A certain Hogwarts professor of runes

Chapter 734 Extra Chapter: Granger

As June drew to a close, the sweltering heat in the air was so intense that even the underground British Ministry of Magic could feel it.

Hermione pretended that her recent bad mood was due to the upcoming competition. Suddenly, news about the floating islands surged. Mafalda Prewitt, editor of the Hogwarts-era newspaper *The Wall*, commented on this phenomenon: 'No matter when, you can always see at least one guy riding a public broomstick, carrying a camera, cruising around the island—no doubt, that's my lovely colleague.'

Another journalist, Rita Skeeter, known for her sharp wit and satirical style, after interspersing her reports with popular articles such as "A Shady Smuggling Family" and "A Great Naturalist? A Terrible Fashion Designer," turned her attention to the tourists visiting the island. However, this time she almost landed herself in the news. When asked about her sources, she implied that she had bribed island staff to obtain a list of celebrities in advance. This list included members of the Order of the Phoenix, members of the lookout post and the Ouroboros Club, as well as politicians, celebrities, pianists, poets, and last year's world number two tennis player. But most importantly, she mentioned the chain reaction triggered by "the power shift behind the World Cup," saying with schadenfreude, "People are panicking."

Journalists from other countries were equally numerous. This seemed to confirm Mafalda's point that "there are more journalists than tourists on the island." This was, of course, an exaggeration, as Hermione, as a senior deputy minister, knew all too well; she was currently approving new applications to visit the island.

"120 people signed up this morning, and if we include the information from the Muggle government, that number will increase by... two thousand. And that's just for one morning!" Hermione rubbed her forehead. "We don't have enough door keys, the fireplace can only accommodate a limited number of people each day, and we have to ensure it's open in critical moments... Didn't we convert a passenger ship for the British government?"

"The Prime Minister wishes that ship to serve as the Queen's and her entourage's vehicle," the Magical Transportation Department official replied.

Hermione opened her mouth as if to say something sarcastic, but she said nothing.

"I can only provide twenty more temporary fireplaces, located on a small island 30 nautical miles from the floating island. If they agree, arrange for a ship to pick them up; otherwise, let them figure it out themselves." She wrote down her opinion, added her name at the end of the document, and wrote, "Give this to Kingsley." The office fell silent.

Hermione glanced at the time; the clock hands seemed stuck at four o'clock. She went through the documents at hand again: the new entry into the law, the potion list review, the private flying broomstick license, the opening date of Wizarding Town, the draft "Anti-Space Smuggling Law"... After confirming that everything was in order, she began to stare blankly at the photo on her desk. It was a picture of her and Felix on Mars, the two of them sitting on reddish-brown rocks, with desolate sand dunes covered in gravel in the background; a sandstorm was approaching in the distance, and behind them was an oasis; Valentine, sporting a bubble-head charm, was jumping around with great interest...

A wistful smile appeared on her face as her fingers unconsciously traced the photo frame. The experiences of the past few years flashed through her mind:

As the assistant to the previous Minister for Magic, Ms. Burns, her starting point in the Ministry of Magic was high, but it wasn't surprising: the Minister for Magic could have many assistants. A dedicated department—the Office of Assistant Ministers—served the Minister for Magic, with a staff ranging from one to a dozen people. These people generally acted as advisors and assistants, although occasionally some would sneak in just to collect a salary without doing any work.

But Hermione got plenty of training here.

From initially reporting information related to Muggle affairs to gradually becoming involved in the specific affairs of the Pan-Magical Federation, participating in and formulating liaison rules among various magical races, and acting as a deputy to government officials, her political talent was on full display. Three years later, Hermione applied to become an observer for the International Pan-Magical Federation. Over the next two years, she traveled extensively around the world, writing a series of observation reports that combined local magical environments with an international perspective. These reports, along with the findings of other observers, provided the Federation headquarters with meticulous and detailed analytical case studies.

For Hermione, her horizons were further broadened.

When she returned to the British Ministry of Magic, she was only 24 years old, but her experience far exceeded that of her peers. After a harmonious interview that hardly even counted as an interview, she became the Assistant Director of the Office of the Minister. Theoretically, she could then give orders to Felix, who was still holding the position of staff officer (Felix still doesn't understand the relationship between these positions, and no one dares to order him around).

