Vienna, the City of Music, the city of empire and old grandeur, was drawing attention such as it had never known, and yet the vast majority of its people hadn't the faintest idea.
While the citizens wandered between shops and restaurants believing the evening to be no different from any other, history was unfolding just beneath their feet. The eyes of the whole world were upon it, not the general public, perhaps, but their leaders, who, in many ways, amounted to the same thing.
It had been two hours now since Maverick had finished addressing the chamber, four since the Assembly first convened at seven, and there was, as yet, no telling when it might end.
Every member of the Assembly who wished to voice their thoughts, whether in support of an existing proposal, against one, or to put forward something new entirely, was given the chance to do so.
That includes the many ministers and presidents of magical communities from across the world as well. After all, it wasn't only the Great Magi and the seven Archmages who made up the Council. Only a fraction of the seats belonged to them, while the rest were occupied by the leaders of the magical governments.
But most of them kept their remarks brief. Some rose only to voice their support for one proposal or another, while others simply rejected ideas they disagreed with without offering a solution of their own.
Needless to say, the witches and wizards aligned with Dumbledore, Edward, and Olympe all rose in support of the proposal Maverick had presented earlier.
Several members associated with Archmage Takamura rose as well, declaring the same. As far as Maverick knew, Takamura had somewhere around a dozen Great Magi aligned with him, and seeing most of them openly voice their support could only mean the old wizard had kept his word and passed on the necessary instructions.
It was actually Minister Greengrass's speech, following Maverick's, that truly captured the Assembly's attention.
His speech was eloquent. While reaffirming his support for Maverick's proposal, he also addressed something that had been overlooked throughout the debate: the opportunities that integration would bring. In other words, profits.
Up to that point, nearly every discussion had revolved around calculating how much the wizarding world stood to lose. The British minister's speech came like a breath of fresh air, making even the old Archmages, Master Weiguo and Guimarães, turn their heads.
Of course, through their intelligence networks, they were well aware whose pocket the man was in. But then again, who among them didn't have one or even several heads of magical governments under their influence?
In any case, the moment Greengrass brought up the subject of profit, many eyes throughout the hall lit up.
A certain philosopher once said that the greater the profit, the bolder capital will become. Even a return of ten percent will be enough to pique interest. Raise that to fifty percent, and it will inspire audacity. At one hundred percent, people will become willing to take risks. And when the profits grow large enough, there will scarcely be a line they will refuse to cross.
The more one has, the more one will always want. It makes no difference whether witch or wizard, minister or president. Nor, for that matter, would the Archmages or Maverick himself prove to be any exception.
In the end, only two proposals remained worthy of a vote. The procedures of the International Confederation of Wizards were, in many ways, no different from those of an ordinary non-magical parliament.
A proposal would first be presented to the Assembly. The representatives would then debate its merits, speaking either in support or in opposition. Only once the debate had run its course would the proposal be put to a vote, where it would either be adopted or rejected.
The first proposal was to say nothing at all, to reach some quiet agreement with the Muggle leaders to suppress and deny the facts, and then wait, as they had waited once before, for the world to forget.
The second was Maverick's own proposal, to dismantle the Statute of Secrecy entirely and work instead with Muggle leaders to reveal the existence of magic to the world at large. Of course, it wouldn't be so simple as that, but a careful process, taken step by step.
As for the idea of carrying out a mass Obliviation on a large portion of Earth's population, it quietly disappeared from the debate altogether.
Not one person raised it again after Maverick's address, not even the wizard who had first proposed so outrageous a scheme. He, in particular, said nothing further for the remainder of the evening.
---
Dong.
Dong.
Dong.
Master Weiguo raised his hand, and the small wooden gavel appeared once more within it. Three times he brought it down against the sounding block, the sharp knocks echoing through the vast chamber, until, by degrees, the murmur of conversation died away entirely.
He waited a few seconds more, calmly surveying the assembled witches and wizards while the entire chamber watched him expectantly.
"Before this Assembly proceeds any further," he said, his voice carrying easily to every corner of the hall, "the Chair asks once more. Is there any one present who wishes to voice an argument, in support of, or in opposition to, the matters before us this evening?"
Somewhere in the upper gallery came the faint creak of a chair, followed by a cough that was quickly stifled. Beyond that, the chamber remained steeped in silence.
Several long seconds passed, and still no hand rose.
"Very well." He allowed the silence to settle a moment longer, as though giving it one final chance to be broken, before continuing. "Hearing no further submissions, the Chair now moves that this Assembly proceed to the next stage of these proceedings, in accordance with Article Seventeen of the Charter, governing extraordinary proceedings during imminent situations... this Assembly shall now proceed to the next stage of deliberation prior to the formal vote..."
He paused, then turned his head ever so slightly and gave a small nod toward the side of the platform.
Answering the silent cue, a witch dressed in deep emerald robes ascended the short flight of steps with calm, practiced grace. Paying no attention to the hundreds of eyes upon her, she crossed to the table, placed two pieces parchment before Master Weiguo with both hands, gave a respectful nod, then quietly returned the way she had come.
Only after she had resumed her place did Master Weiguo reach for the parchments resting before him. Lifting it from the table, he briefly glanced over its contents before raising his eyes to the Assembly once more.
"Two proposals have been placed before this Assembly this evening," he began. "Both have been duly seconded by the seven Speakers and have met the requirements set out under Standing Order Nine to be considered by the full Assembly."
He cast a brief glance over the Assembly, then lowered his eyes to the parchment once again.
"For the avoidance of ambiguity, the Chair will now read both proposals into the official record, so there may be no misunderstanding as to their wording before the vote is called."
