Harry Potter: The Golden Viper-Chapter 714 - 0712 Connections

'Vice President of the International Confederation of Wizards, the most powerful and talented wizard of the current modern age?'

Louise stared at the gentle-looking Bryan Watson through widened eyes. Her facial features were frozen in an expression of utter astonishment, her lips parted slightly as if to voice a question but finding no words suitable to capture her disbelief.

Although she wasn't a wizard from the magical world—with her logical abilities enhanced through journalistic training as an intern reporter, it wasn't particularly difficult for her to guess the weight these two titles must carry within their hidden society.

She simply had to make a horizontal comparison with the official positions held by those important figures in the upper echelons of the society she lived in—the Muggle world, as Bryan had called it.

The Prime Minister, high-ranking military officers, judges of the Supreme Court—these were positions of immense influence and respect. And yet, based on Kingsley's respectful tone when speaking of Bryan's titles, she suspected that the Vice President of the International Confederation of Wizards might have even greater influence than many of these 'Muggle' positions.

It was truly extraordinary, bordering on incomprehensible.

Bryan Watson was a brilliant young man. But at such a young age—he couldn't be much older than twenty-five, how had he achieved such massive accomplishments?

If wizards had no magical means to maintain or alter their physical appearance (though she now wondered if perhaps they did), and if Bryan's age truly matched his outward youthful appearance, this was truly an incredible feat!

"Oh, I don't usually like to boast about these titles—"

Bryan shrugged with casual dismissiveness. His expression showed not the slightest hint of arrogance or self-importance that one might expect from someone of his apparently lofty status. He continued to smile with a calm demeanor that also seemed far more natural to him than any pompous display of authority.

"Actually, I normally work at a school of magic. I'm more accustomed to being called 'Professor Watson'—"

"You even have magic schools?" Louise blurted out incredulously.

The concept seemed simultaneously fantastical and perfectly logical. Of course, magical abilities would require proper education and training. Her mind raced with questions about curriculum, teaching methods, and the infrastructure of magical education. Then, a connection suddenly formed in her mind. "That Hermione Granger..."

"That's right—"

Bryan nodded appreciatively. Louise's thoughts were indeed sharp, especially for someone who had had the foundations of her reality so thoroughly shaken few minutes ago. His approving smile faded gradually, replaced by a growing solemnity as his extraordinary purple eyes grew somewhat darker.

"She is my student, and almost right under my nose, she was sent that package by Fraser. It wasn't actually a bomb hidden inside, but rather an evil curse. She was attacked and is currently receiving specialized magical treatment in the best medical institution in the British magical community.

As her professor, I also bear a significant responsibility for student safety and welfare. I must personally track down the mastermind behind this incident and bring them to justice for her sake—and for the sake of all the potential victims who might follow if these perpetrators remain free to continue their activities."

'Magic academy, hospitals in the magical world.'

Louise felt momentarily dazed. She realized that the magical world, entirely unknown to ordinary people like herself until now, was already a civilization of considerable advancement and sophistication, not the ignorant, barbaric, backward image she had occasionally seen in some sensationalist literature and poorly researched historical films about witchcraft and sorcery.

Come to think of it, just by observing the impeccable manner, refined speech patterns, and dignified attitude of both Bryan and Kingsley, anyone would immediately recognize that they clearly weren't the type to hide in gutters or dank caves, afraid of being hunted down by torch-wielding mobs or passionate church authorities.

Unconsciously, the burning anger of being deceived and misled had largely dissipated from Louise's heart, especially after hearing Kingsley reveal Bryan Watson's prestigious status in the magical world.

A woman's psychology was always quite marvelous in its complexity.

Upon learning about the strict Statute of Wizarding Secrecy with its severe penalties and that someone of Bryan's stature in the magical world had willingly violated this supposed golden inviolable law basically for her sake—she who had been so furious that she couldn't control her temper just moments ago, threatening exposure and retribution; now felt a complicated mixture of being touched by his trust and guilty about her harsh reaction.

"I'm sorry—"

Louise didn't know quite how to explain or justify her somewhat excessive display of anger from earlier. She pressed her lips together nervously, leaving them slightly paler than usual, her voice emerged with unexpectedly more timidity than her earlier fierce demeanor.

"My brother hurt your student."

"They are both victims, Louise. What we need to do is bring justice for them—"

Bryan said solemnly. His sharp gaze easily saw through the complex psychology behind Louise's current display of shame and regret.

"It's normal for you to feel angry about the revelation of the Wizarding world and my particular existence within it. After all, some degenerate wizards killed your brother through means you could neither understand nor protect against, and..." frёeωebɳovel.com

Bryan paused.

"These dark wizards conducting human experiments on Muggles is absolutely forbidden and taboo in our society. I didn't know about their existence and activities until recently, which represents a serious intelligence failure, so I bear some responsibility for that oversight too."

"This has nothing to do with you, Mr. Watson—"

Kingsley spoke up with unexpected passion, his deep voice carrying tones of firm conviction and fairness.

"You and Dumbledore almost focus completely on teaching at Hogwarts and rarely interfere with the political intrigues and administrative mistakes of the International Confederation of Wizards, despite your position. If someone is to be held accountable for this, it should rightfully be the Italian Ministry of Magic and Vipor Dreghorn. This is undoubtedly their—"

Bryan waved his hand, interrupting Kingsley,

"That's a matter for later, Kingsley. What we need to do now, is find these dangerous individuals and understand precisely why they specifically targeted Miss Granger."

