Half an hour later, Amelia, Sirius, and Alastor returned to the banquet hall.
But the waiter who had guided the three of them was nowhere to be seen.
Beneath the dazzling chandeliers, the meticulously arranged tables displayed an overwhelming variety of colorful delicacies, yet few people touched them.
The political figures from the various Ministries of Magic wore appropriate smiles. Even immersed in this great historical moment, they did not miss the chance to raise their own profiles and secure benefits for their respective wizarding worlds.
According to unofficial statistics, the agreements reached by Ministers for Magic at a single banquet were equivalent to a year's worth of diplomatic achievements by their countries' Departments of International Magical Cooperation.
After re-entering the banquet hall, Sirius and Alastor casually took two glasses of champagne from a nearby waiter's tray and returned to the inconspicuous window where they had stood before.
"Can you see anything, Alastor?"
After clinking glasses with Alastor, Sirius lowered his head to take a sip, using it as cover while speaking softly. His gray eyes, chilled with frost, casually swept over the quiet garden outside the hotel building, shrouded in dim light.
Among the elegant grounds decorated with carefully arranged, precious flowers and trees, security personnel could occasionally be seen patrolling along the paths.
Other than that, there was no suspicious figure in sight.
Alastor's magical eye spun wildly in its socket. The shadows beneath the verdant plants in the garden, the rooms beside the hotel hall, even the floors above and below—all lay within his surveillance.
"Everything's normal, Sirius," Alastor said hoarsely.
Rather than reassuring Sirius, this made him even more uneasy beneath his impassive expression.
Compared with Alastor and Minister Bones, he trusted Amosta's judgment more deeply.
If Amosta believed something would happen tonight, then something definitely