Chapter 319 : Council of Elders Headquarters
The Consular Meeting of the Council of Elders was one of the most significant events in the wizarding world.
As such, its location was equally important—it was held in the Vatican.
Though the Vatican was a sacred site for many Muggle religions, it held unique meaning in the magical world as well. According to legend, wizards were first born in this very place.
While there was a small magical population in the Vatican, it lacked the typical wizarding establishments seen in Britain, France, or Italy—there was no wizarding fair, no Ministry of Magic. Instead, it was governed directly by the Council of Elders. No magical family had jurisdiction here, and even residents required approval from the Council.
Only legendary wizards with major contributions to the Council were permitted to live here. As a result, the Vatican was considered the most powerful magical stronghold in the world.
Naturally, this came with the strictest oversight. If it weren't for the necessity of attending the Consular Meeting, Sirius, Phineas, and Corvus would have preferred to stay far away. The regulations on magical activity here were extremely stringent, and the area was protected by a state-of-the-art magical surveillance system.
Unlike the Ministry of Magic's crude detection methods—limited to identifying magical fluctuations—this system could pinpoint who was using magic, what spell was being cast, and whether it was permitted. Any unauthorized magic would immediately alert the Council's Law Enforcement Team, who would swiftly arrive to investigate.
The convening of the Consular Meeting attracted the attention of the entire magical world. Though most were not permitted to set foot in the Vatican, they closely watched the proceedings from afar.
This was Phineas's second time attending the Vatican's Consular Conference. During his first visit, he represented the Black family alone, accompanied only by his personal assistant and two house-elves —Lisa, Kreacher, and Puff. At that time, they had the smallest presence among all participating families.
For Sirius, this was both his first visit to the Vatican and his first attendance at the Consular Meeting. Though he didn't openly gawk, he was clearly fascinated by the architecture, customs, and atmosphere.
As the largest papal state in the Muggle world, the Vatican's structures and cultural presence were steeped in religion. The spiritual aura was everywhere.
Wizards invited to the meeting were provided accommodations by the Council of Elders.
They weren't staying in Muggle hotels or wizarding inns like the Leaky Cauldron. Instead, they were housed beneath the very location where the meeting would be held—the secretive headquarters of the Council of Elders.
The headquarters lay hidden beneath St. Peter's Basilica. It was relocated there during the era of witch-hunts. The Muggle priests of that time could never have imagined that the wizards they sought were directly beneath their feet.
Few would suspect that under this grand Renaissance structure—considered the holiest church in the Catholic tradition and the burial site of many popes—lay an immense magical facility.
The entrance was not inside the basilica but rather at the Vatican Library, one of the most revered institutions in the Western world. This served as the hidden gateway to the Council's underground domain.
The current library, built in the 1940s, was not the original entrance. However, it too concealed the path to the Council's inner sanctum.
Phineas had never seen the original structure, but he was familiar with the present library—this was his second time here.
The Vatican Library was a magnificent domed structure, home to a vast array of texts on art, architecture, philosophy, science, and the largest theological collection in the world.
Multiple floors were connected by spiral staircases and furnished with dedicated reading areas. The library also housed antique art, relics, and manuscripts, giving it a rich, scholarly atmosphere.
Following the library's construction, the entrance to the council of elder's headquarters was relocated to a concealed section within the basement archives.
The existence of wizards was formally acknowledged by religious institutions in the aftermath of the great witch-eradication campaigns millennia ago. In recent years, the boundaries between the wizarding and Muggle worlds have blurred, making secrecy from religious authorities unnecessary.
Yet, for ordinary people, the truth of magic must remain hidden—especially the detailed records of the witch purges. While these events are not regarded as dark history by the religious orders, they could still unsettle their reputation. After all, the number of innocent lives lost in those hunts rivaled—if not surpassed—the deaths of actual practitioners of magic.
Thus, this hidden library serves as an archive—one that meticulously collects and displays the very texts documenting the brutal witch-eradication campaigns that once swept through Europe.
Among these silent, dust-laden shelves, where history whispers of fire and fear, lies the unmarked entrance to the council of elder's headquarters.
