In a heartbeat, the once-tranquil atmosphere of the courtyard transformed into something tense.
Lying motionless on the recliner, Anton Vogel had not risen since the beginning of their unexpected visit. Perhaps, more accurately, he no longer possessed the physical ability to rise without assistance.
Despite his frail, aging body which trembled slightly even in motionlessness, Vogel's presence emanated a sharpness that cut through the courtyard like winter wind, causing both Kingsley and Louise to catch their breath in unison.
This aura didn't come from any showy display of magical power but rather from the imposing presence that Vogel had cultivated through decades of holding the highest offices in wizarding governments.
It was the lingering shadow clinging to that man who had marched across the international magical politics and survived the horrors of the greatest Wizarding World War; And his eyes still retained that sharpness that had once made junior ministers stammer and foreign dignitaries reconsider their positions.
Kingsley casted a worried glance toward the calm looking Bryan as sweat flowed along his forehead. His eyes darted nervously between the two powerful wizards engaged in this delicate verbal duel, recognizing the dangerous undercurrents flowing beneath their seemingly civil exchange.
The question that repeatedly surfaced in Kingsley's mind was how exactly Bryan had verified such explosive information—that the woman Jasna Rozier was in fact Jasna Vogel, and furthermore, that she occupied a vital position within that evil organization.
The connection to Anton Vogel changed everything-- complicated everything.
Anton Vogel wasn't just some forgotten bureaucrat or retired official. He was, by any reasonable standard, a "legendary wizard" whose reputation stretched across continents. A man who had once served as Germany's Minister of Magic, before rising to the even more prestigious position of President of the International Confederation of Wizards at those War-times.
Though retired for many years now, his influence still filled the corridors of power throughout magical Europe. And now, they had arrived at his doorstep with accusations that bordered on being provocative, despite having no established relationship with the man. By all rights, Vogel could have expelled them from his property.
Without official authorization or international warrants, they had no legitimate authority to interrogate someone of Vogel's status, particularly in private— at least Kingsley didn't have the audacity or recklessness required for such an approach.
His uneasiness was amplified by the fact that they had secretly crossed into German magical territory without following proper diplomatic protocols. The potential fallout, should this encounter go awry, would be disastrous.
Yet in stark contrast to Kingsley's increasing concerns and anxiety, Bryan, who faced Vogel's cold gaze directly, maintained a calm demeanor. He met Vogel's eyes steadily, silently conveying a certain determination.
"You're helping Muggles persecute your own kind—" Vogel finally broke the silence, his voice emerging as a cold, brittle thing, like ice cracking on a frozen lake.
"Excuse me!" The sharp interjection came not from Bryan, who had opened his mouth to respond, but from Louise, who until that moment had been sitting in silence behind him.
Initially, Louise had viewed Vogel with a complex mixture of awe and anxiety which was a natural response considering his former high position in wizarding society, one that apparently exceeded even Bryan's current standing. But after that statement, her awe vanished instantly, and anger quickly overtook her rationality.
Louise jumped up from her chair, ignoring Kingsley's warning glances, and exclaimed furiously,
"Helping Muggles persecute your own kind?" she echoed, the words emerging as a bitter, incredulous laugh. Her face flushed red with anger.
"Mr. Vogel, perhaps your hearing is impaired, or perhaps you deliberately chose to ignore what Bryan just explained. There exists a group of monsters—yes, they happen to be wizards—who are committing the most heinous atrocities imaginable! They've murdered people, numerous innocent people! They've conducted some horrifically evil cruel experiments on humans—on vulnerable pregnant women carrying unborn children, on helpless infants!
In our society, if such acts were to happen, our parliament would likely convene emergency sessions to reinstate the death penalty specifically for the perpetrators, regardless of the long-standing prohibitions against capital punishment!"
Louise paused for breath, her chest heaving with emotion as she glared at the old wizard, who remained unnaturally still on his recliner, his expression remaining unreadable.
