A certain Hogwarts professor of runes

Chapter 691 The New Generation (Seeking Double Monthly Tickets!)

When Kingsley relayed the news, everyone was surprised.

"A fireplace ended a war?" Sirius leaned against the doorframe, his cat toy dangling from his hand. Crookshanks seized the opportunity and pounced on him, grabbing him tightly.

Ms. Burns felt much more relaxed, but still corrected her with a stern face: "It's ten million fireplaces; the real number is likely much higher."

"Oh, come on," Sirius picked up Crookshank, ignoring its fierce expression, and said in a teasing tone, "Cats don't worry about whether they'll have food tomorrow, do they? That's too tiring a life." He kept shaking the big ginger cat.

Crookshank huffed and smacked Sirius's face with his paw pad. A hint of amusement flickered in Ms. Burns's eyes.

"What's next?" Lupin asked, sitting on the sofa.

Felix thought for a moment and uttered a single word: "Wait."

"In this crisis, the Ministry of Magic has an informational advantage over the Muggle government. In order to eliminate the threat of war, we acted more proactively in the early stages, but everything has its limits, and we have awakened a huge machine with nearly 60 million people."

"Now Kingsley is keeping an eye on the government, Skeeter is at The Sun, and the next step is to listen to the voices of the people—oh, and I still don't know if the Special Flyway network architecture is ready?"

"The Floo network administrators are working overtime," Ms. Burns said, "but it will take time to build a network that covers all counties across the country."

Felix nodded, indicating that he understood.

This matter is an extension of a series of suggestions he made at Hogwarts last time: there may be hundreds of newspapers in all of Britain, and countless local tabloids, but they undoubtedly represent a portion of public opinion. Wizards are few in number, and using these newspapers to organize information is the best way.

However, there are two difficulties in using the FlyNet to purchase newspapers.

One key issue was how to collect and compile newspapers from across the country. Felix's solution was the Floo Network. Theoretically, the Floo Network was for teleportation, allowing wizards to travel on fire using flames and internal wiring, but the wizard had to state their destination. Felix hoped to establish specialized Floo Networks, like a spider web with only vertical threads, with the Ministry of Magic at the center and radiating outwards to various counties throughout the country.

The advantage of this approach is that it saves manpower, allowing a dozen or so people to quickly travel across the country. Of course, for security reasons, the wizards responsible for this task must wear special passes. They are separated from the Floo Network Administration and established as a separate department, under the jurisdiction of the Department of Magical Transportation.

It is worth mentioning that, as there will be more and more interactions with the non-magical world in the future, Ms. Burns plans to establish a new Department of Magic, which will be based on the Department of Law Enforcement's "Office for the Prevention of the Misuse of Muggle Items," and will be supplemented with staff from the Memory Deletion Command, the Muggle Issues Mediation Committee, and the Muggle Liaison Office.

Due to the unexpected exposure within the wizarding world, the plan was only at the beginning, with the majority of the progress still on her minister's desk.

The second challenge was manpower. Having the newspapers wasn't enough; people needed to analyze each article. These people needed a basic understanding of both wizarding and Muggle society, and wouldn't be confused by a bunch of obscure terms. However, the number of people from Muggle families in the Ministry of Magic was limited.

"Didn't you guys compile a list of students willing to help?" Felix said to Harry. "Then let's call them over and give it a try." He held a sliver of hope in his heart; hadn't Grindelwald been teaching his students seriously all last year?

In a way, Grindelwald's Defense Against the Dark Arts could easily be renamed "Muggle Community Concealment and Weapon Defense".

As it turns out, they did a pretty good job.

On the very second day, the Ministry of Magic received more than a dozen new young faces, and then a steady stream of new arrivals quickly brought the total number to over one hundred.

The Ministry of Magic suddenly became crowded.

“At first we only called people we were close to,” Hermione said, her cheeks slightly flushed. “Harry had the contact information for all the frontline lookouts, and I was able to get in touch with the Spellbook Club… and then the word spread.”

