At midnight, at Merlin's mansion, the children had already fallen asleep, and in the dark perception, Merlin could feel the children's calm breathing. In the whole room, it was just him and the two American Aurors in front of him, and the orange cat Coo, who was awake.

Oh no, there's another one.

The little flower cat that was picked up by Coo was lying on the edge of the cat nest, looking in the direction of the balcony.

I don't know why it's still so spiritual.

"Merlin, we know your style very well, and we believe that you are not an innocent person."

The chubby Auror put his fingers on the table, and he leaned down and said in a tone of persuasion:

"Let Umbridge out, I know she's annoying, and I wish she had a, but she can't die here."

He said to Merlin with a serious face:

"The British Ministry of Magic has always been arrogant, and they clearly have some internal problems right now, and if you kill her, it means that you will be in trouble, your family, friends, and even your organization will be implicated."

"It could even spark hostility and war between Muggles and wizards again. A lot of people will be involved, and there will even be bloodshed and death, and you don't want to see the consequences, right? ”

"Oh?"

Merlin blinked, he looked at the mild-looking Auror Auror in front of him, and after a few seconds, he said:

"Sounds like you know me well."

"I know a lot."

Aesinus glanced at the raven, who nodded slightly, and the fat Auror lowered his voice and said to Merlin:

"We've been watching you for a long time. This observation takes more time than you can imagine. ”

"In the secret archives of the Wizarding Congress, you were put on watch shortly after you were subjected to the Demon Pact incident 6 years ago. As far as I know, your file is managed by the current Speaker of the Magical Congress, Grand Wizard Samuel. ”

The news revealed by the Aurors made Merlin frown.

He thought for a moment, then said to the two wizards in front of him:

"If the truth is as you say, you knew about my existence a long time ago, then why... Why didn't you come forward? In the eyes of orthodox wizards, I should be considered an unstable factor and should be monitored. But I don't feel your presence... Not even the slightest clue. This makes me doubt the veracity of what you say. ”

"Don't dwell on that."

Aeginus made a pause gesture and explained:

"We are different from the British Ministry of Magic's all-controlling style, and we prefer to maintain the order of peaceful coexistence between the wizarding world in North America and the Muggle world. Compared to our solitary brethren in Europe, American wizards are freer, they live in a Muggle world, and we don't adhere to the old, ignorant theory of blood. ”

This Auror said calmly:

"Actually, I live in Brooklyn myself and run a bookstore. And the crow lives a little farther away, don't look at him with a cold face, he is actually an avid rock lover. ”

Aeginus paused, he looked back at Merlin, and said:

"I would say, Merlin, that our style is different from the British side. We didn't sit idly by and fend for you, but after the Muggle world began to search for you, the Council of Magic was hidden behind the scenes, and ordinary people should not know about our existence. ”

"What's more, you have a power in you that we don't understand."

The taller, thinner, more silent Auror Raven also said in a brief tone:

"As for how you escaped the archdemon's pursuit, the archwizards still have no conclusion. Approaching you rashly is also risky for us. ”

"That's why whether you use magic in front of Muggle agents or make your own portkeys, you won't get in trouble with the Wizarding Congress."

The chubby Auror shrugged:

"Trust me, Merlin, we've been nice enough to you."

"But I can't afford to hand over that old witch to you like this."

Merlin's tone softened, and he put on a look of willingness to cooperate, and he said to the Aurors in front of him:

"The Muggle world has its own order, and I'm in a tight system, and if you want to take away a mad wizard who doesn't care about the lives of ordinary people, you have to give a reasonable reason to the organization behind me."

He stretched out his finger and shook it in front of the Aurors' eyes, and he said:

"Send a representative and contact S.H.I.E.L.D., and this matter can be easily resolved."

The two Aurors didn't answer, they communicated with each other, with their eyes, or in ways that Merlin couldn't detect.

A minute later, Raven stood up, and the tall, lanky Auror stepped aside with a strange contradiction, seemingly making contact with the rear.

