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Chapter 687: Student Roster
Chapter 687: Student Roster
After Madam Bones left, Felix and Professor Mcgonagall discussed for a while longer before emerging from the staff room.
All the students were ordered to bring their luggage down.
"…This is the current arrangement", Professor Mcgonagall said. "Students from Muggle families will need to wait a bit longer. Professors will escort you home, and the Ministry of Magic will send specialists to guide Wizarding families living in Muggle communities on safety measures."
The students sat on benches, their faces listless, holding their luggage. At the Hufflepuff table, Justin Finch-Fletchley stood up and called out, "Professor, have Wizards really been exposed?"
Professor Mcgonagall glanced at him, pursing her lips. "Yes, Mr. Finchley."
The Great Hall was immediately filled with a heavy atmosphere. The students couldn't yet grasp the full impact of the Wizarding world being exposed, but they knew it was a terrible thing, or perhaps they realized in their hearts—Grindelwald had spent a year teaching them how to defend against Muggles and hide themselves.
Felix cleared his throat.
"The Ministry of Magic has a plan in place, so you don't need to worry too much. However, in the coming days, you will likely hear various rumors. I require you to avoid any activities that might expose your Wizarding identity during the holidays. Stay informed by listening to the Ministry's announcements and the radio…"
He outlined a series of specific measures, and the students gradually came to their senses.
At this moment, Sirius and Percy approached. Sirius said to Harry, "I've talked to Molly. You can stay at the Burrow for a while; she welcomes you. Felix's office fireplace is available, so you can use that to travel—"
"What about you?" Harry couldn't help but ask.
"I'll stay", Sirius said without hesitation, glancing at Remus and Mad-Eye. "We need to talk to Felix and see if we can help, or perhaps reorganize the Order of the Phoenix… Regardless, I will likely join the Ministry of Magic temporarily."
"I'll stay too", Harry said. Sirius's eyes widened, and Harry quickly added, "I'll be of age in a month, and this concerns the entire Wizarding world. If a war breaks out, hiding won't do me any good. The conflict will eventually reach me, and I don't want to be dragged out like a Niffler."
Sirius hesitated, looking at him.
Harry's voice became more urgent. "Even if Dumbledore were still here, he wouldn't refuse my help. He would want me to contribute! In his final days, I attended his classes and learned a lot about Grindelwald…" His words were a bit jumbled.
"Alright, I agree", Sirius said suddenly, seeing the shock on Harry's face. He smiled, "I knew you wouldn't hide. I just discussed it with Remus, and he asked me to ask your opinion. But you must return to school after the holidays", he added sternly.
"We'll see", Harry said vaguely. "The school might not even reopen after this." He had only used it as an excuse, but Sirius sighed worriedly, "You're right. If the situation doesn't stabilize before the term starts, Hogwarts might indeed close."
In turbulent times, people naturally prefer to be with their families.
"I'll stay too", Hermione said after listening for a while. "I don't want to go home and do nothing, just sitting in front of the TV waiting for news about a potential war between Wizards and Muggles! But I need to go home first; my parents are probably worried sick."
"Me too", Ron said.
"Count us in as well", Fred and George Weasley said in unison.
"I want to do something too", Neville said seriously, glancing back at his parents, who had retired but stayed without hesitation.
Ginny was about to speak when Mrs. Weasley approached, eyeing them suspiciously. "What are you discussing?" "Nothing!" Ron, Fred, and George Weasley said reflexively. Ron quickly added, "Mom, Ginny is terrified. She wants to go back to the Burrow as soon as possible."
Ginny let out an angry meow and was reluctantly dragged away by Mrs. Weasley.
Soon, Ministry of Magic officials arrived. To ensure the safe and simultaneous transportation of young Wizards and their parents, the Ministry sent two Floo Network management teams to modify and maintain the fireplace in Professor Mcgonagall's office, preventing any mishaps.
The students lined up, and Professor Sprout led them through the fireplace. Filch stood at the school gates, greeting the anxious Wizarding parents who had rushed to the school upon receiving the news. Other teachers maintained order, and everything proceeded smoothly.
Felix sat in a corner of the Great Hall, unrolling the Marauder's Map to study it carefully.
