Nikolo Hosone slowly put down the wine glass in his hand, his expression showing no obvious change, but the back of his hand on the table faintly revealed blue veins.
Beside him, Kingsley Shacklebolt instinctively turned slightly, his sharp eyes scanning the room, and his magic wand quietly slipped into his palm.
Meanwhile, Laira Piqueley had swiftly approached the panic-stricken woman, firmly holding her trembling shoulders and looking into her eyes, saying:
"Calm down, miss."
Laira's voice was exceptionally calm, echoing clearly in the quiet hall:
"Take a deep breath... Don't be afraid, you are safe now. Tell me, what happened?"
At the same time, she signaled to the Aurors.
Grom gave his magic wand a fierce wave, and the red curtain instantly pulled to the sides, the hem swaying violently.
Behind the curtain, there was no one.
No Boggart, no corpses or bloodstains, and no horrifying scenes.
Only a low coffee table, two chairs, and a half-drunk beverage sitting on the table.
Everyone looked at the woman in the yellow long dress.
And she looked at Laira, her whole body trembling, her pupils filled with pure fear that seemed to overflow, only managing to speak after a while:
"I... I was just watching a movie, but, but the scene suddenly switched! I don't know... I don't know what's going on, then I saw this..."
She tossed the Flow Mirror hidden in her palm, and the small round mirror began to enlarge in mid-air, reaching a diameter of over two meters upon landing, with a clear, frenzied shout emanating:
"Wizards are real!"
On the screen, it was New York Times Square!
Under the night sky, neon lights flickered, and the large electronic screen served as the backdrop. A Muggle man in a jacket and jeans was standing on a high platform, holding a megaphone, shouting hoarsely at the bustling crowd below and countless raised cellphones:
"You ignorant lambs, you are all kept in the dark!"
"Magic really exists in this world! There are wizards! They were granted power by devils, and have been here for thousands of years!"
"Look at the person beside me! He will prove it to you!"
The camera suddenly shifted, revealing a severely weakened, ragged man covered in bruises and evident signs of being tortured, as he wore shackles on his hands!
When he raised his face, many guests in the hall gasped.
The man was none other than a frequent host on the Flow Mirror, who always exaggeratedly performed various erroneous and hilarious magic acts, bringing much joy to the audience in front of the screens.
Immediately, guests in the banquet hall exclaimed:
"Oh my, it's Mr. Giuseppe Fisher!"
The Muggle man loudly commanded, "Prove it to them! Show me evidence that you are a wizard!"
"No, stop him! Why is no one stopping him!"
The hall filled with chaotic shouts, but the manor had anti-Apparition spells in place, making it impossible to stop Fisher from afar, no matter how anxious they were.
And the host, likely frightened beyond measure, shakily raised his hand, lifting a magic wand with a wave!
Bam!
The empty cans and beer bottles casually tossed on the ground twisted and transformed instantly, bursting into a flock of white doves that fluttered into the night sky!
Wow——
The screen erupted with deafening exclamations and screams, the crowded people completely boiled over, cries interweaving.
Yet, Mr. Fisher did not stop his demonstration.
"Bam!"
He waved his magic wand again, and a bouquet held by a young girl suddenly swelled, transforming into a tree as large as a banyan in an instant, emitting a strong fragrance seemingly detectable through the screen.
"Bam!"
This time, a dozen people in the square suddenly exclaimed, uncontrollably starting to tap dance, even jumping into the middle of the road!
"Bam!"
The man's attire holding the megaphone suddenly changed, becoming an expensive-looking suit, with large jewels hanging from his hand.
In the deathly silent banquet hall, the Muggle man's roar sounded like a death knell:
"Do you see? This is the evidence!"
"Wizards hide among us! They can conjure gold, conjure jewels! They can manipulate our thoughts, making us perform uncontrollable actions, harming our families and friends!"
"Wake up, lambs! Wake up, humans!"
"We must purge the wizards and restore peace and justice to the world!"
The Flow Mirror showed the man's crazed face, while outside the flow mirror, it was a scene of deathly silence.
The most feared scene descended so abruptly that it left no time for reaction.
Everyone was so shocked that their hands and feet turned cold, their blood seemingly stopping its flow.
After the deathly silence, came an uncontrollable commotion.
Wine glasses slipped, cries and screams arose!
Some frantically wanted to go home, forgetting that Apparition was impossible here, resulting in them tripping over themselves.
Others immediately rushed to the Auror or even the Congress President, crying fearfully:
"Is witch hunting coming again? Are the Muggles going to hunt us down again?"
"Do not panic! Panicking now is futile!"
Laira Piqueley's eyes flashed with extreme cold, as she directly stood on a table, her voice clearly shouting:
"Everyone, please remain calm! This is evidently a conspiracy against the Magic World. We need to respond with all our efforts! We need to..."
"Laira!"
Suddenly, a heavier, more authoritative voice interrupted her words.
Chairman Nikolo Hossun slowly stood up, and as he rose, it seemed to bring an invisible pressure, causing the commotion in the banquet hall to involuntarily calm down a bit.
His face showed no panic, only unfathomable gravity, and a calm akin to the stillness before a storm.
Hosone did not soothe the crowd but immediately began assigning tasks:
"Mr. Hughes, please immediately take all your people and head to New York Square to control the situation. Do not let any Muggle leave!"
"Yes!"
Ezra Hughes stood up with a grave expression and walked out swiftly.
"Miss Goldstein, please confirm whether the Muggles have broadcasted the square incident live, and confirm their range of dissemination!"
"Yes!"
Selena Goldstein kicked off her high heels and stormed out with a fierce look.
"Mr. Grim, please quickly head to the United Kingdom, find Mr. Newt Scamander and inquire about the whereabouts of the Swooping Evil. We need the venom of this creature."
"Yes!"
Rex Grim also responded promptly.
"Miss Piqueley."
Hosone turned toward Laira, his instructions remaining concise and clear:
"Initiate the highest level of the 'Wizard Secrecy Protocol', and notify all department heads to convene in the War Room in ten minutes!"
"Yes!" Laira decisively said.
She jumped off the table and began contacting personnel swiftly.
Each official named had no questions or delays, immediately executing the orders, running smoothly like a well-oiled machine.
Under this efficient and professional collective action, the people's panic was temporarily suppressed, replaced by a tense solemnity.
Then, Hosone's gaze slowly swept across the room, and each person who met his eyes felt a chill.
"Ladies and gentlemen!"
Hosone's voice was not loud, yet carried an undeniable weight, clearly reaching everyone's ears:
"The moment we have always feared and has strived to prevent is upon us!"
In the banquet hall, from somewhere in a corner, came a suppressed sob.