A certain Hogwarts professor of runes.

“That’s right,” Mr. Weasley said admiringly. “Mr. Ollivander said that even with a special wand, only a few can cast spells. The Silent Men of the Department of Mysteries, who study magic, believe that magic is like the rising tide. Starting with the first generation of Squibs, magical abilities gradually declined, and then at a certain generation, a turning point occurred, which became more and more obvious…”

“That’s quite an interesting hypothesis,” Felix said.

If this hypothesis is true, then the parents and immediate family members of Muggle-born wizards might all use their own wands. However, they are older, and their bodies (or souls) contain a sparse amount of magic that they can hardly control, so they can only use their own wands to cast a few magical spells.

“However, during the event, a Muggle suddenly rushed out and snatched two of the staff’s wands—the Muggle government’s law enforcement officers couldn’t catch him, and our people were hesitant to use powerful spells, so the culprit escaped to a residential area,” Mr. Weasley said. “The Muggle government and Scrimgeour’s people are working together to investigate this matter.”

"Didn't the special wand used for testing have any trace magic attached?" Ms. Burns asked.

"Not yet."

Unlike Ms. Burns' serious expression, Felix didn't seem to care. "Let's investigate slowly. There will be more and more of these kinds of things in the future. We can solve one problem at a time as we find it. Both tracking threads and location magic can avoid these kinds of problems."

Upon hearing this, Ms. Burns' expression softened. Just then, there was a knock at the door. Scrimgeour entered, his thick, brown hair mixed with strands of gray, making him look considerably older. Ms. Burns invited him to sit down. Sure enough, he had come to report on his personal wand.

"The person has been found, and the trial will be held in two weeks. I will personally attend the court hearing," Scrinker said. This is the 132nd case he has handled involving both wizards and Muggles. The cases range from minor complaints about pranks and magical tricks to major offenses such as flooding an entire house or setting off fireworks in an unauthorized location and burning a tree. The results are usually fines, but because it is a joint enforcement operation, the first offense could become a precedent for future penalties, so he always appears to fulfill his duty.

“Rufus, you can delegate some of the work to others,” Ms. Burns advised him.

“Things will be fine once this busy period is over,” Scrimgeour said hastily. “Amelia, I’ve copied down every judgment for you, along with comments from the other Wisengamo members. You’d better read them. As agreed by both parties, if there are no objections, the new law will be approved and take effect the following year. It will be increased as appropriate each year.”

So the documents on the desk—

"Ah, two of them are mine."

“Rufus, you need rest or help, or you’ll break down,” Ms. Burns said softly.

“Someone has to do the work; I don’t trust anyone else to do it,” Scrinker said coldly.

Ms. Burns tried to persuade him further, but Felix said a name: "Barty Crouch."

The three of them looked at him at the same time.

“As far as I know, Barty Crouch is very good with legal statutes. He’s been out of the public eye for almost three years. If he’s willing—” Felix stroked his chin slowly, “well—I think he might be a little disheartened by those things, but he’s a man of strong will. If someone tells him the Ministry of Magic needs him, I think he’ll agree without hesitation… The best person to act as a lobbyist is someone he has a good relationship with, perhaps a former subordinate or a good friend, but they must be stern, stubborn, and a little crazy…”

Ms. Burns's lips twitched, and she and Mr. Weasley turned to look at Scrimgeour. There seemed to be someone suitable here.

“Barty Crouch is still in prison,” Scrimgeour said in a deep voice, staring at Felix.

Their gazes met in mid-air. For them, some things were in the past, and no one would bring them up again—Felix had personally killed Crouch Jr., yet he still recommended Barty Crouch—but ideological differences still existed. Scrimgeour was a seasoned veteran who, to some extent, had inherited Crouch Sr.'s ideals.

“It’s only two months,” Felix said. “A different place to serve his sentence, or a solitary cell… the effect is about the same. Oh, and I can recommend someone to take care of him… a house-elf named Shiny, do you remember him…”

Those present stared wide-eyed, considering the feasibility of this approach.

"...In what name?" Mr. Weasley asked in a low voice after a while.

“The consultant,” Felix said without hesitation. Ms. Burns rolled her eyes.

Finally, Scrimgeour said dryly, "I can try to persuade Barty—"

“Actually, my ideal person is Moody,” Felix said.

Scrimgeour's hair and beard trembled, his large joints cracking as if he were considering lunging at Felix and grabbing him by the neck. After a moment, he said angrily, "It's settled then."

