Chapter 720: Declaration (2 in 1)
That statement is very long. First, it disclosed a series of deeds done by the US official government one by one such as secretly and illegally imprisoning and controlling young gifted wizards, stealing confidential knowledge, and secretly hunting and killing solitary wizards, and then it also reviewed the recently incited and growing anti-wizard thinking and violence in all social classes, and finally –
“… many things they have done so far are considered as serious violations of the Constitution of the International Confederation of Wizards and Pan-Magical Alliance, and if we do not stand up against them now, the rights of wizards will not be protected and our children will meet a fate even more cruel than that of the Middle Ages.”
“This country is in fact already become a place that is no longer suitable for general wizards to operate openly.”
“For the above reasons, the International Confederation of Wizards and the International Pan-Magical Alliance jointly issued a general announcement to suspend all communication links between other regions and America, including but not limited to travel, visiting friends, graduation trips, participation in international magic events, hosting communal events; suspending the creation and distribution of cross-country Portkeys to that country; disconnecting the floo network; aborting negotiations, and suspending all cooperation between the two sides; Wizards of America will be moving to secret locations, to conceal their identities in accordance with the former Statute of Secrecy; the International Confederation of Wizards and the Pan-Magical Alliance reserve the right to raise any further objection, announcement and to take necessary measures …”
The news announcer on the TV did his job, outside the window was a fierce wind and rain accompanied by snow, and the induction stove in the house was beeping. Vernon sat slumped on the couch, his fat body immobilized, and his weight flattened the couch like a huge stone, the remote control in his hand constantly switching the channels – he couldn’t remember how many times he had heard the same kind of news on TV this week, probably more than two hundred times if he added the ones he glanced at in the newspaper and heard from his colleagues.
“… White House spokesman claims that the officially brainwashed wizards do not exist, on the contrary, it has further proven that the Magical Congress of the United States of America has infiltrated the internal government, according to the declassified information, there were extremely serious and vicious incidents happened in the 1920s, and it is reported during… …”
Switched the channel. “The United States has submitted a ‘Wizard Management Control Draft’ to the United Nations, to which the Magical Congress of the United States of America has responded very aggressively, ‘There will be no compromise.’ And demanded the other side to hand over the perpetrators…”
Switching the channel again. “The International Tribunal has issued a statement-”
“Ahhh…Everywhere they are all constantly talking about Wizards! Wizards this or wizards that.”
Vernon muttered repeatedly under his breath as he switched the channel again.
“The International Court of Justice of the Confederation elaborates on the provisions of Chapter VII of the Constitution of the International Confederation of Wizards and Pan-Magical Alliance …”
There was movement heard at the door, followed by a sound of pushing and footsteps, and Petunia entered the room shivering, carrying a net bag full of vegetables and groceries, her lips frozen blue, her cheekbones sharply raised, snowflakes caught in her hair, her long neck wrapped in a collar and hunched into her shoulders like a giraffe forced to spend the winter in an area shrouded in snow.
She walked in, glanced at the TV, and her lips immediately pursed together, but she made no comment. She walked briskly into the kitchen, and after a half hour, Petunia called from the dining room, “Dinner’s ready.” “Coming.” Vernon grunted and just when he was about to turn off the TV-” An urgent breaking news broadcast!”
His hand dangled in midair.
The news announcer fumbled in a hurry, and it took him more than ten seconds to regain his composure.
“… At 2:40 p.m. local time, more than a dozen wizards appeared out of nowhere in New York Harbor, the purpose of the group is unknown, and there is a large influx of reporters and onlookers arriving at the scene. From the footage sent back by high-precision cameras, these wizards are wearing the symbols of the Magical Congress of the United States of America and the International Confederation of Wizards, are they going to do something on the biggest harbour in the United States? But they all turned their backs to the harbour and looked solemn ….Wait!… There’s something under the water, turn the camera over quickly!”
Vernon was so glued to the TV that he didn’t even notice Petunia coming out of the kitchen.
In the afternoon the shining water in front of the harbour suddenly rose up with a huge swell, and a massive black shadow gradually surfaced, like a silent and inky blackfish, with its head raised up, it became clearer and clearer. It was a submarine.
A black massive submarine appeared in New York Harbor. ” It’s a bit unbelievable how it seems to have appeared out of the blue, the Coast Guard and the crews on shore gave no warning – the submarine is already a little bit exposed and my colleagues are currently working intensively to verify the submarine number … from the revealed shape and pattern, it may have been used for marine science experimental purposes – oh, my God!”
Vernon’s eyes widened, and he couldn’t be bothered to complain about the fuss the host was making as he sat back on his butt on the couch with a guttural groan emanating from the springs. His mind went blank –
The black submarine’s front section jolted up unnaturally, like a lifeless dead fish, but it was so big that it had a strong sense of oppressiveness, and the camera swept across the harbour, people’s eyes dead on the water, the submarine’s arc was as big as a rocket poised to launch, it rose steadily through the air, its black hull bursting out of the water and curling up a huge vortex, it was completely taken out of the water and suspended in midair.
