Chapter 710: Clouds Gather
Chapter 710: Clouds Gather
The sky above was dotted with countless stars as Felix walked down the streets of Cairo, Egypt, his form subtly shifting. He entered a wizard tavern, and as he appeared, the once bustling crowd fell silent, a wave of unease spreading through the room like wheat falling in a field.
People were intimidated by his notorious reputation from half a century ago, but their fear was mingled with curiosity.
"My brothers, my sisters, my fellow wizards", a raspy, aged voice echoed through the tavern as Grindelwald spread his arms wide, "I will put an end to the chaos in this land—"
"In the name of the Grindelwald Code!"
...
The next day, Harry groggily woke up in the bed at the Burrow. His head felt heavy, and it took him a while to find his glasses in his pocket. Once he put them on, he saw through the window that it was already broad daylight, the sun shining brightly.
He pushed Ron's arm away and jumped out of bed, looking at the old watch on his wrist—a birthday gift from Mrs. Weasley, originally belonging to her brother who had died heroically in the war.
"Midday", Harry muttered, his throat feeling dry and a bit nauseous, probably from drinking too much champagne the night before. He slowly made his way downstairs, the memories of the wedding gradually resurfacing. Harry couldn't help but smile; it had been a wonderful evening.
Everything started when Professor Hep informed him that he would be collaborating on Dumbledore's biography. Professor and Hermione had left one after the other but reappeared on the dance floor. By then, Harry had already spent some time chatting with Aberforth Dumbledore, and his respect for the man grew after remembering the obituary Aberforth had written.
They had a great conversation, but when Ginny passed by for the third time, Aberforth raised his glass and encouraged Harry to enjoy the moment. Harry listened, quickly made a plan to meet Aberforth again, and then pulled the impatient Ginny onto the dance floor. What happened after that?
Harry lightly tapped his head, resisting the temptation to knock on Ginny's door as he passed her room on the second floor. He entered the kitchen, relieved he hadn't. Ginny was sitting at the table, listlessly eating breakfast—or was it lunch?
"Harry, you're awake?" Mrs. Weasley said with enthusiasm, interrupting the sweet whispers between Bill and Fleur. From Harry's perspective, the newlyweds seemed to have become inseparable, unless the Weasley family's financial situation took a turn for the worse, forcing them to share cutlery.
"Yes, Mrs. Weasley, I just got up", Harry mumbled.
"Ally!" Fleur greeted him warmly, following French custom, "We're deciding on a vacation spot. Come and help us choose."
Harry sat down next to Bill, looking at the photo album they passed to him, filled with picturesque landscapes. He flipped through a couple of pages and pointed to a cliff by the sea, "This one looks good."
"Really?" Fleur read the caption below the photo, her expression thoughtful, "It's in Cornwall... I haven't been there. It says the place is full of wild roses in the summer. What do you think?" She turned to Bill.
"Dear, we have plenty of time to go anywhere", Bill said gently.
Mrs. Weasley set a plate of food in front of Harry, the plate scraping loudly against the table. Harry sensed her mood wasn't the best and glanced at Ginny, who made a face at him.
"Where's Mr. Weasley?" Harry asked.
"He's at work", Mrs. Weasley said absentmindedly, "Percy and Penelope couldn't stay last night; the house isn't big enough... I was thinking about adding a few more rooms."
"Mom", Bill said, "Even if we move out, Fleur and I will visit you and Dad every week."
Seemingly caught off guard, Mrs. Weasley waved her dishcloth nervously, "Oh, yes, well, I just—families should be together sometimes—like yesterday, it will be useful."
Harry ate his meal with a sense of unease. By the time Ron came down, the atmosphere had calmed down, and he was happily devouring his scrambled eggs and pie.
"Is there any of last night's champagne left?" Ron asked hopefully.
"No", Mrs. Weasley said sternly.
After finishing their meal, Harry, Ron, and Ginny moved to the living room, while Bill and Fleur went for a walk. The three of them listened to the clatter from the kitchen until Ron finally asked:
"What's wrong with Mom?"
Ginny sighed, "Bill and Fleur want to move out and live on their own. They had already agreed, but Mom is trying to resist."
Ron made a praying gesture.
"Merlin help her."
"By the way", Harry asked Ginny, "Where's Hermione? She's not still sleeping, is she?"
