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Chapter 721: The Anticipated Conflict
Chapter 721: The Anticipated Conflict
After returning to the school, Felix spent some time finding Valen, who was happily strolling around. He had left Valen at the school because the meeting had been too serious. Over time, Valen had become even more adventurous.
Felix asked in a tone that suggested he was digging for inside information, "I heard there's a flying Niffler wandering around the Forbidden Forest?"
Valen shook his head repeatedly, indicating he had no idea. "Really?" Valen patted his chest and seriously suggested they ask Hagrid, who might know.
"…The Forbidden Forest is full of dangerous creatures", Felix warned him.
Valen waved his hand dismissively.
Following Valen's gaze, Felix noticed a small bell tied to its scarf. He reached out and grabbed it—
"Confiscated—this is for your safety, not for adventures." Valen could only watch helplessly as Felix's fingers flicked, and the cute silver bell transformed into a silver bird.
This was a Patronus Charm that Felix had specifically set up. The Patronus itself wasn't the key; what mattered was the magical circuit from the Mandrake hidden inside. If real danger arose, the Patronus could shout loudly enough to stun several unprepared wizards. This trick would also work on the creatures in the Forbidden Forest.
They headed toward the castle.
"Do you like the Forbidden Forest? I know a few particularly delicious spices… Professor Sprout has them hidden away."
The next day, when Felix was awakened by the enticing aroma of roasted pumpkin, he stood at the window, feeling as if he were in a different world. The distant mountains were covered in snow, and a thin layer of ice had formed on the Black Lake at the foot of the mountains, waiting for a heavy snowfall.
He spent Halloween at the school and took the time to get to know his students again. It was strange that no one had distinguished him from his memory version; Felix felt he was much more serious and solemn when teaching.
He even attended a party hosted by Slughorn with great interest. Snape still maintained his usual 'keep away' demeanor, but he casually mentioned his 'minor progress' in potion-making. Felix managed to resist asking for specifics, so Snape couldn't boast. Emmeline Vance wasn't interested in the food at the party but was fond of the classical music played there. She asked Slughorn for the name of the record, and he nonchalantly replied:
"You can't find it anywhere else. I got it from a Muggle store… Yes, it's been specially treated. I have some connections with the Muggle government… I can give you a set…"
After Halloween, Felix realized he still held the title of Deputy Headmaster. He went to Professor Mcgonagall to fulfill his duties and, while there, tried to chat with the Sorting Hat. Unfortunately, the dirty old hat wasn't interested and loudly declared Felix a non-communicator. Felix was a bit disappointed. The peaceful days didn't last long, as it was a crucial period. A week later, he returned to the headquarters of the International Confederation of Wizards, acting as a major information hub, constantly receiving and sending various messages. For a while, the hall at the headquarters was filled with Patronuses of different shapes and forms.
The progress made over the days was quite promising, and some countries with faster negotiations were nearing the final stages. The atmosphere at the headquarters was one of excitement. One morning, Akeem Badu, who had just returned from America, brought bad news.
"The situation is not good", he said succinctly, handing over a newspaper. Felix took it and saw the headline in bold red letters: "Auror Squad Meets Tragic End."
Putting down the newspaper, Akeem briefly explained the incident. A three-person Auror squad had encountered an accident while investigating the local government's secret control of young wizards. There were no survivors.
"Were there military forces involved?" Felix asked, surprised.
"Other casters, another group of casters", Akeem said. "It happened last night. Other squads received the final signal, but by the time they arrived, it was too late. The journalists stationed at Congress saw it…"
Half an hour later, Felix appeared at the American Congress of Magic in the Woolworth Building.
Three bodies lay before him. The head of the American Congress of Magic, Horace Greenstinch, the Headmaster of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the head of magical security, his deputy Uriah, and several high-ranking officials were present, all with grim expressions.
"Any leads yet?"
"There might be other Wizard organizations involved", Horace Greenstitch said grimly. "I suspect the descendants of the Purifiers. I dispatched a large number of people around Halloween to monitor suspicious individuals—on paper, it made perfect sense. Many Wizards have shopping plans during the holiday, so I figured someone might take advantage of the chaos..."
This was the plan he had mentioned to Felix. It had been partly successful; the Aurors did uncover something unusual, but they never returned to report their findings.
Felix remained noncommittal about the Purifiers. Historically, the Purifiers had played a despicable role as Wizard traitors, akin to mercenaries for hire. American Wizards once feared and despised them, and when the American Congress of Magic was established, these traitors were immediately purged. Only a small number managed to escape punishment and went into hiding among the general populace.
They lacked the power to retaliate against the Congress and dared not use magic, even going so far as to abandon their magically gifted children. Over time, these people chose not to cooperate with the authorities—having once betrayed their own kind to the Puritans and extreme official organizations, they knew all too well the torment they would face. This fear and hatred of the Magical Congress were passed down through generations.
So, the recent incident involving twelve magically gifted children was truly an anomaly. Or perhaps it wasn't an anomaly at all. Felix suddenly realized that if the previous incident was a test—a probe of the Wizards and public opinion—then perhaps those children had been under constant watch. When the time was right, they would be transported to an uncharted offshore base, serving as a yearly quota, only this year they were used for a different purpose...
Felix carefully examined the bodies of the three victims. After a moment, he looked up.
"I believe these three Aurors encountered the people we've been looking for. The children have grown up and have become our enemies."
This was the worst-case scenario.
"How could a secret operation have been going on for decades... Even so, they couldn't possibly stand against properly trained Aurors. Those people haven't even received a complete magical education", a bearded Wizard—head of magical security—cried out in disbelief.
