Seeing the murmurings of the delegation, Reginald Prince remained strangely infallible and silent. The eyes of the delegation peek at the Supreme Mugwump Albus Dumbledore, whose blue eyes still twinkle with some unknown secret. The only one showing any hint of nerves is Minister Jenkins, who is visibly tense.
Strangely, the one who should be most disappointed at the unchanged status of Clause Three of the Code of Wand Use should be Ragnok, the heir to the Stone Throne remained equally infallible. In fact, the young goblin showed no traces of such disappointment, but rather expectantly gazed at the delegation with dark, slanted eyes. Either Ragnok was bluffing, or he truly was not disappointed, which was difficult to believe considering the circumstances.
With the tide in their favor, Philippe Verninac clears his throat loudly to regain the attention of the delegation. "Fellow delegates, I propose the creation of a new classification of Magical They to permit the goblins, merfolk, giants, hags, trolls, centaurs, and vampires to be reclassified as Magical They. Should any other magical creature desire to be reclassified as Magical They, they will need to present their case before the delegation as today."
Hagrid almost sighs in relief at the proposal, but he knows the voting has yet to finalize the proposal made. He glances around and is surprised to find that his fellow compatriots are all calm. He reaches for a silk hankie and pats his forehead dry, which shows beads of cold sweat. The damp hankie is crumbled in his fist while his mouth goes dry as he waits.
"Secondly, the delegation willingly accepts the terms offered by the parties requesting to be reclassified as Magical They. This includes the creation and acceptance of a treatise between wizardkind and all the parties involved in the reclassification of Magical They. The treatise will follow the rules and regulations of existing treatises with a specific clause in regard to using the Sword of Godric Gryffindor as a symbol of peace and a physical symbol of the treatise. The Sword of Godric Gryffindor will be housed in a neutral location, which is Hogwarts, and is to be guarded by the Guardian of Hogwarts, Nadira."
There are some murmurs by the delegation at the mention of Hogwarts and the Sword of Godric Gryffindor to be guarded by Nadira. However, upon closer reflection, who better to guard a mythical sword than a powerful magical serpent? The sword would be safe at Hogwarts, and more the fool who dared try to steal the mythical blade. Without a doubt, any would-be thief would be lucky to be found alive if at all…
Seeing that Philippe Verninac remains silent on the subject of the wand ban, the delegation collectively relaxes, while others sigh in profound relief. Seeing that Phillipe Verninac has finished speaking, Idris Shafiq, the Speaker of the Delegation rose to his feet.
"The proposal made by Delegate Verninac is to create a new classification of Magical They, which will permit goblins, merfolk, giants, hags, trolls, centaurs, and vampires to be reclassified into this newly established category. Furthermore, a requirement of the reclassification is the acceptance of the terms offered by the parties as part of a treatise that the parties will follow including clauses with specifications to the housing of the Sword of Godric Gryffindor at Hogwarts which will be guarded by Nadira, the Guardian of Hogwarts. Those in favor, please say, Aye." Idris Shafiq loudly said.
Dozens of hands go up in the air as Idris Shafiq carefully counts them. Surprisingly, Chen Bao is found among them, and she had voted in favor primarily due to magical properties of the Ichor Fructus. Finished counting, Idris Shafiq gestures to the delegation to lower their hands. "Are there any objections to the proposal made by Delegate Verninac?"
Nineteen hands go up among them is Mr. Krum, who does not oppose the proposal itself, just the portion in regard to the vampires. He believed that such a treatise would inevitably bite the International Confederation of Wizardry in the future. He would rather act in the present moment to prevent a potential future catastrophe.
Finished counting, Idris Shafiq says, "It is duly recorded that there are nineteen votes made in opposition to the motion. The majority of the Confederation has voted in favor. The motion passes," he loudly declared.
There are many pleased expressions on the faces of the delegation as Hagrid loudly sighs in relief and grins at Annis Black, who shows a smile along with Gerad Troels and Professor Odine Ponce. The only ones not smiling are Ragnok and Firenze, who both remain wholly calm at the announcement and show no signs of being affected by the passing of the proposal.
Yet the corner of Reginald's lip went slightly up in triumph at the pronouncement of the final vote and caused a dreadful chill to those who noticed. Philippe Verninac, in particular, racked his brain recalling the words of the proposal he made. He had not trapped himself in any form or manner by mentioning the wand ban, yet why was the old Prince so visibly pleased?!
