Chapter 849
The Clown's Song
Chapter 849 The Clown's Song
"Now, we are seeing the real Magic Congress."
An Auror from England whispered to his companion, "This level of mobility...it's terrifying!"
His companion nodded solemnly, then said:
"If the Magical Congress can't control this situation, it will be a disaster for wizards all over the world! At times like these, wouldn't it be more reassuring if they were stronger?"
At the focal point of all eyes, Hawthorne paused slightly, letting the weight of his words sink into everyone's hearts:
"Panic is exactly what the enemy wants to see! But now is not the time to panic."
"The Magic Congress will do everything in its power to deal with this crisis, and we will initiate all necessary procedures."
"But if, if the situation gets out of control, I hope you can remain calm, be vigilant, suspend all non-essential interactions with the Muggle community, and pay attention to anything unusual around you."
"Gentlemen, please remember—"
"What has kept the magical world standing is not the isolation and protection between the two sides, but our unity, our wisdom, and even more so, our unwavering courage and dignity in the face of storms!"
"I hope we can all strive together!"
After saying that, he didn't linger and turned to stride towards the door.
The congressional officials, who had been pulled from their drunken stupor, drowsy state, or frolicking, all perked up and hurried behind the Speaker of Congress.
The banquet could no longer continue, and the wizards, worried about the safety of their families, quickened their pace and hurried out. Every second wasted made them anxious, wishing they could fly away.
The Anti-Apparition Charm, a spell that was once considered essential for large magical structures, now seemed so cumbersome!
Hughes and his group, who were the first to receive the orders, had just arrived at the manor gate when a capable Auror stepped forward and pushed open the gate.
Just as the first Auror had barely stepped out of the manor, a cheerful and loud voice, completely out of place with the tense atmosphere, suddenly resounded throughout the courtyard:
"Hahaha... Gentlemen, do you know what time is?"
This nonsensical, almost insane question left many people bewildered, while others' expressions changed drastically at that moment!
The next second, a harmless pumpkin-decorated carriage by the roadside suddenly made a "sizzling" sound as it rapidly inflated, like a balloon being blown up at high speed!
"Get out of the way—!!!"
Suddenly, someone shouted at the top of their lungs.
"Oh!"
The pumpkin suddenly exploded, the violent sound shaking the air!
But the anticipated scene of flying debris and blood, flames and screams did not appear; instead, there was only a strange sight like a golden waterfall flowing backwards.
A massive amount of gold dust gushed out from the bursting pumpkin carriage, like a sudden fountain show, with shimmering gold shooting straight into the night sky!
Countless tiny gold dust particles were propelled high into the air by the blast wave, then began to drift down, slowly and gracefully settling on people's shoulders and sprinkling onto every lawn and stone path.
Even the Aurors, who were in a hurry to carry out their mission, couldn't help but turn around and look at this sudden change.
In the dead silence, the loud laughter rang out again, sharp and abrupt, like fingernails scraping against everyone's nerves.
The pumpkin carriage exploded and scattered in a petal-like pattern. Amidst the billowing gold dust, a brightly colored and exaggeratedly shaped clown toy was swaying back and forth.
It's the kind of clown commonly seen in the Muggle world, wearing striped bell-bottoms, a ridiculous soft hat, and a perpetually painted smile, often standing in the circus performance area.
The head, connected by a spring, kept nodding, emitting a monotonous and piercing "ga ga ga ga" laugh.
Amidst the astonished and uncertain gazes of the many wizards, this cheap, crude Muggle toy, with its painted-on empty eyes, "stared" at the crowd. Its internal wind-up mechanism whirred, and a short, bizarre song emanated from it:
"Surprise! Surprise!" "It was just a prank, no harm intended!"
"Your dramatic changes in expression are so funny!"
"Don't glare at me, don't glare at me, don't let your eyes shoot fire."
"It was just a joke, don't be so petty!"
"Gaga gaga gaga...gag gaga gaga..."
The clown toy let out a hoarse, unpleasant laugh, then shattered into pieces with a bang, impossible to put back together.
Although the clown has disappeared, his singing seems to still echo in the falling gold dust.
That wide grin, reaching all the way to his ears, was seen by everyone as nothing short of mockery.
An exploding pumpkin carriage, gushing gold dust, and this singing Muggle toy...
What are the hidden meanings behind these events? What conspiracy is the person behind them plotting?
Was there some kind of riddle hidden in that song we just heard?
No one spoke; everyone's minds seemed to have stopped working.
Or rather, some people's brains are working too fast at this moment, thinking too much, with various thoughts intertwined and woven together, making it impossible for them to react quickly.
The Aurors felt a stickiness in their wands, a sensation of cold sweat soaking into them. The eerie nursery rhyme lingered in their minds like a curse, making it hard to breathe.
Just then, a person appeared without warning at the entrance of the manor with a "snap".
Elijah Watkins of the Department of Magical Accidents and Disasters had just apparated over. He was still wearing his robes and hurriedly tying his tie. He even stumbled a bit when he landed.
Elijah was startled to see that almost everyone at the dinner party was staring at him in silence, including the Speaker of Parliament. All his weariness seemed to vanish.
He asked solemnly, "What happened? Why did the ministry suddenly issue such a high-level emergency summons order..."
At the same time, he secretly regretted being distracted during Apparition. Although he was lucky enough not to split into two, it seemed like he had encountered a situation even more terrifying than splitting.
Salina Goldstein, who was closer to the door, snapped back to reality, and the words almost blurted out:
“Elijah…you…didn’t you look at the Mirror of Flow before?”
"Flowing mirror?"
Elijah paused, not understanding why she was asking this, but under Chairman Hawthorne's watchful gaze, he obediently replied:
"I watched it, I watched it with my wife."
Salina swallowed hard, her voice slightly hoarse from nervousness:
"So... what shows did you watch?"
Elijah was immediately embarrassed and stammered:
"Well...we watched a Muggle movie first...and then, then 'Housework 100%'—it teaches people how to use housework magic. Of course, I didn't watch it; my wife liked it..."
Everyone was struck dumb, and the surrounding air seemed to drop several degrees.
Elijah looked nervously at the others and asked in a low voice, "Wasn't it supposed to be an emergency call? Shouldn't we... set off now...?"
(End of this chapter)