"If you wizards have established legal systems—and clearly you do, as I'm aware of your 'Statute of Secrecy' then surely you must have other laws governing basic human decency. Do your magical statutes somehow permit the actions of these sadistic criminals? Or is it perhaps that in the worldview of wizards, those without magical abilities aren't considered human?"
The question hung in the air like a poisoned dart, its implication so monstrous that even the gentle breeze seemed to still in anticipation of a response.
"It seems—" Observing the silent Vogel, Bryan spoke calmly, "I no longer need to waste effort refuting your absurd statement, do I, Mr. Vogel?"
"I understand—" Vogel finally responded, unmoved by Louise's passionate outburst. His gaze shifted back to Bryan, analyzing this contemporary legend who had risen so swiftly and spectacularly.
"You are indeed remarkably similar to Dumbledore," Vogel continued, his voice taking a pensive tone. "Both of you stubbornly cling to the naive belief that no distinction exists between wizards and Muggles. You advocate for wizards to further integrate into Muggle society, while willfully ignoring the increasingly formidable technological capabilities of Muggles and our correspondingly declining position in the world order. You pretend blindness to the threat approaching our kind, just as he did, looking content to fiddle while Rome burns around you."
"Mr. Vogel—" Bryan interrupted the old man's nostalgic murmuring, his tone carrying a subtle edge that had not been present before. His fingers caressed the rim of his teacup as he gazed at the rippling brown liquid, his expression emotionless.
"I must say, I'm truly surprised. I had believed such perspectives had faded into obscurity at least half a century ago, thrown to the dustbin of magical history alongside other failed ideologies. I never expected that even today, in what we consider modern times, someone would bring such sentiments directly to my face."
"You dismiss these concerns as just alarmist paranoia, President Watson?" Vogel's bony hands tightly interlaced, his gaze was as sharp as a hawk's, and his chest rose and fall slightly.
"Not at all—" Bryan responded elegantly, subtly gesturing for Louise to return to her seat before continuing calmly.
"I find myself in a rather embarrassing position, Mr. Vogel. You, having been officially retired for many years, continue to harbor such passionate concern for the security and future of the wizarding world, while I, in my current position rarely spare such matters more than a passing thought."
Vogel pressed his lips together, his breathing becoming unsteady perhaps with anger.
"—What you say contains undeniable elements of truth," Bryan continued, seemingly oblivious to Vogel's rising displeasure. "I mean, Muggles are indeed growing stronger in numerous ways, while wizard society shows signs of stagnation and is declining. But I find myself wondering: what exactly is there to complain about in this natural progression?"
Bryan's lips curved into a subtle smile. "Isn't this precisely the natural order of things, playing out as one might expect? For generations upon generations, Muggles have continuously strived for progress and innovation, channeling their intellectual resources toward ensuring technology could better serve their needs, hoping that society could become increasingly civilized and advanced with each passing year.
Whereas we wizards have largely become intellectually and socially stagnant. The dominant voice in wizarding society remains constantly committed to maintaining tradition at all costs, often rejecting beneficial changes simply because they represent deviation from established patterns.
A considerable number of ancient, so-called 'pure-blood' families still insist on the biologically disastrous practice of inbreeding—marrying their cousins and other close relatives—all for maintaining what they consider blood purity."
Bryan's lip curled slightly in disgust before he continued.
"Most Wizards reflexively refuse progress, reject necessary social change, and then express shock when the balance of power between our worlds begins to shift. This development process is quite normal and, frankly, entirely predictable to anyone with a passing understanding of societal evolution."
Bryan tilted his head at a thoughtful angle, his sharp gaze making it clear to Vogel that he understood perfectly exactly what he wanted to express, perhaps even better than Vogel himself did.
"—If one is genuinely concerned about the long-term fate of wizardkind, what should be done is introspection, followed by systematic self-transformation and active learning from those we have too long dismissed. Not,"
Bryan's mouth twitched, his tone now tinged with absurdity, "harboring delusional fantasies about enslaving or conquering Muggles, establishing wizard hegemony over Muggle society. Historical facts have repeatedly proven that such radical, supremacist ideas cannot possibly succeed, and are destined to fail, because—"
Bryan turned his head deliberately to look directly at Louise, his gaze lingering meaningfully before returning to Vogel. "Wizards and Muggles are both basically human. We are not innately more noble, more worthy, or more deserving than Muggles simply by virtue of our magical abilities."
