章 580: 0578 Plans
"These are just some initial suggestions to consider, Amelia--" Bryan said as he turned and began striding towards Hagrid's hut, where he knew Sirius was currently recuperating.
Although there thankfully hadn't been any major incidents earlier when Sirius was into the dragon shell, but he had still taken the full brunt of Hermione's Conjunctivitis Curse directly to his eyes.
Madam Pomfrey was clearly far too preoccupied tending to the other injured champions up at the castle to have any time to spare for Sirius. And for his part, Sirius was apparently feeling quite embarrassed by his current messy state, which was why he decided to hide himself away at Hagrid's cozy hut to lick his wounds in private.
"I'm sure you realize, once the general public inevitably becomes aware that Voldemort(Amelia shuddered violently) has begun stirring again, with Fudge's lack of leadership abilities, it will be immensely difficult for him to effectively quell the raging storm of public opinion or control people's rising panic and hysteria.
At that juncture, even if he faces no open opposition from within the Ministry itself, the overwhelming tidal wave of surging public outrage will almost certainly force Fudge to step down from his post.
A chaotic power struggle will definitely emerge in the aftermath to fill the power vacuum. The pureblood families and various tycoons long entrenched in magical Britain's major industries will no doubt scramble to install new political spokesmen to safeguard their substantial interests. Chaos will ensue, but it absolutely must be decisively quelled swiftly. Otherwise, Voldemort will delightedly seize upon the golden opportunity to ruthlessly exploit the turmoil for his own benefits.
With the Ministry of Magic as his obedient tool dancing to his tune, it will be much more convenient for him to act--"
As she listened to Bryan's sobering words, an intense, suffocating sense of desolation and powerlessness welled up in Amelia's heavy heart. In the face of the Dark Lord, the Ministry of Magic, despite nominally managing the affairs of tens of thousands of magical residents, was nothing more than a tool.
"What about Barty?" Amelia asked pensively, looking at Bryan's face in the moonlight, still not fully understanding why he never seemed to regard their longtime colleague Bartemius Crouch as someone worth taking particularly seriously as a candidate for Minister.
Indeed, Amelia knew Barty had his share of unfortunate blemishes on his record, especially that dreadful past scandal with his Death Eater son which had nearly destroyed his career. But in the next decade, Barty had worked with resolute diligence to slowly rebuild his tattered reputation. Many within the Ministry now respected his tireless efforts and recent streak of successes, with the successful Triwizard Tournament adding another high-value political achievement to his record.
Amelia could already clearly foresee that for at least a month after tomorrow, the Triwizard Tournament would unquestionably remain the most fervently discussed topic on everyone's lips throughout the European wizarding world. Champions and organizers would temporarily ascend to the status of celebrities with their names and faces splashed across front pages and radio programs.
"Barty has always made a very public show of stridently voicing his deep-seated hatred for the Dark forces. And that dreadful incident back then very nearly destroyed him, costing him everything he held dear. So, if You-Know-Who rises again and starts sowing chaos and fear in wizarding world again, and Cornelius steps down … Barty will probably go all-out to be the minister--"
"And in so doing, blindly lead the Ministry to a swift demise at Voldemort's hands?" Bryan finished, sneering sarcastically. "So, I'd prefer to see Fudge retain his position than watch Barty Crouch take over in a time of war.
Your own track record, Amelia, is far more impeccable than Crouch's spotty history. As long as you resolve to steel yourself for the coming challenges and lay the groundwork now, you won't lose out to Barty when the time comes--"
Bryan saw through Amelia's worries and comforted her.
"Do you know about the learning machine I gifted to the Ministry of Magic?" Bryan's abrupt change of topic caught Amelia off guard. It took a few seconds for her train of thought to switch back.
"I do know, it's a very interesting alchemical device. It's currently placed in my department, and we allow everyone to use it, but most people only treat it as a toy. Rufus did issue an order requiring his Aurors to spend a minimum period training with the device each month, but overall compliance has been rather lacking--"
"Alas, that's still not nearly enough--" Bryan lamented, though in truth, the disappointing situation did not catch him off guard.
