A day at Hogwarts.

Chapter 668 You Deserve It

At 10:00 AM sharp, everything was ready, and the Ministry of Magic's exercise officially began.

Scrimgeour led a team of elite Aurors as the hypothetical enemy to launch a frontal attack on the Ministry of Magic.

The results of the exercise satisfied the client, and the Minister of Magic, with a bruised and battered face, signed the project completion acceptance report on the spot.

However, Scrimgeour requested that the details of the exercise be kept secret, and the Daily Prophet only published a news item with just two sentences.

The autumn rain in London had just stopped, and the wet cobblestone streets reflected the newly lit streetlights.

It was the same coffee shop again. The bell on the door rang crisply as Charles pushed the door open, bringing with it a touch of coolness carried by the rain.

Percy had been waiting for a long time in the innermost booth.

He absentmindedly stirred his now-cold coffee with a spoon, not taking a single sip, looking preoccupied.

“Sorry I’m late.” Charles took off his coat, which was still damp with raindrops, and sat down in the high-backed velvet chair opposite him, which creaked slightly. “The department’s exercise ended later than expected.”

Percy sat up straight as always, thinking that he hadn't heard about the exercise, so he pretended not to hear it.

A waitress wearing a red and green checkered apron brought Charles his coffee. After her footsteps disappeared behind the bar, Percy leaned forward and said in a low voice, "I received a letter from Ron."

He took a neatly folded piece of parchment from his briefcase, carefully avoiding the dampness of the coffee cup on the table, and spread it out on the table in front of Charles.

“Ron is asking about the Department of Mysteries indirectly,” Percy said, his brow furrowing as he traced key passages on the parchment. “He’s asking very specific questions, about access spells, what’s behind the doors—very sensitive information.”

“He tried to pretend he was just asking out of curiosity after someone mentioned it, but I always felt there was something hidden behind it.”

Charles picked up his coffee cup, took a sip, and looked at the date on the letter.

He whispered to Percy, "It's about the incident a while ago when someone broke into the Department of Mysteries. Harry saw it and mentioned it to Ron and Hermione when he got back to Hogwarts, so they want to find out what was there."

“That’s dangerous.” Percy’s brow furrowed even more deeply upon hearing this. “The Department of Mysteries is not a place where Hogwarts students should be curious.”

“I’m really worried that Ron might be having some impulsive and unwise idea.”

The autumn rain outside the window suddenly started again, the dense raindrops pattering against the glass like countless cold fingers urgently knocking.

Charles paused for a moment, his gaze falling on the dark liquid swirling in the glass.

“This matter has been resolved this morning,” he said. “I spoke with Harry there and put an end to their curiosity.”

“I think Harry is back at Hogwarts now and is talking to Ron about it.”

Percy's heart eased slightly, but the worry in his eyes remained.

“That’s good.” He took a big gulp of coffee. “I was afraid he might sneak into the Department of Mysteries one night.”

"However, there may be something even worse."

"I heard Ron is secretly organizing some kind of 'Wizard Octagon Fighting'? Right inside Hogwarts? That's insane!"

Charles's lips curled into an almost imperceptible smile as he said, "Your network of information is always so well-connected."

“This is not funny at all!” Percy’s voice rose involuntarily, then quickly fell back down. “My friends in the ministry told me that Umbridge has been demanding power at Hogwarts.”

"She now only has the authority to guide the teaching; whether the educational order is effective depends entirely on whether Dumbledore agrees."

"There are rumors that she is planning a reform."

"I also heard that she strongly disliked high-intensity confrontational activities like dueling."

"If she finds out that Ron is running this dangerous fighting club..."

“Now it’s cloaked in legitimacy,” Charles interrupted Percy calmly. “It’s now a practice of the ‘Academic Progress and Enhancement Seminar,’ overseen by the prefects and with strict security rules and safeguards.”

"This is much safer than letting students fight in private."

“I guess Hermione must have spoken to you; she was strongly against it.”

"But don't worry, Ron hasn't been fired yet, which means this matter has value."