"Fred and George were a great help too," Ron said. "They've been secretly running a radio station for a while now, even before it was exposed to the wizarding world. But they didn't think that far ahead; they only intended to use the radio to promote Magic Tricks Workshop's products, and the coded message was openly written on the flyers."

"You did a great job," Felix said encouragingly. "But there were too many people, even younger students."

He was referring to the Crevet brothers. Colin Crevet, the older brother, was in the same fifth grade as Ginny and was barely useful, but Dennis Crevet, the younger brother, was only in third grade and would probably take half an hour to read a newspaper.

"I've already had Colin persuade his brother to go back," Harry said quickly, while giving Ron and Hermione a warning look. Ron seemed to have thought of something funny, and he tried hard to suppress his laughter.

Harry didn't dare tell the professor that the Creevey brothers were very enthusiastic, and that they weren't working alone; the two brothers jointly ran the "Harry Potter Fan Club," and Colin had assured him that they could recruit another fifty people.

It took him a lot of persuasion to convince Colin to give up the idea.

When the number approached two hundred, it became inappropriate to keep them in the Ministry of Magic.

After learning of their predicament, Professor McGonagall invited them to Hogwarts, saying, "It's summer vacation now, and the school is deserted. Besides, there are potential dangers in having a large number of wizards gathered here."

As the new headmistress of Hogwarts and a veteran of the Order of the Phoenix, she hasn't had an easy time these past few days.

But it's not fieldwork.

On one hand, she and the other professors were busy upgrading the defenses of Hogwarts Castle; on the other hand, she found a magical photo album in the headmaster's office that resembled a directory. It contained Dumbledore's close friends and personal relationships, as well as high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Magic abroad. Due to its age, some of them were no longer able to respond to her.

For her, the most important thing about this is the photos of the principals of 11 world-renowned magic schools.

According to normal procedure, she should have spent several years visiting each of these schools after becoming principal, but now all formalities have been waived, and all questions and information are conveyed through photographs.

In the Great Hall of Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall and several other professors who remained at the university gave the students a warm welcome.

"Thank you for stepping up at this crucial moment. You are not only students of Hogwarts, but also part of the wizarding community, representing the future of the wizarding world..." she said excitedly, and couldn't help but take out a handkerchief to wipe the corner of her eyes halfway through her sentence.

All the students felt a heavy weight in their hearts; something was taking root and sprouting.

"Perhaps I should make Muggle studies a compulsory subject for young wizards from wizarding families... This subject is likely to become increasingly important; even Alasdair Maddock has publicly stated his love for Muggle sports, so what can't happen?"

"Who is Alasdair Maddock?" Ron asked in a low voice.

"A pretty good chaser," said Ginny, who is also a chaser. "The newspapers say he's likely to join the legendary Montrose Magpies next year."

"Professor McGonagall is a fan of the Montrose Magpies," Harry added.

The castle was quiet that night, unlike its usual bustling atmosphere. Seamus stared blankly out the window. Harry knew he was a true half-blood; his mother was a witch, and his father a Muggle—a fact he had once told them as a joke.

"My mother didn't tell my father she was a witch until after she got married. It terrified him."

As Harry walked over, Seamus whispered, "My parents had a fight. It's because one of Dad's colleagues came over and said bad things about wizards." Harry paused, then patted him on the shoulder.

"It will be alright."

"Really?"

"meeting."

The next morning, everyone gathered in the Great Hall, where the Ministry of Magic assigned a small team to the students. Harry was surprised to see Percy there.

"Shut up, don't speak." As Percy passed by Ron, Ron opened his mouth, and Percy immediately warned, "I won't give you any special treatment." After saying this, he slammed down a stack of Muggle newspapers.

Ron made a face at him, and after Percy left, he picked up the newspaper.

"Hey, we've been assigned to Devonshire," he whispered to Harry, referring to the Burrow, which was located in Devonshire.