He understood all too well the tedious grind of a Ministry career - most employees were eternally drowning under a flood of common paperwork, without any energy or motivation to seriously hone their skills after those hours. Many adult wizards could no longer perform magic with the same easy mastery they had upon graduating Hogwarts.
"The Ministry desperately needs to increase its baseline competence in the fundamentals of magical combat. You cannot send Ministry personnel into battle against the Dark Lord's sadistic, battle-hardened followers when they can't even cast a proper Disarming Charm!
Expanding the Hit Wizard force and arranging additional training for current staff... Amelia, these are initiatives you can and must enact without delay, before the gathering storm breaks."
Bryan noticed Amelia's dilemma and also knew the difficulty of these two matters. After thinking for a bit, he said,
"Perhaps we can temporarily put aside the proposal to expand the Hit Wizard force, as that will require more extensive discussion and planning. But as for improving the combat readiness of existing Ministry employees... I have a thought.
You could introduce a new performance incentive - staff members who meet a set target of hours using the learning machine each month and demonstrate assessable improvement in dueling will receive a bonus stipend. I predict you'll find no shortage of eager participants, especially among your most junior personnel."
Amelia nodded slowly, clearly giving the idea serious consideration even as her eyebrow remained furrowed.
"That's actually a good idea--" Amelia said thoughtfully. "As far as I know, some people in the department live very tight lives especially those young with families to support. If monetary rewards are used as an incentive, I believe it will have a very good effect."
Bryan wanted to go to Hagrid's hut to check on Sirius's condition, and Harry and his two friends were also there at the moment. In this situation, it wasn't very appropriate for Amelia to tag along. After a few words, Amelia understood that Bryan wanted to be alone, and she herself also needed to have a chat with Dumbledore. For such a major matter, she had to get a definite statement from Dumbledore.
The piercing, bitter cold wind of late November howled around him. Bryan turned his pondering gaze towards the looming mountains at the far side of the vast lake. Thick rows of ominous grey clouds slowly drifted in from beyond the snowy peaks, carrying a palpable air of desolation with them as they overwhelmed the night sky.
Suddenly, in his peripheral vision, Bryan detected a fleeting flash of eerie blue light emanating from deep within the black depths of the Forbidden Forest. He abruptly stopped in his tracks and turned to face the source of that strange flare.
"Professor Moody, is that you?" Although it was a question, Bryan's tone was very certain.
A figure draped in a tattered traveling cloak emerged from the treeline, limping heavily and leaning on a wooden cane as he approached.
"Hmph. Should've known those eyes of yours would spot me. Everyone else up at the castle is too busy celebrating the tournament - you and Dumbledore included. But in my view, someone has to stay sharp and vigilant, always on the lookout for trouble. Wouldn't you agree, Bryan?"
"We are all very fortunate to have someone who can always maintain a clear and rational mind at Hogwarts. This will make us feel much safer--" Bryan smiled calmly, but when he noticed the wet mud on Professor Moody's boots, his gaze flickered for a moment. It seemed that Professor Moody had not only wandered around the edge of the Forbidden Forest but had gone quite deep.
"With you and Albus keeping the castle locked down tighter than a Gringotts vault, I reckon my efforts are best spent watching the perimeter. Never know what kind of nasty beasties or unsavory characters might try to sneak their way onto the grounds, drawn by all the tournament hubbub. Can't be too careful." Moody came up to Bryan and chuckled.
"Then you must be careful, Professor Moody. I heard from Hagrid today that the centaurs in the Forbidden Forest have gotten angry for some reason recently and are refusing to allow any magical creatures to enter their territory. Well, although this has always been their rule, you'd better avoid them--"
Bryan only mentioned it casually, but strangely, after hearing his words, although Moody had an unconcerned expression, the emotional fluctuations he tried to hide were still a bit too conspicuous in front of Bryan, whose magical power was approaching its peak.
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Really, I can't imagine why those tetchy centaurs would be in such a snit all of a sudden. You know how they are - think they're above us "foalish" wizards, always whining on about their precious star charts and planetary mumbo-jumbo. Probably just got their fur ruffled over some imagined slight or other," Moody snorted dismissively. "Still, don't worry over the likes of them. I've tangled with centaurs before."
