Hermione, join me as Minister of Magic!

Seeing that he had already figured it out, Lockhart lost no time in persuading him: "That's the thing, my friend, I think you must have been used by this guy. Who told you goblins to never communicate with each other's financial status? where?"

Lockhart hoped that this would make Ragnor sober, but he obviously overestimated the goblin race's obsession with money, and also overestimated the degree of their unity.

"No, I have to ask Bagman to pay back the money quickly... By the way, Gildero, please don't say anything about this, let Bagman pay back the money he owes me first, and then he will be with whomever he asks to borrow money." I have nothing to do, okay?"

While talking, Ragno held Lockhart's hand, with a flattering look on his face, trying to win him over.

At this moment, Lockhart suddenly understood the rich people, bankers and heads of financial trading institutions within the "one square mile". "Bar?

"It's very difficult." Lockhart sighed and began to make up his mind, "My duty is to investigate exactly how much money Director Bagman embezzled that didn't belong to him, but I still don't know what he owes. how much you."

"Not much, it's only 1500 Galleons, and I only want [-]% of his interest, for half a year... You know, compared with our business, this is not even a fraction." Raguenot defended himself road.

Lockhart did not expect that the increased appetite of the goblins was actually related to him.

If Bagman is indeed engaged in this kind of Ponzi scheme, then it is understandable that the entire goblin world in the original book refuses to believe in wizards because of this.

Lockhart could imagine that there must be many goblins having debt disputes with Bagman, which led to the national confrontation between the goblins and the Ministry of Magic.

And without reminding themselves, the goblins probably didn't figure out what kind of tricks Bagman was up to until the end, so the loss must be even heavier than it is now.

To judge others by oneself, if half of the residents of a small country are deceived by a financial scammer, and this scammer has obtained asylum in a place like the US Financial Asylum Service, then this country may also be at odds with the whole country and the United States.

...Maybe only the Philippines is an exception." Even if the [-] suitcases that the Marcos family worked so hard to loot were confiscated by the U.S. customs, the Filipinos still call the Americans Papa.

Before leaving, Lockhart was stuffed with a bottle of whiskey, and according to Ragueneau, the alcohol content of this wine was as high as 92%. product"

His intention of bribing Lockhart is also obvious-that is, to make him slow down and announce the news, so that he can quickly realize his debt.

In addition to the Gringotts goblins such as Ragnol and Gonuk, there are also many goblins outside who have borrowed money from Bagman, such as Red and Boderick.

Although Ragueno didn't know how much they lent, as far as he knew, the interest they borrowed would usually not be less than [-]%, so Lockhart only needed to ask about the loan amount of two or three goblins. Then according to the order in which they borrowed money, they could know how much money Bagman's scam had made.

"That guy is also involved in gambling." Raguenor also told Lockhart a big news, "Some of his kind have opened a gambling game, and that guy Bagman is still a regular customer.

Although he didn't explain what he said, Lockhart could guess that there must be something wrong with Bagman.

Bagman is addicted to gambling and is a standard gambling dog. If someone wants to use this to get him into a debt crisis, it is really not difficult.

No matter who it is, as long as he controls Bagman, his status as the director of the Department of Magical Sports and Sports will become profitable again, and the game designer behind it can use Bagman's hand To control certain important sports games.

Thinking of Crouch's behavior of "fishing" himself with the position of director at that time, Lockhart decided that he must find out the person behind him. If there is no one behind him, then he will do it himself.

Because Lockhart suddenly realized that Bagman might be of some use to him, too.

Chapter 230 Attack and Defense in the Ministry of Magic

No matter how many thoughts Lockhart had in mind, he still conscientiously completed the task assigned to him by Crouch.

Raguenot lent him 1500, agreeing to repay the principal and 1800% interest after half a year; Gonuk lent him 1000, agreeing to 1300% interest for a quarter; Reid couldn't find out about it because he went to the United States, but probably not. It would be less than [-], and Boderick borrowed [-] from Bagman... There are a dozen or so, and it looks like he owes [-] to [-] Galleons, not including the money he owes the wizard. "

Crouch was very satisfied with Lockhart's efficiency: "Bagman's weekly salary is 30 Galleons, which is only 1600 a year. Even if he does not eat or drink for ten years, he can't afford it."

"Yes, under such circumstances, it is not surprising that he will do anything to raise money, and the money is too large. The Ministry of Magic will never pay for him, and neither will our department." Loha Te decided to put the ugly words in front.

"Yeah, I didn't expect him to borrow so much." Crouch also hesitated, "It seems a bit worthless to spend so much money for a director."

"Especially when most of our money is still sitting in the wells," Lockhart added.

Crouch nodded, deeply agreeing with Lockhart's words.

"Since this is the case, then we won't bribe him." Crouch made a straightforward decision, "Let him make the case bigger, and then we will use it to hit Fudge. It is best to find evidence of his embezzlement of public funds..."

Lockhart was a little surprised: "Is there not enough evidence now?"

