harry potter book of crimes

Pansy suddenly discovered that what she needed to care about in Marcus Flint's letter might not be Marcus' intention.

Because compared to Marcus, whom she was not very familiar with, the performance of Iluli, whom she had just met but had a more in-depth relationship with, could obviously be a better benchmark for her choice of how to reply to the letter.

"Eluli...why would she tell Marcus about my relationship with her? What good would it do to her? If the Flint family knew about it..."

When she thought of this, Pansy suddenly felt very confused. However, after seeing Iluli's quick wit many times, she did not think that the other party would make such a stupid mistake.

So, what happened after Iluli returned to Flint's house?

The more she thought about it, the more Pansy realized that Marcus's letter really couldn't be answered easily. So, she was still thinking about this issue after returning from her walk until she went to the auditorium for dinner.

However, compared to what Pansy is struggling with, what Maka needs to consider now is much more complicated.

In the face of the role of the basilisk in Haierbo and Martin's actions after that, the accident of Iluli's imprisonment can only be regarded as a personal issue derived from unplanned matters.

Of course, since Pansy has made the water turbid, it is difficult to start with Maka, but Haierbo will definitely fall into the same situation.

And in a situation like this where it is difficult for both parties to take action easily, it is equivalent to Maka who is on the bright side having some advantages.

So, he doesn't need to worry now.

"What kind of situation is this?"

At breakfast time, as soon as Maka saw Pansy's expression that was still a little uncertain in her thoughts, she knew that this Slytherin girl must have encountered some problems again.

But soon, he withdrew his gaze and no longer distracted his attention on Pansy.

because……

"Maka, I heard that you and the Minister of Magic, Scrimgeour, will be interviewed by the Daily Prophet today?"

I don't know where Slughorn got the news. It was obvious that this matter was only settled yesterday afternoon, but the fat old man actually already knew about it.

It has to be said that once a person lives for a long time, he will naturally know more and more people, let alone a guy like Slughorn who particularly likes to run a social circle.

"Yes! There was an interview, which was held in the conference hall of the Ministry of Magic."

Maka turned her head and smiled at Slughorn.

"If it weren't for the fact that you, professor, have to teach students on time, I would have asked you to come with me - I know that you are good at guiding public opinion, at least you are more persuasive than a young man like me.

Got it!"

"Oh!" The old man laughed and said, "It's okay, it's enough if you have this heart!"

However, Maka could only shake her head secretly.

Of course Slughorn was "good" at things that were in the limelight, but if it was something that required taking risks, the fat old man might not be interested.

Therefore, if Maca tells him that the person being interviewed is very likely to be targeted by someone... Slughorn probably won't even have time to hide!

…

As mentioned before, the Ministry of Magic has now entered a state of martial law, and almost everyone entering and exiting must undergo a set of fairly strict inspections.

But even so, Scrimgeour still felt uneasy.

After all, although the disappearance of the dungeon prisoners is not a big deal, it also represents the negligence of the Ministry of Magic's defense capabilities. And this situation of allowing others to come and go freely is obviously not the first time since Scrimgeour took office.

When he thought about the last period when Cornelius Fudge was minister, because the battlefield between the Death Eaters and the Order of the Phoenix suddenly moved to the Ministry of Magic, causing the Ministry to become chaotic, Scrimgeour was very worried that he would also

Faced with such a desperate situation.

Because of this, when he repeatedly noticed that something was wrong, he immediately thought of corresponding countermeasures like a frightened bird.

It's a pity that in terms of talents as Minister of Magic, he is obviously lacking.

When he couldn't think of a reason, he could only return to his old profession and bring out the skills he had when he was the head of the Auror Office.

So in fact, the current security inspection process and the duty plan for various parts of the ministry were actually formulated by him and Kingsley.

On the other hand, things like "accepting an exclusive interview with the Daily Prophet" were actually Macca's idea when she wrote back to Kingsley.

That morning, Scrimgeour came to his office very early, and then began to wonder with great anxiety which one would come first, Macca or the reporter.

Not far from Scrimgeour's desk, Kingsley and the minister's secretary were sitting on the sofa, facing each other. Neither of them knew what to say.

Kingsley naturally knew what Maka was thinking, and he even knew the real purpose of Maka's proposal for this interview.

