allendalepharm Chapter 253 A Fight to the Death!
Chapter 253 A Fight to the Death!
Chapter 253 A Fight to the Death!
When Lockhart arrived at Sir Humphrey Appleby's estate, several seemingly clever youngsters had already established a good relationship with Sir Appleby.
For a seasoned politician like this, manipulating a few young kids is incredibly easy.
Of the people present, Percy could be described as excellent but not particularly shrewd, Hermione was shrewd but lacked experience, and Draco had accumulated some experience in social skills thanks to his father's teachings, but he had too many shortcomings in dealing with people.
As for those three silly kids, Ron, Luna, and Pansy, needless to say, Sir Appleby has plenty of ways to make everyone like him.
Lockhart didn't point this out, but in the end, Sir Appleby had goodwill towards the young wizards. If he really did take over the castle and land near the manor in the future, they would be neighbors and could help each other out to some extent.
Don't think that Sir Humphrey Upby was useless.
The current world order is still based on the Law of Secrecy. The International Wizarding Federation and the national ministries of magic seem to constitute the framework of this order, but in practice, the unique organization of the Order of Merlin has become an important channel for communication between Muggle and wizarding societies.
The identity of a jazz jazz musician represents the intersection of these two aspects.
The distribution of members in the Order of Merlin reveals a complex network, encompassing high-ranking officials from various national ministries of magic, as well as diverse international and local organizations, all ultimately converging at the International Wizarding Federation.
The same applies to the Jazz on the Muggle side.
Sir Humphrey Upby was one such figure who could not be ignored. He was a key figure in the civil service system and had connections with the military and prestigious universities.
As the saying goes, when one gives a gift, there is always an ulterior motive. In wizarding society, insightful people keenly sensed the arrival of a new era, and the same was true in Muggle society.
While wizards like Dumbledore are fretting about how to manage their relationship with Muggles in the future, the Muggles have far more than just headaches.
That's a wizard!
A wizard who can use magic!
The First Wizarding World War, during which Voldemort's men slaughtered Muggles, destroyed bridges and buildings, and so on, only happened a little over a decade ago!
For hundreds of years since the enactment of the Secret Service Act, these Muggles who knew of the existence of wizards have accumulated information generation after generation and know more or less about the wizards' methods.
A curse, a curse that brings misfortune to generations to come.
Control spells, such as the Soul-Stealing Curse, have long been known for their influence.
The Oblivion Charm is the most commonly used spell by the Aurors, the wizarding force, against Muggles, bar none.
The most terrifying thing is the "Muggle Expulsion Curse," which can easily cause a well-trained army to fall apart instantly and go home to sleep and eat.
that's it.
Even with just these facts, which Muggle insiders wouldn't be afraid of unexpected events in the future?
If it weren't for the Ministry of Magic keeping an eye on things, how could these Muggle nobles not invest in families that have produced Muggle wizards, and how could they not arrange marriages in the hopes that their own family's descendants would also produce a wizard!
It's because someone did this, and then something went wrong, that the International Wizarding Federation and the magic ministries of various countries are keeping a closer eye on things, which is why we are so helpless.
The question is, will a Muggle wizard who marries into an ancient pure-blood wizarding family possess immense political resources?
Does that mean that Muggle witches who marry Muggle princes or even Muggle kings, or Muggle wizards who marry Muggle queens, crown princesses, or princesses, do not have significant political resources in wizarding society?
the same.
The Secret Code had to compromise on contact with the Ministries of Magic and the top Muggle powers in various countries, but it also strictly limited the possibility of certain conflicts.
But the more restrictions there are, the more people want to break through those restrictions.
Someone will always find some opportunities.
The young wizards were surprised to find that, despite being told they were to stay at the manor to discuss the details of the deal, Lord Humphrey Appleby's attention was clearly not on Percy, Hermione, and Draco, the three who were going to buy the castle, but rather he was frequently trying to get close to Ron.
Sir Humphrey Upby had a truly discerning eye.
They immediately set their sights on the Hakimi in Ron's hand.
This is practically a guardian angel tailor-made for Muggles!
If every member of the family could have one, oh, I'm not even that greedy, if everyone could own one, he wouldn't have to worry about impulsive dark wizards attacking him, at least his safety would be guaranteed.
With that in mind, it was incredibly easy to get some information out of Ron, who seemed wary but was actually quite naive.
