I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 556 Declaration of War

However, the shortage of professors is not significant.

The Order of the Phoenix can still find a replacement very quickly.

There are only a few days left before school starts.

Everyone got busy.

With manpower stretched thin, Hermione and her friends recruited Hannah, Justin, and several young Gryffindor wizards to go to England to recruit eleven-year-old aspiring wizards. The government provided assistance in this regard, and as long as they acted discreetly, nothing untoward would happen.

It's fortunate that Hogwarts is a boarding school; if it were a day school, its secrets would be exposed in just a few days.

But now, because they cannot leave the area around the castle, their safety has been greatly alleviated.

Besides recruiting students, there are other difficulties, such as the problem of wands. Ollivander has now been captured by Voldemort, making the young wizards' wands a problem.

The solution to this problem fell to Fred and George.

They could certainly travel to Europe to purchase wands from other wand makers, but that might alert Voldemort, who is likely also searching for these wand makers in search of the Deathly Hallows.

Fred and George had experience making wands; they had sold a type of fake wand several years ago. These wands looked exactly like real wands, but with a flick of the wrist, they would randomly transform into something made of rubber, like a rubber chicken. There were also more expensive fake wands that would give unsuspecting users a beating on the neck and head.

Of course, the difficulty of making a real wand is far greater than that of making a fake wand.

The final product they created is likely to be less than one-tenth the size of a real wand.

But considering that freshmen don't learn many useful spells in their first year, this is tolerable. We can improve it later!

The plan was proceeding smoothly and methodically at Thornfield Castle.

Until two days before school started.

Two days before the start of the school term, a major event occurred.

Downing Street and Buckingham Palace in London were simultaneously attacked by unknown forces.

The explosion completely destroyed Downing Street.

The site where number 10 was located left a large crater several tens of feet deep.

It's horrifying.

Buckingham Palace was also engulfed in flames, and survivors said they saw a giant serpent of fire descend from the sky, spewing out fiery meteors; the whole process was like the end of the world.

Although a fierce battle broke out between the defenders and the enemy, they were ultimately defeated. This enemy was unlike any before; it was incredibly powerful, almost like a god.

In short, they suffered heavy casualties.

The world was in an uproar after this incident broke out.

News spreads much faster in modern society than in ancient times. Such news can reach all of Europe in a few tens of minutes, North America in an hour, and the whole world knows about London's ordeal in three hours.

The nerves of almost every nation on the planet trembled.

They naturally knew who the killer was.

I never imagined this war would escalate to such a desperate, all-or-nothing level.

But when the incident actually happened, no one could accept it for a while.

Especially high-ranking officials in some countries.

In fact, there is a tacit understanding between wizards and Muggles.

The higher-ups were naturally aware of the existence of the wizards. The tacit understanding between the two sides was that the national government could tolerate the wizards causing some killings, such as harming ordinary people, but they could not target the head of state. This was the bottom line.

Even Grindelwald didn't do something like that back then.

Once this precedent is set, it will undoubtedly become a fight to the death.

Almost half an hour after the news reached Europe, Babajid Akinbad, who had succeeded Dumbledore as president of the Union, appeared at the EU headquarters in Brussels.

Addressing Europe on behalf of wizards worldwide, he condemned the Death Eaters, led by Voldemort, for their heinous acts of instigating war and severed ties between terrorist organizations like the Death Eaters and wizards. He urged European nations to remain calm and unite against such madmen tarnishing the reputation of wizards.

The wizard still loves peace and hopes to establish dialogue with everyone on an equal footing.

Babajid Akinbad said a lot.

He even mispronounced several words during his speech, which is enough to prove his panic at that moment.

If this wizard were to truly wage all-out war against the Muggles—regardless of the outcome—he, as the president of the Federation, would inevitably be condemned to the pillory of history. Just imagine how future wizards might portray him as an executioner, an incompetent, an accomplice to evil, and a schemer. Babajid Akinbad felt a wave of weariness and fear wash over him.

He has nominated Serphis Kamar, a pure-blood wizard from Senegal and the former secretary-general of the Federation, as vice president.

If the situation really deteriorates to the point of being unmanageable, he should immediately step down and give way, since he shouldn't have to take all the blame.

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.

Whether the federation president's speech calmed the tensions in European countries is unknown to the British. They are more concerned about the fate of their Prime Minister and the Queen.

The whole of London is now in a state of panic.

Everywhere you look, you see the splendor of the West Coast.

That vibrant scene of life and everything thriving is still vivid in my mind.

Although there were still police officers maintaining order, their strength was negligible compared to the overwhelming public opinion.

One hour after the incident.

Her Majesty the Queen appeared on all British television channels.

Today, London's sky was shrouded in thick gray clouds.

Lightning and torrential rain, carrying endless sorrow and pain, engulfed the city.

On both sides of the street, dilapidated buildings swayed precariously in the rain, their walls riddled with bullet holes and cracks like the scars of time. The air was thick with the suffocating smell of scorched earth and gunpowder. Rainwater and mud mingled, forming murky streams that flowed freely through the streets.

In this desolate rain, sporadic gunshots occasionally rang out, echoing through the empty streets and sounding even more jarring.

Riots and shouts trampled order underfoot.

It's like a harbinger of the end of the world.

A shopping mall with its windows smashed on the street.

Raindrops fell on a radio, making its sound intermittent.

But the voices sounded familiar to everyone who heard them.

"."

"Let's get back to the question of war."

An elderly woman's voice came from the radio, spreading through the streets, then the neighborhoods, the city, and finally the entire country.

"I believe that in all of this long history, we have never suffered such a crushing defeat. Not even in that glorious war against the Nazis."

"But I believe that my government and military are capable of protecting our homeland and keeping it safe from storms and intimidation."

