A Lamb in the Fire?

Piers's words surprised the assembled wizards, and they all turned to Ivan, finding it hard to believe that such a young wizard could stand up to the legendary Dark Lord Grindelwald.

In recent years, the European Times has done much publicity for Ivan, but for many wizards from Asia and Africa, the name Ivan-Hals is unheard of.

However, everyone who came to the Capitol was an elite member of the wizarding community. Since the true leaders did not question this, no one would be stupid enough to jump out and cause trouble. Some smart wizards even secretly remembered Ivan's appearance and labelled him as someone who should not be trifled with…

The morning's meeting was cancelled due to another attack, and Bruno and the other French wizards were taken away by Aurors to investigate, as they had previously said.

Ivan was one of the suspects, and although he handed over the key that represented Britain, he was not completely cleared of all suspicion. He was still a target of scrutiny, and his every move was watched by several Aurors.

After the crowd dispersed, Pierce asked in confusion, "I don't understand why you handed over the key just now. It's a very important document…"

"To make a fish bite, of course, one has to be willing to part with the bait…" Ivan said slowly.

"So you have a plan?" Pierce asked eagerly.

How could he not be worried when, in the short span of a day since their arrival at the Magical Congress of North America, there have been two attacks and the deaths of ministers?

Not to mention the fact that the President of Congress was now suspicious of them. If they couldn't find a way to get to Grindelwald, something terrible would happen…

Instead of answering Pierce's question directly, Yvonne asked, "Minister Pierce, what do you think of MACUSA's security? Any loose ends?"

Pierce considered this for a moment, then shook his head. "The Aurors of North America have done everything they can, and even we would not have been able to arrange it better … Unless Grindelwald was in possession of some powerful magic beyond our knowledge, I find it difficult to imagine how the opposition could have attacked the two Ministers under such strict control."

"Under normal circumstances, no. But what if something goes wrong within MACUSA?" Ivan sneered.

Pierce paused, his brow furrowing. "Are you suggesting Grindelwald might have controlled or disguised himself as a high-ranking MACUSA official?"

"But… how? Grindelwald put them in their place during the last Wizarding War. No matter how stupid the North American side was, they would have been wary of that," Pierce said, puzzled.

Conner made it clear yesterday that they had placed detection spells at the entrance to the Houses of Parliament to ensure that every wizard who entered was accounted for, as well as the Aurors, Goblins, and House-elves who had been stationed at the MACUSA building for a long time.

"No matter how thorough their investigation, there's always one exception, isn't there?" Yvonne said pointedly.

"Don't tell me…you suspect the President of the Magical Congress of North America, Wilkinson?" Piers asked, immediately understanding Ivan's meaning.

"I believe you told me that the Minister's office usually has its own fireplace, which is protected from lockdowns, and that one does not have to go through that entrance to get in and out. If anything were to happen, no one would dare to trace it back to the President of Congress, which is, in a sense, a perfect status…" Ivan explained slowly.

"That's…that's unlikely, isn't it? Grindelwald would never have had the opportunity to replace the Chairman…" Pierce shuddered. If Ivan was right, then they were in enemy territory.

"Don't forget, a few days ago, the French Minister had a secret meeting with Wilkinson, and they were unlikely to be carrying too many people at the time…" Ivan said, thinking of Iris, the Legilimens.

At first, he had sensed a hint of danger from this man. Now that he thought about it, Grindelwald was most likely in disguise. It was probably because he had just stolen the Resurrection Stone and could not contain his boiling killing intent that Grindelwald could sense him so clearly.

Iris, as a trusted aide of the French Minister, was brought along during the conclave, and no one could doubt it.

It was not impossible for Congressional President Wilkinson to be taken over or replaced by Grindelwald.

"One of the pieces of evidence is that the French Minister committed suicide in his room. Of all the magic I know, only the Imperius Curse could have done that," Ivan explained.

"Presumably, he was under Grindelwald's control before the official meeting, and the Minister was most likely the one who threatened Igor…"

"So Wilkinson's name was not on Igor's visitor list yesterday afternoon. In a sense, he was Grindelwald's White Gloves. Now that the French Minister is dead, all leads are dead…"

"Then we're dead, aren't we?" Pierce asked. If Grindelwald was the President of Congress, the Capitol would be a terror zone from which they could not escape.

"It's not that bad. Grindelwald can't control everyone with the Imperius Curse, and with the North American side on alert so early, there's only so much he can do in a few days," Ivan assured him. If Grindelwald had been able to control and replace most of the Aurors, they would have been wiped out during the meeting.

"If I were Grindelwald, I would not abuse the Imperius Curse. Every person I control will give me more openings, and there are countless ways that the President of the House of Representatives could provoke a confrontation that would be reasonable and above suspicion!" Ivan added.

Pierce nodded. It seemed the situation had not reached its worst.

"Wait a minute… if you suspected Wilkinson, why did you give him the key?" Pierce asked.

Grindelwald's goal was clear: to get his hands on the keys scattered among the Ministers, but Ivan gave them away despite knowing who they were.