The Hogwarts Emerald

Chapter 664 The curtain opens
It was evening, and it was time to get off work, but the meeting room of the Ministry of Magic was full of people. The meeting lasted for nearly two hours, and there was no sign of it being adjourned.

No one thought that Voldemort would go to Diagon Alley to cause destruction, and no one thought that the Dark Lord would choose to kill there.

Whether it is the collapsed Gringotts Wizarding Bank or the destroyed shops, they can all be repaired by magic, but the lives that were lost will never come back.

Recovering the bodies of the victims and restoring the mutilated bodies as best as possible was all the Ministry of Magic could do. As for bringing justice to the victims and bringing the criminals to justice, that was too difficult for the Ministry of Magic.

"A pale fire dragon flies over London!" The speaker was an old man with a white beard. He was a member of the International Confederation of Wizards.

The old man waved a Muggle newspaper vigorously, and what he just said was the front page of the newspaper. Although Ada quickly subdued the escaped dragon and handed it over to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, the dragon was still seen by Muggles.

The dragon flew so low as it left Diagon Alley that its body could be seen with the naked eye.

"The Office of Misinformation is already working on it," said Amos Diggory. "The Muggle papers tomorrow morning will have a 'reasonable' explanation for dragons. What's the Muggle word for that... Oh, and film it!"

At the beginning of the meeting, Mr. Diggory explained that the Office of Misinformation was dealing with this incident and would never let the wizarding world be exposed to Muggles.

When some magical disasters or events are too eye-catching and attract the attention of Muggles, and the Muggle authorities are unable to explain it all, the Office of Misinformation will be dispatched to protect the wizarding community.

They would find a plausible "explanation" for the accident, such as the catastrophe caused by giants strolling through western England, which was blamed on a freak hurricane.

Another example is the Loch Ness Monster sighting. It is precisely because of the persuasion of the Office of Misinformation that Muggles believe that all the relevant video evidence is fake.

Without their hard work, the Loch Ness Monster would have been confirmed long ago.

Not only the Office of False Information, but also the Memory Deletion Team will cooperate in the work. They will erase the memories of the relevant Muggles or confuse their memories.

By then, Muggles will have forgotten about "Flying Dragon Over London", either as another Loch Ness Monster or as an unscrupulous hype by distributors to make movie money.

Even if some Muggles remember the true memory, it doesn’t matter. Rumors can destroy metal, and as long as most people believe in that false memory, the wizarding world will not be exposed.

The old man from the International Confederation of Wizards snorted in dissatisfaction.

He continued, "It would be better, Director Diggory. The secrecy of the wizarding world is a matter of the utmost importance! I don't want to be held accountable by the Federation, and I believe you don't want to be punished either."

According to Article 73 of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy: Each wizarding governing body shall be responsible for the concealment, care and control of all magical creatures, people and spirits residing within their jurisdiction. If such an animal causes harm to the Muggle community or attracts their attention, the magical governing body of that country will be subject to disciplinary action by the International Confederation of Wizards.

In other words, if the "Fire Dragon Incident" is not properly handled, the entire British Ministry of Magic will suffer.

"Mr. Smith!" Mr. Weasley said loudly, "The dragon did appear over London, but it did not cause any casualties! Besides, the most important thing now is the dragon?"

Mr. Weasley has always had a mild temper. Even after becoming the Minister of Magic, he rarely speaks loudly to others, let alone uses a tone that is close to reprimanding.

Before Smith could reply, Mr. Weasley continued angrily, "Don't forget, you are also a wizard living on this land! Go to Diagon Alley and take a look at the bodies of the victims. Then come back and talk to me!"

Smith's position was wrong. He did not stand on the side of his compatriots, but stood on the side of the International Confederation of Wizards to accuse the Ministry of Magic of its faults. No wonder Mr. Weasley was so angry.

"If you still don't understand - Cornelius Fudge can appoint you as the national commissioner to represent the UK, can't I revoke you?" Mr. Weasley slammed the table hard, as if he regarded the table as the confused old Smith. The Minister of Magic has the right to appoint the national representative of the International Confederation of Wizards. Previously, this position belonged to Albus Dumbledore, who was also the president of the Confederation.

In 1995, the Ministry of Magic refused to acknowledge the return of Voldemort, so Dumbledore was dismissed as the president of the Federation and the British representative. It was also at this time that Fudge appointed Smith.

In 1996, the return of Voldemort was confirmed and Dumbledore was reinstated as a commissioner, but he did not resume his position as President of the Confederation, and Smith remained in the International Confederation of Wizards.

As if feeling that the atmosphere was a bit awkward, Amos Diggory spoke to ease the tension.

But what Mr. Diggory said sounded more like he wanted to piss Smith off to death.

He said, "How about this, we concentrate on dealing with the exposure of the wizarding world, and I guarantee that you will be satisfied. As for you, you can ask the International Confederation of Wizards to send a delegation. They don't have to do anything special, as long as they deal with the You-Know-Who."

This sentence was even more extreme than Mr. Weasley's, and Smith almost choked to death on the spot. The people around Smith hurriedly wiped his chest and massaged his back, and he finally calmed down.

Although Voldemort never expanded his power beyond the United Kingdom, everyone knew how dangerous the second generation of the Dark Lord was! Asking the International Confederation of Wizards to send a delegation to eliminate Voldemort would be like sending someone to his death!

Ada did not sit at the conference table, but sat lazily in the corner by herself.

She continued, "The International Statute of Secrecy is intended to protect the wizarding world from being exposed to Muggles, so as to protect the safety of wizards. This is not wrong, but you are missing the point and it is extremely wrong."

Ada stood up and walked to the conference table and continued, "If the British wizarding world is gone, what is the use of the International Statute of Secrecy? Or do you think that Voldemort, who was killing people in Diagon Alley today, will abide by the International Statute of Secrecy?"

The name of the mysterious man caused a little confusion at the conference table. His name was like a shadow hanging over the minds of the wizards, lingering. Even though the day of the decisive battle was approaching, many wizards were still afraid of his power.

Smith, the union representative, was speechless and couldn't explain it for a long time.

Would Voldemort obey the International Statute of Secrecy?

Definitely not. Voldemort and his Death Eaters regarded Muggles as ants. Who would talk about confidentiality with ants? After Voldemort came to power, his first thing was to purge wizards and eliminate those who were "unworthy of learning magic". His second thing was to massacre Muggles for fun.

The International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy is bullshit to Voldemort!
If Voldemort had not promised giants, werewolves, Dementors and other dark creatures the "freedom" they wanted, would they risk their lives to do business with Voldemort?
"For the International Confederation of Wizards, it may be more important not to expose the wizarding world. But for us, survival is the most important thing." Mr. Weasley said, "With a powerful enemy at hand, everything must give way to the upcoming decisive battle. If the International Confederation of Wizards has any dissatisfaction..."

Ada interrupted Mr. Weasley, not letting Mr. Weasley, as a minister, take the responsibility alone.

She interrupted, "If the Federation is dissatisfied with the results of the Misinformation Office, we will no longer be subservient to the International Confederation of Wizards. You can also ask your president Akinbade to come here in person."

"You!" Smith was surprised. The way things turned out was completely beyond his expectations.

Smith just wanted to show off his power and importance, but he never expected that it would cause such a strong backlash. Babajide Akinbade, Smith could not invite the new president of the federation.

"I heard that President Akinbade graduated from the Uagadou Magic School. I would like to have a good chat with him about how the students of Uagadou violated the International Statute of Secrecy."

Ada continued, "It would be even better if I could see some exquisite self-transformation or wandless spellcasting. What do you think?"

(End of this chapter)