Then with a loud bang, the submarine hit the ground. A big crater was smashed on the ground of the harbour.
All the people who saw this scene seemed to have their hearts smashed out like the concrete floor with spiderweb-like cracks, and couldn’t help but inhale heavily. In the distance came the roar of propellers, and the local law enforcement agencies finally responded.
A dozen or so wizards standing by the shore suddenly moved, holding their wands like precise surgical scalpels, and with an unpleasant “creaking” sound, the submarine’s shell was peeled off, revealing its inner appearance.
As we all know, the space inside the submarine is relatively narrow, and the area near the middle is very empty in comparison, which shows its importance. This modified area is divided into three spaces, with the connections separated by steel and thick glass doors, so that the inside can be vaguely seen. Only a narrow passage has remained on the outer part. The wizards continued to efficiently disassemble the submarine, then a stream of spells flashed, and steel pipes and valves fell off one after another as they passed by. They tore open the walls made of special material as if they were ripping open the wrapping cover of a bag of chips, presenting the interior layout to the crowd. The first two spaces were equipped with large and small instruments, which were shown by the wizards in such a way that even the most ill-informed person could find the corresponding prototypes from TV programs – a small laboratory-like place.
The wizards continued to wave their wands, the range of their movements began to increase, as if they were in a hurry, and their movements became rough, the steel and piping were moved aside, including those who seemed to be encased in amber – six or seven of them were wearing white coats – and after half a minute the last thick metal plate was swung aside.
From inside a young man with black hair and blue eyes walked out. It was none other than Felix, and many people recognized his identity instantly – thanks to the overwhelming publicity in the North American news media, some people viewed him as a cult leader-like being. Miraculously, he also gained quite a few supporters, mostly from young people.
Felix tugged his hand behind him, seemingly tugging at something, and soon those near the harbour could see that it belonged to a child in a hospital gown. Through the high-definition camera, the boy’s pale face could be clearly captured, it was kind of abnormally ghastly white as if he hadn’t been in the sun since birth.
The second one to come out was a little girl, wearing a sleeveless dress, with evasive eyes, seemingly unaccustomed to so many people, desperately trying to hide her body behind an adult. Her arms were densely dotted with pinholes, half of her hair was bare, and her eyes were narrowed with clear photophobic characteristics.
There was silence at the harbour. At that moment, half a dozen helicopters flew over, hovering over their heads, a machine gun aimed downward. “Warning! Warning! Drop your weapons, drop your weapons, and immediately surrender your weapons-”
The words came to an abrupt halt. Naturally, they had no idea how far the thinking room covered or what it meant to enter that range. The others on the shore tilted their heads up and looked at the thin paintings floating and being swept around by the wind through the sky, like film posters floating down from the sky.
…
A total of four children walked out of the submarine. Afterward, Felix faced the reporters who arrived for a short temporary press conference.
“Magic and science are two excellent systems that exist to complement each other, and I notice that there are already scientists who call magic the engine … or key to the next technological revolution, and they are pumping their fists and preparing to update the existing basic scientific theories… … If it’s true, unfortunately, some countries will probably have to miss out on that.”
“The International Confederation of Wizards and the International Pan-Magical Alliance will defend the interests of wizards and magical beings as a whole. We respect the laws of every country as we respect the laws we make for ourselves. The Constitution of the International Confederation of Wizards and Pan-Magical Alliance highlights this, and we have agreed to come together to talk calmly only when the laws of the two sides conflict with each other, but for the past few months in the past, we have been treated like fools and given a blank check … Conflict? We’ve tried to avoid conflict as much as possible, but that doesn’t mean allowing our own children to be put on a lab bench to have their blood drawn and tested; calm? The fact that I can still talk calmly and clearly instead of unleashing a Fiendfyre all over the country is proof that wizards still possess sufficient sanity. But as long as this kind of thing is still happening and the perpetrators continue to get away with it, there is no way for the peace negotiations to go on … Maybe your perception is not quite the same as ours?”
“What happened today only proves the validity of our previous warnings that this land is in great danger and no longer suitable for general wizards … The Wizards’ Confederation and the Pan-Magical Alliance will do what we can to help needy wizards stay away from this land that harbours evil. I guess they should not have felt any risk in doing this, don’t forget the fact that the current wizard regime was established centuries before the current non-magical regimes. We have grown organized and strong compared to centuries ago after the establishment of a current wizard regime.”
“Running away in disgrace? No, they will leave openly and honestly … The evacuation will take place in about half a month, and the location … I think this place is just fine, spacious and open, can easily accommodate more than 100,000 people … Hehe, even as a battlefield it is very suitable.”
This is undoubtedly a declaration of war.
The reporters in the scene have heard the meaning behind the message, not that the two sides have not clashed before, but they were all of an incidental nature, but this time is very different, the time and place are determined in advance, giving the government enough time to mobilize the army, this is going to be a big head-on battle.
