"...vote in favour of Archmage Maverick Caesar's proposal for the repeal of the International Statute of Secrecy."
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, Conference Room.
"They're really doing it, huh."
Peggy Carter leaned forward in her chair, the reflection of the screen playing across her pupils as the scene unfolded on the other side of the ocean. She had suspected this was the likely outcome going into the evening, but watching it actually happen was another matter entirely, and she felt a wave of something move through her aged body with a clarity that caught her slightly off guard.
"I, Albus Dumbledore, vote in favour of Archmage Caesar's proposal for the repeal of the International Statute of Secrecy."
"That should be enough, shouldn't it?"
Nick Fury, seated across from her, wore much the same expression, his eyes fixed on the screen with the focused stillness of a man processing several things at once.
"It should be," one of the agents confirmed from further down the table.
The rest of the room was much the same, a dozen people sitting in varying states of barely contained disbelief, earlier coffees going cold and entirely forgotten.
"I, Edward Garling, vote in favour of my pupil, Archmage Caesar's proposal for the repeal of the International Statute of Secrecy."
"So what happens next," someone asked. "How are they actually going to do this..."
"The UN, most likely..."
"Or the WSC..."
"I imagine the wizards will make that clear soon enough," Pierce said, as the room grew quietly animated with speculation. He turned toward Carter. "The question in the meantime is what we should be doing on our end."
Carter was quiet for a moment. "All units on standby for the next couple of weeks, at minimum. You and I will most likely need to be at the UN assembly when it happens."
Pierce glanced to his left. "Nick."
Fury, who was in his own thoughts turned at the sound of his name. "Yes, sir. What do you need?"
"After this settles," Pierce said, his expression still thoughtful, "see if you can find a way to make direct contact with the High Councillor." He paused, then shook his head slightly. "Actually, no. Forget that for now. They'll have enough on their plate in the coming days without us adding to it."
"We wait until they announce their plan," Carter said, her attention already drifting back to the screen. "It won't be long now."
Similar conversations were unfolding across the globe in that same moment, in government buildings, secret rooms, military installations, all of them circling the same questions.
The proposal had passed, but that was only the beginning of it. The how of everything still remained entirely unanswered. How the exposure would be carried out. What regulations would need to be established before that. What the general public should be told, when they should be told it, and perhaps more importantly, what they should not do in the interim.
Everything that followed would need to happen in a coordinated, orderly fashion, otherwise everything until now would all have amounted to nothing, and what would follow in its place would be chaos on both sides of a divide that had existed for centuries and was now, as of tonight, no longer supposed to.
---
Dong.
Dong.
Dong.
The hall came alive the instant Maverick declared his stance, the murmurs swelling into a wave of animated discussion.
He did not actually expect the entire panel of Speakers to vote in favour, though he understood well enough the reasoning behind their last minute decisions. As the saying goes, when you cannot beat them, join them, or something along those lines.
After Takamura declared in favour, anyone with a clear enough read of the room would have understood that the outcome was no longer in question, those who had grasped the unspoken message from the very moment Maverick had walked through the doors with Dumbledore, Maxime, and Edward at his back.
The final dong landed with a weight that felt somehow heavier than the ones before it, and the chamber quieted again in its wake, the accumulated noise folding back into itself, leaving only the unceasing flash of cameras from the gallery above which had not paused once throughout the entire proceedings and had no intention of doing so now.
Master Weiguo rose to his feet slowly, and for a moment he simply stood there, saying nothing. The hall seemed to sense the significance of the moment, and the noise gradually faded without being asked.
For the first time that evening, the old man found himself momentarily without words. His lips parted slightly before closing, his aged gaze sweeping across the councillors gathered from every corner of the magical world.
"Many generations from now," he began slowly, "historians will look back upon this evening as one of the defining moments in wizarding history... whether they praise it or condemn it is for the future to decide, but none will deny that tonight marks the end of one age and the beginning of another."
He paused, allowing that to settle.
"You have all made your decisions clear..."
"The vote has been cast and counted, and the result stands without ambiguity... by a decisive supermajority of this assembly, the International Statute of Secrecy, which has governed and defined the relationship between the magical and non-magical worlds since its establishment in sixteen eighty-nine, has been rendered void by the democratic will of this body."
A ripple spread through the hall, only to disappear as Master Weiguo continued before anyone could speak.
"However..."
His expression hardened, "I now address every witch and wizard represented within this chamber, and every magical individual listening and watching from every corner of the world. I want there to be no misunderstanding about what has happened here tonight, what this decision means, and equally important, what it does not mean."
His gaze moved slowly across the room.
"Under no circumstances is tonight's decision to be interpreted as permission to act without restraint. The passing of this motion does not grant anyone"—his voice sharpened as he stressed the single word—"the freedom to reveal magic at their own discretion, nor does it authorize any individual, institution, or even a magical government to disregard the laws currently governing interactions with the non-magical world..."
"Until the proper legal procedures have been completed, and until official guidance has been issued by the International Confederation of Wizards to your respective magical authorities, every existing regulation remains fully enforceable. Any unauthorized disclosure, reckless use of magic before the public, or any action capable of provoking unnecessary conflict will be treated as a clear violation of Confederation law, and make no mistake, those responsible will be severely punished..."
