A large number of reporters flooded into the Ministry of Magic, the constant flashes of their cameras lighting up Barty Crouch Sr.'s face.
"Minister Crouch, was the result of this council meeting what you expected?"
"Some senior officials received warnings from the Malfoy family. Does this mean certain people are interfering with the Ministry of Magic?"
"Regarding the personnel changes caused by the previous education reform, will this council meeting lead to something different?"
The reporters surged forward, each fighting to interview him about the main event.
Everyone knew that Barty Crouch Sr. had repeatedly convened full meetings for the sake of werewolf equality, only to return defeated every time.
This council meeting had been far shorter than previous ones, which made the news-sensitive reporters realise something was wrong.
They all hoped that Barty Crouch Sr. would give a direct response.
Barty Crouch Sr. stopped. Facing the flashes from the reporters' cameras, his greying temples seemed particularly striking at that moment.
His expression was solemn. Just by standing there, he made the reporters fall silent.
"Pierce, bring that over."
Barty Crouch Sr. spoke to Pierce behind him.
Pierce nodded, but the excitement in his expression was difficult to conceal.
He solemnly presented the document signed by all fifty officials.
The reporters held their breath. Their instincts as journalists told them that it was an extremely important and explosive document.
Their gazes fixed on it, as if they were about to turn into an abyss.
Barty Crouch Sr. took the document and opened it. He cleared his throat and raised his head to face all the reporters.
"After discussion during the Ministry of Magic's second meeting of 1998, the classification of werewolves shall be rewritten. They are to be removed from the category of humanoid magical creatures and changed to..."
The reporters' eyes widened as Barty Crouch Sr. slowly read out, "Human."
"Werewolves shall have their equal rights as wizards restored. All registered werewolves will receive recognition from magical society, and a new round of discussions regarding discrimination against werewolves shall be held."
"This document has been signed by Minister for Magic Barty Crouch and all fifty officials of the Ministry council."
"It takes effect immediately."
As Barty Crouch Sr.'s words fell, the bustling Ministry atrium became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
Ministry employees, reporters, wizards who had come to handle business...
Their eyes widened as they absorbed this subversive information.
Among the crowd, Old Jack's children, Sophie and Chudai, were trembling.
"Did you see that, Grandfather?"
Sophie's eyes reddened as he murmured, "We... are human now."
Chudai wanted to comfort his younger brother, but his own hand was trembling as he gently placed it on Sophie's shoulder.
They had waited too long for this day.
How many years of discrimination had they endured in exchange for this moment?
If they had not encountered that silver mask, if they had not stood beside that man, then even until death, this would never have been possible.
At this moment, not a single werewolf could remain calm.
Sophie only wanted to go back, to Silver Cross Hospital, and tell Old Jack.
They had done it.
Their children could go outside without fear of being taken away. They could leave Knockturn Alley to work. They no longer had to be treated as monsters.
They had to go back. They had to tell Old Jack.
Their king had led the werewolves into the light.
...
Silver Cross Hospital.
Ever since Old Jack had been kidnapped, his body had grown worse with each passing day.
He was already an old wolf, raising children in this human world.
In his life, he had made the right choice only a handful of times.
When he was young, he had been a wizard from a Muggle family.
Back then, he had a childhood sweetheart, a girl, and a family that was not wealthy, but could at least keep everyone fed.
Before he turned eleven, he was bitten.
He became a werewolf and lost the qualification he had originally had to attend Hogwarts.
On one full-moon night, he hurt his family, turning the boy in that girl's heart into a monster.
He chose to run away. From that village, he ran all the way across mountains and streams, heading toward a place without people.
His departure caused his mother to die of grief. His father drank every day and eventually drowned in a stream.
The girl could not find the boy, and during a war, she died after being ravaged by soldiers.
By the time Old Jack returned, that village was gone.
In the home filled with death, Old Jack beat the ground in anguish until his heart felt torn apart. After that, he stayed away from everything and later met Fenrir Greyback, moving into that hellish werewolf community.
With the last bit of conscience he had left, and at the cost of nearly being killed by Greyback, he became the guardian of the children.
After Fenrir Greyback was sent to Azkaban, he made the choice that exhausted all the luck of his life.
