Hermione, join me as Minister of Magic!

Maybe this is someone trying to remind Lockhart that no matter how famous he is outside, as long as he enters the system, he still has to start as an ordinary employee.

But what he never expected was that the position assigned to him by the Ministry of Magic was actually in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. He thought that Fudge would be happy to send him to the position of amnesticist or Auror.

It's a pity, if he enters the Law Enforcement Department, it will definitely be faster for him to get involved in the decision-making layer—he already has laws that he doesn't like and wants to change.

But there is no way, as a member of the system, he must obey the assignment.Even if he was unfair and wanted to fight back, he had to fight back according to the rules of the system.

Well, the International Department is the International Department. It just so happens that Dumbledore has just recommended himself into the International Federation of Wizards. This status will be very helpful for his political career.

Almost everyone believed that Gilderoy Lockhart, who had always been flamboyant and high-profile, would definitely clash with his staid boss, Barty Crouch, on his first day in the Ministry of Magic.

Because one of the two people is like a bold and fiery pomegranate flower, while the other is like a regular petaled flower whose petals seem to have been precisely measured.

"I'll bet you 10 Galleons." Legal Enforcement Team Captain Ogden said to Arthur Weasley with a gloating expression, "Today there will definitely be an explosion at the Department of International Magical Cooperation."

"Come on, Bob." Arthur Weasley weakly excused Lockhart, "He should be a generalist."

Although Arthur Weasley had met Lockhart once, he was busy talking to the Muggle parents at the time, so he didn't have a deep impression of Lockhart, so he didn't have much confidence when he said this.

"I said, absolutely will!" Bob Ogden insisted, "My uncle met him a few years ago, because he said in the book many times that he likes to drink the old Ogden spirits produced by our family. Well, we tried to get him to speak, but my uncle walked away after talking to him for half an hour - he said he couldn't stand that guy at all. I guess since even a man as refined as he can't stand Loja Special, Crouch must be more unbearable."

"Uh, let's just watch." Arthur Weasley was also shaken.

Although Lockhart is extremely popular among witches, it also brought him a side effect-that is, he also became a "male enemy"

No one likes to get along with their girlfriends and wives when they babble about how handsome Gilderoy Lockhart is, how gentlemanly he is, how adventurous and romantic he is...

At this point, Arthur Weasley is also one of the victims, as Molly Weasley (Prewett) is also an admirer of Lockhart.

So regarding Lockhart's arrival, they all held a speculative attitude, and were preparing to watch the conflict between him and Barty Crouch.

Just as everyone was looking forward to it with malicious intentions, the elevator door on the fifth floor of the Ministry of Magic opened, and the sound of the magic elevator announcement also reached the ears of everyone who was working.

"Ministry of Magic staff Gilderoy Lockhart is entering."

At this time, whether it was the employees who were working with their heads down or those who were talking with their colleagues, they all stopped their movements and looked at the door of the elevator.

When the elevator opened, the man who came out almost dropped their jaws

The visitor was wearing a gray-black Ministry of Magic standard robe, a pair of thick black leather boots, a brown briefcase in his hand, and a half-new gray round cap on his head. He looked very ordinary.

All of this shouldn't cause any reaction from everyone, because there are not five hundred people in this outfit in the Ministry of Magic, but if everyone pays attention to them, then they have nothing serious to do .

But this outfit appeared on Gilderoy Lockhart, which is rather weird.

Not only that, judging from the hair protruding from under the round hat, Lockhart also wore a standard mid-section hairstyle today, and even his sideburns were meticulously trimmed. If it weren't for someone who knew Barty Crouch well, They might still think that the visitor is Crouch's illegitimate son.

Seeing the people around him staring at him in a daze, Lockhart reached out and took off his bowler hat, revealing the straightened blond hair, and then bowed slightly.

"Excuse me, how should the personnel department of the Department of International Affairs and Cooperation go? And where is the office of the director?"

The employee who was asked subconsciously pointed to the inside: "Turn right from here, the second office from the inside to the outside... Besides, there is no personnel department."

"Thank you." Lockhart put his hat on again.