Escinus, on the other hand, took up his glass and poured himself some wine, and said to Merlin:

"Your boss asked you to do this, right? As far as I know now, that Nick. Mr. Fury, in recent months, has been trying to get in touch with the wizarding world. You're not his first attempt, the disgusting second-rate wizard Konstantin has tried many times. ”

The Auror reached out and took off his hat, revealing his slightly sparse head, and whispered:

"I really don't understand why he's so obsessed with pursuing secrets he shouldn't know."

"Because he senses threatened, he needs help urgently, my friend."

Merlin explains:

"In the first few months, the sudden threat of war from the Cree frightened a lot of people. Civilians let go of their worries when they learned of the victory, but the higher-ups had to think more. I am sure you are well aware of how lucky the victory in that war was. ”

"Whenever disaster strikes, there are always people who think, I should stand up... Fury is that kind of person. ”

Merlin sighed, he also took his glass, and after taking a sip of the wine, he said:

"He will learn from the war and then prepare everything in advance for the next war. The wizarding world, you, including me, are a very important part of all the preparations he has made. ”

"He needs help, I can understand that."

The fat wizard Aessinus shrugged his shoulders and said:

"But he wanted to be a bridge between Muggles and wizards... I'm not very optimistic about that kind of thinking, it's hard to do. ”

"You're a wizard too, you know, we're essentially a bunch of people who guard secrets, much like you Muggle agents. You don't easily trust a stranger who comes with a purpose, so how can you ask wizards who are already at odds with Muggles to happily accept S.H.I.E.L.D.'s invitation? ”

"It's none of our business."

Merlin waved his hand, and he said with a little helplessness:

"Fury is a very stubborn person, and I can't refuse his request. I'm sure she'll figure it out, it's between my boss and your boss, we can't get involved, and we shouldn't be involved. ”

"Speaking of which, I'm more curious about another thing."

Merlin put the glass in his hand, and he picked up Coo-Coo at his feet, and put it in his arms, and while helping Coo-Coo to smooth his hair, he looked at Aesinus, and said:

"Do you know that the British Ministry of Magic sent someone to New York to do something?"

"Of course."

Aeginus nodded, and the chubby Auror said with some resentment:

"They entered North America through normal diplomatic channels, using the Floo network of the Magical Congress headquarters. But they concealed their mission, they just said that they were going to capture a dark wizard who had escaped from Europe in New York, which is a common thing on this continent. ”

Aeginus explains:

"Muggles have made the country prosperous, but the stronger the light, the more worrying the shadow it casts. The situation in the wizarding world in North America is almost the most complicated in the entire world, and the evil that has been extinct on other continents still has a legacy in the shadow of this continent. ”

"Voodoo in the Mediterranean, voodoo in North and South America, Indian beliefs in North America, all kinds of evil groups, demons and devils who are always trying to smuggle out of hell, some unscrupulous dark wizards... You'll find almost all the magical tumors in the world here. ”

The Fat Auror said in a tone that bordered on despair:

"What we deal with every day is these terrible things, and you may not know that the Auror sacrifice rate in North America is the highest in the entire wizarding world."

"Sacrifice has almost become our tradition, but what's worse is that the warriors who stand firm and the forces of evil are passed down together, and from the founding of the Magic Congress to the present, there is almost no real hope of ending our struggle against those darkness."

"Merlin, in fact, what S.H.I.E.L.D. did in New York, we all saw it."

Escinus raised his glass, and said meaningfully:

"You and your group, as well as the disgusting Konstantin's activities in recent months, to be honest, have made me and the Raven feel a long-lost lightness. Your boss is trying to be a bridge between Muggles and wizards, but he seems to be overlooking... You are the best neutral bridge between the two sides. ”

"Okay, that's a bit far."

The fat wizard looked back at his colleague at HQ, he turned his head, tossed a cigarette to Merlin, and turned the subject back to the British Ministry of Magic:

"In short, Umbridge's formalities for entering North America with four Aurors were normal, and no one suspected her at the time. She's a big guy after all, the deputy minister of the Ministry of Magic, three levels above me and the crow. ”

"Archwizard Samuel doesn't speak, and we don't even have the right to check what they're carrying. There's a word in Muggles that is perfect for this kind of scene, what's it called? Oh yes, diplomatic immunity, you know? ”

"Hmm."

