"Come in!" The witch knocked on the door, and a calm, firm male voice was heard from behind the door.
Percy nervously entered Crouch's office. The moment he entered, he was fascinated by the man seated behind the desk. The man was wearing an impeccable wizard's robe, his short grayish hair was perfectly combed, and he had a neatly-trimmed beard on his chin.
Just with that appearance, Percy felt a good impression.
"Please, have a seat," Mr. Crouch said as he prepared a chair for Percy. Once seated, Mr. Crouch began talking to Percy.
"Your resume states that you were a Hogwarts Head Boy and Prefect... that's an excellent track record. Right now, I have a project regarding the thickness of cauldrons. You see, we hope..."
After speaking for a while, Mr. Crouch assigned Percy a project.
"Start by familiarizing yourself with our department alongside Monica and then get to work as soon as possible. I believe this project can showcase your skills very well."
With that said, he dismissed him and sat in his office chair lost in thought. Crouch had been feeling confused lately. He had seemed busy all his life, initially striving for a higher position and then aiming to become the Minister of Magic; his ambition never wavered until Dumbledore opened that door and revealed his greatest secret.
Everything he had built had crumbled, and the only reason he hadn't resigned yet was because Dumbledore forbade it.
What was he striving so hard for?
After working for so long, couldn't he enjoy a little? This existential question constantly plagued his mind. However, the habits of many years drove him to continue working diligently as if it were inertia.
After meeting Percy today, a sudden idea came to him: why not delegate all these tasks to a reliable young person? Percy seemed to fit that profile well: pure-blood, hardworking, and trustworthy. If his work capacity were even greater, he could entrust him with important responsibilities.
...
"Ice cream?" Hermione approached and handed Tom a box of tri-flavored ice cream, "Your favorite flavors, vanilla, yogurt, and chocolate."
Tom couldn't resist such an offer of ice cream.
"How's the part-time job search going?" Tom opened the ice cream box and started eating from the vanilla part.
"I have an interview at Madame Malkin's robe shop tomorrow. How about you? How's it going?" After Hermione had the idea to look for a part-time job during the summer, she started paying attention to the classified ads in the Daily Prophet and finally found one that seemed suitable: Madame Malkin was looking for a summer employee. Hermione was very excited.
On the other hand, Tom preferred to find a shop related to alchemy so he could learn more. However, he definitely couldn't join as an apprentice; that would be exploitation. In that field, apprentices were exploited, working hard on the most difficult and heavy tasks, receiving a miserable salary, and in the end, only gaining a bit of knowledge from their masters. For someone like him, who had basic knowledge but wasn't a beginner, joining as a collaborator would be more reliable.
"Tom, Hermione, dinner is ready." Mrs. Granger's voice came from the kitchen.
To welcome her daughter and Tom, Mrs. Granger had prepared a very abundant table of food.
"Great!" Hermione jumped out of her seat and quickly headed to the kitchen, while Tom looked at the half-eaten ice cream in his hand with some hesitation.
Finally, after two seconds of internal struggle, he quickly shoved the rest of the ice cream into his mouth.
Bang!
"Let's toast to you!" To celebrate their daughter's return, Mr. Granger opened a bottle of champagne and poured a glass for each of them.
"How has this semester been?"
"I've done well in most of my subjects, but the academic pressure has been quite intense. Fortunately, we have the Time-Turner..." Hermione began to talk and couldn't help but recount her experiences from this semester.
Mr. Granger listened with a smile as his daughter told stories, while Mrs. Granger and Tom took the opportunity to bring the dishes to the table.
"Well, let's eat before the food gets cold." Hermione's speech was interrupted by Mrs. Granger's command.
However, after a few spoonfuls, everyone couldn't help but engage in conversation.
"Dad, this year the Quidditch World Cup will be held in England," Hermione initiated the conversation. "Do you have any plans for this summer?"
"No." Mr. Granger read between the lines of Hermione's words, so, of course, he had time now; as for the vacation reservations he had already made, he could cancel them over the phone.
"Then, would you be interested in going to see the World Cup with me and Tom? The Quidditch World Cup!"
Mr. Granger knew that Quidditch was a very famous sport in the magical world. But that didn't matter; what mattered most to him was being able to go on a trip with his daughter.
"Of course! But isn't it true that in your world, you're a bit... um, conservative towards us Muggles? Won't there be any issues if your mother and I go?" Mr. Granger wanted to use the word "prejudiced," but it seemed too harsh, so he improvised a neutral word.
"Of course not, I'm a wizard!" Hermione puffed her chest out proudly, saying that she had it all covered.
"Excellent," Mr. Granger nodded, and that settled it.
During dinner, Hermione talked 80% of the time. She was in her element, fervently criticizing Divination class, while the Granger couple and Tom simply smiled and acted as pleased listeners.
...
Diagon Alley was always bustling, even on hot summer days.
Tom and Hermione arrived early on the street, hoping to find summer part-time jobs that interested them.
"I'll go to Madame Malkin's first, hope you do well," Hermione said.
"Likewise."
Once inside Diagon Alley, Hermione parted ways with Tom. She was going to have an interview at Madame Malkin's robe shop, while Tom decided to take a stroll with no particular destination in mind. He thought he might get lucky and find something in Knockturn Alley.
"Magical Supplies store..." Tom stopped in front of the magical supplies store. It was a shop located on the north side of Diagon Alley, selling a variety of magical items like telescopes, hourglasses, and small glass jars.
Although they certainly needed an employee, the job here was far from what he was looking for: they only needed a common employee. If he was going to work, he'd prefer to continue helping Mr. Ollivander in his shop instead.