A certain Hogwarts professor of runes

Chapter 718 A Conference Destined to Go Down in History

The meeting was held at 3 p.m. at the headquarters of the International Federation of Wizards.

This was a spacious room, comparable in size to a standard basketball court, but it felt somewhat crowded with over four hundred chairs, not to mention the open space in the middle covered with a purple carpet with gold trim for impromptu speeches. At the front of the room, a long table was deliberately raised; this was the seat of the president of the International Wizarding Federation. Near the president's chair were several fixed seats, belonging to the vice presidents, secretaries, and anonymous seats. The people sitting in these anonymous seats were not fixed each time; invitations were made based on the meeting's theme, and in this case, it was Amelia Borns.

Some people followed Ms. Burns's gaze to the young man diagonally above her. The man's expression wasn't as serious as hers; instead, he wore a smile and fiddled with a peculiar hat. The two were conversing quietly. Felix Heap—countless people murmured this name with awe. Akinbad's prestige alone couldn't have gathered these people; this situation was almost entirely his doing.

Felix Heap sat on the other side of Akinbad, seemingly relieved of his stress, and appeared to be in good spirits. He wore a layered, intricately designed robe and sat high on the platform. A ripple of unease stirred in the hearts of the delegates attending the meeting; the position of vice president was still vacant, seemingly reserved for Felix Heap—history had seen instances where the president neglected his duties while the vice president wielded absolute power.

In fact, the previous chairman, Dumbledore, did just that, except he was the one who voluntarily relinquished power.

"You dyed your hair?" Felix asked with interest.

Ms. Burns, who was checking the documents, rolled her eyes at him and snorted, "Hmm." "—Your complexion is much better, did you use a beauty serum?" Burns froze. Felix whispered, "Take a closer look, your hair—" "What about my hair?!" "—It seems to have grown longer, let me check my memory—" After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and said with certainty, "That's right, it has grown longer."

Ms. Burns seemed slightly embarrassed. She said in a low voice, "Felix, this is a very serious occasion!" But she was clearly distracted, flipping through the documents at hand.

"When?"

"What did you say—"

"Great news!" Felix said seriously. "At Bill and Fleur's wedding last time, I saw Sirius arrange chicken legs into the shape of Cupid. Hmm, or maybe I was seeing things, it looked more like—"

"Pah, shut up."

……

As the current president of the International Federation of Wizards, Babajid Akinbad tapped his small wooden hammer, and the crowd gradually quieted down.

"Three centuries ago, we enacted the Law of Secrecy, which functioned well until it was fully exposed in the wizarding world. Therefore, I hope that you will adopt the same sense of historical responsibility and enact a guiding and forward-looking law."

"I am honored to have Ms. Amelia Borns with me. She participated in the entire negotiation process with the Muggle government and successfully reached an agreement, the details of which are written in the book 'Promoting the Openness of Magic,' which is right here with you... Mr. Felix Heap, an expert who was also deeply involved in the negotiations, described to me the brilliance of the book. The agreement does not allow for any hasty sentences; every line of text is carefully selected to conform to the moral tone of both parties. You will find that the content of Parts Two and Three is repeatedly mentioned. He will be responsible for maintaining order in the conference and arbitrating controversial issues."

Akinbad paused after speaking, and seeing that no one objected, he looked to his right. "Felix?"

Felix nodded and said briefly, "Amelia, you can begin."

Ms. Burns' calm voice echoed in the empty conference room. She wore her familiar monocle, her face partially obscured by the light and shadow.

"...The second part mainly records the progress and results of negotiations between the Ministry of Magic and the host country's government, as well as some unresolved debate excerpts; the last part is about plans that have been implemented or are about to be implemented, which can promote cooperation between the two sides, such as joint law enforcement, magic shops—oh, we chose to sell books with free gifts, believing that this would be a better way to open up the situation..."

"As you can see," she said, glancing around at the whispering crowd, "I will do my best to provide you with relevant background information and detailed support." She sat down.

"Thank you, Amelia, thank you, Babajid," Felix said in a loud voice, his gaze sweeping over every face.

"We will draft a far-reaching law, whose power is comparable to the Secret Service Law, and in some areas even surpasses it."

"It's not about running for a year or two, but like the Secrets Act, it's about using centuries as the standard. That's why we won't spend time discussing specific details, much less trivial matters like 'how much should a drunk wizard be fined for blowing up a trash can, or whether he should be imprisoned'—that's the Ministry of Magic's responsibility. You go and discuss it with the local government, follow local customs, and adapt to local conditions. What we need to determine are emotional, conceptual, and principled issues—what is acceptable and what is not."

