The next day, which was the second day after the exposure of the wizarding world, at the Ministry of Magic.
Felix, Amelia Bones, and Sirius Black walked into a small conference room. They had just finished a meeting with high-ranking officials of the Ministry and now found themselves here. Sitting in the conference room were former members of the Order of the Phoenix.
"Where's Kingsley?" Gwennog Jones, with her dark hair and rosy cheeks, asked eagerly.
"He's been tasked with ensuring the Prime Minister's safety," Madam Bones said. "We can't afford any missteps, especially with Grindelwald or the Saints looking for trouble. His role in the coming days is crucial."
"Oh, so Kingsley is back to being the Prime Minister's secretary?" Gwennog Jones exclaimed in surprise. Her remark was founded; during Voldemort's rise, the Ministry was concerned that the Muggle Prime Minister might fall victim to the Imperius Curse (especially after his assistant had been Imperiused, albeit unsuccessfully), so Kingsley was assigned to the task. Unbeknownst to the Prime Minister, he was exceedingly pleased with Kingsley's efficiency.
Of course, when the truth was revealed, the Prime Minister himself was greatly astonished.
"So, is that Muggle Prime Minister on our side then?" Moody asked gruffly.
Madam Bones cautiously replied, "He's promised to strive for a peaceful resolution, but we can't be complacent. He alone can't sway the situation. Gentlemen, starting a war is easy; any fool can do it, but peace is hard-won and requires meticulous planning."
"Well said," Sirius applauded.
Meanwhile, Felix pondered another matter. Currently, no one knew Grindelwald's whereabouts. Everyone—particularly Akingbade and the various Ministers of Magic, including Bones—believed that Grindelwald was lurking in the shadows, waiting for chaos to ensue so he could seize power in the wizarding world.Felix hadn't seen Grindelwald either, but he had encountered Rosier, who was once again going by the name Nicole Noel, at Hogwarts. Vita Rosier refused to divulge Grindelwald's whereabouts, possibly even to herself.
As the second-in-command of the Saints, her mission was twofold: to serve as an intermediary for the Saints, gathering intelligence from all corners; and to teach Felix how to convincingly disguise himself as Grindelwald.
"Now that you've temporarily joined the Ministry," Madam Bones surveyed the room, "I won't beat around the bush. I urgently need manpower. Firstly, the Pan-Magic Alliance. Felix, you've agreed to cooperate with Future World, with Vector overseeing."
Vector nodded and, with a deep breath, confidently stated, "Leave it to me."
"Bill will accompany you; he's knowledgeable about fairies," Madam Bones continued. "And Fleur, she's been eager to join the Order for a while." "Alright, you sort it out yourselves. The second matter is external missions. Until negotiation results are obtained, the Ministry will adopt a containment strategy. Ordinary citizens are advised to stay indoors, and the Ministry will send personnel to inspect the defensive measures of each household—"
"Do we have to handle this matter too? Seems trivial," Mundungus, looking like he hadn't slept, interjected.
"Not necessary," Madam Bones said sternly. "You're in charge of another task: supervising, patrolling, and warning about various gray areas domestically. I demand a halt to all smuggling, theft, and black market activities that are concealed in the shadows. Of course, you just need to show the way; it shouldn't be too difficult for you, right?"
"Um, well..." Mundungus suddenly became alert, wearing a pained expression. "You can't take away my livelihood."
"Is your livelihood smuggling, theft, and black market trading?" Moody barked at him.
Mundungus shrank away from his gaze, muttering under his breath, "What am I supposed to do? You know what I do—you've arrested me countless times before retiring. Now it's over; even if the ban is lifted, no one will want to do business with me anymore..."
"A Second Class Merlin's Order of Merlin," Madam Bones said with a harsh tone.
Mundungus's eyes lit up. During the last war, he hadn't gained much. It couldn't be helped; his contributions were too few, and the few he had weren't something he could openly talk about. Unlike the others present, who had mostly received rewards after the war.
"If that's the case..." His attitude softened, looking visibly tempted. Sirius chuckled, and Madam Bones shot him a glare. "You'll continue to be my secretary," she said firmly to Sirius.
"I decline," Sirius said nonchalantly. "I want fieldwork."
Ignoring him, Madam Bones continued, "The third matter: I need some people to gather intelligence abroad, including the thoughts of local wizarding communities and the attitudes of non-magical societies towards wizards."