“Rufus is happy, I can feel it,” Ms. Burns said. After Mr. Weasley left, she asked curiously, “Felix, you really don’t mind Buddy’s early release—I mean, well,” she sighed, “working from his cell.”

"It's just a month or two earlier. Besides, will his release from prison affect me? No."

……

Felix returned to school and spent some time finding Varen, as the atmosphere at the previous meeting had been too serious. The issuance of the "Charter of the Federation and Alliance" wasn't the main point, but rather the starting point for a new round of negotiations. This time, however, it wouldn't be a small-scale affair. With the charter and the successful precedent set by the British Ministry of Magic, negotiations would begin simultaneously with dozens of other countries.

Meanwhile, in the United States, more than half a month had passed, and the Magical Congress of the United States had found nothing. They even risked rummaging through top-secret government documents, but to no avail. Horace Greenstinch, the president of the Magical Congress of the United States, vaguely mentioned a method during a meeting, but it could only be implemented after he returned. Felix hoped there wouldn't be any trouble.

For the rest of the magical world, the most popular topic right now is the "Constitution and Alliance Charter," which is constantly being broadcast in newspapers, on the radio, and on Muggle television programs, with various experts taking turns to analyze its contents.

This is a fundamental law, similar to a wizarding constitution, with a wealth of extended content, while also clearly stating its bottom line. And judging from the series of ambitious long-term plans mentioned in the penultimate chapter—such as magical technology, joint hospitals, rapid implantation, interstellar travel, alien colonization, and limb regeneration—the final conclusion is: the wizards are truly sincere.

Although Felix could implement the plan right now, he would prefer to extend the timeframe to thirty, fifty, or even longer.

Chapter 719 The Expected Conflict

After returning to school, Felix spent some time finding Valen, who was happily taking a stroll—he had left Valen at school because the meeting had been too serious. Valen had become even more unruly since he last saw him.

Felix asked in a tone that suggested he was looking for inside information, "I heard there's been a flying Niffler roaming around the Forbidden Forest lately?"

Valen shook his head repeatedly, indicating that he knew nothing about it. "Really?" It patted its chest and suggested, with great seriousness, that they could ask Hagrid, who might know.

“...There are many dangerous creatures in the Forbidden Forest,” Felix warned it.

Valen waved his hand dismissively.

Felix followed its gaze and saw the little bell tied to its scarf, then reached out and scooped it up—

"Confiscated—this is for your safety, not an adventure item." Valen could only watch helplessly as Felix flicked his finger, and the cute silver bell unfurled, transforming into a small silver bird.

This is a guardian spell specially set up by Felix. The guardian itself isn't the key point; the key point is that it contains a portion of the mandrake's magical circuitry—if danger arises, a single roar from the guardian could knock out several unsuspecting wizards. This spell is also effective against creatures near the Forbidden Forest.

They walked toward the castle.

“You like the Forbidden Forest? I know some particularly delicious spices…Professor Sprout has kept them very well hidden.”

When Felix was awakened the next day by the enticing aroma of roasted pumpkin, he stood by the window, feeling as if he had stepped into another world. The distant mountains were covered in a blanket of snow, and the Black Lake at its foot was frozen with a thin layer of ice, awaiting a heavy snowfall.

He spent Halloween at school and took the time to get to know his students again. Strangely, no one could distinguish him from the memory. Felix felt he had to be much more serious and solemn when teaching his students.

He even attended Slughorn's party with great interest. Snape remained aloof, but he casually mentioned his 'minor progress' in potions—Felix refrained from asking for details so Snape wouldn't have time to boast. Amelie Vance wasn't interested in the food at the party, but she was captivated by the classical music played. She asked Slughorn the name of the recording, to which Slughorn casually replied:

"You can't buy this anywhere else. It's from a Muggle store... Yes, it's been specially processed. I have some connections with the Muggle government... I can give you a set..."

After Halloween, Felix realized he was still the Vice-Headmaster, so he went to Professor McGonagall to fulfill his duties—and maybe chat with the Sorting Hat. Unfortunately, the filthy hat wasn't having any of it, yelling and shouting, refusing to talk to Felix. Felix was a little disappointed. The easy days didn't last long; it was a crucial time, so after a week he returned to the Federation headquarters, acting like a giant transceiver, constantly receiving and sending all sorts of information. For a while, more than a dozen different forms of Guardians appeared simultaneously in the Federation headquarters' lobby.

The progress made in the past few days was very encouraging; some countries with faster negotiation processes had reached the final stage, which was very encouraging for everyone at the federation headquarters. One morning, Akinbad, returning from the United States, brought bad news.

