A certain Hogwarts professor of runes.

"You mean to place 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 bird of prey!” the red-haired wizard swore.

"Watch out for your drool, you sticky 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 had been discussing heatedly 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 said, looking at the woman with surprise.

“Akinbad, long time no see,” the woman said, seemingly relieved. Their greetings 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 and carefully chose her words, “We are… ordered to attend the Federation meeting. That person said that African wizards make up one-tenth of the entire magical world’s population. 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 he stood there stunned for a moment.

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, "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.

"How audacious," the old wizard muttered. "Won't he never recover?" No sooner had he spoken than his eyes darted around even more intently. The old wizard chuckled coldly, then rolled up his legs and placed them on the chair like folding clothes.

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; previously, 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 planning to implement reforms and establish a new system in Africa?

Akinbad paused for a moment, then accepted Felix's approach, staring wide-eyed as he asked, "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, and Marawatl Lebert shook his head, sighing in disappointment. Despite having 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 loosely organized autonomous groups and divided up responsibilities 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.

Chapter 717 Subtle Changes

Marawatl Lebert spoke at the Federation headquarters:

"...It is necessary to protect the wizards' own traditions—well, I think he means those that are worth preserving. Otherwise, wizards can easily be like waves caught in the sea, losing their footing, and the resulting danger is fatal... Some buffer zones can be set up. Also, in the education of young wizards... in dealing with acts that infringe upon the rights of wizards as a whole..."

Gradually, these twenty-odd African representatives joined the conference, but few realized that they actually represented Grindelwald's ideas, or more accurately, some radical and intense thoughts. If nothing unexpected happened, these ideas would take root in some people's minds and grow stronger in future practice.

At least Felix doesn't have to worry about the federation becoming stagnant after he relinquishes control.

……

As the days passed and the weather gradually turned colder, on Saturday morning before heading to Hogsmeade Village, Harry, Ron, and Hermione all chose to wear scarves to keep warm. After gathering in the common room, they walked towards the school gate chatting and laughing with their classmates.

“It can’t be that cold, can it?” Ginny said with a hint of surprise, sitting next to Harry.

Several younger girls passed by, chattering excitedly, each wearing a pretty light-colored cloak. Harry bet they were third-year students. He'd only ever seen that kind of excitement on the faces of first-time visitors to Hogsmeade. Besides the young wizards bundled up tightly, some were dressed very simply, wearing only a coat over their clothes. Harry suspected they'd gotten the seasons wrong.

“Parvati was rummaging through her closets last night, saying she left her thermostat locket at home,” Hermione said, which cleared up Harry’s confusion. “So I told her to dress warmly; the temperature has been fluctuating a bit lately, and many people catch colds around this time of year. Madam Pomfrey prepared a batch of energy drinks in advance.”

Upon hearing this, Ron immediately tightened the scarf around his neck.

Harry hurriedly handed his scarf to Ginny, who smiled broadly, her eyes crinkling. "You can use the Warm-up Charm, Harry," Hermione suggested, and Harry did so. Just then, he noticed Ron giving him a scrutinizing look, followed by a snort from his nose.

"That's very considerate," Ron said sarcastically.

Perhaps it was the effect of the warming spell, but Harry felt his face burning, like a furnace that couldn't dissipate heat. Ginny, on the other hand, casually put her arm around Harry's and said, oblivious to everyone else, "Don't pay attention to that despicable hypocrite; he writes letters to girls himself."

Harry's eyes widened. Ron blushed and vehemently protested, "She wrote to me first! Asking if I wanted to join her team after graduation—" He turned to Harry, "You know about this, don't you? I even joined you in mocking her for not doing so well..."

“It seems so,” Harry said slowly, recalling the events. “But I remember her birthday was a long time ago. I didn’t expect you two were still corresponding.”

This time it was Ron's turn to feel uncomfortable.

Hermione asked, puzzled, "Who are you talking about?"

“Collins,” Harry said briefly.

“Oh—” Hermione said, drawing out her words. She remembered that they both wanted to be Minister for Magic. “How is she doing lately?”

"Not bad," Ron muttered.

Upon arriving in Hogsmeade Village, their first reaction was that there were more people on the streets, and many of them were unfamiliar faces. A map stood at the village entrance; they glanced at it and discovered that two new streets had been built each in the east and north of the village.

For one of only—oh, now only two—pure wizarding villages in Britain, Hogsmeade always inadvertently displays the wonder of magic and all sorts of magical people. As they passed by noisy wizards and witches, Harry swore he saw a wizard with vampire fangs.

Just then, a snow-white owl with black spots silently descended from above them and landed on Harry's shoulder. The owl gently pecked at his ear. "Ouch—oh, Hedwig?" Hedwig demurely stretched out a leg, allowing Harry to remove the note tied to it. He unfolded it, read it, and then faced the other three.

“Mr. Dorje will be here a little later; he told us to go explore other places first,” Harry said. He patted Hedwig’s beak. “The dormitory window is open; I’ve left you some food.” Hedwig flew away.