"They haven't received a complete 'school education,'" Felix corrected. "It would indeed be difficult for them to receive proper magical instruction, but that doesn't mean they had to start from scratch. The simplest method... gain the trust of any Wizard, and they could freely access the magical world, easily purchasing publicly available spellbooks, potion ingredients, and second-hand wands from magical shops..."
"As for whether their actual abilities surpass those of the Aurors... I can't tell yet. There are several possible scenarios: these Aurors might have been careless, deceived, or simply outmatched. But one thing is certain... their opponents are not ordinary civilians but rigorously trained, expertly cultivated professionals."
A faint, faceless image appeared at the tip of Felix's fingers. He leaned in to examine it closely and said softly:
"The purpose of any magic school is not to train spies, assassins, or killers. We learn magic to better control it, and also to foster the Wizard community's subconscious desire to grow and thrive, or at least avoid decline. Thus, Wizards evolved from home and apprenticeship education to school education, forming communities and giving rise to many professions that, in my view, are superfluous. All of this is to promote interaction among people. But our hidden enemies think differently. They aim to extract as much talent as possible in a short time."
"Let's try to imagine their upbringing. Ignoring those who died due to various accidents, they generally left their parents before age eleven and spent the next few years drifting at sea, undergoing various experiments, brainwashing, and training... When they were a bit older, they started taking on missions. What kind of missions?"
Horace Greenstitch felt a chill run down his spine. His mind raced, and he suddenly turned to someone and said urgently, "Uriah, go immediately to common magical shops and ask the owners if they've served any young Wizards. Their common trait is that they have repeatedly purchased various magical materials in bulk. Also—" he said with difficulty, "investigate isolated Wizards. Check if anyone has gone missing in recent years for no apparent reason."
Uriah left in a serious hurry.
The few people present had varied expressions and remained silent for a long time. Finally, the Headmaster of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry broke the silence, "Mr. Heap, based on this, is it possible that the other side has already cultivated sufficiently powerful spellcasters?"
Felix thought for a moment and then denied the possibility.
"Their overall quality can only reach the level of an average Auror at best, and that’s only in one specific area. There’s no possibility of further advancement, let alone exploring the true essence of magic... As for evidence, the wounds left behind clearly show that they used conventional spells with distinct dark magic characteristics. This doesn’t indicate a deep understanding of magic but rather a sign of magical imbalance."
"From this, we can draw a conclusion: regardless of who they are, the time span of their actions can’t be too long, definitely not more than thirty years."
"Why is that?"
"——If it were any longer, these people would suffer from backlash. After all, a Wizard’s magic is directly connected to their soul and reflects in their personality..."
After a long silence.
"What do we do next?"
"Proceed with the negotiations as usual. I have a feeling that the upcoming talks won’t go smoothly. There’s a deeply hidden force that will do everything to prevent the contract from being signed... But having someone step forward will make it easier for us to unravel the situation and find the key players. Additionally, I need to create a map."
...
The entire month of November passed in an uneasy atmosphere. While over a dozen Ministries of Magic around the world signed agreements with their respective governments, recognizing the status of the Charter of the International Confederation of Wizards, many openly questioned the law’s validity. They argued that an organization like the International Confederation of Wizards, which stands above the wills of individual countries and governments, is illegal and should be dissolved.
Particularly, certain clauses were unbearable for some countries' conglomerates and governments.
The American Congress of Magic’s delegation held three rounds of negotiations with the local government, but as the talks progressed, fundamental issues emerged, creating irreconcilable conflicts between both sides. Some hardline voices began to appear in the media: an obscure senator from a remote state proposed that the government fund the establishment of special schools to create and take over the American magical community. This idea was immediately supported by pharmaceutical and military conglomerates, who expressed their willingness to donate to this "great cause."
However, the next day, this senator broke down in front of the press, confessing to "evil crimes", which quickly became evidence of Wizard influence. Subsequently, a series of malicious incidents were 'indirectly' linked to Wizards. The American Congress of Magic’s delegation found that the public opinion had completely changed after weeks of negotiations.
The cold reception of the American Congress of Magic’s delegation, the resistance faced by the International Confederation of Wizards, and the growing negative sentiment worldwide all pointed to one conclusion—also the conclusion drawn by many government think tanks—a direct conflict was inevitable.
In a sense, this was a result many people secretly hoped for—provided it didn’t happen in their own country. For many, it was astonishing that such a conflict had been delayed for so long, leading to suspicions of magical interference.
A group of over two million people, hidden beneath the surface, out of sync with world order, and possessing abilities that only exist in literature and fairy tales... Yet, up until now, there had been no significant conflicts of scale, as if everything had been meticulously planned. This was too strange.
The shadow of war never went away. Initially, it hovered over Britain, and as the situation in Britain stabilized, attention shifted to the chaotic African continent. Despite the frequent minor conflicts, Africa never truly spiraled out of control. Some waited and waited, and then came the enactment of the Charter of the International Confederation of Wizards, followed by simultaneous negotiations in dozens of countries. The progression of events was nothing short of miraculous.
But some things are unavoidable. Other methods merely delay and intimidate, and theoretical exercises on paper are insufficient. Only a direct confrontation can truly demonstrate the strength of two different groups. Whether Wizards are easily defeated or modern weapons are ineffective against magic can only be determined through real combat. Only then will the increasingly restless and dark thoughts subside, accepting the birth of a new order.
What divided the think tanks of various countries was when, where, and by whom the conflict would be ignited, and—how many casualties it would result in, and whether it could be contained within a certain range?
The bad weather of November extended into early December. In the tense anticipation of many, the year 1997 entered its final month. Finally, the President of the International Confederation of Wizards, Baba Jide Akeem Badu, and the first President of the International Pan-Magical Alliance, Felix Hep, issued a solemn warning to all Wizards.
A single stone stirred a thousand waves!
(End of Chapter)
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