All the information he had been given was false, then.
Hark's mouth twitched at the thought of the "top-secret documents" that the Military Intelligence Bureau had handed him today. He wanted to fire all those useless people who only took money and did nothing.
Every year, they spent tens of billions of dollars on intelligence, only to be played for fools by a group of magical wizards. After all these years, not a single agent had ever discovered the existence of the magical world…
The more Hark thought about it, the more frightened he became, and the more he realized that something was wrong. Even if wizards had magic that could alter memories, they would never be able to hide it so perfectly.
Unless, of course, a wizard had infiltrated the Prime Minister's office to help cover for them or, if necessary, alter their memories…
Hark suddenly thought of his secretary, who had been acting strangely lately, and asked suspiciously, "Wait… is my private secretary one of yours?"
"Your personal secretary was one of a number of elite Aurors that were sent to Number Ten Downing Street by the Ministry of Magic to keep you safe…" explained Ivan genially.
"One of them…?! That is to say, you have arranged for someone other than him?" Harker raised his voice several notches, his face flushed with anger.
"How dare you… how dare you plant people in the Prime Minister's office without my permission?!" Harker's voice was shaky, partly from anger, but mostly from fear.
"You're not tampering with my memory, either, are you?" Harker asked, his eyes fixed on Ivan.
"Of course not, Prime Minister. It is against the law to impose a Memory Charm on the head of a nation without permission," Ivan said calmly. "You need not worry about that. The wizarding community has perfect rules and regulations that govern the casting of all wizards, and if anyone breaks the rules, we are responsible for putting them in jail."
Oh … wizarding laws, Harker thought, pursing his lips and looking unhappy, hoping that the wizards would be more restrained than they were managed.
However, Hark could not bring himself to say this, as he knew very well that even if he offered an opinion, the other party would not agree.
"By the way, what about Grindelwald and the so-called saints? Didn't you say that all wizards were under your control?" Harker asked curiously.
"They're an exception. In fact, Grindelwald and his fellow saints are trying to overturn the system so that all wizards can perform magic without fear, which is why we need to capture him," Ivan explained.
Harker's face fell. He found it hard to imagine how chaotic the world would be with a large group of wizards who could cast spells at will.
"Also, according to reliable sources, the President of France is most likely under Grindelwald's control, so we've been preparing additional security for you," Ivan added.
Harker's face darkened further. Ivan's words had given him a sense of crisis, but he was also reluctant to see more wizards in the Prime Minister's office. Wouldn't his life be in their hands?
Ivan saw Harker's concern, and after a moment's thought, he took a piece of parchment from his sleeve and handed it to Harker.
"What's this?" Harker asked, looking at the parchment. It was filled with names, some of which he was familiar with, such as Kingsley Shacklebolt, the new Deputy Director of Military Intelligence, and his personal secretary.
"They're all working for you?!" Harker gasped. So many important positions had been replaced without him noticing.
"No, it would be more accurate to say that they are dedicated to protecting you," Ivan corrected Harker. "I'm sure you're aware of that these days, aren't you? They are competent enough to take on these positions, and they take every instruction you give them seriously."
Harker opened his mouth to retort, but decided against it, understanding that Ivan's offer of the list was a sign of good faith in their cooperation, otherwise he would never know who was on his Cabinet's side and who was a wizard.
The key point was that Ivan was right. These wizards were far more useful and ridiculously efficient than officials with their own agendas, which was why he had not dismissed his private secretary despite his suspicions that she was mentally ill.
With that in mind, Hark decided to agree to Ivan's proposal to increase the number of people in the Prime Minister's office, although he would have to decide how many people to send and who to replace them…
Ivan nodded without much hesitation. He had deliberately shown his strength so that he could have a firm hold on the conversation. He had not deliberately targeted the British Prime Minister, nor was he willing to fall out with him — especially at such a critical moment!
"Who should I talk to if something goes wrong with the wizards?" Hark asked after a long hesitation.
"You can contact me directly," Ivan said, then took a wand from his sleeve and tapped it on Harker's right wrist.