Chapter 472

Many began to wonder how Johnny would use this unexpected windfall; after understanding the situation clearly, he proudly announced his Golden Week plan—he intended to follow the recommendations of the female guests and travel to Cannes.

“Perfect, the Ministry’s directly defying the Prime Minister,” a poorly timed voice suddenly interjected, “even the Auror Office has fallen.”

“What? Oh, Leslie.” Johnny glanced at him. “You don’t need to put it like that—I’m just going on vacation.”

Although Johnny was nominally Leslie’s subordinate, he didn’t seem afraid of the Director; instead, he spoke with great confidence: “Just like Harry did during the Triwizard Tournament—leave for a while, and you’ll realize how much better it is here.”

Leslie sighed heavily. “I’m not worried about that, Johnny—I’m worried about your attitude. Even Mr. Weasley, at this very moment, is throwing such a grand wedding…”

“What wedding?!” Muriel immediately stood up to defend her family. “If you have a problem with our wedding, feel free not to come! Like that pile of manure—or whatever it was—some Death Eater anyway!”

Indeed, Harry silently nodded—Malfoy’s family hadn’t come.

“That’s not what I meant, madam,” Leslie said smoothly after quitting smoking, his long, complex sentences now effortlessly commanding attention. “Bill and Fleur are clearly made for each other—I sincerely wish them a lifetime of happiness. But the sensitive point now is this: the Prime Minister has already declared his stance toward Europe, yet our Minister of Magic is openly, lavishly celebrating his son’s marriage to a European girl. I know it’s all coincidence, but to those unaware—or with darker minds—this could be interpreted as anything from trivial to catastrophic.”

The topic drew in Doge, who was holding a wine glass nearby; he immediately joined in with his own opinion: “Hmm… Mr. Potts, I think you’re overestimating the Prime Minister’s stance and overlooking the actual situation.”

Harry watched Doge curiously—he’d heard Doge had spent much of last year carefully studying Muggle politics.

“The Prime Minister has publicly expressed his personal likes and dislikes, but personal opinion doesn’t define his actual governance direction. So I’ve always thought it’s inaccurate to label him an ‘Out-Euro’—we simply don’t yet possess the real capacity to leave Europe. I’d prefer calling him an ‘Eurosceptic.’” As Doge began speaking, Johnny wisely pulled the female guests aside to chat about travel.

Harry and Zhang Qiu sat at the same table, listening closely. Harry was genuinely attentive; Zhang Qiu was merely there for the spectacle.

“Ephraim, I must correct you—and many pro-Europeans’ misconception—that even if we step outside the European framework, much of what we have can still function normally,” Leslie replied politely. “Trade, energy, international cooperation—we aim to reclaim sovereignty, not sever all ties.”

“Even so, we still face trade barriers, energy price volatility—and more crucially, I believe, our international influence…”

“Oh no, no, Ephraim, wait,” Leslie interrupted Doge’s new round of speech. “Euroscepticism and pro-Europeanism are complex, worthy topics—but that’s not what I was emphasizing. I’m concerned that, after the Prime Minister has already made his position clear, our Minister of Magic is subtly signaling opposition through this wedding. That’s what worries me.”

“If Mr. Weasley wants to be pro-Europe, we can certainly discuss and exchange views—but it’s laughable that this is purely coincidental.” Leslie subtly revealed a hint of irritation. “I mean, did he even go through the Order’s internal election to become Minister of Magic?”

“On this point, our internal unity remains strong,” Doge’s tone grew firmer on the topic of the Order. “We still uphold the principle of focusing on the magical world and avoiding excessive interference in Muggle affairs. If the Prime Minister needs our help, we’ll do our best—but in these ambiguous areas, I believe Mr. Weasley has the right to choose his personal life.”

Leslie’s expression grew deeply troubled. “But it’s glaringly obvious—especially since we all know the Prime Minister himself came from the Ministry. Won’t the Conservatives see this as a sign of internal division?”

