A certain Hogwarts professor of runes

Chapter 685 Meeting

The departure time of the Hogwarts Express was forced to be delayed. Except for a few parents who came to attend the funeral and were allowed to take their children out of the school, all the remaining students were sent back to the castle.

Because of the presence of the Weasleys, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and others, Harry and his friends were not asked to return to the Gryffindor common room. Instead, they were allowed to stay with their families and were temporarily housed in the Great Hall. Harry saw many familiar faces: Ernie, Zacharys Smith, Seamus, Cormac McCraghan, Hannah, Susan Bornes, Anthony Goldstein, Marcus Belby, Draco, Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Sabine…

Many of them were regulars at Professor Slughorn's banquets.

These students all had family members or relatives who stayed behind, including the Weasleys. They were talking rapidly in the Great Hall, pausing from time to time, glancing anxiously toward the faculty lounge, hoping someone would come out—Akimbard had temporarily borrowed the school grounds to discuss important matters with the Ministers of Magic from various countries.

"Ms. Burns sent out a large number of Aurors before going in to prevent any unrest..." Percy said seriously, dressed in a suit, in a small meeting with Bill, Sirius, Lupin, Moody, the Longbottoms, and other members of the Order of the Phoenix. When the incident occurred, Percy had intended to return to the Ministry of Magic immediately, but Mr. Weasley insisted he stay. He argued, "The Ministry needs me now!" Penelope retorted sarcastically, "What will you go back for? To prepare for the celebrations that expose the wizarding world to the world?" So Percy stayed.

The elders and children of the Order of the Phoenix sat together. "There's nothing to worry about!" Neville's somewhat intimidating grandmother said firmly. Mrs. Weasley responded absentmindedly. Fleur had just seen Mrs. Maxim off and when she returned, she saw Penelope and Mrs. Weasley sitting intimately together and pouted in dissatisfaction.

"Oh dear—I saw Mrs. Maxim kissing that big fellow, unbelievable, isn't it?" Fleur tossed her cascading hair and squeezed herself between them. "Maybe it's a case of love in adversity, or just a matter of courtesy..." Mrs. Weasley gave an ambiguous snort.

Ginny was pushed aside and looked very unhappy. She stood up, tossed her hair, and walked to her two twin brothers. Her beautiful head was held high, and she looked just like another Hibiscus.

"So you've been taught for a year by a reclusive dark wizard who's been hiding for half a century. Your school life must have been quite something," Fred said.

"Don't look so ignorant," George said seriously. "You should know that one of us personally killed another dark devil."

Harry said with a gloomy expression, "Thanks, George—I'd be happy to share this experience if you'd like to learn." He then glared at Ron, who had just let it slip.

Ron glanced around, seemingly quite interested in what Professor Marchban was yelling about on the other side of the Great Hall. The old woman was shouting in a loud voice, "Foolish! Out of their minds! I just don't understand, when did our government become so keen on making deals with criminals? If you ask me, Dumbledore shouldn't have stepped down at all. Is that Abacid another Fudge?"

The real Fudge stood awkwardly in the corner, twirling his top hat. He had also attended the funeral, but he was all alone, and even the Malfoys were more popular than he was.

Ron looked away, pretending not to see Harry's gaze, and shrugged, saying, "She's right, the world is never short of people like Fudge."

"I think," Hermione said matter-of-factly, "that it's unfair to put Arkinbad and Fudge together, at least his intentions were good, to avoid war. But he clearly underestimated Grindelwald."

"That's his biggest problem, Hermione," Fred pointed out.

Just then, Harry saw a figure flash past the entrance to the Great Hall. He jumped up from his chair, his heart pounding, but he immediately realized he had misunderstood. He slumped back into his seat, seemingly having lost all his strength.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Ron asked in surprise.

"Nothing—" Harry opened his mouth, "Well, I thought I saw Dumbledore, but that should be Aberforth."

"Oh, they do look somewhat alike," Ginny said. "But I don't think I saw him at the funeral?"

"He went to classroom number seven."

Nick, who was almost headless, floated around behind her, his head swaying. Ginny and Neville, who were closest to him, froze and made way for him without saying a word.

