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0768 Surprise
🕑 Added 2025-07-06 11:29:44 +0000 UTC"Demanding that Bryan surrender his wand?" The question erupted from Sirius' lips.
Before Bryan could even voice a response of his own, Sirius was already the first to react with visible displeasure.
"What conceivable right do they have to make such an outrageous and unprecedented demand?!" Sirius continued, his voice rising with each word as his indignation rose.
"Exactly my thoughts—" Remus said firmly nodding his head insistently, and his face also showed displeasure.
"Taking away a wizard's wand is equivalent to pulling out a dragon's claws and fangs—it's an extremely rude respect," Remus continued. "Moreover, Bryan is not a criminal under surveillance or investigation. They have absolutely no legal right or moral justification to impose such restrictions on him, but..."
After a moment of thoughtful hesitation, during which Remus seemed to be considering his words, he looked at Bryan and spoke.
"Their purpose in imposing this restriction is quite obvious,"
"A bunch of cowards!" Sirius said loudly, his voice carrying considerable disdain and contempt.
"If they're genuinely afraid of Bryan's capabilities and potential threat to their security, they could simply refuse him entry into their territory altogether, couldn't they?" Sirius continued, his words cutting straight to the heart of what he saw as the hypocrisy of the American position.
"Obviously, the American Magical Congress... or rather, the specific officials who are making this particular decision are curious about Bryan and his reputation," Remus explained.
"They want to meet him, to see for themselves whether the stories and reports they've heard are accurate, but they must also consider Bryan's destructive power."
Remus paused for a moment, his expression growing more thoughtful. "To be completely honest, I'm not entirely surprised that they would come up with such an idea, especially given that the city of New York once suffered serious damage because of the actions of a single powerful wizard."
Setting aside his personal emotions he felt toward his friend, Remus continued with the objective analysis.
"Of course, this historical context doesn't justify their use of restrictive measures that are outside the established legal framework for magical immigration and border control.
Bryan, we could certainly file a formal protest with the MACUSA, arguing that their 'Wizard Immigration and Border Control Act' contains no legal provision stating that a wizard with no criminal record must surrender their wand as a condition of entry into American magical territory."
"If we actually did that—" Bryan responded with a knowing smile.
"You'd find that the American Magical Congress would pass relevant legislation at an absolutely alarming speed," Bryan continued. "Something along the lines of: any wizard deemed a significant threat to the security of the United States who applies for entry may have their wand confiscated at the discretion of the Immigration Control Center."
Hearing this, Remus and Sirius who had been filled with indignation just moments before, fell into thoughtful silence.
The American Magical Congress clearly had considerable wariness toward Bryan, and their willingness to impose such restrictions meant that they might very well be prepared to take even more harsh steps to protect what they perceived as their interests.
"What if—" After pondering for a moment, Remus suggested, "What if you were to use your official position as Vice President of the International Confederation of Wizards?"
"The International Confederation of Wizards is no longer what it once was during its peak years of influence and authority, Remus," Bryan replied in a straightforward tone.
"Without a specific invitation from a country's magical government, the Confederation has no mandatory authority to interfere in that country's internal affairs or domestic policies. In other words, they can at most voice some formal complaints and express their displeasure, but they lack the power to actually enforce any changes or force compliance with their wishes."
Bryan lifted his teacup, taking a sip of the brewed tea while his friends watched him with growing concern. His movements were calm and controlled, showing that he had already made his decision about how to proceed forward.
"Furthermore, we're going to America to discuss important business matters," Bryan continued. "Entering their territory with such a forceful, confrontational stance would basically guarantee the failure of our negotiations. If that's the case, what would be the point of making this trip at all?"
This restriction was indeed difficult to navigate, presenting challenges that seemed to have no clear or satisfactory solutions. Remus frowned deeply and thought hard for a long time, but despite his best efforts, he couldn't come up with any feasible solution.
"Then so be it," Bryan said with a smile.
"If they insist on taking my wand as a condition of entry, I can hand it over without resistance," Bryan continued. "It's just... heh, I hope they can keep it safe and secure while it's in their custody."
