Chapter 16: Magic Fifth Avenue

At quarter past eight, the entrance to Magic Fifth Avenue was filled with foreign magical representatives. As usual, as they arrived, they gradually made their way to the various black magical cars.

Two of these foreign wizards were a young man with brown hair and gray eyes, along with an older man with red hair, tall and of a large build. Both were wearing gray robes and were standing at the entrance, chatting and observing the commercial district of Magic Fifth Avenue.

Unlike most foreign magical representatives, Arthur Weasley had no other companion besides the young Cedric Diggory, who was only 11 years old and was visiting the USA for the first time.

"Wow, and here I thought Diagon Alley and Atena's magical district were impressive enough," commented Ced, rather surprised by what he was seeing.

His sharp eyes scanned Magic Fifth Avenue for several minutes as he tried to take in all the details of the place amidst the crowds that obstructed his view.

He wanted to cross and explore the whole place, but he stopped, knowing that there was no time for that now, so he contented himself with looking at as much as he could from a distance.

"It's very different from Diagon Alley, don't you think so, Cedric?"

"Yes, even though both are very lively, they have no comparison..."

Arthur just smiled at Cedric's enthusiasm and let him continue to observe the surroundings for a few more moments.

Finally, when Cedric had finished examining the surroundings for a while, he felt a hand on his shoulder guiding him toward one of the black magical cars by the door.

He grabbed one of the handles of his trunk, placed it in the car luggage rack, and then got into the car with Arthur. He hadn't realized how close it was to 8:30 in the evening until he got into the car.

Cedric was already aware of the time difference between England and New York, but he still hadn't paid much attention to the time since he arrived.

Setting aside his curiosity about the many things he wanted to learn about this place, Cedric focused on talking with Arthur during the journey about the first session of the meeting that would take place at the Woolworth Building today in a few minutes.

...

...

-MACUSA, Woolworth Building, New York

While Arthur went to the meeting in one of MACUSA's rooms, Cedric took the opportunity to explore the public access areas of the vast and imposing complex, covered in gold, emerald, garnet, and black.

Cedric had studied the history of the Magical Congress of the United States of America, which was the magical body responsible for governing the magical community of the United States of America. He knew that they were inspired by the Wizards' Council of Great Britain, which preceded the Ministry of Magic when creating MACUSA.

For the formation of MACUSA, representatives from magical communities throughout North America were elected to create laws that would watch over and protect American wizards.

Currently, it was led by a president, unlike the No-Maj Congress of the United States, which Cedric had heard was divided into a House of Representatives and a United States Senate, while MACUSA was unicameral.

And yes, here they used the term "No-Maj" to refer to non-magical humans instead of "Muggles."

...

...

After spending a few hours exploring all the areas he was allowed to enter, Cedric finally met up with Arthur, who had already left the meeting room.

Although the man didn't seem to be in good spirits, his face looked tired and frustrated, as if he had suffered a major setback. His body moved slowly, as if he were only dragging himself with the little strength he had left, while he released strong and continuous sighs from his mouth.

"Complicated?" Ced asked, already knowing the obvious answer.

"The usual, everything ends up going nowhere, too many wizards, and their communities are extremely conservative, making it difficult to reach a mutual agreement on anything," Arthur replied with a tired smile, shaking his head. "But let's not talk about that now. Tell me, what do you think of MACUSA?"

"Well, it has its similarities with the Ministry of Magic, but they seem to have many more policies and specialized sectors for coexistence with other magical beings and even with Muggles," Cedric replied, who had seen the British Ministry of Magic several times while accompanying his father or mother on various occasions.

"Yes, there are many things I've wanted to replicate in the Ministry, but sadly, most of my proposals are usually rejected or postponed indefinitely…"

"That's because the Ministry is still infested with the belief in blood purity and clings to outdated customs."

"Hmm, you know, in reality, many are just comfortable and don't like change. You know, wizards like to follow traditions and customs, and many have a deep-seated prejudice that despises Muggle culture"

"My family follows traditions, but that doesn't mean they uphold the old idea that blood purity is above everything, nor are they as conservative as to avoid beneficial cultural progress."

"Oh, I know, I've known Amos for a long time. And believe me when I say that if there's one thing we both learned, it's that we should respect some traditions but also create new ones…" said Arthur, and Cedric couldn't help but remember hearing that same phrase about creating new traditions from the twins.

Naturally, the twins' idea of new traditions involves adding entertainment and a touch of madness to the magical world.

"Now, things sadly aren't as easy; there are too many interests and benefits that no one in the Ministry wants to give up... it's complicated, and over time, you'll understand what I mean," Mr. Weasley sighed and then smiled kindly. "Come on, let's head to the accommodation they've assigned me. You know, they tend to be quite welcoming, although, don't tell my kids, or they might kill me for not bringing them here too."

Cedric knew he was just changing the subject, but he didn't mind and continued with the new topic of conversation. After all, he knew it was a complicated issue that not even his parents could fully explain; there were too many things involved that affected the situation.

That's how Ced and Arthur spent the rest of their time, talking about the amenities that MACUSA offered, and Mr. Weasley also told Cedric about some of the things that were proposed and discussed during today's meeting.

And needless to say, Cedric was quite interested in the various topics that were discussed because they seemed like such simple and common-sense things, but apparently, for wizards and witches, they were the strangest and weirdest things of all.

Arthur even told Cedric that at some point, he had proposed giving some brief courses to wizards on appropriate attire for use in Muggle society, but few countries accepted this, so the option was quickly discarded. However, in some countries, such as the USA, the proposal was taken up to some extent, and MACUSA offered short, fast, and free courses for those interested in learning more about how to blend properly into the Muggle environment.

On the other hand, the black magical car assigned by MACUSA was the one that took them to and from the Magic Fifth Avenue district where they would be staying during these days in New York.

In reality, the area where the accommodations were located was beyond the shopping district, where you had everything from small houses to huge mansions.

And generally, there were several inns where foreigners would usually stay.

...

When Ced and Arthur returned to the district, they noticed that it was still filled with wizards and witches of all ages.

The two passed the shopping district, only to arrive at the area where most upper-class magical society of the USA stayed.

This area was filled with Manors side by side that belonged to the most powerful and wealthy families in the magical world.

You could also see several luxury inns that were the official stopping place or hostel for wealthy wizards, high officials traveling to the country, or people of international fame and importance.

MACUSA had its own complex where they prepared accommodations for the different guests they had, and Mr. Weasley had been given a key to freely enter one of these during this time.

MACUSA's complex was quite elegant yet simple, painted in white with gray and matte blue parts. It stood out for its impeccable presentation and service, something that Ced and Arthur greatly appreciated. You could be a foreigner, but they treated you perfectly.

And the residence assigned to Mr. Weasley had all the comforts, as well as being extremely spacious. You could even pay extra for other special services...

Something that Arthur Weasley clearly didn't do. Such comforts were already a rare luxury in the life of a Weasley, so he was more than content with everything they provided.

Now Cedric understood perfectly why Arthur had explicitly asked him not to mention any of this to his children...

Yes, they would all go crazy if they knew that their father was in a place like this.

Cedric couldn't help but laugh softly at the thought of the twins' faces if they knew….