Hermione was not here to look for food. Despite her principles being polished to a smooth and flexible state due to continuous adventures, it baffled her how she constantly found herself among those who took breaking school rules (and sometimes laws!) as lightly as eating and drinking.
Unless there was a sufficient excuse, she always tried to act more upright.
Thus, she hesitated to mention an accidental creation of a Sniffle Mirror, inspired by Grindelwald, who had once given one to Neville. But the words stopped at her lips; it sounded too deliberate.
"I'm not hungry—" Hermione opened her mouth to say, only for her stomach to betray her with a growl the next second. Her face flushed as if on fire.
The flames in the fireplace roared. Hermione didn’t recall sitting down, but as she came to her senses, she found herself properly seated on a small round stool (provided by the house-elves), staring at the sizzling fish in the fireplace, her face heated by the fire.
Hermione looked down to find Valen looking up at her, its black eyes blinking.
"I've been quite busy lately, not often at school," Felix said. "I heard the students quite like the lessons in Classroom Seven?"
"Oh, yes. Professor, what have you been busy with these days?"
"Just traveling around. I dealt with a magical incident yesterday," Felix explained upon seeing Hermione's surprised look. "It was accidental. A farmer found an automatic stirring cauldron discarded by a wizard. The magic on it had worn off, but it still contained a failed brew of the Draught of Living Death. The farmer used it to mix a pesticide, and the next morning found thirty cows in an unbreakable sleep… It even made the news."
"Was the abandoned cauldron an accident, or was it intentionally left there?" Hermione asked, frowning. "I know some wizards like to play pranks on Muggles. Ron's father has dealt with similar cases.""It's hard to say," Felix pondered. "I guess it was an accident. Recently, many wizards living among Muggles have returned to the wizarding world. Just Hogsmeade alone has expanded twice its size. It could have been left behind during a move."
"Mr. Harp, Miss Granger." At that moment, a house-elf wearing a wide white turban appeared, carrying a silver tray with a plate of biscuits and three glasses of pumpkin juice. "Thank you, Yunber," Felix said, picking up a biscuit. Hermione also thanked him, and Felix quickly noticed the difference in addressing.
"Do you know Yunber?" he asked. The emphasis was not on the surname.
"Yes," the house-elf Yunber replied respectfully. "Miss Granger used to visit often. We were puzzled at first, and some elves were displeased. But we understood later—she was advocating for our rights."
Hermione waved her hands, urging Yunber not to continue, and the elf bowed deeply before leaving. Actually, Felix was quite interested in knowing the house-elves' opinion on the Pan-Magic Alliance, as well as what the Ministry of Magic staff would say. Maybe they received additional holidays and funds for gifts.
The kitchen became quiet for a while. Then, Hermione heard the sound of metal clashing. She turned her head to see Valen pulling out a miniature knife and fork from its pocket and a palm-sized emerald green handkerchief to tie around its neck. When it noticed Hermione staring, it hesitated before handing her another red handkerchief.
"Squeak?"
"Oh, I don't need it, and it's too small anyway, not suitable—" Hermione murmured, but Felix said, "I'll take one too." Valen let out a dissatisfied squeak and slowly pulled out a bright yellow handkerchief to stuff into his hand. Felix waved it in the air, and the handkerchief magically enlarged, adorned with a circle of magical runes.
He placed the significantly enlarged handkerchief on his lap and looked at Hermione.
Hermione also took out her wand and pointed it at the handkerchief, which immediately transformed into a wide dining cloth. Then, the fireplace in front of them brightened, and a dozen delicious roasted fish hung in front of them, looking very appetizing.
Felix, Hermione, and Valen each received a roasted fish, and the rest were given to the house-elves, who did not refuse but diligently brought over three small tables and placed them in front of them. Then, they retreated to enjoy their meal.
This act, contrary to the nature of house-elves, astonished Hermione, but it indeed happened. The only explanation was that the same scenario had repeated countless times, and the elves knew persuasion was hopeless, so they no longer wasted their efforts.
Hermione bit into the fish, not feeling any bones, and couldn't help but admire the magic
of deboning.
The meal was exceedingly strange.
It felt like a banquet with many attendees, but the house-elves were mostly silent. From their satisfied shaking bodies and subtle movements, it was clear they were in a good mood, giving Hermione the illusion of participating in a mysterious tribal celebration.
