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0762 The Ministry Situation
🕑 Added 2025-06-30 11:20:35 +0000 UTCA wave of dizziness came over Neville, leaving him momentarily disoriented as he struggled to grasp the implications of what Professor Watson was trying to express. However, as his gaze fell upon the blade in his trembling hands, he couldn't deny that it was indeed the most breathtakingly beautiful weapon he had ever seen.
The sword's body was crafted from what appeared to be the purest silver. The glow in it moved beneath the surface like liquid starlight, creating patterns that shifted with each subtle movement of his hands. The blade seemed to contain extraordinary power that buzzed just beneath the surface. The crossguard was covered with magical runes that appeared to be of ancient goblin design.
Curiosity overwhelming his caution, Neville raised the sword with both hands, feeling the balance of the weapon as he adjusted his grip. He made several experimental slashing motions through the air. After each blade stroke fell, thin crescent-shaped trails of silver light lingered in the air like afterimages of magic.
After thinking for a moment, Neville raised the sword and flicked the blade.
"Expelliarmus!" He shouted with sudden determination, then immediately added in alarm, "Oh, dodge quickly!"
The moment the incantation left his lips, the silver blade immediately began to glow with a brilliant crimson aura which then rapidly moved toward the sword tip. The accumulated magic then shot toward Bryan with the speed and intensity of a falling meteor, leaving a blazing trail of crimson light.
Neither of them had anticipated that Neville's first attempt at channeling magic through the mithril blade would be successful, let alone this powerful. Neville immediately showed terrified expression as he realized what he had unleashed, his face was drained of all color as he cried out in genuine alarm.
Bryan's eyebrows shot up in surprise. In that critical moment, his fingers, at his side, flickered briefly in a series of magical gestures. Just milliseconds before the crimson light would have struck him, a magical barrier appeared in the space between him and the approaching spell.
Bang!
After the initial explosion of sound, Neville's flowing magical light scattered into countless red sparkles that filled the air like a supernatural fireworks show. The scattered magical energy looked like thousands of tiny rubies suspended in mid-air, slowly fading as they dispersed their remaining power.
The violent wind stirred up by the dissipating spell was powerful enough to force Neville to stagger backward several unsteady steps. Even Bryan's protective barrier, despite successfully deflecting the attack, rippled violently under the attack.
Having barely managed to steady himself and regain his footing, Neville opened his mouth to apologize for the dangerous accident. But before the words could leave his mouth, his face suddenly turned pale. His legs gave way and he half-knelt on the ground, breathing heavily in gasps.
"Excellent power," Bryan commented with admiration in his voice. He ran his fingertips over the surface of his magical barrier, noting the hairline cracks that had appeared in the spell.
Observing Neville's obviously exhausted state, Bryan continued. "Mithril weapons allow magical power to flow more smoothly and efficiently than traditional wands, but this enhanced conductivity comes with a price. They require exceptionally high levels of magical control to use skillfully and safely. You still need much more practice and training before you can wield this sword effectively in combat situations."
He paused thoughtfully, considering what they had just witnessed. "Hmm, before you develop the ability to use this weapon properly and safely, you'll still need a wand that's suitable for you. Otherwise, you won't be able to participate in regular classes or complete your standard coursework, Professor McGonagall would never allow you to bring a sword to Transfiguration lessons."
With a casual gesture, Bryan dismissed the slightly cracked magical barrier. He then crossed the room to Neville's side, extending a hand to help him up to his feet.
Neville, who had been mentally preparing an apology for the dangerous accident, now had all his attention focused on the now-calm silver sword resting in his grip. His face was filled with an expression of fondness.
"It seems you're quite satisfied with it?" Bryan observed with an amused smile.
"Oh, absolutely! This sword is beyond amazing!" Neville replied with enthusiasm, his voice bubbling with joy and wonder. "Does it have a name, Professor?"
"That's an excellent question—" Bryan replied thoughtfully, his own gaze turning to study the sword.
As he watched, he could almost sense that the sword was experiencing its own form of excitement at having finally found a wielder who could properly appreciate and potentially master its capabilities. The blade seemed to tremble slightly with what could only be described as eager anticipation, something it had never shown during the time it had been in his own hands.
'This is complete discrimination!' Bryan thought to himself secretly pursing his lips.
"I haven't given it a name during the time it's been with me, but if you'd like to call it something appropriate, you could certainly refer to it as the Sword of Gryffindor."
