The floor stayed silent for a full minute, apart from some faint murmurs, no one rose to offer any final remarks.
Then, at last, Master Weiguo raised the small gavel and brought it down against the sounding block three times in slow, deliberate succession, each measured strike—dong, dong, dong—ringing sharp and clear through the stillness of the chamber before its echo slowly faded, one by one, into silence.
"The Chair now calls the Assembly to order for the formal recording of the Assembly's decision…"
Maverick shot him a sideways glance, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He can't prove it, but he was certain this old fossil had been procrastinating on purpose, taking his sweet time with every announcement, every explanation, as though determined to stretch the proceedings as long as he possibly could.
"…In accordance with the Rules of this Federation concerning amendments to its fundamental laws, the Assembly shall proceed by individual roll call, each delegation being called separately..."
Master Weiguo's voice carried without effort to every corner of the chamber.
"Each accredited representative shall rise from their seat, identify themselves by stating their full name and the magical body they represent, and declare either 'in support,' 'against,' or 'abstain.' The declaration shall be made clearly for the official record before the representative resumes their seat..."
Maverick made a mental note, once everything settled down, reforming the ancient procedures of this body would be the very first things he did.
"...the seven Speakers, together with the Secretary-General, shall record each declaration as it is made. Representatives are reminded that no declaration may be recalled or amended once it has been entered into the official record..."
Five more minutes slipped by beneath a never-ending stream of formalities, each declaration and confirmation patiently carried out until at long last, the resounding gong echoed once again through every corner of the chamber, silencing even the faintest whisper.
Beyond the wards of the Assembly Hall, millions of eyes remained fixed on their screens. Families sat frozen in their living rooms, crowds gathered in community squares, soldiers stood motionless inside command centers, while politicians and journalists alike found themselves waiting in complete silence, many not even realizing they had been holding their breath.
Master Weiguo looked across the chamber one last time.
"Representatives shall now declare their positions..."
His gaze swept toward the section where the delegations of the Confederation's member magical governments were seated.
"The order of voting shall begin with the heads of the Confederation's member magical governments, followed by the Council of Great Mages, and conclude with the Seven Speakers of the Confederation…"
There, the occupants of the 198 seats quietly exchanged brief glances with one another as the atmosphere inside the chamber seemed to grow noticeably heavier.
Master Weiguo nodded.
"The Chair recognizes the first delegation."
The first representative to rise to her feet was an old woman.
"Seraphina Picquery, Your Excellency, representing the Magical Congress of the United States of America..." The President of MACUSA was no-nonsense, skipping the rhetoric and went straight to the point. "I, on behalf of the witches and wizards of the Magical Congress of the United States of America, hereby declare our full support for the proposal submitted by Speaker Maverick Caesar."
Maverick stole a glance at his teacher, just in time to catch the corner of his lips twitching into a subtle smile.
In the original Harry Potter canon, Maverick remembered the woman was also the President of MACUSA, though that was nearly half a century in the past. But how she had managed to hold onto the post for all these years, he had no idea. In this world, she and his teacher apparently went way back and had remained close friends throughout the years. It was just too bad her magical prowess could never quite match her political brilliance.
After the old lady from Uncle Sam's side resumed her seat, another elderly representative rose to their feet. In fact, most of the people in there looked as though they already had one foot in the grave.
"William Hawthorne, representing the Dominion of Canadian Magic. We decline to take a position and therefore abstain."
Maverick's brows furrowed slightly. The old man was equally direct, perhaps taking a cue from Seraphina. Only, instead of voicing his support, he declared that his delegation would not participate.
Tsk. Old thing. Canada can forget about getting any cake, at least not until everyone else has had their share.
(P.S. I have no beef with Canada. xD)
The old man resumed his seat without another word, and almost immediately another delegate rose to their feet.
"Alejandro Vargas, representing the Confederación Mágica de México. On behalf of my comunity, I declare our full support for Archmage Caesar's proposal."
The roll call continued, one delegation after another declaring its stance. The only other sounds inside the hall came from the gallery above, where camera shutters flashed in an almost unbroken barrage and hundreds of Quick-Quotes Quill scratched ceaselessly across parchment, capturing every declaration almost as quickly as it was spoken.
"Jameson Greengrass, Your Excellency, Minister for Magic of Britain. I formally declare the British Confederation's full support for Speaker Caesar's proposal."
Some of the representatives also had self-writing quills scribbling across parchments laid out on their desks, likely keeping a running tally of the votes as the Assembly continued. Most, however, simply kept count in their heads. It wasn't a difficult task for Great Mages and Archmages, even with the growing number of declarations.
It was honestly embarrassing. This organization was millennia old, and they still had nothing better than this.
Several rows behind Jameson, another man rose to his feet.