"Not enough. No matter how much money he owes, it's just his personal morality. It's not enough. Besides, there are too many retired stars who don't pay attention to their property.

He'd have to prove he was negligent. said Crouch, tapping the quill on the table.

Lockhart looked unbearable: "Isn't this a little bad... I mean, if something happens to him, the image of the Ministry of Magic will be damaged, and we have to deal with goblins again..."

Crouch sneered: Ur don't understand, Gildero... Bagman had a chance to be a member of us when he just retired, but drinking and gambling harmed him, he didn't take advantage of the most famous and financial resources It's time to be 'aggressive', so he's already lost that opportunity, get it?"

Lockhart blinked a few times, then nodded firmly.

"Very well, you are a smart person, I know you will understand." Crouch stood up and patted Lockhart on the shoulder: "But you are different from Bagman, you know exactly what you want, Knowing what it takes to get there, and doing a really good job so far... I think you'll be able to break into a new circle pretty soon."

"You mean?" Lockhart pretended to be excited.

"Yes, that's what you think." Crouch said lightly, and then signaled to Lockhart to leave.

After Lockhart walked out of the office, the excited expression he had just pretended evaporated from his face.

"Hey, who cares about what you give me?" He cursed secretly, "Won't you take it yourself?"

Only these pure-blood families still take themselves seriously, right?

But having said that, Mr. Crouch is in a very good mood recently, and he talks more and more.

Even when he was in Hogsmeade, Crouch still looked like he was thinking about when to retire, but Fudge's impatient performance activated the old man's authority.

Power desires... tsk, Fudge is an idiot too.

After receiving the information from Lockhart, Crouch obviously felt more at ease with Lockhart. Not only did he give him more authority, but he also accelerated his actions to control the Sports Department.

He publicly proposed to the Ministry of Magic to run a "Quidditch lottery"

"...The phenomenon of illegal gambling is particularly serious now, and it takes up a lot of energy and financial resources of wizards. This is not a good thing. So I suggest that instead of letting criminals use gambling to plunder people's wealth, it is better for the Ministry of Magic to organize and operate it. The proceeds will also ease our financial pressure."

Crouch's words caused an uproar in the Ministry of Magic, and Fudge was also restless because of it.

He couldn't publicly object to this proposal, because many staff members in the Ministry of Magic were already moved by Crouch's proposal.

From the perspective of Muggles, Fudge is not only a politician, but also a bureaucrat, and he is the best bureaucrat.

As the top of the pyramid, he enjoys the best part of the benefits brought by the Ministry of Magic system, but it also means that he must be responsible to the entire Ministry of Magic civil servants.

If the gaming industry is brought under the ownership of the Ministry of Magic, then the newly established department can immediately relieve the employment pressure of many children of pure-blood wizard families. At the same time, the more substantial finances will also make the financial department firmly vote in favor.

For a Muggle government, the most important departments are the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Finance: the same is true for wizards, if people from both the diplomatic and financial aspects support this proposal, then Fudge as a minister actually has little room to refuse .

-On the one hand, the number of personnel under control can be expanded, and on the other hand, the department budget can be increased. As long as the finance side proposes a motion to increase the salary of the Ministry of Magic staff, no department will probably refuse.

Fudge felt involuntary, but there was nothing he could do.

As Jim Harker said: "I'm the prime minister of a country, so I can't make any decisions."

Didn't the bastard Crouch say he was retiring?It turned out to be just a blindfold!Fudge secretly hated.

In desperation, Fudge had no choice but to resort to the most helpless method among politicians - procrastination.

"Director Crouch's suggestion is very pertinent and highly feasible. However, the most important task of the Ministry of Magic right now is to hold the Quidditch World Cup finals this summer and the Triwizard Tournament this fall. It is inappropriate to discuss this matter at Sekiguchi, and I suggest waiting to discuss this topic at the end of the year, so as to provide a reference for us to formulate next year's budget."

Even though he knew Fudge was talking nonsense, he was a minister after all, so he still had to give some face.

After he made his statement, the topic of discussing the sports lottery gradually cooled down, and everyone officially began to enter the work rhythm of the World Cup.

Lockhart was also informed that when the Quidditch World Cup final was held, he had to be present to accompany foreign guests.

Because he is not only an "internationally renowned wizard", but also a member of the Wizarding Union, and he is also a staff member of the Department of International Magic Affairs Cooperation, so he is doomed to escape in this matter

Of course, with Lockhart's character, he wouldn't run away either.

Chapter 230 Three Major Events Determined in a Small Area

After witnessing his godson win the House Quidditch Cup and getting his new oak wand, Sirius Black finally had one last thing on his mind.

That's adopting Harry.

After carefully testing Harry and getting a positive answer, Sirius happily applied for registration to the Ministry of Magic.

But what he didn't expect was that the Ministry of Magic formally approved the registration, but at the same time refused to let Harry live with him

Sirius was furious and stormed into Lockhart's office making a fuss

Lockhart was also very helpless, because firstly because this matter was out of his hands, and secondly because it was Dumbledore who didn't want Harry to live with Sirius, not someone in the Ministry of Magic.