"Angus Aeschylus—"

When Bryan's gaze fell on her again, Louise knew she had to say something. She bit her lip and summoned the courage to say,

"I don't personally know this person, I just heard about him rather casually from Valeria. She's a very nice girl who also lived in London for a time, so when she discovered I was from London, she was very warm and welcoming to me."

Louise's voice grew stronger as she continued, "We talked a lot about the different customs and lifestyles of London and Bologna, comparing on everything from public transportation to coffee culture. I remember she mentioned then that she had a boyfriend who was also part of what she described as a 'magic research society' at the time with that name—Angus Aeschylus."

Looking directly into Bryan's bright, piercing eyes that seemed to glow with light in the shadowed portion of the room, Louise took a deep, steadying breath, her expression showing reluctance and some sadness.

"I had already completely forgotten about this minor detail of our conversations, but last night I happened to glimpse this name on your list of suspects and found it strangely familiar, though I couldn't immediately place where I'd heard it before.

Just now, when I saw Valeria's father.... and heard that young man's laughter with the girl crying in the background that should be Valeria .....I.....I"

She couldn't say further more.

"The latest intelligence information we have is that Angus Aeschylus went to Berlin, Mr. Watson!" Kingsley's eyes suddenly sharpened transforming his entire demeanor from deep thoughtfulness to intensely focused. "And according to our sources, he went alone, without visible companion!"

"No accomplices? That's rather difficult to accept. Perhaps they left England separately to avoid detection."

Bryan said thoughtfully, his mind clearly processing multiple possibilities simultaneously.

"But without a doubt, we'll probably have to go immediately to Berlin to continue our investigation. Just the three of us, Kingsley. It's not strategically wise or convenient for your men to all enter Berlin simultaneously in such short period of time. A group of Aurors from the British Ministry of Magic clustering in Berlin would be extremely difficult to conceal successfully."

Bryan's voice took on a more somber tone as he continued, "Even if those dark wizards somehow fail to notice such movement, if the German Ministry of Magic discovers something amiss—it could rapidly escalate into a serious international diplomatic incident. I have some connections in this country's underground magical community. We'll smuggle ourselves out from here—"

Kingsley listened attentively, nodding occasionally in agreement, until he heard Mr. Watson's final words regarding underground connections, at which point his mouth twisted uncontrollably. Why would Bryan Watson have such deep connections within Europe's notoriously secretive underground magical community?

With a shifting gaze that suggested he was entirely aware of Kingsley's unspoken questions but chose not to address them directly, Bryan turned toward Louise with a warm smile that transformed his serious expression.

"I must say, Louise, bringing you along on this investigation was absolutely the right decision, I—"

Bryan looked carefully at Louise, whose expression was still quite unnatural. He smiled reassuringly, intending to voice some words of comfort or perhaps appreciation for her 'quick' thinking under these circumstances.

But at a certain moment, a seemingly insignificant fragment of memory suddenly surfaced in his mind, freezing the smile on his face as his eyebrows shot up sharply!

The change was so abrupt that both Kingsley and Louise instinctively tensed, sensing the shift in his demeanor.

"You must know those goblins who got the exclusive Triwizard Tournament broadcasting rights have recently opened betting pools in Paris on who will win the Triwizard Tournament..."

The memory of Ludo Bagman's words echoed in Bryan's mind.

"A group of Germans plan to wager an extraordinarily large sum of gold galleons that the highly favored girl from Minerva's House won't be capable of completing the upcoming task. The amount they're collectively putting down is no small sum, Watson. No small sum at all..."

This seemingly trivial conversation was something Ludo Bagman had mentioned to him before the Christmas Ball!

At the time, Bagman, that eternally hopeless gambler, had initially tried to persuade him to join in the betting. When that failed, Bagman seamlessly transitioned to asking to borrow money to place his own bet, which Bryan had also refused.

He hadn't taken the information seriously then, dismissing it as just another example of people betting on an unlikely outcome for the potentially massive payoff—an upset, as they called it in the sporting world. But now, with this new context... according to Ludo's specific wording, those people were unquestionably from Germany!

The coincidence was too perfect to ignore.

Bryan didn't know exactly how many gold galleons these mysterious Germans had committed to this wager but Ludo Bagman was certainly no novice who had never engaged in betting before.

A "large sum" in his words wouldn't be an insignificant amount by any reasonable standard. But what gave these Germans such extraordinary confidence that Hermione specifically wouldn't complete the upcoming competition, rather than simply betting she would die in one of the dangerous challenges that lay ahead?!

These were completely different concepts—

For the Germans to place such a specific bet, they must have been operating with absolute certainty about the outcome!

In the dim room, the intense turbulence of his racing thoughts caused Bryan to silently emit an aura of magical energy. The temperature in the previously cold room rapidly rose several degrees in response to his emotional state, the air becoming noticeably warmer around them.

Both Kingsley and Louise, sensing the abnormal change in the atmosphere, stared at Bryan in shock.

'Were these people targeting Hermione mainly for financial gain?'

This thought crossed Bryan's mind. 'It wasn't entirely impossible, given the amount potentially involved. Were they the same group that killed Fraser?'

But if it was truly just for gold galleons, this approach was extraordinarily stupid—

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