But it was obvious that he neither needed nor could he reveal these things to Scrimgeour.

As for the secretary to the minister opposite Kingsley, he simply had nothing to say, because even the minister, Scrimgeour, was still worried about the Ministry of Magic...or, in other words, was worried about his future.

.

"McLean...hasn't he arrived yet?"

Since Scrimgeour did not dare to open the line connecting the Floo Network to the Ministry of Magic at will during this period, neither Maca nor the reporter would come directly from the fireplace in his office. There was no way to discover Maca immediately.

In the state of arriving, Scrimgeour could only ask outside again and again if he had arrived.

"I'll ask again..."

Although this was the third time Scrimgeour asked this question, Kingsley did not remind or complain, even if he had to get up again to understand the situation for him.

But this time, before Kingsley could stand up, he was stopped by the secretary to the minister opposite.

"Let me go this time! Shacklebolt, you accompany Mr. Scrimgeour here. This will at least make him feel more at ease than me staying here."

After whispering something to Kingsley, he nodded in Scrimgeour's direction, then turned and headed for the door.

"...Actually, it makes me feel at ease if Jim is here."

Scrimgeour watched his number one secretary leave the office. After he left the office, he turned his head in the direction of Kingsley and said this.

Upon hearing this, Kingsley could only shrug helplessly.

"You should have said this when he could hear it!"

"Oh... I guess so."

Scrimgeour blinked blankly, then picked up the tea cup at hand and took a sip, even though it had already gone cold.

To be honest, as the situation in the British wizarding world becomes more and more uncertain, the pressure on him as a minister is really great. And because he can't think of any countermeasures to relieve the pressure, until now

, he even felt that he couldn't bear it anymore.

"Shakel, do you think I'm okay with me like this? Doesn't it make me look a little out of spirit? If I'm photographed and published in a newspaper, people won't think that I'm no longer qualified for the post of minister, right?"

As he spoke, Scrimgeour couldn't help but pick up the round mirror that was upside down on the corner of the table, and straightened his hair and clothes in front of the mirror.

Kingsley looked at him speechlessly as he was busy there, but it was not that he could not understand the pressure on the other party - despite the superficial glory of the position of Minister of Magic, the responsibilities and pressures are really not small, especially in today's uncertain times.

under the situation.

When he thought that he might be pushed to the position by Maka in the future, he had to start to hesitate.

However, just when the atmosphere in the office became a little heavy due to Scrimgeour's tossing, several knocks suddenly sounded from the door, causing him to finally put down the round mirror in his hand again.

"Ahem..." Scrimgeour cleared his throat, and then said loudly, "Come in!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the door to the minister's office was opened from the outside, and two figures walked in from the door. The one leading the way was Jim, the minister's secretary, who had just left, and the one following him was

She is a tall witch.

"Mr. Minister Scrimgeour, nice to meet you," the witch said with a reserved smile and a soft tone, "I am Betty Braithwaite, political and economic columnist for the Daily Prophet.

...Oh, because I just transferred from the international column, you may not have seen me much yet. But..."

Just as she was speaking, she suddenly chuckled again and said with a hint:

"I'm sure you are familiar with my colleague Rita Skeeter, but I have to say that my interviewing style is completely different from hers, so please rest assured, Mr. Minister."

Her words were obviously meant to draw a clear line between her and the unscrupulous colleague, and also to let Scrimgeour know that she was not the kind of reporter who would write anything for the sake of stunts.

However, although Scrimgeour still couldn't tell what kind of person she was from these few words, since she could specifically bring up Rita Skeeter for comparison, maybe she really was a professional with a real career.

The ethics of journalists are also unknown.

"Oh, that would be great!" Scrimgeour stood up immediately and extended his hand to signal, "Please sit down for a moment! When Mr. MacLean arrives, the interview can begin."

"No rush," the female reporter Betty saw this and suddenly pointed to the door behind her, "My photographer is still waiting outside the door. I wonder if Mr. Minister can let him come in and have a rest?"

"Photographer? Of course, of course! Then——"

Before Scrimgeour had time to finish, he saw another person walk in from outside the door and said hello briskly:

"Hello, Mr. Scrimgeour...you have a nice tie. Where did you buy it?" (To be continued)