Tom, who had been busy all night, didn't return to the Granger's house until late at night. Despite sleeping late, he woke up at eight in the morning. When Tom went downstairs to the living room, the Granger family had not yet gotten up.
Just as Tom entered the living room, he heard a "click, click" sound coming from the window. Tom approached the window and looked.
(Θ▽Θ)
"Oh, it's the Hogwarts owl." Tom opened the living room window and received two letters with the Hogwarts emblem from a beautiful gray owl.
He then went to the kitchen, prepared himself a cup of hot chocolate, and sat at the living room table to open the letters.
The contents of the letters were exactly what Tom expected: a list of supplies for the new Hogwarts semester. However, in the uniform section, Tom saw the phrase "formal robe."
Tom sighed, hoping he had enough budget for it.
At that moment, Mr. Granger also arrived in the living room and casually poured himself a cup of hot chocolate. He then turned on the television, and the presenter's voice came from it.
"Finally, Bonnie, the English sheepdog who was lost in Salisbury, has been safely rescued..."
Mr. Granger expressed his discontent with the media that only cared about trivialities and not important matters. Although he said it out loud, his voice volume increased.
"...afterwards, she returned to the arms of her little owner, Linda Fletcher. She said she could hardly wait to reunite with Bonnie."
Seeing the happy face on the screen that was almost the same age as Hermione and her radiant smile, Mr. Granger suddenly felt that rescuing that dog wasn't such a bad thing after all.
"It is reported that direct intervention by the Prime Minister facilitated this matter..."
"It seems that Hacker isn't so bad, is he?" Mr. Granger turned off the television and struck up a conversation with Tom. "Although he may have wasted some money, think about what Bonnie means to that girl. Sometimes, individual actions carry more weight, even in a world of budgets and balances. I'm sure some people will criticize the Prime Minister for abusing his power, but sometimes sacrifices have to be made to do the right thing..."
Tom stared at Mr. Granger as he became a fan of Hacker. Suddenly, he realized that Hacker's strategy would indeed boost his popularity.
"The Prime Minister didn't spend any money. It was me who helped find the dog," Tom said quietly while holding the cup of hot chocolate.
Mr. Granger: ...
He really hadn't thought Tom would have anything to do with this!
"Good job! Wasn't it dangerous?" At first, he was proud of Tom's actions, but then he remembered that Salisbury was a dangerous area and began to worry about him. "Hacker should grant you a noble title!"
Sir Yodel, eh? That title sounds a bit short, Tom thought to himself in silence.
The news on television was just an appetizer; the real excitement was in the newspaper headlines.
Hacker sat in his office, looking at the newspaper headlines with a wide grin.
"Today, Britain realized that a true human heart beats at 10 Downing Street," Hacker couldn't help but boast to his secretary, Bernard.
"In reality, there are seventy-four beating hearts here."
"Thank you, Bernard." Hacker had grown accustomed to his secretary's "out of the ordinary" state. He continued reading: "Linda said: I vote for Mr. Hacker... BBC and ITV received a flood of calls, people praise the Prime Minister's decision to rescue Bonnie, the leader of the opposition refuses to comment, I suppose he doesn't dare, ha!"
"Prime Minister! Prime Minister!" Bernard interrupted the newspaper reading to inform him that he had changed the lock on number 10's door last night.
"Very well." Hacker flashed a mischievous little smile.
...
At that moment, Humphrey had just finished an internal meeting with senior civil servants.
The officials left one by one, but Humphrey stopped the Permanent Secretary of the Treasury, Sir Frank. Lately, this guy always seemed to be hanging around the Prime Minister, and Humphrey felt tremendous pressure because of it.
The pressure came from the fact that Sir Frank was the Permanent Secretary of the Treasury. After Hacker took office and Humphrey was promoted, they jointly dismantled the monstrous Administrative Affairs Department. As a result, the Treasury Department gained a prominent position in Whitehall and was even called "the Department within the Department." To Humphrey, Sir Frank was like Bones to Fudge; careless, but with a carelessness that could replace Humphrey.
So he decided to test his supposed subordinate.
"Was the meeting with the Prime Minister good?" Humphrey opened the confrontation with a simple question.
"Yes, very good."
"Alright, is there anything special I should know?"
"Is there something in particular that's bothering you?" Sir Frank realized Humphrey wasn't coming in peace.