"Gu Rong, Minister of the Chinese Magical Administration. I declare my... support for Archmage Caesar's proposal."
Oh... A single eyebrow rose on Maverick's face before his expression settled once more. That was interesting indeed, China was the last nation he expected to throw its support. From the edge of his magical sense, Maverick turned his attention to Master Weiguo, but the old man's expression remained as calm and unreadable as ever.
Did the old thing issue some last-minute instructions before the vote?
"...Viktor Sokolov, representing the Russian Magical Federation. I hereby declare the Russian Magical Federation's opposition to the proposal."
Hmm, as expected.
Between each declaration and Maverick's quiet observations, time slowly slipped by almost unnoticed. One name after another, one ministry after another, one federation after another, and one congress after another declared their support or opposition, with a handful choosing to abstain.
The pattern repeated over and over until it became almost hypnotic, but it did nothing to ease the strain blanketing the chamber. With each passing moment, it only seemed to grow heavier.
—
"Report..."
Inside the conference room at S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, the atmosphere was every bit as tense. Alexander Pierce rested both hands on the polished table, his eyes fixed on the screen across from him as he spoke without addressing anyone in particular.
"One hundred and three in favor... sixty-three opposed... nineteen abstaining."
Pierce's finger continued its slow, steady rhythm against the tabletop, once, twice, then a third time.
The woman waited for instructions, but her boss remained silent, lost in some thought she likely had no clearance to know. So, without another word, she turned back to the screen and went on recording the tally.
And just as she turned away, something finally crossed Pierce's face. He turned his head slightly, let out a quiet sigh, and looked past Fury, his little protégé, toward the long windows lining that side of the conference room, and the city stretching out beyond them.
The sun was still high enough to bathe the skyline in a warm orange glow, though another hour would see it disappear below the horizon.
Whereas in Austria, night had long since fallen, blanketing the entire country in darkness.
—
Inside the Assembly Hall, another delegate rose, drawing the attention of the chamber.
"Khalid Al Nahyan, President of the Magical Congress of the United Arab Emirates." He paused briefly. "I declare my support."
Another representative rose before he had fully resumed his seat.
Then another.
And another.
The cycle repeated again and again, until, what felt like an age, the final representative of the member governments delivered their declaration.
With a slight nod to the final representative, Master Weiguo rose once more, his composed voice carrying effortlessly throughout the chamber.
"The Chair now calls upon the Council of Great Mages."
At the same table, Edward leaned slightly toward Maverick, a thoughtful look crossing his face.
"Barely half of them..." he muttered under his breath, loud enough for only the two of them to hear.
Maverick didn't look, his eyes staying fixed, absent-minded, on the rows of seats ahead of him. His own count wasn't any different either, out of one hundred and ninety-eight seats, one hundred and nine had declared "aye," the rest split between "against" and "abstain."
To say he had expected this would be a lie. Though he hadn't run any particular campaign beforehand, not directly with other heads of magical governments, he was expecting, at the very least, somewhere around a hundred and thirty seats or so.
Several seconds passed before he finally answered. "It doesn't matter." His voice stayed just as quiet. "As long as we walk away with the majority, after this."
Just like the Council representing the magical governments, the Great Mages began rising one by one next, each declaring their stance in much the same manner.
"…Sarah Walker, the Magical Congress of the United States of America. I declare my support."
"…Simon Walker, the Magical Congress of the United States of America. I declare my support."
With each declaration the atmosphere inside the chamber tightened further, like a rope being drawn a little more taut with every passing moment, everyone waiting to see whether it would hold… or finally snap.
"Rajesh Sharma, representing the Magical Republic of India. I abstain."
Half an hour later.
"Fatima Rahman, representing the Congress of Magic of Indonesia. I declare my support."
Time slipped by unnoticed. Name after name followed, the scales tipping at a much faster pace now, each vote from the Council of Great Mages carrying twice the weight of those cast earlier, until at last only one remained. The final individual, a Middle Eastern man, drew a few raised eyebrows from across the hall, as they neither recognized him nor knew that a new Great Mage had been added to their ranks.
"Ali Sulaiman, representing the Egyptian Ministry of Magic. I declare my support."
Be that as it may, it stirred only a few reactions, for most of the hall's attention was entirely elsewhere.
The hundred and ninety-eight representatives of the magical confederations had declared their stance, just over half in favour. But half was not enough. To amend a fundamental law required at least two thirds of the final count, and now the hundred and two Great Magi had finished declaring their own stance as well. Though nothing visible marked the result, nearly everyone in the chamber, and no doubt a good many watching from afar, had already worked out the numbers for themselves.
Murmurs rippled through the hall, every face telling a different story. But before the outcome could be declared official, seven names still remained to be called.
—————————
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