He read the first, "The first proposal, submitted by Councillor Rashid Binjarsh of the Magical Congress of the United Arab Emirates, and duly seconded by no fewer than eleven delegations, reads as follows:
'That the International Confederation of Wizards shall enter into formal and immediate discussions with the leaders of the non-magical world, through the United Nations, with the objective of establishing a controlled and internationally coordinated campaign denying the existence of magic and all magical phenomena.
That the governments of the non-magical world shall be encouraged to attribute the recent incidents to natural phenomena, misinformation, mass hysteria, experimental technology, or any other explanation deemed appropriate to preserve public order.
That all member states of this Confederation shall lend such assistance as may be necessary to ensure the success of this coordinated effort, while continuing to uphold the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy until such time as this Assembly determines otherwise.'
End of proposal."
Without pausing, he set the first parchment aside and started reading the second, "The second proposal, submitted by Archmage Maverick Caesar of the Confederation's British delegation, and duly seconded by..."
Only then did he pause, his gaze lingering on the line for a heartbeat, as though confirming what he was seeing.
"...seventy-one delegations, at the present count," he continued, disregarding the faint murmur beginning to ripple through the chamber.
"It reads as follows: That the International Confederation of Wizards shall repeal the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, originally ratified in 1689 and entering into force in 1692, together with every subsidiary regulation, implementing directive, enforcement provision, interpretative ruling, and subsequent amendment enacted pursuant thereto since its adoption.
That this Confederation shall abandon all further efforts to conceal the existence of magic and instead pursue the direct and complete disclosure of the wizarding world to the non-magical world at large, such disclosure to take place under the joint supervision of magical and non-magical governments.
That a Joint Magical–Non-Magical Transition Commission be established for the purpose of coordinating the legal, political, economic, educational, and security measures necessary to facilitate an orderly and peaceful integration of both societies.
That all member states of this Confederation shall cooperate fully in the implementation of this transition and enact such domestic legislation as may be required to give effect to the resolutions of this Assembly."
By the time he reached the final paragraph, he was gripping the parchment so tightly that he failed to notice the edges beginning to curl beneath his fingers.
When the last word left his lips, silence engulfed the chamber. It was so absolute that a pin drop could have been heard.
The older Archmage remained motionless for several long seconds, then finally, carefully set the second parchment as well. By then, however, whatever faint trace of emotion had crossed his face was already gone, his usual composed and unreadable expression having returned.
He lowered himself into his chair, folded his hands atop the two parchments, and let his gaze sweep across the Assembly.
"The Chair reminds the Assembly that these two proposals stand as alternatives, not complements. A vote in favour of one shall, under Article Seventeen of the Charter governing extraordinary proceedings during imminent situations, be considered a vote against the other. It goes without saying that there can be no coexistence between maintaining the status quo and... disclosure."
His eyes swept once more across the chamber.
"The Chair shall now remind the Assembly of the voting procedure..."
"Each accredited representative, representing their respective magical government, shall have a vote carrying a value of one. Votes cast by representatives recognised by the Confederation as Great Mages shall each carry a value of two. Votes cast by the seven Speakers shall each carry a value of ten, in accordance with the Charter..."
The Confederation was, first and foremost, an organisation made up of the magical governments of the world. Naturally, every recognised magical community was entitled to a voice in deciding its future. There were one hundred and ninety-eight recognised magical communities, meaning the Ministers and Presidents collectively held one hundred and ninety-eight votes.
At the same time, the magical world also does not recognise authority by office alone. It had always placed great value on magical ability and achievement. Those recognised by the Confederation as Great Mages therefore carried greater influence, with each of the one hundred and two Great Mage Councillors holding a vote worth two, giving them a combined total of two hundred and four votes.
Above them all stood the seven Speakers of the Confederation. Each carried a vote worth ten, reflecting both the authority of their office and the immense trust placed in them by the international magical community.
"For the first proposal, which seeks to maintain the International Statute of Secrecy while opening negotiations with the United Nations of the non-magical world, only a majority of the votes cast shall be required for its adoption, as it preserves the existing law rather than changing it."
Master Weiguo went on, addressing the remaining formalities. They were hardly secret knowledge; magical schools across the world taught them as part of basic magical civics. Perhaps, however, he felt the weight of the decision before the Assembly, for he took the time to account for every detail.
"The second proposal, however, concerns the repeal of one of the Confederation's fundamental governing laws. As such, under Article Two governing amendments to the Confederation's Fundamental Laws, the proposal must obtain the support of no fewer than two-thirds of the Confederation's total voting strength in order to be adopted. A simple majority shall not suffice, nor may the threshold be reduced under any extraordinary procedure."
Having said as much, he allowed his gaze to drift briefly towards Maverick, who was quietly exchanging a few words with his teacher.
His gaze returned to the hall. "The first item on the agenda shall therefore be to record the Assembly's decision on Archmage Caesar's proposal. Should it obtain the requisite level of support, there shall be no need to place the alternative proposal before the Assembly, as the adoption of the former shall have the legal effect of rendering the International Statute of Secrecy null and void."
He paused, his eyes moving slowly across the Assembly, "the Chair trusts that the voting requirements are understood..."
The majority of faces across the Assembly wore much the same expression now, eyes fixed upon the dais with quiet anticipation, as though all were waiting for the very moment they had come here to witness.
Finally, he declared, his voice carrying a little farther through the chamber.
"The floor will now open for final remarks, should any delegation wish to address the Assembly once more before the vote is called. Should none come forward, we shall proceed directly to balloting."
His eyes fell to the small gavel resting upon the table, though he made no move to raise it.
Only a quiet, resigned sigh left his lips.
"The Chair recognises that what is decided here tonight will not soon be undone. I ask every representative present to consider that weight, before casting their voice."
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