Humphrey silently cursed and then said there was nothing in particular bothering him.
"Didn't he mention anything about changes in the civil service personnel?"
"Perhaps he mentioned it."
Humphrey: ...
"Did he hint at any reshuffling of power and responsibilities?"
"We talked about many topics."
"Did you reach any decisions?"
"There are pros and cons on both sides."
"A balance in the allocation?"
"Probably leaning more towards one side or the other."
"But there's nothing to worry about, right?"
"Not on my part," replied Sir Frank with an unabashed smile. "See you this afternoon!"
Humphrey fired a barrage of questions, but Sir Frank skillfully evaded them. He said many words but seemed to be saying nothing. This made Humphrey feel like he was grappling with a slippery catfish.
The fake smile gradually disappeared from his face, and Humphrey felt the anger burn within him. After Sir Frank left, he picked up the phone at hand and called Bernard, "Bernard, I'm going to number 10 immediately."
But Bernard refused, saying it wasn't convenient at the moment.
"I must go!" Humphrey hung up the phone and quickly left his office.
The Cabinet and number 10 were connected; there was only one big door separating them. Humphrey rushed toward the door, took out the keys, and inserted them, but the door to number 10 didn't open as usual.
For a moment, Humphrey even thought he might have the wrong keys.
He heard the cry of "Open the door, open it!" from behind the door, and Bernard wore a happy smile.
"They'll have to pay a price! Open this damn door!" Sir Humphrey fumed helplessly. But anger couldn't open the door, only the right key and an unlocking spell could. If the door weren't of good quality, maybe anger could help him open it, but this was number 10 Downing Street, a very solid door.
After unsuccessful attempts, Humphrey turned around and decided to enter through the main door of number 10.
It was an absurd idea, but it had a slim chance of success if the guards didn't take him seriously.
Unfortunately, the guards had been instructed to be strict, and on this occasion, they had to be. So the guards stopped Humphrey, saying that without a special pass for number 10 or Bernard's permission, he couldn't enter. Of course, Sir Humphrey could choose to make an appointment.
Humphrey felt despair.
"Do you want me to call Bernard?" The guard asked kindly.
Humphrey's pride told him he should refuse, but his body agreed.
Bernard's voice came through the intercom, "Tell them they can't find Mr. Bernard."
"I'm sorry, but we can't find Mr. Bernard right now. He left no instructions when he left, so we can't allow you access."
In response to this answer, Humphrey felt he was facing the greatest crisis of his career. As the head of the civil servants, Humphrey wielded great power, and the fundamental source of his power was none other than the Prime Minister, whom he somewhat despised.
Leveraging his knowledge of law and policy, he continuously trapped the Prime Minister, guiding him to make decisions that benefited his own interests. For example, the civil service pay rise and the end of the austerity program were Sir Humphrey's achievements. He had also been trying to reduce military spending recently, albeit unsuccessfully.
But all of this was based on his ability to see the Prime Minister at any time. If he couldn't see the Prime Minister, he would be finished. Not having physical access wasn't as frightening; what was frightening was the meaning behind it: the Prime Minister no longer trusted him. Humphrey believed that once that news spread, his subordinates, in name, would abandon him the next day, marginalize him, and compete to become the next Cabinet Secretary in his place.
Sir Humphrey made a firm decision: today, he had to meet with Hacker at any cost, seek his forgiveness, and retrieve the key.
Humphrey quickly ran back to his office and opened the window. He jumped through it, displaying agility far from that of a fifty-year-old civil servant and more reminiscent of an eager high school student ready for play.
Humphrey's idea was simple: as long as he could see the Prime Minister, he would have a chance to turn the situation around! Therefore, he decided to climb the Cabinet's wall to reach number 10; after all, the two buildings were adjacent.
But once he got outside number 10, Humphrey found himself in a dilemma. He remembered that the Prime Minister's office was on the second floor! Jumping from the first floor wasn't too difficult, but getting a high-ranking bureaucrat, who rarely exercised and was dressed in a bespoke suit, to hand-climb to the second floor was a true challenge.
Looking at the balcony of the Prime Minister's office, Humphrey gritted his teeth and started scaling the wall. Being marginalized by the Prime Minister and forced away from the center of power was like a whip, lashing him wildly, and somehow, he made it!
Power is the best stimulant.
But once Humphrey reached the second floor, he felt like he had lost half of his life.
