Hermione, Be the Minister of Magic with Me!

Maybe this is someone who wants 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 Cooperation in Magical Affairs. He thought that Fudge would happily send him to the position of a memory canceller or an Auror.

It's a pity, if he enters the Law Enforcement Department, his time to infiltrate the decision-making level will definitely be faster - he has long been unfamiliar with laws that he wants to change.

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

Well, the International Division is the International Division. It just so happened that Dumbledore had just recommended himself to the International Confederation of Wizards and Wizards. This identity would be very helpful for his political career.

Almost everyone thinks that Gilderoy Lockhart, who has always been flamboyant and high-profile, will definitely clash with his staid boss Barty Crouch on his first day at the Ministry of Magic.

Because one of them is like a wild, fiery red pomegranate flower, while the other is like a flower with petals whose petals are precisely measured.

"I'll bet 10 Galleons with you." Ogden, the captain of the legal enforcement team, said to Arthur Weasley with a gloating expression, "There will definitely be an explosion at the Department of International Magical Affairs Cooperation today."

"Don't do this, Bob." Arthur Weasley excused Lockhart weakly. "He should be someone who knows the whole thing."

Although Arthur Wesley had seen Lockhart once, he was busy talking to the Muggle parents at the time and was not very impressed with Lockhart, so he had no confidence when he said this.

"I said, absolutely!" Bob Ogden insisted, "My uncle met with him a few years ago, originally because he said many times in the book that he likes to drink the old Ogden spirits produced by our family. , we were trying to get him to speak, but my uncle said goodbye after talking to him for half an hour - he said he couldn't stand that guy at all. I think since even someone as well-mannered as him can't stand Loja Terrible, Crouch certainly couldn't stand it."

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

Although Lockhart is very popular among witches, this has also brought him a side effect - that is, he has also become a "male enemy".

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

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

So for the arrival of Lockhart, they all held a good show attitude, ready to see the conflict between him and Barty Crouch.

Just as everyone was eagerly looking forward to it, 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 at work.

\"The Ministry of Magic reserve staff Gilderoy Lockhart is entering."

At this time, whether it was an employee who was working with his head down or someone who was talking to a colleague, they all stopped their movements in unison and looked at the door of the elevator.

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

The visitor was wearing a gray-black standard robe of the Ministry of Magic, a pair of heavy black leather boots, a brown briefcase, and a half-new gray round hat on his head, which looked very ordinary.

All this should not have caused any reaction, because there are not five hundred or three hundred people in this dress at the Ministry of Magic. If everyone dressed like this should pay attention to everyone, then they will have nothing serious to do. .

But this outfit appeared on Gilderoy Lockhart, which was weirder.

Not only that, judging from the exposed hair under the round hat, Lockhart also wore a standard mid-cut hairstyle today, and even the sideburns were meticulously repaired. If not for someone who knew Barty Crouch well, They might also think that the person who came was Crouch's illegitimate son.

Seeing that everyone next to him looked at him dumbfounded, Lockhart reached out and took off his dome hat, revealing his straight blond hair, and then bowed slightly.

\"Excuse me, how should the personnel office of the Department of International Affairs and Cooperation go? 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 office."

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

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

"How much" is a question mark, or although some natural rolls, but not so rolls

In addition, by the way, the hair with ten cuts is the natural curly, and you can CS Kikumaru Eiji's kind of hair without perming (with a dashing stroke).

Chapter 145: The Qualities of Bureaucrats

If it was last year, maybe Lockhart would have been slightly critical after hearing about the "personnel department", but after more than a year of specific work, he has been "simple" in the wizarding world, or relative to the British bureaucracy. It's normal to say "simple".

- There are more than 10,000 wizards, and the Ministry of Magic, which supports only a few hundred people, means that it is impossible for many departments to have the division of labor like the Muggle government.

For example, the Ministry of Magic, the Department of International Affairs and Cooperation, has only three subordinate offices, namely the International Magical Trade Standards Association, the International Magical Law Office, and the British Chapter of the International Confederation of Wizards.

