Chapter 88: Award Ceremony

On a sunny Saturday morning,

In the yard in front of Hogwarts Castle, a short and athletic middle-aged man dressed in Muggle attire stood silently, waiting.

Behind him, several wizards were arranging tables and chairs with an extended platform in the center.

A wizard approached and slightly bowed his head as he spoke to the man in the suit.

"Minister, it seems the members of the judging board will be a while longer. Would you like to enter the castle and wait?"

The man in the suit was none other than Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic.

He replied to the wizard named Shackleton, "No need to trouble yourself, Kingsley. I must guarantee they will see me as soon as possible. You know how troublesome it can be if any of those old geezers say something negative about me."

The board that Cornelius was cautious of was undoubtedly the members of the Order of Merlin, who were responsible for the evaluations.

These old gentlemen held a high reputation in the wizarding world, even though they usually kept to themselves and avoided worldly affairs.

No one would underestimate their influence.

Cornelius had arrived so early today to leave a good impression on these people.

There were rumors outside that claimed he was a puppet supported by Dumbledore. He hoped to gain more support and shake off the rumor released by Dumbledore.

Soon, an older man appeared from the other side of the suspension bridge and slowly made his way over.

Cornelius hurriedly greeted him, wiping away the sweat caused by his fast walk, and politely said, "Mr. Bonham, I didn't expect you to arrive so early."

The old man, impatient with Cornelius's excessive politeness, casually responded, "I came to see the young lad who invented the Wolfsbane Potion. Nick praised him to the skies in his letter. You go about your business."

After speaking, the old man ignored the slightly awkward Cornelius and walked straight into the school grounds.

One by one, more people arrived—some older men came alone, while others brought a few young wizards with them.

However, they weren't quite fond of politicians like Cornelius. After some casual greetings, they paid him no attention.

Cornelius couldn't help but wonder what kind of magic Arthur Gaunt possessed that attracted so many major figures to come forward and present him with an award.

...

"Arthur! Many people have arrived! Headmaster Dumbledore has already gone out to welcome them," Hermione exclaimed, eagerly saying the situation outside.

Since learning about Arthur receiving the Order of Merlin, the young witch was even more excited than Arthur himself.

She couldn't stop sharing all the information she knew.

Those who didn't know might have thought Hermione was the one receiving the Order of Merlin.

Seeing Hermione and Cho so excited, Arthur couldn't disappoint their spirits. He could only go along with their urging and make his way outside the castle.

Outside the castle, everything had been neatly arranged.

Dumbledore was chatting with a group of old men, and in the distance, many young wizards were observing from a distance, scared to get too close.

When Dumbledore saw Arthur's arrival, he waved at him, motioning him to come over.

Dumbledore happily introduced each of these people to Arthur.

Many of their names had appeared in Arthur's books before. Arthur politely greeted each of them in return.

A group of old men smiled at Arthur, and an old man named Bonham suddenly asked, "Could you tell us about your thinking process in developing the Wolfsbane potion?"

"Fig leaves have a calming effect, and a rat's tail can control the bloodthirsty impulse, so..." Arthur spoke confidently, explaining the principles of the potion.

He understood what these people were thinking. It was indeed a bit ridiculous for a second-year wizard to develop a powerful potion.

As Arthur explained, the group of people sat in silence and thought. Sometimes someone would ask about the difficulties in the brewing process.

Dumbledore stood by, smiling with satisfaction, but he had to attend to the Ministry of Magic officials and soon left.

The conversation between Arthur and the group of old men slowly shifted from the Wolfsbane potion to the entire field of magical potions and even connected on some spell-related questions.

What amazed everyone was that although Arthur was not knowledgeable in all specific areas of knowledge, whenever he spoke, his words were meaningful, and he had unique insights.

Slowly, the interaction with Arthur shifted from questioning to equal exchange, leaving some young wizards brought here to experience the wizarding world and the Hogwarts students who were watching stunned.

This person he's so talented.

...

When Dumbledore came to call them for the award ceremony, the group of old men and Arthur reluctantly stopped their conversation.

One of them sighed, "I really wish I could have talked with you for a while longer, Arthur. But today's purpose is not that. We shouldn't delay your award ceremony."

"You're right. Nicolas said we would be full of praise for you when he invited us, and now it seems he wasn't exaggerating," Bonham agreed.

Arthur had already learned about this old man named Bonham. His ancestors founded St. Mungo's Hospital, and their family had been recognized for their expertise in magical potions for over 400 years.

After hearing his words, Arthur realized that all these important figures who had come were invited by Nicolas Flamel.

He felt a deep sense of gratitude.

This old man has been truly kind to him.

Arthur had only mentioned some of his ideas in a letter to Nicolas, but he didn't expect to receive strong support.

"Gaunt, I have to admit that you're quite popular among the old here," Dumbledore teased Arthur with a smile.

Arthur shivered for a moment.

Why did that words feel strange coming from Dumbledore's mouth?

Next, the award ceremony began, with Dumbledore, as the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, granting the medal to Arthur.

Arthur gave a speech expressing his determination to continue working hard and thus ended the award ceremony.

The young wizards were jealous, especially Percy.

He didn't even have a chance to exchange a few words with these bigwigs, while Arthur was able to engage in lively conversations with them.

Sometimes, the gap between people can be greater than the gap between humans and dogs.

...

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