A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 164: Ambush

Chapter 164: Ambush

As the evening descended, peculiarly dressed wizards emerged in various corners of the hotel. Felix Harp stood in the hotel garden, observing a group of wizards climbing a small hill.

From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Maxwell and a stern-looking woman engaged in conversation, the former appearing quite impatient.

"This is France, Célestine! Not America. You can't command me in the name of your legislature!"

The woman called Célestine had an exquisite and serious countenance, meticulously dressed from head to toe, without a hint of imperfection. She seemed like a capable government official who had just rushed over from a Muggle government building kilometers away to attend a charity event in the slums.

Especially notable were the several wizards standing beside her in pleated robes and cornette hats, solemnly gesturing and pointing at an automated sprinkler, further adding to the persuasiveness of her identity.

In this moment, flames seemed to flicker in her gray eyes, and though she pursed her lips, restraining herself from saying anything hurtful, her response remained steadfast: "The law is an inviolable boundary; we must take action."

"We will handle it," Maxwell retorted stiffly. He emphasized the word 'we,' seemingly reminding the woman across from him that their understanding of the term greatly differed.

The two soon parted ways.

Felix walked over, the anger of the French Auror still apparent on her face.

"She's far too arrogant, thinking I'm her subordinate!"

"Who is she?" Felix inquired.

"A formidable woman, Noël Célestine, the foremost figure of the American Wizarding Congress."

"What does she want?"

"To have American Aurors dispatched here, under the pretense of assisting in apprehending potential criminals," Maxwell said with a stern expression.

Felix clicked his tongue, genuinely surprised by such a demand. He almost wanted to outright point at the French Ministry of Magic and berate, "You're utterly rubbish; I don't trust you. I'll send my own people."

"If she's so distrustful, why didn't she just hold the meeting in America from the start?" Felix asked, raising a similar question he had posed earlier.

"Factional struggles? Hidden agendas? Well, from what I gather, many oppose her..."

Sensitively, Felix asked, "Who opposes her?"

"Uh... I didn't remember," Maxwell revealed an embarrassed expression, muttering under his breath, "The department prepared some documents for me, including various clippings, left in my room, but I didn't look closely... Do you want to see?"

"If it's convenient, thank you, Maxwell."

"Ha, I suppose we're practically acquainted now. And you have a taste in food that resonates with mine; I love that dish of red wine-stewed beef." Maxwell joked.

The lingering resentment dissolved in that moment.

The next day, on the eve of the official start of the conference, more wizards arrived, their numbers exceeding a hundred by a rough count.

One consequence of this was the odd looks the hotel staff gave them.

"Tell me, are you part of some peculiar organization, like 'eccentric dress fetishists' or something?" The hotel receptionist chatted with Felix. Among these individuals, only a few were dressed normally, and among them, Felix was the youngest and most handsome.

"You could say that," he replied, so you don't really figure it out and end up getting hit with an Obliviate charm.

Soon, he spotted the figure of Professor Bobage. He went to meet her, taking the small box from her hand. "You arrived a bit later than I anticipated."

Bobage sighed, "I revised my presentation for the conference; I've been preoccupied these past few days."

Felix accompanied Professor Bobage to her room, and the two chatted along the way—

"Do you propose marriages between wizards and werewolves?" Felix Harp asked in astonishment.

"Not only werewolves," Professor Bobage corrected, "I see the advantages of crossbreeding. I suggest unions between pure-bloods and half-bloods, Muggles, and even some humanoid magical beings."

Felix's expression grew rigid. He leaned against the door for a while before speaking, "Do you have any theoretical basis for this?"

Professor Bobage said, "It's an inspiration I gathered from Muggle literature. Although that Muggle named Mendel used peas for his experiments. But... I've also researched a lot of wizarding data, and it's true that half-blood wizards have achieved more in the past century."

Felix felt a headache coming on. He didn't know how to advise his colleague.

Once her theory was thrown out, it was akin to detonating a nuclear bomb.

Moreover, the theory's correctness was still questionable, but it would undoubtedly face frenzied resistance from pure-blood families all over the world.

"Professor Bobage," Felix said tactfully, "given the current sentiment in the magical world, most wizards are not mentally prepared to accept this theory. Perhaps we can modify the topic slightly, approaching it from a safer angle."

Professor Bobage looked at him and softly asked, "What's your suggestion?"

"With the current tendency of the magical world to isolate itself, advocate for various magical governments to focus on the outside world—Muggle technology, novel theories, and even limited cooperation with Muggle governments. Or, start from the perspective of ordinary wizards, encouraging young graduates to engage in practical experience in the Muggle world. At least they can accumulate work experience..."

"Most wizards have long disconnected from society."

Felix used Carroway as an example, "After graduation, he entered a Muggle institution of higher learning. Perhaps in a few years, he'll be an authority on Muggle issues in the French wizarding world."

Professor Bobage pondered.

Felix persuaded, "This aligns with the theme of the current conference, and once the snowball starts rolling, even the most stubborn pure-blood families will be swept along by the tide of the times."

"But..." Professor Bobage wasn't entirely satisfied with this perspective. Although she was a Muggle Studies professor, she didn't believe that the two worlds could cooperate or that cooperation was necessary.

She merely saw the irrationality of the pure-blood ideology in the wizarding world and proposed her solution.

...

The next day, July 20th, the conference officially began.

Noël Célestine, as the representative of the International Confederation of Wizards and the initiator of the conference, presided over the entire event. However, she seemed distracted.

She kept looking in one direction, where a tall, weathered-looking man stood. Every few minutes, he would step out and return, making a gesture towards her when he did.

Delegates from each country took the stage to speak, and Felix Harp found himself growing drowsy.

It was hard to imagine that these outdated notions were coming from the mouths of the most renowned group of Muggle issue researchers.

The only amusement came when a wizard proposed the "Muggle threat theory," and a German wizard berated him as a "Grindelwald sympathizer," throwing a shoe at him.

Perhaps Bobage's perspective would be drowned out in this flood of verbose speeches... Felix thought.

"Professor Bobage, what's your speaking order?"

"I have two wizards ahead of me."

Soon, Professor Bobage stood on the platform. She cleared her throat, her face displaying a poignant expression. Felix knew she hadn't heeded his advice.

But at that moment, the weathered man rushed in, shouting, "Attack!!!"

"Boom!"

A massive explosion rang out behind him.

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