"I'll keep an eye out for news about Autry St. Catchbolt, if there is any," Harry said in a low voice. At that moment, Percy and several Ministry of Magic staff stood in front of the students and told them what to do.

The students' task was important, but when it came down to the individual students, it became quite simple. First, a group of students picked out articles from the newspapers containing the words "wizard" or "magic," then cut them out and roughly categorized them (currently only two categories: benevolent and malicious). The categorized clippings were then sent to another group of students, all from Muggle families, who were responsible for picking out news of greater urgency, generally from influential media outlets, or articles with extreme viewpoints or containing statistics.

"When facing any group controversy, the first thing to consider is the number, proportion, and probability of different situations occurring," Hermione told Harry and Ron.

"Whose opinion is this?" Harry asked.

"Professor Hyp mentioned it in a report," Hermione said without hesitation.

"It sounds too formal, not like his usual style," Ron analyzed, stroking his chin.

"That's because you never read serious articles!"

"She's talking nonsense," Ron said to Harry after Hermione turned and left. "There's nothing more serious and dry than The History of Magic, and I've been studying it for five whole years! With Professor Binns's explanations, the effect is practically doubled..."

"It's time to show off your talent in this area," Harry said dryly, his eyes fixed on an obituary in the newspaper.

David died on June 23, 1997, at the age of 6. He was an enthusiast of the occult and magic. "Actually, I'm a vampire," he told a reporter in an interview. Three children were in the background, frightened by his words. He considered this an honor, but his wife disagreed and asked the reporter if vampires suffered from cardiovascular disease—given the existence of wizards, the reporter noted down the question and publicly solicited answers.

Harry scratched his head. Should he cut it off? But what category of information should it be classified as? It should be considered well-intentioned, right?

Nearly two hours later, they finally finished their work, and Harry rubbed his sore neck. The thirty-odd pieces of information he had gathered were a mix of good and bad, but all within acceptable limits. Ron's situation was similar.

Harry looked up and was surprised to find a wall in the center of the Great Hall. Percy and several staff members stood in front of it, occasionally hanging clippings on it, surrounded by a circle of students with solemn expressions. Harry went closer and noticed a huge map of England hanging on the wall, with lines and symbols of special significance, which reminded him of the tactical board hanging on the wall of the players' lounge.

"The more remote the countryside, the more hostile they are to wizards," he heard Percy whisper.

"It might be related to religion," another person said.

Harry's heart sank. He remembered what Seamus had told him the night before, and a weight pressed down on his chest, making it hard to breathe. His breath brushed against the back of the student's neck, and the student turned around—Draco Malfoy was looking at him with a strange expression, seemingly angry, or perhaps hiding something else.

He moved aside. Harry glanced at him in surprise, then took a step forward.

Harry saw it more clearly now; a bloody title occupied a third of the page: "All Wizards Should Go to Hell." He frowned.

"Oh, never mind that, it's just a third-rate local tabloid," Hermione said, squeezing through the crowd with a stack of clippings in her hands. "I bet it doesn't have more than a thousand readers—the real problem is this kind of thing." She waved a clipping in front of Harry and Draco.

A list of historically serious incidents suspected of involving witchcraft.

"Is this true?" Harry asked in surprise.

"It has nothing to do with whether it's true or false, it just used the word 'suspected'," Hermione said dismissively. "But he's clearly up to no good by linking wizards to heinous events." She walked past Harry and handed the clipping to Percy.

"Oh, right, Harry—I forgot to mention, your letter was in the newspaper."

……

Over the next few days, various pieces of information were continuously gathered.

Ms. Burns compiled their recent practices into a booklet and submitted it to the International Federation of Wizards. According to the representatives stationed there, more than two hundred people were arguing in the lobby of the federation's headquarters, with African representatives making up a quarter of the crowd.

"Prior to this, African self-governing bodies gained international support by banding together, which is how Akinbad came to power. Of course, it must be acknowledged that he had always appeared very capable before the crisis and was trusted by all parties," the representative said bluntly.