Only after allowing those words to settle did his tone soften once more.
"The Assembly has rendered its decision, but procedure exists for a reason."
"The resolution must now be entered into the Grand Codex of International Magical Law, where it will be witnessed and affirmed by the bodies entrusted with safeguarding the constitutional authority of this Confederation. Only upon the completion of that final act shall the repeal of the Statute of Secrecy, or any amendment to the fundamental laws of this Confederation, become official law."
He paused, "I reiterate, until then, no one is to take it upon themselves to decide that tonight's decision is a licence to act as they see fit. It is not."
His gaze swept across the hall.
"The decision belongs entirely to this Assembly. Its enactment belongs entirely to the constitutional process. And that process..."
He paused again, and in that instant, a crushing wave of magical pressure descended upon the chamber like a mountain. It lasted only a heartbeat, but it was more than enough to leave every soul present freeze. Even the flashes of countless cameras came to an abrupt halt, as suffocating silence swallowed the chamber.
"...that process, will be followed to the letter!"
Even Maverick found himself sparing the old man a brief glance. That was no mere display of force, he had to give the old man credit. In the span of a single heartbeat, he had not only demonstrated overwhelming magical power, but terrifying control over his oceanic of magic.
If Maverick had to estimate, this old relic should also be approaching the pinnacle Arch Magus.
Master Weiguo held the chamber beneath his gaze for a long moment, allowing neither voice nor movement to disturb the silence, then finally turned his gaze toward Maverick.
"With that said," he continued, his expression easing once more, "as the architect of this proposal, I believe it only appropriate that you address this Assembly once more. Please outline the course of action that should follow from this point forward."
With nothing further to add, he quietly resumed his seat.
Maverick did not move to the open floor of the chamber as he had done earlier. He rose calmly from his chair and his voice carried across the hall without effort.
"First of all... thank you." He meant it.
"To every witch and wizard in this chamber who cast their vote tonight, regardless of which way that vote fell, I want you to know that I understand the weight of what was asked of you this evening, and I do not take lightly the trust you have placed in this process. I can tell you, with complete confidence, that it is not a decision any of you will come to regret."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"I would also like to reiterate the Chair, Master Weiguo's, statement, because it cannot be stressed enough."
"Until further instructions are formally issued by this Confederation to your respective local governing authorities, every witch and wizard is expected to continue living exactly as they did yesterday. Your conduct is to remain unchanged. No one is to interpret tonight's decision as permission to act differently. The formal enactment of this resolution will follow a deliberate constitutional process, and that process exists for good reason."
Many throughout the hall nodded in agreement, while up in the gallery, the invited guests exchanged glances before quietly nodding as well.
Even those watching from the non-magical world found themselves agreeing. The need for such caution was obvious. A single reckless act could have consequences that reached far beyond one person or even one nation, so its best to leave the formalities to those who know what they were going to do.
Maverick allowed another brief silence then moved to the substance of what came next.
"The first step will begin immediately after this Extraordinary Assembly concludes."
"The seven of us will convene immediately following this Assembly to formally attest the resolution through our magical signatures before the constitutional bodies entrusted with its oversight, thereby ratifying its entry into the Grand Codex of International Magical Law. Once that constitutional process has been completed, the repeal approved by this Assembly shall carry the full force of law throughout the International Confederation of Wizards."
He continued.
"Immediately thereafter, we will be communicating with our non-magical counterparts to convene an emergency session of the United Nations General Assembly, a closed door session, to take place tomorrow if it can be arranged, or the day after at the latest.
"This is not a haste for the sake of it. The non-magical world is watching. They have been watching since last night, and they are waiting for an answer that we have not yet given them. Every hour spent in uncertainty increases the possibility of misinformation, speculation, fear, and actions that neither side desires. The sooner both worlds begin speaking to one another openly, the greater our chances of ensuring a peaceful transition."
His gaze swept across the chamber.
"And at that United Nations session, we will attend together as the official representatives of the wizarding world."
"We will formally notify the assembled heads of state of the decision reached by this Extraordinary Assembly, the decision made tonight by the global magical community, and begin discussions on how both civilizations will move forward together."
He drew a slow breath.
"And finally..."
"Once those discussions have concluded, once the leaders of the non-magical world have been properly informed and have had the opportunity to understand what they are being asked to stand alongside, we will hold a joint press conference. Every major media organisation from both worlds will be invited. And it is there, with the leaders of both worlds present at the same table, that the existence of the magical world will be formally and publicly declared to the whole of humanity."
No one interrupted.
"This is not something that will be resolved in a single evening. What happens after that press conference will be the work of years, not days, and it will require every one of us, in every magical community around the world, to approach what comes next with patience, with responsibility, and with the understanding that how we conduct ourselves in the months ahead will determine whether this transition is remembered as the beginning of something genuinely extraordinary, or as the moment everything went wrong."
No one voiced any objection, everyone seemed willing to accept the careful, measured path that had been laid before them.
And across the non-magical world also, in conference rooms, government buildings, and countless other halls of power, those watching the broadcast followed Maverick's proposed course of action with particular attention.
Those who understood the language of diplomacy could see that every step had been carefully considered, designed to ensure that events unfolded with order rather than chaos.
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