"Classroom number seven?" Ron asked with interest. "Why? Oh—" he realized, "His family is there."

"Yeah... but he was unlucky today, he was almost kicked out by the combined memories of several professors," said Nick, who was almost headless.

"What's going on?" Harry asked sensitively.

"It's related to a new memory. He's about the same age as Dumbledore, um, I mean Dumbledore in Room Seven," Nick said. "I know a bit about Aberforth; he's been coming a lot lately. I'm not the only ghost who's run into him at mealtimes... but he usually just watches from a distance. However, today when he saw that new memory, he suddenly jumped out and threw a tantrum..."

"So it's related to that new memory?" George asked thoughtfully. "Who is that person?"

"I don't know," Nick said awkwardly, his head nearly disappearing. He shook his head, his head tilting to one side, his face completely upside down. He cried out in surprise and quickly stretched out his hands to adjust his position. Harry looked away with a chill.

There's a new memory chip in classroom number seven, and it's made Aberforth so angry. Who could it be?

Harry's eyes lit up; he had an idea. He looked at Hermione, and from her shocked expression, she seemed to have guessed it too.

It's very likely Grindelwald's own memory. Judging from Nick's almost headless words, Grindelwald must have left behind memories from his youth, but when did he do it? Did Professor Hyp know? If he did, why didn't he stop it? Was it because of his special relationship with Dumbledore? Did they reach a secret agreement? Harry was racking his brains.

"We can ask Professor Hyp sometime. Classroom Seven is his territory; he definitely knows the identity of the Memory," Ron said to Nick, glancing at an inconspicuous door in the auditorium. "But he'll probably be very busy from now on. Sigh, I thought he could detect and stop Grindelwald beforehand. But then again, it's hard for a normal person to imagine Grindelwald's madness." A hint of fear flashed in his eyes.

"Why do you say that?" Neville asked in a low voice. Did the professor know something?

Ron shrugged.

"In my mind, he's practically omnipotent. You know, finding clues from the smallest details—like a detective in Muggle terms—but I never expected him to fail this time."

“Completely different, Ron.” Hermione shook her head, counting on her fingers seriously, “Grindelwald seems to have done a lot—summoning the core saints, negotiating with the president of the International Confederation of Wizards, announcing the death of Headmaster Dumbledore, making an unbreakable vow, and attending today’s funeral—but in reality, all of these things are dispensable and irrelevant to the big picture.”

Harry's somewhat numb mind began to function again, and Hermione's words gave him a completely new direction of thought, as if the fog in his mind had suddenly been cleared away.

"I understand! Grindelwald's goal from beginning to end has only one purpose: to expose the entire wizarding world, force wizarding society and Muggle society to merge, and fulfill his and Dumbledore's original dream," Harry said excitedly.

"So everything he did before was just a smokescreen? He fooled everyone?" Ron asked hesitantly, looking at the two of them.

"We can only speculate at this point," Hermione said softly. "Judging from the strength Grindelwald displayed today, he can complete the plan by himself—he might not be able to defeat Professor Hyp, but at their level, he can disengage from the fight at any time, which is why capturing Voldemort alive was so difficult. Ordinary wizards can't get involved at all. I even think that once Grindelwald determines that the plan is not going well, he will immediately abandon those details and get straight to the point."

"Why does he have to make things so complicated?" Ron said irritably.

"Because Grindelwald is also human," Harry said slowly, his past memories of seeing things with Dumbledore in the Pensieve providing evidence for his words.

"He was arrogant and conceited, wanting to prove himself right, wanting to personally announce the arrival of a new era to the world, and perhaps also wanting Dumbledore to have a dignified burial... From the moment he escaped from prison, he was already invincible, and everything he did afterward was just to ensure that the outcome remained the same while making the process as conform to his own wishes as possible."

"Professor Nahyp—"

"He probably guessed part of it," Hermione thought of what Felix had said earlier. "But he probably guessed it not much earlier than we did. It might be because of Grindelwald's speech at the funeral, or something Grindelwald said during their brief encounter at the school gate that the professor noticed, which connected all of this."