'Could it be that the centaurs' unrest had something to do with her?'
Bryan smiled without showing any sign, but he made a mental note of this.
"I'm going to sit for a bit at Hagrid's place. So, would you like to go have a cup of tea together? I guess the temperature in the Forbidden Forest at this time may not be very comfortable--"
"I won't go and disturb, Bryan. There are too many people in that hut right now--" Moody turned his head, his blue magical eye swiveling towards the hut a few times before he turned back and snorted. "I'd better get myself some leftovers before the banquet ends."
The two parted ways, one heading towards Hagrid's hut and the other towards the castle. However, before the distance between them exceeded ten meters, Moody suddenly whirled around without warning and looked at Bryan's receding figure and his eyes flashed with hesitation.
"What's the matter, Professor Moody? Is there anything you need help with?" Bryan, sensing something, also turned around and asked politely.
"Oh, actually it's nothing--" Moody said in a hoarse voice, "I was just thinking, it was very impressive, Bryan. I mean, that little gadget you used today to show the champions' performances. I heard it's called a Monitoring mirror made from Omnioculars, right?"
"Yes, what about it?" Bryan raised his eyebrows.
"That's a very useful alchemical device. I mean, for preventing crime, guarding against sneak attacks, and so on. It's much more useful than my Foe-Glass and Dark Detectors. Have you considered, Bryan...? I mean, putting it to serious use--"
"Indeed, I have--" Bryan nodded with a smile.
"You should know, the first time I returned to this school after graduation was to investigate the once much-talked-about Chamber of Secrets incident. And when Sirius escaped from prison, I also used it. But this thing violates the students' privacy. If I plan to do something with it, I have to apply to the Ministry of Magic in advance--"
"Oh, is that so--" Moody said thoughtfully. He immediately realized that he shouldn't appear silent.
"What a pity. If it were back when I was still at the Ministry, there definitely wouldn't be so many trivial formalities. I would make the Minister recognize the true value of this invention and vigorously promote it."
"Yeah, I also often feel regretful that this invention is not taken seriously--"
Under the boundless night sky, the two smiled at each other and once again turned to walk away in opposite directions.
*******************************
For More Chapters; patreon.com/FicFrenzy
章 581: 0579 Apologies
When Bryan stepped into the dimly lit interior of Hagrid's cozy hut, he immediately sensed that the atmosphere in the room was not as pleasant as he had imagined.
The first thing that caught his eye was Hermione, who had made quite a name for herself earlier during the day by getting the highest score among all the champions in the first task of the Triwizard Tournament.
As soon as she noticed Bryan enter, she hastily rose to her feet from where she had been on the edge of Hagrid's oversized bed. Her fingers were twisting and untwisting anxiously as she seemed unable to meet Bryan's gaze directly, as her brown eyes darted nervously to the floorboards.
Hagrid too had an unusually serious expression on his face as he solemnly stared at Freodom shrinking in the corner, her tennis ball-sized eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
"Professor Watson—"
The person who opened the door for him was Ron. When he saw that it was Professor Watson, a trace of unease appeared on Ron's face.
Unlike Harry and Hermione, he had given up on physical education classes and now rarely had the opportunity to meet Professor Watson face to face. The place they saw each other the most was the Great Hall of the school.
Bryan instantly picked up on the subtle unease in Ron's body language and tone. Seeking to put the boy at ease, he gave Ron a gentle, reassuring smile and gave his shoulder a light, friendly pat as he strode past him into the room.
Ron, however, was left standing in a daze and perplexed by the door, unsure quite how to process that casual, familiar gesture.
"And how are you faring, Sirius?" Bryan inquired as he completed his visual sweep of the space, quickly taking note of everyone's emotional states. Having assessed the situation, he made his way directly to the side of Hagrid's bed where Sirius was resting. Hermione, flustered, swiftly stepped aside to allow the professor through.
Sirius's eyes were wrapped in gauze bandages. Though his vision was obstructed, he had discerned Bryan's identity from hearing Ron greet him moments before.
