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Chapter 228: Arrived on Time
🕑 Added 2025-07-08 05:38:51 +0000 UTC"I didn't expect that you, a little kid, have reached this point."
On the first floor of the Woolworth Building in downtown New York, a man who looked like an old cowboy and a younger one stood beside Noah and the others.
Behind them, a group of Aurors from the United States, dressed in various uniforms, gathered. The Magical Congress of the United States (MACUSA) is hidden within the Woolworth Building. On the outside, the building seems to have only more than 50 floors, but inside, it extends hundreds of floors!
The structure of MACUSA is similar to the Wizarding Council of the United Kingdom, which is the predecessor of the Ministry of Magic. Initially, the purpose of establishing MACUSA was to combat the Purifiers—corrupt wizards who hunted their own kind for selfish reasons.
Another challenge facing law enforcement was the rising number of magical criminals fleeing to the United States from Europe and other countries. The United States, historically a nation of immigrants, was once a haven for fugitives, but this was a thing of the past. Today, American magical law enforcement is one of the most powerful in the world.
After MACUSA was formed, they created their own Auror force, stabilized the magical community, eliminated the Purifiers, and began integrating outsiders into the magical world.
In terms of pure-blood theory, if we were to evaluate the Ministry of Magic in the United States, very few would meet the criteria. But despite their struggles with integrating ordinary people, MACUSA is significantly different from the British Ministry of Magic. The Rappaport Act once separated wizards from the No-Maj world after an incident where a witch fell in love with a handsome No-Maj and nearly exposed the entire wizarding world.
This law restricted wizards and witches from forming relationships with No-Maj, imposing severe penalties for those too close to them. In contrast, the British Ministry of Magic allowed magical families to share some secrets with their No-Maj relatives—though they'd use magic to ensure they couldn’t talk.
However, this Act was eventually abolished in 1965, with Seraphina Picquery relaxing regulations during her tenure as the leader of MACUSA. Over half a century, the American magical world has evolved to be more open, laughing at the strictness of the British Ministry of Magic—especially in the wake of Voldemort's disappearance and the Ministry's recovery.
Noah wasn’t embarrassed about seeking help from MACUSA. The current leader, Samuel G. Cohaug, knew something about the Ancient One's disciples, even though he wasn't in office when Noah first stirred up trouble in the U.S. He was willing to help, offering to send an Auror team, though he had his reservations about Fury. Cohaug felt Fury didn’t belong to the magical world, given he had no magical relatives.
"Don’t worry, he's been banned," Noah reassured. "This is probably the worst punishment for SHIELD agents, right?"
"Good. Don’t let him send people here for no reason," Cohaug replied. "It’ll be a headache."
Despite the Muggle-repelling spells around the Woolworth Building, no one wanted to deal with agents snooping around after work. Noah understood, and Fury was clearly frustrated. These magicians could be quite annoying.
Interestingly, the two Aurors that Cohaug sent were old acquaintances of Noah. They were the cowboy-looking Aurors he’d encountered when he first arrived in the U.S. eight years ago, and they seemed particularly impressed by Noah.
"Speak, you two still stuck at this rank? Haven’t you been promoted in eight years?" Noah teased, rolling his eyes as he pulled Fury’s attention away from the crowd inside the building.
"Hey, Mr. Brand is already the deputy director, and I’m the captain, okay?" Jack, the younger cowboy, shot Noah an irritated look.
From a lowly apprentice to captain in eight years wasn’t too bad, but Noah was surprised that Brand, the older cowboy, had actually become the deputy director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
"Guess being the Ancient One’s disciple has its perks, huh?" Noah remarked, surprised by the impact of his title.
"Okay, Jack, enough with the chatter. Mr. Finniel, do you think the mutants will cause a big mess this time?" Brand cut in, effectively shutting Jack up.
"I’m not sure if it’ll be a big deal, but I know the Ministry of Magic is debating whether mutants belong in the magical world. The Ancient One wants me to check if they’re suited for it." Noah shrugged, explaining his task.
Brand frowned, quickly grasping Noah’s thoughts. He suspected the Ancient One might have foreseen something in the future of the mutants. Magic was unpredictable, after all. Brand was unsure whether these mutants would fit into the magical world. What if things went wrong? Who would take responsibility?
"Okay, no problem. But if you're bringing them into the magical world, they’ll need to be watched by Aurors," Brand said after thinking it over.
"No need. I’ll take them to the British magical world," Noah replied, sensing Brand’s wariness. "I’m more familiar with it there, and it won’t cause as much trouble with me keeping an eye on them."
The British magical world might have its own challenges, but Noah didn’t anticipate significant issues, especially with Dumbledore’s support. If anything did go wrong, he could always have Gugu, the little orange cat, take care of it.
Noah soon felt the magic seed he’d placed in Logan’s body, locking onto his position. Opening a portal, Noah’s expression turned serious as he saw the near-scrapped train with Logan lying in front of it.
"What happened?" Fury asked, looking bewildered at the scene before him. His phone immediately started buzzing.
Fury pulled out his phone, and the incoming text messages began flooding in. They were all from his boss.
His face darkened as he quickly figured out what was going on. He stepped aside to answer the call.
"At the headquarters, we cut off his phone signal. His identity is sensitive," Brand said, grinning as he watched Fury react.
"Well done!" Lance, noticing Fury’s annoyed expression, flashed a wicked grin.
"Alright, Jack, get someone to carry Logan. The rest of you, follow me," Brand directed, leading the way.
Jack, however, found that Logan was too heavy to move easily. He tugged, pulled, and tried again—only to find that Logan wouldn’t budge.
"What’s going on?" Jack muttered, refusing to give up. But after several failed attempts, he had to admit defeat. Logan was just too heavy.
"Fury, what was the call about?" Noah asked, his curiosity piqued as he watched Jack struggle.
"Nothing. Just more trouble with the mutants. They’re making a mess again. I need to go over there and deal with it. Damn, I can’t even get through to them," Fury replied, clearly frustrated as he hung up.
Noah nodded. Just then, loud sirens and gunshots echoed outside. It seemed they were surrounded.
Noah wasn’t worried, though. With Magneto in the mix, it was no different from them walking right into a trap.
As they stepped out, they were greeted by the familiar sight of Sabretooth—who had lost his memory—grabbing Magneto by the neck, while a group of guns hovered in the air, pointing at their owners. A man with his eyes closed had a bullet spinning in front of his forehead.
Magneto was obviously forcing Charles to let him leave, but as the group stepped outside, Eric and the others noticed them.
"Who are you?" Eric frowned, clearly unsure of what was happening.
"Director Brand, it looks like we’re on time," Noah grinned, ignoring Eric and focusing on Brand.
"It’s indeed on time, but I think we might be in for some trouble," Brand replied, shaking his head. "Let’s move quickly. Understood?"
"I’ll do my best. You know how tough these mutants are," Noah nodded, his magic surging as he prepared for what was to come.
The Aurors following them also readied their wands, and soon, the first raindrops began to fall.
