0144 Seeing The World (Part-2)+

"Is this still the Wizarding world?"

Harry asked in a murmur.

"This is the Wizarding world, Potter."

Bryan smiled slightly and said, he did not urge Harry to move on, he knew that this little wizard needed some time to digest what he saw. He could sense the shock and curiosity in Harry's green eyes, which were hidden behind his round glasses. 

"That-" 

Harry trembled and pointed his finger under his robe at the pet market, but halfway through, he suddenly remembered Professor Watson's warning and retracted his finger in fright. He felt a cold sweat on his forehead, wondering if anyone had noticed his gesture. 

"Oh, you mean the centaurs?" 

Bryan glanced at that direction casually and said, "There is also a centaur tribe living in the Forbidden Forest of Hogwarts, which is the largest centaur tribe in Europe." 

Harry nodded stiffly, he stared at the centaur that was fixed to the ground by iron chains as thick as his wrists on his limbs and neck, and was brutally stuffed into a cage. The cage was so small that the centaur could barely move, and his brown fur was stained with blood and dirt. His rigid brain was trying to think.

Harry felt a surge of sympathy for the creature, who looked so noble and proud despite his plight. He remembered the names of the few centaurs he had met in Hogwarts: Firenze, Ronan, Bane. Among these centaurs, the most proud one was Bane, who was furious when he saw Harry riding on Firenze's back, thinking that Firenze had tarnished the glory of the centaurs.

'What if Bane saw his kind being treated like this by wizards?' 

Harry had this thought in his mind, and he felt his breath become hot. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. 

"Why do they have to lock it in a cage? These people" 

"The reasons are varied, Potter–" Bryan said calmly, "Not all countries in the world have centaurs. Some wizards catch them to sell them at high prices, some want to take some organs from them or do some magic experiments, and some just enjoy humiliating these proud creature's dignity–" 

Harry felt sick as he heard these words. He couldn't believe that there were wizards who would do such horrible things to other living beings. 

 He stared at the centaur with whip marks on his cheeks and a weak look. He felt a surge of anger in his forehead, making his eyes blurred. 

"Why? Professor, why doesn't the Ministry of Magic do anything about it?" 

"No matter how bright the sun is, it can't dispel all the darkness on the earth, Potter." 

Bryan put his palm on Harry's shoulder, lest this stimulated little wizard suddenly lose control of himself. He looked at Harry with a serious expression and said, 

"A stable social order must give evil a proper place to live." 

Harry did not give any response, but suddenly understood why the few centaurs he had met were so resistant to contact with wizards. He wondered if they knew what was happening to their brethren in other parts of the world.

Clang! 

A sudden crash made Harry's eyes spitting fire hard to move away. He looked further away. A humanoid creature with a bird's head and scaly wings was going crazy and hitting the iron cage that imprisoned him. In front of the cage, four or five wizards were bargaining fiercely. They were holding wands and whips, ready to subdue the creature if it became too violent. The creature had golden feathers and claws, and a sharp beak that could tear flesh. It looked majestic and noble, but also desperate and furious. 

"That–" Harry gasped and said, "That creature, do people buy and sell it for humiliating their dignity too?"

"Oh, that–" Bryan smacked his lips and said in an elusive tone. "That reason is much more complicated and I can't explain it to you, Potter, because you are too young now. When you grow up. Well. After you become an adult, you will probably understand." 

Harry didn't ask any more questions, but he thought to himself that even if he reached Dumbledore's age, he wouldn't understand this kind of behavior! He felt disgusted and outraged by these wizards who treated magical creatures as commodities or toys. He suddenly remembered what Dobby had said to him. In those years when Voldemort was active, wizards treated house elves like pests. Now Voldemort has been defeated. And it was him who defeated him personally. Although he didn't feel much about it, but these scenes told Harry that the wizarding world was not as good as he imagined. 

"Do you think that was meaningful?" Harry suddenly asked in a low voice. "I mean, defeating Voldemort." 

Bryan raised his eyebrows and asked after a moment of contemplation. "Do you know Voldemort, Potter?" 

Professor Watson's question made Harry not know how to answer. He had faced Voldemort twice, the last time was two years ago.

Everyone around him except Dumbledore and Professor Watson had a look of being gazed by a basilisk when they mentioned Voldemort's name. This made Harry know that Voldemort's rampage in the wizarding world must have been very terrible. He had heard stories of how Voldemort had killed countless wizards and muggles, and how he had tried to overthrow the Ministry of Magic and establish his own dark regime. 

