Late at night.
International Confederation of Wizards.
Main conference room.
It was a large conference room with more than two hundred seats, enough to accommodate representatives from every country in the world at once.
For example, right now, an emergency meeting was underway.
Representatives arrived one after another in a rush, panting as they sat down and whispered among themselves.
Some were even still in their pajamas.
The screen used to track the attacks in real time had been magically moved into the conference room, leaving every representative's face filled with worry.
"Madam Granger, you said you received the report this morning. Why did you wait until now to inform us? This is a serious failure by the British Ministry of Magic and government!"
As soon as Hermione finished explaining the cause of the attacks from the stage, a representative openly accused her, tapping the table loudly with his finger.
Many representatives nodded along.
At this point, it was almost impossible for the various countries to avoid being attacked.
If they could find a scapegoat, at least they could make another country shoulder part of the losses.
Seeing this, Harry stepped forward and responded clearly, "That is because the situation has been deteriorating in an extraordinary way from the very beginning. The mastermind also possesses strength no weaker than any Dark Lord in history. This is not something any country's Ministry of Magic could handle alone!"
Dark Lord!
After several rounds of reform, the representatives of various countries were not necessarily wizards, but they were always people with sufficient understanding of both the wizarding world and politics.
They had at least heard of the Dark Lords in history, or rather, of all those powerful wizards.
For a moment, the discussion in the conference room surged.
If the enemy was at the level of a Dark Lord, then the severity of the current crisis suddenly made sense.
"Then do we... have any wizards who can deal with this?" someone asked.
The conference room gradually quieted, as though everyone had realized something.
"Dumbledore... does anyone know where he is?"
"And the two former Fawley presidents. They must have the power to stop this crisis!"
"Yes, yes, they'll definitely have no problem."
The surname Fawley might sound unfamiliar to young people who did not care about history or politics, but everyone present was full of confidence.
After all, these representatives in their forties and fifties had been working hard in politics or the wizarding world during the consecutive terms of Tver and Marvolio. Quite a few had even experienced those years firsthand.
They remembered those two men's strength and methods all too well.
Just as they were getting excited, Hermione shattered their illusion.
"I'm sorry, but both former presidents are missing. In today's wizarding world, there is no longer any wizard who can compare to them."
"In other words, this time, we can only rely on ourselves."
Silence.
A brief silence fell over the conference room.
The smiles and lively atmosphere vanished in an instant, replaced by heaviness.
Especially since the red dots on the screen were still increasing. Almost every hour, more than fifty attacks were taking place.
"How have wizards gotten worse the more they've learned?"
A muggle representative struck the table angrily.
Malfoy and Harry lowered their heads in silence.
Sorry. We can't compare to Professor Fawley either.
The other representatives were full of complaints as well.
They had been dragged out of bed before they had even slept properly, only to face something this serious.
It felt as though the sky was about to fall.
"What we need is a solution, not for you to stand there looking dejected!"
"The situation will only become more serious. There have already been more than two hundred attacks, and almost every country has suffered the same thing. Next, important national figures and industries may be harmed!"
"Since this trouble was caused by wizards, provide us with a magical solution immediately!"
Hermione looked at them coldly and touched her wand to her throat.
"No. This time, we have to learn to use human methods!"
Her voice rang out heavily, instantly silencing the entire conference room.
Malfoy and Harry immediately directed the staff.
Under everyone's curious gazes, more than a dozen computers that had already been prepared were carried in and placed before the representatives.
"The first problem we must solve is the attacks. One hundred thousand attacks, even if scattered across the globe, would cause immeasurable losses. That is why we must unite and cooperate!"
Hermione walked toward the computers with a solemn expression.
"I require the strictest global news control. In the news, all attacks must be unified as a farce staged by an evil wizard. Ordinary people who have received the magical water devices will not only fail to take revenge, they will die in extreme agony!"
As she spoke, she lifted one screen with one hand.
A fake news article had already been prepared on it, complete with images, realistic enough to pass for the truth: "The Lies of an Evil Wizard!"
Everyone present was part of the elite, and they quickly understood.
"Your plan is to make those who haven't used the devices hesitate?"
"Exactly!"
Hermione nodded firmly.
"They are not wizards, and they don't know how these devices work. They can only learn about the situation through the news."
"As long as every country blocks the truth through all media and information channels, and spreads the fake news we have prepared, they will believe this is an evil wizard toying with their anger."
"Then, through encouragement and rewards, we retrieve these devices from their hands! I believe that when people who have long lived at the bottom of society are forced to choose between losing their lives and receiving a sum of money, they will make the right choice."
"What if some people simply don't believe the news?" asked one representative, worried about his people's strong tendency to rebel.
Hermione shrugged.
"Then that depends on how much the public trusts its government. But as long as one person is willing to hand over a device, that means one less attack. That is still better than doing nothing, isn't it?"
Countries with higher public trust would suffer fewer attacks, while countries with lower trust would suffer more.
That alone would reflect each country's ability and attitude when dealing with magical issues.
If they had not considered their people in ordinary times, then they deserved the headache now.
"At this point, there doesn't seem to be a better solution."
The representatives exchanged hesitant looks.
It was not that no country had thought of this method. Some had even already begun carrying it out.
But the real difficulty lay in sealing off all information across national borders. Otherwise, a single news report could destroy the barrier they had built.
Now that Hermione was willing to take the lead, they had no reason to refuse.
After a round of symbolic discussion, reporting, and voting, the situation was too urgent to delay.
Almost simultaneously, representatives from every country sent the decision back home, and action began at once.
The dozen or so computers continuously produced fake news materials and sent them in real time to each country's news control departments.
Regardless of time zone or location, these fake reports flooded every channel people could access.
After seven tense, busy hours, the conference room was filled with figures rushing about and the occasional sound of yawning.
Until a voice full of joy woke everyone up.
"In the past hour... there have only been two attacks!"
Everyone froze, exhausted.
Looking outside, the sky was already beginning to brighten. Looking back at the screen, the speed at which red dots appeared was nearly zero.
The next second.
Cheers exploded like cannon fire, almost lifting the roof off the building.
At the same time, thunderous applause rang out.
Hermione could not help clapping along twice.
When she turned back, she saw Harry and Malfoy smiling broadly at her and giving her a thumbs-up.
Hermione could not help grinning, revealing a heartfelt smile.
But when she withdrew her gaze,
a tall figure appeared in the corner of her eye, so natural and composed that it seemed she had been standing there all along.
The woman wore a black coat over her clothes. Her swan-like neck was slightly raised, and she nodded to Hermione with a smile.
Hermione looked closer, then suddenly widened her eyes.
"Miss Cynthia!"