On the streets, many ordinary wizards probably still did not understand the significance of eight hundred well-trained troops. They were simply enjoying the spectacle and feeling envious.
But to the officials on the viewing stand who played at politics, the same scene carried an unmistakable whiff of blood and iron.
In the Wizarding World, every individual wizard possessed the extraordinary power of magic, so maintaining social stability had always been a headache for every Ministry of Magic.
Whenever a powerful, ambitious Dark Wizard emerged, war was inevitably close behind.
Leaving aside the distant past, modern times alone had seen Grindelwald, followed by Voldemort, along with powerful Dark Wizards in various magical nations, all causing enormous trouble.
Thus, the Wizarding World's ruling class was not simply acting to protect its own interests.
Even setting aside factors such as backward, ignorant institutions, maintaining peace alone forced them to adopt policies that kept the population weak.
These included restricting dangerous spells, implementing various forms of surveillance, strictly banning the Unforgivable Curses, and making the Disillusionment Charm harder to learn.
An extension of this was the relaxed, enjoyment-focused education in magical schools, which left many young wizards unable to cast even a Shield Charm after graduation.
Most ordinary wizards were therefore genuinely weak. At best, they could proficiently use a few everyday conveniences and Household Magic.
In the original story, the measures the Pink Toad had imposed at school under Fudge's orders would actually have counted as politically sound, had she not taken them so far.
These broader circumstances were also what left Dumbledore, the strongest White Wizard, torn.
Reform often meant that one small change would affect everything else.
Had the Muggle Wizard issue not become urgent, the Old Beekeeper would never have allowed Grindelwald out of prison or permitted the revival of