Sir Humphrey Appleby soon learned that the Hakimi in Ron's possession belonged to Professor Gilderoy Lockhart.
This child was in charge of a different project than Percy and his two companions; he was responsible for cultivating these magical creatures.
"What's there to worry about regarding the venue? Uncle Appleby will take care of it for you!" Sir Humphrey Appleby said with a kind expression, patting his thigh as a guarantee.
He even went out of his way to get a map, pointing to a small grove of trees south of the castle and his manor. "Uncle can lend you this grove of trees, no rent required. Uncle can also arrange for professionals to come and help you build a huge cattery, guaranteeing that you can collect as many of the cats you want for breeding as you wish. By the way, can Muggle cats be crossbred? Do you need Uncle to collect some for you?"
Ron was deeply moved.
Percy and the others nearby were also somewhat tempted.
Hermione, however, looked at him warily and said, "We can buy it too!"
Sir Appleby shook his head firmly. "That apple orchard is a variety that our family has painstakingly cultivated. It's a precious product that even our Queen's favorite apple pie specifically requested. Every year during the harvest, we send out a lot of it—..."
"So when you use this orchard, you need to take good care of these apple trees for me, as a trade."
It's a transaction.
The young wizards found it acceptable.
Lockhart, watching this scene from outside the window, smiled, said nothing, and left.
Without informing the students or Sir Humphrey Appleby of his arrival, he inspected the so-called "thousand-year castle," and had Lucius and Rita help him look up information about the lord. Ultimately, he decided to let the young wizards handle the matter themselves.
School starts in two days, and this negotiation finally needs to come to a conclusion.
Buying a venue is just the beginning; running a sports club is no easy task.
In particular, the wizards' sports and magical duels are so closely linked that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they're training an army; the obstacles they'll face next will be multifaceted.
Needless to say, connecting the fireplaces in this castle, which was bought from Muggles, to the Floo Network controlled by the Ministry of Magic is no easy task.
At this point, Percy would need to go to his father Arthur, or Draco would need to go to Lucius for help.
Let's wait and see.
After Lockhart confirmed that everything was alright, he and his friends got into the flying car and left.
They came silently, and they left silently.
The location for the International Federation of Wizards' major conferences has never been fixed.
The specific location was determined by the preferences of the chief wizard. For example, the first one was held in France. The reason Grindelwald wanted to hold the Kirin Parade was because the chief wizard at that time, Anton Vogel, was a saint of Grindelwald, and he specifically chose Middle-earth, a place that was not Grindelwald's home ground, because Grindelwald's opponents were there.
For this session, Dumbledore chose the United States as the venue for the meeting.
The ruins of Sony Pictures' headquarters in California, USA.
When Lockhart arrived with Rita and Ms. Mary, they were greeted by a row of flagpoles with corpses hanging from them.
There were at least a hundred of them, densely packed together!
Hanging there, fluttering in the wind, the bloodstains on the ground were some dried, some still looked fresh.
Rita and Ms. Mary's exclamations immediately made Lockhart feel the tense atmosphere of the meeting.
Just kidding, some people always treat war like a game, but they don't know that war kills people.
Dumbledore established absolute prestige during the war and rose to become the chief wizard of the International Confederation of Wizards, unlike Fudge, who was a pure politician.
Death is always the most sobering reminder.
When those corpses hung there, the many people who had come laughing stopped laughing, and the many undercurrents of emotion fell silent in fear.
The effect is particularly good.
This movie incident has almost completely crossed the line of the Secret Service Act. It's like they're running wild on Dumbledore's head. If a group of people aren't killed, more imitators will appear in the future.
"Merlin's rainbow stockings!" Rita licked her lips excitedly and eagerly pulled out her magic camera. "Mr. Lockhart, I won't be traveling with you later, this is big news!"
Lohat nodded and led Ms. Mary around the flagpoles and into the ruins.
Ms. Mary was also one of the invited participants. Despite her unassuming appearance, she wielded considerable influence within the Haitian wizarding community and was known as "Mother Mary." She also held significant weight in the eyes of the International Wizarding Federation.
Soon, the two found a relatively flat piece of gravel and waited for the meeting to begin.
It seems that no one is going to be seated at this meeting; whoever comes will have to find a place for themselves in the ruins.