"Not too bad—"
Sirius said with a wry smile,
"But I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to ask Madam Bones for a leave of absence. I'll probably need to rest for a few days. That move from Hermione was for helping you, Bryan—"
Bryan laughed out loud upon hearing this, but Hermione, for her part, looked absolutely troubled by guilt, as if she might burst into tears at any instant.
"Professor, I'm so terribly sorry, I didn't mean—" Hermione lowered her head, wanting to express her apologies, but there seemed to be too many things to apologize for, and she didn't know where to start.
"Your performance today was very good, worthy of my teaching—"
Bryan said, somehow both congratulating and comforting at once. Still, rather than being consoled, his praise only seemed to further fuel Hermione's sadness. Bryan naturally grasped the reason behind her sadness and said gently,
"I guess you must be thinking that if the Chinese Fireball today hadn't been Sirius in disguise, you definitely wouldn't have been able to pass the test. But what I want to tell you is that the situation is not like that, but rather the opposite."
This was indeed the one question Hermione cared about the most after learning everything from Harry. She looked up at Professor Watson, her face full of astonishment.
"I...I'm afraid I don't fully understand your meaning, Professor Watson..." Hermione stammered, clearly at a loss.
"Unless I'm much mistaken, I believe Sirius has already told you that I went out of my way to introduce some additional challenges for you to contend with during your task today," Bryan explained patiently. "If you were facing a real Fireball, in my opinion the Summoning Charm you used at the start would have been more than sufficient to resolve the situation in your favor. So, don't overthink it, Hermione, there's a reason you earned the top score."
"Then."
Next, Bryan shifted his focus from Hermione, who looked extremely touched by his words, to the trembling house-elf in the corner.
"I take it Freodom has already confessed to her role in all this?" Bryan asked, raising an eyebrow at Hagrid.
"Aye, quite readily too," Hagrid sighed, slapping a palm to his forehead in annoyance. "But that's the trouble with house-elves, innit? Tricky to make 'em understand that helpin' their master by puttin' others in danger ain't right."
Bryan nodded and then fell silent.
He thought of the scene he had seen in the secret lair of Herpo the Foul under the island of Azkaban, where thousands of house-elves had their heads and hands chopped off to make steps for people to trample on. Even the well-traveled Bryan felt a chill in his heart when he first saw that scene.
Hogwarts: A History clearly records that the first person to let house-elves work at Hogwarts was Helga Hufflepuff. But even a witch as formidable and compassionate as her was ultimately powerless to fully eliminate the mindset of blind, devoted servitude that had been ruthlessly imprinted into the very souls of house-elves.
Bryan shuddered to contemplate just how indescribably strong and cruel the magic of Herpo the Foul must have been when he first gave life to these pitiable, eternally subjugated beings.
"Come here for a moment, little one," Bryan called to Freodom with a kind wave, settling himself down on a stool.
Professor Watson's silence made Hermione's heart tremble. Freodom's self-willed behavior had almost ruined the Triwizard Tournament and made Hogwarts a laughingstock. If Professor Watson didn't get angry, that would be perplexing. So, when Professor Watson spoke up and called Freodom over, Hermione's face turned pale in an instant. She rushed out to block Freodom,
"Please, Professor Watson, I'm begging you - please don't be angry with Freodom, this wasn't her fault!" Hermione pleaded desperately. "The blame for all of this falls on me! I'm the one who told Freodom to cheer me on during the first task, but she misunderstood my meaning. It's not fair to punish her for a mistake I made! If you need to punish someone, punish me!"
Harry and Ron exchanged worried glances as they watched the emotional Hermione defend Freodom. In fact, neither of them actually believed that the kindhearted Professor Watson would punish or make things difficult for a house-elf for her well-intentioned blunder. Rather, it was Hermione's stubbornness and dullness on this matter that gave them a headache.
She had previously started an organization (which was widely unpopular) dedicated to the 'House-elf Rights' and mobilized everyone around her to join S.P.E.W. If she hadn't been selected as a champion which had been consuming so much of her time and focus, Merlin only knew how much further she'd have escalated her rabble-rousing efforts by now.
