Chapter 988: The International Confederation of Wizards is the Wizarding World's United Nations!
Chapter 988: The International Confederation of Wizards is the Wizarding World's United Nations! (Combined 4000 Words)
So, all the information he had received before was false.
Thinking about the "Top Secret Document" the Intelligence Bureau had submitted to him today, a twitch appeared at the corner of Hake's mouth. He wished he could fire all those worthless employees who were just taking money without doing their jobs.
They spent billions of dollars each year on intelligence, only to be fooled by a bunch of Wizards with Magic. After all these years, not a single agent had discovered the existence of the Wizarding World...
The more Hake thought about it, the more he felt a sense of shock and unease. He also began to suspect that something was amiss. Even if Wizards had the ability to modify memories, it shouldn't be possible for them to hide so perfectly.
Unless Wizards had already infiltrated the Prime Minister's Office, helping to cover things up and even modifying their memories when necessary...
"Wait... Is my personal secretary one of yours?" Hake suddenly thought of his secretary, who had been acting strangely lately, and asked suspiciously.
"To protect your safety, the Ministry of Magic has specially dispatched a team of elite Aurors to 10 Downing Street, and your personal secretary is one of them..." Ivan explained calmly.
"One of them?! So you've placed others as well?" Hake's voice rose several octaves, his face turning red with anger.
"How dare you... How could you place people in the Prime Minister's Office without my consent?!" Hake's voice trembled, partly from anger but more from fear.
"Are you also altering my memories?" Hake stared at Ivan, asking in a measured tone.
"Of course not, Prime Minister. It is illegal to cast a Memory Charm on the leader of a country without permission", Ivan replied calmly. "You don't need to worry about that. The Wizarding World has strict regulations to control all Wizards' spellcasting. If anyone breaks the law, we will be responsible for putting them in prison."
Oh... the laws of the Wizarding World. Hake pursed his lips, clearly unhappy. He wished these Wizards were subject to more restrictions and not just governing themselves.
However, Hake didn't voice this thought. He knew that even if he did, the other party wouldn't agree.
"By the way, what about Grindelwald and those so-called Death Eaters? Didn't you say all Wizards are under your control?" Hake asked curiously.
"They are an exception. In fact, Grindelwald and his followers are trying to overthrow this system, allowing all Wizards to cast spells without any restrictions. That's why we need to capture him", Ivan explained confidently.
Hake's face changed. The idea of a large number of Wizards casting spells freely and roaming the world was too chaotic to imagine.
"Additionally, according to reliable information, the President of France may already be under Grindelwald's control. Therefore, we are preparing to increase the number of personnel to protect your safety", Ivan added.
Hake's expression grew even more grim. Ivan's words filled him with a sense of crisis. However, he was also reluctant to see more Wizards stationed in the Prime Minister's Office—wouldn't his personal safety then be in the hands of these Wizards?
Ivan, naturally, saw Hake's concern. After a moment's thought, he pulled out a parchment from his sleeve and handed it to Hake.
"What is this?" Hake took it and glanced at it. The parchment listed name after name, some of which he recognized very well, such as Kingsley Shacklebolt, who had become the Deputy Head of Intelligence six months ago, and his personal secretary.
"They are all yours?!" Hake couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath. So many important positions had been quietly replaced, and he hadn't noticed a thing.
"No, they are all specifically assigned to protect you", Ivan corrected Hake. "I believe you must have noticed these days. Their abilities are more than sufficient for their roles, and they will diligently execute every order you give."
Hake opened his mouth to argue but held back. He understood that Ivan's willingness to present this list was a sign of good faith. Otherwise, he might never have known who in his cabinet was loyal to him and who was a Wizard.
The most crucial point was that Ivan was right—these Wizards were far more efficient and effective than the officials who had their own hidden agendas. Their work efficiency was astonishing, which was why Harker had suspected his private secretary's mental capacity but hadn't directly fired him.
With this in mind, Harker made his decision and agreed to Ivan's proposal to dispatch more personnel to the Prime Minister's Office. However, the number of people and the positions they would replace would be decided by him.
Ivan nodded without hesitation. He had deliberately demonstrated his power to maintain control of the conversation and did not intend to provoke the British Prime Minister. He especially did not want to escalate tensions, especially at such a critical time.
"If there are any issues with the Wizards, who should I consult?" Harker hesitated for a long moment before asking.
"You can contact me directly!" Ivan thought for a moment and then pulled out a wand from his sleeve, tapping it on Harker's right wrist.
An intense, sharp pain immediately shot through Harker's mind. He clutched his right hand and took a few steps back, then noticed a strange, tattoo-like mark on his wrist. "What is this?"
"It's a Marking Spell. You can use it to contact me at any time!" Ivan smiled. "When you need to see me, just call my name!"
Harker nodded thoughtfully, but he still harbored some doubts about whether Ivan could command these Wizards. After all, the man looked far too young.
"You mentioned that you hold a position in some kind of federation?" Harker probed.
"I am currently the Acting President of the International Confederation of Wizards, fully responsible for all matters related to Grindelwald!" Ivan smiled at Prime Minister Harker. "You can think of the federation as the United Nations of the Wizarding World!"
So, he's like the President of the United Nations?
Harker's eyes widened. But... he looks so young!
Or perhaps he has some kind of anti-aging magic, making him look young while he's actually a hundred or more years old?
The thought made Harker envious.
Ivan did not correct Harker's wild speculation. After gauging the British Prime Minister's views on Wizards, he used Apparition to send Harker back to the Prime Minister's Office.