Although it is said that Gilderoy Lockhart's curly hair is "natural", judging from the fact that he secretly curled his hair with a hair stick in the office in the original book, I am afraid that this "natural

There is a question mark about the amount of ", or although there are some natural curls, they are not so curly

Also, by the way, jujutsu's hair is naturally curly, the kind that you can CS Kikumaru Eiji without perming your hair (with a cool stroke).

Chapter 140 Five Qualities of Bureaucrats

If it was last year, Lockhart might still have some criticisms after hearing that there is a "personnel department", but after more than a year of specific work, he has already expressed his understanding of the "rudimentary" of the wizarding world, or compared to the British bureaucracy. It is commonplace to say that it is "simple".

— There are more than [-] wizards, and the Ministry of Magic supports hundreds of people, which means that many departments cannot have the division of labor like the Muggle government.

For example, the Department of International Affairs and Cooperation of the Ministry of Magic actually has only three offices under it, namely the International Magic Trade Standards Association, the International Magic Law Office, and the British Branch of the International Federation of Wizards.

In other words, the group of people who were supposed to undertake the diplomatic work of the wizarding community in Britain had only three offices, and they were only responsible for formulating standards for imported and exported goods, participating in the formulation of international laws, and a meeting that required people to attend. , a branch similar to the United Nations General Assembly

This can no longer be described as shabby, it is simply shabby.

If Loha remembers correctly, the Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministry not only has ministers who specialize in appearances, political undersecretaries who specialize in doing things, and an office in charge of foreign trade and international law, but also in charge of translation, policy planning, and News promotion, foreign affairs security, arms control, protocol, finance, archives, personnel, as well as visa travel service centers and consulates in various countries...almost every function needs to set up a separate office.In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also supports "academic institutions" such as Wilton Park, as well as various third-party companies and NG0. This huge institutional system consumes more than one billion pounds of British citizens every year.

And look at the Ministry of Magic...o tsk tsk.

It seems that it is really difficult for the Ministry of Magic to support so many people with such meager finances, let alone allocate funds to Hogwarts.

However, the department is small T? The Ministry of Magic and the Ministry of Magic have a lot to do today. C

As the saying goes, although a sparrow is small, it has all the internal organs. Almost every employee of the Ministry of Magic needs to act as a "panacea". For example, policy formulation, foreign affairs security, finance, news and publicity, everyone needs to know something. Very popular.

As it happens, Gilderoy Lockhart is a versatile player.

Looking at the handsome boy in front of him, Barty Crouch slightly corrected the image of Lockhart in his heart.

Although he has never met before, Mr. Crouch has already got a part of Lockhart's image in his mind from the conversations with other people-careless, flamboyant, pushy, narcissistic, pompous...

No matter which one of these qualities it is, Mr. Crouch is very disgusted. Although he hopes to win him into his department as a facade, he does not want such a person to be in his eyes all day long. under.

But when he met Gilderoy Lockhart himself, he suddenly felt that the rumors were just rumors after all, and seeing something is believing.

Seeing that the other party's hair was exactly the same as his own, which was meticulously styled in the middle, Barty Crouch opened his mouth cautiously.

"The famous Gilderoy Lockhart...I heard that you were recommended by Dumbledore to join the International Federation of Wizards, so do you think it would be better to work in the British branch of the Federation?"

Lockhart looked sincere: "Any employee, from the moment he enters the Ministry of Magic, he becomes a stone brick on the castle, and it should not be up to him to decide where to build the wall. , no matter what decision you make, I will obey and go all out in that position."

Seeing that he didn't look like a fake, Crouch's complexion improved a little again.

"If you only look at your resume, you are a good match for the type of talent we need. By the way, how many foreign languages ​​do you know?"

"I still have a good understanding of the Romance languages ​​​​related to the Indo-European language family.

"Lockhart said with a "modest" face, "Latin can barely reach the academic level, French, Romanian, Spanish, and Italian are all at the official level, but the Germanic and Greek languages ​​​​under the Indo-European language family are not. I know very well that even the conversational level of the two is relatively reluctant. In addition, when I was chasing a snowman in Tibet, I taught myself a little Chinese, but it was limited to greetings and simple daily conversations. "

Hearing this, Barty Crouch immediately looked at Lockhart with admiration.

"That's really good... I almost forgot, you have traveled to many countries, it's really not good if you don't have a little knowledge of the language."

"Yeah, and you need to ask the local wizards in great detail... uh."