Moreover, from the house-elves' swallowing motions, she uncovered a secret—thanks to sitting on a stool less than a foot high, she could clearly see—it's difficult for wizards to distinguish the gender of house-elves from their appearance. But today, Hermione learned that male house-elves have a slightly protruding Adam's apple, while female house-elves have softer neck lines, hardly noticeable. Just like humans.
Hermione suspected this secret remained undiscovered because house-elves always spoke with their heads bowed. As the plates emptied and they had their fill, Hermione finally remembered why she came.
"Um, Professor?" she said, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "Those children you rescued from the U.S. government..." Felix turned towards her, his plate already empty. "...the newspapers are buzzing, but the opinions are mixed,"
"That's normal," Felix muttered. "When you put yourself in the public eye, unless it's disastrously bad, you'll always receive both praise and criticism. But I think few would question the necessity of rescuing those children, right?"
"Right. With the publication of 'Aiding the Public Disclosure of Magic,' many anthropologists and historians now recognize ancient wizards as one of the early humans. The director of the British National Museum claimed evidence from primitive human cave paintings: suggesting wizards were born among warriors and shamans. The former gained magical powers by fighting magical creatures, while the latter conducted rituals using the blood and bones of magical creatures..."
Felix was non-committal about this speculation. He had similar guesses, but they were just that—guesses. The true origin of wizards, due to the passage of time, remains unknown. Moreover, the criteria for defining the emergence of wizards vary. What marks the appearance of wizards? Is it the creation of 'magical tools' from parts of magical creatures, or from the first manifestation of mystical forces in ancient humans? Or—does it only truly begin when magical knowledge is compiled and shared with other talented individuals, indicating the shift from individual practitioners to a community?
Each of these scenarios carries significant implications. The first represents humanity's attempt to harness magical power; the second, the emergence of magic in wizards; the third suggests that magic can be taught, meaning the control of magic shifts from individuals to a group.
Or maybe all these theories are incorrect. Why couldn't magical creatures and wizards have appeared simultaneously?
Felix didn't overly concern himself with the answer to this question. His insistence on including this "unverified history" in negotiations was merely from a human moral standpoint, to avoid many problems.
After Hermione presented the information compiled from clippings, she concluded:
"The controversy lies in the methods you used—they hope to solve problems through legal means, not confrontation, and there's endless debate over whether wizards have the right to investigate and enforce laws."
Felix said softly but firmly, "They can discuss, but I won't compromise on this issue."
Hermione bit her lip. Her purpose tonight wasn't for this discussion, especially since Grindelwald's stance was far more radical—he advocated for outright vengeance, believing that once a nation or individual steals a wizard's power, wizards could use any means for retaliation, like the witch who lost her daughter and incinerated the laboratory with Fiendfyre.
"How are those children doing?" she asked quietly.
"They're okay, just a bit shaken," Felix glanced at her, choosing not to divulge more details. "The therapists at Ilvermorny will take good care of them, including necessary examinations—magic isn't the only way to modify memories, but non-magical methods are cumbersome and require a long-term, closed environment."
"So, I just did a quick check for tracking devices on them."
"Tracking devices?" Hermione said in surprise. "Won't those magical substitutes fail? I read in 'Hogwarts: A History'—"
"Relying on them to fail automatically is too passive and defeatist when the opposition is deliberately searching," Felix said, then paused, seemingly hesitant to reveal more, but continued, "I suspect the local government vaguely knows some wizarding community locations. The relationship between the American Wizarding Congress and the Muggle government is not good. As potential enemies, they naturally try to gather useful intelligence. Keeping everything secret is quite difficult."
"But—" Hermione's face showed astonishment.
"You worry they might follow leads and initiate conflicts proactively?"
Hermione nodded.
"That possibility is minimal," Felix smiled. "All wizarding communities—especially schools—are shrouded in magic, at the very least protected by Muggle-Repelling Charms and warning spells, covering a vast area. Whether pure technological means can decipher this—I don't know if
it's feasible, but it would take time. Wizards inside can quickly evacuate; as for using heavy weaponry... It might have been a possibility at the start, but now it's nearly gone."
Hermione looked puzzled at Felix, who waved his hand, confining their conversation to be heard only by them.
