So-Called Ancient Magic

Dumbledore rambled on at length. Clearly, he had kept these secrets hidden for a very long time.

"That Apocalypse War lasted for a very, very long time. But in the end, the wizards and the Church joined forces to contain the four most powerful Apocalypses and destroy most of the Dementors, though the sacrifices were immense."

"After the Apocalypse War, the Church, which had been at the height of its power and dominated the entire Muggle world, not only lost its main fighting force but also lost control over the Muggles. It could no longer direct trials against wizards, nor could it guide corrupted emotions to arm itself."

"The wizards, too, saw many bloodlines cut off. Hogwarts even suspended classes for a time. Most crucially, Muggles' hostility toward wizards grew increasingly severe."

Dumbledore spread his hands. "Under those circumstances, the Church and the International Confederation of Wizards of the time—of course, it did not have many members then, though all of Europe was included—chose compromise when neither side could continue fighting. Thus, the wizards' Secrecy Law and the Church's New Edict came into being."

"So, in simple terms, negative emotions and resentment created the so-called Apocalypses and Dementors. They ravaged the world for three hundred years, killing vast numbers of wizards and Church members. After enormous sacrifices, the Apocalypses were killed, and the wizards and Church chose to shut themselves away?"

After hearing Dumbledore's story, Andrew gave a simple summary.

The Church gave up using Muggles to judge wizards in order to forge weapons specifically effective against wizards. It chose to hide its strength while remaining in the open. Wizards gave up their public identities and honor, hiding in the shadows while retaining their magical power.

The so-called Secrecy Law existed to prevent wizards from appearing on a large scale