"Freodom is being the one at fault, not Mistress Hermione!" The distraught house-elf wailed as she peeked out from behind Hermione's robes with tears leaking from her eyes as she took a glance at Bryan. "Freodom caused great problems for Mistress Hermione, Freodom will accept whatever punishment the great and wise Professor Watson gives. Freodom only hopes, Mr. Watson won't kick Freodom out of Hogwarts!"
"Bryan,"
Upon hearing Freodom's words, Hagrid felt a sharp pang of pity and protectiveness pierce his gentle heart. Over the past few months, Freodom had become more than a helper to him – they became friends. He couldn't bear seeing him being kicked out of Hogwarts. It brought painful memories.
"Freodom meant no real harm, when yeh get right down to it. Maybe yeh could see yer way to lettin' the poor thing off with a wee bit o' detention? Seein' as how there weren't no lastin' damage from her little stunt when all was said and done..."
"I don't intend to punish you for the time being, Freodom, as long as you don't plan to give me another 'surprise' like today's in the next task. After all—" Bryan's tone was gentle, "when it comes down to it...I'm the one who brought you into this world in the first place."
Freodom's teary eyes trembled violently, and a sense of bewilderment welled up from the bottom of her heart.
Hermione was already in tears. She looked at Professor Watson with immense excitement, and the scene of the two of them rescuing Reega and Freodom flashed before her eyes.
"Come on, little one, lie down on the bed. I want to give you a checkup—"
Bryan stood up and gave his place to Freodom.
'A checkup?'
The people in the room all looked puzzled. Freodom hadn't suffered any injuries, so what kind of checkup was needed?
Freodom instinctively refused in awe and nervousness. She was just a house-elf. The only opportunity for her to get on a wizard's bed was to make the bed and fold the sheets. How could she lie on a wizard's bed? This was simply outrageous. However, she had to obey Mr. Watson's orders. So, the apprehensive Freodom hesitantly climbed onto Hagrid's bed and lay down as instructed.
"What exactly are you aiming to do here, Bryan?" Sirius asked quietly as he shifted closer to the wall to allow the elf more room. Though the bandages wrapping his eyes prevented him from witnessing the scene firsthand, his keen ears had picked up every word.
"I'm going to check—"
Bryan leaned over. He told Freodom to relax, and then extended a finger to press against her brow.
"The soul of a house-elf—"
The moment the words fell, a breeze spontaneously surged in the cozy room. No one noticed that the illusion magic shrouding Bryan's eyes had shattered. Only Freodom saw the great Mr. Watson's peculiar pale purple eyes suddenly turn a gem-like clear purple. Then, her consciousness drifted and sank into those deep, infinitely attractive purple eyes.
Late at night.
No one knew when it started, but the candlelight in Bryan's office had become one of the last to be extinguished among the hundreds of rooms in Hogwarts.
Most of the guests who attended the banquet tonight had left through the temporarily opened Floo Network. Only a few guests stayed overnight, and they all hoped to take this rare opportunity to communicate with Bryan.
By the time he returned to his office, a new day had arrived.
The powerful magic and mental strength endowed Bryan with energy that ordinary wizards did not possess. He pulled out a spellbook from the bookshelf and quietly flipped through it under the silent candlelight.
And yet, Bryan knew he was fast approaching the limit of what he could achieve through study and practice alone. To truly shatter the chains of his current potential and ascend to the next level of power, he would need far more than the books could provide.
As he turned the pages, Bryan recalled what he had seen in Freodom's soul. It was a curse that existed in her soul from the moment of her birth, when her life first sprouted.
The core of this curse was still—
Knock, knock—
Bryan, who was deep in thought about this issue, suddenly came to his senses and looked towards the door. After raising his eyebrows in surprise, Bryan's eyes flashed with contemplation. He closed the spellbook and calmly said,
"Come in, Ron—"
*******************************
For More Chapters; patreon.com/FicFrenzy
週次パワーステータス
200+ 推薦
ランキング 
28 推薦
チケット 
段落コメント