Absolutely big news! The follow-up to this incident happened half an hour later, a group of heavily armed officers took over the harbour, but despite all their efforts, they couldn’t move any of the equipment in the submarine, it was like it was stuck to the ground. In the end, they could only leave with amber with people with crooked mouths and eyes on the ground along with a few realistic-looking helicopter posters.
American Magic Hospital.
Felix handed over the few children to the healers, and fellow participant in the rescue operation, Horace Grimsditch, whispered, “According to the memory of that councilman earlier, we followed the trail and rescued twelve groups of young wizards, as for the rest, even if there are still any, they will be completely hidden from our sight.”
Felix nodded slowly.
Horace Grimsditch hesitated for a moment and said with a hesitant face, “Mr. Hap, I’m not opposed to having American wizards go into hiding, anyway, it’s not much different from before, but a head-on conflict … our wizards may not have an advantage.”
“What are you thinking? I don’t need you guys, I was just borrowing your name.”
“Are you going to use the Confederation’s manpower?”
“Don’t worry about it. The Magical Congress of the United States will be responsible for maintaining order, I know you will stay, and even a large part of the wizard will choose to stay, but there should certainly be those who want to leave, so they will have to be prepared in advance.”
Time passed day by day, and the whole world seemed to quiet down and surveyed that part of America with static eyes, for the first time in half a century, they felt the shadow of war so close, the formerly prosperous cities seemed to enter the Great Depression in advance, countless people fled in their cars, the ships moored at the harbour disappeared without a trace, only a few security ships floated listlessly.
The doors of the Capitol Building were closed, and no one knew what heated debates were going on inside. Even the British magical community, thousands of miles away, was affected, and constructions on the new Diagon Alley were forced to suspend – of course, the external excuse given for that was the influence of the blizzard.
In what was probably the last quiet moments before the Great War, Felix suddenly found himself with nothing to do, and all negotiations were temporarily put on hold as everyone seemed to be waiting for the outcome of the conflict. He returned to school, had a good night’s sleep, and woke up to meet the amazed eyes of his students and professors. Professor McGonagall was the first to appear to lead him away.
In the Headmistress’s office –
“Is there really going to be a war?” Professor McGonagall asked with a serious expression.
“We don’t want a war, but there is no choice.” Felix said, “If we give in on such a major matter of principle, not only the American wizards – the entire wizards’ survival environment will be extremely poor, and at the same time, it will cause division … Don’t take things too simply, the other party won’t start a full-scale war if we let them take the initiative, at least they won’t target all the American wizards, because they are very proficient at pulling strings, spying, and provoking …. If they succeed, the American wizarding community will see the biggest division ever. And that would lead to a series of chain reactions.”
“Is there no way to stop it? Once a war starts, it won’t be so easy to stop it.”
“Don’t ask me, I don’t know.” Felix shook his head slightly and said, “There are too many factors involved in this matter, and neither Akingbade nor I want to let things grow, and it’s best to limit it to North America, one part of America to be precise. Looking at the big picture, both the wizarding and non-wizarding communities are expecting a conflict like human life isn’t worth anything … before there was Grindelwald, a lot of people might still have expectations – I mean, in those people’s minds, maybe I’ll fight him and end up dying together. But with the issue and implementation of the Constitution of the International Confederation of Wizards and Pan-Magical Alliance, the likelihood of them waiting much longer is very low -”
“The establishment of a new order will inevitably be accompanied by bloodshed and conflict, and it will face all kinds of challenges. If we break through, the whole world will usher in a period of peaceful development, but if we don’t, it will definitely affect more than just the living environment of the American wizards – it might even flatten out the previously signed treaties. Fortunately, we have laid enough groundwork in the past few months …”
“We must fight while we have the advantage of information, face to face, head to head, to dispel all the unkind eyes at once.”
Professor McGonagall was silent for a moment and said, “Felix, I called you here because of another matter.”
“What is it?”
“Didn’t you always daydream about having a long chat with the Sorting Hat? It agreed.”
“I wasn’t exactly daydreaming about – what did you say, Minerva?” Felix tore his eyes away from the ceiling over the couch and looked at her in surprise. Professor McGonagall rose from her seat, her eyes moving along the portrait of the Headmaster on the wall.
“Not even Dumbledore knows all the secrets of this castle, let alone me, but I think if the four founders did leave the key to unlock the secrets, the biggest possibility of it being in the Sorting Hat is very high … I hope it will help you.”
After saying that she left, leaving Felix alone in the Headmistress’s office.
Felix stayed stunned for a moment, then looked straight at the Sorting Hat in the compartment. He stood up swiftly and went to the compartment to closely look at the dirty, gray hat, which did not budge, then he picked it up and shook it off, and returned to the couch with a surprisingly nervous expression.
After sitting quietly for a few seconds, he put the Sorting Hat on his head.
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#SHT
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