Chapter 60: Press Conference
Flashes and murmurs could be heard in a large room in the Palace of Westminster. Cameras were rolling on their stands on the floor while cameramen guided the interviews. News interviewers, newspapers, and other media outlets, such as radio, were waiting for this to begin. And it wasn't just Great Britain and its constituent countries. Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Norway, and other nearby countries had sent at least one interview team to get the answers everyone wanted.
Perhaps more distant countries didn't know the news yet, but they would soon.
The Prime Minister stood up from his seat, sitting right next to the Queen in the middle. On the Queen's left side was Harry Potter, followed by Albus Dumbledore and two other shoulders. On the other side, right next to the Prime Minister, was a woman and another shoulder; they were part of the ICW.
"Thank you for attending this press conference. I'm sure many of you are nervous about what just happened yesterday afternoon. Today, we will give you answers and also a glimpse into our world. I hope you can ask your questions in an orderly manner and also keep an open mind about this topic."
"But I can assure you..." the Prime Minister's expression became solemn: "It's all true, and we have no intention of lying."
More flashes were heard, brightening the room a little more.
The Prime Minister coughed slightly before starting again.
"Yesterday, around six in the evening, a dragon appeared in the city of London, attacking its inhabitants and destroying infrastructure. This wasn't some highly advanced technology or anything like that..."
"Dragons exist, they have for many years. As well as a hidden side of our world... the wizarding world..."
"Next, I'll turn you over to Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, located in the Scottish Highlands, Great Britain. He is also the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, which you could consider a counterpart to the UN for the wizarding world."
Albus stood and bowed: "Greetings, interviewers, it is a pleasure speaking with you. But I believe you have many questions... please let's start with those, I'm sure you have many doubts."
Albus extended his hand to the right of the interviewer seats, pointing at a man.
"Please, let's start in order from that direction, and then go to the left to make everything much more orderly."
"Thank you very much, Mr. Dumbledore," the man stood up with a notebook and pencil.
"I think to start, and the most important question: How has all this been hidden and why?"
"Let's start by understanding wizards a little better, shall we? At least, in the form of genetics," Albus nodded and began to answer.
"Just as anatomically modern humans appeared long ago in Africa, magic also began to emerge in that location. Of course, in those eras, such a thing as magic hadn't even been understood; as time passed, spells, rituals... all kinds of magic developed."
"This is due to a certain 'gene.' Now, all... and I mean absolutely all humans, are born with spiritual energy, which is an important part of magic. What this 'gene' gives wizards is the ability to grow this spiritual energy to greater levels and be able to utilize it with the necessary training and study." Albus looked at everyone for a moment of silence, letting the information sink in before continuing.
"What many of us call a magical core was actually recently discovered by one of the students at the school I run. He's sitting next to me right now. So, if you have any more questions related to that type, you can ask him later."
"Now... I'm sure many of you have heard about the witch hunt..." Albus sighed a little. "This was actually one of several events that caused our population to distrust non-magical people. What if they harm our children? What if they wipe us out for not accepting us? Can we continue like this? How dangerous are they?... Many questions began to arise; wizards and witches of those years were afraid of dying, of losing their magic, of being persecuted."
"In 1692, the International Institute of Magical Secrecy was officially established. And one of the most important points was addressed to the magical governments of each country, which stated: Each magical governing body shall be responsible for the concealment, care, and control of all magical beasts, beings, and spirits that dwell within the borders of its territory. The magical governing body shall be subject to the discipline of the International Confederation of Wizards.
"Among other important points was knowing how to blend in: people who decided to leave the magical world had to have at least a minimum of information about the other side, so they could dress and know how to to speak properly with other people so as not to cause any problems."
"Simply put, the reason for hiding was to avoid causing trouble anywhere. We wanted to live with the customs and continue passing our knowledge on to the next generation. However, wizards who weren't part of a wizarding family also began to emerge."
"This is because no matter how far back a wizarding ancestor is, that gene would eventually appear. Today, wizarding children born to mundane families means that, in the past, someone in that family was a wizard. We offer these children educations in different parts of the world. In our case at Hogwarts, we admit young people living in Great Britain and Ireland. These children and their families must remain secret, or they will cause trouble for us and themselves."
"Are you satisfied with that answer, sir?"
"Yes, thank you very much!" the man sat down while writing many things in his notebook.
Now, a woman stood up right next to the previous man.
"My name is Linda Smitt," she introduced herself. "Mr. Dumbledore, my question is this: Now that the wizarding world has been revolted by this incident, what can you tell us about all this? I mean, will the worlds now continue as before? Will they merge? Also, what danger could this pose for people without magic? Why was that young man at your side able to defeat a creature like a dragon alone?"