“I think the division sparked by Euroscepticism and pro-Europeanism is still relatively benign,” Doge explained from another angle. “Public opinion on this issue isn’t unified anyway. If we uniformly project an anti-Europe stance, we’ll lose considerable public support. Besides, if the Conservatives believe we’re divided when we’re not, that might create a strategic information advantage.”

“How can you call internal division benign? One major reason we defeated the Conservatives was their own internal split!”

“Ah, so that’s why you’re so worried, Leslie,” Doge nodded thoughtfully. “But first, I believe the Conservatives’ defeat resulted from multiple factors—not just this one. Second, due to the Statute of Secrecy, whether you admit it or not, the Ministry and the Cabinet are naturally divided.”

Doge spoke gently, yet with a touch of resignation: “We may study Muggle politics closely, but most Order members and Ministry employees—including Arthur—don’t care about it at all. He probably still understands the EU through the lens of Quidditch leagues. So if the Prime Minister expects the Ministry to cooperate beyond his expectations, he’ll be bitterly disappointed.”

Their conversation gradually wound down. Doge continued sipping his glass, seeking out old or new acquaintances, while Leslie sat where he was, sighing heavily.

“Leslie wants to advance too badly,” Zhang Qiu whispered to Harry. “He even quit smoking for promotion. Harry, be careful of people who quit smoking—they’ll do anything.”

Harry understood her meaning. He too felt there was no need to be so sensitive—there was likely some hidden intent here, a desire to show loyalty to the Prime Minister.

“I can’t tell who’s right,” Ron asked. He’d been sitting at the table for a long time.

“Hmm, it’s really hard to say. We still rely on Europe in many ways, but the EU’s emergence and the surrender of sovereignty… many find it hard to accept. Yet we truly lack the capacity to leave.” Harry also felt a headache coming on. “This is too delicate—we need to handle our Europe relations with far greater caution.”

“So if we had the capacity, we could leave the EU, right? I think it’s not good for mighty Britain to depend on Europeans.” Ron’s thinking was still simple—he was even more nostalgic than those mourning the British Empire; he longed for King Arthur, and Europe was, to him, the evil Roman Empire.

“We’re geographically close to the EU, our rules are compatible, its population and economic scale are enormous, and we’ve always been among its top members,” Harry patiently explained. “We have no reason to abandon these advantages. If you see Britain as a remote island, we’re worse off than Australia—they at least have more land.”

“But isn’t the Prime Minister saying we’ll be controlled by Europe?” Ron asked anxiously.

Harry knew this was another issue—Yanayev was seizing European discourse power, making Britain, long accustomed to reaping European benefits, deeply uneasy. But he didn’t isolate this problem; instead, he began seriously considering how to reduce the EU’s influence on the homeland.

As Harry frowned in thought, he noticed Ron’s expression shift from confusion to shock to quiet delight—he turned around and saw Hermione, dazzlingly dressed, just saying goodbye to Krum as she approached.

“Hello,” she greeted with a smile. “I saw this table was buzzing—what’s going on?”

“Oh, two officials arguing over pro-Europe or Eurosceptic,” Zhang Qiu said, picking at her nails, bored.

Hermione glanced at Zhang Qiu, then sat down gracefully, leaning forward intently. “Harry, Ron—I guess you were just discussing this. Let me say this: right now, thanks to our magical advantages, we briefly possess the confidence of a top-tier power. Our next moves must be handled with extreme caution, because turning magical advantages into real power is incredibly difficult.”

Ron stared at her in surprise.

“I say this because…” Hermione hesitated, “I believe we can’t become the White House’s puppets. This ties into some personal conflicts I have with Donald.”

“First it was personal friendship, now it’s personal conflict?” Ron couldn’t help remarking. “But what should we do?”

“I haven’t figured it out yet,” Hermione admitted, equally frustrated.

Harry shook his head, speaking pragmatically: “I think, on the Europe issue, we’re currently in an almost unsolvable situation. Leaving the EU plays right into Yanayev’s hands; staying means we’ll eventually become a province of the United States of Europe. Worse—I feel the magical world has no way to break this deadlock.”

“What if Yanayev withdraws the East German Group?” Zhang Qiu, who had been quietly watching the drama, suddenly proposed a bold hypothesis.