"These will become the prevailing guidelines in the wizarding world in the future, a consensus in everyone's hearts. Once established, no individual or group, or any subsidiary law, can violate them."

"Alright, now everyone is free to speak, express their independent opinions, or ask questions about Ms. Burns' previous remarks."

After a moment of silence, the representatives from various countries began to speak. Seemingly to liven things up, a witch with sparse, pale yellow hair asked playfully, "Borns, why did you choose to sell books? Is it because you think those Muggles desperately need to improve their general knowledge?"

Low chuckles rippled through the crowd, but most people remained silent.

"There are two reasons," Ms. Burns said calmly. "First, my friend and I—" She glanced at Felix, "we believe that magic is mysterious to outsiders, so in the first year or two, whatever we offer will attract a lot of attention. Compared to potions, magical food, and magical items with various special functions, we hope people can understand the culture and concepts of wizards, and also to prove one thing: apart from magic, wizards and ordinary people are not fundamentally different;"

"The second reason—which is also mentioned in the book 'Promoting the Openness of Magic'—is that the magical world should integrate into the outside world in a gentle way, without causing any impact on the existing systems and social structures of both sides. So the logic is obvious: it's not a big deal for an ordinary household to have an extra comic book with automatic page turning, but if they have an extra invisibility cloak, it could cause problems."

The questions gradually became more pointed, and Ms. Burns couldn't handle them all by herself, so Felix joined in. He seemed quite adept at it, as if he were answering questions in class—and most importantly, no one dared to be unreasonable with him.

Several new departments are also taking shape during the discussions. For example, the International Magic Technology Cooperation Review Committee—responsible for reviewing cooperative projects between the two parties; the International Magic Trade Association—responsible for reviewing and approving cross-border trade and lists of first, second, and third category items; and the Emergency Investigation Group—responsible for communicating and handling difficult emergencies with potentially huge risks.

The clerk was writing furiously with a quill pen in front of him.

A red-haired wizard mentioned the Pan-Magic Alliance. "Currently, branches have been spontaneously established in various places, and although the progress varies, at least they are all in the preparation stage. However, the headquarters of the Pan-Magic Alliance is nowhere to be seen."

"Perhaps we could place it in a lower-level department of the Federation?" one wizard suggested.

"Doesn't that still mean other races are subordinate to wizards?" the red-haired wizard objected. "We definitely have to cede some rights in exchange for their support of wizards. In this new era, the old methods won't work. Those races are our natural allies..."

"You mean to elevate the Pan-Magic Alliance above the Federation?"

"I didn't say that."

"So what do you mean?"

"At least you're not like me who only knows how to avoid problems! Cowardly ball-escape bird!" the red-haired wizard swore.

"Watch out for your drool, you slimy ghoul!"

Seeing that the two sides were arguing fiercely and neither could convince the other, Felix cleared his throat, and the crowd quieted down.

"Make a note of this issue; there might be an unexpected solution as the meeting progresses."

At that moment, a commotion arose outside the door. The people who were engaged in a heated discussion stopped and all looked towards the door. Then came a series of urgent knocks. Akinbad frowned, waved his wand, and the layers of magical light receded. A person pushed open the door, looking flustered.

"What happened, Claude?" Akinbad shouted at the man. "Didn't I tell you to stand guard at the door and not let anyone disturb us?"

Claude stammered for a while before finally saying, "Grindelwald—"

"He actually dared to come?" Akinbad was shocked. The conference room fell into an eerie silence, as if a pause button had been pressed. Then many people jumped up from their chairs, looking utterly horrified, and the room erupted into chaos.

Felix frowned. He realized he had overlooked a fact: the people attending the meeting were all quite old, and most of them had witnessed firsthand how Grindelwald had dominated the wizarding world and stirred up chaos.

Just when everyone was at a loss, a calm yet resonant voice struck their hearts like a drumstick—

"quiet--"

Everyone looked at Felix, who was sitting upright on the stage. He stood up and calmly said to Claude, "Claude, finish what you have to say."

"Yes, yes, Mr. Heip," the man stammered. "Grindelwald didn't come, but his men—I mean," his balding head was covered in beads of sweat, "sent a delegation of nearly twenty people, saying they were going to attend the meeting!"

The meeting room erupted in chaos.

"Let them in," Felix said, silencing all the whispers. The representatives from the various national magic ministries looked at him, as if they had found their pillar of support, then turned their gazes to the doorway, their eyes filled with anticipation. After a few seconds, they heard hurried footsteps, and then a group of people entered.

