Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Azeroth

Chapter 230, Section 229: The International Wizarding Federation and Harry's Warning

It was very lively, and the American wizards' attire was much closer to that of Muggles than that of British wizards—Harry meant that at least the American wizards didn't make the kind of joke where a male wizard wears a skirt on his head.

But what attracted his attention even more was the giant golden thunderbird sculpture floating in mid-air at the very top of the hall. It was very lifelike and very cool. Its pair of outstretched wings almost covered the entire dome, making the crystal chandeliers look tiny. There were even light bands flowing between the feathers, predicting the future weather.

In addition, there is the giant clock placed in the center of the hall. Unlike ordinary clocks used to display time, this clock does not have the numbers 1 to 12 on its dial. Instead, it uses various colors such as green, yellow, orange, and red, and different words are printed on it.

“That’s the Magic Exposure Level Clock, let me see… Oh, it’s already at the level of a high threat?” Dumbledore said, looking up at the clock as he appeared beside Harry.

"Magic exposure level?" Without turning around, Harry simply asked, "Can this kind of thing be quantified? How is it calculated?"

“This is a secret of the Magical Congress of the United States,” Dumbledore said with a light laugh. “Unlike in Britain, American wizards are very careful about distinguishing themselves from Muggles. This clock is a product of this idea. The more Muggles know about the magical world, the more exposed it becomes, and the more its hands will move upwards from the green security level.”

“So it’s orange now, a high threat,” Harry stared at the clock. “I didn’t think much of it at first, but the way he marked it makes me a little nervous.”

There are two situations that are more threatening than higher threats: inexplicable serious situations and emergencies. Harry estimated that by the time the pointer jumps to this point, the wizarding world would be almost no different from the original.

“I think this is exactly what the Speaker of the Magical Congress wants most wizards to know,” Dumbledore patted Harry on the shoulder. “Come on, the meeting room is upstairs—I must say it’s a good thing you came, Harry, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have been able to handle so many professional questions. After all, although I am a shaman myself, I am still just an apprentice.”

“There’s no need to be so modest, Dumbledore. The best teachers of shamans are the elements and all spirits themselves,” Harry comforted him. “I believe that with your talent, you are capable of forging your own path.”

The two men were striding down the corridor. Dumbledore was very agile and did not look like a man over a hundred years old at all.

"Thank you for your compliment, I accept it without hesitation," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Well, you've changed more than I expected. You must not have had a good night's sleep in a long time, you look very tired."

Harry suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Hmm?" Dumbledore turned around and asked curiously, "Is there a problem?"

“No, it’s nothing,” Harry suddenly sighed deeply. “I just suddenly remembered how I used to drag you out to do chores in the middle of the night… I’m sorry.”

“Now I’m just like you,” Harry chuckled self-deprecatingly.

This retribution, though not swift, was not slow either.

Dumbledore was initially a little confused, but he quickly put on a laughing expression.

“…I’m glad you recognize how much harm your past actions have done to a centenarian, Harry,” Dumbledore said, winking and suppressing a laugh. “But even if you say that now, I can’t let you go back to Hogwarts to rest—come on, those who are capable must bear more.”

"Hopefully things won't get any worse," Harry sighed, and quickly followed.

The Americans are indeed wealthy nouveau riche. Of all the Ministry of Magic that Harry visited, this meeting room of the Magical Congress of the United States of America was the most ornately decorated. Many of the statues were gilded or made of pure gold. As for the size of the space, it didn't matter, since wizards could expand the space at any time with the Unseen Stretch Charm.

Standing on the top stage, Harry could see many familiar faces sitting below—ministers of the Ministry of Magic from various countries or accompanying personnel from important departments, people he had met recently.

"Hello everyone, I am Harry Potter," Harry briefly introduced himself. Time and energy were limited, and he couldn't visit every Ministry of Magic. "Some of you probably already know me, but it doesn't matter if you don't. I'm here just to give you a warning."

This is an emergency meeting of the International Wizarding Federation. Decisions made here will become conventions to be uniformly implemented by the magic ministries of all countries, unless some countries find certain regulations particularly unacceptable. Even so, there is still the Law of Secrecy, which is accepted worldwide and has no violators. Those who dare to violate it have already been imprisoned... or even died.

Without exception, the Secret Service Act is still in full force and effect, which is the best proof that the magical world has not yet been exposed to the eyes of the general public.

"...I regret to inform you all—"

This is violence born from the collective will of all wizards, and it continues to this day.

"The magical world is about to be forced to be exposed to Muggles." Ignoring the commotion below the stage, Harry calmly said, "We cannot control the will and behavior of the elements. The very foundation of the Statute of Secrets is being gradually broken down. This is the most fundamental reason why future wizards can no longer conceal the existence of various active elemental spirits."

"We need to think about how to deal with a world where magic has been exposed."

Harry's speech was forced to stop because the wizards in the audience were so excited that even Dumbledore, who was standing next to him, couldn't quiet them down by setting off several loud fireworks with his wand. They were eagerly discussing with the people around them.

Yes, for many people in the Ministry of Magic, they had already realized something when Harry came to their countries to explain measures to deal with the resurgence of the elements, and even if they were unwilling to admit it, every wizard with a bit of foresight had thought of the Statute of Secrets.

