Association

Time flew by, and Sherlock was already eight years old.

Three years earlier, after first discovering how to use the Magic Notebook and witnessing its formidable abilities, Sherlock had kept up a routine of creating an original spell or invention every month.

Setting aside certain spells he considered confidential, Sherlock published all the rest through the Daily Prophet, so long as they were not overly distinctive.

Even the wider magical world had grown accustomed to Sherlock's talent and gradually come to accept it. Fortunately, many of the spells he invented were astonishing yet harmless, not the sort that qualified as Dark Magic, which reassured quite a few overly anxious wizards.

But in truth, it was not that Sherlock had never invented offensive spells; he simply had no intention of making them public.

He worried that publishing spells leaning toward the Dark Magic category would bring him unnecessary controversy and trouble.

Yet, as the magical world often said, "Every secret kept hidden will eventually become known to all."

The secret that Sherlock had once invented a Dark spell was uncovered by chance and reported to the public.

Moreover, that Dark spell was far from weak, carrying an exceptionally vicious air about it.

It had happened during a trip to Turkey. Although the Mephisto Family remained secluded, Sherlock's steadily emerging talent had brought with it signs of the family's sudden resurgence.

Even while the family was in seclusion, Sherlock's father, Fumengde, still held positions in many international organizations.

For instance, within the magical world's International Dark Magic Association, Fumengde served as its honorary vice chairman. When Fumengde's father—Sherlock's grandfather—had still been alive, he had served as chairman of the International Dark Magic Association.

Even during Voldemort's rampant reign, the Mephisto Family had unquestionably ranked second among the Dark wizard families of the entire magical world.

One had to know that, in Voldemort's era, most Death Eaters had joined the International Dark Magic Association. Nearly all Death Eaters were Dark wizards, and what Dark wizard was not passionate about Dark Magic?

At the time, Sherlock's grandfather's role as chairman of the International Dark Magic Association had made him, in effect, second only to one person and above all others. Yet after Voldemort's downfall, Fumengde had always stressed that the Mephisto Family had never, from beginning to end, sided with the Death Eaters or Voldemort. They had always remained neutral in the magical world.

As for why his father had taken his own life in the study out of guilt, it was entirely because he had not wanted the Mephisto Family to suffer devastating blows at the hands of a Ministry of Magic and wizards blinded by vengeance during that turbulent period.

Sherlock did not know much about the truth of what had happened in that era. But during this period, as his reputation and talent gradually emerged, the International Dark Magic Association—suppressed by magical governments across the world until it was like a beaten dog—once again came looking for their honorary vice chairman.

It seemed they wanted to lean once more on the Mephisto Family, the oldest bloodline in the magical world.

Thus, this so-called trip to Turkey could also be seen as a gathering of International Dark Magic Association members—a group of European Dark wizards who had been brutally suppressed.

In Sherlock's eyes, these people had fallen into a state of misery beyond imagination. The International Dark Magic Association had once been so glorious, yet now it was not only scorned and suppressed by magical governments everywhere, but was also constantly harassed by other international organizations.

One example was the International Anti-Dark Magic Association, whose chairman was Dumbledore.

If the Mephisto Family had not secretly contributed a small sum of money to them this time, some of the Dark wizards probably would not even have been able to afford the journey to the gathering in Turkey.

And the current chairman of the International Dark Magic Association was Igor Karkaroff.

He had once been a Death Eater as well. After Voldemort's downfall, he had obtained his freedom from the Ministry of Magic by selling out his fellow Death Eaters. Frankly, among the Death Eaters who had avoided being held accountable after Voldemort fell, aside from Malfoy, Igor Karkaroff was the one who had done the best for himself.

Not only had he become chairman of the impoverished International Dark Magic Association, but through his own unremitting efforts, he had also become vice headmaster of Durmstrang School of Magic. The day he became headmaster of Durmstrang School of Magic, one of Europe's three great wizarding schools, was likely not far off.

It also had to be mentioned that more than half the members of the International Dark Magic Association this time were escaped Death Eaters. In other words, they were either Death Eaters whose identities had never been discovered, or ones whose identities had been exposed to the Ministry of Magic but who had avoided a trip to Azkaban through other means and excuses.

Even if these Dark wizards who had once been Death Eaters had escaped punishment, their days ahead were still far from easy. There were no shortage of people in the magical world who had once been harmed by the Death Eaters.

The Ministry of Magic letting them go did not mean that other wizards would do the same. So long as the Ministry did not find out, there were always hot-tempered wizards who enjoyed taking revenge...

Moreover, it was difficult for these people to find work in the magical world. After all, no organization would choose to hire someone who had once been a Death Eater. The Ministry watched them closely, other wizards pressed them relentlessly, they could not find work, and they lived in poverty. If they did not band together at such a time, they would have to spend their entire lives without a moment of peace.

This gathering in Turkey was held in Akalar Forest.

The wizards' gathering was located in an open yet secluded area somewhere in the forest. Several spells had been cast to protect the site from any disturbance by Muggles.

Anyone entering the area would see tents standing across the grassy ground, numbering roughly several hundred.

Some Dark wizard families had even brought their entire households to attend. Broadly speaking, the International Dark Magic Association now had only a few hundred members left, but some Dark wizards who were not association members had come after hearing of it. So long as they could bring their own money, food, and tents for lodging, the association welcomed them. Any increase in numbers was a good thing.

By that count, the gathering of Dark wizards numbered over a thousand people.

Malfoy had also received an invitation, but Lucius, eager to distance himself from Voldemort's former faction, had no desire to attend.

He had also written to Fumengde, urging him not to participate either. But Fumengde considered that several chairmen of the International Dark Magic Association throughout its history had come from the Mephisto Family, and that he himself was its honorary vice chairman. If he did not attend, it would not reflect well on the Mephisto Family's reputation.

So he brought only his eight-year-old eldest son, Sherlock Mephisto, to Turkey for the gathering.