Bryan did not raise his hands above his head, or even make a vigilant posture, but twitched his mouth, turned his back to the person behind him, and politely asked,
"Excuse me, noble lady, what law did I break?"
His voice was calm and composed, as if he was not bothered by the sudden intrusion.
"Oh, don't you know?"
The voice still maintained a serious tone, but it sounded like it was suppressing a smile,
"Don't you know, sir, that the Auror office has obtained the approval of the Magical Transportation Department and Minister Fudge to impose traffic control in Hogsmeade. Anyone who comes to Hogsmeade village without prior application by apparition, floo network or portkey is not allowed. You made a big mistake, sir!"
She spoke with a mock authority, as if she was reading from a script. She was trying to sound like a strict law enforcer, but her voice betrayed her amusement.
"But the Ministry's press conferences and the Daily Prophet have not reported anything about this recently."
Bryan pursed his lips and smiled. He knew that the voice belonged to an old friend of his, who liked to tease him. He decided to play along with her joke.
"We posted a notice on the bulletin board at the Diagon alley and the entrance of village gate. It's your problem that you didn't see it, sir, not the Ministry's fault!"
Bryan had already heard the laughter of the person behind him. Before he could say anything, the person behind him had completely given up pretending and laughed out loud,
"For your kind of disregard for the law, Bryan Watson, I think you need to be severely punished. Hmm, I have an idea. How about a term of detention?"
Bryan also laughed. He turned around and looked at the person behind him and joked,
"You want me to be in detention? Of course, no problem, Tonks, as long as someone accompanies me."
He saw a young woman with a round face and bright eyes standing behind him. She was wearing a black robe with a silver badge that identified her as an Auror. Her hair was changing colors rapidly, from pink to blue to green to purple, reflecting her mood.
The morning Hogsmeade village was bathed in the cool sunlight like water. Most of the local residents had not left home yet. There were not many pedestrians on the commercial street where Bryan and Tonks shook hands with a smile.
They walked into the empty Three Broomsticks pub, where they were greeted by the charming landlady Mrs. Rosmerta. She walked over and put down a glass of syrup soda and a cup of green tea from the tray. She nodded her head and walked away tactfully.
"Some things are unspoken secrets,"
Tonks fiddled with her slightly dull violet hair and changed them to the same color as the ripe wheat in autumn. She looked at Bryan curiously and said enthusiastically,
"You know, Bryan, the Daily Prophet said that boy and his friends got that Basilisk from Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets, but everyone in the department knows that it was you who pulled those kids out of the snake's mouth. But few people in the department know where you came from. Many people are asking around about your background!"
She leaned forward and lowered her voice, as if she was sharing a juicy gossip.
"Did you tell them who I am?" Bryan smiled and didn't seem to mind. He knew that Tonks was one of the few people who knew his 'true' identity.
"I know you don't like to attract attention, Bryan–" Tonks said proudly, "There's a nasty woman named Umbridge who's been asking a lot of young people in the department about you. She also came to me, but I didn't say a word."
She made a face and stuck out her tongue, showing her dislike for Umbridge.
"Much appreciated–"
Umbridge was the senior undersecretary of the Ministry of Magic. She was said to be Fudge's right-hand man and trusted by Fudge very much. Bryan guessed that this woman probably wanted to recruit some young wizards who were good at their skills but not well-known for Fudge.
In case one day Fudge and Dumbledore had a falling out. Some of the people in the Ministry were more loyal to power, some were neutralists, and quite a few were Dumbledore's obedient 'students'. If one day Dumbledore called for action, it was hard to say who they would listen to! Bryan frowned slightly at the thought of this possibility. He hoped that it would never happen.
"By the way," Bryan looked at Tonks's black robe worn by Aurors on missions, his eyes flickered for a moment, "You became an Auror? That's a very good job. Among our graduates that year, except for Bill Weasley who met all the requirements for Auror recruitment, everyone else's grades seemed to be unqualified?"
