In central London, at the entrance of a newly built complex that looked very much like a hospital, the summer heat did nothing to dampen the lively atmosphere on the street. As time passed, more and more people gathered there.
"Mr. Marvolio, should we take some measures? If a stampede happens, even if we can cover it up, it will still bring some negative attention to our first joint project."
The Prime Minister stood beside Marvolio, looking worriedly at the increasingly dense crowd of curious onlookers gathering at the entrance.
He was not worried about his own safety, though. Not only did he have a strong security team of his own, but standing beside him was a powerful wizard hailed as Tver's successor.
Marvolio swept his gaze over the crowd expressionlessly. Thinking of his mission this time, he could not help sighing helplessly.
He should not have done it. He really should not have.
He should never have let Tver tempt him with the badge and then obediently agree to everything.
Still, although Tver had pushed many matters onto him, Tver himself was not as relaxed as Marvolio had imagined.
After all, The Statute of Secrecy had been abolished rather hastily. Or rather, too suddenly.
Even if the members of the Confederation had been mentally prepared, that did not mean they, or the global wizarding world, were truly ready to open the wizarding world to the outside.
So after hastily upgrading the badge, Tver had been taken to the Wizarding Confederation by Dumbledore.
Apparently, they needed to discuss and formulate the relevant policies and laws as quickly as possible to fill the legal vacuum left after The Statute of Secrecy was abolished.
If Grindelwald's identity had not been somewhat awkward, he would have been dragged along too.
And he, Marvolio, only needed to take charge of Britain's affairs.
Thinking this way, Marvolio felt much better. Then, under the surprised and delighted gazes of everyone present, especially the reporters, he drew his wand and gave it a light wave.
Streams of black veils, gentle yet carrying an irresistible force, flew from the tip of his wand and slowly wove through the crowd.
The massive, tightly packed crowd was immediately divided into several lines, and the chaotic scene became orderly, as if everyone had suddenly turned into well-behaved citizens who followed the rules.
That was, if one ignored the waves of cheers breaking out because they had just witnessed wondrous magic.
"Mr. Marvolio, can you perform that again?" a reporter shouted excitedly.
Seeing himself treated like a monkey in a circus, Marvolio finally understood why Tver was so resistant to appearing before ordinary people.
But it was understandable. When he had first seen Dumbledore use magic, the excitement in his own heart had not been much less than theirs.
According to Tver, it was only because his battle with Voldemort had been too dazzling, giving ordinary people a tiny little misunderstanding about magic, that the current frenzy had emerged.
Once contact between the two sides increased in the future, this frenzy would fade and become normal.
Marvolio kept recalling Tver's explanation in his mind. He took a deep breath and finally suppressed the anger that had been stirring inside him.
Endure it. Complete the mission properly, and there would be the badge as a reward.
Seeing that the time was about right, Marvolio truly had no desire to delay any longer. Without even asking for the Prime Minister's opinion, he strode forward and stood before all the reporters.
"Excuse me. The wonders of magic are not limited to Charms. In fact, Charms are only a very small part of magic. What is even more remarkable and wondrous is the major product we are launching today."
Marvolio read out the prepared lines expressionlessly. Even though his voice carried no emotion at all, his young and handsome appearance, much like Tver's, combined with the magic he had just performed, still drew bursts of cheers from the crowd outside.
Even if no one really knew what they were cheering for.
"Please, save this child..."
A cry for help sounded from within the lively crowd. It was very faint, so faint that an ordinary person would never have heard it clearly.
But with the sharp intuition brought by the magic he had just cast, Marvolio accurately located a woman and the child she was holding.
The child's complexion looked fairly normal, only slightly pale. What was more worrying was that his whole body lay limp against the woman.
With Marvolio's experience, this was definitely not sleep.
"Please make way."
He strode forward. Even though the crowd ahead was packed so tightly that there was no gap at all, with every step he took, an invisible force pushed people aside, opening a narrow path.
"What happened to him?"
For some reason, Marvolio's voice unconsciously softened a great deal.
But everything had happened too quickly. The woman herself had never expected this kind of scene, which should only exist in fantasies, to actually happen to her.
She had only heard that the wondrous wizards were going to establish a hospital here, a magical hospital.
Having failed to find help elsewhere, she could only treat this place as her last lifeline.
But now, that lifeline had been delivered right in front of her.
"Speak!"
Seeing the woman's dazed expression, Marvolio could not help using a commanding tone.
"Oh, oh." Only then did the woman belatedly come back to herself. "This child has a tumor in his brain. The doctor said it's pressing on his nerves and blood vessels..."
Hearing the woman's rambling explanation, Marvolio was immediately dumbfounded.
He was a Dark Lord. Talking to him about nerves and blood vessels was less useful than talking about something as vague and elusive as the soul.
"Forget it. Whatever the illness is, he needs to go inside for an examination first."
He took the child from her arms and walked straight back.
"Is this a patient?" The Prime Minister hurried over and waved his hand, prompting the bodyguards around him to block the curious reporters outside.
"Yes." Marvolio did not slow down at all.
"You're going to treat him?"
"Yes."
"No, can't we wait a little? We've already arranged the hospital's first patient, the kind guaranteed to succeed. You can't act on impulse at a time like this!" the Prime Minister said anxiously.
Although everyone knew magic could not solve every problem, this magical hospital was the world's first product of magic and technology combined.
To put it seriously, this concerned the future of all of Britain.
More importantly, one glance was enough to tell that this child's problem was extremely difficult. Otherwise, he would not have been brought here.
If the very first patient became a failure they could not resolve, it would easily give the public a sense of insecurity.
Marvolio's footsteps paused, but only for a moment. His cold gaze flicked briefly toward the Prime Minister before he continued walking into the hospital.
"No."