"...Think about it, the professor knows Grindelwald better than we do. We can all immediately see that the negotiations led by Grindelwald concealed a conspiracy, how could the professor not? The same goes for the public announcement of Dumbledore's death—the professor didn't believe Grindelwald's motives were so simple; he wanted to find out Grindelwald's true intentions. The professor always plans carefully before acting. And that's exactly what happened; Grindelwald deceived everyone. But it was too late."

"But he made an unbreakable vow!" Ron shouted.

……

"But he made an unbreakable vow!" Akimbad shouted during an impromptu meeting in the faculty lounge.

The common room was packed with people, all of whom were undisputed big names in the wizarding world: ministers of magic from various countries, presidents of the association, and the headmaster and vice-headmaster of Hogwarts, who were the hosts of the place.

Akinbad stared blankly at his arm; the oath was still in effect, showing no signs of being broken.

"Mr. Akinbad, I've also heard about Grindelwald's oath, but I'm not sure what the oath contains," Professor McGonagall asked seriously.

Akinbad licked his dry lips.

"I can guarantee that the alliance process will be completely transparent, with more than a dozen Ministers of Magic present to witness it... The oath is two-way: Grindelwald promises not to kill indiscriminately unless someone attacks him first, excluding sparring; he will not initiate wizarding wars; he will not plot to overthrow the existing wizarding regime; and what I need to do is, on the premise that he does not break his oath, waive the responsibility of pursuing the Saints, allow him to act publicly, and at the same time not issue any orders against him."

The people in the lounge frowned. Then Felix said, "He definitely didn't start the 'Wizard Wars'." He emphasized the last few words, and none of the people present were fools; they instantly grasped the key point.

"You fool!" Professor McGonagall shouted angrily, "Didn't you even bother to study his political views before the negotiations?"

Akinbad's dark face turned a deep purplish-red as he defended himself: "We didn't expect it—he's never done this before; he's always been seeking a place in the wizarding world—"

"Actually, something similar happened before," an elderly Minister of Magic said slowly. "Before being imprisoned in Nurmengard Castle, Grindelwald had twice reached the pinnacle of his power, when he was ready to declare war on Muggles, but Dumbledore thwarted him both times."

Akinbad's face turned pale.

"Even if you include Muggles, he didn't break his oath. After all, he only revealed the existence of magic to the world and didn't actively start a war... He really is watertight," Professor McGonagall said sharply, making everyone present feel a little uncomfortable.

"Mr. Hyp," Akinbad said urgently, his voice pleading, "I admit we've made a huge mistake, and we can't keep going down this path. Only you have the ability to capture Grindelwald. I beg you to step forward, and I'll get the newly formed Auror team to cooperate with you."

Felix glanced at him.

"Some things can only be said here, Mr. Akinbad—one of the provisions of your oath is not to issue orders against him. Unless you intend to break your oath first, Grindelwald."

Akinbad was speechless, seemingly having suddenly lost the ability to speak. After a long while, he opened his mouth again, his face now completely bloodless, "I...I will resign voluntarily, that way it won't count as—"

“You’d better not go anywhere,” Felix said. “This oath still holds some weight—while we deal with the huge crisis at hand, we can temporarily ignore Grindelwald’s influence. He’s also bound by the ‘Unbreakable Oath,’ and as long as we don’t cause him trouble, he can’t interfere with what’s to come.”

"You—you mean—" Akinbad's eyes widened, "He stirred up a storm and then stood by and did nothing?"

"I think 'standing idly by' is a more accurate description," Ms. Burns said. "He won't be our enemy, but he's the source of all this turmoil. Don't forget, the problem now is that the wizarding world is exposed to the world, and we must come up with a solution as soon as possible!"

The old wizard who had spoken earlier shook his head and smiled bitterly: "It involves more than just one or two people, or one or two cities. There's no way to keep it a secret any longer. Alas, the secrecy law... the secrecy law is completely finished."

“What is Grindelwald waiting for?” Akimbard murmured, his pupils dilating in fear. “Needless to say… he’s waiting for things to descend into chaos. Chaos is what Grindelwald wants. Maybe he won’t have to do anything. The angry wizarding populace, caught up in the war, will naturally side with his cause. Then he will step forward—because I allow him to operate publicly—and declare war on Muggles as the savior.”

