A certain Hogwarts professor of runes.

“We can ask Professor Hyp sometime. Classroom Seven is his territory; he definitely knows the identity of the Memory.” Ron said to Nick, glancing at an inconspicuous door in the auditorium. “But he’ll probably be very busy after this. Sigh, I thought he could detect and stop Grindelwald beforehand. But then again, it’s hard for a normal person to imagine Grindelwald’s madness.” A hint of fear flashed in his eyes.

"Why do you say that?" Neville asked in a low voice. Did the professor know something?

Ron shrugged.

"In my mind, he was practically omnipotent. You know, finding clues from the smallest details—like a detective in Muggle terms—but I never expected him to fail this time."

“Completely different, Ron,” Hermione shook her head, counting on her fingers seriously, “Grindelwald seems to have done a lot—summoning the core saints, negotiating with the president of the International Confederation of Wizards, publicly announcing Dumbledore’s death, making an unbreakable vow, and attending today’s funeral—but in reality, all of these things are dispensable and irrelevant to the big picture.”

Harry's somewhat numb mind began to function again, and Hermione's words gave him a completely new direction of thought, as if the fog in his mind had suddenly been cleared away.

"I understand! Grindelwald's goal from beginning to end has only one purpose: to expose the entire wizarding world and force wizarding society and Muggle society to merge."

"To fulfill his and Dumbledore's original dream," Harry said excitedly.

"So everything he did before was just a smokescreen? Everyone was fooled by him?" Ron asked hesitantly, looking at the two of them.

“We can only speculate at this point,” Hermione said softly. “Judging from the strength Grindelwald displayed today, he can complete the plan by himself—he may not be able to defeat Professor Hyp, but at their level, he can disengage from the battle at any time, which is why capturing Voldemort alive was so difficult. Ordinary wizards are completely unable to get involved. I even think that once Grindelwald determines that the plan is not progressing smoothly, he will immediately abandon those details and get straight to the point.”

"Why did he have to make things so complicated?" Ron said irritably.

“Because Grindelwald is also human,” Harry said slowly, his past memories of seeing things with Dumbledore in the Pensieve providing evidence for his words.

"He was arrogant and conceited, wanting to prove himself right and to announce the arrival of a new era to the world. Perhaps he also wanted to give Dumbledore a dignified burial. From the moment he escaped from prison, he was already invincible. Everything he did afterward was just to make the process as conform to his own wishes as possible while ensuring that the outcome remained the same."

"Professor Nahyp—"

“He probably guessed part of it,” Hermione thought of what Felix had said earlier, “but he probably guessed it not much earlier than we did. It might be because of Grindelwald’s speech at the funeral, or something Grindelwald said during their brief encounter at the school gate that the professor noticed, thus connecting all of this.”

"...Think about it, the professor knows Grindelwald better than we do. We can all immediately see that the negotiations led by Grindelwald concealed a conspiracy, how could the professor not? The same goes for the public announcement of Dumbledore's death—the professor didn't believe Grindelwald's motives were so simple; he wanted to find out Grindelwald's true intentions. The professor always plans carefully before acting. And indeed, Grindelwald deceived everyone. But it was too late."

“But he made an unbreakable vow!” Ron shouted.

“But he made an unbreakable vow!” Abakind shouted during the impromptu meeting in the faculty lounge.

The common room was packed with people, all of whom were undisputed big names in the wizarding world: ministers of magic from various countries, presidents of the association, and the headmaster and vice-headmaster of Hogwarts, who were the hosts of the place.

Abakind stared blankly at his arm; the oath was still in effect, showing no signs of being broken.

“Mr. Abakind, I have also heard about Grindelwald’s oath, but I am not clear about the contents of your oath,” Professor McGonagall asked seriously.

Abakind licked his dry lips.

"I can guarantee that the alliance process will be completely transparent, with over a dozen Ministers of Magic present to witness it... The oath is two-way: Grindelwald promises not to kill indiscriminately unless someone attacks him first, excluding friendly sparring; he will not initiate a wizarding war; he will not plot to overthrow the existing wizarding regime; and what I need to do is, provided he does not break his oath, waive the responsibility of pursuing the Saints, allow him to operate publicly, and refrain from issuing any orders against him."

The people in the lounge frowned. Then Felix said, "He certainly didn't incite a wizarding war." He emphasized the last few words, and none of the people present were fools; they instantly grasped the key point.

"You fool!" Professor McGonagall shouted angrily, "Didn't you even bother to study his political views before the negotiations?"

Abakind's dark face turned a deep purplish-red as he defended himself: "We didn't expect this—he's never done this before; he's always been seeking a position in the wizarding world—"

“Actually, something similar has happened before.” An elderly Minister of Magic said slowly, “Before being imprisoned in Nurmengard Castle, Grindelwald had twice reached the pinnacle of his power, when he was ready to declare war on Muggles, but Dumbledore thwarted him both times.”

Abakind's face turned pale.

“Even if you include Muggles, he didn’t break his oath. After all, he only made the existence of magic known to the world, and he didn’t actively start a war… He really is watertight,” Professor McGonagall said sharply, making everyone present feel a little uncomfortable.

