I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 503, Step Two of the Plan

The clouds over London were heavy, threatening to gather and bring rain.

Silence fell over the Downing Street bunker.

Kingsley remained silent in the face of Mr. James Bond.

His eyes flashed with anger.

He realized it was a conspiracy the moment the Muggle fired the shot.

They set traps and constantly provoked the Death Eaters, deliberately waiting for them to walk right into their trap.

And now—the conspiracy continues unabated.

In the current situation, if the Ministry of Magic chooses to stand by, the Death Eaters may break through here. They caught the Death Eaters off guard in front of Westminster Abbey, but the real battle is yet to come.

What will they do?

What should the Ministry of Magic do?

Their only option was to clean up the messes of the Muggles and help them fight against the Death Eaters and other dark wizards.

A devastated London, with hundreds of thousands more dead or injured in Britain, is certainly not what the Ministry of Magic wants to see.

Dumbledore wouldn't allow it.

Rufus Scrimgeour wouldn't either.

"Fine—" Kingsley practically spat out the word through clenched teeth.

They were outsmarted by the Muggles; no wonder they're unhappy.

After saying that, he turned to leave.

Downing Street is now protected by an anti-Apparition spell, so he must leave first.

The government officials present did not stop him.

Mr. Bond, in particular, was pleased to see the other party make such an expression.

anger!

He has every reason to be angry!

But what about Europe's anger?

Berlin, Paris, Rome, and other cities—hundreds of thousands died. Should the survivors be angry?

Irving made one very accurate point.

Miss Granger's powerful presence on both sides instilled great fear in the Muggles.

Otherwise—it would only be a war to the death between the two races. The fact that Mr. Bond's plan includes the British Ministry of Magic is already a gesture of goodwill. Otherwise—every creature wielding a wand would be an enemy of Europe.

Mr. Harker watched Kingsley leave with a look of astonishment.

He truly knew nothing.

It's pitiful that a country's prime minister could be led by the nose by his own subordinates.

There's nothing we can do about it.

Because he is the Prime Minister, he is also the most dangerous person in all of Britain. According to the methods of wizards, it would be easy to pry open his head and search his memories. Indeed, if the whole plan were told to him, it would increase the risk.

"Ding ding—"

Suddenly the phone on the Prime Minister's desk rang.

Bernard, acting as his private secretary, immediately answered, "This is Downing Street."

"Oh—please wait a moment."

After saying that, he handed the phone to the Prime Minister.

Mr. Huck was somewhat surprised; who would come looking for him at this time?

unless?

Is there a problem at the front?

Heavy casualties?

Suddenly, Mr. Hack felt a surge of fear towards the phone.

However, true to his prime ministerial composure, he hesitated for two seconds before answering the call.

"I am Jim Hack."

"Oh—it's you."

A familiar voice came from the other end of the phone; Mr. Hack had met him several months ago—many times.

The office quickly fell silent again.

Only the Prime Minister occasionally responded with phrases like "Hmm," "I see," "Oh," and "Okay."

If someone unaware of the positions of those present overheard, they might think the person making the call was the prime minister.

Five minutes later.

Mr. Hack hung up the phone with a complicated expression.

Just now, Mr. M, from the Diogenes Club, who holds a secret government position and is the planner, briefly told him everything.

This made him both happy and worried.

The good news is that, judging from the current situation, the plan is progressing smoothly, and almost all possible scenarios are within the government's contingency plans. The concern is that if this approach is used to deal with wizards in the future, it will greatly undermine the Prime Minister's power.

As an ordinary person in the secular world, he had absolutely no means of defense against wizards. No matter how impregnable Downing Street was, it was not as safe as the Ministry of Magic. And if the Ministry of Magic could be infiltrated by Death Eaters, then Downing Street was even less vulnerable.

Since the prime minister occupies a high position, he naturally becomes the target of public criticism.

To ensure the success of certain plans, their execution can only be carried out entirely by the various departments, as is the case this time, with the Prime Minister offering no intervention or direction whatsoever.

This is a rather dangerous sign, especially in a country like Britain where empiricism prevails. Once this precedent is set, the Prime Minister's power will gradually be usurped by other departments, just as they once usurped the King's power.

Parliamentary representative systems are likely coming to an end.

"Alright everyone," Mr. Hack broke the silence in the office after a moment of silence, his voice echoing in the empty room, "since our plan is progressing steadily and hasn't deviated from its intended course, let's all return to our posts and continue our respective work."

Immediately, many people began to leave the small office.

As he finished speaking, the others began to rise one after another, preparing to leave. Mr. Bond was the first to tidy up the documents, exchanged glances with several Aurors from the Ministry of Magic, and then walked out of the office. Immediately afterward, the intelligence personnel from the Joint Operations Command also left, their footsteps echoing in the corridor and fading into the distance.

"Humphrey, wait a moment." The Prime Minister suddenly raised his voice, calling out to Sir Humphrey, who was about to leave.

Sir Humphrey had already reached the door when he heard the Prime Minister's call. He paused for a moment, then turned around and sat back down at his desk.