It's hard to describe this feeling. It's like something that has long been taken for granted in daily life, a law of the world, a necessity of society—something that was thought to never change, and that no one could change, something that was like a constant magic, but now suddenly you know it's going to be changed.

It is about to disappear.

This feeling was unacceptable even to many older wizards, who had grown up under a system of secrecy laws... It felt as if a part of their lives was missing. More than anything, they felt bewilderment and panic.

What kind of reaction would panicked Muggles have? Panic—war.

war.

From ancient times to the present, from the beginning of recorded human history to the present day, war has always existed... even peace is a fleeting, bubble-like thing.

Less than fifty years have passed since the last great war that threatened the entire magical world. In such a short time, can't even such a brief period of peace be maintained?

Harry exchanged a glance with Dumbledore beside him, then leaned against the podium with a hint of helplessness, waiting until the excited wizards below calmed down—just looking at them now, Harry couldn't even connect these people with their respective identities, even though many of them were Ministers of Magic of their respective countries.

Harry also saw Fudge, who was making exaggerated gestures to a wizard next to him, moving his hands up and down incessantly.

It took Harry quite a while to finally quiet the wizards below with a loud wand fire. Although there were still whispers, at least they could hear him continue speaking.

“Thank you,” Harry nodded and said, “I’m so glad no Auror came up and handcuffed me when I said the Secret Code was about to be abolished.”

Some people in the audience suddenly laughed.

“Is it funny?” Harry retorted. “We all know how the Ministries of Magic around the world have dealt with people who want to break the Statute of Secrets for the past hundred years—no doubt, arrest them and put them in jail.”

"Can't we also put those who want to undermine the Secrets Act in prison?" the Ethiopian Minister of Magic shouted, standing up. "It's no different from what we've done in the past."

“Very good question,” Harry said, looking at him. “Then I’ll ask you—how would you put the environment itself in jail?”

"Or, how do you manage to get to the scene in time when the milk in a Muggle family's cup suddenly jumps up by itself during breakfast, take away the milk element, and erase the Muggles' memories?"

“If you can do this much with one Muggle family, what about ten? A hundred? A thousand? Ten thousand?” Harry kept asking. “I can tell you very seriously that I have found the corresponding statistics in Muggle elementary school textbooks. In 1991, which was last year, the total Muggle population in the world was 53.83 billion. I can tell you with certainty that I have never seen so many people in my life.”

The Minister of Magic fell silent. He had personally dealt with several batches of elemental spirits that suddenly appeared in Muggle homes, so he knew that the situation Harry described was almost inevitable.

No one even laughed; all the wizards were stunned by this incredibly powerful number—53.83 billion people.

For them, it's hard to imagine that this is a unit of measurement for human numbers; even 53.83 billion pigs would be a lot—let alone people.

“There’s no need to doubt the authenticity of this data. Muggles conduct detailed population statistics every year, and you can verify it at any time,” Harry said briefly. “I just want to ask you one question: Do you have enough manpower, time, and energy to monitor 53.83 billion people? To monitor whether some elemental spirit will appear around them? Or to erase their memories?”

A silence.

No one could answer Harry's question, or rather, the question itself was fatal—no one could bear the guilt of spying on everyone.

Even the Minister of Magic of the Soviet Union couldn't answer this question.

It's not just because it's impossible, but also because in the international magical community, such a thing is inherently immoral and rejected by mainstream opinion.

“We all know the answer to this question,” Harry said softly after looking around the room. “That’s why I said at the beginning that I brought a warning, a future that will inevitably come whether wizards like it or not—a future that will not change according to the wizards’ wishes, just as the sun rises and sets every day.”

“And I regret to inform you that the situation you are facing now is only the beginning—except, of course, for those areas where the elemental resurgence is progressing faster, as I have specifically marked,” Harry continued. “If you do not trust the future I have described, then I urge you to visit Hogwarts. The entire Hogwarts area is now filled with a large number of resurrected elemental spirits, and they have become a part of the students’ lives.”

"As the elemental forces of this world continue to revive, sooner or later the entire world will be in the state of Hogwarts area, where elemental spirits are everywhere."

"What does that mean?" asked the Bulgarian Minister of Magic.

"That means... you'll be much busier than you are now," Harry thought for a moment and replied, "and it's very likely that no matter how busy you are, you won't be able to stop ordinary Muggles from noticing the existence of all sorts of elemental spirits."

“In the past few weeks, more than one person has asked me why I, as the discoverer of the elements and the founder of elemental magic, am so opposed to the revival of the elements. I answered their question then, and my answer remains unchanged to this day.”

"I am a human being, and a suitable environment for human life depends on the balance of elements. Therefore, any extreme of any element would be a catastrophe for ordinary humans. In the past few weeks, we have witnessed too many disasters."

“It’s not about rejecting the resurgence of the elements, but about actively responding to it and keeping the changes within a reasonable and acceptable range,” Harry said earnestly. “I’m just an ordinary Hogwarts professor, at most just the elemental magic master you all call me.”

"Now, as a master of elemental magic, I have given what I consider to be the most professional advice. As for what happens next, that is up to you ministers of magic."

(End of this chapter)