Chapter 790: Chapter 790

"I don't deny it," Ms. Bonham said calmly, "In the official definition, Knockturn Alley is another magical commercial area besides Diagon Alley, where a variety of items are sold, with a much richer variety than Diagon Alley. Many of these items are of no practical use, or are second-hand goods, or have damaged functionality... Naturally, this also includes some dangerous goods. Law enforcement officers target transactions involving the latter category of goods."

"...Different people have different perceptions of it. If one is just a student, or a law-abiding civilian, they might never set foot in Knockturn Alley their whole life. But if their interests are unique enough, such as an interest in ancient magical items, cheap novelty gadgets, rare magical materials, or simply wanting to cure a rare plant disease that conventional methods can't handle... they might as well try their luck there. Of course—you have to be mindful of your wallet and your safety at all times. There are always some strange and dangerous people walking around there. But they haven't committed any crimes, so the Aurors can't deal with them."

"It sounds like a large unregulated market," the Prime Minister said in a dry voice.

"Do your regular markets not have stolen goods, abused drugs, and second-hand firearms?" Ms. Bonham asked.

The Prime Minister fell silent.

"The most common sight in Knockturn Alley is petty thieves—or smugglers, or enthusiasts of dark magic, the latter also classified as dark wizards, but they are much more lovable than truly cruel and evil dark wizards. At least the Aurors don't have to worry too much about a killing curse flying at them from across the street during enforcement," Ms. Bonham concluded.

"What do real dark wizards look like?" the Prime Minister asked.

"Or perhaps, what do dark wizards who harbor strong animosity towards Muggles look like?" Ms. Bonham adjusted her monocle, "You should have seen his capabilities this morning, even though he himself didn't show his face, it was his saints who caused the disturbance."

"Grindelwald? Oh, right, I was just about to ask, you mean he's the mastermind behind all this? An extremist subversive?" the Prime Minister asked eagerly, "I watched the interview with that guy who caused a tornado in front of the Parliament building, watched it several times!" He couldn't contain his anger, slamming his fist on the desk again.

"If you knew what he had done in the past, you wouldn't ask that question," Ms. Bonham said seriously, waving her wand, and a bulging folder appeared on the desk, "Here are some materials we've compiled, his ideology, his claims, his influence..."

The Prime Minister opened the folder and poured out a newspaper clipping from it, which seemed quite old and yellowed.

"...It's worth mentioning that the evaluation criteria for battles between wizards and Muggles are very different. I know that Muggle armies rely more on collective strength, while wizards—" Ms. Bonham sighed, "Some people only need a wand to do all sorts of incredible things."

" man?" the Prime Minister asked uncomfortably, frowning at the photo of the man exuding evil on the newspaper.

"The man in the news said he's dead."

"...Yes, alas, it would be better if he were still here. He thwarted Grindelwald's plots to rule the world many times," Ms. Bonham sighed, seeing the Prime Minister gaping, seemingly speechless, she continued, "But that doesn't mean he's unrestrained. We also have great wizards who touch on the essence of magic in certain areas. He—oh, the researchers in the department borrowed Professor Harp's classification of magic, and the form is also included in the file."

"Professor Harp? Is he a scholar in this field?" the Prime Minister turned his gaze to the relatively inconspicuous Felix.

"No, he's currently the only one who can resist Grindelwald, even though he's young, only—" Ms. Bonham paused, turning to Felix, seeming equally surprised by the number she was about to say, "If I'm not mistaken, you're only 26 years old?"

Felix nodded, "If magic is compared to science, those who wield power can only be considered scientists of the magical world, and I happen to have some talent. There's no need to make a fuss."

"Yeah, 26 is nothing, many scientists have published the most important papers of their lives at this age, like Einstein, I remember he did something earth-shattering at 26..."

"He proposed the theory of special relativity," Felix kindly reminded him.

"Grindelwald nearly destroyed a city in the 1920s?" the Prime Minister asked incredulously as he flipped through the documents, glancing quickly at the parchment, "Was it Paris? How did he manage that?"

