The days of drawing cards at Hogwarts

Tom, who had been busy all night, did not return to Granger's house until late at night. However, although he slept very late, he still woke up at eight o'clock in the morning. When Tom went down to the living room on the first floor, the Granger family had not gotten up yet.

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 dining table in the living room and opened the letter.

The content of the letter was what Tom expected, it was a supply list 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 politeness, and turned on the TV. The host's voice also came from the TV.

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

Mr. Granger was quite dissatisfied and said that these media outlets were not serious at all all day long, focusing on trivial reports every day. However, as he said this, he honestly turned up the volume.

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

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 it was the Prime Minister's direct intervention that prompted this incident——"

"I feel like Huck is not a bad guy, doesn't he?" 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 people will criticize the prime minister for abusing his power, but sometimes doing the right thing requires sacrifice..."

Tom watched helplessly as Mr. Granger became a fan of Huck. He suddenly realized that Huck's move 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 doesn't sound very tall, Tom complained secretly.

The news reports on TV are just an appetizer, and 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 happily.

"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

During the phone call, 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 slightly naughty smile.

…

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

The civil servants left the table one after another, but Humphrey called out Sir Frank, the permanent secretary of the Treasury. Recently, this guy always got involved with the Prime Minister, which put Humphrey under a lot of pressure.

The source of the pressure was that Sir Frank was the permanent secretary of the Treasury. After Harker took office and Humphrey was promoted, the two of them dismembered the behemoth Department of Administration. As a result, the Treasury's status in Whitehall increased, and some even

Call it "the middle of the ministry". Frank is to Humphrey what Bones is 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, very good."

"Okay, is there anything special?"

"Is there anything in particular that concerns you?" Sir Frank realized that Humphrey's visit was not of good intent.

Humphrey cursed secretly, and then expressed that he was not particularly concerned.

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

"Maybe."

Humphrey:...

"Did he hint at a redistribution of powers or anything like that?"

"The scope of our discussions is quite broad."

"Have you made any decision?"

"There are pros and cons on both sides."

“Is the distribution balanced?”

"Maybe one side is more inclined to 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 talked a lot, but seemed to say nothing. This made Humphrey feel like he was competing with a greasy catfish.

.

The fake smile on his face gradually disappeared, and Humphrey felt a surge of anger in his heart. 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, with only a gate blocking it. Humphrey walked to the gate with ease, took out the key and inserted it in, but the gate to No. 10 did not open as usual.

Humphrey briefly thought he had picked up 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 have to pay the price, open this damn door!" Sir Humphrey became incompetent and furious. But anger can't help him open the door, only the correct key and the unlocking spell can. If the quality of the door is not good enough

If so, Angry might be able to open the door for him, but this is No. 10 Downing Street, and the quality of the door is quite high.

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 has a certain possibility, 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 pass for No. 10 or Bernard's consent. Of course, Sir Humphrey could 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 refuse, but his body agreed.

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 such an 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 who 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 termination of the frugality movement were all due to Sir Humphrey.

, he also wanted to do this due to the recent military cuts, but he has not yet been able to succeed.

But all this is based on the condition that he can see the Prime Minister at any time. If he can't see the Prime Minister, then he is finished. Not being able to see the Prime Minister in the physical sense is not terrible, but what is terrible is the meaning behind it:

The Prime Minister no longer trusted 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 today at all costs, and then gain his forgiveness and get the key again.

Humphrey quickly ran back to his office, opened the window, and jumped out in one swift motion. He was not as agile as an office worker in his fifties, but more like a high school student who was in a hurry to do some gambling.

Humphrey's idea was also very simple: as long as he saw the Prime Minister, he would 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. He then remembered that the Prime Minister's office room was on the second floor! It was not difficult to jump out of the window from the first floor just now, but it was not difficult for a senior man in suits and ties who had lacked exercise all year round.

It would be difficult for a civil servant to climb up to the second floor with bare hands.

Looking at the balcony of the Prime Minister's office, Humphrey gritted his teeth and started 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, spurring him crazily, and it really made him succeed.

Turn it 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 was working on documents with his consultant, Ms. Dorothy, and personal secretary Bernard. When he looked up, he was startled by a figure outside the window - he initially thought it was sent by some organization.

Where is the killer!

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 not at all dignified and comfortable as 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 a minute -" Huck thought of something, but it was too late. Humphrey couldn't wait to twist the handle.

A piercing siren sounded immediately, 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 terms 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 the organization and the paralysis of management, thus completely eliminating the continuity of work in various government departments 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 your key?" Huck parsed Humphrey's long sentence, and then came to a simplified 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 mandarin that Humphrey usually used to excuse him, "Swallow, there is an important decision to be made, which is more urgent.

"

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

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

After compromising, Humphrey regained the key to No. 10.

After carefully putting the key into his pocket, the fear in Humphrey's heart dissipated a lot. He remembered one of the most critical questions, so he tried to ask in a calm and decent tone: "There is another question, Prime Minister, can you

May I ask who is the head of the civil service?”…

"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 doing things next time!" Mr. Granger pulled Tom and asked 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.

Like the elders.

While the two were chatting, Hermione also came down from the second floor wearing a 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 pursed her lips 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, Hermione pushed open the door to Tom's bedroom. 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!