The Day of the Draw at Hogwarts

Tom, who had been busy all night, did not return to Granger's house until late at night. But even though he slept late, he still woke up at eight in the morning. The Grangers were still up when Tom went down to the first-floor living room.

As soon as Tom walked to the living room, he heard the sound of "click, click" coming from the window. Tom looked at the window——

(Θ▽Θ)

"Oh, it's the Hogwarts owl." Tom opened the window of the living room and took two letters with the Hogwarts school emblem from the mouth of a beautiful gray owl.

He walked to the kitchen, made himself a cup of hot chocolate, then sat at the living room table and opened the letters.

The content of the letter was what Tom had expected, it was a list of supplies for the new semester from Hogwarts, but in the uniform column, Tom saw the word "dress robes".

Sigh... Tom sighed, hoping his budget would be enough.

At this time, Mr. Granger also came to the living room, poured himself a cup of hot cocoa without ceremony, and turned on the TV. The host's voice also came from the TV.

"Finally, Benchi, the English sheepdog lost in Salisbury, has been safely rescued..."

Mr. Granger was quite dissatisfied and said that these media outlets did not pay attention to serious matters all day long, and only focused on trivial reports every day. However, as he said this, he still turned up the volume honestly.

"...Afterwards, he returned to the arms of his little owner Linda Fletcher, who said she could hardly hope to be reunited with Benchi."

Looking at the face on the screen that was about the same age as Hermione and the happy smile on this face, Mr. Granger suddenly felt that it would not be a bad thing to save such a dog in a big way?

"It is reported that the Prime Minister's direct intervention prompted this incident——"

"I feel like Huck is not a bad guy, right?" Mr. Granger turned off the TV and started chatting with Tom. "Although it may have been a waste of money, but if you think about what Benqi means to that little girl, personally It does carry weight, even in a world of budgets and balance sheets. I'm sure some will criticize the Prime Minister for abusing his power, but sometimes doing the right thing requires sacrifice..."

Tom watched helplessly as Mr. Granger turned to Huck Road. He suddenly realized that Huck's trick could really increase his support!

"The Prime Minister didn't spend any money. I found the dog for him." Tom said quietly, holding a cup filled with hot cocoa.

Mr. Granger: ...

He really didn't expect that this matter could be related to Tom!

"That's great - isn't this dangerous?" He was very proud of Tom's behavior at first, but remembering that Salisbury was a minefield, he couldn't help but worry about Tom, " Huck should give you a knighthood!"

Sir Yodel? This title didn't sound like he was very tall, Tom complained secretly.

The news reports on TV are just an appetizer; the real climax is the reports in major newspapers.

Huck sat in his office, looking at the headlines in the newspaper, grinning from ear to ear with joy.

"Britain understands today that there is still a real heart beating in No. 10 Downing Street!" He couldn't help but show off to his secretary Bernard.

"Actually, seventy-four hearts are beating here."

"Thank you, Bernard." Huck had become accustomed to his secretary's "offline" status, and he continued reading: "Linda said: I vote for Mr. Huck... The BBC and ITV received a flood of calls On the phone, people praised the Prime Minister's decision to rescue Benqi, but the leader of the opposition refused to comment - I'm sorry he didn't dare, ha!"

"Prime Minister? Prime Minister!" Bernard interrupted Huck's newspaper reading and told him that he had changed the lock on No. 10's door last night.

"Very good." Huck showed a naughty smile.

…

Humphrey had just finished an internal meeting with senior civil servants.

The civil servants withdrew, but Humphrey stopped Sir Frank, the permanent secretary of the Treasury. Recently, this guy has been getting involved with the Prime Minister, which has put Humphrey under a lot of pressure.

The source of the pressure is that Sir Frank is Permanent Secretary to the Treasury. After Harker took office and Humphrey was promoted, the two men involuntarily dismembered the behemoth Department of Administrative Affairs. As a result, the Treasury's status in Whitehall rose, and some even called it "the middle of the department." Frank was to Humphrey. , just like Bones to Fudge, if you are not careful, Humphrey may really be replaced by Frank.

So he decided to test his theoretical subordinate.

"Have you had a good conversation with the Prime Minister?" Humphrey started the exchange with a simple question.

"Yes, good."

"Okay, anything special?"

"Is there anything of particular concern to you?" Sir Frank realized that Humphrey had come with bad intentions.

Humphrey cursed silently, and then expressed no particular concern.