He went to seek out the man more vicious than any evil wolf, believing that no matter how bad it was, it could not be worse than Greyback.
But he had been wrong. The one he found was indeed a wicked man, but even more than that, he was a king people would follow.
The protection of the Silver Hand kept werewolves safe, and the rising banner was personally straightened by Old Jack every day.
The werewolf community had been established, their treatment in Knockturn Alley had improved, and the werewolf school was under construction.
For the first time, he saw hope in werewolves.
If there was anyone in the world most willing to die for John Wick, Old Jack would surely be one of them.
The pain left by the kidnapping had already been healed. What he was experiencing now was the end of life that no one could escape.
In the final moments before death, Old Jack was repenting.
He repented for his own greed. Though everything before his eyes was blurred, he felt as if all his children were there.
"If there is a God, please forgive me for my greedy prayer. Let my children become true wizards."
"If there is a God, please blame me. Place all sins upon me and let me spend a thousand years in hell."
"My king, I can no longer continue to follow you. Even in hell, I will still pray for you, until the fires of hell burn away my body, my soul, and my consciousness."
"My king, my king..."
Old Jack closed his eyes. His ears had already lost their hearing.
All that remained before his eyes was darkness.
In a daze, he heard cheers.
He heard Tyro crying.
Someone was calling his name.
He wanted to open his eyes, but he no longer had the strength.
The old wolf had reached his end.
...
"Grandfather!"
Sophie and Chudai rushed into Silver Cross Hospital without caring about anything else.
They had to tell Old Jack this good news.
They had accomplished what that old man had wanted to see most.
Sophie's physical strength was better than Chudai's, so he ran into that hospital room first.
With a smile on his face, he shouted loudly, "Werewolves, werewolves are equal now, Grandfather!"
His smile froze the moment he saw the old man lying there.
The smile gradually disappeared, and only a roaring sound remained in his mind.
He heard Tyro crying so hard she could barely breathe. He heard the Healer saying something beside his ear.
All the strength seemed to drain from Sophie's body.
The deputy director of the Werewolf Affairs Office, who should have been in high spirits, broke down in sobs.
Chudai arrived.
He was Old Jack's eldest child. Seeing this scene, he fell silent.
"Please leave first."
After saying this to the Healer, Chudai walked into the ward.
Old Jack had aged very quickly during this period. His hair was already white, and his body was like withered wood.
Chudai knelt beside the bed and reached out to hold Old Jack's hand. With tears in his eyes, he said softly, "We succeeded. Your wish came true."
"Werewolves are no longer magical creatures. We can walk openly in this country now."
The warmth gradually faded from Old Jack's hand.
But the moment he heard this news, a smile appeared on Old Jack's face.
Chudai murmured, "That's ...wonderful. You... heard it."
He could no longer hold back and cried aloud with his younger brother and sister.
These were tears of joy, tears of sorrow, and even more, tears of relief at a wish fulfilled.
The old wolf had reached his end. His children would continue to take his place and follow their king's footsteps without wavering.
...
Old Jack had passed away.
This news reached John almost at the same time as the news of werewolf equality.
John's heart clenched fiercely. Only after a long while did he move his gaze away from the letter.
"Old Jack."
Memories of his first meeting with Old Jack surfaced in his mind.
That scarred old man had anxiously requested protection for the werewolf community.
During the period when Voldemort had reappeared, the werewolf community had never accepted the Order of the Phoenix's recruitment, nor had they agreed to Voldemort's invitation.
Old Jack had always stood by John's side, silently supporting him.
The passing of an old man filled John with sorrow.
"I hope that when you left, you heard this news. What you worked so hard for, I gave to you."
John stood up and walked out of the Constellation Society, raising his head to look at the sky.
The air was damp, and dark clouds gathered in the gloomy sky. John murmured, "What weather that doesn't know how to read the mood."
He drew his wand and whispered, "Werewolves are free, and so are you, Old Jack."
A beam of white light shot out from Hogwarts, tearing apart the clouds that were about to form.
The students of Hogwarts raised their heads one after another and saw that world-changing strike.
The king was mourning.
____
o(*￣▽￣*)ブSupport and Read 12 Chapters ahead: Patreon/Dragonel