British Wizards, Universally Self-Assured / An Eight-Year-Old Girl, a Familiar Face from Afar

"It should be somewhere in Scandinavian Peninsula, probably even further north than Norway and Finland," Hermione interjected. "The Europe Magical Education Assessment I read has a suggested location. This school places great emphasis on Dark Magic and refuses admission to students from ordinary backgrounds. The former Dark Lord Gellert Grindelwald graduated from Durmstrang."

"A school's mission and the people who have graduated from it don't fully represent its image. Didn't Hogwarts produce Voldemort too?" Seeing that everyone seemed to have some reservations about the Dark Lord's name, Harry gave his relatively objective assessment, "On the other hand, Durmstrang students, they can endure the freezing cold of Scandinavia for so long, they must have something special about them."

"Oh, really, that's quite a distance." Luna Lovegood blinked, her thoughts clearly starting to wander. "If it's Scandinavia, isn't that very close to Sweden? Does that mean Durmstrang students often see the Crumple-Horned Snorkack?"

"That's impossible! The claim that the Crumple-Horned Snorkack originated in Sweden is just something Xenophilius Lovegood made up." Hermione rolled her eyes dismissively. "Anyway, Durmstrang is definitely at the northernmost point of Europe, but strangely enough, they seem to recruit Bulgaria students as well. For example, the Bulgarian Team in this Quidditch World Cup, their star Seeker, Viktor Krum, is studying at Durmstrang."

"Bulgaria?" Will was taken aback. "Isn't that in Southern Europe? From there, whether you're going to Hogwarts or Beauxbatons, the distance should be much shorter than Durmstrang, right?"

It's no wonder Will was so surprised, because if Durmstrang's location is correct, then traveling from Bulgaria to there would mean crossing the entire length of Europe from north to south, a straight-line distance that could easily exceed 3,000 kilometers!

"Perhaps it's because Durmstrang's first headmistress was a Bulgaria witch," Harry said, shrugging. "And Durmstrang doesn't restrict its students by origin; Pure-blood and Half-blood students from all over the world can attend, as long as they aren't of common birth. In contrast, Beauxbatons accepts students from the seven Western European countries and Southern Europe, such as Spain and Italy, while Hogwarts only accepts students from Britain and Ireland."

"Hogwarts... it really is like that." Hermione tilted her head and thought for a moment. She didn't seem to have ever seen any exchange students at Hogwarts.

There were only three outsiders in the entire school, but whether it was Cho Chang or the Patil Sisters, they were only of Chinese and Indian descent, respectively, and were essentially Britain.

"Hogwarts' educational philosophy is actually a legacy issue from its Four Founders. They couldn't even reach a consensus on whether to admit students from ordinary backgrounds, let alone foreigners," Harry interjected. "However, there are actually quite a few foreign students in the school. They were able to get into Hogwarts because they obtained Britain or Ireland citizenship through the Ministry of Magic."

"But if that's the case, wouldn't Hogwarts have very little interaction with other magic schools?" Will asked, puzzled.

"In fact, there isn't much interaction between magic schools around the world. Magic schools are the most important way for wizards to pass on their knowledge today, and the existence of each school is a closely guarded secret." Hearing Will's words, Harry shook his head and explained, "Among all the magic schools, Hogwarts has relatively close interactions with the outside world. At least there used to be two traditional inter-school competitions that broadened the horizons of Hogwarts students."

"What are those two traditional inter-school competitions?"

Everyone looked at them with puzzled expressions; even Hermione didn't know much about the two major events.

"One of these two major competitions is the Triwizard Tournament, which involves three Europe schools, but it has been suspended for centuries. The other competition is the Potions Championship, which is jointly organized by Hogwarts and four schools: Koldovstoretz in Russia, the Mahoutokoro, and Uagadou in Uganda. However, it is said that it has not been held for a long time either."

"Huh?" Will's face fell upon hearing this. "Isn't this like there's no communication at all? Why are both events suspended?"

