Chapter 797: Chapter 797

"I'll keep an eye on the news from Ottery St. Catchpole village for you, Harry," said Harry quietly as Percy and several Ministry workers stood before the students, instructing them on what to do.

The students' task was significant but boiled down to individual actions. They first sorted through newspaper articles with mentions of 'wizards' or 'magic,' then roughly categorized them (currently only into two groups: benign and malicious). The sorted clippings were then passed to another group of students, all from Muggle backgrounds, responsible for identifying higher-priority news, typically from influential media or those with extreme viewpoints or statistical data.

"When dealing with any group controversy, the first consideration is the base rate, proportion, and probability of different situations," Hermione said to Harry and Ron.

"Whose viewpoint is that?" Harry asked.

"Professor Harp mentioned it in a report," Hermione replied without hesitation.

"That sounds too fancy for him," Ron analyzed, rubbing his chin.

"That's because you never read serious articles!"

"She's just blabbering," Ron said to Harry after Hermione left. "Nothing's more serious and boring than 'A History of Magic,' and I endured that for five whole years! Add in Professor Binns's lectures, and it's torture..."

"It's time to show off your skills in that area," Harry said dryly, eyes fixed on a death notice in the newspaper:

Harry scratched his head. Should he cut it out? But which category should it fall under? Probably benign.

Nearly two hours later, they were finally done. Harry rubbed his sore neck. Among the thirty-plus pieces of information he collected, some were good, some bad, but all within acceptable limits. Ron was about the same.

Harry looked up and suddenly noticed a new wall in the Great Hall. Percy and several workers stood in front, occasionally hanging clippings on it, surrounded by a circle of students with solemn expressions. Harry approached and found a huge map of Britain on the wall, with some lines and symbols of special significance, reminiscent of the tactical boards in the players' restrooms.

"The more remote the countryside, the stronger the wizard's rejection," he heard Percy say in a low voice.

"Probably related to religion," another person said.

Harry's heart sank as he recalled what Simo had said to him last night. Suddenly, it felt like a stone was pressing on his chest, making it hard to breathe. His breath sprayed onto the back of a student's neck in front of him, and the person turned - Draco Malfoy looked at him with a strange expression, seeming angry yet hiding something else.

He moved aside. Harry glanced at him in surprise, then took a step forward.

Harry saw more clearly now, a bloody headline occupying a third of the page: 'All wizards should go to hell.' He frowned. For original chapters go to novèlfire.net

"Oh, ignore that, it's just a third-rate local paper," Hermione squeezed in from behind the crowd, holding a stack of clippings in her hand. She said irritably, "I bet their readership doesn't exceed a thousand—what's really troublesome is this." She waved a clipping in front of Harry and Draco.

'Counting the Suspected Malignant Incidents in History.'

"Is it true?" Harry asked in astonishment.

"It doesn't matter if it's true or not; it used the word 'suspected,'" Hermione said disdainfully. "But linking wizards with malignant incidents clearly has ill intentions." She passed the clipping to Percy, crossing over Harry.

"Oh, by the way, Harry—I just forgot to mention, your letter made it into the newspaper."

Over the next few days, various pieces of information continued to pour in.

Ms. Bonham compiled their recent practices into a booklet and submitted it to the International Confederation of Wizards. According to the representative stationed there, over two hundred people were arguing in the lobby of the headquarters, with African delegates alone comprising a quarter of the number.

"Before this, African autonomous institutions gained international support by banding together, which is how Akingbade came to power. Of course, it must be admitted that he himself demonstrated considerable ability before the crisis arose and was trusted by all parties," the representative bluntly stated.

"But as the wizarding world has been thoroughly exposed, their attitudes have changed. Many demands are surprising—such as a place I can't recall by name, not even as large as a British county, with just over a hundred wizards. They have a good relationship with the local Muggle military regime, maintaining a semi-public alliance; but that Muggle military regime is trying to conquer a tribe, which also has wizards, though in single digits, they are still an obstacle."

This news shocked many.

"Doesn't the International Confederation of Wizards intervene?" Sirius looked surprised. "What about the secrecy laws? Aren't wizards strictly prohibited from getting involved in Muggle disputes?"

"The Statute of Secrecy isn't foolproof, it varies from person to person... and adapts to the situation! Africa's environment is already unique, and coupled with the lack of attention there... Anyway, the International Confederation of Wizards has always had low demands on them, as long as they don't cause major chaos."

Professor Lupin raised his eyebrows gently.

"If I understand correctly—before the Statute became meaningless, wizards with different stances showed restraint, but now..." He paused, "The Muggle military regime won't openly recruit wizards as enforcers, will they?"

"There's already such a tendency," said Madam Bones, "The Confederation has sent warnings to those two groups of wizards, but how effective it will be remains to be seen—each country's magical ministry has recalled their Aurors, leaving them to their own devices. Thus, the coalition of wizards against Grindelwald was short-lived. The Confederation is now just a shell, with greatly diminished authority."

She handed over a transcript of their previous actions to the International Confederation of Wizards, then could only stare helplessly.

"Let's talk about something happier," Madam Bones suddenly smiled, "Kingsley brought back some good news; the Prime Minister's office has finally ended their lengthy meeting and passed a resolution to extend an invitation to the wizards."

Professor Lupin was slightly surprised, then smiled, Moody's magical eye swiveled around, his hand gripping and releasing the cane incessantly, Bill and Fleur hugged each other excitedly, and amidst all the jubilant gazes, Sirius Black hugged Amelia Bones tightly and planted a kiss on her cheek.

A week of tense nerves left them all breathless, now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, everyone was excited. During dinner, Madam Bones sat next to Felix and spoke quietly with him.

"The announcement won't be made until tomorrow; the Prime Minister will send the message through his portrait. They will extend the invitation in the name of the Queen, akin to a private gathering or afternoon tea... Do you have any thoughts?"

Felix pondered for a moment and tentatively asked, "They don't want it to be too formal?"

"Yes, the Prime Minister mentioned that there are still quite a number of skeptics in Parliament." Madam Bones said, "He delicately expressed that the selected negotiating team should not be too serious, and both sides will not engage in substantive negotiations at the outset. This event is basically the wizards' first public appearance—well, actually, it's the second time, although Grindelwald's followers didn't leave a good impression on the world."

"To create a stark contrast with the followers..." Felix mused, his gaze sweeping over the people in the hall, landing on students like Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, his eyes lighting up.

"What do you think of picking a few students to form a delegation?" Madam Bones was about to object, but Felix continued, "With me leading the team."

Madam Bones was taken aback, then quickly thought it over. The conclusion seemed... feasible? With Felix there, there was no need to worry about security issues, she also trusted his wisdom in making decisions on the spot. Moreover, nominally, Felix was a school professor, so it was quite reasonable for a teacher to take students along without any obvious political connotations. As for her fleeting concerns earlier, such as being harassed by Muggle government officials, all would be easily resolved, as the Prime Minister would provide a warning.

It would be best to demonstrate their strength appropriately...

"Let's do it!" Madam Bones said, then hesitated slightly, "Student selection—"

"Select from these hundred or so students, volunteers, and seek their parents' opinions." Felix immediately suggested, "Explain the pros and cons to them, after all, not everyone is willing to appear in public..."

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