The leader was a very tall woman with dark skin, gray eyes, and several yellowish-brown stripes painted on her face. Her dark hair, tinged with reddish-brown, was neatly combed back and tightly bound by an iron ring with spikes.

"Leibert?" Akinbad asked, looking at the woman with surprise.

"Akinbad, long time no see," the woman said, seemingly relieved. Their greeting indicated they knew each other. She composed herself and spoke in a hollow voice, somewhat like a theatrical actor reciting lines for the first time: "Marawatl Lebert, Minister of Magic of Egypt, greets you all."

"Egypt has no Ministry of Magic," Akinbad shouted in a muffled voice.

"Now we have it," said the woman with the headband. She looked at Akimbard and Felix, carefully choosing her words, "We were ordered to attend the Federation meeting. That person said that African wizards make up one-tenth of the entire wizarding world's population, and since it's an international conference, we definitely have to come and join in the fun."

Akinbad hesitated and said, "In that case..." He seemed unsure of himself, his expression constantly changing, as if he were having a complex internal struggle, and for a moment he stood there stunned.

Felix waved his hand, and a row of chairs appeared out of thin air. Then he gestured to Maravatl Lebert with his eyes, "Welcome—even if we're in the dictionary, we share the same name." Maravatl Lebert sniffed and walked toward a seat, the people he passed exchanging glances and expressions.

The people behind the woman were about to follow suit, but Felix stopped them with a look.

"Those who come in, please state your name and identity in turn," he said calmly.

Following closely behind was a short, stout man with clean skin. He abruptly stopped and introduced himself somewhat awkwardly, "Mu-Muto Tobias, Minister of Magic of Nigeria." He glanced cautiously at Felix, who nodded slightly, before quickly catching up. Everyone noticed his clothes were soaked with sweat.

If Akinbad or Hyp ordered these twenty-odd people to be locked up, there was nothing they could do.

There were those who cooperated, and there were also those who were reckless. However, that guy had now become a painting. The secretary of the Federation picked him up and hung him on the back of a chair. All that was left of the man was a pair of dark eyes that were turning left and right in fear, which looked rather comical.

"He's got some nerve," the old wizard muttered. "Won't he never recover?" As soon as he finished speaking, his clear black and white eyes darted around even more intensely. The old wizard chuckled coldly, then rolled up his legs like folding clothes and placed them on the chair.

Another older witch reached out a finger to touch it, then quickly withdrew her hand, making a sound of disgust.

Felix glanced at the first woman to sit down and asked casually, "Nona Ripper is yours—"

"Second daughter." The woman was somewhat flattered.

"Her performance at the Goblet of Fire was impressive," Felix said.

"Oh, thank you—"

After everyone sat down, they were all somewhat stunned. Putting everything else aside, the fact that there were over twenty additional Ministries of Magic from Africa was surprising enough. However, some secretly cheered; in the past, Africa could have sent over two hundred people for a single meeting. But the question remained: was Grindelwald simply using them as puppets, or was he genuinely preparing to implement reforms and establish a new system in Africa?

Akinbad paused for a moment, then accepted Felix's approach, staring wide-eyed and asking, "What exactly does Grindelwald mean?"

Marawatl Lebert shook his head. "Nobody knows what he's thinking."

"Will he abide by the resolutions made at the Federation General Assembly?" Akinbad pressed. Marawatl Lebert shook his head and sighed in disappointment. Although he had expected it, he couldn't help but feel disappointed.

"At least the fact that he sent someone shows he doesn't intend to completely sever ties with us," one wizard said. His words drew a murmur of agreement. "After all, we are wizards."

These words had an effect; the attendees no longer treated these uninvited guests as outsiders. However, the focus seemed to have shifted, as representatives from various countries began inquiring about the situation of African sorcerers living in "enemy-occupied territory."

"Mr. Grindelwald... he cobbled together the previously loose autonomous organizations and divided up the powers among us. For example, the Egyptian Ministry of Magic was forcibly united based on the original twelve regional autonomous organizations. He also brought out the Wizarding Code as the basis for his rule and administration. I have studied its contents carefully, and it is similar to the book published by the British Ministry of Magic, but the language is sharper, demanding absolute obedience on some issues..."

"Could you elaborate on that part?" Felix asked abruptly. "Perhaps it will be helpful for the theme of this meeting."

"Oh, uh, okay," Maravatl Lebert said.

(End of this chapter)