Vogel's chest rose and fell with increasing intensity, and his eyes were filling with anger.
Kingsley's expression grew increasingly troubled as the confrontation intensified. While he found himself in complete agreement with Bryan's perspective, he was deeply aware of the historical context behind Vogel's words.
The prevailing ideology within wizarding society during Vogel's era had been radically different, immersed in notions of magical exceptionalism and superiority. He feared that if they truly provoked Anton Vogel beyond a certain threshold... Well, they could not possibly use methods like the Imperius Curse or Veritaserum on a former President of the International Confederation of Wizards to extract information.
As the heated exchange continued, Louise's indignant expression gradually transformed. She began to realize that the attitude of wizards toward Muggles was perhaps considerably more complex and problematic than she had initially understood from her limited interactions with Bryan and his colleagues.
It seemed that many wizards simultaneously had contradictory attitudes: a condescending contempt toward Muggles who existed in supposed ignorance of the magical world around them, while simultaneously maintaining vigilant paranoia regarding the possibility that Muggles who undeniably outnumbered wizards by thousands to one might someday discover magic's existence and respond with fear-driven aggression.
This seemed somewhat similar to the historical persecution of alleged witches and heretics in religious myths.
"So, what solution would you propose?" Vogel said, "If you truly wish to prevent wizards' eventual extinction, if you sincerely desire wizards to transform themselves as you suggest, you must surely recognize this would inevitably cause—"
"Wizards will bleed—" Bryan interjected with chilling calmness, his voice maintaining its melodious quality despite the brutal imagery his words aroused, "but will ultimately experience rebirth through that bloodshed."
The casual delivery of such a bloodthirsty prediction, spoken with the same leisurely tone one might use to discuss the weather, sent shockwaves through the courtyard. Kingsley's lips compressed instantly into a tight line, and an icy dread surged from the depths of his heart, crawling up his spine, causing tremors across his skin.
What exactly did Bryan mean by those blood-soaked words?
To eliminate the deeply rooted societal ills plaguing wizarding society and organizations, was Bryan actually considering orchestrating a full-scale bloodbath within the Wizarding world?!
Even Anton Vogel was somewhat frightened by the statement. He felt his heart racing erratically at the unexpected sharpness that had manifested in Bryan Watson's magical aura after those words.
For a fleeting, terrifying moment, he seemed to glimpse through time to that era when the entire world had been engulfed in magical flames, when wizards had slaughtered one another in numbers not seen since medieval times!
"Do you intend to execute this vision personally?" Vogel questioned, his head lifting slightly from its resting position on the plush cushion, though his physical state prevented him from fully sitting upright.
"Would Dumbledore allow such methods?" He added, raising the name as both challenge and shield.
"Oh—" Bryan's facial features instantly rearranged themselves into a pleasant, almost kind smile, as if the earlier glimpse of cold-blooded intention had been merely a collective hallucination experienced by all present.
"This is very difficult and thoroughly thankless work. Why would I do it myself? Just wait and see, Mr. Anton Vogel. You will witness the change—"
On the distant horizon beyond the garden's edge, an ominous cloud of dust began to rise toward the heavens, gradually obscuring the golden afternoon sunlight. The world around them seemed about to darken.
Vogel gazed intensely at Bryan Watson across from him, at that young face, those unsettlingly similar eyes that contained the same unwavering conviction he had witnessed.
Some unknown recognition slowly appeared in his eyes, and suddenly, unexpectedly, he began to laugh—a wheezing, rattling sound that seemed to emerge from the very depths of his old body.
"Another one," He murmured as his eyes glittered with something that might have been fear, or possibly perverse admiration.
'Dumbledore's successor---'
Vogel closed his heavy eyelids, as if the sight before him had become too much to bear, and said in an almost delirious, resigned voice, "If you wish to know anything further, go and question Hayne. It knows all my affairs, better than I remember them myself—"
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