Evil, tyrannical, cruel, powerful enough to make people tremble Harry could think of these words to describe Voldemort. Besides, he himself had a deep hatred with Voldemort. But he didn't dare to speak rashly here. 

"The world needs order, Potter. Whether it is a bright or dark world, it needs a kind of order that most people can accept and abide by. As long as they abide by the order, wizards or magical creatures can keep their most precious wealth - life," 

Bryan turned Harry's shoulder to another direction and dragged him towards the commission market. He spoke in a low and solemn voice,

"Voldemort was also trying to create an order in his active years. That is to enslave everyone, become everyone's master, and have the power of life and death over everyone. And this kind of order is absolutely unacceptable for both the bright and dark worlds." 

Bryan hugged Harry, who was breathless, and walked to a small yard with a tall sign in the center of the cave, surrounded by a low wall. Along the way, the Auror of the Ministry of Magic quietly followed them and hung behind them thirty feet away, following them for half a mile. Harry could feel his cold gaze on his back, and he wondered what he wanted from them. 

"Get out." 

Bryan stopped and turned his head coldly, with a murderous tone. His eyes flashed with a dangerous light, and his wand was ready in his hand. 

Harry also turned his head and looked at the wizard who obviously hesitated for a few seconds and then walked away angrily. He muttered something under his breath, but Harry couldn't hear it clearly. 

"What's wrong, Professor Watson? What did that person want to do?" 

"Nothing, Potter," Bryan answered vaguely. "You can see that there are a lot of bad guys here. He probably wanted to steal something." 

Bryan didn't tell Harry that the Auror probably wanted to find out if they had Sirius Black with them. Because this little wizard who had suffered a lot of shocks in his worldview would doubt his life if he knew that the Ministry of Magic's hitman was right here, but turned a blind eye to the crimes that were happening. 

He didn't want Harry to get involved in this complicated and dangerous matter. They continued to walk forward, but suddenly, a short figure passing by not far in front of them made Harry stumble and his gloomy expression showed astonishment again. 

"Goblin. That's from Gringotts." 

Harry exclaimed. Bryan glanced at the goblin with a dark face and full of wrinkles on his cheeks. He was wearing a black suit and a hat, and he was carrying a leather bag in his hand. He said calmly, 

"Wizards can hardly tell the difference between two goblin's appearances, so they don't bother to disguise themselves when they come here." 

"But–" Harry frowned and said in surprise, "Why would goblins come here? Aren't they afraid of being locked in cages too!" 

"They are allies of wizards, Potter–" Bryan sneered. "These half-human creatures have very exquisite craftsmanship skills, and they have their own unique social system and magical heritage. Wizards fear the power of goblins, so they are free here." 

Bryan flicked his finger and tapped Harry's shoulder, reminding him to look away. 

"This goblin from Gringotts appeared here. Well, if nothing goes wrong, I think it is here to secretly deal with some assets in the bank." 

Harry was stunned and fell into a slow brain for a while before he started to work. 

"Do you mean, do you mean!" Harry's breath became rapid again. "Goblins steal the wealth that wizards store in Gringotts. No, Hagrid said that Gringotts is the safest place besides Hogwarts, If you want to save something!" 

"That's true, Potter." Bryan pulled Potter and continued to walk forward. 

"Normally, there is no problem with storing your wealth in Gringotts. But there are also some special situations." 

Bryan lowered his voice and said, "You see, Potter, goblins have a different concept of ownership than wizards. They believe that the maker of an object is its true owner, and that no one else can claim it without their consent. They also believe that any object made by goblins will return to them when the current possessor dies. This means that they don't recognize the inheritance rights of wizards, and that they consider any goblin-made object in Gringotts as theirs."

Harry's eyes widened as he listened to Bryan's words. Before Harry could ask further, Bryan explained.

"If a wizard or a family stores all their wealth in the underground vaults of Gringotts, but for some reason, all the members of this family die unfortunately, and Gringotts can't find anyone who can inherit this wealth, then what do you think should be done in this situation?"

Harry hesitated for a while before saying uncertainly. "The wealth belongs to Gringotts?" 