"Sir, what's going on here...?" He gestured to his colleagues who had already left outside the door, "Why did you send them away? What trouble have you encountered?"

Mr. Huck sighed softly, took off his glasses, gently placed them on the table, and leaned back in his chair. "Alright, Humphrey."

He waved his hand. "It's not 'I' who's in trouble, it's 'we'—don't you think we're being far too passive when dealing with wizards, this special group? Especially as Prime Minister!"

"How do you know?" he asked.

"You see?" Mr. Harker countered, his tone tinged with dissatisfaction and helplessness. Civil servants were far less sensitive in this regard than officials. "As Prime Minister, I should be the one in control, strategizing and planning. But when dealing with wizards, I find myself often forced to passively accept the arrangements and plans of my subordinates. They have their own system and rules, and I'm often just led by the nose."

"Oh—" Sir Humphrey nodded, a greasy smile spreading across his face. "Sir, this brings us to the traditional division of responsibilities."

Our consistent aim has been to clarify the distinction between leadership responsibilities and administrative minutiae, thereby allowing political leaders to engage in the demanding work and deep thinking required by their position and responsibilities by delegating management functions to those more qualified to handle these tasks.

“I know—it’s a common tactic civil servants use to suppress ministers. But this time it’s for real—” Mr. Harker waved his hand and slowly stood up. “If each department can make its own decisions, then they will tend to grow too powerful—do you know how much this operation will cost in total? We had no idea about the plan beforehand, how could we interfere? How could we seize power? The British representative system will collapse.”

"Oh—" Sir Humphrey finally understood Mr. Huck's concerns. He nodded slightly, his brow furrowed.

He realized that the problem was far more complex than the Prime Minister had anticipated. Combating this particular group of wizards involved not only the military and technology sectors, but also the stability and balance of the entire government structure.

He thought more deeply, beginning to imagine the rise of technically-oriented departments and the military in operations, and the potential threat this rise posed to the civil service. As the head of the civil service and cabinet secretary, he realized he too was at risk of being sidelined by his subordinates.

Dealing with wizards will inevitably lead to the expansion of technical departments or the military, such as MI5, MI6, the Security Service, the Security Service, and the London Guard, which will inevitably squeeze the current civil service system.

"This is indeed a serious problem, Prime Minister," Sir Humphrey's voice also took on a serious tone.

Mr. Huck nodded, then looked at Sir Humphrey, hoping for some advice. "Do you have any solutions?"

Sir Humphrey pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "In the long run, if we can bring the British Ministry of Magic under the direct control of the Cabinet, then this problem can be fundamentally solved."

"Humphrey!"

"Oh—I understand, that seems quite difficult at the moment." He spread his hands, shook his head helplessly, but then added half-jokingly, "Or perhaps, we could elect a wizard as prime minister..."

Mr. Huck coughed a few times after hearing this, clearly taken aback by the suggestion. "Oh—cough—Humphrey, it was just a joke, wasn't it?" he tried to ease the awkward atmosphere.

Sir Humphrey nodded quickly and changed the subject with a smile.

However, from the perspective of the civil service, he genuinely believed that appointing a wizard as prime minister was not entirely impossible. After all, a wizard prime minister who knew nothing about the workings of the current government would be more easily manipulated and controlled by the civil servants.

However, he also understood that this was just an unrealistic fantasy, and perhaps in his childhood, this fantasy would become a reality.

"Well—sir, perhaps after this conflict with the wizarding world is over, we should show enough goodwill and tolerance," Sir Humphrey said with a smile. "Then, we can consider inviting a wizard to join the government."

"Invite wizards to join the government?" Mr. Harker repeated in surprise, clearly having not considered such a possibility before.

"Yes, Prime Minister." Sir Humphrey nodded and continued to explain, "We're inviting a wizard who's on our side. I know that the struggle over bloodlines in the wizarding world has been going on for thousands of years. Pure-blood wizards, half-blood wizards, and Muggle-born wizards—wizards born to ordinary people like us—have very complex relationships."

"You mean inviting a Muggle-born wizard to join the government or even the cabinet?" Mr. Harker began to show interest in the proposal.

"He needs to be powerful enough, but at the same time have no interest in power. Ideally, he should also be young enough, and his parents should be in London so we can better understand his background and character," Sir Humphrey said with a slight smile.

"Young enough?" Mr. Hack pondered for a moment. Yes, young enough to allow them to sketch freely.

"This matter needs to be arranged as soon as possible."

"Of course." Sir Humphrey slowly rose, nodded to the Prime Minister, and then left the office.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Meanwhile, after receiving Kingsley's message, the Ministry of Magic urgently dispatched several Aurors to Downing Street.

Theseus Scamander also brought the Goldstein sisters and ambushed them near Downing Street.

It's hard to say whether it was a coincidence or the wizard did it on purpose.

The Golden Hall, where the Ministry of Magic is located, is actually located deep underground in Whitehall.

Whitehall is a street in London, England. It connects the Houses of Parliament and Downing Street. Several British government offices, including the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign Office, the Home Office, and the Admiralty, are located on and near this street, hence Whitehall is often used as a synonym for the British executive branch.