If she had followed the conventional path, she would most likely have gone further and further down the political road, rising through the ranks to eventually become Minister for Magic. But her magical path would have become increasingly narrow. In fact, unlike Harry's smooth road, she experienced her own limitations much earlier. Although her abilities far surpassed those of ordinary wizards, only she realized that she might never become an Archmage; an invisible wall stood in her way. This wall has trapped countless outstanding wizards.

That trip to Mars brought about an unexpected change in Hermione, which, in her later words, was:

"Every wizard's magical transformation is inseparable from a tremendous spiritual impact, and for me, it was that month I spent living on Mars. Without having to consider any real-world influences, I completely cast aside all constraints and concerns... Compared to the vast universe, an individual is so insignificant, but when I do my best to light up a small patch of starry sky, I can feel a profound shock and grandeur, as if all my past understanding has been overturned."

After returning from Mars, she wrote more than a dozen papers exploring the nature of magic. Most of them were conjectures, but they were enough to prove that she had a completely new understanding of magic. Felix picked one of them and suggested that she publish it. It was later considered to be a perfect demonstration of the problem of "magic's adaptability under extreme conditions".

In the office, Hermione muttered to herself, "That feeling is really amazing."

"What's so 'amazing'?" a voice interrupted. She looked up and caught Harry's odd expression. Hermione teased, "The scene where you performed the Lannski feint at the wedding."

Harry coughed awkwardly twice. It was his first wedding, and some excitement was inevitable. Plus, exchanging vows with Ginny under the sky, followed by Fred and George's shouts that created a competitive atmosphere as a large group of lively guests swooped down on their broomsticks—he couldn't help himself…

"By the way, what brings you here?" Hermione asked, trying to change the subject. "I thought you'd be too busy to come out lately."

"More or less," Harry muttered. "I've missed at least three family gatherings, and Albus is getting annoyed with me. There's just too much to handle. It's a city of millions, with most of the world's countries and powers, and the relationships are incredibly complex... To be honest, I'm having a hard time keeping up."

"Perhaps you could take a cue from Felix's approach?" Hermione suggested.

“Good idea,” Harry said. “Delegating tasks to others, occasionally showing up to solve a problem or two, and incidentally getting rid of all the troublemakers… I’ve thought about it seriously, and this style doesn’t suit me.”

Hermione raised an eyebrow.

Are you here seeking comfort, or are you here to complain?

"No, not at all," Harry said seriously. "It's because of something else."

Hermione looked at him across the table.

"The department found a time-tamper at Nott's house, right?"

"What are you doing—"

"Tell me first," Harry said.

Hermione thought for a moment. "That's right. The department has been systematically recovering time-tamperes that have been lost over the centuries, whether they're damaged or not; this started more than a decade ago when Ms. Burns was in office. Because... well, you know the specific reason."

"Oh, I see..." Harry said slowly. One of the two people in this conversation had just experienced time travel, and the time travel was far beyond what the Ministry of Magic allowed. This indirectly led to the breach of the Department of Mysteries of the Ministry of Magic, the theft of a large amount of time energy and the hourglass of the Time-Turner; the two of them knew exactly who this person was.

"Ms. Burns believes it is necessary to conceal the existence of the Time-Turner, especially during this special time when the wizarding world is becoming more open," Hermione explained to him. "It was Headmaster Dumbledore who initially applied to the Ministry of Magic, and now that policy has ended with his departure, the Time-Turner will no longer appear in the school or in the public eye. Kingsley and I both agree with this approach."

Harry pondered Dumbledore's attitude toward the Time-Turner, and the silverware that had been sitting on the long-legged table for years, before taking a small gold timer out of his pocket and placing it on the table.

Hermione's eyes widened at first, then the look of surprise on her face gradually disappeared, and she became thoughtful.

"This can't be yours," she said.

“It’s from the Malfoys,” Harry admitted. “Draco originally wanted to give it to Professor Hyp, but he wasn’t sure what he thought, so he compromised and asked me to deliver it to you. He said, uh,” Harry scratched his head, “Astoria is better now and can definitely attend the World Cup opening ceremony.”

"That's good news," Hermione said with a smile.

(End of this chapter)