Ginny rolled her eyes.
"What are you thinking? She went to Diagon Alley early this morning. The radio said some Muggles were invited to experience the wizarding world up close—a sort of reciprocal gesture. Hermione was on TV recently, so she might be able to help." She said uncertainly.
As evening approached, Hermione returned with a lively spirit, announcing happily to everyone that the day's activities had been a great success.
“I monitored everything all day, and everything went smoothly except for one freckle-faced woman who wouldn’t leave the beauty potions shop until she tried all the potions—no creatures escaped from the pet shop, no books bit anyone at Flourish and Blotts, no goblins at Gringotts accused Wizards of being thieves, and no Quaffles at Quality Quidditch Supplies hit anyone on the head…”
Hermione rattled off a long list of potential dangers, finally taking a deep breath, which made Harry wonder if the people she described had been to a different Diagon Alley altogether.
“Yeah, they were really lucky,” Ron said sarcastically.
Hermione ignored his sarcasm and continued, “When they were free to move around, I chatted with one of them—you won’t believe it, but she’s from France! Even more amazing, she knows Professor, but they couldn’t meet today.”
“Why not?” Harry asked.
“Didn’t you know?” Hermione looked at Harry with surprise, “Professor has already left the UK and is heading to the headquarters of the International Confederation of Wizards.”
…
The headquarters of the International Confederation of Wizards is located in a remote, uncharted area on the northeastern border of France. Situated in a desolate mountainous region, it has been protected by almost every known protective charm since its founding, ensuring both its security and secrecy. The only downside is the difficulty of access, which is somewhat outdated. Felix had only visited once, and the bright, layered magical auras had nearly blinded him before he was led to the nearby city of Strasbourg.
Strasbourg is the largest border city in France, located on the west bank of the Rhine River. To the west lies the Vosges Mountains; to the east, it faces the German state of Baden-Württemberg across the river, with the Black Forest just 25 kilometers away. To the north is the Agnon Forest, and to the south, the Rhine Plain.
Felix and Babajide Akimba walked through a small area of medieval half-timbered houses and Baroque sandstone buildings, following the scenic riverbank for a while before disappearing onto a stone bridge.
A wide, golden staircase leading downward greeted them. Their footsteps echoed and amplified off the walls, resonating back to their ears. Felix carefully examined the various carvings on the walls.
“That’s the scene from the first meeting of the International Confederation of Wizards,” Akimba said, pointing to one of the carvings. “The first president, Pierre Bonacourt, was a Frenchman who chose this place as the venue for the conference.”
Felix was a bit surprised.
“I thought the meeting was held at the headquarters of the Confederation.”
“The headquarters hadn’t been built yet. The conditions were quite basic, so they chose an open-air square. Goblins originally wanted to attend but were driven away, and Liechtenstein didn’t participate either.”
“Wasn’t it because of trolls?”
“Exactly, it was because of the trolls,” Akimba confirmed. “The Wizards there had a tense relationship with some particularly vicious mountain trolls. They wanted to use the Confederation’s power to hunt down the trolls, but Pierre Bonacourt refused.”
Felix nodded.
From the name alone, it was clear that the Wizard organization was initially established to promote cooperation among Wizards from different countries, with no other races involved. The Confederation’s president generally acted as a mediator with limited power. By the end of the 17th century, the idea of secrecy had become increasingly accepted among Wizards. After several weeks of intense discussion, the Statute of Secrecy was enacted.
In practice, this important task was taken on by the International Confederation of Wizards. The Confederation then rapidly expanded, establishing various departments to communicate, coordinate, and oversee the implementation of the Statute of Secrecy in different countries.
“Theoretically, this is just an office of the Confederation,” Akimba said, “but people found they preferred working here rather than in a damp, uninhabited place. So, a former president of the Confederation bought this place and had the square where the meeting was held sunk underground. The staircase we’re on is part of that square…”
“During times of war and chaos, Wizards retreat to the real headquarters while Wizards from nearby countries go into hiding. Of course, we can’t control everything; we just need to ensure that the existence of magic remains hidden.”
They passed through a circular hall with a distinct Roman style, luxurious and grand, with a spacious interior. The walls of the circular hall were lined with evenly spaced rooms, each door seemingly facing the center of the hall, as if radiating outward from an invisible point. Tall stone pillars and arched ceilings adorned the sides of the entrance.
