Homecoming from Hogwarts

"What, a toilet?"

Percy was confused for a moment, and then his thin cheeks turned redder.

"Oh, that must be a prank. Kadir likes to play little jokes on others over at the branch office. Professor Blaine. I mean, Mr. Blaine--"

Percy, who was already half a head taller than Amosta, tried hard to stop his chest, and uneasily smoothed the folds of his suit jacket with both hands.

"That's right, Mr. Blaine, I've received—"

"Percy--"

Amosta interrupted Percy with a smile, "Do you think it would be more convenient if we sit down and chat?"

"Oh, of course!"

Percy coughed twice without choking. He guided Amosta to the coffee table on the other side of the office. Before Amosta could sit down, he landed on the soft cushion with a clang. On the sofa, and then looked at Amosta longingly.

Amosta sighed secretly, no longer expecting Percy to buy him anything to drink.

"I have received--"

When Amosta sat down, Percy immediately said impatiently, but Amosta interrupted him again,

"How's it going, Percy?"

Amosta could see that Percy was trying hard to take the initiative in speaking in front of him, but unfortunately, even if Dumbledore or Fudge wanted to do this, there was probably no possibility, and with Percy's 'Taoxing', then it is even more impossible.

"Oh--"

The blush on Percy's face reached to the tips of his ears. He undoubtedly wanted to speak to Amosta Blaine on an equal footing, but every time he wanted to focus on Blaine's eyes, the gentle smile on Blaine's body seemed to have a special magic, Always looking elsewhere, Percy's head had lowered before he knew it.

"As you can see, I am now Mr. Barty Crouch's personal assistant!"

Speaking of Mr. Crouch, Percy seemed to have finally regained some courage. Because he clenched his fists too hard, his hands on his knees trembled slightly, "Mr. Crouch thinks I am trustworthy, so, he I have given him the authority to handle some daily affairs for him while he is on sick leave!"

"Oh, really?"

Amosta glanced at the paper airplanes and said with a smile,

"It seems that you are already comfortable with this job, right?"

The psychological defense that Percy had just established was knocked down by Amosta's words. He still tried to maintain his dignity. However, his low voice sounded like he was mumbling,

"Normally there would not be such chaos, Professor Brain, but I was involved last night in Mr Crouch's place in discussing Ms Bones's proposal to expand the batting corps.

They kept arguing until the early hours of the morning, oh, I mean Ms. Bones and Ms. Umbridge. Ms. Umbridge always disagreed with the proposal. She thought that our budget was limited, and the current shape of the wizarding world was not Serious, we don’t need to spend a lot of money and energy to train hitters. Minister Fudge has been unwilling to express his opinion, so they have been arguing. I think Ms. Umbridge’s statement is more convincing, but no one asked! "

Percy woke up suddenly. He looked at Mr. Blaine who was leaning on the soft back of the sofa and listening to his muttering with great interest. His breathing was rapid.

"Let's talk about your affairs, Mr. Blaine. You said that you want to visit Mr. Crouch and have some situations to negotiate with him, right? What exactly is it?"

Percy's change of topic was stiff and his tone sounded a little rude. However, Amosta didn't mind. He nodded slightly and said,

"Indeed, Percy, I am very dissatisfied with the Ministry of Magic's negligence in some matters-"

Amosta's eyebrows darkened slightly, and his suddenly solemn tone almost made Percy jump subconsciously.

"So I wanted to talk to Barty about this matter, but someone told me that Barty took sick leave, and you will be responsible for some affairs of the International Magical Cooperation Department. I don't want to scare you, Percy, this is an offending job. , if possible, I still try my best to interview Buddy. Moreover, Buddy and I are also old friends. There is no reason why I would not visit him knowing that he is in poor health. So, could you please send a message to Buddy for me? Do you believe it?"

Percy agreed subconsciously, but before he said the words, he realized that this was not in line with his original intention. While he was racking his brains to think about how to get Mr. Blaine to tell Mr. Crouch what he wanted to discuss and let him handle it with confidence, there was a sudden knock on the office door.

