0153 Conversation

It took about ten minutes for the residents of Hogsmeade, the only all-wizarding village in Britain, to transport all the barrels of wine from the carriage to the underground cellar of the Three Broomsticks, the most popular pub in town. After receiving their wages, they did not leave, but asked Mrs. Rosmerta, the buxom and cheerful landlady, for some drinks and chatted in the bar. The atmosphere was lively and cozy, with laughter and gossip filling the air.

In such an environment, it was not very appropriate to discuss Black and his crimes, so Tonks and Bryan talked about the Basilisk that was donated to the Ministry of Magic. According to Tonks, some young and reckless people in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures tried to make the Basilisk more docile, but they almost died under its venomous fangs. Fudge, the bumbling and incompetent Minister of Magic, was scared out of his wits by this incident, so he ordered the Aurors to stun the Basilisk until it was handed over to Newt Scamander, a famous magizoologist and author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. 

Hearing this, Bryan showed a wry smile. 

The Basilisk was fine in the Chamber of Secrets, but after being taken out, it was first blinded by Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes, then taught a lesson by Bryan's fire magic. He thought it could have a few peaceful days as a 'protected animal' after being transferred to the Ministry of Magic, but it was tortured by the Ministry again. 

Now, the sun had risen to a conspicuous height, and the temperature in the air rose rapidly, making people feel a bit hot. The windows of the pub were open, letting in some fresh breeze and sunlight. 

Bang! 

Just as Bryan was about to ask Tonks when the Ministry planned to get the Basilisk back from Scamander, there was a crisp sound of apparition on the street outside the window. Apparition was a magical form of transportation that allowed one to disappear from one place and reappear in another place.

When the dust settled, a tall bald dark-brown-skinned wizard appeared in their wary eyes. He wore a long purple cloak over his black robes and had a gold earring on his left ear. He looked around with a serious expression on his face. 

"Oh, no!" 

Seeing the face of the visitor, Tonks immediately panicked. She almost knocked over the table when she got up, 

"Damn it, I'm in trouble, Bryan. I was so busy chatting with you that I forgot about my shift. There goes my bonus for next month!" 

She said in a low voice as she grabbed her wand and cloak. She was supposed to be on duty at Hogsmeade station, guarding against any possible attack from Sirius Black, who had escaped from Azkaban prison a few months ago. 

"Hello, Mr. Watson. It's an honor to meet you. Of course, you may not have heard of me. I'm Kingsley Shacklebolt. I work in the Auror Office-" 

It's always good to have a respectable identity on the surface. Bryan was not an official of the Ministry of Magic, but he had a Order of Merlin Second Class medal that many old Aurors who had fought against evil for a lifetime could not get. He was definitely a respectable person in the wizarding world. Apart from high-ranking officials like Fudge or Dumbledore, most officials had to respect the rights of an Order of Merlin medal holder. Besides, Bryan had been a professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for a while, which was also a very respected position. 

'Not only heard of you, but also beat you up personally'

Bryan smiled and shook Kingsley's hand with a polite expression on his face. 

"Hello, Mr. Shacklebolt," 

For polite people, Bryan did not mind talking more with them. He shook Kingsley's hand twice and nodded, 

"I wouldn't say 'never heard of'. Mr. Shacklebolt, Tonks just told me some things about you. She said you were her mentor and taught her a lot of Auror skills that benefited her greatly-" 

"Yes, I thought she had grown a lot-" 

Kingsley glanced at Tonks who blinked innocently at him and said in a calm voice without any emotion. His voice had a deep and soothing quality that made him sound trustworthy and authoritative. 

"But now it seems that she still has a lot to learn. Do you know what I was thinking on my way here, Tonks?" 

"Um… because you stayed up late patrolling and slept in? Don't make that face, Kingsley," 

Tonks muttered, "It's only half an hour late. You know how it is when old classmates meet. We can't help but chat more!" She tried to make an excuse, but she knew Kingsley was not easily fooled. 

"I was wondering if you had already encountered Sirius Black and I would hear a bad news when I walked into Hogsmeade." 

Kingsley raised his chin slightly and said in a deep voice without any emotion. The gold earring on his ear sparkled under the sun. He looked at Tonks with a stern gaze, making her feel guilty and nervous. 

Looking at Tonks who was a bit embarrassed, Bryan smiled sympathetically and decided to intervene and help her out. 

"You don't have to scold her too much, Mr. Shacklebolt. As Tonks said, it was me who delayed her work. If that caused you any trouble, I can apologize." 

Bryan's gentle and humble attitude surprised Kingsley and made him feel more favorable towards him. He thought that a young wizard who had great skills and won an Order of Merlin Second Class medal that even veteran Aurors could not get would be proud if not arrogant. But now it seemed that this person was more courteous and respectful than he expected. 

He relaxed his stern expression and nodded slightly, accepting Bryan's apology. He thought that maybe he had been too harsh on Tonks. After all, she was still a rookie and needed some guidance and encouragement. 

When both sides felt some recognition for each other, the atmosphere of chatting became much more relaxed. They decided to sit down again and have another drink before leaving. Just like muggles in London love to talk about the weather, wizards in the wizarding world can always have a pleasant conversation when they are not too familiar with each other by talking about Hogwarts. It was a common ground for most British wizards, as they had spent their childhood and adolescence there, learning magic and making friends. 

Both Tonks and Kingsley had left school for some years and did not know as much about Hogwarts as Bryan, so most of the time it was him who was talking and they who were listening. He told them about the current situation of the professors who worked at Hogwarts, the changes in the curriculum and the facilities, and the latest news about the students.

"When I was at Hogwarts, the head of Slytherin was Professor Horace Slughorn. He was a very interesting old man. Even after retiring for many years, many Slytherin graduates who work in the Ministry still keep in touch with him." 

Kingsley was Bryan's senior, which undoubtedly made their communication smoother. After Bryan finished talking about Snape, Kingsley also told Bryan about the previous head of Slytherin before Snape. 

"Sorry, Mr. Watson, we have to leave now-" 

The end of the pleasant conversation came. Kingsley glanced at the sun and nodded to Bryan calmly, without holding Tonks's small mistake against her. He appreciated Bryan's hospitality and friendliness, and hoped to see him again soon. 

"I'll probably stay in Grimmauld Place for a while. If you decide to stay in Hogsmeade, when I come back, we can go to the Hog's Head and have a drink. I prefer the firewhisky there!" 

Before leaving, Tonks smiled happily and waved goodbye to Bryan. She thanked him for his company and his help, and invited him to visit her sometime. 

"Grimmauld Place?" 

Bryan blinked and asked subconsciously, "Where is that?" 

"A rundown neighborhood in northwest London. That's where Bla- Oh!" 

Tonks quickly glanced at her boss and continued when she saw that he was not angry with her for leaking secrets, 

"Black's old house. We think this despicable criminal might want to go home and have a look, so we've been watching there. Of course, if Black really went back, we might not know." 

It was reasonable to assume that after spending twelve years in prison at Azkaban, the most secure and dreadful prison in the wizarding world, guarded by soul-sucking creatures called Dementors, he might want to go home and have a look after he 'got out'. Bryan was not surprised that the Aurors would do that, but… 

"Not know?" Bryan asked curiously, "But you have a bunch of people watching there, don't you?" 

"That house is not simple, Bryan," 

Tonks took out her wand and prepared to apparate. She said mysteriously, 

"That's the ancestral home of the Black family. It's protected by many ancient and powerful magics. We can only watch from the outside and can't see the exact location of the house. So even if Black is hiding there right now, we can't do anything about it." 

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