Percy opened his mouth, but it turned into a heavy sigh. He said, "I hope he knows exactly what he's doing. If Mom knew Ron was doing something that could get him expelled at any moment..." He looked out the window. The streetlights cast a hazy glow on the wet cobblestones, like a golden dream, like the campus life of young people.

When the conversation turned to work at the Ministry of Magic, the atmosphere in the booth noticeably relaxed.

Percy perked up and took out another neatly bound report from his briefcase, a hint of barely perceptible pride on his face.

"The results of the third phase of the werewolf antidote trials have just been compiled." He opened the heavy cover and pointed to the densely packed data tables. "Werewolf volunteers in Europe are now in the observation phase after stopping the medication. The observation period of three full months shows that the effectiveness rate after taking the medication has reached more than 90%."

"Several obese werewolves showed signs of relapse two months after stopping the medication. The preliminary judgment is that the relationship between weight and dosage was not taken into account, resulting in insufficient efficacy of the medication."

“The healers at St. Mungo’s made adjustments to the medication.”

"The werewolves are very optimistic now, saying that they would be fine even if they had to take the medicine once a month."

“Slughorn estimated the cost of the medication, and it wasn’t high.”

Charles took the report, quickly scanned the key data, and nodded in satisfaction.

His lips twitched slightly, and he looked up to ask, "How is Lupin's physical reaction?"

"His feedback is crucial as a long-term infected person."

"Also, did Slughorn approve his experiment application?"

“Excellent.” Percy’s tone was full of admiration. “As the lead trial investigator, he provided extremely detailed records.”

"During the transformation period after taking the medication, he remained conscious, his pain was significantly reduced, and most importantly, he completely lost his aggressive desires. This proves the core efficacy of the antidote."

"Most importantly, he used his own experiences to enlighten and comfort the werewolves, which made the work go smoothly and everyone got along well."

"That matter..." Percy smiled, "Indeed, no one knows whether this drug will affect the fertility of werewolves. Slughorn thinks it needs to be carefully considered and animal experiments should be conducted first."

"So, he can only use Muggle gadgets."

Charles smiled. This question was unexpected, and the old man was also baffled. He could only let the Himalayas conduct further research.

“This is also thanks to your excellent coordination.” Charles closed the report and looked sincerely at Percy. “It is no easy task to navigate between the Ministries of Magic in various countries, St. Mungo’s Hospital, and werewolf support groups.”

Percy's cheeks flushed slightly, but he quickly said seriously, "It's my duty."

"Think about the changes this invention will bring. Those werewolves who have suffered discrimination and pain will finally see hope of breaking free from the curse."

Charles gave him a deep look, realizing that his words came from the heart, and took a sip of his coffee.

“It’s time to announce our results to the world,” Charles said suddenly, setting down his coffee cup. “Next spring, the Japan Magic Institute will host the International Potions Championship, which will be the perfect stage.”

Percy's eyes lit up instantly. The Potions Tournament brought together elite potions enthusiasts from all walks of life, making it the perfect place to announce the werewolf antidote.

Charles continued, "I will communicate with the Himalayas, and you and Lupin will co-host the European part of the launch."

Percy was completely stunned and said incredulously, "Me and Lupin?"

“But… Charles, you made the greatest contribution, you should stand on that platform yourself…”

“No.” Charles shook his head gently. “You have given so much, and you deserve these honors.”

"As for me, I don't know if there's enough time. If there is, it will be big news."

After he finished speaking, he picked up his coffee cup and drank it all in one gulp.

Night had fallen in London when I left the café.

The crisp, post-rain air rushed towards him. Charles took a deep breath and watched his exhaled breath dissipate under the streetlights, suddenly feeling a bit tired.

Alone, I walk down the street where couples stroll hand in hand, temporarily forgetting what I'm supposed to do, knowing I'll have to keep moving forward tomorrow.

The rain came and went, sometimes heavy, sometimes light. The streets were wet and bustling with traffic. Charles, unusually, cleared his mind and prepared for the work ahead.

(End of this chapter)