A certain Hogwarts professor of runes

Chapter 170 The Snowball of the Times

Things really did escalate completely, just as Yuria had planned.

Felix stepped out of the hotel, the flash of his magic camera dazzling, puffs of purple smoke billowing from it. The French magical journalists were as excited as if they'd taken a maniacal potion, their noses and necks flushed an unnatural red.

Two black-robed wizards stood in the courtyard, with an empty space around them. People seemed to have a conflicted feeling; they wanted to get closer to take a look, but they also harbored some apprehension, so they chose an awkward spot.

Their masks had been removed, revealing two young faces. One was the student leader, Yuria, and the other was Bethney's younger brother, Byers.

"Byers, you don't need to come along," Yuria whispered.

"I've already been seen, so what's there to be afraid of? I just hope I can see Besni one last time before I'm locked up," Byers said nonchalantly.

"You might regret it."

"Not yet, at least not yet. Why haven't they arrested us yet? The reporters have been taking pictures for a while now, and to be honest, the flashes are making my eyes water."

Julia said rationally, "The longer it drags on, the better. See? Celeste is dumbfounded."

Celeste was truly stunned. She warned Moore, who was constantly wiping his sweat, in a commanding tone, "Mr. Director, you cannot let reporters in. This concerns diplomacy between our two countries."

Moore uttered a string of indistinct French: "I can't control them, but journalists have that right."

"Shouldn't we at least take these two students with us?"

"I can't make that decision; it concerns diplomacy between our two countries," Moore retorted with the same words. "I've already informed the minister, and I won't do anything until he arrives. Perhaps you can take matters into your own hands."

Celeste was certainly not foolish enough to do it herself; didn't she see the reporters outside were already bursting with excitement?

Is she going to add fuel to the fire?

What will her reputation be like tomorrow?

Celeste realized she'd gone too far once again. She walked over to Cecil and forced out a sentence through gritted teeth: "Where are our men?"

"They were lured away by the Reformation members, and when they returned, the attack was over. They're going out now to try their luck and see if they can find anyone, but there's no news yet," Cecil said.

"Bring these idiots back! What's the point of arresting them now? They've all delivered themselves to our doorstep," Celeste said angrily, feeling as if her chair in the Woolworth Building office had grown legs and her hat had sprouted wings—in short, everything seemed to have left her.

"Sorry, I can't get in touch with you," Cecil said with a shrug.

"Look outside! Someone's here again!" a short reporter said.

"Is the minister here?" a reporter next to him asked.

"...More Black-Robed Army!" The short reporter couldn't wait to give Yuria and her group a new name for tomorrow's front page headline.

No, it's tonight's headline!

A dozen reporters rushed out carrying black cameras. Amid their excited expressions, dozens of black-robed wizards appeared at the Busles Hotel. They wore masks, remained silent, and walked in perfect unison. This impressive display attracted the reporters' attention.

Maxwell asked, "Director, what should we do?"

Moore looked up at the sky, intently studying the shape of a cloud, as if it held some great discovery. Thus, under the watchful eyes of the French Ministry of Magic staff, the students of Ilfamoni entered the courtyard without any hindrance.

Yuria and Byers stared blankly at their arrogant companion, still not coming to their senses even as the companion walked right up to them.

"Why are you here? Didn't we tell you to leave? All you had to do was write a letter..."

"Hey, Yuria, we've finished our mission, but before we leave, we thought it wouldn't be right to miss out on this fun," a passionate voice said.

"Matt..." Yuria whispered.

"It's me." The wizard who spoke lifted his mask, revealing a bright smile.

"And me, Julia." A witch with a ponytail lifted her mask and winked at him.

"Haha, we can't just slink away like this." A cheerful wizard laughed and lifted his mask.

"Yes, he's right. I'm not willing to leave like this either."

"What a coincidence, I thought so too."

……

One by one, the black-robed wizards removed their masks. They were men and women, tall and short, fat and thin, but all exuded youthful energy.

Celeste was completely dumbfounded when she saw this, her lips moving silently, her expression blank.

Not only her, but Moore, Cecil, Maxwell, Boubagi, the journalists, the Muggle research experts—everyone present was stunned by the scene.

After a brief pause, the hotel courtyard erupted in excitement, the clicking of camera shutters creating a cacophony like the buzzing of bees.