"Granger... since your career path is toward being Minister of Magic, and you've indeed shown potential in this area, we can delve deeper into this issue. I don't want this conversation to go public, including Harry, Ron, and your parents. Not a word... do you agree?"
Hermione agreed nervously.
"Good, let's take the U.S. as an example. Due to historical reasons, their wizard population is much lower, around forty to fifty thousand. Let's discuss the most extreme scenario—these wizards suddenly suffer a catastrophic attack, with heavy losses, but there's still a good chance that half of the wizards survive, assuming the American Wizarding Congress was foolish enough to miss any signs."
Hermione visualized the scenario, having seen documentaries on human wars and understanding the horror of intensive bombardment. She shuddered, turning pale.
"But then what?"
"This would be the start of a war, not the end. If this happens, many wizards will flee, but a significant number will stay to fight to the death, because they've lost family and friends, everything... A person with nothing left, filled only with thoughts of revenge, becomes a mindless beast and the most stubborn warrior. History has shown that weapons evolve fastest during wars, but I'm 100 percent sure that wizards' growth will be even faster, especially when they allow hatred to fill their hearts. War makes people cold and numb; at that point, Fiendfyre would be the least of the cruel methods..."
"No, that's too horrific, we must never let that happen," Hermione whispered.
Felix watched her quietly, then said, "That's what we're working on. Forget it. It was just an academic discussion, a hypothesis, and one that's highly unlikely to occur. Otherwise, what have we been working for these past few months? You should go now, it's almost lights out."
Hermione silently headed towards the kitchen exit, with Valen yawning and curling up in Felix's arms. They reached the hall, and Hermione suddenly said, "Wait, Professor, I have something very important to tell you, that's why I was looking for you—I went to your office, but you weren't there."
The emotional impact she had just experienced almost made her forget the real purpose of her visit.
"What is it?"
"This morning, while sorting through clippings, Harry, Ron, and I discussed a possibility..." Hermione quickly recounted the day's events, and Felix shook his head, "The American Wizarding Congress is guarding against this, they've had some conflicts with the Muggle government over it. As for unenrolled young wizards, indeed, that's a loophole, but Ilvermorny—"
"Professor, you mean Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has their names recorded, right?" Hermione interjected.
Felix's expression grew solemn, clearly understanding the exploitable loophole Hermione implied... A flash of insight crossed his mind, remembering something Professor McGonagall had mentioned: "Three students refused to enroll."
It wasn't a big deal to refuse enrollment; he hadn't paid much attention before.
The procedure was standard. Typically, when this happened, Hogwarts would send multiple professors and parents to communicate. If that failed, it was reported to the Ministry of Magic, which sent special agents to handle it (using Obliviate if necessary), accompanied by years of supervision. This process usually lasted until adulthood (less concern as time passed), meaning those who abandoned magic rarely accidentally cast spells due to emotional outbursts, and their magical power gradually became dormant due to lack of practice.
This differed from Obscurus. Obscurus usually faced physical or mental abuse in childhood, becoming hateful and repressive of their magical abilities, refusing to cast spells. They had almost no interaction with those who abandoned magic because Obscurus rarely lived past ten.
Felix only became aware that some rare Obscurus could live past ten after learning about Dumbledore's sister's fate, briefly mentioning it to Professor McGonagall.
"...Hagrid's hut lights were always on, making us think he was inside, but he had actually gone out. Harry's Marauder's Map has a limited search range; once Hagrid ventured deep into the Forbidden Forest, he became untraceable," Hermione continued, her lips trembling, "But the question is, was he really in the Forbidden Forest at that time? What did he encounter? We don't know anything..."
There was no need to continue.
Felix fully understood her point, which made his expression unprecedentedly solemn.
Harry's Marauder's Map covered the same range as the American Wizarding Congress could monitor. Hagrid represented those
unenrolled young wizards; if they continued living locally, they naturally wouldn't face danger, and any incidents would be quickly noticed. But what if one day they decided to emigrate? Or for some other reason? The vast ocean is beyond the reach of wizard magic.
Right now, as they spoke, could there be one or two boats, or submarines, carrying wandering young wizards? Before landing, no one knows what happened to them. Naturally, this includes the possibility of never reaching shore.
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