Chapter 38 - International Wizarding Federation

While Asmodeus walked to the Headmaster's office, more interesting things were happening in the Ministry of Magic.

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When Rita Skeeter woke up, she found herself tied up in a dark basement. Her mouth was sealed with a spell, and her body was bound with chains, rendering her immobile. A month ago, a group of Aurors suddenly burst into her home, accusing her of being an illegal Animagus!

On the way to the Ministry of Magic, she assessed the situation and decided to immediately use her Animagus spell to escape. Transformed into a beetle, she intended to slip away unnoticed while the Aurors figured out where she had disappeared. After all, a beetle in the middle of the night wasn't the most conspicuous figure.

But as soon as she shrank, she saw a wizard pull out a wand and use a type of magic she had never seen before! She intended to escape, but heard, "There she is!"

Then, the beetle she transformed into was surrounded by a group of Aurors. The spell was cast directly on the beetle she turned into! It was the Cruciatus Curse, and at that moment, she realized that those present were not just Aurors but dark wizards.

John Ryan, a subordinate of Grindelwald who commanded this operation, looked at the woman before him and said, "Miss Skeeter, I advise you to be obedient, or should I curse you with my wand and ask you again?"

In the Ministry, John relayed to Grindelwald that Rita Skeeter was bound in the Department of Mysteries.

After reading the letter and casting a spell to conceal their conversation, Grindelwald smiled and said, "John, how is our guest doing?"

John replied, "Rita Skeeter hasn't suffered much."

"I think she'll be able to answer Lord Grindelwald's questions soberly."

"That's good." After finishing speaking, Grindelwald patted John on the shoulder and went to the prison.

At this time, Rita's well-groomed hair was disheveled, and her body bore numerous wounds inflicted by dark magic.

Rita saw Grindelwald entering, her eyes filled with fear, and she hastily cried out, "I'm ready to cooperate! Don't kill me! Please, stop torturing me!"

Grindelwald approached her and joked, "Is this the face of the first person in the 'Daily Prophet'?"

Before Rita could continue speaking, Grindelwald pointed at her and said, "You can live if you want. Sign an unbreakable vow with him and swear allegiance to the Morningstar family. I'm here as a witness."

"John, from now on, she will be your subordinate.

'Daily Prophet' is ours from now on," said Grindelwald, quickly returning to Hogwarts.

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Entering Dumbledore's office, the first thing Asmodeus heard was, "Asmodeus, the International Wizarding Federation and the Wizengamot are planning to award you the Order of Merlin, First Class."

Asmodeus helplessly remarked, "Do I have to attend? Or receive this award at all? It's essentially useless."

Dumbledore responded, "Certainly not. Merit in increasing the wizarding population deserves recognition, and the medal can only be awarded to you personally."

Reluctantly nodding, Asmodeus asked, "Isn't it possible to modify this ceremony to take place here? I don't want to travel across the realms for a useless trinket."

Dumbledore, observing Asmodeus's uneasy expression, suddenly felt much better and said, "That's not a problem. It has been decided to hold it at the Ministry of Magic in Britain."

"I will personally present you with the award."

Seeing that he couldn't avoid it, Asmodeus could only nod and agree. It's not that he doesn't want recognition or something like that; it's just that the Order of Merlin has no actual influence in the world. It might help establish some connections, but Grindelwald and Dumbledore have already assisted him with that.

Seeing Asmodeus in this state, Grindelwald smiled and said, "Asmodeus, it's an honor that many people will never achieve in their lives!"

Asmodeus looked at Grindelwald and said, "I just want to see how the Federation will react when I announce that the rings can make not only squibs but also Muggles into wizards."

Thinking about what Dumbledore had said, he got a headache. Although Asmodeus is responsible for research and the general direction of their actions, Dumbledore and Grindelwald have to intervene and prevent anyone from interfering. So, they get tired much more than Asmodeus.

The presentation of Asmodeus's Order of Merlin, First Class, was postponed at his insistence. After a month at the Ministry of Magic, these things seemed bothersome to him. Yesterday, he didn't sleep all day, and now he wanted to return to a relaxed state. So, Asmodeus left this matter to Dumbledore and Grindelwald. He intended to sneak back to his bedroom.

Asmodeus is currently preoccupied with the affairs of the saints and the takeover of the Ministry of Magic in England, while Dumbledore has meetings worldwide regarding Asmodeus's award. Due to this, the old man had to attend numerous meetings globally, including the Wizengamot and the International Confederation of Wizards. In short, Asmodeus is slightly worried about Albus's health, but there's nothing he can do about it right now – he just wants to sleep.

Asmodeus quietly returned to his bedroom and stayed there for two days, resting. After three days, he emerged from the room when Hermione called for him.

In their daily lives, they get along well, and Asmodeus considers her a good friend – nothing more, he's not a lolicon pervert. He simply thinks that Hermione has changed a lot since that conversation in the bathroom. She no longer tries to please everyone and stand out.

Currently, Hermione is more like a Ravenclaw than the one from the Golden Trio. She reads books that interest her rather than the entire school curriculum. She has almost stopped interacting with Harry and Ron, or rather, she doesn't interact with Ron at all, while she talks to Harry. Asmodeus has become a good friend to her, someone who can help if she doesn't understand something, and he introduced her to his circle of acquaintances, expanding her horizons.

Those who are better than you won't consider you an upstart if you know something they don't; on the contrary, they will ask you for advice.

Thus, Hermione joined this strange campaign of eagles, badgers, and lions. She often asks Cedric if she doesn't understand something about herbology and also talks to Cho Chang and Penelope Clearwater on female topics. Penelope didn't have to deal with Percy due to the arrival of Asmodeus. He noticed her because she performed very well in Ancient Runes classes and recommended her to Nico as a potential student. He was pleasantly surprised when he learned that Nico decided to teach her the crafting of magical instruments, seeing potential in her. Therefore, Penelope no longer needs to rely on her pure-blood family to get a position in the Ministry of Magic. Oh, how surprised she was when she found out that Asmodeus and Nico knew each other.

Now she regularly flirts with him. Asmodeus doesn't mind, but he is not yet ready to start a relationship. He believes it's better to contemplate this when his body completes the phase of rapid growth, especially considering that there won't be a long wait.

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