“Mr. Hyp,” Abakind said, his voice pleading, “I admit that we have made a huge mistake and we can’t continue down this path. Only you have the ability to catch Grindelwald. I beg you to step forward, and I will get the newly formed Auror team to cooperate with you.”

Felix gave him a wary look.

"Some things can only be said here, Mr. Abakind—one of the provisions in your oath is not to issue orders against him. Unless you intend to break your oath first."

Abakind was speechless, seemingly having suddenly lost the ability to speak. After a long pause, he opened his mouth again, his face now completely bloodless, "I...I will resign voluntarily, so it won't count as—"

“You’d better not go anywhere,” Felix said. “This oath still holds some weight—while we’re dealing with this huge crisis, we can temporarily ignore Grindelwald’s influence. He’s also bound by the ‘Unbreakable Oath,’ and as long as we don’t cause him trouble, he can’t interfere in what happens next.”

“You…you mean…” Abakind’s eyes widened. “He stirred up a storm, and then stood by and did nothing?”

“I think the phrase ‘wait and see’ is more accurate,” Ms. Burns said. “He won’t be our enemy, but he’s the source of all the turmoil. Don’t forget, the problem now is that the wizarding world is exposed to the world, and we must come up with a solution as soon as possible!”

The old wizard who had spoken earlier shook his head and smiled bitterly: "It involves more than just one or two people, or one or two cities. There's no way to keep it a secret any longer. Alas, the secrecy law... the secrecy law is completely finished."

“What is Grindelwald waiting for?” Abakind murmured, his pupils dilating in fear. “Needless to say… he’s waiting for things to descend into chaos. Chaos is what Grindelwald desires. Perhaps he won’t even need to do anything; the angry wizarding populace, caught up in the war, will naturally side with his cause. Then he will step forward—because I have allowed him to operate publicly—to present himself as a savior.”

Declare war on Muggles.

After an unsettling silence, someone exclaimed incredulously, "He even foresaw this?"

“Think positively,” Felix said meaningfully. “If handled properly, Grindelwald will be left helpless, and might not even have a chance to show his face... Who knows!” He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling in deep thought. Could this really be Grindelwald’s idea?

How can a good person be more intimidating than a thoroughly bad person?

If the Muggle government and people realized that if the two sides ended up in war, they would be helping a dark wizard who was hostile to Muggles to break free from the constraints of his oath, a dark wizard who had not hesitated to destroy a city with his powerful magic decades ago, would they be more cautious and more sincere?

Felix's thoughts were racing. He wasn't in a hurry to make a decision; it would be best to talk to some of the core saints… Grindelwald had given him the method to summon the saints.

But he might not need it; perhaps someone in Hogsmeade is already waiting for him.

The meeting made almost no substantial progress, yielding only some very conservative opinions, such as the need for careful gathering of external information.

All the wizards went into hiding, but the Ministers of Magic couldn't agree on what to do next; their thinking was completely bound by the Act of Secrecy.

Two hours later, the ministers of magic from various countries hurriedly left. They didn't know what chaos was outside, and there were too many things waiting for them to deal with upon their return. After they left, Ms. Burns stayed behind.

“We have to figure it out ourselves,” she said seriously, rubbing her forehead in pain with one hand. “Everyone has their own position, and Abakind’s reputation has plummeted, so he can’t convince everyone at all. In the end, it’s just endless wrangling.”

"We must do something about this, and quickly, not passively wait for the outcome. Felix, I'd like to know your thoughts."

Felix shrugged.

“Grindelwald caught everyone off guard. I don’t have a complete plan yet, but there are a few things that need to be addressed as priorities.”

Ms. Burns and Professor McGonagall looked at him.

"First, the students in the school..."

"Cancel this year's Hogwarts Express," Professor McGonagall said decisively. "Children from wizarding families should be picked up by their parents or leave through the school fireplace; young wizards from non-wizarding families will be sent directly home by the professors."

“The Ministry of Magic will fully cooperate,” Ms. Burns nodded.

"Secondly, security measures around the school must be reinforced; it's still uncertain whether the next school year will start as scheduled, but we should be prepared. And there's a large shelter here."

Both of them agreed on this point.

"Third, Amelia, I suggest you start negotiations with the Muggle government as soon as possible, beginning with the Prime Minister. Haven't you been maintaining one-way communication? You must make him realize that this isn't just a one-sided matter; once a crisis occurs, no one can escape it."

“I will arrange it as soon as possible,” Ms. Burns said. “In fact, I have met with the Muggle Prime Minister twice, and he looks—” She shook her head.

"Fourth, stabilize the emotions of all wizards. Use newspaper interviews and magical radio to ensure your voices get out as far as possible. The pamphlet about Voldemort from last time can also be modified and reused."

Fifth, public opinion and intelligence

"Public opinion?" Professor McGonagall and Ms. Burns asked in unison.