Neville whose gaze had been lingering on the sword suddenly froze as if time itself had stopped. His mouth opened slightly in shock and confusion as he looked up at Professor Watson in confusion. After moment of stunned silence, Neville's expression began to shift as he thought he understood and his spirits lifted.
"I'll work harder than I've ever worked before, Professor Watson," Neville said with passionate conviction. "I promise to become as great and worthy a wizard as Godric Gryffindor!"
Bryan pressed his lips together, but said nothing more on the subject.
When the Longbottom family returned to the room, they saw Neville carrying a sword that was obviously of goblin craftsmanship. The exquisite workmanship and the subtle magical aura emanating from the weapon were impossible to miss, and all three family members showed expressions of surprise and curiosity, but were wise enough not to ask questions about the sword's origin.
It was clear that Bryan had no intention of explaining to them about the sword, or he wouldn't have requested them to leave the ward in the first place.
"Has Headmaster Dumbledore already returned to Hogwarts?" Bryan asked after calling Sirius and the others back into the room. Upon receiving a positive reply from Sirius, Bryan nodded with satisfaction. "In that case, I shouldn't delay my own departure any longer. I need to return to Hogwarts immediately—there are numerous urgent matters requiring my attention. So then—"
His gaze shifted to focus on Hermione, who had been standing quietly in the corner of the room.
"I must say, I'm somewhat surprised that you didn't choose to return to school with Dumbledore when he left, Hermione. I would have expected you to be eager to get back to your studies."
Upon hearing Bryan's words, Hermione's lips tightened into a thin line of barely suppressed irritation. Her bright and alert eyes became evasive, darting around the room as they revealed the resentment that had been building within her throughout the day.
Since the miraculous news of Neville's parents' recovery had broken, she had indeed been planning to return to Hogwarts with Headmaster Dumbledore, eager to resume her studies and catch up on whatever lessons she might have missed during this long absence.
However, her carefully laid plans had been completely disrupted by the fact that her assigned hospital ward had been occupied by a certain seemingly oblivious professor who appeared to have no awareness of the situation he was causing. All of her personal belongings were still arranged in her ward.
Hermione's gaze swept sideways toward her hospital bed. Her teeth bit down unconsciously on her lower lip as she fought to control her annoyance. Then her gaze swept over the bedside table where she had arranged her personal toiletries, and a new question formed in her.
'Where on earth was my toothbrush cup?!'
The missing item might seem trivial to others, but to Hermione's orderly mind, it represented a disturbing disruption of her carefully maintained personal organization system.
"Hermione?" Bryan said, his voice carrying a note of gentle inquiry that said he had noticed her momentary distraction.
"If you have other personal matters to handle, you're certainly welcome to return to Hogwarts with Neville. However, if there's nothing else keeping you here, I suggest that you accompany me back to school as quickly as possible. After all, given the recent developments and the approaching second task, you probably can't relax just yet."
"Oh, um, yes," Hermione stammered, her usual confidence momentarily disrupted by the combination of irritation and the sudden realization that she indeed needed to return quickly to Hogwarts. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to focus on practical matters rather than her annoyance.
"I'll definitely go back with you, Professor Watson, but I do need some time to pack my belongings first."
"Of course, no problem at all," Bryan replied with understanding, finally seeming to realize that he was currently standing in what had been serving as Hermione's temporary living place.
He nodded graciously and moved toward the door. "I'll wait for you outside in the corridor. When you're ready, we'll return to Hogwarts by Apparition."
As Bryan moved toward the exit, Sirius stepped forward like someone who had been waiting for the right moment to share important information.
"I also have something I need to discuss with you, Bryan—"
Since both Dumbledore and Watson were unwilling to share the specific details of their miraculous method for healing the severe mental damage caused by the Cruciatus Curse, the frustrated healers at St. Mungo's had been forced to redirect their attention toward more conventional medical approaches.
Under the apparent pretext of monitoring Frank and Alice's physical condition and ensuring their continued recovery, the medical staff had arranged what seemed like an endless series of examinations and tests for the couple.
These evaluations were scheduled with almost obsessive frequency, occurring about every two hours throughout the day, creating a constant medical activity that kept the entire family busy.
Neville and the elderly Madam Longbottom had naturally chosen to accompany Frank and Alice through each round of medical evaluation, supporting them as they were escorted by groups of bustling medical staff to various monitoring rooms throughout the hospital.