Owls streak across the sky above Paris.

Faced with this situation, even a lowly director of the law enforcement department couldn't handle it.

The French Minister of Magic arrived first, but he too found the situation troublesome. Hesitating between arresting and not arresting, just then, figures appeared through Apparition.

"American!"

The French Minister of Magic said in surprise.

A woman strode over. "Hello, Minister, I was sent by the Chairman to speak with you first. He'll be a little later, as you know, to appease Congress..."

"Have you received the message?"

The woman said helplessly, "This is also part of the communication. My God, they really have amazing abilities."

"We're among the first—thanks to our stockpiled portal keys and Apparition. More wizards and civilians who are closely monitoring this situation may follow..."

Her words were somewhat conservative; it was definitely not just "some" enthusiastic people.

Three or four hours later, the people who had heard the news arrived filled almost half of the valley.

The French Minister of Magic urgently redeployed one-third of his staff to take over security in the area surrounding the hotel.

Vacations were canceled, slacking off was forbidden, and everyone had to work overtime. Various concealment and protective spells rained down, and the Busles Hotel temporarily disappeared from the sight of ordinary people.

Felix stood silently in the corner, observing, unsure how things would ultimately turn out. But the girl named Besni, and the group of young people leading them, would likely be etched in history.

Even though he was just an outsider, he couldn't help but look forward to how things would unfold, especially after witnessing firsthand how these students made this decision.

Important figures kept coming over.

The president of the Magical Congress of the United States, the headmaster of Ivermony School, a member of the International Confederation of Wizards, and a familiar figure—Albus Dumbledore, the president of the International Confederation of Wizards.

"Dumbledore, you've arrived too." Markus, the president of the Magical Congress of the United States, strode forward to greet him.

"Marcus, I had to come. The commotion has reached my unreliable ears, which shows how big the impact is."

"No one expected... that the lawmakers were furious and wanted to punish these students severely."

"What should we do? Put them in jail?" Dumbledore's expression was very serious, his silver beard trembling. "Excuse my bluntness, Markus, whatever you do now will affect the future years, decades, and ultimately it will directly affect you. No one can escape it."

"Yes, I just looked into it. They did break the law, but it wasn't particularly serious. The most crucial point is—the impact is enormous. If not handled properly, by next Monday at the latest, these people outside could flood Woolworth Building and overturn the entire Magical Congress!"

"Look, Dumbledore, there are nearly a thousand people outside."

Felix didn't listen closely. He walked out of the hotel and looked at the crowd that was still gathering, more than half of whom were American visitors.

With these enthusiastic people around, the important figures probably won't be able to leave the hotel until a conclusion is reached.

A French worker maintaining order said with dissatisfaction, "Actually, they can all be considered illegal immigrants... it's just that at this critical juncture, nobody cares."

"But I hope those Americans will be severely punished afterwards!"

……

Felix stood on a small hill, gazing at the hotel in the distance. The view of the surging crowd from this angle offered a unique sense of detachment, which made his thinking more rational.

Ministry of Magic...ordinary wizards...students...

Yuria's actions gave him a completely new understanding of the organization of the magical world.

A person nearby chimed in, "I never thought I'd see something like this in my lifetime."

Felix had noticed someone approaching earlier. He turned around and saw an old man shuffling over with small, trembling steps. His face was very pale, as if it had been painted white. It was hard to tell whether his hair or his face was whiter.

He hurried over and took his arm.

"Ouch!" the old man cried out in pain.

"Uh, please forgive me?" Felix looked at him, puzzled.

"It's alright, people get old, and their bones become a bit brittle."

Felix looked at him strangely, wondering whether he should suggest that he take some calcium supplements.

Speaking of which, do calcium supplements work for wizards?

This part of the story is almost over; it was mainly to expand the world-building, and there won't be any political involvement later. Back to school tomorrow.

PS: Unfamiliar characters who have appeared in recent chapters:

Besni (seriously injured and treated by Felix, she is the catalyst for the incident);

Yuria (student leader);

Daniel (an American Auror and a member of the Reformation, who has been secretly passing on intelligence).

Byers (Bethney's brother, the one whose mask was removed by Felix);

Matt (whom Felix overhears and learns about the captured attacker);

The others were all extras.

(End of this chapter)