The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, apologized to the public in a rather embarrassed manner. Although no one died, so many people were injured, which was a serious safety incident in recent years.
Fudge's photo was published on the front page, which was indeed ministerial-level treatment.
From the overall performance of today's magical government that is inefficient and difficult to achieve, it is not difficult to see the minister's governing style and personal abilities.
Of course, to be able to become the head of government of the British wizarding society, you must have a few skills, but Fudge's ability may only be reflected in how to make himself a minister.
Erwin glanced through this issue of the Daily Prophet and found many interesting things.
There are many different voices in this issue, some are criticizing the person in charge; some are calling for cutting the expenditure of the Law Enforcement Department. The main theory is that since it is so incompetent, the bloated system should be streamlined; some think that the death penalty threshold should be lowered, because if it had been
If Sirius Black were directly executed, there wouldn't be the current chaos; some even bluntly said that Fudge was not suitable to be a minister.
It's chaos.
This shows that although the Daily Prophet is the official mouthpiece of the Ministry of Magic, it is not controlled by the Minister of Magic. There is a factional power struggle within the Ministry of Magic.
As for the initiator of the chaos in Hogsmeade, this being who should have been the protagonist has not been mentioned much. It seems that most people take it for granted that it is Sirius Black.
Even though Fudge repeatedly emphasized that he could not determine the identity of the person who caused the chaos, the blame was still placed on the fugitive.
This is of course good news for Erwin, as it means he is not exposed.
At this time, the special ice drink with cherry jam and cream he ordered was almost finished, and Erwin signaled the shopkeeper that he wanted a refill.
"Here you go." Florin Fusco, the owner of the ice cream shop, said with a smile. He seemed to be a very kind and amiable person.
Renting such a large storefront to open an ice cream shop in Diagon Alley, a place where land is at a premium, shows that Florin Fusco is not a bad-hearted person, and his family fortune should be very rich. After all, the surname Fusco is
It also represents a wizarding family that has been handed down to this day. It once had a Hogwarts principal. Florin should have inherited a lot of inheritance.
At this time, the wind chime at the door rang, which meant that a new guest had arrived.
"Mr. Lothario?" Florin's surprise was clear when he saw the visitor.
Erwin followed the sound and looked over, and found that he was an old gentleman, dressed in the style of the eighteenth century, slightly fat, and with a kind appearance.
He doesn't even look like a wizard.
"What? Aren't you willing to sell desserts to an old guy like me?" The old gentleman smiled and took off his hat.
"Of course... not, it's very... it's an honor." Florin stuttered. Erwin frowned slightly, feeling the ice cream shop owner's sincerity and fear.
The visitor seems to be an extraordinary person.
The annual summer vacation, especially the few days before school starts, is when Fusco's Ice Cream Shop's business is at its best, but after school starts, it plummets instantly. At this time, there are no other customers in the shop except Erwin and the old gentleman.
The old gentleman actually walked directly across from Erwin, sat down, and put his hat on the table.
"No offense, sir, but you are probably not the person I am waiting for." Erwin said, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"I heard from Miss Sally that someone is here to meet her manager." The old gentleman said, smiling kindly.
Sally is the name of the female clerk at Flourish and Blotts.
"It's me." Erwin nodded.
The manager of Flourish and Blotts Bookstore is a tall, thin, middle-aged man named Fryer, who is obviously not the one in front of him.
"That's right." The old gentleman nodded slightly, "I am the owner of the bookstore. If you have anything, you can talk to me directly."
Erwin's pupils shrank suddenly.
Owning a bookstore doesn't sound like a big deal, it seems like just an ordinary petty bourgeoisie.
But Flourish and Blotts is the only bookstore in the UK.
There is no bookstore in Hogsmeade.
This means a monopoly, and it is likely not just a monopoly in the book retail industry, but may even include printing and publishing.
Magic books are the main means for wizards to pass on knowledge, at least for now.
In other words, this unassuming old gentleman in front of me is probably one of the actual giants in the British wizarding world.
"This is a real big shot..." Riddle whispered in Erwin's ear.
"Of course I know." Erwin responded.
Only such a person can turn Lockhart, a de facto idiot, into a "superstar".
Erwin had never even heard of the other party's name, and Mr. Lothario was not on the list of small groups Lockhart gave him, which meant that Lockhart did not dare to reveal his name.
No wonder Florin Fusco also looked quite panicked. At this time, the shopkeeper was asking the old gentleman what cold drink he wanted to order, and his tongue seemed to be stiff.
"A copy of your signature brand is enough. This young man and I have some private matters to discuss. Can you help us create an environment where we won't be disturbed?" the old gentleman said with a smile.
Fusco nodded hurriedly, and without a trace of hesitation, he closed the door of the store, hung up the closed sign, and closed all the curtains that were enchanted to completely block the outside view.
After doing this, he quickly brought the cold drink ordered by the old gentleman, then bowed respectfully, quickly returned to the kitchen, and closed the door tightly.
"I have known you for a long time, Mr. Frost," the old gentleman said.
"Just call me Erwin, Mr. Losario." Erwin said.
It didn't take much thinking to know that Lockhart had already confessed everything to him, not to mention that given the other person's social status, it would be easy to find out Erwin's details, so of course he could just call him by name.
"It is really commendable that an outstanding young man like you can still maintain a humble and polite attitude." Mr. Losario nodded slightly.
He paused, "I remember that your principal had arranged for you to go to the United States? Now you are here unexpectedly, which means you can already disapparate such a long distance?"
Erwin's silence was regarded as acquiescence. The other party even knew that he was going to be an exchange student, so he definitely couldn't hide it.
