A certain Hogwarts professor of runes

Chapter 692 Inheritance

In the morning, the Prime Minister delivered a speech in front of 10 Downing Street.

"...Wizards were a real group of people who were once guests of honor in the court and their legends still circulate in some places today. However, between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries, England and the rest of the world were undergoing tremendous changes. The thousand-year-old Middle Ages came to an end, the old order was destroyed, and the new order had not yet been established. Our society was undergoing major changes in all aspects. At the same time, the conflict between wizards and ordinary people was intensifying, and some extremely bad things happened. These were the scars left by our journey from thorns to civilization."

"After that, wizards chose to hide their identities, cut off contact with the public, and established laws to ensure that this measure was implemented; they called the Law of Secrecy."

"A week ago, the hidden wizarding society was exposed to the public by an accident, and everyone faced a huge choice—perhaps the most important one in recent years. Because the two societies have been separated for too long, they are deeply unfamiliar with each other. The ministers of state held several meetings, all members of parliament attended, and Her Majesty the Queen made a rare appearance. In the end, they reached a consensus: to cautiously begin dialogue."

"I am extending a public invitation here, hoping that wizards will send a delegation. I believe that communication is the first step in resolving disputes..."

After speaking, the Prime Minister looked around and waited for reporters to ask questions.

"Mr. Prime Minister, are you implying that last week's terrorist attacks were an accident?" a reporter asked sharply. "According to various statistics, although there were no casualties, the nationwide traffic congestion, city shutdowns, and damage to some municipal public facilities caused huge property losses to the country, not to mention that many people were hospitalized due to shock."

"Ahem... We must admit that wizards are not all bad. The difference is that they possess magic, which leads to vastly different individual combat abilities. The panic we experienced was caused by an extremely evil and powerful dark wizard and his followers. You should know that name, Grindelwald... He was ambitious and had longed to rule the world for sixty or seventy years."

"But he was eventually imprisoned for half a century until recently when he escaped the wizarding prison and orchestrated this operation," the Prime Minister said solemnly. "He wanted our society to split so he could seize the opportunity to rise again and spread war across every inch of the land, where Britain would not be spared, and neither would the world... Given that terrible future, we must remain clear-headed and not fall into the trap."

Another reporter asked, "Has the government been hiding the existence of witch doctors from the public? What prompted you to keep this a secret? Don't you think this is a violation of the public's right to know?"

The Prime Minister did not answer directly, but instead changed his approach.

"I think the reason why successive prime ministers have kept this secret, besides the fact that it involves national security secrets, is more to avoid causing panic in society. Wizards have been hiding their identities for hundreds of years, and their image is very different from what we imagine... They have established regimes similar to ours and formed various organizations, such as schools, hospitals, and law enforcement agencies. They even have organizations similar to the United Nations—wizards are also progressing and developing."

After the press conference ended, the Prime Minister turned and walked back to 10 Downing Street.

"Thank you for everything, Mr. Prime Minister," Kingsley, as his assistant, said politely.

The Prime Minister stopped in his tracks.

"You don't understand. Get ready for a torrent of public opinion."

Kingsley was somewhat taken aback, but the Prime Minister returned to his office without saying a word, standing by the window and gazing at the reporters and citizens who had not left. He had a premonition that everyone would be forced into an even bigger media storm, and his speech today was the fuse.

But he had no choice.

Whether for the sake of national interest or his personal political future, promoting negotiations is the best approach. Even the opposition party did not press too hard in this matter; when he presented the documents on wizards, members of parliament with different political views and from different parties generally voted in favor.

Not all of these people are sincere, but there is no doubt that none of them want to clean up the mess at this time.

If the current prime minister is ousted on the grounds of opposing witchcraft, then there is only one path left: take an extremely tough stance, bring witchcraft under complete government control, and even risk war.

But this approach is actually far more dangerous than engaging in peace talks. If peace talks go against the will of some people, it's like walking a tightrope, then being hostile to wizards and forcing them to fight back is like setting off fireworks on a powder keg.

Opposition parties can gain public support by inciting and creating extreme rhetoric, but when war actually breaks out, loved ones, property, and stable lives will be destroyed in an instant. The more support those people once had for these lawmakers, the more they will hate them in the end.

The Prime Minister's assessment was similar to his own: first talk, then test the waters during negotiations, and then gradually extract benefits.

But the world is never short of speculators.

Not long after, Felix received the message.

"Just an invitation? The details haven't been finalized yet?" he asked, somewhat surprised.

