He didn't say his name, but everyone knew who he was talking about.
Grindelwald.
The man who once tried to overturn the International Statute of Secrecy, the man whose name once made the entire Wizarding World tremble.
Although he has been imprisoned in Nurmengard for decades, his name remains a wound in the Wizarding World that never heals, a wound that aches at the slightest touch.
If this Allen Wayne is also that kind of person, if he really intends to gradually expose the existence of the Wizarding World to Muggle.
They are now facing not just an author who writes a book, but a war that is more covert and more difficult to deal with than the one during Grindelwald's time.
Ms. Winslow tapped her fingers lightly on the table.
"We can't assume he's Grindelwald," she said, her tone flat.
But we can't assume he isn't.
Pierre glanced at her, his lips twitching slightly, feeling that this woman was spouting nothing but nonsense.
The old advisor from Kangaroo Country slowly nodded. "So what do we do now? Just watch him publish book after book? Wait and see what he writes next?"
The secretary-general remained silent for a few seconds.
"Let's see what his purpose is," he finally said.
"A person always has a purpose when they do something."
"Whether he's doing it for money, fame, revenge, or something else we don't yet understand, as long as he's doing something, we can find patterns in his behavior."
He raised his head, his gaze refocusing on everyone present.
"His writings about Hogwarts are related to Voldemort and Hogwarts, but they don't directly conflict with the Ministry of Magic in other countries."
"If he starts writing about other places, about the Wizarding World of other countries, then we'll know what his goal is."
"Until then, everyone remained silent. Neither confirmed nor denied, and no public action was taken."
"Privately, try to find out who he really is and what he wants to do."
"We'll deal with whatever comes our way."
The meeting room was quiet for a moment, then the ministers nodded one after another.
Fudge sat at the end of the long table, watching as one person after another expressed their agreement, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
He felt like a passenger on a wrecked ship, and he could only follow whichever direction the captain rowed, because he had no other ship to board.
The Secretary-General finally turned his attention to Fudge.
" Cornelius."
Fudge looked up.
"The second part of that book is about Hogwarts. What are your predictions?"
Fudge opened his mouth, but he actually wanted to say that he didn't know either; he had even forced himself to finish watching the first part.
But before he could speak, a voice with a slightly rolled "r" sounded from the other end of the long table.
"Yes, Minister Fudge." Minister Pierre leaned back in his chair, a half-smile playing on his lips, his tone carrying an undisguised ease.
"I heard that book is about to be released, and it's about your Hogwarts Harry Potter, right?"
He paused for a moment, as if waiting for Fudge to speak first.
Fudge raised an eyelid, too lazy to pay him any attention.
Pierre didn't seem to care and continued, "It's not like the first one, it's related to that You-Know-Who of yours again, is it?"
When he said the words " You-Know-Who," his tone rose slightly, but everyone in the conference room could hear the underlying meaning behind those three words.
Fudge's lips twitched.
He tried his best to maintain a nonchalant expression on his face, but in his heart he had already cursed Pierre several times over.
He knew perfectly well what Pierre was thinking. The first book had made a fool of the Ministry of Magic and Gibbon, and the Gaul were eager for more trouble, hoping the second book would cause Fudge even more problems.
Fudge took a deep breath, suppressing his frustration, and then spoke with a forced smile.
How could that be?
" The Chamber of Secrets must be related to Slytherin from a thousand years ago. How could someone from a thousand years ago possibly be connected to this You-Know-Who?"
He paused for a moment, noticing that everyone's eyes were on him, then added another sentence, his tone more certain than before.
"Perhaps it's the same method that Slytherin used a thousand years ago to try and eliminate Half-blood wizards."
Everyone's expression tightened slightly.
Eliminate the Half-blood wizard.
The words lingered in the air for a moment, like a cold wind seeping in from a crack in the stone wall, sending a chill down everyone's neck.
Slytherin.
Slytherin, the Muggle-born wizard a thousand years ago, and who eventually parted ways with the other three Founders.
The Chamber of Secrets he left behind, the monsters he left behind, the idea of "purifying Hogwarts " he left behind.
If the second part of that book really does describe this, then it means that what's in the Chamber of Secrets is aimed at Muggle-born wizard.
And if such a thing were released at Hogwarts—
"But don't worry."
Fudge's voice rang out again, pulling everyone back from the brief silence.
His tone was more confident than before, and there was even a slight smile on his lips, as if he had finally found a way to put his mind at ease, and also to put everyone else at ease.
"If this book's Prophecy come true again, then absolutely nothing will go wrong at Hogwarts."
He leaned back in his chair, spreading his hands out on the table as if giving a concluding speech.
" Dumbledore is at Hogwarts, and so is the reactivated Order of the Phoenix; the defenses have just been upgraded."
"In the first book, when the You-Know-Who possessed Quirrell, Harry Potter, a first-year student, managed to stop him."
"Whatever is in the Chamber of Secrets this time, Dumbledore won't let it escape."
"Therefore, I assure you all that there will be no trouble at Hogwarts."
After saying that, he even cracked a lighthearted joke, "I had no idea how chaotic Hogwarts would become!"
After he said that, the atmosphere in the conference room eased slightly.
The ministers' expressions changed from solemn to thoughtful, and the old advisor from Kangaroo Country even nodded slightly.
Only Ms. Winslow's gaze lingered on Fudge's face for a few more seconds; her deep gray eyes showed little conviction, but she did not refute him on the spot.
The Secretary-General looked at everyone present, then slowly closed the report in front of him.
"That's settled then." His voice regained its usual composure.
"All departments shall maintain contact and share intelligence. The investigation into Allen Wayne shall continue, but no public action shall be taken."
"We'll evaluate it again after his next book comes out."
He stood up, the chair legs scraping softly against the stone surface.
Meeting adjourned.
The chairs around the circular table were gradually pushed aside, and the sound of footsteps echoed in the empty conference room. No one spoke anymore.
Ms. Winslow was the first to walk out the door, followed by Pierre, whose indifferent smile had vanished.
The representatives from Maple Leaf Country and Cherry Blossom Country left side by side, their steps quick.
Fudge was the second to last to leave.
When he walked out of the conference room, his steps were lighter than when he came in, but the heavy feeling in his heart had not disappeared.
He himself didn't entirely believe what he just said.
Hogwarts will not cause any trouble.
Does he really believe that?
He stood by the window in the corridor, watching the silhouette of the Alps turn into a dark silhouette in the twilight. He remained silent for a moment, then took out Floo Powder and stepped into the green flames of the fireplace.
Before the green flames engulfed him, he muttered something that no one heard.
I hope so.