As far as Lockhart knew, Dumbledore had used his rare influence to exert pressure within the Ministry of Magic to cancel custody of Sirius.

"Lily Potter left a blood magic to protect Harry from evil." Dumbledore explained, "So even if he doesn't want to, he must live with that Muggle family for a period of time every year, until adulthood

In this regard, those wizards from ancient pure-blood families can understand, because these families have blood magic to protect their heirs, and it is the same for the Potter family.

So, they don't mind giving Dumbledore a face.

It costs them nothing to make a decision, but the pressure to do it

It was Lockhart.

No matter how noisy Sirius was, Lockhart couldn't give him this right. He could only wait until he finished the quarrel, and then instructed him to go to Hogwarts to find Dumbledore.

Sirius did go, but after a long time, he returned to Hogsmeade disheartened, and he didn't know if he was scolded or something.

Anyway, Sirius wasn't allowed to take Harry out except for the second month of summer and the Christmas break each year.

According to the information that Lockhart later inquired from Snape, Dumbledore said to Sirius very bluntly, "You are still a child yourself", which made him choke enough but could not refute.

"If you ask me, it's actually better for him to stay in prison, at least he can be taught how to behave there." Snape added gloatingly when handing him the potion that Lockhart had ordered.

Because Snape couldn't adopt Harry himself, he couldn't see the good of others. If Sirius finally succeeded in adopting Harry, Snape would probably go crazy with anger even if he didn't say it publicly.

Since there was no way to get Harry into his own home, there was no longer any reason for Sirius to stay in Hogsmeade.

After saying goodbye to Harry, he took the new oak wand custom-made from Ollivander, stepped on the will-o'-the-wisp motorcycle he just bought, and then flew into the sky.

According to him, his destination was Paris, France.

He slapped his ass off in style, but Lockhart had to stay in Hogsmeade to finish his last work.

Because the Ministry of Magic is understaffed, he has to assist colleagues in the Sports Department and the Transportation Department to count the number of people who are going to watch the Quidditch match in order to arrange port keys and so on.

Lockhart can't complain, because the Ministry of Magic will be busy with this

No deal.

This can be regarded as a tradition in the wizarding world—as long as a major project is undertaken, the entire Ministry of Magic staff needs to be mobilized, not to mention that Lockhart’s authority is somewhat marginal, even several departments that are completely unrelated need temporary Come and help.

It's not that the Ministry of Magic doesn't want to have a clear set of powers, but that the Ministry of Magic's staff is really too small.Among all the departments, only the old scholars of the Department of Mysteries rarely need to be dispatched, and everyone else must be prepared to be temporary workers.

However, it is precisely because of this that even if the Ministry of Magic's finances are tight, the team size still needs to be expanded.

After seeing the budget allocated to him by the Ministry of Magic for this month, Lockhart showed a smug smile.

It may be because he is too competitive, or it may be because of the relationship with someone above him, the Ministry of Magic still has not cut their department's funds in the context of budget cuts.

Although it is said that Lockhart is not short of money at all, it does not mean that he will actively ask for a reduction in funding.

As an old bureaucrat, he is well aware of the principle of "promise above but not below". It is fine for him to show kindness today, but it will be as difficult as skyrocketing to increase the budget tomorrow.

But with the Ministry of Magic's budget so tight, if he proposes to raise money for the Ministry of Magic', it is estimated that he will receive the least resistance.

...and now that Hogsmeade's new houses are nearly complete, it's time to put them to good use.

For this reason, Lockhart typed an official document, formally proposing to the Ministry of Magic a plan to introduce a group of Muggle tourists to Hogsmeade, and the purpose of doing so was to "test new facilities."

"We need someone to experience our facilities," Lockhart told Crouch. "If Muggles who don't have magic can live here without inconvenience,

Then the wizard will not.

Crouch didn't look at the obvious reasons Lockhart wrote in the official document at all, but threw them aside and asked Lockhart's purpose for doing so.

"It's to make money, of course," Lockhart said. "The Sniff Drilling Company is willing to pay a certain amount of money up front to pay for the travel of these tourists."

Crouch was even more strange: "What's the point of you doing this? Let the money go from your left hand to

right hand. "

"Just moving from left to right is already troublesome, and not all of them." Lockhart half admitted.

"What else?"

"I really didn't lie, it was to make money." Lockhart looked innocent.Crouch obviously didn't believe it, but he had other tricks.

"Maybe you don't know, I also have shares in the Sniff Drilling Company." He smiled half-smile: "Can I ask as a shareholder, why do we have to pay this extra fee?"

Lockhart froze for a moment, he didn't expect that the other party was waiting for him here, and this question was not so easy to answer.

"Uh...Actually...the group of people I invited here are well-connected on the Muggle side." Lockhart had to tell Crouch part of the truth.

"Connections?" Crouch raised his eyebrows: "I remember that we are the big customers with resources, and you want us to please the people who work for us?"

"Because it's about investing, not just buying and selling our goods."