"Even if it takes many years, even if we fight alone, that is who we are—our determination, and the government's determination."

"The British Empire will stand with her in loyalty to justice, to the honor of the ancient Knights of the Round Table, and to all those who share the same goals and needs, wizards, and will defend our land and people to the death."

We will fight in the cities, we will fight at sea. We will fight in the air with ever-growing confidence and ever-increasing power. We will defend our islands at any cost. We will fight on the beaches. We will fight on the landing pads. We will fight in the fields and streets. We will fight in the mountains. We will never surrender!

Even if this country or most of its territory is occupied by the enemy and plunged into famine, we will have unwavering faith and all our allies who will continue to arm and protect our nation, even overseas. The fight will never cease—until God deems the time ripe, and a new world will come with burgeoning power to save and liberate the old!

The Queen's voice inspired everyone.

Immediately afterwards, Prime Minister Haq appeared on the live broadcast, shouting victory.

It also announced a series of departmental restructurings.

This included establishing a wartime cabinet, suspending parliamentary affairs, and creating a completely new war command.

Invite wizard allies to participate in building a brand new army to fight the enemy, and so on.

It could be said that Voldemort's fire finally united the country into one.

Those who were unwilling to reform, relinquish their interests, or share power were all kicked out of government departments.

This country is undergoing changes at an unprecedented pace.

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.

Over at Thornfield Castle.

The wizards were also shocked by Voldemort's actions.

Such a bizarre attack is unprecedented.

Fortunately, Hermione and Owen anticipated the possibility of war, and Theseus Scamander eventually agreed to the plan; otherwise, if the country's highest authority disappeared, chaos would engulf the whole of Europe and even the world.

That day, Theseus Scamander discussed many things with the Prime Minister.

The federation also sent people to contact them.

They intend to deny the current legitimacy of the British Ministry of Magic and declare the Anti-Voldemort League, led by Theseus Scamander, as the legitimate authority in the British wizarding world.

In short, there were many things to discuss, but none of them were important to the young wizard. What was important was that Owen returned to the castle with the guests from the Federation.

"There are too many things, and they are very messy. The Federation's excavation committee took away the rubbings of the bas-reliefs in batches and by different people, but they are not easy to find."

For safety reasons, after Dumbledore's death, Lupin ordered that all research materials be divided into several batches and carried by different employees.

This ensures that even if someone falls into Voldemort's hands, not all the data will be leaked.

However, this also made Irving's investigation exhausting.

Those people are too wary.

Owen's return should have been a joyous occasion for Hermione and the others, but the events in England dampened her spirits considerably.

Upon returning and seeing Hermione and Harry's dejected expressions, Owen immediately offered words of comfort: "Didn't you already guess that?"

"I guessed it, but—" Hermione pursed her lips, still unwilling for these things to happen.

"Alright. Let's talk about the start of school. How are your preparations going while I was away?"

Thornfield Castle is now beginning to resemble a magic school.

Several manors and castles, along with a chapel, make up a complex of buildings.

Several acres of land in front of the castle were also cleared out, and the messy lawns were repaired.

Ponds, lakes, and gardens filled with creeping privet were built.

Irving even suspected they might build a Quidditch stadium.

Thankfully not—otherwise, in years of war—that would be too much.

"That's about it," Hermione said worriedly. "The reason is that there are 227 wizards who have come to Thornfield Castle to continue their studies. Adding this year's first-year students, there are more than 30, making a total of 257."

"That's a bit few," Owen said casually. "Hogwarts has about a thousand students in total, and we only have less than three hundred here. Excluding most of the Slytherins who aren't here, there are about two hundred of them. And then there are some other houses—meaning... about a third of the young wizards are planning to stay home?"

"They can't stay here!" Hermione said. "The Ministry of Magic has announced that all eligible young wizards must attend Hogwarts. It was announced last week."

Previously, although all wizards in Britain attended Hogwarts, it wasn't mandatory; some wizards would choose other magic schools. But this year, that's not possible.

"Then—" Owen thought for a moment, then blurted out, "Those third of the young wizards, are they planning to flee England?"

"Even if they aren't, they'll still live a life of hiding," Hermione said. "Most of them are underage, and even if they're found out, they wouldn't dare cast spells."

"We just need to do our own thing. Everyone has to be responsible for their own actions."

"Oh, by the way," Owen changed the subject, "about the memorial service—"

"The start of the school year is the day after tomorrow," Hermione said. "Theseus Scamander has invited some friends—to discuss some things in addition to the memorial service."

"Okay—after this is over, Harry and I will head to Paris."

Hearing this, Hermione looked at him and said, "If there's anything else, tell me first."

"Hmm—" the boy nodded.

Over the next two days, Thornfield Castle entered its final defensive phase.

Around the castle, Theseus Scamander and his men had laid down countless protective spells. The number exceeded even Owen's expectations, for he saw many ancient magical elements within those spells.

Those ancient spells that should have been lost or replaced by modern spells with the same left and right effects are being used again. To be honest, there is a wonderful feeling of blurred times and collisions.

Moody's has developed a series of security measures regarding how students can come to Thornfield Castle.

This involves multiple movements, traversing several regions, and circling around before finally arriving here via Victor's warp jumps.

Another tactic is not to tell the students the location of Thornfield Castle, leaving them confused and disoriented.

Fred and George even suggested blindfolding the students, or simply knocking them unconscious before bringing them in, to maximize the chances of Thornfield Castle's secrets being revealed.

But Hermione and the others rejected these ideas because they were considered inhumane.

Finally, September 1st arrived.

The bright sunshine pierced through the gloom and rain of the past few days.

The leaves in the forest surrounding the castle were wet, as if they had been washed.

Everything felt like a new beginning.

(End of this chapter)