“Things are not looking good.” He handed Felix a newspaper succinctly. Felix took it and saw that the headline read in bright red: “The Auror Squad has met with tragic demise.”

Setting down his newspaper, Akimbard briefly explained what had happened: a three-man Auror squad investigating the local government's secret control of young wizards had an accident, and there were no survivors.

"The military is involved?" Felix asked in surprise.

“It was spellcasters, another group of spellcasters,” Akinbad said. “It happened last night. The other teams received the last signal, but by the time they arrived, it was too late. The reporters at the Capitol witnessed it…”

Half an hour later, Felix appeared at the Magical Congress of the United States—Woolworth Building.

Three corpses lay before him. Horace Greenstinch, president of the Magical Congress of the United States, the principal of Ivermony School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the director of magical security, his deputy Eurya, and several high-ranking congressional officials were all present, their faces grim.

Are there any leads at the moment?

“There may be other wizarding organizations involved,” Horace Greenstinch said somberly. “I suspect they are descendants of the Purifiers. I’ve deployed a large number of people around Halloween to monitor anyone acting suspiciously—it’s theoretically entirely feasible, as many wizards have shopping plans during the holidays, and I suspect someone will take advantage of the situation…”

This was the plan he had mentioned to Felix. But the plan was only half successful; the Aurors did discover the anomaly, but none of them returned alive to report.

Felix neither confirmed nor denied the speculation about the 'Purgers'. Historically, the Purgers played a highly disgraceful role as wizarding traitors, much like mercenaries paid for their services. American wizards once feared and hated them intensely. After the Magical Congress of America was established, these individuals were immediately purged, with only a small number escaping punishment and hiding among the population.

Unable to retaliate against Congress, and even less daring to use magic, they even abandoned children with magical talents. As it turned out, for a long time they did not choose to cooperate with the authorities. As executioners who had sold their own people to Puritans and official extremist organizations for money, they knew all too well what kind of torment they would suffer. This fear and hatred of the Magic Congress were passed down from generation to generation.

So the incident involving the twelve magically gifted children a while back really was an accident. No, maybe not an accident. Felix suddenly realized, what if it was a test by some people? A test of wizards and public opinion? Suppose those children were being watched by a small group of people, and when the time was right, they would be transported to an unmarkable sea base. They were a 'fixed quota' each year, only this year they were being used for other purposes…

Felix carefully examined the bodies of the three victims, and after a long while, he looked up.

“I believe these three Aurors have encountered the people we’ve been looking for, except those children have now grown up and become our enemies.”

This is almost the worst-case scenario.

“Could this secret plan have been going on for decades…? Even so, they couldn’t possibly be a match for properly trained Aurors, those people who haven’t even received a complete magical education,” a bearded wizard at the scene—who was the head of magical security—exclaimed.

“They haven’t received a complete ‘school education’,” Felix corrected. “It’s true that they have difficulty accepting orthodox magical instruction, but that doesn’t mean they have to learn from scratch. The simplest way… is to gain the trust of any wizard, and they can freely enter and leave the magical world, easily purchasing publicly published spellbooks, potion ingredients, and secondhand wands from magical shops…”

"As for whether their true level surpasses that of the Aurors... I can't tell yet. There are many possibilities for what actually happened. For example, these Aurors may have been careless, deceived, or genuinely inferior in skill. But one thing is certain... their opponents are not ordinary people, but professionals who have undergone rigorous training and have been carefully nurtured."

A blurry human figure appeared at Felix's fingertips. He leaned closer to examine the faceless face closely and whispered:

"No magic school was ever founded to train agents, assassins, or killers—we learn magic to better control our magical power, and it's also driven by the subconscious desire within the wizarding community to grow stronger, or at least avoid decline. Thus, wizards transitioned from early family and apprenticeship education to formal schooling, establishing communities and giving rise to many professions that seem superfluous to me. All of this was to facilitate better interaction between people. But the adversaries lurking in the shadows don't see it that way; they only want to squeeze out as much talent as possible in a particular area in the short term."

"Why not try to outline the upbringing of those people? Ignoring those who died in various accidents, they generally left their parents before the age of eleven, and then spent the next few years at sea, undergoing various experiments, brainwashing, and training... When they got a little older, they would go out to carry out missions. So what were those missions?"

Horace Greenstinch felt a chill run down his spine. His mind raced, and he suddenly turned to someone, urgently saying, "Juria, go to the common magic shops and ask the owners if they've served any young wizards. They all have one thing in common: they've bought various magical materials in bulk more than once. Also—" he said with some difficulty, "investigate those reclusive wizards, and check if anyone has mysteriously disappeared in recent years?"