After an unsettling silence, someone exclaimed incredulously, "He even foresaw this?"

"Think positively," Felix said meaningfully. "If handled properly, Grindelwald will be left helpless, and might not even have a chance to show his face... Who knows!" He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling in deep thought. Could this be Grindelwald's true thought?

How can a good person be more intimidating than a thoroughly bad person?

If the Muggle government and people realized that if the two sides ended up in war, they would be helping a dark wizard who was hostile to Muggles to break free from the constraints of his oath, a dark wizard who had not hesitated to destroy a city with his powerful magic decades ago, would they be more cautious and more sincere?

Felix's thoughts were racing. He wasn't in a hurry to make a decision. It would be best to talk to some of the core saints... Grindelwald had given him a method to summon saints, but he might not need it. Perhaps there were people waiting for him in Hogsmeade right now.

……

The meeting made almost no substantial progress, yielding only some very conservative opinions, such as being cautious in gathering information from the outside world and all wizards going into hiding. However, the Ministers of Magic could not reach a consensus on what to do next, as their thinking was completely bound by the Act of Secrecy.

Two hours later, the ministers of magic from various countries hurriedly left. They didn't know what chaos was outside, and there were too many things waiting for them to deal with upon their return. After they left, Ms. Burns stayed behind.

"We have to figure it out ourselves," she said seriously, rubbing her forehead in pain. "Everyone has their own stance, and Akinbad's reputation has plummeted, so he can't convince everyone. In the end, it's just endless wrangling."

"We must do something about this, and quickly, we can't just wait passively for the outcome. Felix, I'd like to know your thoughts."

Felix shrugged.

"Grindelwald caught everyone off guard. I don't have a complete plan yet, but there are a few things that need to be addressed as priorities."

Ms. Burns and Professor McGonagall looked at him.

"First, the students in the school—"

"Cancel this year's Hogwarts Express," Professor McGonagall said decisively. "Children from wizarding families should be picked up by their parents or leave through the school fireplace; young wizards from non-wizarding families will be sent home by the professors."

"The Ministry of Magic will fully cooperate," Ms. Burns said, nodding.

"Second, security measures around schools must be reinforced; it's still uncertain whether the next school year will start as scheduled, but we should be prepared as much as possible. And—there's a huge shelter here."

Neither of them had any objection to this.

"Third, Amelia, I suggest you start negotiations with the Muggle government as soon as possible, starting with the Prime Minister. Haven't you been maintaining a one-way communication? You must make him realize that this is not a one-sided matter. Once a crisis occurs, no one can escape it."

"I'll arrange it as soon as possible," Ms. Burns said. "In fact, I've met that Muggle prime minister twice, and he looks—" She shook her head.

"Fourth, stabilize the emotions of all wizards. Newspaper interviews, magical radio... make your voices heard as much as possible. The pamphlet about Voldemort from last time can also be modified and reused."

Fifth, public opinion and intelligence—

"Public opinion?" Professor McGonagall and Ms. Burns asked in unison.

"Non-magical governments and their people have close relationships, influencing and restraining each other," Felix said. "Proper public opinion guidance can make it easier for ordinary people to accept the existence of wizards, but conversely, if incited by those with ulterior motives, their attitudes may become extreme. Of course, we are currently focused on gathering information, but how we gather information is also crucial. For example, ordinary people's attitudes towards wizards, their reasons for accepting wizards, and their reasons for opposing wizards; then there are those who have significant influence in this matter—politicians, celebrities, opinion leaders, especially those who jumped out at the first opportunity…"

"Sixth, the safety and secrecy of young wizards from Muggle families after they return home..."

"Seventh, any group or individual is strictly prohibited from contacting the Muggle government privately. I am particularly concerned about the goblins' attitude on this point... The Pan-Magical Alliance plan must begin;"

"Eighth, um, I have a suggestion. Send a group of trusted Aurors to secretly help Muggles influenced by the Saints. Don't show yourselves, don't make it too obvious. We might need it later..."

……

While they were making their plans, chaos erupted in the outside world.

(End of this chapter)