A low chuckle escapes from Obi Adebayo, who shows a toothy, crooked smile. With good nature, he shakes his head ruefully rather impressed at the carefully woven plan by Reginald Prince.
With blunt curiosity, Chepi gazed at the elder Nigerian wizard. A chuckle from her neighboring side causes her to whirl her head and gaze in wide-eyed surprise at Sagemore, along with an equally startled expression on Jack Steward's face. Sagemore never laughed in public, well, at least not during a session of the Federation!
Sagemore arches his proud brows with mirth and says, "I must hand it to Prince, he does play a rather good game."
"Game?" Jack Steward visibly frowned. "The wand ban was not revoked. The old Prince failed to achieve his aim."
"No, young grasshopper, he did not," Sagemore pensively retorted as he turned his gaze to study Reginald Prince across the Great Hall. "I for one am glad, Prince has not chosen to enter the Confederation. He is as clever as a Wampus Cat, but unlike the Wampus Cat, he has all the deadly prowess of a Hidebehind. A most dangerous of foes and for which I am glad we are not adversaries."
With obvious bewilderment, Jack Steward furrows his brow and turns his gaze toward Reginald Prince. He saw nothing in the demeanor of the tall, slender, elder wizard that would suggest otherwise. So, he remained silent and watchful, waiting for Reginald Prince's next move.
Before Idris Shafiq could call the delegation to order, the sleek albino Great Horned Serpent suddenly appeared. The powerful albino serpent floated in the air. There are shouts and cries of panic, anger, and worry as the entire delegation reflexively reaches for their wands, only to pale or grimace upon recalling the fact that their wands had been taken. Wands are never permitted in a session except for three individuals: the Supreme Mugwump, the Speaker of the Delegation, and the selected enforcer for the session, who is selected anew each time.
The reason for the absence of wands is that when tempers flew, delegates always reached for their wands. A number of duels had sprouted amidst a heated session, until even fatalities occurred. A hard lesson learned, but one that had never been forgotten.
Some of the more cautious delegates, like Chen Bao and Mr. Krum, narrowed their eyes at Reginald Prince. They feared that Prince's plan all along was to hold them hostage and force their hands. Mr. Krum, for one, refused to bow his head to a treacherous wizard's ploy; he would rather die than yield to the whims of such a blackheart!
"I am pleased the International Confederation of Wizardry has formally recognized me as the Guardian of Hogwarts," Nadira flicked her tongue at them. "Though I had no need to be recognized by the Federation," she proudly raised her head to look down at the delegation, causing the embedded sapphire gem on her forehead to enticingly glitter at them.
Some of the tension of the delegation begins to ease as the members of the federation begin to recall that the Guardian of Hogwarts had been formally acknowledged by them. The face of Chen Bao soured as she realized the delegation had fallen right into Reginald Prince's trap. The delegation would have no choice but to listen to the words of the magical serpent.
"Formally recognized by Hogwarts, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, the Board of Governors of Hogwarts, and the International Confederation of Wizardry," Nadira loudly said as various members of the delegation leaned forward to listen and others leaned back and folded their arms over their chests.
"I, Nadira, Guardian of Hogwarts, hereby revoke the archaic laws of the wand ban and hereby permit any child of age, race, creed, or descendancy residing within the Isles to attend Hogwarts as is their magical birthright."
The delegation is utterly stunned in sheer shock, before a burst of mocking laughter of disbelief erupts from several delegate members. The laughter quickly dies upon meeting the steely gaze of Reginald Prince or that of Nadira. The Great Hall falls silent as the delegates gaze in open speculation at each other, not quite sure what to make of the spontaneous sentence made by the serpent.
Tugging on his long white beard, Supreme Mugwump Albus Dumbledore says, "Oh, dear," as his blue eyes mischievously twinkle behind his half-moon spectacles.
"Oh, dear?" said the Turkish witch, Deniz Yildiz in a dentalized accent. "What is that supposed to mean, Supreme Mugwump Dumbledore?"
The delegation stirs awake from their stupor and turned their gaze towards Supreme Mugwump Dumbledore, who innocently looks back at them, which only serves to irk more than a few members.