Chapter 278

"Is this allowed under the Statute of Secrecy?" Harry asked discontentedly.

"The Statute of Secrecy permits wizards to live among Muggles and hold Muggle occupations and Muggle identities," Lupin explained. "The Minister for Magic can certainly do the same—his Muggle occupation just happens to be head of state."

"Of course, there are advantages—wizards' lives can be easily improved, that's obvious," Sirius sipped his lemon water. "The only problem is that this inevitably leads to the collapse of the Statute of Secrecy."

"But what has the Statute of Secrecy given wizards?" Harry said. "I don't see any benefit."

"The Statute of Secrecy protects wizards," Sirius raised an eyebrow and nodded slightly.

"But I don't think wizards are weaker than Muggles," Harry voiced his opinion puzzledly. "Wizards can learn and apply Muggle knowledge, while Muggles can never learn magic."

"You're right—but Muggles are extremely numerous," Sirius, unusually serious in front of Harry, said. "They can't learn magic, so they fear wizards, persecute wizards—just like in the Middle Ages."

"But wizards have many ways to ensure they aren't killed by Muggles," Harry recalled descriptions from textbooks. "Some even willingly go to the stake."

"Of course, wizards can survive countless hunts and manhunts by Muggles—but can you guarantee you'll never make a mistake?" Sirius put down his knife and fork, staring intently at Harry. "And even if you believe your superior magic can handle all hostility, would you truly want to live that life?"

I could just hide and make sure Muggles never find me—Harry was about to say this, then suddenly realized: that's exactly what wizards are already doing.

"Coincidentally, in Muggle eyes, the Statute of Secrecy protects them," Lupin said. "If wizards began indiscriminately slaughtering Muggles, using the Imperius Curse to control world leaders, and provoking wars, they wouldn't tolerate it either."

"That's true too, so in fact, wizards and Muggles have formed a kind of—" Harry struggled to find the right words.

"Deterrence peace," Lupin prompted.

"Yes, that's it," Harry nodded. He knew the U. . and USSR had achieved this same deterrence peace because each possessed nuclear weapons.

"And the Statute of Secrecy is a great invention," Lupin concluded. "It fairly and cleverly divides the interests of wizards and Muggles, allowing each side to thrive. Without it, the wizarding and Muggle worlds might have entered a cold war."

"That's why we oppose Voldemort—or even earlier, why people opposed Grindelwald," Tonks added. "The world can't afford a war between wizards and Muggles."

"But from this perspective, sharing a leader isn't necessarily bad," Harry said. "Wizards and Muggles might become even more united."

"That's only because they're still in the honeymoon phase," Sirius said with concern. "Once the honeymoon's over, who knows what might happen?"

This was also a troubling topic, so they shifted to discussing school life. Fortunately, Harry had plenty to say on this subject.

After lunch, Sirius took Harry outside. As the wall-building project progressed, the Anti-Apparition wards expanded further, inadvertently granting them a long stretch of private time.

"Lupin said that because Aria plans to classify werewolves as an Albanian minority and have them support him in Muggle politics," Sirius said, slightly worried. "The canned food orders are a deal."

"That's not bad—they have no demands in the Muggle world anyway," Harry didn't grasp the issue.

"Yes, of course—but if every leader attempting to establish a multi-party system starts inviting wizards to endorse them," Sirius shook his head, "then the collapse of the Statute of Secrecy is merely a matter of time."

"Perhaps the Statute of Secrecy should be amended to prohibit wizards from holding political identities in the Muggle world," Harry suggested.

"Do you think that's easy to achieve?" Sirius sighed. "Never mind. Let's first handle what's in front of us. Prepare to take the potion."

They Apparated to Sirius's office. Harry drank the Polyjuice Potion, checked his attire again, then used the fireplace to travel to Malfoy Manor.

As Harry, posing as Ho Fa, approached the long table, he saw an unexpected figure: William, the White House agent.

