Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Azeroth

Chapter 270, Page 269: The Dissolution of the Soviet Union and the Formal Expiration of the Secrecy Law
Very good. Harry now fully understands the working attitude and intentions of the Muggle government leaders. It's subtle; the Muggle government is actually unwilling to make the existence of magic public.

Harry had initially thought that it was the Ministry of Magic who had asked the Muggle government to help hide the truth.

Public disclosure means more things, and the Muggle Prime Minister and his secretary certainly wouldn't refuse to have more power, but he resisted the unexpected and the changes—or rather, he resisted reform. In the secretary's words, reform meant that the bad things hadn't stopped yet.

Other examples include the riots or demonstrations that ordinary people might cause upon learning of the existence of magic. The more they know, the more their desires will increase. Many government employees themselves also yearn for magic and do not rule out the possibility of mastering it themselves.

For ordinary people, mastering magic is like wielding a gun that can be fired at any time, a gun that cannot be detected before use... In short, it's dangerous, extremely dangerous.

The Muggle Prime Minister wasn't incapable of understanding the current situation; he simply refused to accept it. Scrimgeour, unwilling to reveal too much of the Ministry of Magic's incompetence, could only repeatedly emphasize that the elemental resurgence was inevitable and that such magical leaks would only increase in the future.

But the Muggle Prime Minister and his secretary believed that they had to keep this a secret for a few more years until the next government took office—at that time, it wouldn't matter whether they reformed the way magic was dealt with or adjusted the structure; it wouldn't concern them then.

Scrimgeour was so angry that he almost cursed at people on the spot.

He hadn't expected Fudge to be everywhere.

The negotiations reached a stalemate, and just as Harry was starting to get a headache, someone suddenly knocked on the door of the conference room and whispered a few words in the Prime Minister's ear.

"What?!" Hack sat bolt upright, his eyes wide as if he had seen the sun rise in the west. "The Soviet Union has collapsed?!"

....................................

One of the two poles of the Muggle world disappeared so suddenly. The reasons for the collapse of the Soviet Union need not be elaborated, but the impact of this event was not limited to Muggle society, but also deeply affected wizarding society - because the Soviet Union also had a Ministry of Magic, and it was composed of multiple Ministries of Magic.

In places unknown to most ordinary people, the Soviet Ministry of Magic also disintegrated.

However, that's not the point. The point is that with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the existence of the magical world was directly exposed to ordinary Muggles. Those who were unwilling to accept the collapse of the Soviet Union directly revealed all the secrets they could reveal, and the biggest secret in the world right now is the existence of elemental revival and magic.

The news was broadcast live on radio and television, which saved Scringer from having to argue with the British Prime Minister about the matter.

The new Three Kingdoms tournament was finalized in the shortest possible time. The British Prime Minister will personally attend and watch the event, accompanied by a large number of Muggle spectators, not just government officials.

Harry arrived at his Muggle uncle's house after a long absence, where Aunt Petunia had sent a letter inviting him back.

"So, this is what the world will always be like?" Sitting at the dining table, Uncle Vernon, with his large belly, stared wide-eyed. "Something keeps running around in the house, and the flames in the fireplace might even utter a phrase—'Jesus!' The other day I even saw trash from the bin running across the lawn. It was a nightmare!!"

For someone like Uncle Vernon, who viewed all magical things as freaks and nightmares, this world was already shaped like a nightmare.

Uncle Vernon thought that his family would be able to live a normal and harmonious life after his magical nephew left, but he never imagined that they could be found everywhere in the world.

“That was a nightmare, Harry,” Aunt Petunia said, her expression a mix of joy and regret. “You have no idea how terrifying it was when the neighbors knocked on the door to ask if we had noticed anything strange happening in the house.”

“Yeah, Mom almost had a heart attack. She thought someone had found out about you.” Dudley muttered as he took a bite of the sausage off his fork. “Now everyone knows there’s magic in the world.”

As he said this, Dali turned on the TV.

"Very good news, we have made contact with the magical community in Britain..."

Change the channel.

"...It's quite surprising that wizards also have a Ministry of Magic; I mean, they actually have their own government..."

Change the channel.

"I think you've all noticed those little sprites that occasionally appear in your homes lately? Now we know the official name the wizards gave them: Elemental Spirits..."

"..."

“See, everyone’s talking about this now,” Dudley said, tossing the remote onto the sofa and shrugging. “I think it’s pretty cool.”

"Shut up, Dali!" Uncle Vernon rarely scolded his precious son. "Eat your food properly!"

"Our safety is the most important thing!" Uncle Vernon slammed his fist on the table in frustration. "Do you understand what I mean, kid? Do you have any ideas on how to prevent those strange, dangerous—mysterious elements from suddenly appearing in the house?! I don't want to be crushed to death in my sleep by my house suddenly moving!"

Uncle Vernon didn’t know why he suddenly thought of such a metaphor, but he did feel a deep-seated fear.

Harry knew the reason, but he couldn't say it.

“It’s difficult,” Harry thought for a moment and said, “Even I can’t prevent elemental spirits from being born here on Privet Drive.”

To be precise, Harry could do it, but he would never do it... What normal shaman would extinguish the elemental activity of an entire area?

As long as the elements in a region aren't excessive enough to disrupt the world's balance, shamans don't need to intervene. "You're just being too tense. Don't worry, the other neighbors on Privet Drive don't know you already knew about magic. Don't scare yourselves," Harry reassured them. "Or... well, would you be interested in visiting Hogwarts?"

"Hogwarts?!" Aunt Petunia's eyes widened instantly.

"A trip?!" Dali exclaimed excitedly.

"Us?" Uncle Vernon held his breath.