As they arrived, their guide—a Council attendant—gently moved a cross-shaped relief on one of the bookshelves. In any other location, such a mechanism might be too obvious. But here, in a place where such religious symbols were treated with reverence, it remained untouched and secure.
The bookshelves slid aside to reveal a concealed staircase. The entrance to the library sealed behind them.
The staircase spiraled downward in complete darkness. The attendant drew his wand.
"Lumos."
The wand tip glowed as he led the way.
The passage was too narrow for side-by-side movement. Phineas and his companions trudged onward, their footsteps echoing in the hollow silence as they descended what felt like ten thousand steps—though in truth, it spanned no more than two floors—before a dim light greeted them at the end.
They emerged into a bare stone hall. The only decorations were torch-holding arms carved into the walls. The torches were no ordinary firebrands—they were oil lamps filled with a potent, unsettling substance.
Phineas immediately recognized the scent.
"These lamps smell like the ones at Hogwarts," Sirius remarked in surprise.
"Similar," Phineas replied. "They burn with dead oil made from house-elf remains."
Sirius looked horrified—he hadn't known.
The attendant confirmed this with a smile. "Mr. Phineas Black is correct. However, here they are mixed with the blood of Riem cattle."
Even Phineas was impressed. Riem cattle blood was a rare and powerful substance, used to enhance magical strength and, in great quantities, brew immortality elixirs. Yet here, it was used simply as fuel.
The hall, though small, functioned as a staging area. A large stone door stood opposite the staircase.
The attendant turned to them.
"Master Black, please follow closely. The path beyond is a magical maze—dangerous and ever-shifting. Only those raised within its walls can guide others safely."
Phineas nodded; he knew this from experience. Sirius also nodded gravely.
The attendant sighed in relief and opened the stone door.
He had every reason to be cautious. Just the day before, another attendant failed to warn a young Lestrange heir, who arrogantly charged into the maze, triggered a trap, and perished—along with nearly jeopardizing his entire family. The attendant barely rescued the others and was punished regardless. His fate remained unknown.
Fortunately, Phineas and Sirius were more level-headed. They followed closely and navigated the maze without issue, finally arriving at the true Council headquarters.
It was a bustling market.
This space was not home to the Elders themselves but to those who worked for the Council.
Many legendary wizards, upon retiring or completing major tasks, chose between joining the Council or continuing to serve through advanced magical duties. Others remained in seclusion, hoping to rise by power alone.
Graduates from Sguler with extraordinary talent might be recruited directly into the Elder Guard, the Law Enforcement Team, or other elite roles like Sealers or Curse Breakers.
Once within, few ever left. Over time, a community—and a thriving underground market—formed. Shops, residences, and businesses flourished. Access, however, required permits and expensive passes.
Phineas and Sirius were not here for the market. Consular families had permanent residences within the Council compound.
The Black family villa was located underground, just south of the market. Despite being subterranean, magical enchantments made the "sky" above it seem real—complete with weather, sunlight, and storms. It was more refined and immersive than the enchanted ceiling of the Hogwarts Great Hall.
Nearby was the Selwyn villa—where Phineas had first met Silna.
The door to the Black villa bore the family crest in grand relief, a mark of status that commanded both awe and respect.
The attendant left them at the villa.
Phineas, experienced in these settings, needed no guidance. After exchanging a few words with Sirius, he departed for the Council Library near the meeting chamber.
This library was structured by rank. Ordinary wizards had access to the first floor, staff to the second, contributors to the third, consular family members to the fourth. As a patriarch of a consular family, Phineas could access that fourth floor—but no higher. He had no idea how many levels existed above, but guessed at least two more.
He had come here for a reason.
The records within were the most complete in the magical world. His previous visit ten years ago had granted him access to knowledge that paved the way for his rise.
Now, to go further, he needed more.
For wizards, knowledge truly was power.
It was said that when a spell was mastered at its core, one could unravel an enemy's magic with a flick of the wand—disarming it, reflecting it, or erasing it entirely.
Curses, rituals, even defensive enchantments all demanded profound knowledge to wield.
And Phineas was ready to learn more.