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Chapter 554: The Beginning of Communication
Chapter 554: The Beginning of Communication
In Hogsmeade, Felix spun into the public fireplace, brushing the ash off his robes. The sky was gray, with hints of red evening twilight peeking through the clouds.
A thick layer of snow covered the ground, and Felix's footsteps made a "crunch, crunch" sound as he walked. Wizards returning home in the evening greeted him along the way. A thin, elderly Wizard pulled him aside and talked for a long time, discussing whether "modern Wizards lack some of the old spirit." Eventually, the Wizard realized he had mistaken Felix for someone else—his friend had left early to avoid the chatter and go home for dinner.
At the Three Broomsticks Inn, Madam Rosmerta was putting up a discount poster. "Mr. Heap, out so late? Care to come in for a drink?"
"Oh, no thanks, I have some business to attend to..."
"Is it an inspection of the branch? I bought a chair and lie down every night before bed."
Felix turned into a narrow street, where the light dimmed. This road was close to the Shrieking Shack, and there were few people around. He stopped, his fingers fumbling with a coin. After a while, the sound of bounding footsteps came from behind.
"Mr. Heap."
The House-elf, Bundi, jumped out, bowed, and then straightened up, his nose brushing the snow on the ground. He then pulled out a crumpled letter and respectfully handed it to Felix.
Felix took it and asked, seemingly nonchalantly, "Bundi, who is your master?"
The House-elf's body stiffened, and he lowered his head. "Bundi was given to Mr. Grindelwald by my master to take care of his daily life."
Is it some loyal follower?
"When did this happen?"
"Within the last two years."
Felix glanced at him. "Is Mr. Grindelwald's health poor?"
Bundi took a deep breath and said in a high-pitched voice, "The winter at Nurmengard is very cold."
"What about his magic?"
"Since 1945, Mr. Grindelwald has not been allowed to cast spells."
Some kind of magic, Felix thought. On October 27th, he had seen Bundi, and there was clearly another person's will on him. After his defeat, Grindelwald must have had some restrictions— not just a wand, which for a Wizard like him, was not essential—but more severe restrictions.
Like an Unbreakable Vow.
This history is rather obscure, with no clear records. It's as if everyone has deliberately forgotten this threat, leading to obvious gaps when someone like him tries to interpret it from an outsider's perspective.
Why did Grindelwald give up everything after a duel? Were his ten thousand followers all fake? Even if only a tenth were loyal, they could shatter any Ministry of Magic in the world.
Felix didn't pursue the question further. Instead, he asked Bundi, "Do you live at Nurmengard?"
"Yes, sir."
"Can you keep an owl there?"
"What, what?" Bundi looked up in surprise.
"Relying solely on you for messages is too troublesome. Hogwarts' protective charm repels other House-elves, but it doesn't restrict owls." Felix explained. If messages were sent via owl, it would be much more convenient, saving him the trouble of always having to come out.
The House-elf Bundi bowed deeply. "No, sir, Nurmengard is sealed with many spells. No one can find it... Only members of the International Confederation of Wizards have the authority to open it."
Felix was slightly surprised. The restrictions on Grindelwald seemed to be much greater than he had initially thought.
He opened the letter, which, as usual, was not long. In summary, it agreed to "discuss certain issues" with him. Beyond that, it was filled with sarcastic remarks, such as "I've read those books before; the insights are shallow", "You're too negative, lacking courage; you don't even match up to Carlotta Pinkstone", or the condescending advice to "read the History of Magic from the fourteenth to the seventeenth century."
At the end, it didn't forget to ask for some parchment, ink, and quills.
"To write this letter, I added a lot of snow water to the ink bottle. Also, those people check Bundi's mind every two to three months; you'll need to deal with this."
Felix looked at the faint ink marks and chuckled. He read some contradictions in the letter, but he didn't think Grindelwald had become senile.
Grindelwald said he had read the books Felix wrote. Who gave them to him?