"Because the Triwizard Tournament ruins students, and the Potions Tournament ruins referees," Harry said, shrugging. "Think about it, the potions in the Potions Tournament have to be drunk before they can be evaluated. Who can guarantee that what the participating students brew will be safe? As for the Triwizard Tournament, you should have seen how dangerous that tournament is this school year."

Harry revealed a little inside information to everyone, saying that Hogwarts might hold the Triwizard Tournament again this year, and the other members of the Detective Society couldn't help but secretly look forward to it.

"That's... Salem Witch School? Is that a magic school too? I've never heard of it before?"

As they continued forward, Astoria Greengrass saw a group of middle-aged witches chatting and laughing, with a bright banner hanging high between their tents that read 'School'.

"That's the Salem Witches' Institute, an unofficial magical women's rights organization in the Millennium," Harry shook his head. "There are two magic schools in the Millennium: Ilvermorny in Massachusetts and Castelobruxo in the South Millennium rainforest."

Harry naturally knew quite a bit about magic schools in the United States, after all, Tina had graduated from Ilvermorny.

Moreover, based on his previous investigation into Voldemort's origins— the Gaunt family —it appears that Isolt Thayer, the founder of Ilvermorny, was also a descendant of the Gaunt family.

In other words, Ilvermorny was founded by Salazar Slytherin's direct descendant!

The Snake Wand...

For some reason, a strangely shaped wand suddenly popped into Harry's mind.

(P. S. Two clarifications)

1. Hogwarts only accepts students from Britain and Ireland. This is not an official setting, but Rowling explicitly stated in a 2000 interview that Hogwarts only accepts students from these two places.

2. Regarding the 'Salem Witches' Institute' mentioned in this chapter, please refer to the original text and Chinese translation of Chapter 7 of the Goblet of Fire.

while a group of middle-aged American witches sat gossiping happily beneath a spangled banner stretched between their tents that read: THE SALEM WITCHES' INSTITUTE

Another group of middle-aged American male wizards sat there chatting and laughing, a Winky banner hanging high between their tents: Salem Wizarding Academy

The Chinese version here contains obvious translation errors; "witches" is a witch, so the gender is completely wrong.

In addition, Rowling addressed the issue of translation errors in the Chinese version on Twitter, clarifying that the "Salem Witches' Institute" was a joke she made about the Britain Women's Association; it is an association, not a school that only admits witches.

Above~)

Chapter 557 Britain Wizards: A General Confidence

Salazar Slytherin's wand, Basilisk horn core, Snakewood core, length unknown...

It seems that ever since Harry brought Nagini home, he's been seeing her in his mind quite often. He doesn't know if it's because of Nagini's viper that he's been having these thoughts.

Of course, he was also glad that Rowena was always in his mind stopping him, otherwise Harry might have already flown to Ilvermorny by now.

The wand left behind by Slytherin was definitely a treasure, and a voice inside Harry kept telling him that he had to get his hands on it.

But Harry knew with absolute certainty that this thing would be absolutely harmful to him in his current state.

Because anything Slytherin urged him to find would ultimately end up being prepared by Voldemort for his own purposes.

However, after I've devoured Voldemort alive, I might as well take a trip to America and look for Slytherin's last relic.

Lost in thought about the Snake Wand and other questions, Harry and his companions arrived at the water fountain in a corner of the camp.

At this time, some wizard families with children had already gotten up, and a small queue had formed by the water tap. However, it was clear that not all wizards could adapt to this way of getting water, which was common for ordinary people.

Harry saw many people secretly releasing Aguamenti into their water jugs, and an old wizard arguing with the staff about whether or not he should wear trousers.

"Please, Archie, put these on. You can't walk around in Muggle women's clothes. The Muggle at the gate is starting to get suspicious." The faucet attendant had a long face as he held up a pair of striped trousers and kept shoving them into the hands of the old wizard across the way, hoping he would put them on.

The old wizard opposite him was wearing a long, printed nightgown. Judging from the style, it was clearly the kind of women's nightgown that ordinary people would only wear as a grandmother or great-grandmother.

