The British Ministry of Magic certainly had formidable military strength on the surface. Several law-abiding Legendary Wizards were all gathered in England.
Impressive as that seemed, a crisis of trust had always lurked beneath it.
So many people now lived in Hogsmeade because they had been drawn there by various preferential policies and generous benefits.
After all, free mansions, low prices, and freedom from social discrimination were all rather enticing.
Moreover, the recent revelations about Young Wizards disappearing in various countries had been so horrifying that ordinary Wizards everywhere feared for their safety.
By comparison, England "seemed" a little safer.
Even so, the unease in people's hearts remained a ticking time bomb. Many were ready to pack up and leave at any moment.
After all, several bloody, devastating battles had already broken out in England. It was destined to become a maelstrom.
Ordinary Wizards therefore felt deeply conflicted.
Beneath its dazzling prosperity, England was a powder keg.
What Shawn needed to do was keep bolstering the confidence of those who had moved there and demonstrate his strength.
The Double Serpent Society was out of reach for now, and he had yet to find a good excuse to attack another Ministry of Magic.
That left the money-grubbing Goblins as his first target. He would use them to demonstrate the British Ministry of Magic's ruthless resolve and give everyone the sense of security they craved.
Crack! Crack!
A series of cracking sounds came from the protective barrier. This defense, which could have held off a Legendary Wizard for quite some time, began shattering inch by inch under the combined efforts of thirty soldiers of the Wizarding Army.
The Goblin elder watched the remnants of the barrier's magical energy drift down like fluff. He knew the British Ministry of Magic was serious. There