"But what if we encounter an emergency situation while we're there?" Remus asked with worry.
Bryan waved his hand dismissively, looking nonchalant acting as if he weren't the one about to have his wand taken away,
"You'll be there with me, Remus," Bryan pointed out with confidence. "I believe your magical abilities are more than sufficient to handle any emergencies that might arise during our visit."
Remus pressed his lips together, touched by this confidence, though upon careful consideration, he still had concerns.
Bryan knew what Remus wanted to say and the concerns that were troubling him. Before his friend could say these worries, he spoke calmly.
"The American magical community under the jurisdiction of the American Magical Congress is a powerful and sophisticated magical civilization. They have significantly more wizards than we do in Britain, representing a vastly larger population with correspondingly greater magical and economic resources.
This represents a vast and largely untapped market with tremendous potential for expansion and development, and we must strive to secure access to it if we want to achieve our long-term objectives."
Bryan's expression grew more serious as he continued. "The matter is settled, and further discussion will not change the realities we face. You can write to them now with our formal response—we agree to their demands and will comply with their requirements for entry."
With the situation having reached this point, Remus could only nod his agreement with reluctant acceptance. Sirius, meanwhile, shrugged his shoulders, no longer dwelling on it. As Bryan said, Remus was also quite capable and could handle danger.
With this important topic now concluded and their course of action determined, it was indeed time for the real business.
"I called you both here this morning—" Bryan said turning and walked across his office to the bookshelf one wall. He pulled open a drawer and began rummaging around inside for a while. After a brief search, he took out an opaque bottle.
Walking back to the seating area, Bryan casually tossed the mysterious bottle into Remus's lap, indicating he should open it.
"This is..." Remus began, his voice trailing off as he pulled out the cork that sealed the bottle and frowned at the thick, muddy-looking liquid contained within.
Sirius, driven by curiosity and concern for what his friends might be planning, leaned over to get a better view of the bottle's contents. Upon seeing the familiar but always disturbing appearance of the liquid, his expression froze.
"Polyjuice Potion," Bryan confirmed with a slight smile.
Tomorrow would be the day the second task of the Triwizard Tournament began. Throughout the day, the castle was filled with an atmosphere of extreme excitement and nervous energy with young wizards and witches from all four houses discussing only one topic when they encountered each other: who would achieve the best results in tomorrow's challenging task.
On this matter of champion preference and predicted outcomes, people held different opinions.
The students and faculty from Durmstrang would naturally support their champion Viktor Krum. Similarly, the representatives from Beauxbatons supported their champion, Fleur Delacour.
Meanwhile, Hogwarts, having the unprecedented situation of two champions competing in the tournament, had its students divided in their support and commitments.
Hufflepuff supported Cedric, and Gryffindor supported Hermione—this went without saying. Slytherin supported Cedric for the sole reason that they disliked Gryffindor more, and as for Ravenclaw, it wasn't surprising that the house with the most female students would support Hermione.
The young wizards and witches throughout the castle, including the faculty members who had their own preferences and predictions, were all discussing the upcoming competition with tremendous enthusiasm and excitement.
Adding even more to the electric atmosphere that filled the castle and its grounds, employees from the Ministry of Magic had arrived at the school early in the morning to begin the process of setting up platforms and viewing areas around the Great Lake.
Meanwhile, goblins from Gringotts Bank, were busy assembling equipment for the live broadcast that would allow magical communities throughout Europe to witness the competition in real-time.
The atmosphere of excitement and anticipation continued to build throughout the day, but it was interrupted by an unexpected development that quickly became the subject of intense discussion and speculation among the students.
Neville returned to Hogwarts in the afternoon, arriving sometime after the end of regular classes but before the evening dinner hour, and immediately made his way to the Quidditch pitch with the apparent intention of running laps around.
However, it wasn't long before Neville's presence at the Quidditch pitch caused a tremendous sensation among the students who encountered him there.
The transformation in his appearance, demeanor, and apparent confidence was so unexpected that many students who had known him for years found themselves questioning whether they were actually seeing the same person.
