Hearing Dudley's tone, which suggested he was about to revisit old grievances, Dumbledore immediately fell silent and listened attentively.
"In Modern Wizarding Events, I read that after Voldemort vanished ten years ago, his Death Eaters were imprisoned in Azkaban, right?"
Before assigning the task, Dudley asked a related question.
"Most of them were sent to Azkaban, but some claimed they were under the Imperius Curse and weren't truly loyal to Voldemort. Those individuals paid hefty fines and avoided imprisonment," Dumbledore replied.
"Did you use Veritaserum to interrogate them?"
"...No. Veritaserum is a high-level potion, only producible by a few master potioneers. It can't be mass-produced, and due to privacy and humanitarian concerns, it's rarely used in interrogations.
Also, many of these individuals come from influential pure-blood families and are core members of their respective households. They weren't Voldemort's most loyal followers, so..."
"Got it. Privileged double-dealers. It seems the wizarding world hasn't come up with anything new."
Dudley nodded in understanding. "But I must remind you, Dumbledore, if you announce Voldemort's return to the wizarding world, these people are likely to become restless. You need to apply enough psychological pressure on them beforehand."
"You're right, Dudley! Many conservative pure-blood families severely hinder the progress of the wizarding world. Their ideologies are old school and extreme. They need a good wake-up call. I'll warn them."
Dumbledore agreed with Dudley's assessment but couldn't think of a suitable pretext to act.
However, he was already accustomed to relying on Dudley's strategic mind.
"What should I do, Dudley?" Dumbledore asked.
Dudley had been waiting for this question.
With a sly smile, he said, "It's simple. Kill all the Death Eaters imprisoned in Azkaban."
"What?!" Dumbledore was horrified, struggling to believe what he'd just heard. "You mean... kill them all?!"
"Exactly!"
Dudley's tone was unwavering, and he even seemed puzzled by Dumbledore's strong reaction.
"Dumbledore, you should've done this long ago! I don't understand why you're so shocked. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth—it's a simple principle.
These loyal Death Eaters, every one of them has blood on their hands. By Muggle law, they'd have been executed long ago!
You old-school wizards are too lenient!
Death Eaters kill ordinary wizards, kill those who fight for justice, yet they don't pay with their lives. Is that fair?
If you don't kill them now, when Voldemort regains power and stages a massive breakout from Azkaban, how much damage will these Death Eaters, tortured by Dementors for nearly a decade, inflict on the wizarding world?
Keeping enemies alive to harm your allies—I can't think of anything more!
Killing these Death Eaters now will both scare the double-dealers and severely weaken Voldemort's forces. You can also search their memories for clues about Voldemort's weaknesses—those unknown Horcruxes.
This is a win-win situation. Why are you hesitating? Just do it!"
"Dudley, your reasoning is sound, but... these Death Eaters are mostly pure-bloods. Many are connected to influential wizarding families. Killing them all would be hard for me to accept, let alone other wizards."
Dudley was still hesitant.
"Let's be real. There are only about three thousand wizards in Britain. If you look closely, everyone's related to everyone else.
When Death Eaters were killing people, they didn't care about distant family ties!
Keeping them alive now will only lead to more deaths later. By then, half of the three thousand wizards could be gone!"
Dudley's words struck a chord, finally convincing Dumbledore.
After some thought, Dumbledore, who understood Dementor behavior, realized that without intervention, a mass breakout was likely. Voldemort might even recruit the inherently evil Dementors to his side.
If that happened, while he might endure it, other wizards certainly wouldn't.
"Alright! I'll do it!" Dumbledore's hand tightened around the Elder Wand in his robe pocket.
Seeing Dumbledore's resolve, Dudley's tone softened:
"Dumbledore, your concerns aren't unfounded. Large-scale killing, even for justice, could frighten the huge masses, damaging your reputation and making future endeavors harder."
Dumbledore's mind struggled to keep up.
First, you want to kill the Death Eaters, then you have reservations. I've made up my mind and am ready to act, and now you're backtracking.
What do you want from me?
Dudley saw the confusion in Dumbledore's eyes and explained, "What I mean is, you can't do it directly. You need to have plan to kill them."
"How do we plan it?" Dumbledore asked directly.
"Here's the plan: Minister Fudge, after being impeached for corruption, becomes resentful and goes to Azkaban.
He convinces the Dementors to release the imprisoned Death Eaters, planning to use their power to reclaim his position as Minister.
This plan is uncovered by Professor Dumbledore, who was visiting Sirius Black.
In this critical moment, to protect the wizarding world, Professor Dumbledore is forced to unleash a mysterious and powerful spell, he killed the rioting Death Eaters in one fell swoop!
Afterward, the arrested Fudge, unable to cope with the situation, loses his memory and becomes mentally incapacitated.
Finally, under the arrest of Professor Dumbledore, he's imprisoned in Azkaban without Dementors, where he lives out his days."
Dudley spoke as if narrating a news report, not a fabricated story.
Dumbledore was stunned, and even Harry looked shocked.
"How's that, Dumbledore? With this thing, most wizards will only respect your power and authority more, without harboring negative feelings.
The double-dealers will be terrified. Even if Voldemort approaches them, they'll hesitate to side with him and might even report him to you, about his plans."