To be frank, Felix had never mentioned his plans and expectations for the Wizarding world in his books. To some, he was just a Muggle sympathizer or a cunning businessman who profited from bringing novel Muggle ideas into the Wizarding world. But to truly insightful people—like Dumbledore or Grindelwald—these books revealed his unfulfilled intentions. Namely:
Felix Hepworth believed that the integration of wizards and No-Majs was inevitable, but he was a moderate, or at least pretended to be one. He aimed to guide wizards to accept this idea gradually and prepare for it in advance.
If he presented this theory to an average wizard, they would likely frown. Wizards had grown accustomed to the Statute of Secrecy, and telling them it would eventually be broken would be like telling them they would one day walk naked into a snowy wasteland.
The radicals, on the other hand, would also dismiss this view, perhaps finding it too weak and indecisive. For example, the witch Carlotta Pinkstone, a social activist born in 1922, was famous for advocating the abolition of the International Confederation of Wizards' Statute of Secrecy. She had been imprisoned multiple times for deliberately using magic in public.
Incidentally, she was due to be released next year, and it was likely that she would cause another stir.
Grindelwald had once been a radical, but he was different because he was a failure. Handing him Felix's work would be like telling Grindelwald that there was a similar but more moderate idea that had already achieved some success, and that he should take a look.
Felix detected a strong sense of moralizing in this approach.
He suspected the person was Dumbledore.
If it was indeed Dumbledore, the restrictions of the International Confederation of Wizards would be no problem. Dumbledore had multiple ways to bypass the limitations of Nurmengard, the simplest being through the phoenix Fawkes.
Felix gave Bundi some writing materials, but as for how to bypass the inspection... Felix didn't take the bait. Grindelwald could possess Bundi to observe, which suggested that he could use some Memory Magic. Felix suspected this was a test.
Felix wasn't about to fall for it.
...
In the following days, Felix spent some time reviewing the history from the fourteenth to the seventeenth century. The Hogwarts Library provided a wealth of resources, including magical diaries and travel journals from that period. He found a few books in the Restricted Section—none of them contained any mind-altering curses, just straightforward historical records. Normally, he wouldn't have read such books.
Felix read with a cold sweat.
It was a more authentic and brutal truth.
During this time, he also received a significant number of letters, invitations to join various magical organizations pouring in like rain. Felix hadn't realized there were so many magical groups, with over thirty different Alchemy societies and ancient script associations alone.
There were also many personal letters, the most representative of which came from Ilvermorny's Uriah Edmund. His letter reflected the mindset of the younger generation of American wizards:
"...
The performance of the Magical Congress is disappointing. The officials seem oblivious to the severity of the issues.
I spoke with some of the older faculty at the school, and they told me that in the 1960s, a group tried to recruit members by appealing to 'Pureblood' and 'glory.' However, these ideas didn't resonate in America at the time—by British standards, only a few families who had migrated had the right to call themselves Purebloods.
So, the group's efforts failed. I believe similar things may have happened in other countries, but because of the recent painful lessons from Grindelwald, people were highly vigilant and instinctively rejected such ideas, preventing new cults from developing.
Now, about thirty years have passed, and a new generation of wizards has grown up, bringing new grievances. The biggest conflict is the forced separation between wizards and No-Maj society. While there has been some improvement in the past two years, it is still far from satisfactory. One day, it will shatter the illusion of the peaceful harmony we cherish.
The death of Headmaster Fontana deeply affected me. He protected me, but now he is gone.
So, Mr. Heap, I have left Ilvermorny.
I have decided to enter politics. The Magical Congress plans to form an emergency squad, which I see as just a show, but I have decided to apply. For now, I am still active domestically, but there may be an opportunity to meet in Britain in the future.
Wishing us all the best."
Felix closed the letter, thinking for a long time before taking out a piece of parchment to write a reply.