Huge flags were hung in every corner, their satin-like surfaces revealing the images of the houses hanging at the entrance.
After waiting for a while, the image on the flag began to change, turning into a relatively flat collapsed wall high above the ruins.
There, Dumbledore was slowly walking towards the center.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome!" The host, holding a magic wand to his neck, announced the meeting's arrangements in a loud voice.
Actually, there wasn't much content; it was basically just asking everyone to listen obediently to Deng Xiaoping's speech.
After the host left, the image on the flag focused on Dumbledore.
"Many people have been asking me this these past few days—"
Dumbledore surveyed the densely packed crowd amidst the ruins. "Albus, is there any way to completely neutralize the impact of Muggle movies?"
My answer is, yes!
His voice was steady and powerful, and his eyes no longer showed the signs of age and fatigue; they looked particularly bright.
"In 1692, the Federation began enacting the Law of Secrecy, determined to hide the magical world from the Muggle world."
"The first challenge the wizards faced was the ubiquitous magical creatures."
"Fifty-eight years! We've spent a full fifty-eight years accomplishing this!" Dumbledore's voice was heavy.
And very firmly, "Relocate the giants' habitat, keep the merfolk tribes away from Muggle routes, establish detailed laws to restrict the goblin's activity space, and register and relocate the property rights of wizards' permanent residences—"
"We put in every effort, spending 58 years, to completely make all Muggles forget that magical creatures exist in this world!"
"In 1750, the Act of Secrecy added Section 73, which clarified the legal framework for each country's Ministry of Magic to completely separate its wizarding communities and villages from the Muggle world."
"This complete severing of ties and the concealment of the magical world took a full hundred years from its inception to its eventual stabilization!"
Dumbledore gazed at everyone amidst the ruins. "I hope none of you will forget the determination and patience the International Wizarding Union was willing to demonstrate in upholding the Statute of Secrecy!"
"I also hope that those with other ideas understand that the current situation is hard-won, the result of generations of hard work and effort, and a high platform built by countless opposition groups. It cannot be easily overthrown with a simple 'I don't like this situation!'"
Muggle Movies
His gaze was sharp. "This is just a minor episode! It's not the beginning, nor the clarion call of a new era, but rather an evil temptation that will inevitably lead to destruction!"
"Of course, we have to admit that we did some things less thoroughly. We originally had a bit of good intentions, hoping that some forces could see the error of their ways."
"But we were clearly wrong."
"In the 18th century, the American wizarding world was completely exposed because the American wizarding world was revealed to Bartholomew Barryburn, a descendant of the Purifiers, by the American wizarding world wizard Dorcas Twelve Trees who disclosed the locations of the Magical Congress of the United States and the Ivermony School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
"Emily Rappaport, then president of the Magical Congress, had to tell the International Confederation of Wizards in a public inquiry that she was not sure whether the memories of all those who knew about Dorcas's leaked information had been erased."
"The International Confederation of Wizards was determined to give the Magical Congress time and patience and not to interfere too much in the affairs of its specific jurisdictions, but it is clear that the Magical Congress of the United States has failed to do so well."
"The poison has lingered to this day!"
Dumbledore's voice was heavy. "There are indications that the evil Dark Lord, Voldemort, and his forces..."
They have already colluded with the forces of the Purgers!
"Today, on behalf of the International Federation of Wizards, I hereby issue this solemn statement!"
"We will no longer accept the claim that 'Voldemort was a reformer,' and will definitively characterize the Dark Lord Voldemort as a 'traitor to the wizarding world'!"
"From this day forward, all wizards who still wish to follow the Dark Lord Voldemort will be branded 'traitors to the wizarding world,' considered spies within the wizarding community, and will be immediately issued a top-priority warrant!"
"All attacks launched against the wizarding traitor Voldemort for recruiting his followers will no longer be subject to censorship regarding the use of any magic, including the 'Unforgivable Curse.' We permit the use of all offensive magic against our traitors!"
"All Purgers will be sentenced to death after trial, with no exceptions allowed! The Auror organizations of each country's Ministry of Magic are permitted to carry out executions on the spot without trial once the Purger's identity has been confirmed!"
"Wizards—"
"This will be a war!"
"A war against enemies who seek to annihilate the wizarding community!"
Dumbledore's gaze was so sharp, it was a fight to the death! No room for compromise!