In other words, right beneath Downing Street, right under the Prime Minister's buttocks, lies the headquarters of the British Ministry of Magic.

Therefore, the reinforcements arrived extremely quickly.

Within minutes, a large number of wizards arrived at Downing Street.

While the Prime Minister was speaking with the Cabinet Secretary, the battle between the Aurors and the Death Eaters had already begun.

The Aurors, having waited in ambush, launched a surprise attack on the invading dark wizard.

They successfully suppressed a large group of enemies.

With the addition of nearby task forces and MI5 agents constantly sniping, the dark wizards led by the Death Eaters began to show signs of defeat after just over ten minutes.

Once the Aurors seize this opportunity, it will snowball, and their defeat will be inevitable.

Soon, members of the so-called "Dark Raven" organization began to flee.

They were forced to join the Death Eaters. Apart from a few key members who were controlled by Voldemort using Deadroot and are still putting up a last-ditch resistance, most of the others had lost the will to fight.

Meanwhile, the Death Eaters...

They are far more ruthless than other dark wizards.

Seeing the tide of battle turning in their favor, the Death Eaters immediately resorted to every means at their disposal.

They were anxious about a large group of dark creatures and dark monsters.

Manipulate or command these creatures to indiscriminately attack everyone around them.

This included malevolent corpses, giant spiders, werewolves, and even vampires. The battle instantly transformed from a regional conflict into a full-scale war sweeping across London.

"Click—"

Over London, the oppressive clouds, seemingly unable to bear their heavy burden any longer, finally began to release the rain they carried, urged on by the rumble of thunder.

The rain came quietly, initially just a fine, dense drizzle, like countless silver threads gently falling from the sky. As time passed, the rain gradually intensified, like a reservoir opening its floodgates, with endless rain pouring down.

Prior to this, weather forecasts for several consecutive days had confidently declared that it would not rain.

However, reality gave them a resounding slap in the face.

Indeed, this had nothing to do with meteorological experts, because the heavy rain was not caused by natural weather changes, but by some supernatural force.

Strange figures began to appear in the skies over London at some unknown time.

They were covered in black cloaks, their bodies looking as if they had been soaked in water and were highly decomposed.

It has no facial features, only an empty hole on its face.

Hundreds of Dementors hovered in the clouds, constantly absorbing the negative emotions permeating the city. As the emotions accumulated, the clouds grew increasingly heavy.

In an instant, the entire city was filled with an atmosphere of despair, helplessness, and pain.

This aura is hidden in every wisp of air, and can easily penetrate the body of any ordinary person.

The Aurors were overwhelmed and unable to intercept all the Dementors.

When the Death Eaters expanded the battlefield from Downing Street to the entire city, their lack of manpower and the need to protect the Prime Minister and the Queen, making it difficult for them to leave easily, were immediately exposed.

What would it be like if a city suddenly had hundreds of madmen waving magic wands? Just look at London now.

The city is in anguish, and Prime Minister Haq is deeply concerned.

The third step of the plan still needs time to prepare.

He must do everything in his power to buy time and reduce the current casualties.

"Don't you have enough manpower?"

Inside the Downing Street bunker, Mr. Huck kept rambling on about how many times he had discussed this issue with the wizard in front of him.

"We're facing dark wizards from all over Europe. How could the British Ministry of Magic possibly handle that?" Tonks replied impatiently, his brow furrowed.

She didn't want to stay here at all.

She would rather go out and fight.

But because of her abilities.

She is the best "agent". Her greatest advantage is that Animagus can transform into anyone, which allows her to stay in the shadows and protect the Prime Minister.

"Then contact the Ministry of Magic in other countries."

"It's no use," Tonks said. "European countries have just emerged from the quagmire of war and are currently on high alert. They will never send anyone to help us." Her voice revealed a hint of helplessness and annoyance—this is all trouble you caused. Why did you have to provoke the Death Eaters!

Now that they can't handle it, they're starting to blame us?

Mr. Harker was silent for a moment after hearing this. He took a deep breath and asked again, "What about your association?"

Tonks shook his head, his face still showing no joy: "The members of the Federation are mainly from the Ministries of Magic in various European countries, and they are currently scattered in different places. It will definitely not be possible to mobilize them in a short time. They will not arrive in London for at least several hours."

"A few hours!" Mr. Huck stood up abruptly, his voice filled with unease.

In just a few hours, London could probably be destroyed.

They may achieve considerable success this time, but the cost will be too high.

He felt his heart pounding wildly, as if it were about to leap out of his chest.

The Prime Minister struggled to calm himself, took a deep breath, and said to Tonks, "I don't believe you're short of manpower. Is this all the wizarding population you have? And what about your Dumbledore? And Miss Granger?"

Dumbledore?

Tonks raised an eyebrow.

How could she know why Dumbledore hadn't arrived yet?

Perhaps they arrived long ago, but were unwilling to act, maybe blaming the Muggles for causing trouble, or perhaps thinking they could still hold on.

As for Granger

You'll have to ask Professor McGonagall then.

(End of this chapter)