"But as the wizarding world was fully exposed, their ideas changed, and many of their demands were quite surprising—for example, a place I can't name, smaller than a county in England, with only a hundred or so wizards. They had a good relationship with the local Muggle military regime, maintaining a nearly open alliance; but that Muggle military regime was trying to conquer a tribe that also had wizards, although only a handful, they were still an obstacle."

This news shocked many people.

"Doesn't the International Wizarding Federation care?" Sirius asked in surprise. "What about the Secrecy Act? Doesn't it strictly prohibit wizards from getting involved in Muggle disputes?"

Ms. Burns sighed.

"The secrecy law is not a panacea; it varies from person to person and from place to place! Africa has a unique environment, and it's not highly regarded there... In short, the International Federation of Wizards has always had very low requirements for them, as long as they don't cause any major trouble."

Lupin raised his eyebrows gently.

"If I understand correctly—before the Secrecy Act became obsolete, wizards with differing stances exercised some restraint, but now…" He paused, "the Muggle military regime wouldn't openly recruit wizards as henchmen, would it?"

"This trend is already underway," Ms. Burns said. "The Federation sent people to warn those two groups of wizards, but it's uncertain how effective that will be—the national ministries of magic have withdrawn their Aurors, they're too busy to deal with their own problems, so the wizarding alliance against Grindelwald was short-lived. The Federation is now just an empty shell, its binding force greatly diminished."

After she copied down their previous actions and submitted them to the International Confederation of Wizards, she could only watch helplessly.

"Let's talk about something happier," Ms. Burns suddenly smiled. "Kingsley brought back some good news. The Prime Minister's long meeting has finally ended, and a resolution has been passed to extend invitations to wizards."

Lupin was slightly surprised, then smiled. Moody's magic eyes darted around, his hand gripping his cane clenching and unclenching repeatedly. Bill and Fleur hugged each other excitedly, and amidst the jubilant gazes of the crowd, Sirius Black hugged Amelia Borns tightly and kissed her.

A week of constant tension had left them breathless, and now that they saw a glimmer of hope, everyone was excited. At dinner, Ms. Burns sat next to Felix and spoke quietly with him.

"The announcement won't be made until tomorrow. The Prime Minister sent the message via portrait, saying they will issue invitations in the Queen's name, similar to a private gathering or afternoon tea... What are your thoughts?"

Felix thought for a moment, then tentatively asked, "They don't want it to be too formal?"

"Yes, the Prime Minister said that a considerable number of people in Parliament still have reservations," Ms. Burns said. "He subtly suggested that the selected negotiating teams should not be too serious, and that neither side should immediately engage in substantive negotiations. This event is essentially the wizard's first public appearance—well, actually the second, although the Saints of Grindelwald have generally not made a good impression on the world."

"It needs to create a stark contrast with the saints..." Felix pondered, his gaze sweeping over the people in the Great Hall, landing on Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, and other students, where his eyes lit up.

"What do you think about selecting a few students to form a delegation?" Before Bones could object, Felix continued, "I'll lead the team myself."

Borns paused, then lowered his head and quickly began to think. The conclusion was... it seemed feasible?

With Felix around, there was absolutely no need to worry about her safety. She also trusted his wisdom in making on-the-spot decisions. Besides, Felix was nominally a professor at the school, so it was perfectly reasonable for a teacher to bring students along, and it didn't have any obvious political implications. As for her earlier fleeting concerns, such as being harassed by Muggle government officials, all of that was easily resolved; the Prime Minister would issue a warning.

It would be best to demonstrate one's strength appropriately...

"That's settled!" Ms. Burns said, then hesitated slightly: "Student candidates—"

"We'll select from these hundred-plus students, having them volunteer, and we'll also consult their parents," Felix said immediately. "We'll explain the pros and cons clearly to them; after all, not everyone is willing to appear in public..."

A new day begins.

(End of this chapter)