Back in familiar surroundings, Harker's tense nerves relaxed somewhat. Ivan did not linger and got straight to the point.
"If there's nothing else, our meeting for today is concluded, Prime Minister. Please write the list of personnel on the back of the parchment, and I'll send someone to collect it!"
"Ah... alright." Harker nodded. Before he could say anything more, Ivan vanished right in front of him.
"Are you still there, Wizard Sir?" Harker called out tentatively. When no one responded, he slumped into his chair, his legs trembling uncontrollably, and his back drenched in cold sweat, as if he had just narrowly escaped death.
During their conversation, Ivan had been very polite, using honorifics, but Harker could see that it was all just surface-level politeness.
From the way Ivan had cast spells without his permission, it was clear that the Prime Minister had little leverage.
Wizards... the Wizarding World... the federation... Harker replayed the scenes in his mind. This brief half-hour meeting had almost shattered the worldview he had built over decades. The devastating power Ivan had displayed left him in awe and dread.
He was essentially a walking nuclear weapon, one with a will of its own, capable of moving freely without a launch platform.
Harker racked his brain, trying to think of ways to eliminate this threat. Poisoning, assassination, luring him into a confined space, and then detonating a bomb?
No, with Teleportation Magic, there was a high risk of escape.
And whether a bomb could kill him was a big question mark.
Even if he managed to take out Ivan-Hals, how would he deal with the retaliation from other Wizards? They could silently replace officials in the Prime Minister's Office, and they could just as easily eliminate him.
Harker's head ached as he considered countless plans, but all were abandoned due to the high risks. In the end, he concluded that maintaining the status quo and trying to coexist peacefully with the Wizards was the best course of action.
He did not forget that other countries also had Wizards. If he offended the Wizards in Britain, who would protect him as Prime Minister?
Unless he could also master Magic... This thought suddenly sprang to mind for Hack.
Ivan's display of power had not only filled him with immense wariness but also sparked a hint of longing...
Eternal life, immense power—these were almost the ultimate desires of anyone with ambition...
...
Meanwhile, back at the International Confederation of Wizards, Ivan couldn't help but chuckle after sensing Hack's thoughts.
"Want to become Wizards? Interesting..." Ivan muttered to himself, stroking his chin.
He had spoken so much to Hack and deliberately showcased his power, all to gauge the other man's reaction. It was within his expectations that Hack would want to become a Wizard.
In the revolution Ivan anticipated, achieving it without bloodshed or confrontation would require the support of the vast majority of Muggle leaders. Assimilating them into Wizards was undoubtedly the best plan.
However, the key was how to accomplish this, as there had never been any precedent...
Ivan furrowed his brow, quickly setting this thought aside for the moment, as it was something to consider after defeating Grindelwald.
With that in mind, Ivan used the Magic Mark to summon Fenrir, who was currently on a quest.
"How is the recent investigation of those Aurors going? Have you found any issues?" Ivan asked succinctly.
After receiving intelligence from Fleur, he had instructed Fenrir to screen the Rapid Response Teams' Aurors, particularly those from France, as some of them might be undercover agents sent by Grindelwald.
"They all seem normal; none of them are under the Imperius Curse. It looks like Grindelwald, to ensure his smooth control of the French Ministry of Magic, has dispatched all the Aurors who oppose him here", Fenrir explained.
"It's best to be cautious. Don't reveal the information about Grindelwald controlling the Ministry of Magic yet; the time isn't right", Ivan said noncommittally. Grindelwald wielded all sorts of bizarre Dark Magic and had exceptional oratory skills, capable of controlling a Wizard without the Imperius Curse.
"What should we do next? Should we rescue President Sir first?" Fenrir asked solemnly.
"No, that's too risky and could easily alert them", Ivan rejected Fenrir's suggestion. Since Grindelwald had chosen to meddle in the Muggle world, it was impossible that he would control only the President of France. Some key cabinet members were likely also under his influence.
The Death Eaters who had pursued Fleur were all eliminated by Pierce's agents in France, and the job was done cleanly. Therefore, Grindelwald couldn't be certain that the control over the French Ministry of Magic had been exposed, let alone the secret control over the President of France.
In other words, they had an intelligence advantage. Ivan hoped to seize the right moment and launch a two-pronged attack: one group of Wizards would raid the French Ministry of Magic, while the other would storm the Presidential Palace to control all officials, cutting off the possibility of them pressing the Nuclear Weapon button.
Ivan had also prepared for the worst, dispatching Cornell to contact the North American President to secretly mobilize the anti-missile systems stationed in various European countries. If Grindelwald truly went insane and used Nuclear Weapons, this would form the first line of defense.
If there wasn't enough time to set up the anti-missile systems or if the attack came from nuclear submarines, they would have to rely on Vanishing Spells and Teleportation Magic to deal with the threat.
Of course, these were emergency plans, and Ivan genuinely hoped they wouldn't need to be used.
"To avoid Grindelwald catching on, we don't have much time. We can wait at most three days, and all preparations must be ready by then", Ivan said, pacing in the office. "Additionally, we need to obtain a map of the France Magic headquarters and figure out what those Protective Magics are for."
Fenrir nodded heavily, understanding the immense difficulty of the task. It was almost impossible to understand the French Ministry of Magic's protective mechanisms in just three days, but he also knew the importance of this battle.
"Very well, make the arrangements. I want to see results within three days!" Ivan declared firmly.
(End of Chapter)
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