Fred and George who had been doing their own training routine at the pitch, immediately interrupted their run when they spotted Neville. They tried to escort him to the nearest available professor, believing that he must have been under Imperius Curse to have undergone such a dramatic personality change.
However, as more students gathered around the scene, it became clear that Neville was not under any form of magical influence or coercion. He was simply... different.
Watching Neville, who was surrounded by a group of people but showed no fear, chatting cheerfully with his classmates, Ron rubbed his eyes vigorously,
"I think Fred and George have a valid point—Neville absolutely must be under the Imperius Curse!" Ron said with conviction. "There's simply no other way to explain this complete change in personality and behavior."
Harry nodded frantically in agreement, his face showing mixture of astonishment and confusion.
Hermione, however, responded to her friends' amazement with a knowing smile.
"I told you that when you finally saw him, you'd be completely amazed," Hermione said with obvious satisfaction.
The cheerful and exciting atmosphere that had been filling the entire campus throughout the day continued well into the evening hours, with students gathering in common rooms and corridors to continue their lively discussions about the upcoming tournament task.
This atmosphere of celebration and speculation continued until very late at night, with many students staying up far past their usual bedtimes to participate in the ongoing discussions and celebrations.
However, as midnight approached and exhaustion finally began to overcome excitement, the festive atmosphere gradually began to dissipate, and students slowly made their way back to their dormitories to rest before the important day ahead.
This would prove to be the most relaxed and carefree day that the young wizards and witches would experience at Hogwarts for quite some time to come, though none of them realized it at the time.
"You'd better really have something genuinely important to say, Dumbledore!" The angry voice of Igor Karkaroff echoed through the corridors leading to the headmaster's office, his tone carrying the frustrated irritation of someone who had been disturbed from important preparation and rest on the eve of a crucial competition.
When the stone gargoyle that guarded the entrance to the headmaster's office completed its slow, spiraling rotation and allowed access to the stairs, Karkaroff, who had been trying to rest and prepare mentally for the next day's competition, angrily pushed open the wooden door that led into Dumbledore's office.
But when he saw the round conference table that had suddenly appeared in the office, along with the people seated around it, Karkaroff's angry expression immediately changed to a sickeningly sweet smile,
"Ah, have I missed anything important or significant, everyone? Professor Dumbledore?" Karkaroff inquired with exaggerated politeness.
Around the circular office table sat Dumbledore, Bryan Watson, Alastor Moody, Minerva McGonagall, Madame Maxime, and the Director of the Department of Magical Games and Sports from the British Ministry of Magic, Ludo Bagman.
"You're just in time, Professor Karkaroff," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Please, take a seat and make yourself comfortable."
Karkaroff's yellowish eyes darted quickly around the group as he tried to judge the situation and determine what had prompted this unexpected gathering.
He could easily discern from her facial expression and body language that Madame Maxime was also confused and uncertain.
Like him, she appeared to be completely bewildered by this late-night meeting that had been arranged without warning on the eve of the competition, and her confusion provided some small comfort to Karkaroff as he realized that he was not the only one who had been kept in the dark about the purpose of this gathering.
As his mind raced through various possibilities and potential explanations for this unexpected development, Karkaroff walked to the conference table and deliberately chose to sit beside Madame Maxime.
"Well then, now that everyone is here—" Bryan leaned back in his chair, his fingers interlaced and resting on his crossed legs in a relaxed and comfortable posture. After Karkaroff took his seat, he exchanged a glance with Dumbledore, then looked toward Ludo Bagman,
"You can explain the situation to our colleagues, Ludo," Bryan said.
"Ahem, well, it's certainly my honor!"
Facing Bryan, Ludo's expression was slightly uncomfortable, obviously not having forgotten about betting on Hermione. He cleared his throat twice, looking at everyone though his primary focus remained on Madame Maxime and the secretly wary Professor Karkaroff and said with a smile,
"I assume that all of your respective champions have already managed to figure out exactly what they need to do for the second task?"
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