097 After The Meeting

After bidding farewell to Lupin, Bryan had no intention of leaving the Leaky Cauldron with him. He felt drained from the endless tasks he had completed in the past few days. He politely requested Tom, the friendly bar owner, to arrange a room for him upstairs. He decided to spend a peaceful night here before heading back to the Muggle world tomorrow.

The sun in early July in London shone brightly but lazily on the streets. Bryan stayed in his cozy room all afternoon without stepping out. He only got up from his comfortable bed when the sun dipped below the horizon and the moon emerged from behind the clouds. He rubbed his sleepy eyes and stretched his limbs slowly.

Once a person relaxes, his body will soon demand more rest and nourishment. Bryan felt his stomach growl and complain, so he put on his clothes and walked out of the room with a slight sway.

Since Hogwarts had already started the summer vacation, the Leaky Cauldron was bustling with more wizards than usual, but most of them were just passing through this place to travel between the wizarding world and the Muggle world. Only a few wizards chose to stay here for a longer time.

Bryan also spotted a few students in their school uniforms, but he picked a seat behind a pillar, which was hidden from their view. Those students who were thrilled about the start of the summer vacation did not pay attention to him. Bryan preferred to keep a low profile and did not initiate any conversation with them.

He cut a piece of steak and savored it slowly, then took a sip of the smooth red wine. Bryan quietly enjoyed the leisure time that belonged only to him.

The news that Rufus Scrimgeour, the head of Auror's office, led his elite subordinates to hunt down smugglers, but was ambushed and injured by a dark wizard did not appear in the Daily Prophet. Therefore, the main topic of discussion among the guests around was still Gilderoy Lockhart, who had just resigned from the position of Hogwarts Defense Against the Dark Arts professor in a scandalous way.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that everyone pushes when the wall falls. After his past despicable crimes were exposed, Lockhart, whose works were popular throughout the European wizarding world, became a black sheep that everyone despised and ridiculed. Overnight, all his fans vanished.

The wizards around who were talking about this topic all scoffed and claimed that they had seen through his true face a long time ago, as if they would be ashamed if they didn't say so.

"–Fifteen years in prison, the Wizengamot is not merciful this time,"

Bryan shook his head and sighed slightly. He wondered what fate awaited this guy in the original book. He guessed it would not be better than it is now.

As Bryan was 'praying' for Lockhart who was suffering in prison, he heard a familiar voice that made him frown.

"Sit over there, Draco. And don't you notice that your mother is holding something in her hand? How did I teach you?"

It was Lucius Malfoy, who had just entered the Leaky Cauldron with his wife and son. He walked with an air of authority and disdain, as if he owned the place and everyone in it. He ignored the curious and fearful glances from the other patrons and headed to a secluded table in the corner of the bar. His wife Narcissa followed him closely, clutching a small package in her hand and looking around nervously. She was a beautiful woman, but her face was pale and tense, as if she expected trouble at any moment.

Draco followed his parents with a smug smile and a swagger in his step. He enjoyed the attention he was getting, especially from the Slytherin students who were also present in the bar. He spotted Bryan sitting at the table and quickened his pace. He grabbed the package from his mother's hand with an impatient gesture and rolled his eyes behind his father's back. He muttered as he sat down next to Bryan.

"Gryffindor lost to Hufflepuff, so Hufflepuff won. Then Ravenclaw also lost to Hufflepuff. You defeated Hufflepuff and lost to Gryffindor in the final match but scored higher than Gryffindor in total points. As a result, you won the championship?"

Bryan raised his eyebrows and looked at Draco who became animated and a bit nervous when he met him. He blinked and smiled,

"Wood didn't kill Potter?"

"I suspect he wanted to kill all the Gryffindor team!"

Draco grinned with satisfaction. His father being kicked out of the Hogwarts board of directors did make him gloomy for a while, but the final Quidditch match victory restored all his pride! He recalled the final score of 170-130 between Gryffindor and Slytherin in that match, when Mrs. Hooch announced that Slytherin won by a large margin. At that moment, those Gryffindors on the team looked like they had been petrified on their flying brooms. Draco couldn't contain the smile on his face as he watched their dismayed expressions.

While Draco was enthusiastically telling Bryan about the details of that final match with a grin on his face, Lucius remained strangely silent. He didn't glance at his son or scrutinize Bryan. His light gray eyes just fixed on the people coming and going in the bar, radiating coldness.

"Draco."

Narcissa Malfoy, who had also been quiet until then, suddenly cut off her son's bragging. She looked at her husband with an aloof expression, stood up gracefully, and said in a much more serious tone than usual when addressing Draco,

"I just remembered that the few dresses I ordered at Madam Malkin's Robes shop should be ready by now. I need you to come with me and try them on."

"It's just a few dresses, mother, there's no need–"

"How dare you disobey your mother's request, Draco?"

Lucius came out of his frozen state. He glared at Malfoy and snapped at him.

Watching Draco, who was reluctant to follow his mother out of the Leaky Cauldron, Bryan shifted his gaze away from him, took out his wand and muttered 'Muffliato'. Then he smiled at Lucius Malfoy,

"Your wife is very beautiful, Lucius, and very smart."

Lucius didn't say anything. He was studying the young wizard in front of him who was hard to read. Unconsciously, his breathing became slightly faster.

"–I heard that since you lost the position of Hogwarts board member, you have been in trouble for a while. The father of several children in the Weasley family, Arthur Weasley of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, seemed to have visited your manor many times to seek justice for his little daughter, and discovered a lot of interesting gadgets?"

Lucius's gray eyes burned with rage as he thought of that blood traitor who liked Muggles. Arthur Weasley had been a constant thorn in his side for a while, making him a joke among the pure-blood families. And what frustrated him even more was that Arthur, despite his lowly position, had a long-standing seniority in the Ministry of Magic and a good rapport with many people. The pressure he tried to exert on him through the higher-ups was ineffective.

"This is also thanks to you, isn't it?"

Lucius took a deep breath and looked at Bryan. Although there was a faint smile on his face, there was no warmth in his gray eyes.

"There is something that has baffled me for a long time, Mr. Watson. You broke into the Chamber of Secrets of Slytherin and subdued that beast, saving several students. To reward you, Fudge even went through a special procedure to award you a worthless medal. But why didn't the Daily Prophet report this at all? It's as if everything was done by Harry Potter and his impulsive friends."

"What do you think is the reason, Mr. Malfoy?"

Bryan picked up the goblet and took a sip of red wine. He smiled slightly.

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