Harry Potter: The Golden Viper

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.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

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.

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