Due to the unexpected exposure of the wizarding world, a series of chain reactions had led to a massive influx of people into Hogsmeade, the only village in Britain entirely populated by wizards. Among them were foreigners who had attended funerals and stayed in Britain, those who had come for refuge or to gather information, and Ministry of Magic enforcers patrolling to maintain order. As a result, the map was filled with a dense cluster of dots, making it difficult for Felix to find any useful information.
Sirius Black approached with a large group, and upon hearing their intentions, Felix almost immediately agreed.
"I have a feeling that the next few months will be crucial, and the Ministry of Magic will be severely understaffed. Since you have this idea, it shouldn't be a problem for the Ministry to issue some temporary identities. A few students can handle tasks like organizing files and passing messages... in fact, most people do this kind of work. If a real battle breaks out, the situation will likely be extremely dire."
Harry breathed a sigh of relief, fearing the professor wouldn't agree.
"The Order of the Phoenix—" Sirius Black said.
"I suggest you temporarily merge with the Ministry of Magic", Felix said. "The situation is different now compared to when we were fighting Voldemort. You don't have to worry about the Ministry being like a sieve, leaking information everywhere. You can form several small teams to suppress domestic Dark Wizards and prevent them from causing trouble. Additionally, you can establish a Pan-Magical Alliance—"
"Pan-Magical Alliance?" Hermione and Sirius Black asked in unison.
"Exactly", Felix explained the concept briefly. "Hermione Granger shouldn't be unfamiliar with this term. The earliest similar concept appeared in one of her essays, which I later passed on to Amelia Bones."
Harry and Ron exchanged a glance.
"Spew?"
"It's the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare!" Hermione said, annoyed.
Harry and Ron grinned.
"Exactly", Felix said. "The wizarding world is home to intelligent races other than wizards. Other magical beings, due to their civilization and wisdom, are categorized similarly to humans. We need to bring them on board."
"Why?" Sirius Black asked, puzzled.
"For two reasons. First, if it's only wizards, the target is too singular. We're concerned that Muggle governments might assume wizards are just another group of people living on their land and demand the right to govern them. I believe most wizards wouldn't agree to that."
"Let Muggles rule wizards?" Lucius Malfoy's face darkened, and he said coldly, "Do you expect me to change 'Merlin be praised' to 'The Queen be praised'?"
Mad-Eye Moody sneered, "Your ancestors used to say that."
Lucius Malfoy glared at him.
Felix, as if he hadn't heard, continued:
"Moreover, I personally believe that the lifestyles of wizards and Muggles are vastly different, and these differences can't be bridged in a short time. If restrictions are suddenly lifted and both sides are allowed to integrate into each other's lives, it will inevitably lead to endless conflicts. Therefore, at least until the negotiations are concluded, there should be only one official channel of communication between both sides."
Felix didn't mention that even after the negotiations, the wizarding world wouldn't be fully open to the public for a long time. Instead, a few communication windows would be established, such as building a small island.
"This leads to the second reason", he said, raising a finger. "Since the magical world isn't just populated by wizards, there are other voices. As negotiations deepen, Muggle governments will learn more about the magical world and might try to negotiate separately with other races, offering incentives and attempting to win their support... I'm particularly concerned about the goblins' stance. Therefore, the formation of a Pan-Magical Alliance is imperative."
The conversation continued, but Harry quietly tugged on Hermione and Ron's sleeves, and they backed away. Neville hesitated for a moment before following. Just as Harry was about to speak, Ginny appeared from thin air, her hair messy, as if she had just been in a struggle.
"I managed to shake off Mom", she said calmly.
Neville was stunned. He had stayed at the Black family home for a while before his fifth year and was familiar with Mrs. Weasley's temper. Privately, he had told Harry that Mrs. Weasley was "a bit like my grandmother."
Ron gave her a thumbs-up. Ginny rolled her eyes.
"Alright, stop fooling around. Harry, what do you want to say?" Hermione asked.
"Let's ask the other sixth and seventh-year students", Harry said quietly. "See if they have any plans for summer internships. Write down their names; they might come in handy. You heard what Felix said; the Ministry of Magic will be extremely busy in the coming months."
"Can it be done?" Hermione asked skeptically.
"Absolutely", Neville said excitedly. "Like me—I don’t want to sit around and do nothing, and I’m sure many others feel the same."
"Unless they’re cowards", Ginny said.
