To treat King George's mental illness, Lord North had summoned the Minister for Magic in 1782, during the American Revolutionary War.
MACUSA had also convened a congress in 1777 to discuss whether to join the Muggles' war. To accommodate more people, MACUSA had even expanded its assembly hall.
Because disagreements had persisted, Elizabeth Ligeti, then leader of the Magical Congress, asked for the British Ministry of Magic's opinion. Their reply was, "Sitting this one out," to which Elizabeth responded, "Mind you do."
By that rule, French wizards should not participate in the actions the Muggles were about to undertake either. As the goddess of the hunt had told Hippolytus: no god could act without regard for the wishes of the others; they remained aloof and neutral.
That had also been the French Ministry of Magic's consistent approach after the French Revolution. Citizens of the Wizarding World had to unite in order to maintain relative independence and integrity amid the Muggles' ever-rising tides.
But there were now two special circumstances.
First, there were the mercenaries from America. There was no guarantee that those Scourers would not take advantage of the chaos to cause trouble.
Second, all manner of monsters and demons lurking in Paris. When the king's head fell, they had nearly all emerged from hiding to snatch that rare sacrifice.
So Georgiana concentrated most of her forces in those two places, while placing a small number of guards at the Palace of Versailles as well.
Talent belonged to wizards; fate belonged to Muggles. She had merely told Rabastan to do his best. If Napoleon truly met his downfall here, that was a choice he had made himself.
The old fool had said that what determined their fate was not the abilities they possessed, but the choices they made.
Once fire