"Welcome, Ho Fa," Lucius said. "You don't come often. Regulus said you're busy searching for Horcruxes."

"Yes, I've hit some bottlenecks," Harry evaded. "I came here hoping for inspiration."

"Please sit," Lucius offered a refined smile, then deliberately averted his gaze.

"Why have I never seen this man before?" William spoke as if whispering to Lucius, but his voice carried clearly to everyone. "Can anyone just sit at this table?"

"Ho Fa possesses a Horcrux—that alone proves the Dark Lord's trust in him," Lucius explained.

"But how can you be sure he actually has a Horcrux?" William challenged with suspicion. "I could claim I have one too."

"He must be carrying it on his person," Lucius stared directly at Harry, speaking slowly. "My Dark Mark can sense it."

Harry silently nodded—he'd just realized the Dark Mark had this function. Too bad Sirius hadn't taken the Mark, and Snape was too busy to investigate the Lestrange family's private assets.

"Well, that's good news then: Ho Fa truly has a Horcrux," William recovered smoothly. "The only remaining problem is the ring in the Order's possession."

"Will the White House support our war?" Bellatrix asked eagerly.

"Forgive me, but we cannot send Aurors from the Magical Congress to do this," William carefully said. "A few agents alone won't make a decisive difference. But you must believe the White House very much wishes to help you gather the Horcruxes and resurrect the Dark Lord."

Harry eyed William skeptically—he suspected the man had ill intent. But upon reflection, aiding Britain's restoration of deterrence and maintaining European balance aligned with the White House's interests. Moreover, anyone with insight would know Harry had strong pro-Soviet leanings, so the Magical Congress's decision made sense.

"So what's the plan?" Lucius asked.

"We originally planned to bribe some Order members, but we failed," William said. "They consider themselves the righteous army and are utterly steadfast."

"So my idea is this: first, discredit Dumbledore, erode his moral authority," William revealed a sinister smile. "If Dumbledore isn't fighting the Dark Lord for justice, but merely two powerful wizards vying for leadership of Britain, then the Order is no longer a noble organization—it's simply Dumbledore's subordinates and enforcers. Then, bribing its members becomes far easier."

"A brilliant idea—but doesn't your plan presuppose that we are unjust?" Sirius asked sternly.

"Come on, Regulus," Lucius sneered. "You can fool your underlings, but don't fool yourself."

"I think since we're all allies here, there's no need to keep up those false pretenses," William shrugged. "Our first task is to find Dumbledore's weaknesses—his moral failings—and publish them."

"That's difficult," Snape spoke up. "Even if we all believe he's a hypocrite, we must admit his disguise is flawless."

"As far as I know, Dumbledore never married, correct?" Antonin suddenly said.

"That's normal—a wizard devotes his energy to studying magic and has no time for relationships," Snape's tone was oppressive. "Do you find this worthy of suspicion?"

"I mean, we can use this to spread rumors," Antonin's voice sounded unnatural. "For instance—he's so obsessed with being Headmaster of Hogwarts—perhaps he's a pedophile?"

"You'd better be talking about Dumbledore," Snape drew his wand.

"Antonin, leave," Lucius said coldly. "Those without a Horcrux have no right to hear what follows."

The order seemed like an expulsion, but from Snape's expression, Lucius might have just saved his life.

"My original idea was to stage a farce," William quickly shifted topics. "Bring in a group of strippers, each claiming to have Dumbledore's illegitimate child. We all know Dumbledore was extremely wealthy in life—this wouldn't raise suspicion."

"A brilliant idea," Lucius said, visibly intrigued. "Even if we later prove they're all liars, the public will still believe they had at least some relationship with Dumbledore—Dumbledore's image as a moral man might crumble."

"In fact, we have another plan," William tapped the table. "You may not know, but in a top-secret Magical Congress file, I found this name: Aurelius Dumbledore."