Taking advantage of this convenient distraction, Sirius had also sent his cousin Tonks away from the area with an excuse. This left just the two men standing alone at the end of the hospital corridor.
"What's happened?" Bryan asked calmly.
"There's a rumor circulating, and it's coming from inside the Ministry—" Sirius replied, his expression becoming more solemn as he lowered his voice to ensure their conversation wouldn't be overheard by passing hospital staff or other visitors.
"You're well aware that Barty Crouch has been implementing extremely high-pressure management policies throughout his tenure at the Ministry, and his authoritarian approach hasn't made him particularly popular among the general employees. However, since he officially took sick leave, the Ministry's operational efficiency has become even worse."
Bryan nodded slightly, his expression becoming more focused and attentive as he processed this information.
"The cooperation between different departments has turned into what can only be described as a complete mess," Sirius continued, his voice carrying frustration.
"Interdepartmental communication has broken down almost totally, important documents are being lost or delayed for weeks, and many employees throughout the Ministry have serious complaints about the competence and decision-making of their higher-ups.
But you know as well as I do that Fudge has never been genuinely interested in the actual operational aspects of running the government. He spends almost all of his time and energy busy cultivating personal relationships with influential pure-blood families and various social celebrities to grab additional benefits and advantages for himself and his inner circle of supporters.
He has dumped all the actual responsibility for running the Ministry on Dolores Umbridge,"
Sirius continued with obvious disgust, "and that woman only cares about accumulating personal power and expanding her sphere of influence. Except for the Department of Mysteries, where she can't interfere due to their special security protocols and independence, she's been placing incompetent loyalists and outright idiots in positions throughout every other department. So naturally, someone eventually got fed up with the situation,"
"Who?" Bryan asked sensitively.
"A young employee from the Department of Magical Transportation," Sirius explained, waving his hand in a gesture. "He graduated from Hogwarts just a few years ago—but that's not the truly significant part of this story."
Sirius's expression grew more serious as he reached the crux of his information.
"This young fellow probably couldn't tolerate the Ministry's increasingly dysfunctional atmosphere any longer, so he secretly went to Barty's house to check on his condition and perhaps get some answers about when he might return. As a result, he discovered that the place was completely deserted, with dust accumulated everywhere throughout the house, as if no one had actually lived there or maintained the property for a considerable period of time.
Currently, not many people are aware of this discovery, The Ministry's leadership is desperately trying to suppress the news and prevent it from spreading throughout the wizarding community. They're officially claiming that Crouch might have simply gone abroad for specialized medical treatment, but you and I both know that this explanation won't fool people for very long."
Sirius leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Soon, everyone in the wizarding world will know that something suspicious has happened to one of the Ministry's most senior officials, and when that information becomes public, the Ministry will be forced to launch a full investigation. You understand exactly what I'm getting at, don't you, Bryan?"
Sirius gave Bryan a sharp stare that conveyed all of his concerns. "Maybe you have perfectly good and valid reasons for not sharing with me the secrets you obviously know about Crouch's true situation, but you need to be extremely careful moving forward. The higher-ups in the Ministry—and you know exactly who I'm talking about—have been developing increasingly serious complaints about both you and Dumbledore.
Any perceptive person can see that while they might not be able to find or exploit Dumbledore's weaknesses, they view you as a potentially more vulnerable target. People have heard through the Ministry gossip network, particularly from Percy, that you were the last person known to have visited Barty Crouch."
Perhaps because his return was approaching, he no longer wanted to put so much effort into concealing the flaws?
This thought flashed through Bryan's mind, his expression remaining calm.
"If someone is planning to attempt to frame me for whatever has happened to Crouch, that would be truly foolish," Bryan replied with calm confidence.
Changing the subject, Bryan's expression grew deeper and more serious. "You and Remus also need to be particularly careful about your personal safety in the coming days and weeks."
Sirius's face visibly darkened as he understood the implications of what Bryan was suggesting.
"What about Harry?" Sirius asked, his voice tight with concern. "If we're all potentially in danger, what does that mean for him?"
"He might indeed experience some frightening and challenging situations in the near future," He admitted honestly, not wanting to provide false reassurance that might leave Sirius unprepared for coming difficulties.
Seeing Sirius's face darken and his twitching eyes, Bryan's expression became much gentler.
"But he won't be in mortal danger. On this point, I can guarantee it."
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