Under the gaze of the Eye of Providence, the wizards who had just cast their spells below grew even more fired up.
Percy Weasley, especially conspicuous because of his hair color, stepped onto the platform with his head held high and his chest out. His back was ramrod straight, and he strode up in high spirits. He drew his wand, and with the motion, the fluttering rush of wind-snapped banners rang out at once. Flags bearing the badge of the United Kingdom's Ministry of Magic and the Harris Family's Eye of Providence mark unfurled from the ground and rose into the air—the whole grand, self-important display made him look less like someone going up the steps to work and more like a bridegroom attending his own wedding.
And just like him, the Floating City was covered everywhere with such things, forcefully occupying the entire city and the sky above it in a sun-blotting display.
Rows of broad screens had been set up in front of the shops on both sides of the plaza, separating those shops from the square, and the screens were painted with the same mark as the flags. Anywhere there was empty space, even outside the Ravenclaw Temple, long strip-banners had been lowered one after another.
On the platform where preparations had been underway earlier, the wizards suddenly raised a massive Bronze Giant Eagle. Its head was held high, its enormous wings spread wide, and the shadow it cast over the platform enveloped everyone below. In the eagle's sharp talons was a Triangular Emblem—none other than the Eye of Providence that could be seen everywhere around them.
After finishing this, the wizards raised their heads and spread their arms where they stood, looking just like conductors in Muggle society about to direct a symphony. They flicked their