On their way, Felix only saw a couple of people, moving from one room to another, looking weary and dispirited.
“There are many people on the list, but most have their own responsibilities and only gather when needed. I don’t come here often myself; usually, we choose a nearby place to hold meetings when there’s a problem,” Akimba said somewhat wistfully. “A few weeks ago, there were many representatives here, discussing plans; even earlier, the Aurors responsible for capturing Grindelwald also convened here, but now the number has dwindled significantly…”
Why was this happening?
Because the International Confederation of Wizards couldn't come up with a viable solution, everyone was looking out for themselves and ignored the call to action. The confederation immediately became a hollow shell.
"What do you think?" Aberforth Dumbledore asked Felix.
"The first step is definitely to restore the confederation's prestige", Felix said, thinking aloud. "I need to travel around the world, so give me the title of special envoy. However, I might need to stay here for a few days to go through some documents and learn about the history of the Ministries of Magic in different countries."
Felix stood in the spacious hall, looking around with determination. Aberforth immediately believed him to some extent, but if he knew Felix's true thoughts at that moment, he probably wouldn't be so optimistic.
"I can tell you quite a bit about the black markets around the world, but if you ask about the history of these countries—well, I wish I had filled in that gap in my knowledge earlier."
Indeed, Felix's Mind Chamber didn't contain much useful information, and even if he had seen it before, he had long discarded it as garbage.
...
Mid-August, after wandering around for half a month, Felix returned to the school. In the Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts Castle— "Three students have refused to attend", Professor Mcgonagall said solemnly.
"Is this common in previous years?" Felix asked.
"Maybe once every two or three years", Professor Mcgonagall hesitated for a moment, then explained, "As you know, even young wizards from Muggle families, going back a few generations, usually have wizard ancestors. These families are unlikely to strongly oppose magic..."
Professor Mcgonagall huffed angrily, "We're not like the Scourer descendants in America."
"It might be the recent news", Felix said, sounding a bit frustrated. "Hogwarts doesn't force students to attend. If they firmly refuse, we can secretly provide protection. It would be bad if they turned into Muggles."
The outside world had been tumultuous during this time, with many significant events, many of which involved Felix. Newspapers around the world, both magical and Muggle, featured his name.
For example, a recent incident:
A week ago, the descendants of American Scourers approached the authorities and handed over twelve children with magical abilities, pleading for the authorities to uncover the secrets of wizards. The children were immediately placed under heavy protection, guarded by three hundred well-armed soldiers and modern technology.
The next day, a wizard in a black robe stood at the entrance to the base. He stood silently for a moment, and the door opened by itself. A squad of soldiers handed the children over to him. He produced a card and disappeared with the children without saying a word.
The four soldiers guarding the gate ignored the entire process, except for a single photo taken by the surveillance camera. The only clue was the card left behind, which bore the emblem of the International Confederation of Wizards.
The surveillance photo was studied repeatedly.
Experts soon discovered that this mysterious wizard was unlike anything in their records. He wore a hood and remained silent throughout, never casting a spell, never drawing a wand, and never making a gesture. Before leaving, he glanced at the camera, as if intentionally leaving a side profile.
Who knew how many people had stared at Felix's straight nose and smooth jawline in those days.
Seemingly under pressure from the outside world, the British Prime Minister sent an inquiry, but Amelia Bones firmly rebuffed it. Her response, broadcast repeatedly on television news, read: "Wizards are willing to cooperate and sign treaties to accelerate the birth of a new order. We have already shown goodwill, but if it comes at the cost of harming wizards, we will choose war."
On the same day, twenty-seven Scourer descendants died mysteriously in twelve different locations, with no evidence of any intrusion found by the police. Also on that day, the Saints, who had been inactive, began gathering in Africa from all directions.
If future scholars were to study this period of history, they would find this event to be a crucial turning point, marking a new chapter in the relationship between the two sides. For two days, the outside world was in an uproar, but the authorities remained silent. Then, the negotiating parties suddenly accelerated their pace.
Issues that had previously taken hours, even days, of debate became trivial, and both sides made concessions in unison. A journalist who had obtained inside information wrote that the public could expect to see the detailed contents of the proposed treaty within a month.
It seemed like a blink of an eye, and it was September 1st.
The first day of school had arrived.
(End of Chapter)
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