"As expected of Dumbledore's direct student." Rosario sighed, and then said seriously, "Don't get me wrong, I'm not prying into your secrets. In fact, I really like to see outstanding young people shine.
Those medicinal materials must have helped you a lot some time ago." The old gentleman blinked.
When Erwin was training for the Red Dragon Type I, Torohart bought a lot of medicinal materials that were considered contraband. Now it seems that they all went through the channels of this British magic giant, otherwise his ability would not be very good.
Maybe it would be possible to buy such a large amount of high-grade medicinal materials so quickly.
This means that the old man in front of him should also know that Erwin has developed the Red Dragon Type I that can enhance the magic bloodline.
What a good Lockhart, who seemed submissive on the surface, but actually told him all the details he knew about Erwin.
There are no pure fools in this world.
However, all the old man in front of him knew was that Erwin was prepared to expose the secret, and he didn't seem to have any ill intentions.
"Are you friends with Professor Dumbledore?" Erwin calmly changed the subject.
When talking to someone who is stronger than yourself, as a rule, Professor Dumbledore must be mentioned.
"Friends? I guess so." Rosario smiled, "But we two old men don't have much interaction, except when Hogwarts purchases books from me."
He paused and said, "Okay, young man, you are actually looking for Fryer. You must have some needs, right?"
Now let’s get down to business.
"I need all the information about Dementors, including their birth method, body structure, living habits and intelligence level, etc. All detailed data, preferably finished books." Erwin said without hesitation: "I believe it.
There should be predecessors who have done research in this area.”
Rosario touched his beard and did not refuse or agree, "I think you should know that private research on dementors is illegal?"
"I know." Erwin said, "So I need exact information. The Ministry of Magic seems to regard them as a more powerful deterrent than Aurors, and even claims that Dementors cannot be destroyed, but this can only deceive the magic.
A clueless person or a teenager."
If a spiritual monster that feeds on human emotions and souls and is capable of self-division cannot be eliminated, how can the Ministry of Magic control them within the confines of Azkaban?
The reason why humans are humans and the reason why dogs are dogs is because dogs essentially have no ability to resist humans, so they are obedient.
"A very insightful idea, very good." Rosario nodded slightly. "As an old man with little life left, I am willing to provide help to young people. Children like you should not be restricted by rules and regulations.
.”
He didn't ask Erwin why he needed the Dementor information.
"Thank you so much." Erwin took a deep breath, "Then how much should I pay?"
Facing such a giant, he couldn't use Lockhart as a bargaining chip, because for Losario, Lockhart was at most a relatively advanced money-making tool, so Erwin knew very well that he had to get help from the other party.
A price must be paid.
If you only need to pay a few galleons, that's actually better.
"Money?" the old gentleman smiled, "To me, money is probably the most meaningless thing in the world. I don't need your reward, young man, just treat it as a friend, or you can think of me as my friend."
Your investment…”
"In fact, I think investment is just a disguised transaction." Erwin said: "Accepting investment means that you need to repay more in the future."
Rosario was stunned for a moment, then laughed, "Interesting idea, interesting young man, but this statement is indeed true. Anyone with a vision will be happy to invest in you. This is really not a favor."
He sat upright and said, "Then follow the normal process and let's make a transaction. Since what you want is information, then exchange it for information."
As soon as the old gentleman became serious, Erwin immediately felt invisible pressure.
"What do you want to know?" he asked calmly.
"You only need to answer me one question." Rosario's eyes flashed, "How is the physical condition of the person who taught you alchemy now?"
Erwin was silent. This question alone could reveal a lot of information. For example, the other party already knew clearly that it was someone else who taught him alchemy, not Dumbledore.
It doesn't seem to be particularly difficult to think of Nico Flamel. After all, there was a controversy about the Sorcerer's Stone at Hogwarts two years ago.
But this is normal. As long as it is a secret, there will be a day when it cannot be kept secret.
Therefore, the correct approach is not to rack your brains and hide the secret in fear, but to try your best to have the strength to protect the secret on the day it is exposed.
"You don't need to tell me his name, you just need to tell me about his physical condition. After all, every alchemist master of that level is the wealth of all human wizards." Rosario said unhurriedly.
Erwin continued to be silent for a while, "Please forgive me for not being able to answer this question."
If this was a true answer, it would be almost equivalent to directly reporting Nico Flamel's name.
Of course Erwin can't be that stupid.
Facing a person of this level, lying is meaningless, because a single lie requires countless lies to maintain, and it is almost impossible to weave a chain of lies that can deceive Rosario.
So he could only say that he couldn't answer.
"Not being able to answer is also an answer in itself." The old gentleman smiled again, "The deal is completed."
Erwin's mouth twitched.
Sure enough, is the current Minister of Magic just a clown who was pushed out?
"Someone will deliver what you want later. Is there anything else you need, Erwin?" He put the hat on his head meticulously.
Erwin shook his head slightly.
"It was a pleasure talking to you. I hope we can meet again one day." The old gentleman extended his hand, and Erwin shook it.
Mr. Losario left, and when he opened the door, Erwin saw a neatly dressed wizard waiting for him at the door.
It should be something like bodyguard protection, which shows that Rosario's personal strength may not be very strong.
There was silence in the ice cream shop. Erwin thought for a while and then knocked on the kitchen door.
It took more than ten seconds for the door to open, and Fusco cautiously poked his head out, "What's the matter, sir?"
"Mr. Lothario has left," Erwin said.
If he hadn't been warned, God knows how long Fusco's owner would have locked himself in the back kitchen.