"I'll be back soon--"

Percy, who was sweating on his temples, breathed a sigh of relief. He hurriedly stood up and opened the door since he could greet people in. Amosta could only sigh slightly and waited with peace of mind.

"Is that you, Goldstein?"

Percy opened the door. When he saw the person outside the door, a hint of impatience flashed in Percy's eyes. His tone of voice was completely different from when Brian was talking to him. It revealed a sense of arrogance. He even forgot to invite people into the office. , only half of the door was opened, blocking people from talking at the door.

"Hello, Weasley, I hope I didn't disturb you-"

The voices of the people outside the door also sounded a bit stiff and helpless.

"I came to you for that matter. I wonder if you have time to chat--"

Goldstein from the International Office of Magical Law took a few glances at Crouch's office. When he found that Barty Crouch was still not at his desk, he sighed slightly and then turned his eyes to Wes. This young man from the Ly family only joined the Ministry of Magic this year.

"That thing?" Percy frowned slightly.

Goldstein also saw that Percy didn't intend to invite him in, so he had to put his head close to his and said in a low voice,

"Flying Carpet."

"Oh, that's the one!" Percy's tone became more impatient,

"I have already said, Goldstein, there is absolutely no negotiation. Ali Bashir was caught smuggling flying carpets. Fines and imprisonment are inevitable. He must pay the price for his violation of the law. !"       "Speaking of law, Weasley!"

Goldstein outside the door seemed not surprised to receive such a reply. He suppressed his anger and said,

"The Legislative Council did pass a law banning the sale of flying carpets, but you will definitely not forget that the law will take effect twenty days later. Therefore, strictly speaking, Ali Bashir did not break the law. Of course, if you insist, he can pay some fine, no matter how much, but I think the matter of Azkaban is still debatable!"

"You're taking advantage of this, Goldstein!"

Percy said angrily,

"Mr. Crouch was dealing with this matter before he went on sick leave. He warned Bashir, but he still didn't listen. He brought his own fate!"

"I'm afraid there are some situations that Mr. Crouch doesn't understand, Weasley, so he misjudged the situation. Bashir," Goldstein said through gritted teeth, "I have to see Mr. Crouch and talk to him face to face." He made it clear!"

"How many times do you have to tell me, Goldstein, Mr. Crouch needs to rest. You know how many years he has worked for the ministry. He has entrusted me to deal with these troubles. I must help him stabilize the situation!"

Percy seemed to feel that Goldstein was questioning his ability, and he said angrily,

"And in this matter, my answer is no, let Ali Bashir go to Azkaban to reflect for a while!"

Why.

Amosta, who had listened to the conversation from beginning to end, sighed silently and stood up from the sofa.

"Oh, my God!"

When Amosta appeared behind Percy, Goldstein, who was so angry that he wanted to take out his wand, suddenly fell silent. He stared at the gray-haired man behind Percy Weasley with wide eyes, a look of disbelief on his face. .

"You are. You are, oh, I didn't expect you to be here, Mr. Blaine!"

The scowl on the middle-aged man's face with curly dark yellow hair and a bit of weight disappeared like magic, replaced by surprise and a trace of embarrassment.

Amosta put a hand on Percy's shoulder, making Percy speechless. He smiled at Goldstein and said,

"You got that right, Goldstein. Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but the sound of you talking—"

Amosta shrugged.

"It's me who should apologize, Mr. Blaine. I didn't know you and Weasley were talking about something. Oh, maybe I should come back at another time!"

Goldstein said excitedly.

"I don't think we have to wait until next time--"

Amosta raised his chin and smiled gently.

"I just heard that you wanted to talk to Mr. Crouch. Oh, coincidentally, I also plan to visit him. Maybe, I can help you pass on a message. Is this Ali Bashir smuggling flying carpets? , Oh, then before the latest laws and regulations are promulgated, he must have the relevant permission, right?"

"You are right, Mr. Blaine -" Goldstein immediately understood Amosta's hint and whispered,

"Ms. Umbridge approved the note for him, and the Oswald family has been in charge of selling the flying carpet."

Amosta nodded slightly,

"I will explain the situation to Barty. Goldstein, can you allow me to be alone with Mr. Crouch's assistant for a while longer?"

(End of this chapter)