23 Chapter 23 - Encounter
November 24, 11:45
Boom
Asmodeus, along with Dumbledore and Fawkes, appeared at the door of the Hog's Head Inn.
Previously, the Hog's Head Inn was a small, dark, and very dirty room that strongly smelled of something, possibly goats. The windows were so covered in dirt that very little daylight could penetrate the room, which was instead lit by the flickering candles on rough wooden tables.
The Hog's Head was known for its bad reputation, often frequented by dubious characters. Due to the shady nature of the place, it was fashionable for customers to conceal their faces.
Now, everything has changed dramatically.
After two weeks of reconstruction and magical assistance, the bar had transformed into a vast conference hall reminiscent of a Roman amphitheater. Thanks to the countless Extension Charms applied inside the bar, the space could now accommodate 2,500 people. Upon entering, you are greeted by the reception desk, with the boar's head hanging above it, the only reminder of the building's past purpose. Behind the counter is a staircase leading upstairs to guest rooms for potential visitors. Previously, even the darkest wizards wouldn't have stayed here due to the extreme dirtiness. Now, these rooms resemble those of a five-star hotel in the Muggle world. Looking to the right of the stairs, you'll see an entrance leading to the conference hall. To save on furniture or to evoke an ancient atmosphere, the conference hall consists of a performance platform surrounded by tiered seating for the audience. They were not made of stone like in ancient times but were covered in the skin of some magical creature. An enchantment on the ceiling, similar to the Hogwarts dining hall, simulated the night sky, allowing you to feel like you're in ancient Rome, a time when wizards were the most important advisers to emperors, and almost everyone knew about magic, and wizards didn't need to hide.
While Asmodeus was assessing the rebranding of the Hog's Head Inn, the Muggle elite and a small number of wizards gradually filled the rows of seats.
Among them, Asmodeus saw a diverse group of people, from members of royal families and nobles to business magnates and scientists.
This assembly brought together people from all walks of life, but most importantly, all the present are elite who influenced the lives of ordinary people. If these people supported their actions, their plan would face no obstacles on the Muggle side, meaning guaranteed success.
Not that there couldn't be opponents to his ideas in the wizarding world, but he was confident that in the worst case, he could simply kill anyone who resisted. In the Muggle world, it wouldn't work that way. There were too many non-magical people, and as soon as someone from the top died, it would turn everyone else against them.
Moreover, this assembly plays a crucial role in his current research.
After Asmodeus absorbed knowledge about runes from books, he could read ancient texts and extract information from them. From these ancient texts, he understood that magic was much stronger and more potent in the past.
The most powerful wizards of ancient Egypt could incinerate a city of 100,000 people with a single spell, and it wasn't even Fiendfyre, just ordinary fire.
Over the last two to three weeks, he had been trying to find an explanation for why the density of magic in space was depleting. During his research, he discovered that after the introduction of the Secrecy Law in 1689, magic began to rapidly lose its strength. Even the requirements for Hogwarts students significantly decreased! Take Shield Charms as an example. Currently, only Aurors are required to know this spell. It's not even part of the mandatory Hogwarts curriculum anymore! But a hundred years ago, "Protego '' was a condition for advancing to the sixth year!
Even earlier, before the introduction of the secrecy status, this spell was taught in the third year at Hogwarts.
Asmodeus believes that such a decline in the magical world is directly linked to the secrecy status. If, immediately after the introduction of the Secrecy Law, many Muggles sincerely believed in witches and magic, considering electricity a witch's doing, then, after hundreds of years, people began to see magic as mere fantasy.
Asmodeus's idea is that since the magic in this world is inherently idealistic and, at the initial stages, does not require strict training and research (up to a certain level of development, magic in the world of Harry Potter resembles instinctive actions of wizards), and mostly relies on the desire of the wizard, it also depends on the number of people who know about magic and sincerely believe in it.
In other words, because of the secrecy status, fewer and fewer people believed in magic, and magic gradually weakened until it reached today's level, where there are no more than three million wizards worldwide.
Furthermore, now understanding the ancient writings, Asmodeus saw that in ancient times, there were completely magical cities, not one or two, but several dozen. Each of them had hundreds of thousands of wizards at that time! Even Atlantis once existed and disappeared relatively recently, about 400-600 years ago.
The founders of Hogwarts even left records of their journey to Atlantis. It was a floating island held afloat by the magic of 12 wizards of the same level as the four founders of Hogwarts. But due to the witch hunt, Atlantis cut off all contact with the world, and without magical energy support, it eventually sank.
This meeting will allow Asmodeus to understand if his theory is true. In three weeks, he and Professor Batsheda Babbling, the Study of Ancient Runes, developed a tool that roughly determines the saturation of space with magical energy. Currently, the device shows 0.5 units of magic per square meter with an error of 0.01 particles. Asmodeus asked the system how much he could increase the density of magical energy in the world at once, and it replied by 5 units. This means that one increase in the world's level through the system will bring 10 times more magic into the world than it is now; no wonder such an improvement costs 10,000 points.
While Asmodeus contemplated, all seats were already taken, and Muggles had begun whispering to each other. Therefore, Grindelwald decided it was time to start. He was chosen for the introduction as he was the most experienced in public speaking. He approached Asmodeus and said, "Are you ready? I'll make the introduction, but the task is yours afterward. Are you not nervous?"
"Don't worry; whether it's this bunch of old folks or these 3,000 people, the feelings are the same. I can handle it."
"Good, then I'm off; people are already waiting."
"Good luck."
After waiting for Grindelwald and the others to leave, Asmodeus took out some potion from his pocket.
"Well, I can't go on stage looking like a 13-year-old; I need to show them why I was considered the heartthrob of the Fire Nation."
.......
On Stage:
"Greetings, ladies and gentlemen, kings, queens, nobles, sheikhs, and distinguished scholars. We are pleased to welcome you all here at the Hog's Head Inn, at the first congress of the new world!"
Applause echoed in the hall, and it was well-deserved. Grindelwald, resembling Johnny Depp, possessed unlimited charisma that even affected Muggles.
"You have all gathered here for one thing. This."
As Grindelwald said this, blue flames appeared around him, transforming into various animals that roamed the hall.
"Magic. You are all here for magic. For something you, for some reason, did not possess. But today, you have a chance to feel it and become wizards yourself!" Grindelwald shouted the last words, and the audience didn't lag behind, with most wizards already standing and applauding, anticipating further performance.
"But I believe I am not worthy to tell you about the method of obtaining magic because today, in our presence, is the creator of the 'magic circle.' Please welcome him, Asmodeus Noren Morningstar!"
When his words fell, the blue flame on the stage disappeared, and a dark red, burgundy-tinted flame took its place. A fiery path appeared between the rows of seats, and Asmodeus descended from the top of the amphitheater. When he turned around, people saw a figure that was difficult to describe in words.
They saw a man wearing a vibrant red robe with a loose, flowing design. His long hair cascaded down his shoulders, framing the face. He looked gentle and aggressive at the same time, with a Scandinavian-Slavic appearance: sharp, chopped features and an aggressive look. His dark brown eyes seem to stare straight into the soul…
Ascending the stage, Asmodeus declared, "Greetings to all present. My name is Asmodeus Noren Morningstar, and I am the creator of the magic circle."
When his words resonated, all the women in the hall applauded while standing, and the eyes of the men burned with jealousy. It turns out that before stepping on stage, Asmodeus had consumed an aging potion, which restored his appearance to that of a 20-year-old Fire Nation warrior, chased by countless women.
"Thanks to Mr. Grindelwald for helping me with the introduction. Now, I want to present my creation to you all!"
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