In other words, a group of people who should be responsible for the diplomatic work of the British wizarding community has only three offices in its organization, and they are only responsible for setting standards for imported goods, participating in the formulation of international law, and a need to send people to attend. , similar to the branch of the United Nations General Assembly

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

If Lockhart remembers correctly, the Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Department not only has ministers who specialize in appearances, deputy ministers who specialize in affairs, and general offices specializing in foreign trade and international law, but also those who specialize in translation, policy planning, and Press and publicity, foreign affairs security, arms control, protocol, finance, archives, personnel, as well as visa travel service centers and consulates in various countries... Almost every function requires 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 NGOs. This huge institutional system consumes more than one billion pounds of British citizens every year.

Look at the Ministry of Magic again...o tsk tsk.

It seems that it is indeed difficult for the Ministry of Magic to support so many people with such a meager financial resources, not to mention that they have to allocate funds to Hogwarts.

The Ministry of Magic has less T?

As the saying goes, although the sparrow is small, it has all the internal organs. Almost every employee of the Ministry of Magic needs to act as a "panacea", such as formulating policies, foreign affairs security, finance, news and publicity. Very tasty.

As it happens, Gilderoy Lockhart is a generalist.

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

Although he had never met before, Mr. Crouch had already got a part of Lockhart's image in his mind from talking with other people - carefree, attracting butterflies, pushy, narcissistic, pompous...

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

But when he saw Gilderoy Lockhart himself, he suddenly felt that rumors were just rumors after all, and certain things had to be seen to be true.

Looking at the other party's same and meticulously groomed mid-parted hair, Barty Crouch opened his mouth cautiously.

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

Lockhart said with sincerity: "Any clerk, from the moment he entered the Ministry of Magic, has become a stone brick in this 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 do my best in that position."

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

"If you only look at your resume, you are very suitable for the type of talents we need. oo yes, how many foreign languages ​​do you know?"

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

Lockhart said with a face of "humility", "Latin is barely at the academic level, French, Romanian, Spanish, and Italian are all official document levels, but the Germanic and Greek languages ​​under the Indo-European language family are not. As far as I know, both of them are relatively difficult even at conversational level. In addition, when I was chasing snowmen in Tibet, I taught myself a little Chinese, but it was limited to greetings and simple daily conversations. "

When Barty Crouch heard this, he immediately looked at Lockhart with admiration.

\"That's really good...I almost forgot, you've traveled to many countries, it's really not good if you don't have any language skills."

"Yeah, and also need to ask the local wizard in great detail... eh."

\"What are you asking?"

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

"So that's the case, then you're completely in line with the requirements."

Barty Crouch had no doubts about it. After confirming Lockhart's ability, he began to seriously think about what kind of work should be delegated to make the best use of his talents.

It is not easy to find someone who knows both foreign languages ​​and how to fight against black magic. He can be involved in international security affairs and cultivated as Dumbledore's future successor. After all, Dumbledore is very old;

In addition, this guy also understands education. Under his training, the passing rate of the Hogwarts Defence Against the Dark Arts exam is extremely high this year. If he is asked to handle the work related to the Federation's teaching and literature, I believe he can handle it well.

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

The only thing I worry about is that this person has never dealt with relevant official documents, and most likely does not have "civil servant thinking", so he may not be good enough in case 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 repeatedly: "I said, no matter what arrangement you give me, I will accept it."

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

Lockhart closed his mouth immediately.

"...I'll give you two options. The first one is to go abroad, to go to France, to represent the United Kingdom at the annual general meeting of the International Wizarding Society, and to serve as a welcome guest after returning, and be responsible for protecting their safety."

Lockhart nodded, signaling that he heard it, while waiting for Crouch to say the second.

"The second is to go to Hogsmeade to prepare for the Triwizard Tournament to be held next year - by the way, you still don't know the Triwizard Tournament, right?" Crouch asked again.

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

"I knew, those bastards..." Barty Crouch murmured, "So, what do you think?"

Lockhart thought for a moment: "I want to ask, what specific business 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 for sale, from reserving hotels for visitors to the game to building food supply chains. No. If possible, you have to do these things in secrecy."

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

Crouch sighed: "Yeah, Hogwarts holds... but they hold competitions, don't they need funding from the Ministry of Magic? And those students and teachers among the guests can be responsible for placement in their respective colleges, but foreign countries What about the tourists who come to watch the game? A lot of 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 is going to be dealing with extremely tedious matters and a lot of responsibilities."