“Great!” Ron said excitedly. “Let’s go check out the Weasleys’ Magical Tricks and the Future World Company’s branch. There might be new products coming out, and we can be among the first to try them out—”

“That’s a good point, so where should we go first?” Ginny asked.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen Fred and George,” Harry said, and the group went to the Weasleys’ Wizarding Tricks shop, but Fred and George weren’t there, only two clerks bustling about. Harry was a little disappointed; he had wanted to ask if the twins had made it onto the Muggle government’s shopping list, though he seriously doubted that the brothers’ prank package would be ruthlessly returned.

They politely declined the shop assistant's help and began browsing at their leisure.

Fred and George's shop was as enticing as ever, filled with colorful lights and a cacophony of comical noises, with strange and unusual things occasionally leaping out from shelves, corners, or ceilings to give people a fright. Harry repeatedly warned himself not to overreact, but when a web-spinning, big-eyed spider hung down from the ceiling, he couldn't help but laugh.

He turned to show Ron the booklet, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hermione reading a booklet and talking to the shop assistant. She didn't look like she was asking about the instructions for a new prank product. Curious, he went closer—a small jellyfish firework exploded in the crowd, and a little boy was immediately surrounded by a swarm of colorful jellyfish—Harry heard Hermione say to the shop assistant, "Can I take one with me?"

"Of course, it's a free gift from the Ministry of Magic," the clerk said.

“What’s that in your hand?” Harry asked after the shop assistant left. Hermione pointed to a box on the floor, inside which were neatly stacked booklets identical to the ones she was holding. The box’s packaging read, ‘Travel Guide—Making your journey through the Muggle world go smoothly. Provided by the Ministry of Magic.’

“Wow,” Harry said.

“It looks pretty convincing, doesn’t it?” Hermione smiled. “I’ve only read a little bit. It suggests that wizards should try to go to big cities, where they might be more popular. For example, London has seen a lot of foreign tourists lately, all of whom are interested in magic.”

Ron and Ginny also came over carrying a bunch of things.

“Hey, look at this!” Ron said excitedly, carrying two brightly colored bags. “The Weasley’s Best Prank Pack includes the best-selling classic products since the store opened, plus a free Dark Lord figurine; there’s also a Muggle-only snack pack. It’s a bit pricey, but barely acceptable.”

"The uncut version—" Harry asked, pointing to the printed words on the package, "What does this mean?"

“Oh, remember that product list audit at Sword Keep? Percy removed some names, thinking they might harm Muggles, but—” Ron gave Harry a knowing look. Harry stared blankly at the image of the boy on the gallows on the package, unsure what product it represented. Just then, Ginny nudged his waist with her finger, gesturing for him to look at what she was holding.

It was a semi-transparent box, through which you could see twelve small bottles inside. Several wizards and witches wore expressions of fascination and ecstasy, while fierce-looking trolls and goblins stood nearby. "Is this some kind of contraband?" Harry asked worriedly. Ginny moved her thumb away so he could see the product name: "Daydream Charm, Quidditch Set."

“That’s interesting,” Harry said dryly. “Now I understand why even goblins and trolls can ride on flying broomsticks.” The idea of ​​playing Quidditch with goblins or trolls in his dreams was still very tempting for him, so he asked the shopkeeper for two boxes.

They then went to a branch of Future World Company, where a large notice was posted in the window, attracting a crowd. Once the people in front of them had left satisfied, the four of them immediately moved closer.

"Recruiting Partners—Whether you're a wizard who's lost, a recent graduate with no connections, or a werewolf, vampire, or banshee... as long as you have brilliant ideas and genuine talent, you can apply for subsidies and receive strong support from a professional team of over 300 people! Future World will fully support you in realizing your dreams..."

Harry clicked his tongue in amazement. "If I have a good idea, the people at Future World Corporation can help me make it happen?"

“It’s not that simple,” Hermione said, pointing to the small print below. “First, your idea must be feasible, which requires professional evaluation—and it must not be illegal; second, you yourself must spend a lot of time on it, not be completely ignorant, but just stuck on some technical difficulty…only then will Futureworld be willing to help.”

After wandering around for a while, they felt it was about time, so they went to the Three Brooms to wait for Mr. Dorje.

“I’m exhausted,” Ron yelled. “I’ve covered the whole day’s journey.”

While waiting for Mrs. Rosmerta to prepare their drinks, Harry looked around the pub. He felt there were more people than last year, and two tables were occupied by burly adult wizards who seemed unaccustomed to the students who often appeared in the Three Broomsticks, speaking in rough, high-pitched voices.

"I don't want those Muggles coming in. They've already taken up too much space, and now they're finally going to take over the wizards' last piece of territory, aren't they?"

“This is a decision made by the Ministry of Magic, Dick.” Another man absentmindedly stroked the pattern on the glass, seemingly surprised that it was so clean; Harry thought he should have been drinking in places like the Hog’s Head.

The first man swore.

“Incredible—” Ron said.

“Yes, but I don’t think everyone will be happy with the new policy.” Harry turned around and saw Ron looking in another direction. He followed his gaze and saw four students huddled together playing wizard cards. Coincidentally, each of the four houses had one.

“Eleanor Branstone,” Ginny said quietly, standing up to greet the person opposite her before sitting back down.