"What do you want to hear?"

"It's nothing, mainly the traces and details of some monsters." Lockhart quickly covered it up.

"So that's the case, then you fully meet the requirements."

Barty Crouch did not doubt that he had it. After confirming Lockhart's ability, he began to think seriously about what kind of work should be assigned so that he can give full play to his talents.

It is hard to find someone who knows both foreign languages ​​and how to fight against black magic. International security affairs can let him take part and train him as Dumbledore's future successor. After all, Dumbledore is already very old;

In addition, this guy is also good at education. Under his training, this year's Hogwarts Defense Against the Dark Arts exam has a very high pass rate. If he is asked to handle the work related to the Federation's education, science and culture, I believe he can handle it well.

And because Lockhart's international reputation is also very high, it is not awkward to be included in the International Federation of Wizards. Using him to welcome guests can also add a little face to Britain;

The only worry is that this person has never dealt with relevant official documents, and it is very likely that he does not have "civil servant thinking", so he may not be good at copywriting work.

Thinking of this, Crouch opened his mouth again.

"Boy, I'll give you two choices, which one you choose is entirely up to you..."

Lockhart shook his head again and again: "As I said, no matter what arrangement you give me, I will accept it."

"Then remember the first one-don't interrupt when I'm talking." Crouch said slowly.

Lockhart shut his mouth immediately.

"...I'll give you two options. The first one is to go abroad one by one, go to France, and represent the United Kingdom to participate in the annual meeting of the International Wizarding Association. After returning, you will be responsible for welcoming guests and protecting their safety."

Lockhart nodded, indicating that he had heard, while waiting for Crouch to say the second.

"The second is to go to Hogsmeade to prepare for the upcoming Triwizard Tournament next year—by the way, you don't know about the Triwizard Tournament, do you?" Crouch asked again.

"Actually, I have heard a little that not every employee of the Ministry of Magic can always lead by example and strictly abide by the discipline of secrecy like you." Lockhart flattered.

"I knew it, those bastards..." Barty Crouch muttered in a low voice, "So, what do you think?"

Lockhart thought for a while: "I want to ask, what specific things do I need to do in Hogsmeade?"

Crouch smiled for the first time: "A lot of work, from fundraising to setting up venues, from importing foreign magic items to preparing souvenirs suitable for sale, from reserving hotels for game visitors to building food supply chains, everything No. You must do this in secrecy, if possible."

"We are also responsible for fundraising and setting up the venue? Isn't it held by Hogwarts?" Lockhart asked.

Crouch sighed: "Yeah, Hogwarts is holding... But they hold the competition, don't they need the Ministry of Magic to allocate funds? And the students and teachers among the guests can be placed in their respective colleges, but foreign countries What about the tourists who come to watch the game? Many people in Hogsmeade are counting on this to make a small fortune."

Lockhart was right when he thought about it, and then he discovered an astonishing fact.

"That said, the person in charge of this will be dealing with extremely tedious affairs and will have a lot of responsibility."

"Yes, I personally suggest that you choose the first one. After all, as an internationally renowned person, it makes sense for you to be in charge of visiting or receiving foreign guests, and you don't have to do anything, you just need to know how to spend money."

Barty Crouch stared at Lockhart's face while waiting for his reply, as if observing whether he wavered.

"Although I will obey any arrangement, since you kindly gave me two options, I will choose the second one." Lockhart replied without hesitation.

"The second one? Are you sure?" Mr. Crouch asked calmly, "The workload of that one will be heavy, and as you said just now, it will be very cumbersome.

Work makes me happy, sir. Quoting Dobby, Lockhart answered half-truthfully, "I'm still young, and all I need is more work to train myself."

Barty Crouch's legs under the table gradually leveled down.

It seems that the rumors really can't be taken seriously, even if the person in front of him is just pretending, at least he knows how to pretend.

"Since you ask so, of course I won't stop you, but before you set off, you'd better read the history of the previous Triwizard Tournament, as well as the historical relationship between us Britain and France and Germany."

Chapter 140 The Ministry of Magic's Diplomatic Philosophy--Structural Realism

Righteousness

After walking out of Barty Crouch's office, a stone in Lockhart's heart fell to the ground.