"Not so–" 

Bryan stepped over a puddle of stagnant water on the ground and gave an unexpected answer. He spoke in a low voice, as if he didn't want anyone to hear their conversation. 

"According to the 'Law of Just Confiscation', this unclaimed wealth should be returned to the Ministry of Magic for the development of the wizarding world. But I think you know the reputation of goblin's and their greediness, Potter. Although they have to give up that wealth under the pressure of wizards, they are obviously not willing to do so. So when they hand over their wealth, they tamper with their accounts and hide some of it secretly. This is also very understandable." He shrugged his shoulders, showing a cynical smile.

"Are all the people in the Ministry of Magic fools?" 

Harry shouted sharply because he was angry that the Ministry of Magic did nothing about the crimes that happened in front of them. He clenched his fists, feeling a surge of indignation. How could they let the goblins get away with such dishonesty?

"Why would you think that, Potter?" Bryan smiled and said. "If you ask me where there are the most wizard elites in the British wizarding world, then undoubtedly it must be in the Ministry of Magic. They are not fools, but Potter, laws also need people to execute them. And those wizards who execute laws also expect to live a rich and luxurious life." 

He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in. "Do you understand what I mean?"

Harry opened his mouth and was speechless again. After a while he realized what Professor Watson meant, The Ministry of Magic knew about this situation all along, but some wizards among them colluded with goblins. 

Realizing this, Harry's expression became stiff again. 

He thought of Ron's father, Mr. Weasley, who was the only Ministry official he knew well. 

Then would Mr. Weasley also do these dirty things privately? Thinking about Ron's father like this made Harry feel ashamed, but he couldn't help having these thoughts. 

'No way Mr. Weasley can't be that type of wizard!' 

A moment later Harry got his answer. 'If Mr. Weasley really was that kind of wizard who did dirty things, then Ron's family's financial situation wouldn't be so bad as it is now. And it was because of his integrity and principles that Mr. Weasley, who was very capable and qualified, was not very popular in the Ministry of Magic!' 

This answer made Harry feel much better. He wanted to ask some other questions, but he found that they had already arrived at the low wall. 

"Wait here for me, Potter." 

Bryan ordered Harry to stay where he was and not move. He went into the yard from a gap and walked towards Kakus, who had been staring at them with curiosity and suspicion. 

"Can I help you with anything?" 

Frustrated by the Ministry of Magic's 'business', bored Kakus stood up. He quickly glanced at Bryan a few times, but because Bryan was not wearing his usual black robe with a mark and his face had no conspicuous magic vortex, he didn't recognize him. 

"It's me, Fawley–" 

Since he had already exposed his identity, Bryan didn't need to disguise himself anymore. He said in his original voice. Kakus reacted quickly and realized who the person in front of him was. His tone became happy immediately. Noticing that Professor Watson had left the short wizard behind, Kakus lowered his voice. 

"It's you, Mr. Watson. Are you here to take a commission?" 

Before Bryan could respond, Kakus complained. 

"To catch that damn Black, the Ministry of Magic messed up this place. If it weren't for the fierce resistance from us residents, they even wanted to station Dementors here!" 

While speaking Kakus shuddered visibly at the thought of those soul-sucking creatures. 

"You have accumulated enough wealth for the Fawley family to live comfortably until the next century, Kakus. There are countless wizards here who are more miserable than you." 

 Bryan's voice was cold and sharp as he pierced Kakus's hypocritical lamentation. He was also astonished by the Ministry of Magic's reckless actions. How could they try to send such dangerous creatures as Dementors to the underground world If they really dared to do so, he was afraid that the European wizarding world would have plunged into chaos and war by now.

While Bryan was lost in his thoughts, Kakus had already taken out his worn-out notebook and flipped through it eagerly in front of him, muttering under his breath.

"Let me see, Professor Watson. I have reserved two very valuable tasks for you. The commission is generous, very generous. And you know, according to our previous agreement, I won't charge you any intermediary fees within a year. That's a rare offer, you know. Oh, here it is."

"Don't bother, Kakus."

Bryan glanced at Harry, who was looking curiously at the towering structure that stood at the end of the fan-shaped cave. He said indifferently. 

"I came to find you this time not to take a commission."

"Then what are you here for?"

Kakus's movement in his hand froze. His easy-going face was full of confusion and suspicion.

"I'm here to find you to post a commission."

Bryan snapped his index finger and said heavily.

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