A certain Hogwarts professor of runes

Chapter 727 Celebration

Putting down the microphone, Felix couldn't help but laugh and cry. Rumors always attract more attention than facts, especially when paired with a short, catchy, and easily spread sensational headline.

This rumor would be even more perfect if it could creatively "explain" a major historical event with complex causes using just a few short phrases. Not only would it be highly likely to become popular at the time, but it would also possess a long-lasting and unwavering vitality thereafter.

To avoid being influenced by the unique charm of these endearing rumors, besides promptly revealing the truth, it's best to thoughtfully offer another topic worth discussing. Therefore—

"I'm planning to organize a Christmas bonfire party," Felix said.

"Here?" Horace Greenstinch was a little confused by the answer. He stamped his foot and spun around in a circle. "Oh, uh, good idea..." he said reluctantly, but soon changed his mind and became deeply fascinated by the idea.

"Christmas at sea! Bonfire night! Guys—"

Greenstinch bent over the suitcase, shouting excitedly into it, which made the usually serious and stern man seem somewhat manic. He turned his head and explained, "People need to be happy," still lying on the ground, looking rather comical.

Before anyone outside could comment, about seven or eight hands reached out from the box and pulled him inside without warning. After a moment, a hollow echo came from inside the box, like an old, malfunctioning speaker working, but screams and cheers could still be clearly distinguished from the deafening noise.

Yuria walked over to Felix.

"Are we really going to have a bonfire party?" he asked in a low voice.

“Yes, but we’ll have to wait a bit,” Felix said. The others stood at a distance. A young Auror tried to come over, but his companion stopped him. The companion shook his head slowly and firmly, looking over with a serious expression, as if the two were discussing some profound and mysterious topic.

"What if we get attacked?" Yuria blurted out, expressing her deepest fear and worry.

“That’s why we have to wait patiently,” Felix explained. “We can take control of the island and leave after the ‘exercise’ is over—not now—so theoretically, yes,” he said casually, “we could indeed be attacked by lethal weapons.”

He walked to the side, chose a dry rock to sit on, and let the icy sea breeze blow on him, looking up at the azure sky. The area within dozens of kilometers was within his sight, but he wasn't actually looking at anything; he just sat quietly. The immense magic surging through the island seemed like an extension of his limbs, countless tiny magical runes flashing incessantly between the rocks. He began to recall, bit by bit, his experiences over the past six months, from initial shock to calm acceptance and active mediation. His role had grown increasingly significant, and now he had finally placed himself on one side of the scales, tilting the other side, marked with peace, high above.

He stood at the very front of all the wizards, and any gaze cast upon this group would inevitably meet his gaze and acknowledge his presence.

As the sun reached its highest point of the day, Akinbad appeared, travel-worn, bringing exciting news. "It's done! Twenty minutes ago... the spokesperson came out of the White House..." he stammered excitedly, a broad smile spreading across his face. "I used the key to tell you this in person."

Even though he appeared completely calm, Felix secretly breathed a sigh of relief when the dust settled and everything came to an end. He didn't care what intense power struggles had taken place in Washington, hundreds of kilometers away, over the past few hours. He didn't even show any unusual reaction when Akinbad told him that the other side had extended an invitation and was preparing to restart negotiations. That was all in the future. What he needed to do now was to welcome Christmas tomorrow, and then the New Year!

Half an hour later, the floating island headed away into the deep sea.

Seeing this through satellite imagery, the White House president breathed a sigh of relief, slumped into his chair, and was drenched in cold sweat. His high-ranking officials and staff also breathed a sigh of relief, a weight lifted from their shoulders. No one in the world knew the other side's strength better than them. Other countries could only observe and assess from afar using satellites, but they were the ones experiencing it firsthand, and could do much more. Various complex detection devices had been deployed along with the military to the port and surrounding areas a week earlier.

Of course, now all the equipment has failed, resulting in a state that cannot be explained by existing scientific systems.

Just an hour ago, they were still fiercely debating whether to use their ultimate trump card—a decision not easily made. Other countries had also subtly conveyed their intentions through explicit and implicit means: if nuclear weapons were used, the situation could easily spiral out of control. This was something no country wanted to see. Of course, it was also something the White House didn't want to see. They had used every means at home and abroad to force the wizards into a direct confrontation, not to drag themselves into the abyss of war.

The purpose of this was to anticipate that wizards would seriously harm their interests in the future, or in other words, the greater the presence of wizards, the greater the threat they posed to their global influence.

Given this, it is absolutely necessary to suppress the most influential international wizarding organization as much as possible.

Their ideal outcome was to unleash an anti-wizard movement worldwide, while they themselves adopted a strategy of both appeasement and suppression towards their own wizards, using various political means to win over and divide the entire wizarding community, under the pretext of racial differences or bloodline differences... But all these plans were based on one premise—the International Wizarding Federation had to be dismantled (the International Pan-Magic Alliance was just an empty shell in their eyes).

They practically watched as the International Confederation of Wizards, which had been declining, was revitalized.

All of this is because of one person, Felix Heap.

His writings on the non-magical world have become authoritative textbooks for reverse research on wizards; the spellbook system he created has been studied by countless wizards; and the negotiation strategies he formulated have gradually become a reality—especially this point, which makes countless people sigh with regret—without the image foundation that wizards laid in front of the world in the past few months, the current situation where everyone is watching and observing would never have been achieved, let alone the tacit consensus of 'cooperation as the main focus and confrontation as a secondary focus' would not have been reached.

