The Day of the Draw at Hogwarts

"What does this have to do with you being a wizard?" Tom looked at Lockhart gently. At this time, the people left behind on the island also discovered the two uninvited guests, and soon they came to Tom.

Tom observed these guards and found that they should be the armed forces controlled by Yuri. Although they all wore prison guard uniforms, their military aura was indelible.

When the leader spoke, Tom was even more sure - the man spoke in a loud tongue, and although he spoke English, it had a foreign flavor.

"I am a friend of Mr. Uri. He should have mentioned my name to you, Tom Yoder."

Sure enough, Yuri mentioned Tom to them, and when they heard the name Tom Yoder, several of them became serious. They lined up, stood at attention, and saluted Tom.

"Mr. Yuri has told us that we must obey your instructions after you come here." The leading guard told Tom that Yuri left a message before leaving, asking all employees in the prison to obey Tom's orders.

"We will definitely obey your orders, no matter what they are." The prison guard said to Tom seriously.

What he said is true. Because Yuri is very particular about the way he recruits his younger brothers. He only recruits combatants with families - having children is a plus. He brought these people to the UK with their families from the countries that had joined the Soviet Union after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and then resettled them and provided their spouses and children with jobs and educational opportunities. Instead, these people with superb combat skills would work for him. This method of employment makes Yuri's people very effective in combat.

Of course, the negative effect is that it costs a lot of money. Fortunately, Yuri is in an industry with astonishingly high profit margins, which makes it affordable.

Now, it's Tom's turn to enjoy Yuri's bonus.

"Except for the guards, are the other staff on the island fully equipped? By the way, what's your name?" Tom began to investigate the conditions of the prison.

"Peter Bortnikov, just call me Peter."

Peter? Tom's attention was immediately attracted by the name. He glanced at Peter Bortnikov in front of him and found that he was tall, strong, and had thick hair. He was the exact opposite of Peter Pettigrew, and he couldn't help but feel relieved. Yes, it's just the same name. I'm still called Tom, but don't I still have a straight nose and thick hair?

Soon he learned from the guard captain Peter that the White Dolphin Prison was ready. Doctors, nurses, chefs and other staff had been recruited and ready to receive prisoners at any time.

"Great!" Yuri's efficiency was so high that he hardly looked like an Englishman, and Tom was extremely satisfied. Although the dementors did not come to urge Tom to fulfill his promise, it was not a good thing to keep holding them back.

"So when will the prisoners be transferred in?"

"Transfers will begin on January 1st."

"very good."

Tom chatted with Peter as he walked. When he met other prison staff, he felt something was wrong: everyone here had a Soviet flavor.

For example, the fat chef wearing a white scarf and apron feels like she just came from a collective farm. She was holding a huge spoon and stirring something in a large vat half a person's height. A sour aroma was coming out of the vat together with steam.

"This is Aunt Sofia. The borscht and pirozhiki she makes can be swallowed by the tongue." Peter enthusiastically introduced the prison cook or head chef to Tom. Then he looked at Aunt Sofia and chatted with her for a few words in Russian.

"...Британскаяеда-ерунда!" (Note)

Tom didn't understand a word of the conversation between the two. Only one sentence was heard at the end: Vedancejeda, Elonda!

Peter also gave him no translation.

After the two of them finished communicating, Peter looked at Tom.

"Today's lunch is Solyanka soup with kebabs and bread." Peter looked quite happy when he heard that lunch included these items. He enthusiastically introduced Tom to Russia’s specialty: Solyanka soup.

Solyanka soup is a thick soup that can be eaten as a stew, made from various meats and vegetables.

"The beef, sausage, bacon and ham react wonderfully with the cabbage, potatoes, onions and carrots, and the sourness comes from the pickles and lemon slices - all of which Aunt Sofia pickles herself."

That sounds pretty good. Most of Russian delicacies have a bold and rough feel. They are not so exquisite in appearance, but in fact they are filling, solid and delicious. Perhaps this is the common characteristic of all the delicacies in cold regions in the world - large portions, bold and generous, and must be steaming hot when served to the table.

As for the barbecue, it is not the kind of meat skewers as thick as the index finger, but the super large barbecue skewers as long as an adult's forearm. I wish I could skewer a pound of meat on a skewer, and only season it with a little salt and cumin.

Tom's heart skipped a beat. Isn't this better than a turkey sandwich?

But there was always something strange about this prison. He looked at the Slavic cook in front of him and then at the decoration style of the prison canteen, and he suddenly realized.

"Isn't this place a little too...Soviet?" Tom found the dissonance: this prison was a little too Soviet. If it weren't for the sea breeze blowing outside the window, I would have felt like I was in the Siberian wilderness.

Those who knew, knew that this was a British outsourced prison, but those who didn’t knew thought it was a secret base of the Russians!

Peter suddenly realized, "It doesn't matter, Mr. Yuri has taken the path of cabinet secretary. Everything here is within reasonable limits."

Tom raised his eyebrows. Sure enough, everyone in Yuri's profession has supporters behind him.

"Okay, now that it's taken care of, I'm relieved. Let's try Aunt Sophia's cooking." Tom invited Peter and Lockhart to sit down together, each got a bowl of soup, a skewer of barbecue, and cut it. A few slices of whole wheat bread.

The soup is very thick and has a sour taste, which is perfect for dipping into the bread. The sizzling and oily roasted lamb is made from lamb with excellent texture. It only needs a little salt and cumin to bring out the delicious flavor of the meat itself.

"It's delicious." Tom finished a large bowl of Solyanka soup with bread and ordered a large skewer of roasted lamb. "Pack one for me to take away."

He thought of Hermione, who was alone at home writing a paper and eating a turkey sandwich, and couldn't help but feel pity. Delicious food should be shared together, so he decided to take one back for Hermione to try.

At the end of lunch, the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves. Lockhart also sat quietly on the side, very well-behaved. But his cleverness cannot save him from his deserved fate.

————

Today, we are going to tell the story of Hector Foley, the 24th Minister of Magic.

Note: Aunt Sofia said: British food is rubbish

Hector Fawley was a wizard who served as Minister for Magic from 1925 to 1939.

Hector Foley won the election because he was so different from his predecessor, Lorcan McLeod. MacLeod is a taciturn man who is not suitable for being a politician, while Foley is passionate and has a flamboyant personality. During his tenure, Gellert Grindelwald began a revolution "for the greater good." At the time, Foley did not take Grindelwald seriously enough as a threat to the wizarding world, and in 1939 he was replaced by the more proactive wizard Leonard Spencer-Moyne.