"Yes, I personally recommend that you choose the first one. After all, as an international celebrity, it makes sense for you to be responsible for visiting or receiving foreign guests, and you don't have to do anything, you only need to be able to spend money."

Barty Crouch stared at Lockhart's face while waiting for his reply, as if to observe whether he was shaken.

"Although I will obey no matter what the arrangement is, 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 quietly, "that would be a lot of work, and as you said, it would be tedious.

Make me happy, sir. "I'm still young and all I need is more work to develop myself," Lockhart replied half-truth, quoting Dobby.

Barty Crouch's legs gradually flattened under the table.

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

"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 Tournaments, as well as the historical relationship between us Britain and Germany."

Chapter 146 The Diplomatic Concept of the Ministry of Magic

righteous

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

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

And just now in the office, Lockhart had something else to gain—that is, he saw a few books on Barty Crouch's desk.

In addition to some magical history books, celebrity biographies, and Ministry of Magic documents, Lockhart accidentally saw Leviathan, On Government and On Society on Barty Crouch's bookshelf. .

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

Lockhart had no idea that a Muggle political book would appear here, even though it was a must-read for British Muggle civil servants.

Then he thought about it, and then recalled that Thomas Hobbes died in 1679, and the "Wizard's Secrecy Act" was promulgated in 1689 and implemented in 1692. Hobbes's theory was in the position of Christians and royalists. Under the siege of the faction, at that time, it was a controversial "Xianxue", and the wizards would definitely pay attention to it.

And 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, the mainstream of the era was the resistance of the bourgeoisie to the kingship and theocratic power, and the core idea of ​​the royalists was "the divine right of the king". , so anti-Christianity is anti-royalty.

But wizards were generally dismissive of Christianity, so the Wizards Council asked the King of England

Requests to legislate to protect wizards were rejected, and the children of wizards 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 Statute of Secrecy.

And it was only natural that his contemporaries would be noticed by the wizards, who were looking for all the ideas that could provide them with theoretical support

If Barty Crouch also reads his book, then his theory of international relations is likely to lean towards "structural realism"

Although Lockhart was a serious Oxford student in his previous life, he was a member of the British School of Rationalism, but he was no stranger to structural realism, because it was also the object of rationalist research, and the six principles of realism also belonged to the international related to the content of this course.

Later, structural realists concluded a very famous conclusion through Hobbes's theory" even if this conclusion is far from Hobbes' original intention, that is, "Might is axiom", which is similar to "Magic is axiom". Power" is simply a pair of brothers.

Lockhart suddenly understood why Barty Crouch's son, Barty Crouch, would end up being a Death Eater.

Others may think that Barty Crouch Jr. is too rebellious, obviously his father is so obedient, but his son has become an unpardonable Death Eater, which is too much contrast.

But if Barty Crouch Jr grew up with his father's education: then it's a matter of course that he will worship Voldemort, as if 1+1 must equal 2-.

Tsk tsk, others think they are tigers, fathers and dogs, but in fact they grow melons and get melons, and sow beans and get beans. Lockhart sighed in his heart.

If even the Crouch family, which belongs to the "Holy Twenty-Eight Pure Blood" family, is

This is how children are educated, so what about other wizarding families? For example, the grass on the wall of the Malfoy family, isn't it a realist support? And the magical political circle based on Hobbes' theory, how agree with Voldemort's \"\"magic is power" theory?

In Leviathan, Hobbes clearly states that the sovereign has the authority to change the beliefs and ideas of the people, and that if the people do not do so, chaos will arise. Although he himself declared himself a Christian, he also stated that he would be willing to obey the sovereign's command to convert.

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

■

This once again confirms an idea Lockhart had - that Voldemort's Rebellion was essentially a political issue, not something that could be done by a few super-magical people acting as terrorists.

If you have the opportunity, you must introduce to the wizarding world the development of Muggle political theory in the past few hundred years. Voldemort cannot let Voldemort, the realist half-baked 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 thoughts are too naive, there are a few people whose thoughts can really surpass those of Machiavelli and Howard What about Booth's level?

The result that Lockhart figured out was that after going back one night, he racked his brains to write an official document report.