"He didn't mention the personnel changes in the civil service?"

"Maybe."

Humphrey:…

"Did he hint at a redistribution of powers and responsibilities or something?"

"The scope of our discussions is quite broad."

"Have you made any decision?"

“There are pros and cons to both sides.”

“Is the distribution balanced?”

"Maybe one side is leaning more towards the other."

"But there's nothing to worry about, right?"

"I didn't," Frank showed a very weak smile, "See you in the afternoon!"

Humphrey's questions were thrown out one after another, but Frank answered them all smoothly. He said a lot, but seemed to say nothing. It made Humphrey feel like he was wrestling with a greasy catfish.

The smirk faded from his face, and Humphrey felt a surge of anger within him. After Sir Frank left, he picked up the phone at hand and called Bernard: "Bernard, I'll go to No. 10 right away."

But Bernard refused, saying it was inconvenient now.

"I must come!" Humphrey hung up the phone and ran out of his office.

The cabinet and No. 10 were connected, and there was only a door blocking it. Humphrey walked to the door with ease, took out the key and inserted it, but the door to No. 10 did not open as usual.

Humphrey briefly thought he had the wrong key.

Listening to the shouts of "Open the door, open the door!" coming from behind the door, Bernard showed a happy smile.

"You will pay the price, open this damn door!" Sir Humphrey became incompetent and furious. But anger can't help him open the door, only the right key and the unlocking spell can. If the quality of the door is not good enough, Angry might be able to open it for him, but this is No. 10 Downing Street, and the quality of the door is quite good.

After trying to no avail, Humphrey turned around and left - he decided to enter through the main entrance at No. 10.

This idea is outrageous, but it is possible if the guards are not serious.

Unfortunately, the guard had been warned in advance that he must be more serious this time, so Humphrey received the same treatment as Tom.

The guard stopped him and said that he could not enter No. 10 without a special No. 10 pass or Bernard's consent. Of course, Sir Humphrey can choose to make an appointment.

Humphrey felt what despair was.

"Do you need me to call Bernard?" the guard asked kindly.

Humphrey's dignity told him to say no, but his body said yes.

Bernard's voice came from the other end of the intercom: "Tell him you can't find Mr. Bernard."

"Sorry, I can't find Mr. Bernard now. He didn't leave a message when he left, so I can't let you in."

Faced with this answer, Humphrey felt that he had encountered the biggest crisis of his career. As a civilian leader, Humphrey had great power, and the fundamental source of his power was none other than the Prime Minister whom he looked down upon.

Relying on his familiarity with laws and policies, he constantly set traps for the Prime Minister and induced him to make decisions that were in his best interests. For example, the previous salary increase for civil servants and the end of the austerity movement were all attributed to Sir Humphrey. He also wanted to do the same for the recent military cuts, but he has not yet succeeded.

But all this is based on the condition that he can see the Prime Minister at any time. If he doesn't see the Prime Minister, he's screwed. Not being able to see him in the physical sense is not scary, but what is scary is the meaning behind it: the Prime Minister no longer trusts him. Humphrey believed that once the news spread, his nominal subordinates would turn their backs on him the next day, sideline him and compete to replace him with the next cabinet secretary.

Sir Humphrey made up his mind: he must see Huck at all costs today, and then gain his forgiveness and get the key again.

Humphrey quickly ran back to his office, then opened the window, and jumped out in one stride. He was not as agile as an office worker in his fifties, but more like a high school student who was eager to go on a black date.

Humphrey's idea is also very simple: as long as he meets the Prime Minister, he will have a chance to make a comeback! So he decided to climb over the wall from the cabinet and climb to No. 10 - the two buildings were adjacent anyway.

But when he ran outside No. 10, Humphrey was in trouble. Only then did he remember that the Prime Minister's office room was on the second floor! It was not difficult to jump out of the window on the first floor, but it was a bit difficult for a senior civil servant in a suit and leather shoes to climb up to the second floor with his bare hands because he had lacked exercise all year round.

Looking at the balcony of the Prime Minister's Office, Humphrey gritted his teeth and stamped his feet before starting to climb the wall. The possibility of being alienated by the Prime Minister and then forced to stay away from the center of power was like a whip, whipping him crazily, and he really succeeded in climbing up!

Power is the best stimulant.

But Humphrey, who climbed to the second floor, felt as if he had lost half his life.