"It's been decided, but the Prime Minister doesn't want to appear too familiar in public," Ms. Burns said. "The time is one week from now, at 3 p.m., at the Parliament House."

Felix blinked.

"The Parliament House? Not Buckingham Palace?"

"The Prime Minister did initially want to hold the meeting at Buckingham Palace, but the Queen declined after careful consideration."

Felix smiled. "Hmm? Maybe he doesn't want to show obvious personal bias and avoid offending some extremists... The Capitol Building is nice too, it has a lot of rooms..." He suddenly stopped talking.

"What's wrong?"

"I've been thinking about something," Felix said seriously, his smile fading. He recalled the prophecy Dumbledore had shown him—the footage of a massive anti-wizarding march, in which, besides Rita Skeeter, there was another prominent landmark: the Houses of Parliament in the background.

Things seem to be progressing as Grindelwald saw.

Over the past week, anti-wizarding protests have broken out in various places, but none have been very large. This is partly because the issue has only been discussed in newspapers, and the government has not yet made a public statement; and partly because the Ministry of Magic has adopted a scaled-back strategy, ordinary people cannot find a legitimate entity to lead a demonstration.

Most importantly, "wizarding" is a new phenomenon, and opponents need time to band together.

But it was clear that they now finally had a golden opportunity—the time, a week from now; the place, the Parliament House; the people, the wizarding delegation.

Everything seemed so natural.

Not long after Ms. Burns left, Hermione arrived with a list.

"There are over thirty people who have signed up so far." She handed the parchment to Felix, then said seriously, "The fact that we're here means we're willing to contribute to peace. But many are worried they won't do a good enough job, and they have some suitable candidates in mind..."

"I suspect you're among their nominees, isn't that right, Miss Granger?"

Hermione rolled her eyes.

Felix stared at the list, lost in thought. "I really need to think this over carefully." Since the appearance a week from now might be related to the prophecy, he'd better be cautious. The people he chooses should at least have the mental fortitude to pass muster.

The students finished sorting the newspapers for the day. As noon approached, some students went home through the school fireplace, while others stayed at school to discuss the day's news. They were mostly sixth or seventh graders, adults or nearing adulthood, and their speech and clothing reflected their adult appearance.

Because it was summer vacation, these students weren't wearing school uniforms. Their days of fighting together and sharing a common hatred for the enemy had brought them together, making them inseparable.

These phenomena were observed by the professors who remained at the university, and they were delighted by the change; if the timing weren't so bad, they might have happily hosted several banquets. Slughorn definitely had that thought.

As Felix passed through the foyer, he saw Snape. He was standing guard at the bottom of the stairs, seemingly having waited for some time.

"Is something the matter, Severus?"

Snape looked up at Felix and asked in a completely emotionless tone, "The time has been set?"

"Next week," Felix joked, "isn't that something to look forward to?"

Snape wouldn't answer that kind of question; he continued, "You're planning to lead a group of students to negotiate with the Muggle government?"

"Not negotiation, um—something like the players from both teams taking a lap around the field before a big Quidditch match," Felix said after a moment's thought. "Younger faces help differentiate us from Grindelwald's Saints, and…" he continued, trying to organize his thoughts, "I'm thinking about how to subtly project some strength. Isn't that what negotiation is all about? Showing sincerity, flexing your muscles… but the method is important; it can't be too aggressive. Do you have any good ideas?"

"That's your problem," Snape said coldly, turning around with his robes billowing behind him. "Come with me."

Felix was somewhat confused, but he followed Snape toward his office anyway. The door opened, Snape slipped into the room, and Felix pushed open the door, wondering what Snape's intentions were. Had some kind of potion made a crucial breakthrough?

Since he showed the potions and apothecaries at Sword Keep several disease patterns, including werewolf and dragonpox, many wizards have chosen to stay near Sword Keep to conduct research and share their insights from time to time. Snape has also been there a few times.

The Potions professor's office was as dimly lit as ever. Felix's gaze swept over the glass specimen jars lining the wall, finally settling on Snape, who had his back to him and was completely enveloped in darkness.

Snape's body trembled slightly, one hand gripping the table, as if he were desperately suppressing his emotions, like a slithering snake. Felix sensed this strange atmosphere, but didn't urge him on, standing quietly and waiting.

Finally, Snape turned to face him, his gaze calm.

"Use the disarming spell on me, Felix."

I really can't reach the minimum of 4,000 words, I'll try to write more tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)