"Good morning, Linda," Albus smiled slightly, greeting before answering. But then he sighed a little.
"Honestly, my young friend, Harry Potter, is a singularity in our world. The McFusty clan is in charge of controlling and protecting the dragon race that attacked yesterday. And just like them, there are other dragon reserves charged with the same task. To tame a dragon, many wizards trained to do so are needed."
"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Harry, here by my side, could be the most powerful wizard in the world. His magic, intelligence, cunning, and ability to make decisions at crucial moments have proven it. As of today, the only one who could defeat dragons completely alone would be him."
"Dragons are undoubtedly dangerous, which is why reserves exist; not only to preserve them due to the small number that exist today, but also to prevent them from wandering everywhere.
"Now, Linda, to your question about the problem of both worlds, the answer is fusion. Our young friend Harry devised a way for people without the magical gene to use magic, train it, and become stronger. In fact, just before the dragon attacked, he was meeting with Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, and the Prime Minister."
"The original plan was to try to gradually unlock the potential of spiritual energy. And to that end, the two people named above chose over a thousand police officers for that purpose. This way, they could control any problems or crimes in case people with malicious intent decided to use this opportunity to harm the innocent."
Murmurs immediately arose when they learned that there was a way to give magic to non-magical people. Flashes also appeared once again.
"Thank you very much for answering, Mr. Dumbledore."
"It's a pleasure."
"I'm Max Cumbell," another man stood up now. "My question is for Harry Potter. Would it be possible to explain your discoveries and how spiritual energy works best?"
"Of course..." Harry smiled slightly.
"First of all, the soul exists, and therefore the psyche as well. In the world around us, but invisible to most, magical particles also exist."
"Now, magic... or rather, the spiritual energy that is the essential energy for magic within our bodies, originates in the center of our heads. This is no longer an organ or some kind of hollow where it sits, static. The soul, in humans at least, exists on the same physical plane, but at the same time, it doesn't."
"When someone with the magical gene awakens their powers, the spiritual energy is sublimated to a certain extent, enough to create a connection with the soul and psyche. At the same time, it also creates a connection with the magical particles in the environment, which allows us to cast spells; modifying reality or its laws to a certain extent."
"Please observe..." Harry took out his wand and showed it to everyone before turning his glass cup into a metal cup, surprising everyone. He made it float, rising, falling, and moving it in the air before leaving it where it was and returning the cup to its previous state.
"The first spell is from the transfiguration branch, and the second from the enchantment branch. The first transforms something into something else, and the second levitates the target."
"Now... with non-magical people, it's different. They don't have the gene to be able to use spiritual energy and create those connections I just mentioned. Through ritual and alchemy, I was able to convert ingredients into energy that enters a non-magical person's body, and this causes a surge in the person's vitality, creating a momentary connection with spiritual energy, thus creating the connections necessary to use magic. At the same time, a magical artifact is necessary to initiate the magical connection with the magical particles in the environment."
"In this way, a person without the gene could use magic and also continue to grow their spiritual energy capabilities little by little; through training and study, of course."
"I don't understand what the soul and the psyche have to do with each other..." the man frowned, and Harry smiled.
"Magic is will, sir... Will, knowledge, and desire. The psyche is a fundamental part of the soul. It's what gives you personality, emotions, desires, and many other things. If you don't have the connection to the soul, and therefore the psyche, then you can't have the will and desire to express to the magical particles and your spiritual energy that they work the way you want."
"If you want to turn a match into a needle, then you have to have the knowledge of the spell and what it does while visualizing the effect and what you want to change. When you have all this together, only then can you attempt to change the match."
"I see... thank you..." the man sat down as he furiously wrote down all the great information he had received.
"How do you plan to teach everything to those who are currently non-magical?"
Harry smiled a little: "As Albus said, His Majesty and the Prime Minister already knew about this. I've just finished everything necessary for the facilities of a university. Here you can learn everything from mundane studies like math, physics, biology, and chemistry. On the other hand, you can also learn magic. Facilities were built to research and accept people open to what's new to them. If you want to research combining magic and science... go ahead, you're welcome at Aeternum. The principles of magic, potions, charms, transfiguration, astronomy... you can research anything, you just need people willing to do it."
Thus, the press conference moved on to more serious matters, such as new laws that could be put into effect to ensure everyone's comfortable living. The ICE representatives were the ones who answered questions regarding these topics. Also explained were the favorable change in life expectancy for non-magical people, a possible large increase in jobs, a new sport, the dangers of magic and its wonders—many things continued to be discussed while questions were answered.
That day, the wizarding world opened its doors, never to close again.
And while several of the representatives, and even Dumbledore and Harry, feared what the pure-blood extremists might do, they would be surprised if they could see into the future.
The least expected things could actually happen.
______________________________