Yuria left hurriedly with a serious expression.

The people present had different expressions and remained silent for a long time. Finally, the principal of the Ifamoni Magic School broke the silence: "Mr. Hyp, based on this situation, is it possible that the other party has already trained a sufficiently powerful spellcaster?"

After thinking for a moment, Felix dismissed the possibility.

"Those people's overall quality is probably at most at the level of an average excellent Auror, and that's only in one aspect. There's no possibility of going any further, let alone exploring the true meaning of magic... As for the evidence, judging from the wounds they left behind, their regular spells had obvious characteristics of dark magic. This doesn't mean their magical skills are profound, but rather it's a manifestation of an imbalance of magical power."

"This also leads to the conclusion that, no matter who the other party is, the time span of their actions will not be too long, definitely no more than thirty years."

"Why do you say that?"

"If this goes on any longer, these people will suffer the backlash themselves. You know, a wizard's magic is directly connected to the soul and will directly reflect on their personality..."

After a long silence.

What should we do next?

"Negotiations will proceed as scheduled. I have a feeling that the next round of negotiations will not go too smoothly. There is a deeply hidden force that will try every means to obstruct the signing of the contract... However, the fact that someone has taken the initiative to step forward makes it easier for us to unravel the mystery and find the key figure. In addition, I need to make a map."

……

The entire month of November was spent in an unsettling atmosphere. Although more than a dozen ministries of magic and local governments around the world signed contracts recognizing the status of the Charter of the Federation and Alliance, many people also publicly questioned the validity of the law, arguing that organizations like the International Wizarding Federation, which supersede wizards and even the will of governments of various countries, were illegal and should be banned.

Some of the terms mentioned above are simply intolerable to conglomerates and governments in certain countries.

The delegation from the Magical Congress of the United States held three rounds of negotiations with the local government. However, as the negotiations progressed, some fundamental issues arose, becoming irreconcilable contradictions between the two sides, and the negotiations once again reached a stalemate. Some hardline voices appeared publicly in the news media: an obscure legislator from a remote state proposed that the government fund the establishment of special schools to create and take over the magical world belonging to Americans. This statement immediately gained the support of medical and arms conglomerates, who expressed their willingness to donate to this great cause.

But the very next day, the congressman burst into tears in front of reporters, recounting the "evil crimes" he had committed. This almost immediately became evidence of the wizard's manipulation of people's minds. Subsequently, a series of heinous incidents were "indirectly" proven to be related to the wizard. The delegation of the Magic Congress negotiated for more than half a month, only to find that the public opinion environment had completely changed.

The lukewarm reception of the Magical Congress delegation from the United States, the boycott of the International Confederation of Wizards, and the growing global public opinion all point to one conclusion—a conclusion reached by many government advisors—that a direct confrontation is inevitable.

To some extent, this is the result everyone hopes for—provided the conflict doesn't occur in their own country—and for many, the fact that it has dragged on for so long is incredible, making one wonder if it's the work of magic.

A group of over two million people hidden beneath the surface, out of step with the world order, possessing abilities that only exist in literature and fairy tales... Yet, so far, not a single conflict of any significant size has erupted, as if everything were preordained, which is very strange.

The shadow of war never truly left. Initially, it lingered over Britain, but as the situation there stabilized, the attention of various countries turned to the most chaotic region, Africa. Although Africa was chaotic and small conflicts occurred frequently, it never spiraled out of control. Some people waited and waited, and then the Charter of the Federation and the League was introduced. Then, dozens of countries simultaneously launched sweeping negotiations... It was nothing short of a miracle that things had developed to this point.

But some things are unavoidable. Other methods only serve to delay and deter, remaining mere theoretical exercises. Only a direct confrontation can truly reveal the strength of two different groups. Whether the wizards are easily defeated, or whether modern weapons are completely ineffective against magic, only a real battle will allow those increasingly restless and dark thoughts to sink back into the rotten mire, acknowledging the birth of a new order.

What has caused disagreements among think tanks from various countries is when and where this conflict will break out, who will instigate it, and how many people will die or be injured, and whether it can be kept within a certain range.

The bad weather in November continued into early December. As everyone held their breath and waited anxiously, the last month of 1997 arrived. Finally, Babajid Akimbad, the president of the International Wizarding Federation, and Felix Heap, the first president of the International Pan-Magic Alliance, solemnly warned all wizards.

One stone caused a thousand waves!