Downing Street, the Muggle Prime Minister's residence.
Jim Hack, the Prime Minister, took a few nervous, deep breaths, then hesitantly glanced at an old, somewhat worn oil painting in the corner.
He had never imagined he would actually consider contacting those lunatics of his own accord.
Contacting that pudgy, utterly foolish and arrogant-looking Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge.
But there was no choice. In the middle of the night, a call had come from across the ocean. The president of a country on the other side of the Earth had personally told Jim what was happening on British soil and expressed grave concern.
Jim had once complained to his secretary, asking why he had to learn about events in his own country either from the television or the newspapers—or from someone on the other side of the planet.
Was that any way to behave?
Yet even in that frustrating situation, Jim had keenly sensed that something was wrong. The excellent instincts of a politician had kicked in.
—Clearly, President Tom Stark couldn't maintain effective communication with the Magical Congress in his country. That was why he had to get information from Jim and urge him to contact the British Ministry of Magic!
"Aha~"
An information gap. It couldn't have been more wonderful.
The corners of Prime Minister Jim Hack's mouth slowly curled upward, then quickly settled back into a serious expression. He straightened his tie, cleared his throat twice, and addressed the painting on the wall, a hint of apprehension in his voice.
"To the Minister for Magic: I request an urgent meeting. Please respond immediately."
As soon as he finished, a short man who looked like a frog appeared in the painting, wearing a long silver wig. He bowed to Jim, then hurried off toward somewhere beyond the frame.