Needless to say, Hyp himself displayed abilities comparable to those of a god today.

This is of paramount importance. In the eyes of the White House president and his staff, building a floating island is not the most terrifying thing—on the contrary, it is quite in line with their imagination of magic—what is truly terrifying is the seemingly harmless and fairytale-like magic that envelops the entire city, with an effect somewhat similar to a black-and-white sketchbook for children to practice doodling.

The hidden meaning behind this magic made them abandon any thought of escalating the conflict, and it was almost a final decision.

An hour earlier, a small contingent of troops closest to New York quietly entered the city and detonated hundreds of small explosives, but caused no damage to the city, as if the two were from different worlds.

What does this mean?

The nuclear bomb is highly likely to be ineffective, and even if it were detonated in front of that person, the possibility of it posing a threat would be virtually zero. As for the possibility of it being detonated in the worst-case scenario... no one dares to gamble on the consequences. If it happens to kill someone he values, the entire country will be plunged into darkness.

In the silence, the White House president softly recited the name he had read in the newspaper for another wizard, a name that seemed to perfectly encapsulate the conflict:

"An archmage? The swordsman?"

……

The floating island presented a completely different scene. Wizards emerged one after another from the suitcases, looking around with curiosity and trepidation like newborn babies. Adults chatted in twos and threes, while children played and frolicked on the uneven reefs and seabed rocks, tirelessly prying small fish, shrimp, and seaweed out of the crevices of the rocks.

Felix and Akinbad avoided the crowds and strolled on the relatively flat ground.

"You plan to make this a place where wizards and Muggles can coexist peacefully? A place where magic and technology can blend together?"

Felix nodded slightly.

"And they're going to invite wizards, Muggle scientists, and companies from various countries?"

He nodded again.

"That's a huge undertaking," Akinbad remarked. After a moment, he stamped his foot and suddenly asked, "Felix, what do you think about me moving the Federation headquarters here?"

Felix looked at him in surprise.

Akinbad smiled, his wrinkles smoothing out. "Actually, I've had this idea for a while. During the time we successfully signed contracts with several countries, things were going very well, and I was thinking… the Federation headquarters definitely couldn't stay hidden any longer, but we hadn't decided on a new location, and it wasn't the right time. But this idea kept popping into my head. Strasbourg was my first thought; there are some international Muggle organizations there… but what place could compare to an island built by wizards themselves?"

"I have no objection," Felix replied after a moment's thought.

At that moment, a young Auror approached, his eyes filled with awe as he looked at Felix. He said to the two of them, "Some people have suggested modifying the surrounding environment to serve as a venue for a bonfire party. Chairman Greenstinch sent me to inquire with you..."

Felix and Akinbad exchanged a glance; they naturally had no objections.

The situation spiraled out of control. More wizards poured out of the suitcase, spontaneously helping to repair the site and cast protective spells with great enthusiasm, but they soon faced a shortage of materials.

This problem was partially resolved when Felix dispelled the magic inside the briefcase.

The island's central area, spanning two kilometers, was replaced by a campsite. He then contacted the Future World Corporation headquarters, intending to have Lupin prepare tents and supplies for the bonfire party so he could personally retrieve them. However, their conversation was overheard by Ms. Burns and Sirius, who were present. Sirius proposed a whimsical idea, which Felix thought was feasible. Ms. Burns agreed to provide manpower, and thus, the momentous event, which has been repeatedly and vividly described by countless historians in later generations, was finalized.

Temporary fireplaces sprang up, and hundreds of wizards emerged from the flames, bringing various building materials. With a wave of their wands, hundreds and thousands of houses of different shapes appeared out of thin air. More and more wizards rushed to the scene, and it quickly turned into a wizarding celebration comparable to the Quidditch World Cup final.

Even Sirius, who had come up with the idea, was taken aback by the sheer scale. He clicked his tongue and said, "Won't there be enough space?"

"It could hold two or three hundred thousand people if you squeezed it in," Felix said uncertainly, but when he saw vendors pushing carts and hawking their wares, he wondered if he had spoken too soon. In the afternoon, he spotted Fred and George acting suspiciously, hawking Weasley fireworks around.

Upon noticing Felix staring intently at them, the two immediately gave an embarrassed smile and then fled in panic.

As expected, a spectacular fireworks display took place at sea that evening.

The entire celebration lasted for half a month, completely different from the lonely Christmas Felix had envisioned. Even the New Year was spent in a noisy atmosphere, and the vast sea seemed to connect wizards from all over the world even more closely.

Every day he saw familiar figures. Luna, seemingly lost in thought, as if she had stumbled upon this place by accident… Hermione waving at him while holding Valentine… Sirius Black, who had found a new motorcycle, which Harry and Ron would occasionally borrow for a ride… former Old Magic professor Bathsheba Barbling… Professor Bubbaggie, concerned about the island's soil problems… the eccentric Trelawney… Lupin and Tonks, Hogwarts students and professors, officials from various Ministries of Magic, pen pals he had never met, and even journalists…

Their story has only just begun.

That's basically the end of the main text. I'll add my postscript and plans for the side stories later during the day.

(End of this chapter)