"Are you worried about conflicts from abroad?" Vector asked astutely.
"Yes, indeed. We're stationed here at the Alliance, and the representatives are continuously sending back reports," said Madam Bonham with a solemn expression. "Unfortunately, from what I know, most of them have adopted a conservative approach." She glanced at Felix, thinking that if he hadn't been exposed to the revolutionary ideas before, preparing mentally for the crisis of the Wizarding World's exposure, she might have reacted like those Ministers—shrinking back and leaving it to fate.
'Leaving it to fate' might be a bit exaggerated, but apart from them, no other Ministry has actively embraced change. The most radical thing they've done is to revisit the proposals she submitted earlier and discuss them. It'll probably be another two to three months before any results come out.
"The survival environment for wizards varies in each region," explained Madam Bonham. "Wizarding relations with local governments in America are strained, lacking a basis of mutual trust. The situation in Africa is even more complicated because of differences in language and customs, with multiple wizarding autonomous organizations functioning like Ministries but on a much smaller scale. Don't expect them to reach a consensus in the short term..."
After discussing business matters, Madam Bonham relaxed, and people started chatting in small groups.
"What about Harry and them?" asked Professor Vector, turning to Felix. "When I arrived, I saw you leading them into a meeting room."
"Oh yeah," Sirius straightened up, his eyes darting around. "Why not assign Harry to me, and we can go on a mission together? Apart from lacking experience, he's not much weaker in combat skills than me."
Felix gave him a sidelong glance. Harry's strength now far surpassed Sirius's; Sirius was just trying to boost his own ego. "Forget it," Felix said leisurely. "They have a pile of homework to do."
"Homework?" Sirius widened his eyes, seeming confused.
"Yeah, they're burdened with the responsibility of breaking down the barriers between wizards and non-wizards," Felix said, exchanging a glance with Madam Bonham, remembering the conversation they had last night in Rita Skeeter's rented apartment.
After the close encounter with the tornado near the Parliament building, Rita Skeeter took half a day off, claiming to be frightened. The Sun broke the news wide open, generously accommodating the world's first openly interviewed wizarding journalist (even if she wasn't). They saw it as a historic event akin to the third kind of contact and planned to create a series of hot news stories around her.
However, in reality, Rita Skeeter was indeed frightened, but not by what her superiors thought—being hit by wizarding spells. It was the complete exposure of the wizarding world that terrified her. She spent a good while inquiring anxiously before barely understanding what had happened.
"You should stay, Rita," Felix said eagerly upon hearing about her bizarre experience. "You'll have plenty of opportunities to access confidential information, not written down—your insight into human nature is keen, knowing what they want. I hope you continue to use your talents to uncover the true thoughts of people from all walks of life. And also, in future wizarding-related reports, maintain a neutral stance."
"I can't influence the decisions of the higher-ups," Rita Skeeter's expression was half expectant, half ugly. She tapped her chin with her long nails, cunningly saying, "Unless—hm, you allow me to use magic."
"We won't do that," Madam Bonham said sternly.
Rita Skeeter rolled her eyes, turning to Felix. Felix considered carefully before saying, "Using magic to change people's minds carries too much risk. This isn't an isolated incident; modern society has established various connections between people, and a sudden change in attitude will arouse suspicion, especially at this time. We'd rather have a bit of trouble; the situation isn't urgent to that extent."
"But what if the situation becomes urgent and can't be delayed?" Rita Skeeter pressed.
"You need to think about one thing—who holds the power?" Felix glanced meaningfully at her. "Do your part well, and you'll become a legendary figure among journalists."
Rita Skeeter fell into thought; she didn't feel angry because she knew what she wanted.
"How do you plan to influence the attitudes of the newspaper's top brass?" Rita Skeeter asked shrewdly. "I need to have an idea, so I can cooperate with you, right?"
"You've gained some fame in the Disarmament series, make good use of it, and there's that Ivermorny wizard who petrified you; I know you're itching to curse him out, but he's actually created an excellent opportunity for you, so hold off on the resentment for now... Well, our original plan was to send some basic information to the newspaper, understanding is the first step in dispelling caution. But I suddenly had a better idea; I have some enthusiastic students at my disposal who are willing to help."
"Well, I'd like to see..." Rita Skeeter grumbled discontentedly, then asked, "What about my safety?"
"The Ministry will send Aurors to provide protection," said Madam Bonham.
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