Merlin nodded, and Aesinus lit his cigarette, and in the midst of the smoke, he continued:

"No one could have imagined that this woman would be crazy enough to come with five Dementors. In fact, it wasn't until this afternoon, when a couple of your kids were attacked at St. Matthew's Church, that we realized that Umbridge might really be crazy. ”

"We had already assembled a team of 12 high-ranking Aurors to capture them, but the action was stopped by Archwizard Samuel, the speaker of our Magical Congress."

Aeginus winked at Merlin, and said:

"Your Excellency the Speaker is convinced that you and your organization have the ability to solve problems, so instead of joining the fight, we were sent to finish it off."

"Hmm."

Merlin nodded, he was sure that the chubby, gentle-looking, but in fact shrewd Auror in front of him was hiding something.

But this explanation, by and large, should be true.

In other words, Umbridge, the old witch, would rather risk offending the Wizarding Congress than bring Harry and the young wizards back to England... This also raises new questions for Merlin.

"The fact that she can be the deputy minister of magic shows that this woman is certainly not a pure lunatic. So I'm curious, what is the reason for her to do such a crazy thing? ”

Merlin asked in a low voice:

"As you said, there's something wrong with the British Ministry of Magic. So... What exactly is the problem? ”

"I don't need to hide this from you."

Aesinus snuffed out the cigarette butt, his expression became serious, and he said to Merlin:

"We now suspect that the British Ministry of Magic has been infiltrated by Death Eaters, and on a massive scale. But we don't have proof, which is why we have to bring Umbridge back, and Speaker Samuel needs to check her memory to determine how dangerous the European situation is. ”

Merlin glanced at the coo in his arms, and said:

"You mean, Umbridge could be a follower of Voldemort? One of the Death Eaters? ”

"No, I didn't say that."

Aeginus denied:

"Based on Umbridge's resume, it's unlikely that she was a Death Eater."

"But she is not, it doesn't mean that no one else is either, the news of the resurrection of the mysterious man reached North America last year, although we don't interfere in the bad things on the British side, but we also need to prepare in advance, once the British wizarding world falls, the North American side will inevitably be threatened."

Speaking of which, Aeginus said with some concern:

"You haven't lived through the dark days of 14 years ago, Merlin, when Voldemort was at his worst, we had to accept hundreds of wizards every month to apply for asylum, that dark lord was dangerous, once he took power, England would be a hell on earth... Muggles and wizards were no different from wizards in his eyes, and he would not hesitate to kill anyone who opposed him. ”

And the dangerous black magic he mastered could help him pull off a crisp slaughter, perhaps in the City of London, or in other cities. But the Muggles of today are not going to die like their ignorant ancestors in the Middle Ages, they have the ability to fight back, as you say! ”

The fat wizard gritted his teeth and said:

"All it takes is 10,000 heavily armed Muggle soldiers to break any magic set by any wizard. And once Muggles and wizards start fighting, one of them is bound to fall. ”

"Wizards will die."

Merlin whispered:

"In this era, once the Muggles are pressed, just 3 million wizards, at most, a few nuclear bombs. Voldemort is killing himself, and he has to bring the entire wizarding world with him to his funeral. ”

"So you understand the seriousness of the problem, right?"

Aeginus patted his belly, and he said to Merlin:

"Hand over Umbridge, I can assure you that Voldemort won't get a chance to trouble you again until things are over."

Merlin looked at the fat wizard, and after 10 seconds, he nodded:

"I'll give her to you, but you see, my house was almost destroyed and the children were terrified."

Merlin shrugged:

"I need a little compensation, just as the ticket money for you to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight."

"What do you want?"

Aesinus asked, and Merlin smiled, and he whispered:

"Not much, one spell is enough..."

vertex