At that moment, Hacker was busy going over documents with his advisor Dorothy and his personal secretary Bernard. When he looked up, he was surprised to see a figure outside the window, thinking it might be an assassin sent by some organization.
But upon closer inspection, Hacker almost burst out laughing: It was Sir Humphrey!
"Look, it's Humphrey!" he exclaimed, capturing everyone's attention in the room.
The other two leaned out the window and saw Humphrey clinging to the railing, panting, with black smudges on his face. His bespoke suit was covered in dust, with no trace of the dignity and confidence he used to exude.
Realizing that Hacker had noticed him, Humphrey put a pleading expression on his face. First, he waved to Hacker, and then he gestured at the window handle, indicating that he wanted to come in.
"Wait," Hacker said, remembering something, but it was too late. Humphrey hastily turned the handle.
A blaring alarm went off, and several guards burst in. Everyone was stunned, and Humphrey was even more stunned.
Fortunately, Hacker assured the guards that the "suspect" outside the window was neither an assassin nor a spy but his secretary. Thus, Humphrey was released.
The guards retreated from the Prime Minister's office, and Humphrey still looked shaken from the alarm.
"So, Sir Humphrey, what brings you pleasure today?" Hacker asked, well aware of the answer.
Sir Humphrey confided in Hacker in a despondent tone, "Prime Minister, I must vigorously object, in the most strenuous terms, to the strict and intolerable restrictions on access by senior officials imposed by recent regulations, which, once the wretched existing innovations are incorporated into permanent regulations, will quickly lead to a narrowing of communication channels and, ultimately, to an organization shrinkage and administrative paralysis, thus completely eliminating the work of all branches of government. Thus, completely removing the continuity of work of all branches of government and weakening the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as a whole."
Humphrey showcased his worth with that long and convoluted sentence, demonstrating the value of his Oxford university degree. If he could use such a phrase in an oral exam, getting a perfect score wouldn't be a problem; he might even become the examiner.
"Do you mean you've lost the key?" Hacker interpreted Humphrey's long sentence and arrived at a more concise conclusion.
"Prime Minister, I firmly demand a new key..."
"I'll give it to you, Humphrey, when it's appropriate and timely," Hacker replied, using the official language Humphrey typically employed to evade him. "But first, there's an important and more urgent decision to make."
Now that Humphrey needed something from Hacker, how could Hacker let the opportunity to leverage his political position pass by? After some haggling, Humphrey relented, and Hacker scored an unprecedented victory.
After making concessions, Humphrey retrieved the key for access to number 10.
Carefully, he stowed the key in his pocket, and part of his fear dissipated. Then, he recalled a crucial question and posed it with a composed and respectful tone, "Prime Minister, may I inquire who heads the department of civil servants?"
"Of course, it's you, Humphrey," Hacker affirmed confidently, though Humphrey didn't seem to have relaxed. He then added, "Or maybe it's Frank, or both, I haven't decided yet..."
Humphrey: !!!∑(Дノ)ノ
"It doesn't matter who it is, it's my decision, isn't it, Humphrey?" Hacker sported a Prime Minister's smile.
Humphrey made a pained expression and said in a trembling voice, "Yes, Prime Minister!".
Humphrey shuddered. For the first time, he felt immense pressure coming from Hacker, and Hacker fully exploited his upper hand over Humphrey.
The dynamic between the two men had shifted.
...
"In summary, be very careful next time!" Mr. Granger asked Tom about the details of his meeting with the Prime Minister the previous day. After hearing them, he was surprised and reminded Tom to be cautious, like an elderly figure at home.
While they chatted, Hermione came down the stairs in a white pajama. She didn't look very well, with disheveled hair, dark circles under her eyes, and the appearance of having slept poorly.
As they chatted, Hermione descended from the first floor in her white pajamas, not looking very well, with messy hair, dark circles under her eyes, and the appearance of having slept poorly.
"This is the list that Hogwarts sent," Tom handed over the letter that belonged to Hermione, but she didn't seem interested in that letter.
She gestured to Tom and nodded her head upwards. Tom understood, and after quickly finishing his hot chocolate, he found an excuse to return to his room.
Not long after he returned to his room, Tom's door was pushed open by Hermione. Upon opening the door, the first thing she said left Tom bewildered.
"Tom, I no longer want to go to Hogwarts."