A sharp pain shot through Harker's body, and he stumbled back, clutching his right hand, when he saw a tattoo-like mark on his wrist.
"A mark spell through which you may contact me at any time," Ivan said with a smile. "Just call out my name when you need to see me."
Harker nodded thoughtfully, although he had his doubts about Ivan's ability to command the wizards, who seemed so young.
"What did you say before, that you were in the Union?" Hark ventured.
"I am acting President of the International Confederation of Wizards, with full authority over everything to do with Grindelwald!" Ivan beamed at Prime Minister Harker. "You can think of the Confederation as the United Nations of the Wizarding World!"
Wouldn't that make him the President of the United Nations?
Harker's eyes widened. 'But… isn't that a bit young?'
Or did he possess some sort of magic that prevented him from aging? Did he look young, but he was actually a hundred and eighty years old?
Harker was envious of this possibility.
Ivan did not attempt to correct Harker, but instead used Apparition to send the British Prime Minister back to his office.
Harker was relieved to be back in his familiar territory, and Ivan didn't want to linger.
"If there is nothing else, that will be all for today's meeting, Mr. Prime Minister. Please write the personnel list on the back of the parchment, and I will send for it!"
"Ah…good." Harker nodded, but before he could say anything, Ivan vanished out of sight.
"Are you still there, Wizard?" Hark asked tentatively. When no one answered, he sat down, his legs trembling and his back soaked with cold sweat, as if he had just survived a life-or-death situation.
During their previous conversation, Ivan had been very polite and respectful, but Hark could tell that he was just being polite.
Judging from how the other party was constantly casting spells to intimidate him without his consent, he was afraid that he did not have much authority as Prime Minister.
Wizardry … the wizarding community … the Union … Harker thought back to the events of the last half hour, the meeting that had nearly shattered his decades-long worldview, and the devastating power that Ivan had displayed.
It was like a walking nuclear weapon, one that had its own will and could move about without a launcher.
Huck racked his brain, trying to think of a way he could get rid of this threat, poison it, or assassinate it, or lure it into an enclosed space and suddenly detonate it?
No, the other party had spatial magic. If they escaped, it would be over.
There was also the question of whether the bomb could kill the target.
Even if he was lucky enough to get rid of Ivan Hals, how would he deal with the retaliation of the other wizards? If they could take over the office of the Prime Minister without alerting anyone, then they could certainly get rid of him without alerting anyone.
The more Hark thought about it, the more troubled he became. He considered countless alternatives, but the risks were too great and he was forced to abandon them.
He had not forgotten that there were wizards in other countries as well. If he offended a native British wizard, who would protect him?
Unless I can master magic myself… This thought suddenly occurred to Harker.
Ivan's display of power caused him to feel both a great deal of dread and a little longing…
Long life, great power, which almost every ambitious man desires…
… .
At the same time, Ivan was back at the International Confederation of Wizards, smiling to himself as he sensed what Hark was thinking.
"Wanting to be a wizard? Interesting…" muttered Ivan, rubbing his chin.
He had spoken so much to Harker, and had gone out of his way to show his strength, in an attempt to test Harker's reaction. He had expected Harker to want to be a wizard.
In Ivan's vision of a change that would be non-bloody and non-confrontational, it would require the support of the vast majority of Muggle high-ranking officials, and would undoubtedly be the best solution.
But the key is how to do it, and there is no precedent for that…
Ivan frowned, then pushed the thought aside, as it was something to think about after defeating Grindelwald.
With that in mind, Ivan used his magical mark to call Fren back from his mission.
"How's the investigation into the Aurors coming along? Any problems?" Yvonne asked simply.
After receiving the information from Fleur, he instructed Flun to screen Aurors from the Swift Response Force, especially those from France, for possible undercover agents sent by Grindelwald.
"They're all normal, none of them are under the Imperius Curse, and it seems Grindelwald sent all of the Aurors against him to gain control of the French Ministry of Magic," Flan explained.
"It's best to be cautious. Don't let on that Grindelwald is in control of the Ministry, now is not the time," Ivan said noncommittally. Grindelwald was a master of all kinds of strange dark magic, and was equally good with words. He did not need the Imperius Curse to control a wizard.
"So what do we do next, get the President out of there first?" asked Fran solemnly.
"No, it's too much of a risk. It's too easy to tip our hand…" said Ivan, turning down Furlen's suggestion that Grindelwald interfere with the Muggle world.
The Saints who had been pursuing Fleur had all been killed by Pierce's informants in France, so Grindelwald could not be certain that the French Ministry of Magic had been compromised, and controlling the French President was top secret.
In other words, they had gained an intelligence advantage, and Ivan preferred to split up when the time was right, with one group attacking the French Ministry of Magic, and the other group breaking into the President's House to restrain all officials and cut off any possibility of them pressing the nuclear button.
Ivan was prepared for the worst, and sent Connor to contact the President of North America to secretly mobilize anti-missile systems in various European countries, which would form the first line of defense should Grindelwald decide to resort to nuclear weapons.
If they did not have the time to set up an anti-missile device, or if they were attacked by a nuclear submarine, they would have to rely on the Vanishing Spell and spatial magic.
These were, of course, emergency plans that Ivan sincerely hoped would not be needed.
"In case Grindelwald thinks something's wrong, we don't have much time, three days at the most, and everything has to be in place," Ivan said, pacing the office. "We'll also need to get a map of the French Ministry of Magic and find out what those protective spells do."
With a heavy heart, Fran nodded. This was undoubtedly a difficult task. It would be nearly impossible to figure out the French Ministry of Magic's protective mechanisms in three days, but he understood the importance of this battle.
"So, that's it, then. Arrange it, and I want results within three days!" Ivan said firmly.
(P.S.: 4,000 words in total.)