It seems that although the minister put on small shoes for himself, due to the lack of people in the Ministry of Magic, he still got the operating power of many specific affairs.Before that, he was really worried that people from the Ministry of Magic would use him as a mascot.

And just now in the office, Lockhart had some other gains - that is, he saw a few books on Barty Crouch's desk.

In addition to some history books, biographies of famous people in the magical world, and documents of the Ministry of Magic, Lockhart also accidentally saw "Leviathan", "On Regime" and "On Society" on Barty Crouch's bookshelf .

You know, this is the book of Thomas Hobbes, a British classical liberal political scientist," even if his theory has a greater influence on realism.

It had never occurred to Lockhart that a Muggle political book would appear here, even though it was compulsory reading for British Muggle civil servants at school.

Then he thought for a while before recalling that Thomas Hobbes died in 1679, and the "Wizard Secrecy Act" was promulgated in 1689 and began to be implemented in 1692. Under the siege of the faction, it was a very controversial "Xianxue" at that time, and wizards would definitely notice it.

The situation in the wizarding world at that time did not allow them not to study politics, because the historical environment of that period was the Renaissance period, and the mainstream of the era was the bourgeoisie's resistance to the kingship and theocracy, and the core idea of ​​the royalists was "the divine right of kings". , so anti-Christianity is anti-royalty.

But wizards generally dismiss Christianity, so the wizarding council asked the king

Requests for legislation to protect wizards were rejected, and wizards' children and some bad wizards were physically tortured by the Muggle Church.This fact forced change in the wizarding world, and as a result gave birth to the Ministry of Magic and the Act of Secrecy.

And it is only natural that the contemporary Hobbes would be noticed by the wizards, because they were looking for all the ideas that could provide them with theoretical support.

If Barty Crouch also reads his book, then his international relations theory is likely to be inclined to "structural realism"

Although Lockhart was born in Oxford in his previous life, he was a member of the British School of Rationalism, but he is no stranger to structural realism, because it is also the object of research of rationalism, and the six principles of realism also belong to the international Relevant to the content of this course.

Later, structural realists concluded a very famous conclusion through Hobbes' theory. Even if this conclusion is far from Hobbes' original intention, it is the same, that is, "might is right". Power" is simply a pair of brothers.

Lockhart suddenly understood why Barty Crouch Jr., the son of Barty Crouch, ended up becoming a Death Eater.

Others may think that Barty Crouch Jr. is too rebellious. Obviously his father is so well-behaved, but his son has become an unforgivable Death Eater. This is too big a contrast.

But if Barty Crouch Jr. grew up under the education of his father: then it is a matter of course that he would worship Voldemort, as if 1+1 must equal 2.

Tsk tsk, everyone thinks he is a tiger father and dog son, but in fact, he reaps melons and reaps beans.Lockhart sighed.

If even the Crouch family, a family belonging to the "Holy 28 Pure Blood"

This is how their children are raised, but what about other wizarding families?For example, the kind of sloppy things in Malfoy's house, isn't it a realist supporter?And how much will the magical political circle based on Hobbes' theory agree with Voldemort's theory of "magic is power"?

In Leviathan, Hobbes makes it clear that the sovereign has the authority to change the beliefs and ideas of the people, causing chaos if the people do not do so.Although he himself professed his belief in Christianity, he also stated that he would be willing to change his faith at the command of the sovereign.

If we think back to Harry Potter's "death", Voldemort once said to the teachers and students of Hogwarts, "From today onwards, you must entrust your faith to me (Frmthisdayfrth7yuputyurfaithinme)", which again Isn't it a concrete manifestation of Hobbes' theory that sovereignty can change people's beliefs

■

This once again confirms one of Lockhart's ideas - that Voldemort's rebellion is essentially a political issue, not something that a few magical people acting as terrorists can start.

If you have the opportunity, you must introduce to the wizarding world the development of Muggles’ political theories over the past few hundred years. You cannot let Voldemort, the realist who thinks he understands politics after reading a few books of Machiavelli and Hobbes, harm the world. .

But having said that, although many people, especially those on some "knowledge forums", often ridicule Voldemort, saying that his political thinking is too naive, but there are a few people whose thinking can really surpass Machiavelli and Huo What about Booth's level?

The result of Lockhart's thinking was that after going back one night, he racked his brains to write an official report.