In London, England, the main hall of the Ministry of Magic was hidden under the Whitehall Muggle building that connected the Parliament Building and Downing Street. This was the lobby and reception area of the headquarters.
A stage that was 30 inches above the ground was set up in the magnificent hall. Around the stage, the peacock-blue ceiling was inlaid with glittering golden symbols. They were constantly moving and changing like a huge high-altitude bulletin board. On it, sentences such as "Congratulations to Allen Harris" and "Glory of the Magic World" were changing.
Several rows of chairs had been set up on the polished dark wooden floor. The seats were already filled with adepts. The hall was filled with whispers and murmurs of discussion.
"Those guys from Wissengammon approved the medal faster than Headmaster Harris when he got the first one. Speaking of which, Blake, your grandfather Acturus? When Blake first applied, it took him a long time … "Mr. Amos Diggory said to his new colleague, Sirius who was wearing the Ministry of Magic's Magical Animal Management and Control Department uniform.
"Allen defeated The Dark Lord in a duel, and my grandfather? Ha! " Sirius sneered after hearing that. "My grandfather received the First Class Merlin Medal for 'service to the Ministry of Magic'. People believe that he bought this medal because he lent a large sum of gold coins to the Ministry of Magic … People are right, he did."
"Director Harris, Dumbledore defeated the Dark Wizard Grindelwald and received the First Class Merlin Medal. Headmaster Harris defeated the Mystery Man, so it's reasonable for him to receive the First Class Merlin Medal again!" Percy's voice sounded beside them.
"Allen naturally deserves it." Josephine squinted her eyes and looked at Sirius disapprovingly. "The ancestors of the Blake Family have always worked hard for the prosperity of the family. This is something that I feel is worthy of respect."
Sirius's eyelids twitched as he retorted, "Josephine! Are you implying that I'm a wastrel? "
"Call me Director Harris." The female director who looked slightly sturdy straightened her back elegantly. "You're not in school anymore."
All the discussions stopped abruptly when the Sir Merlin Medal Team entered the hall. The audience watched quietly as the ceremony proceeded according to plan. This scene was familiar to both the honorees on the stage and the audience. It was not surprising that Allen Harris received the award.
Following which, Wizard Wesengamo pinned the green ribbon medal that represented Merlin's graduation, Slythrin, on Allen's robe. After a round of applause, the members of Sir Merlin's group took a group photo as a souvenir, and the ceremony was officially completed.
After this perfunctory ceremony, the reporters couldn't wait to swarm in. The Q&A session after the press conference was the highlight of their anticipation. This time, the Sir Merlin Medal Team members were already prepared. Under the guidance of the Ministry of Magic's Aura, they retreated to the elevator and were led to another room to receive the guests.
Allen was surrounded by microphones and flashes. The reporters were about to raise their hands to ask questions. They were afraid that their interviewee would not be able to answer many questions and leave as usual.
Allen's gaze swept across everyone's faces. Then, his voice spread throughout the hall. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend my ceremony. Today, I would like to take this opportunity to officially announce something. Today, apart from the usual enrollment of 11-year-olds at the Hogwarts Magic Academy, as many of you may have heard, the basic education for wizards will also be launched. The primary school will also have seven grades. Before school starts, it will accept applications from young wizards who are three years old and above. As for the advanced education for wizards, the academy will announce the participation method later."
"Do we need to sign up ourselves and not send letters by owls?"
"What can we learn from going to school at such a young age?"
"Is it free?"
There was a commotion in the hall. The wizards exchanged glances with each other. Due to the fact that it wasn't time to ask questions and they noticed Allen's silence, they quickly returned to silence.
"Wizards play important roles in the magic world. But at the same time, if there is a new member in a wizard's family, they have to bear some heavy burdens. Although magic can help us solve many problems, taking care of and educating a newly born wizard has become a heavy burden for many wizard families. Compared to Muggle children, because of the occasional mana riot and problems with basic education, wizards need to spend more time and energy on the growth of young wizards. According to the usual practice, this will continue until they are 11 years old. Only when they are accepted by the Hogwarts Magic Academy will the parents be able to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Because of this, more and more wizards are tired of having children. Some even don't want to have children at all. The birth rate of wizards in our magic world has been declining year after year. Therefore, although the wizard primary school is nominally a primary school, except for the advanced basic courses, it is actually more of a benefit for the three-year-old wizards who are too young. Just like the kindergarten for Muggle children, it solves the worries of the wizard families.
Of course, the admission of the Hogwarts Academy has not changed. It is still in the locked small tower of the hogwarts, where no hogwarts students have ever been. It is still the "Book of Admission" and the "Pen of Acceptance" that have never been touched by anyone since the four founders of the castle put it here. They are still the only process of selecting students to enter the Hogwarts Magic Academy. Except for the wizard families that I have previously prohibited from enrolling, I don't plan to change this tradition. "
Allen explained to the camera in a gentle and sincere voice.
"What are those things?" Mr. Diggory was a little confused as he listened from the sidelines.