"I don't care! I bought this outfit from a Muggle store; Muggle usually wear this." The old wizard named Archie angrily refused the staff member's offer. "Anyway, I'm not changing my pants. I'd rather let the healthy breeze blow on my ass!"

"Oh... it's just asking him to put on some pants, why is he reacting so strongly?" Will shrugged, puzzled. "Besides, that floral pajama set really isn't very nice."

"That person should be Archie Emslow. I learned about him when I was compiling modern wizarding history. He's frequently warned for violating the Statute of Secrecy." Harry glanced at him, recognizing him. "This guy is the initiator of a fringe movement called 'Fresh Air Refreshes Totally,' which calls on all wizards to wear robes under all circumstances, regardless of whether ordinary people are present. Wizards who join his organization all have an extreme aversion to ordinary people's trousers, feeling that trousers block the flow of magic in wizards."

"Blocking the magic flow at its source?" Hermione was utterly baffled. "Why would anyone have such an absurd idea?"

"But the truth is, although we all know this idea is absurd, many people have still become members of his FART movement, and they are mostly elderly wizards." Harry shook his head slightly. "And coincidentally, those who have been denouncing and preventing me from revising <A History of Magic> are also mostly these respected old men. In the end, isn't it just that they consider magic noble and think that everything ordinary people History of Magic is inferior and clumsy? Little do they know, in the world of ordinary people, they have already been labeled as heretics."

"Wizards and... ordinary people, we're all human, can't we really accept each other?"

Hearing Harry's words, Will sighed heavily. He carried the unique identity of both a prince and a wizard, and he understood the feeling of being caught in the middle even better than most people.

"Will, you're overthinking it." After getting the water and leaving, Harry patted Will on the shoulder, a disdainful smile gradually appearing on his face.

"Ordinary people and wizards will eventually accept each other, and ordinary people will inevitably be the ones who dominate this process of acceptance!"

"Yeah..."

Of all the people Harry was talking about, only Will and Astoria Greengrass were truly puzzled.

Hermione, having been around Harry all along, was well aware of the power disparity between wizards and ordinary people; as for Luna Lovegood, she may have foreseen the future from the very beginning.

"Do you know how many wizards there are in Britain?" Harry slowly held up three fingers. "Three thousand... Even if you include newborns, there are only three thousand wizards in Britain right now. But Will, you should know how many soldiers Britain has, right?"

"This..." Will was stunned, because he had never imagined that the wizarding community in Britain would be like this...

As the former British Empire, even though the strength of the Britain army was greatly weakened after World War II, forty army battalions still had a force of nearly 120,000 men!

Even with a casualty ratio of 40:1, the Britain Army alone would have been enough to deal with these three thousand wizards.

Moreover, besides the army, the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy are not to be underestimated either.

Admittedly, many wizards believe they possess magic and can easily alter the memories of ordinary people, thus they are not afraid even when facing an army.

The problem is, what government in the world would be so foolish as to send soldiers to fight wizards one-on-one?

In modern warfare, distance is justice. No matter how far a wizard's spell can travel, can it really be farther than a sniper rifle?

Not to mention, Britain itself has a nuclear arsenal; just drop a package into an unmarkable spot on a map... and even Hogwarts wouldn't last a minute.

To be honest, what Harry finds truly laughable about Britain wizards is that the vast majority of them never bother to truly understand the ordinary people who live just a wall away from them, yet they remain so proud and confident.

They have long been left far behind by the world, yet there are always a bunch of whimsical individuals—like Voldemort, that delusional lunatic—who believe that ordinary people are inferior beings to them.

However, these people are unaware of the immense power that ordinary people possess, empowered by rapidly advancing technology.

The "International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy," which they have always despised, actually protects... themselves!

So Harry now plans to use *A New History of Magic * and the Common World Knowledge course to tear away the wizards' fig leaf... Of course, he's also essentially guiding the wizards to save themselves.

I wonder how many people will stand up against him...

Chapter 558 An Eight-Year-Old Girl, A Familiar Face from Afar

After fetching water, Harry and the others walked through the camp toward their tents. By then, it was fully light, and more and more people were moving around.

