"It's really nothing, it doesn't matter," Hermione muttered as she gathered her things and left the common room with Tom.
"Everyone is celebrating their victory, it's a bad time for you to be reading a book," Tom shook his head.
But Hermione remained true to herself; that was Hermione, if she wanted to do something, she wouldn't hesitate.
...
When Hermione closed the book "Family Life and Social Customs of British Muggles," it was almost closing time at the library.
"Seriously, do you really need to read this book as a Muggle-born wizard like me?" Tom couldn't help but tease when he saw the book's title. The content of this book seemed more like a wizard's imagination of Muggle society. What sense did it make for a Muggle-born wizard to read this? It was as if the British were studying English books.
"It's very necessary." Judging by Hermione's expression, she didn't consider reading this book a waste of time.
"This book shows me how wizards view Muggles. It was through this book that I found out what Muggle society is really like from a wizard's perspective."
For Hermione, apparently, there was no book without value, perhaps because she had never read self-help books. Hermione wasn't a bookworm; she knew how to filter out clearly useless books.
"However, the book has some common sense mistakes. I've already noted them," Hermione lifted a parchment she had placed between the pages of the book. It was filled with cramped words. "I'm going to send it to the author."
Tom: ...
A true reader! By the way, is it so easy to find the addresses of authors in the magical world? Then it must be very convenient for readers to press for new updates!
"Speaking of sending letters," Hermione seemed to remember something. "You mentioned earlier that you were going to contact the Minister of Magic, how's that going?"
She began to interrogate Tom about the progress of his work like a tutor chasing assignment submissions.
"I've already sent the letter; I suppose Minister Bones is reading it right now," Tom responded calmly, as if he were facing a professor after completing an assignment.
...
The Ministry of Magic office was well-lit. Although most employees had already gone home, the Minister of Magic's office was still in full operation. It's not that the officials here were harder working; it was that Minister Bones was working overtime. This was unheard of in Fudge's time.
When Amelia was in charge of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, she was already used to working overtime. Once she became Minister of Magic, this didn't diminish, turning her office into her second home.
The advantages of doing this were obvious: she quickly seized power at the Ministry. At this moment, she was reading a letter sent by Dumbledore from Hogwarts.
In it, Dumbledore confirmed Tom's identity as a "wizard" and vouched for his reliability. With Dumbledore's assurance, Amelia could rest easy. Dumbledore might be a bit careless about trivial matters, but he had never made a major mistake.
There were still many other matters she needed to attend to.
"Mafalda, how's the hiring for Hogwarts this year going?" Amelia rang a small bell on her desk, and her secretary, Mafalda Hopkirk, came in. She held a tray with a small cup of black liquid.
This mysterious black liquid emitted threads of white smoke and had countless microscopic bubbles inside. It looked strange and mysterious, like an unknown potion.
Mafalda was a small witch with gray hair and a polite demeanor. She worked in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures at the Ministry and was responsible for sending notices to wizards suspected of violating the Law of Secrecy or the Restriction Law. Harry Potter had already received a warning from her.
The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures was a sub-department under the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. When Amelia became Minister of Magic, she directly transferred her confidante, Mafalda, to the Minister's Office to handle official matters on her behalf.
"Everything is ready. In early April, representatives from various departments will be sent to Hogwarts to collect resumes and letters of interest and conduct in-depth interviews with seventh-year students," Mafalda said seriously.
In the magical world, there is no concept of graduate or doctoral programs. After studying at Hogwarts for seven years, students go directly into society. Staying in school is virtually nonexistent. Even Tom Riddle, with such an outstanding record, couldn't stay in school, just like other students.
The reason for this is that Hogwarts wants students to gain real-world experience before spending their entire lives in an ivory tower, removed from reality.
After students have experienced life in society for a while, Hogwarts will consider calling back the most outstanding ones. Take the current Heads of House, for example: Professor McGonagall worked first at the Ministry of Magic before returning to school to teach Transfiguration. Professor Flitwick is passionate about dueling and is a well-known duelist. And as for Snape, he joined the Death Eaters and then found part-time work with the Order of the Phoenix. The professors have work experience.
However, these students don't enter society directly but have a "campus recruitment" process similar to the non-magical world. In the period leading up to graduation, students will network with companies they are interested in and eventually secure positions in those companies. After the N.E.W.T. results are published, they can begin the formal hiring process.
As the ultimate authority in the magical world, the Ministry of Magic naturally has the power to prioritize wizards. They will reach out to students before other companies. If they come to an agreement and the students' N.E.W.T. results meet the requirements, they will be recruited into the Ministry of Magic.
This year's campus recruitment period is also approaching, and the Ministry of Magic is already prepared.
After receiving a positive response, Amelia smiled satisfactorily and took a sip of the black potion from the saucer, drinking it in one gulp.
"Hmm... this Muggle potion is really delicious. Don't you want to try some, Mafalda?" Bonny looked very pleased. She really liked this potion popular among Muggles and managed to obtain the original formula and replicate it.
Her assistant politely declined her invitation and placed an envelope on her desk.
"Minister, you have a personal letter sent from Hogwarts. It has just passed the security inspection. It's a common letter."