"If anyone wants to know what kind of powerful, long-lasting magic caused the book and quill to behave like themselves … Amos, it seems that you are a bad historian of magic. It avoids the monotonous explanation given by the school administrators to angry parents because their children were not selected by the Hogwarts … "Josephine explained to her subordinates." The decision of the book and quill is final. Not a single child was admitted, and his name was not engraved on the yellowed pages. "
"Tied up in the peeled black dragon skin, there was a small silver ink bottle, and a long, faded quill stretched out from it. Hmm? Why are you looking at me? What's so strange about James and I sneaking in? " Sirius looked proud. "And when we went in, we happened to be at the precise moment. There should be a young wizard showing signs of magic for the first time. That quill, James believed that it was the feather of a Mourning Crow. It floated out of the ink bottle and tried to engrave the child's name on the page. You know, that's the feather of a Mourning Crow! As we all know, it doesn't mix with ink. And that ink bottle was empty! I asked Dumbledore later, but he couldn't accurately analyze the silver liquid that flowed out of the enchanted quill. But now, maybe I should ask Luna? "
"That Lovegood Family's crazy … uh … That Lovegood Family's girl?" Amos noticed Josephine's glare as he spoke. He thought that he had angered his superior and quickly corrected himself.
Sirius, who was glared at by Josephine, realized that he had almost spilled the beans. Knowing that he was in the wrong, he shut his mouth.
On the stage, Allen finished his introduction in a short while. The flashes of the cameras flickered, and after a round of enthusiastic applause, whether it was the members of the Ministry of Magic or the reporters, their applause was much more sincere than the applause during the Merlin medal ceremony. This was a real benefit for the Magi.
Then, at Allen's signal, the reporters took out their magic wands and pointed the small end at their mouths and the big end at the stage. They couldn't wait to raise their arms high to ask questions.
"Hello, Principal Harris. I'm a reporter for 'Wizard Today'. As a mother, I'd like to express my sincere gratitude to Hogwarts for solving the education problem for us wizards and Principal Harris for driving away the Mystery Man again. I'll enroll my son later …" A middle-aged female reporter with chestnut-colored curly hair smiled fawningly at Allen. She then said apologetically, "But Principal Harris, I also have some questions. We've received a lot of letters recently, and everyone's attention is focused on one issue. Harris TV Station has broadcast a lot of Muggle research programs recently … If these programs aren't for show or exaggeration … I'm sorry, Principal Harris, but I have to admit that this makes me nervous and worried …"
"Ma 'am, thank you for asking this question … Although I'm not the director of the TV station, in general, the series of documentaries about Muggle are based on facts. They don't exaggerate or exaggerate the facts. Instead, they show the Muggle society's customs, customs, and technology to wizards. I think the Hogwarts wizards who were born with mixed blood can prove this point … You know, the teaching materials about Muggle research in the past are too outdated … This has caused a lot of misunderstandings." Allen's words made many wizards worry.
The middle-aged female reporter who asked the question flipped her hair behind her back and immediately raised her hand to ask, "Then, does the Ministry of Magic and the International Union of Wizards and Wizards have any countermeasures against this?"
"Please don't worry, the Ministry of Magic and the International Union of Wizards and Wizards have been working hard on this …" Allen paused for a moment before continuing, "The Muggle society's development is indeed improving. Their technological development is astonishing, but I don't think we wizards need to worry too much … But as always, the Muggle leaders are under the supervision of the Ministry of Magic of each country. We have the ability to prevent the situation you're worried about …"
However, this did not seem to satisfy the female reporter. She stood up and wanted to ask again, but a big reporter beside her used his excited voice to suppress the female reporter's question, "Hello, Principal Harris, I'm a reporter from the 'Sports Channel' of Harris TV Station. As the world's best ball finder, will you participate in the next Quidditch World Cup? Also, Principal Harris, in theory, you're already the world's most powerful wizard. Will you still participate in this year's wizard duel competition? "
The sports reporter was so excited that his face turned red. However, before Allen could respond, a very fashionably dressed witch beside him continued to shout, "I'm Lisa from the 'Witch Weekly'. Principal Harris, what type of woman do you admire the most? What is your requirement for your future partner? "
"About the education reform you mentioned earlier, how far has it progressed? Can you explain it in detail? “
…
The situation was getting more and more chaotic. The reporters who had been patiently waiting for questions rushed to ask questions, for fear that they would not get the chance to ask questions.
"The book 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone', written by Miss Rita Skeeter under the umbrella, has revealed everything in the world of magic to Muggle. The Ministry of Magic and Principal Harris allowed this book to be wildly distributed in the world of Muggle. Can Principal Harris explain to us? The International Union of Wizards and Wizards has also issued a serious warning about this. The meeting later will be to discuss whether to sanction the British Ministry of Magic. In this regard, Principal Harris, how do you explain this? " Until the male wizard, who was so loud that his voice almost broke, rudely used the Louder Incantation and shouted his question over the other voices. "If the British wizarding world is sanctioned because of this, who will be responsible for the losses suffered by the Ministry of Magic and the ordinary wizards? Who will pay the bill? "
Dempster Wiggleswald held his head high. As the mouthpiece of the pure-blood families, he was determined to show his value today, especially when Allen Harris had just defeated The Dark Lord and his reputation had soared.
As Wigsward expected, the reporters who heard the question were collectively silent, as if their necks were being strangled. He had asked the question that the others wanted to ask but did not dare to ask.
(End of Chapter)
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