At this time, Huck is working on documents with his advisor, Ms. Dorothy, and his personal secretary, Bernard. When he looked up, he was startled by a figure outside the window - at first he thought it was a killer sent by some organization!

But after taking a closer look, Huck almost laughed out loud: Isn't this Sir Humphrey? !

"Look, it's Humphrey!" His voice attracted the attention of everyone in the room.

The other two people looked out the window together, and saw Humphrey holding his hand on the railing, breathing heavily. There were a few black marks on his face, and his custom-made suit was also covered with dust. He was completely without the dignity and ease he had before. Feel.

Realizing that Huck noticed him, Humphrey showed a pitiful expression on his face. He first said hello to Huck, and then pointed to the handle of the floor-to-ceiling window to indicate that he wanted to come in.

"Wait-" Huck thought of something, but it was too late. Humphrey couldn't wait to twist the handle.

A piercing siren sounded, and several guards rushed in. Everyone was stunned, and Humphrey was even more frightened.

Fortunately, Huck assured the guards that the "suspicious man" outside the window was not an assassin or a spy, but one of his secretaries, and Humphrey regained his freedom.

The guards withdrew from the Prime Minister's Office. Sir Humphrey looked shocked. The alarm just now was too exciting for him.

"So Sir Humphrey, where does today's happiness come from?" Huck asked knowingly.

In a heartbroken tone, Sir Humphrey confided to Harker: "Prime Minister, I must resort to the strongest possible words to express my strong objection to the strict and intolerable restrictions imposed by recent regulations on the access of senior officials. The restrictions, once the existing lamentable innovations are incorporated into long-term regulations, will quickly lead to the tightening of information communication channels and ultimately the atrophy of organization and paralysis of management, thus completely eliminating the continuity of work in various departments of government and weakening the entire United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.”

Sir Humphrey used this long sentence to prove the value of his Oxford University degree. If he could use such a sentence in the oral exam, it would not be a question that would give him full marks. It would be more than enough for him to sit in the examiner's seat.

"You mean you lost the key?" Huck parsed Humphrey's long sentence and came to a condensed version of the conclusion.

"Prime Minister, I firmly demand a new key—"

"I'll give it to you, Humphrey - when the circumstances are right and the time is right," Huck used the gobbledygook that Humphrey usually used to excuse him, "Swallow, there is an important decision to be made, which is more urgent. "

Now Humphrey is asking for help from Huck. How can Huck be called a qualified politician if he doesn't try to rip him off?

After some haggling, Humphrey gave in, and Huck achieved an unprecedented victory.

After giving in, Humphrey regained the key to Number Ten.

After carefully putting the key into his pocket, Humphrey's fear dissipated a lot. He remembered one of the most critical questions, so he tried to ask in a calm and decent tone: "One more question, Prime Minister, can you tell me who is the head of the civil service department?"

"Of course it's you, Humphrey." Huck said with certainty, but Humphrey's tone didn't relax yet. He added: "Maybe it's Frank, or both, I haven't decided yet." …”

Humphrey:!!!∑(Дノ)ノ

"No matter who it is, it's my decision. Isn't it, Humphrey?" Huck smiled like a prime minister.

Humphrey started up and said in a trembling voice: "Yes, Prime Minister!"

At this moment, Humphrey felt tremendous pressure from Huck for the first time, and it was also the first time that Huck took advantage of Humphrey.

The situation between the two has reversed.

…

"Anyway, be sure to pay attention to safety before going next time!" Mr. Granger asked Tom to ask a lot of details about yesterday's meeting with the Prime Minister. After hearing this, he was amazed and did not forget to tell Tom to pay attention to safety, just like at home. The elders do that.

While the two were chatting, Hermione also came down from the second floor wearing a pair of white pajamas. She didn't look very good, her hair was messy and disheveled, her eyes were dark, and she looked like she hadn't slept well.

"This is the list from Hogwarts." Tom handed her the letter belonging to Hermione, but Hermione was not very interested in the letter.

She gave Tom a wink and pouted upstairs. Tom understood and quickly finished his hot chocolate before finding an excuse to go back to his bedroom.

Not long after returning to the house, the door to Tom's bedroom was pushed open by Hermione. Her first words after pushing the door open made Tom confused.

"Tom, I don't want to go to Hogwarts anymore."

————

A big chapter of 4,500 words!

I don’t know if Zhang said the system has been restored... I have swallowed countless Zhang said from me in the past few days, damn it!