“Non-magical governments and their people have close relationships, influencing and constraining each other,” Felix said. “Proper public opinion guidance can make it easier for ordinary people to accept the existence of wizards, but conversely, if they are incited by those with ulterior motives, their attitudes may become extreme. Of course, we are currently focused on gathering information, but how we gather information is also crucial. For example, ordinary people's attitudes towards wizards, their reasons for accepting wizards, and their reasons for opposing wizards; and then there are those who have significant influence in this matter—politicians, celebrities, opinion leaders, especially those who jumped out at the first opportunity.”

Sixth, the safety and secrecy of young wizards from Muggle families after they return home.

"Seventh, any group or individual is strictly prohibited from contacting the Muggle government privately. I am particularly concerned about the attitude of the fairies on this point. The Pan-Magical Alliance plan must begin."

"Eighth, well, I have a suggestion. Send a group of trusted Aurors to secretly help Muggles influenced by the Saints. Don't show yourselves, don't make it too obvious. We might need them later."

While they were making their plans, chaos erupted in the outside world.

Chapter 684 Chaos

In a café near Paris 1, Armandina Zoe and her colleagues paid their bill and came out to find pedestrians on the street all looking toward the south bank of the Seine.

"What are they looking at?" her colleague asked, puzzled.

Armandina silently raised her head, her gaze first falling on the Eiffel Tower a few kilometers away. Everything seemed normal, as if nothing had happened. Then she spotted six or seven small black dots. Were they some kind of birds? But she immediately dismissed the idea. Two of the dots were suspended motionless in mid-air. Surely no bird could do that?

In the blink of an eye, one of the stationary birds suddenly spread its wings—Amandina found this strange, because it only extended its left wing.

—The next second, a huge green sign hung high in the sky, lingering for a long time, like frozen fireworks.

Exclamations came from afar.

"It's a person!" her colleague exclaimed, grabbing her arm tightly and saying excitedly, "My God! My God! Look—Amandina, is it some kind of large-scale outdoor magic show? Can we invite them? How did they do it? Steel wires, cables, tempered glass?"

“I don’t think so,” Armandina said softly.

In the few seconds it took them to speak, the six or seven small dots suddenly dispersed, scattering rapidly in all directions. One of the black dots came right up to them, becoming clearer and clearer until they could see the black robe it was wearing.

"What is he sitting on? Some kind of aircraft?" someone nearby asked.

"It's a broom! That's a witch's sorcery!" shouted a sparse-haired, disheveled man.

The man who had been flying overhead seemed to have heard them. He turned back, hovering in mid-air, looking down at the Muggles on the street below. With a flick of his arm, Armandina saw that he held a small wooden stick, and a flash of white light appeared.

The sparsely-haired, disheveled man floated up uncontrollably, screaming in panic and struggling desperately.

"This is magic!" The man sitting on the broom laughed loudly.

Amandina seemed lost in thought, a memory vaguely surfacing in her mind. It was back in her school days, when she overheard a very handsome boy earnestly asking the teacher during an open class, "What if one day, magic really did appear in reality?"

Now, magic has truly appeared!

New York, USA.

François Clutoy walked along the famous Broadway, a major birthplace of American theater and musicals. He had been invited to perform there, but the performance was scheduled for tomorrow. Therefore, after being interviewed by reporters, he declined the staff's invitation to sneak out for some fresh air.

Unsurprisingly, his almost magical experience was brought up again by reporters, and as always, he remained tight-lipped, treating the events of that night at the "Magic House" in Surrey as a secret known only to him. However, he had been collecting information on the occult for the past few years.

His idea was: if the mysterious man who gave him a new life was not a god, then there must be a group of humans with special talents in this world.

After much deliberation, François concluded that the latter was more likely, since the person who healed his arm later appeared at his concert—a true deity wouldn't be so idle, would they?

Unfortunately, he didn't get a chance to speak, and he doesn't know if that person understood the meaning behind his composition.

The melancholy angel… the goddess of magic, François, didn't know what power healed him from. Perhaps it came from religion, or from the magic of sorcerers. He had learned from many fantasy novels that sorcerers worshipped goddesses of magic…

Before he knew it, he had arrived in Manhattan and was standing in front of the Woolworth Building. Local staff recommended some well-known buildings in the vicinity, including the famous theaters.

François had heard of it. The Woolworth Building, completed at the beginning of this century, was the world's tallest building at the time, and is steeped in legend. Even disregarding its height, its Neo-Gothic style possesses immense aesthetic value. Lost in thought, a group of men in black suits emerged from the manual sliding doors.

François glanced at them in surprise; his attention had been drawn to the grand revolving door, and he hadn't noticed the small door. The men moved quickly, their expressions grave, and the leader was issuing orders sternly.

François turned his back to them, pricking up his ears as some words drifted in:

"...The exposure level in the magical world is abnormal...it must be related to Grindelwald...He went to England, attended the funeral, and obtained authorization from the security chief to use force if necessary..."

François turned his head curiously. Did he hear magic? François felt a surge of excitement. He quickly followed the group, but dared not get too close, only trailing far behind. The group turned into the gap between the two buildings. He quickened his pace and saw the last person take a small wooden stick out of his suit pocket.

A magic wand? He thought excitedly, but it seemed much smaller than the ones he'd seen in comic books…