“That’s right,” Harry replied uniformly. “For some reasons, I’ve become the headmaster of Hogwarts, and soon the British wizarding community and the Muggle government will have a large-scale, um, what’s the word again? A collaborative project?”

"In short, not only will the Muggle Prime Minister be going to Hogwarts to watch the games, but we will also temporarily allow Muggles to broadcast the games so that most Muggles can have a general understanding of magic and wizarding society—are you interested?" Harry explained, "Uncle, the reason you are so panicked is simply because you don't understand. Think about it, even the Muggle Prime Minister is going to Hogwarts."

"Prime Minister?" This word undeniably captivated Uncle Vernon's attention; he couldn't refuse it. "Jim Hack?"

It's a bit strange, but the Minister of Magic and the Headmaster of Hogwarts are nothing to Uncle Vernon, but the Prime Minister—the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom!
This word held an unusual meaning and a powerful influence on Uncle Vernon.

“That’s right. Scrimgeour, oh, the Minister of Magic, and I just finalized this with the Muggle Prime Minister a couple of days ago. A group of people with some standing in the Muggle world will be going to Hogwarts to visit and watch the games,” Harry continued. “If even they have accepted magic and will cooperate with the wizarding world in the future, what reason do you have not to get involved?”

Uncle Finnon nodded with difficulty.

"Wait, you've become the Headmaster of Hogwarts?!" As if her reaction time was more than a beat slow, Aunt Petunia finally realized what was happening and exclaimed in surprise, "You?! The Headmaster of Hogwarts?! That means—that means—good heavens!"

“Just so you know, Aunt, I can’t let you enroll at this time,” Harry said quickly. “But it’s fine if it’s just a visit.”

“Of course I don’t want to go to this kind of school!” Aunt Penny reacted rather strongly. “I’m just—just visiting!”

Harry shook his head slightly and did not expose Aunt Petunia's lie.

After all, he had already heard about his aunt's past from his mother, and knew that Aunt Petunia had once been full of longing and yearning for magic. She even wrote to Dumbledore to ask to enroll, but was rejected by the old man... Now, being able to see Hogwarts with his own eyes was already a wish fulfilled.

The Vernon family excitedly accepted Harry's invitation. After visiting in person, Harry realized that what his aunt and uncle wanted was actually very simple: a sense of security.

The aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union also impacted their family, leaving them bewildered by the magical world that was exposed to them in a short period of time.

The Muggle government has urgently announced that it has contacted the Ministry of Magic, the wizarding society. According to the plan, the initial phase will involve television and radio broadcasts providing a simple introduction to magic and wizarding society, aiming to prevent ordinary people from developing a resistance due to a lack of understanding.

At the same time, the wizarding community will also provide some basic information about Muggle society through newspapers and radio broadcasts, so that some wizards will not make any inexplicable mistakes when they come into contact with Muggles in the future.

This phase will last for about two or three months, until around September when schools reopen.

When that time comes, both governments will begin to promote the new Triwizard Tournament on a large scale. The wizarding society's promotion will focus on the return of the Triwizard Tournament and the fact that this competition is not limited to students, but also includes professors and principals from the three schools, and even Muggles will come to watch.

The Muggle community's propaganda focuses on a deep dive into wizarding society, allowing viewers to witness the wonders of magic firsthand through television broadcasts. It takes a documentary approach, enabling Muggles to understand the lives of wizards and the differences between wizarding and Muggle schools—ultimately aiming to make people realize that wizards are also human, with children and schools, and are not mysterious or terrifying.

Yes, the old witches in fairy tales who eat children are all lies.

...At least most of them are lies.

The Ministry of Magic is already making preparations for the new Triwizard Tournament. To accommodate the wizards and Muggles who will be watching, Harry plans to build a special building on a large open area near the mountains outside Hogwarts to hold the audience.

Originally intended for the Quidditch pitch, but considering the students' safety, it's better not to put too many outsiders too close to the castle. Anyway, with magic, it wouldn't be difficult for the venue to accommodate many people; they could even stay there.

The Ministry of Magic staff were incredibly enthusiastic about this, because they would finally no longer have to work overtime day after day, week after week, to hide the existence of the magical world. The Law of Secrecy was practically just one official announcement away from being invalidated.

And this announcement came officially very soon.

"...In view of the increasingly active elemental spirits and the ubiquitous signs of magic, and the ever-increasing difficulty in concealing the magical world, I, Rufus Scrimgeour, as Minister for Magic of the United Kingdom, hereby formally declare—the International Secrecy Act is officially invalid in the United Kingdom!!"

For Scrimgeour, this was an absolutely significant day, because no matter where the magical world might go in the future, the names of the two Ministers of Magic who announced the implementation and termination of the Act of Secrecy would be recorded in magical history and would never be forgotten.

Along with the statement, a photograph of Scrimgeour shaking hands with British Muggle Prime Minister Jim Harker was also released. The Ministry of Magic and the Muggle government issued a joint statement immediately after the declaration that the Secrets Act had expired.

The specific details don't need to be listed one by one; it's simply a public reading of the wizarding laws, letting Muggles know that wizards are also subject to legal restrictions, and that they have things they can and cannot do.

It also sternly declared that the use of magic for profit or the bullying of Muggles is absolutely prohibited. Of course, if a Muggle shoots a wizard or takes advantage of a wizard's lack of knowledge about the Muggle world to make a profit, that Muggle will be severely punished.

Overall, it's not complicated, because these rules have actually existed for a long time. It's just that in the past, only the Muggle Prime Minister and his people knew about these rules, but now, even ordinary Muggles can look them up if they want.

Besides that, there are some terms for establishing a cooperative relationship between the two parties. Wizards will specially formulate some potions that Muggles' bodies can also tolerate and sell them to them, while Muggles will also help wizards to better combine technology and magic.

(End of this chapter)