They passed through a Bulgaria tent area—these shamans from Southern Europe had their tents covered with their national flags, as well as someone's photo.

Well... to be fair, in terms of appearance, the gloomy-faced Viktor Krum is definitely not the likable type.

Luna Lovegood, however, was eager to visit the Bulgaria tents, mainly hoping to run into one of Durmstrang's students to inquire about the Crumple-Horned Snorkack. But Hermione forcibly dragged her back. "I told you, the Crumple-Horned Snorkack doesn't exist!"

"No, that's not it... Hey, Know-it-all, don't pull me, just let me go ask!"

"Heh... they're really making a scene. Will... Will?"

Seeing Hermione and Luna Lovegood playfully bickering, Harry couldn't help but chuckle. He turned to the prince beside him, wanting to chat with him, but found that the prince was staring blankly in a certain direction, even forgetting to take a step.

Following his gaze, Harry saw an exceptionally beautiful little girl.

She was probably eight or nine years old, with a slightly chubby face, but overall she was flawless. She would definitely be a rare beauty when she grew up.

"What a beautiful child!"

See? Even Hermione, a girl, couldn't help but marvel at her beauty. No wonder Will was instantly smitten just by seeing her...

Wait a minute, something's not right?

Harry carefully examined the little girl, and a sense of doubt gradually rose in his heart.

Beside the little girl was a water jug filled with water. She was pouting and gently waving her hands, looking like her palms were sore from exhaustion.

This was supposed to be a very ordinary gesture, but Will couldn't take his eyes off her. His gaze kept drifting unconsciously to her fingertips, especially when the little girl blinked her seemingly expressive eyes. Will seemed completely mesmerized.

Even Harry himself found the little girl quite adorable and couldn't help but want to look at her a few more times.

Is it possible for a child not even ten years old to be this beautiful?

Also, is what she's wearing... Beauxbatons school uniform?

The little girl, with waist-length hair, wore a well-tailored light blue suit. Embroidered on her chest was a pattern of two golden wands crossed together—the emblem of Beauxbatons, which Harry certainly wouldn't mistake...

"Ouch! Astoria Greengrass, why did you step on me?!" A sudden scream nearly made Will jump up, interrupting Harry's thoughts.

"What am I doing?" Astoria Greengrass scolded Will angrily, "If you keep looking, your eyes will pop out!"

'Phew, that was close!'

Seeing Will's speechless expression, Harry couldn't help but feel secretly relieved. Luckily, he had enough self-control and only had doubts, instead of staring intently. Otherwise, he would have been trampled on too.

And it might even be a kick from each side.

"Uh, you are..."

Will's shout naturally caught the little girl's attention, and when she turned around, her big eyes blinked so brightly that they naturally stunned Will once again.

Incidentally, the little girl speaks French.

"Hey, I'm really getting angry!" Astoria Greengrass had already secretly raised her little fist. Judging from her posture, if Will continued to be distracted, she was going to take action directly.

"Ahem!" Harry quickly coughed lightly upon seeing this and used magic to help Will regain his senses.

After that, he gave a friendly smile and stepped forward, asking in his passable French, "We're just passing through. Do you need any help?"

In situations like this, since the other party has already seen it, we should definitely offer to help; we can't just stand by and watch.

"You speak French? That's wonderful!" Hearing her familiar language, the little girl's face lit up with a smile. "I was just wondering what to do!"

"You're going to take the water back, right? Just leave it to me." Harry understood and helped the little girl lift the water jug. After finding out the direction, he walked with her towards the France's tent.

On the way, Harry learned that the little girl's name was Gabrielle and that she had come with her family to watch the Quidditch World Cup.

"I originally intended to fetch water myself, but the kettle was too heavy, and magic isn't allowed here. Luckily, I ran into you."

Gabrielle was a very cheerful girl and not shy at all. She chatted happily with Harry and the others the whole way, which made Will often have a silly grin on his face.

This girl is amazing...