"I was specially recruited," Tonks raised her nose and said proudly, "You know, Bryan, I'm a Metamorphmagus. I have a natural talent for hiding and disguising. Of course, being an Auror is not an easy job. I'm still an 'intern'. By the way, Bryan, what have you been doing these years under a false name? I mean, before you returned to Hogwarts as an 'investigator' earlier this year?"
Tonks asked with curiosity and admiration.
"Freelancer–" Bryan picked up the tea cup and smiled, "I aim to help some people who are in trouble solve their current predicaments."
"That doesn't sound like a serious job–" Tonks asked suspiciously.
"Yeah," Bryan nodded, his tone serious, "Aurors are our enemies."
He said it as a joke, but there was a hint of truth in it.
A carriage full of oak barrels stopped outside the pub. The landlady picked up a fancy money bag and hurriedly pushed the door to pick up the goods. In the pub, there were only Bryan and Tonks left. They sat at a corner table, away from the windows and the fireplace. They wanted some privacy and quietness for their conversation. Bryan leaned back in his chair with a smile on his face. Tonks across from him was talking enthusiastically about her exciting Auror career.
"It was so close, Bryan" Tonks held up a finger and gestured, "I swear, it was so close that we caught those dark wizards who smuggled artifacts. Before that operation, Kingsley told me privately that if I could perform brilliantly in the arrest operation, he would be willing to go to Mr. Scrimgeour to apply for shortening my internship period on my behalf. It's a pity that the damn dark wizard who popped out of nowhere ruined everything. He made me lie in St. Mungo's for half a month. The Auror office also lost two months' bonus because of this. I was planning to use that money to buy myself a broom!"
She spoke with passion and frustration, recalling the details of the mission that went wrong..
Bryan didn't know what to say, so he just kept smiling.
Tonks, who clenched her teeth, drank the syrup soda in her glass. She seemed to be still angry and wanted to find the landlady for a more stimulating drink. She looked up and found that there was no one in the shop, so she slammed the glass on the table. She cursed under her breath and looked around for Mrs. Rosmerta. She wanted to order something stronger than soda, something that could drown her sorrows and make her forget her failures.
"By the way!"
Looking at the calm Bryan, compared to herself who was excited by meeting an old classmate after many years, Bryan Watson had been very graceful and calm except for the moment when they met - Tonks was not surprised by Bryan's performance. Back in school, this Slytherin wizard who seemed indifferent to everything was like this.
He was always cool and collected, never showing much emotion or interest in anything. He was smart and talented, but he kept a low profile and avoided trouble.
"By the way, Bryan, why are you here in Hogsmeade? I heard you're no longer working at Hogwarts?" Tonks changed the topic and asked casually.
Bryan knew that the Ministry probably arranged Tonks here to watch Black. He certainly wouldn't tell her that he actually came here for the same purpose,
"You know, Tonks,"
Bryan looked out of the window at the row of old houses with chimneys smoking white smoke next to the street, "I returned to Hogwarts earlier this year. Of course, I also came to this village and found that I liked the living environment here very much. Hmm. It reminded me of many good memories of studying at Hogwarts. So, after careful consideration for a while, I decided to stay here for a while. I came here this time hoping to find a rental house in the village–"
He lied smoothly and convincingly, making up a plausible reason for his presence in Hogsmeade. He pretended to be nostalgic and sentimental about his school days, hoping to divert Tonks' attention from his real motives.
According to Bryan's understanding of Tonks, she would make a few jokes when she heard him say 'good memories of studying'. For example, 'Good memories, do you mean being locked up in Professor Snape's office for a term?' or something like that.
But to his surprise, this good-natured girl did not behave like that, but instead became serious and solemn, with solemnity in her eyes,
"You want to settle in Hogsmeade, at this time?"
"If it were any other time, there would be no problem, Bryan,"
Tonks became serious when she talked about business. She glanced at the landlady outside bargaining and lowered her voice to warn Bryan, "But now, this is not a peaceful place!"
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