"Dear Uriah,
I see in you the hope of a new generation in the American magical community. Some problems are difficult to handle, but we will eventually encounter them, so we cannot turn a blind eye.
The issues you mentioned in your letter are ones I have also deeply considered. Here are my thoughts:
You face two main problems: the first is the public outrage and social unrest caused by Headmaster Fontana's death, along with the potential threat from Voldemort's forces; the second is the frustration you, the Reform Society, and all forward-thinking individuals feel due to the Magical Congress's passive attitude in response to this crisis.
The first is a sudden event and the focus of everyone's attention at this stage, while the second is more profound. It may seem less urgent, but it is more challenging to address.
I fully agree with your decision to join the Magical Congress. It will give you a firsthand experience of the challenges and moral dilemmas faced by those in power. If you cannot confidently do better than them, the outcome will inevitably be negative and demoralizing, potentially as harmful as the chaos caused by Headmaster Fontana's death.
I also see that you have proposed other solutions, such as collaborating with 'Future World' to replicate some of the initiatives we discussed last year. However, I must point out that our situations are not entirely the same.
The Statute of Secrecy has been in place for nearly three hundred years. In other words, no one alive today has seen a world completely free from interference. Any abrupt changes will have both positive and negative consequences. People will undoubtedly cheer at the opportunity to see the wonders beyond the gates, but they will also be hurt by the thorns outside, leading to resentment.
The conflicts between wizards and No-Majs are far too complex to summarize in a few words.
Hogwarts' library contains a vast amount of literature and materials on this subject, from the witch hunts of the fourteenth century to the few years before the Statute of Secrecy was enacted in the seventeenth century, when relations between wizards and No-Majs reached their lowest point.
For the first three hundred years, wizards were almost semi-public figures. The most talented or ambitious among them often became guests of kings and nobles. However, lower-class wizard families still led double lives. Public opinion was controlled by secular and religious authorities, and wizards and magic were seen as mysterious, cunning, and evil. Witch hunts were considered justifiable, and the idea of purging outsiders was widely promoted, leading to a clear divide between the upper and lower classes. This period saw many thought-provoking cases, such as kind and helpful wizards being betrayed by their neighbors, as well as those who were deeply loved. Of course, there were also evil wizards whose actions fueled the widespread fear and horror.
These contrasting viewpoints and ideologies clashed intensely, leading to the creation of 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard.'
If you ask me for my opinion, I would say that any attempt to define a large group by the actions of a few is undoubtedly flawed, especially when you have already chosen a side.
However, it must be acknowledged that the number of No-Majs far exceeds that of wizards, with a ratio of about 3000 to 1. This means that even a small percentage of No-Majs with intense anti-wizard sentiments can have disastrous consequences.
At that time, wizard families were particularly vulnerable to losing their children, as young children could not control their magic and often drew the attention of No-Maj witch hunters, who they were unable to defend themselves against. We are accustomed to seeing mature, self-protecting wizards shrug off pitchforks, hoes, and crosses, but the real history is not so rosy.
The newly established British Ministry of Magic (formerly the Wizard Parliament) sent a special delegation to contact King William Iii and Queen Mary II, hoping that No-Maj laws would recognize and protect wizards. When these efforts failed to gain official recognition and protection, wizards were forced to take the opposite path—going underground and keeping secrets.
Thus, the Statute of Secrecy was born.
This law effectively separated the wizarding and No-Maj societies and, over time, led to certain agreements. For example, the parents of Muggle-born young wizards are not subject to the secrecy laws, which undoubtedly helped ease tensions, especially compared to the harsh laws of the American Congress of Magic.
As far as I know, the American magical community and the non-magical government have always been in a state of hostility, with no cooperation between them. This hidden, dark, and bloody struggle saw some leaders authorize attempts to uncover wizard secrets, leading to intense conflicts and multiple relocations of the Magical Congress headquarters.
These are all factors that need to be considered in advance..."
(End of Chapter)
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