"A runaway spell," Felix said softly.

"Inferno," he flicked his fingertips, playing with a small flame, "Even in the magical world, it's considered an extremely evil curse. The reason it's called a curse is because it can perceive living creatures and prioritize them as targets, it's hard to extinguish, can only wait for it to burn out on its own—oh, I mean, it can't be extinguished by conventional means, but there's a counter-curse."

The Prime Minister stared at the small flame in his hand, silent. For original chapters go to noⅴelfire.net

"The flame in my hand is just an ordinary fire, no different from the flame of a lighter," Felix said.

"Felix, are you sure he used Inferno?" at this point, Bonham asked in confusion, "There's still no consensus in the magical world."

"He trained Inferno," Felix said in a flat tone, "Grindelwald seems to be very good at blending magic, like the one I saw in the materials, I suspect it's a combination of advanced forms of armor and the Inferno curse. Not a haphazard combination, but a fusion of the characteristics of different curses, perhaps mixed with others... I'm sure his research into magic itself is extremely thorough."

The Prime Minister swallowed and continued to read the documents, occasionally asking one or two questions.

Exiting the Prime Minister's residence, Bonham breathed a sigh of relief.

"It wasn't a wasted trip, although the Prime Minister didn't promise to stand with us... at least he pledged to facilitate negotiations to the best of his ability, and he also requested that we continue to maintain magical order during this time, um, which we were planning to do anyway."

"This is just the first step," Felix raised an eyebrow, calmly remarking, "The Prime Minister is half-aware of the existence of the wizarding world, having had past interactions. He won't come out swinging right away, but he's facing a group completely ignorant of wizards, and this Prime Minister isn't known for being decisive or resilient... Let's wait and see."

"Sigh, I was actually considering stepping down."

"That doesn't sound like something coming from you," Felix turned his head in surprise.

"I'm serious," Bonham said earnestly, "I'm not trying to evade responsibility, I just feel increasingly inadequate, unable to lead the people in facing the current crisis. Maybe it's better if you become Minister of Magic, and I assist you as the Head of Law Enforcement..."

"No, I don't have that intention."

"Alright, let's have a frank discussion," Felix stared directly into Bonham's eyes, "At this moment, I can't stay on the sidelines anymore. I do intend to seize power— but not as Minister of Magic, do you understand?"

"Then—" Bonham blinked, shocked, "As the President of the International Confederation of Wizards?"

"But what about Akingbade's and Grindelwald's vows?"

"Amelia, not now, of course. Let's take a longer view: even if wizarding society and the Muggle world reach a reconciliation, will conflicts and tensions disappear instantly? From the moment both sides sign a peace treaty, it will take at least until the new generation grows up for it to take effect."

Under the cover of the dark night, Felix elaborated on his thoughts, while Bonham listened quietly.

"...Whether it's wizard children or Muggle children, they may still be in diapers, babbling, and taking their first steps at this moment. But they will eventually grow up in a new world order, which is what I hope to see— not Muggles feeling unfamiliar and fearful of magic as they do now, nor wizards feeling adrift in the sunlight."

In the silence and stillness, moonlight shone on Bonham's hopeful and resolute face.

"Then go ahead and do it, Felix, I'll fully support you," she said.

"We've taken the first step tonight: by pushing the International Confederation of Wizards and other countries aside, successfully shifting conflicts from the vast topic of Muggles and wizards to internal affairs of individual nations. If all goes well, we might just become the first successful example!"

"You'll also gain immense prestige from this and step onto a bigger stage?" Bonham asked excitedly.

"Yeah, so I can't afford to slack off anymore. Didn't you say you're giving a speech to all British wizards? Include me in that."

"Are you trying to wriggle out of it?" she widened her eyes.

"Ahem, I'm still in the adjustment phase," Felix averted his gaze, his eyes flickering, "Let's go. We need to talk to the undercover agent in the newspaper office, and then I have to make a trip to Hogsmeade... There's too much going on, and many of my research plans have been forced to be put on hold."

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