoods and Diggory also live here. They are all old acquaintances and will run into each other frequently this summer.
"Kids! Welcome to Weasel Village! This summer will not disappoint you!" Mr. Arthur was already waiting here, greeting them with a cheerful smile.
Hermione stepped out of the fireplace, which, like the fireplaces on Godric Cliff, were not enclosed indoors but were part of the public space.
She gazed into the distance and saw that she was on a rather steep hillside. Looking down, she could see numerous caves carved into the rocky slope, connected by winding mountain paths.
People in twos and threes were walking on the dirt road.
At the foot of the mountain, fortifications formed by high wooden walls effectively guarded the entrance to the mountain. Several piles of stones, clearly bearing traces of witchcraft, were covered with banners painted with runic symbols, which were slowly swaying.
There were also several watchtowers where bonfires were lit and people patrolled the area.
Looking further up, unlike the caves at the foot of the mountain, in the relatively flat area at the top of the mountain, you can see rows of strangely shaped little houses, which are clearly the dwellings of wizards. Only magic could create such illogical shapes.
Hermione was somewhat dazed. The lower half of this settlement clearly belonged to the Muggles and looked very similar to the Muggle settlement she had lived in when she was a child. People dug caves to avoid wind, snow and wild animal attacks, and built fortifications to prevent other humans from plundering.
However, Devon has a much better climate. Although the steep mountains are not conducive to production and life, people can live on the surface most of the time instead of hiding underground. Looking out from the mountains, you can see the only remaining strip of coastline.
"White Mountain Village?" Hermione wondered about the name of the place and stepped forward to make way for the people behind her.
"Oh, it's another name for the village of Autri Saint Catchpol. That's a really hard name to pronounce," Ron explained as he walked ahead of her.
"This place was built only a little over ten years ago. It was formed by a few wizard families, who gathered together the villagers of the original village of Autri St. Catchpol at the foot of the mountain, as well as some refugees."
He said with some pride, "Although it hasn't developed for decades like Godric Cliff Street, everything here was built by my parents bit by bit."
He watched everything here change slowly from a young age, and he felt a strong sense of belonging and pride in the Weasel Village.
Next, Percy, the twins, Ginny, and Harry, Neville, and Draco all walked through the fireplace, the children looking around curiously.
Draco, still rather nervous, bowed formally to Mr. Arthur and said, "Mr. Weasley, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Arthur was at a loss when faced with the son of his former enemy. The man was now down on his luck, and the child had come here all alone, all alone and helpless. He certainly couldn't bring himself to be cold to him.
He nodded with an awkward smile: "Madam Augusta has arrived and has prepared licorice wands and jelly slugs for you."
"Let's go up the mountain together, it's still quite cold here at night."
The lower level of White Hill was inhabited by many Muggles, while the upper level was home to a few scattered wizard families. Hermione quietly asked Ron why they didn't live together.
But Ron shrugged and said that although they were happy to do so, Muggles were always somewhat afraid of them, and were overly polite and respectful, even spontaneously putting themselves in the position of servants.
This made the wizards feel awkward, and over time, the two sides gradually formed a pattern where one side was on the mountainside and the other side was at the foot of the mountainside.
Wizards have various ways to withstand harsh weather such as wind and snow, so they can build houses outside as they please. Muggles, however, can only live in caves because if too many houses are built, the wizards simply cannot maintain them. However, these caves were opened up by the wizards for the Muggles, and they are not as bleak as they look from the outside. There is plenty of furniture and space.
"What are you eating? I don't seem to see any food?" Hermione asked curiously as they walked down the street.
"It's on the other side of the mountain," Ron replied.
"The climate is better over there, but there's not much flat land."
Weasel Mountain is very steep, slicing through the wind blowing in from the sea like a sharp knife, bringing with it even more moisture.
The warmer side was reserved for the farmers, while the people lived on the drier side.
They walked uphill, and Arthur would greet the people he met along the way. But these Muggles, just as Ron had said, bowed respectfully in response, not placing themselves on an equal footing with the wizards at all.
Even someone as kind and amiable as Mr. Arthur seemed completely unable to change them.
This settlement has only been formed for about ten years. These Muggles may have wandered outside, perhaps even been to Malfoy Castle, or witnessed the behavior of many wizards. Their impression of wizards has become solidified, and the new generation, influenced by their parents, probably dares not disobey wizards in the slightest.
The atmosphere here is completely different from Godric Cliffs. While the Muggles there could still be friends with wizards, here they are clearly divided into two classes, a division even created by the Muggles themselves.
In a sense, this can be considered a social practice by the members of the Order of the Phoenix. They tried to integrate Muggles and wizards in different regions, but the results did not seem to be very good. Dumbledore probably felt sad and confused because of these sights.
Meanwhile, Mr. Diggory and Cedric caught up from behind, followed by Mr. Lovegood and Luna. The three families agreed to have the children get together for a family dinner in a few days.
Soon, they arrived at the flat area at the top, where the mountain road split into several branches, leading to houses of various shapes and sizes, like bamboo shoots growing from the sloping hillside.
The Weasleys’ Burrow was built like a haphazardly stacked pile of building blocks, looking as if it might collapse at any moment.
From the exterior alone, Hermione could tell how many times Mr. Weasley had expanded the house. He seemed to have no regard for the rationality of the building and just arbitrarily added rooms in places he thought were suitable.
The wooden building, which is about four or five stories high, appears larger at the top and smaller at the bottom when you get closer, but it is strangely stable. The wind here is not weak, but it cannot move this strange house at all.
Through the window, one could see the warm light inside and hear the hearty laughter of Molly and Mrs. Longbottom.
"Huh? Bill's back too?" Percy heard his older brother's voice.
"Yes, Charlie will be back for vacation soon, and our house will be quite lively this year," Mr. Arthur said with great enthusiasm.
Hermione knew that her second brother Charlie was raising dragons on Mount Vesuvius, but she didn't know much about what he was doing to Bill.
"That guy went to Egypt to study the ancient Pharaoh's curse, saying he wanted to find a way to break the fairy curse." Ron rolled his eyes, dismissing his older brother's wild ideas.
However, Bill's academic performance during his school years was quite excellent, so it's reasonable for him to have such ambitions.