Chapter 614: Ministry Affairs - (2) |
After the two parted ways, Mrs. Bones was already standing in front of them, relieved as she said, "Thank goodness, Professor Dumbledore informed me, but I never expected it to be you coming over—truth be told, I really—" She pursed her lips, refraining from uttering any unkind words.
Uriah felt a bit awkward.
He knew how they had been pestering the Minister of Magic these past few days, refusing to leave. But the Snakewood Wand was too important, which was why they ignored the criticisms—there could be no movement when the wand was in Voldemort's hands, and now that Voldemort was reportedly defeated, they immediately came to claim it.
His only insistence was not trying to use Mr. Harp's connections. However, this insistence was quickly crumbling, as members of the Stuart family arrived afterward, insisting on reclaiming their ancestor's relic.
"Felix, let me introduce you," Mrs. Bones said with a relieved smile, seemingly happy to be getting rid of trouble. Her gaze flickered to a slightly bald dark-skinned old wizard, "This is Mr. Greg, the Deputy Headmaster of Ilvermorny School, who is here with Mr. Edmund. These two—"
"I'm Melville, Melville Stuart," a young man eagerly said. "Mr. Harp, I've heard your name. You should understand our reverence for our ancestral artifacts. We constantly yearn to restore the family's glory, and unquestionably, we rightfully own the Snakewood Wand."
"Uh, congratulations?" Felix pondered his words.
The young man stared, surprised by such a response. At this moment, a slightly older wizard behind him approached with a polite handshake, saying, "Hello, Mr. Harp. I am Melville's uncle, Mr. Blaise Stuart."
"Hello, Mr. Stuart," Felix nodded.
"Well, Mr. Stuart, I hope you understand that I am not a judge. My task is simply to return the item to its rightful owner—"
"We are its true owners!"
"You can try and see if it responds to you." Felix took out the Snakewood Wand, and several eager eyes immediately glued to it. Blaise Stuart subconsciously took a step forward, wanting to take it.
"I mean, call it, make it respond to you voluntarily," Felix shook his head, stepping back.
"It's just a wand! Mr. Harp!" he said in frustration.
Felix put away the Snakewood Wand, somewhat disappointed. It seemed that neither of the Stuart family members present knew Parseltongue. The atmosphere became awkward for a moment. At this point, Mrs. Bones said, "Felix, can we talk privately?"
"Of course," Felix agreed.
They went to a nearby small lounge, closed the door, and Felix spoke, "Amelia, I tried, but the Stuarts—"
"Oh, that's a small matter. I don't care about the ownership of the Snakewood Wand." Mrs. Bones said, surprising Felix a bit. She continued, "I want to know about that report, what were you thinking?" Her last words were almost whispered.
"What report?"
"The 'Challenges of Muggle Technology to Wizarding Secrecy in the New Era' that you submitted," Mrs. Bones approached Felix, biting her lip, "I can't believe you quietly threw such a big trouble my way. Do you know I haven't been able to sleep well these days?"
"I didn't know," Felix said honestly, "First of all, let me clarify, the trouble wasn't caused by me. Preventing the exposure of the magical world is your responsibility, and I just pointed out the flaws in your work. You should be thanking me."
Mrs. Bones glared at him angrily, having to admit that Felix had a point. But why did he let her catch on?
"Why didn't you mention this at the Fawkes post?"
"I'm not familiar with him."
"...And what about the exclusive wand matter? Don't say it's an accident; I found out. You've been quietly pushing this matter, everything you've done revolves around one goal—"
"Preventing the exposure of the magical world and preparing for the aftermath," Felix nodded, "No need to thank me; it's what I should do."
The two locked eyes for a moment, and Mrs. Bones gave in, panting as she said, "Alright, I admit—if half of what's in your report is true, I have no reason to blame you. On the contrary, I should thank you—but you cannot back out!"
"Well, about that..." Felix hesitated, and Mrs. Bones raised her eyebrows. "Madam, maintain your image. In the public eye, you're the resolute and decisive Iron-Fisted Minister who led the people out of the shadows of war."
"Where do I have an image?" Mrs. Bones couldn't help shouting, her eyes staring at him, "I have no confidence—I'm completely in the dark right now. These days, I have to deal with the issue of Muggle-borns, and more than half of the staff in the department is too busy, let alone time! Moreover, those people outside are constantly making noise in my ears, and I can't get rid of them." She nodded towards the lounge.
"...I can help as an advisor, give suggestions and the like."
"That's settled then," Mrs. Bones insisted.
Her excitement disappeared, becoming serious and satisfied. Seeing Felix staring, seemingly stunned, she elegantly smoothed her hair—her short hair had somehow become shoulder-length. She thought for a moment and said, "Sirius said you'd fall for this; I didn't expect it to be true."
"Sirius." Felix chewed on the name, as if he had just eaten a Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean, "He really surprised me... Maybe I should invite him for a meal to get to know him again."
Because of Sirius, the 'traitor,' leaking information, Mrs. Bones could deceive him—or not really deceive; at least her emotions weren't faked, she was genuinely worried and agitated. This gave Felix an insight; observing emotions wasn't omnipotent.
"Forget it, you won't find him in the short term," Mrs. Bones rolled her eyes, speaking somewhat displeased, "As soon as the press conference ended yesterday, he took Harry and went traveling."
The two who had just been at odds now seemed to share a common enemy.
"He runs fast...," Felix thought with his palm itching.
"What were you planning to assign him?" he asked tentatively.
Mrs. Bones rolled her eyes again. "Well, you're always so sharp... Sirius has spent some time in Muggle society. I wanted him to do some investigation, visit people as a teacher, systematically observe the development level of Muggles in recent years. But now we'll have to postpone that temporarily."
"Wise choice, Madam."
"Thanks for the compliment." Mrs. Bones said dryly, "Let's go out first. After sending those people away, we can discuss in detail. I have a lot of questions."
"Oh, today won't work. I might have to run to Ilvermorny. I have a new understanding of 'returning to the rightful owner,' and I've guessed why Dumbledore said I'm the most suitable person..."
Wishing everyone a happy Lantern Festival!
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