"Don’t say that, Ginny", Harry shook his head. "Everyone has different thoughts." He remembered the various people he had seen in Dumbledore’s Pensieve, some wizards who avoided war and fame but achieved great things in other fields.
"Let’s start with the members of the Frontline Watchtower and the Runic Script Club", Harry finally said.
They each dispersed, holding a piece of parchment, tiptoeing to find their targets. They approached this task with a sense of noble purpose, and when they regrouped, they had a handful of names.
"If half the people on this list respond, it will be a big help", Harry said happily.
"Finally, some good news", Hermione smiled.
At that moment, Ron started to stammer, and the others looked at him with confusion. He muttered, "Well— I’m not sure if it’s good news, but—"
"Ron, stop being so dramatic!" Ginny shouted.
"Alright", Ron said softly. "Follow me." He led the others out of the Great Hall and stood on the stone steps, where the outside sunlight was a bit blinding. "I’ve been wanting to say this for a while, but I didn’t think it was the right time." He took a deep breath and gripped his wand.
To everyone’s surprise, he transformed into a sleek, shiny hunting dog.
"Merlin’s beard!" Ginny exclaimed in shock.
"Awesome", Harry said sincerely. "You’ve mastered animagus transformation."
Hermione playfully tapped the dog’s head, her smile bright. "When did you do this?"
"Congratulations", Neville said.
The hunting dog circled around them playfully. Harry suddenly felt a strong urge. He glanced furtively behind him, but the entrance hall was empty. He transformed into a stag. Soon after, Neville and Hermione also transformed into their animagus forms.
Ginny looked around, realizing she was the only one still human, and she couldn’t help but pout.
"Don’t worry, Mrs. Weasley", Felix’s voice came from a distance. "I’ve been paying attention, and if I’m not mistaken, Ginny should—uh, am I in a zoo?"
Ginny turned sharply, her hands gripping the stag’s antlers as if she were about to wrestle with it. A tortoiseshell cat, a hunting dog, and a beaver watched with interest. They all turned to look at Professor Sprout and Mrs. Weasley, who were standing there, stunned, with Sirius and Lupin behind them.
A moment of silence.
A black shadow darted out—it was Sirius, who transformed into a large, shaggy black dog before anyone could react, playfully circling around them, looking incredibly happy.
This transformation made Mrs. Weasley, who was about to speak, close her mouth. Her lips were tightly pursed, and her eyes blazed with anger.
As if the chaos wasn’t enough, Felix coughed lightly, pulled a silver pocket watch from his pocket, and pretended to check the time. But in the next second, a Niffler burst out of it.
Valen scrambled up Felix’s shoulders, finally noticing the people around him, and his expression froze.
"Zoo?"
...
The clock struck eleven, and the Prime Minister closed the door. He had just had a stressful day, having sent off several Mps, and now his office was finally empty. He took off his glasses and sat down in his chair, exhausted.
He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but with such a major event, there would certainly be some movement on the other side. Therefore, he firmly refused several aides, even though his mind was blank and he was about to face a parliamentary inquiry.
There was a light cough from behind.
The Prime Minister stiffened. Although this had happened several times in his career, he could never get used to it. He could almost imagine the dirty, unremovable portrait on the wall behind him, with a small, frog-like man in a silver wig staring at him.
"To the Muggle Prime Minister. Requesting an urgent meeting. Please respond immediately. Sincerely, Bones."
"Alright, alright, I agree", the Prime Minister said, muttering under his breath, "As if I had a choice." He then couldn’t help but stare at the fireplace, where emerald green flames burst into life, and a woman with a monocle and a stern expression stepped out.
The Prime Minister recognized her—another Minister, the one who had replaced Fudge. They had met twice, the first time when Bones took office. The Prime Minister had a good impression of this woman. Although she always had a serious face, she wasn’t as arrogant as her predecessor and was willing to answer his questions without treating him like an idiot.
He stood up, putting on a furious expression—though he felt he had every right to be angry. But his anger froze when the green flames rose again, and a young man appeared, looking around the room with interest. After a few seconds, he calmly stepped out of the fireplace.
A thought suddenly crossed the Prime Minister’s mind: Was this young man replacing the current Minister? Was the magical government changing hands so quickly?
(End of Chapter)
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