It seems that Lucius did not associate himself with the Golden Viper. His purpose in approaching me was still to help find the Viper. But why didn't Lucius go to find Kakus Fawley?
Even though the Fawley family had been defeated in the Ministry of Magic, they were still one of the twenty-eight sacred pure-blood families, just like the Malfoy family. These ancient families, except for extreme examples like the Weasley family, mostly maintained intricate connections and alliances. Logically speaking, Lucius's best choice should be to go find Kakus, who was rumored to be the Viper's closest ally in the underground world.
Moreover, the Viper and Kakus had a good relationship that was not a secret to anyone who knew a thing or two about the dark side of the wizarding world. After investigating the Viper for so long, if Lucius Malfoy didn't even know this, then he was too incompetent to be a former Death Eater.
'This was indeed a problem,' Bryan thought silently. He stared at Lucius with a cold and suspicious gaze, trying to figure out his true intentions.
'Oh, I understand.'
It didn't take long for Bryan to figure out the joints. He suddenly realized why Lucius had come to him instead of Kakus.
To prevent the Viper from hearing any wind and fleeing, Greyback must have forbidden Lucius Malfoy from openly inquiring about the Viper's whereabouts. However, if he were to go to Kakus to inquire about the Golden Viper's identity, it would likely leak information and alert the Viper.
Hmph-Bryan sneered in his mind, Greyback was quite confident. He thought he could control Lucius Malfoy like a puppet, but he didn't know that Lucius had his own plans.
"Alright, Mr. Malfoy, I understand your purpose."
After a long silence, Bryan finally spoke, but the words he said made Lucius, who was anxiously waiting for a response, feel cold.
"Now, you can leave my office."
"Mr. Watson!" Lucius's face turned ugly. He stood up from his chair in a rush, eager to say something, but was stopped by Bryan raising his hand.
"Leave my office–" Bryan repeated in an irrefutable tone. He had no intention of listening to Lucius's pleas or excuses.
Lucius showed visible disappointment. He desperately turned his brain, hoping to come up with a way to change Bryan Watson's mind. But when his gaze swept across the calm expression and piercing eyes of the wizard sitting across the desk, he suddenly froze. Then, the expression of disappointment disappeared, replaced by a hint of joy.
'How could I be so dull' Lucius condemned himself. He realized that he had been too hasty and impatient. He should have known that Bryan would not agree to any of his requests, that was for sure.
"Well, it's a pity we couldn't reach a cooperation."
Lucius let out a sigh of relief and nodded gratefully at Bryan.
"I'll leave now."
After saying this, Lucius Malfoy didn't delay any longer and turned around to leave the office. He walked out with a confident and elegant stride, as if he had just achieved a great victory.
'Not hopelessly stupid.' Bryan smiled in his mind. He withdrew his gaze from the door and looked with interest at the red gemstones the previous owner had forgotten on his desk.
"What's going on, Bryan?"
After being released from the spell, Sirius/Tom, who had been watching the whole scene from a corner of the office, couldn't wait to ask. He had a belly full of questions and curiosity.
"You clearly rejected Malfoy's offer to help, but why does he look like he succeeded? And-" Sirius glanced disdainfully at the valuable gemstones, "Lucius Malfoy has become so generous over the years, treating these gems worth over ten thousand Galleons as a gift for visiting you?"
Sirius's dullness in this regard was to be expected, and his question did not surprise Bryan.
"No matter what, I cannot make any deals with Lucius Malfoy, do you understand, Sirius?"
Sirius frowned, trying hard to think. After a moment, he hesitantly nodded.
Indeed, no matter what the matter was, once Bryan agreed, it would be equivalent to giving Lucius a handle. A cunning and ruthless wizard like Malfoy might use it as an excuse at any time to blackmail him. Although he might not have the courage to do so openly, it was still a weakness that Bryan could not afford to have.
"What about Malfoy's final attitude?"
Sirius asked, still confused. He didn't understand why Lucius had left so happily, as if he had gotten what he wanted.
"As the Director of the Student Safety Office at Hogwarts, it is only natural for me to take the initiative when dark creatures lurking in the sewers attempt to use the safety of the students in the school to force their parents to do things against their will," Bryan said with a pleasant smile as he collected the gemstones one by one into his storage bag.
"Oh, you Slytherins are so cunning!"
Sirius rolled his eyes.
"So, are you planning to help Malfoy deal with Greyback?"
Hmph–After tidying up the gemstones, Bryan snorted and picked up the charred claw left by Lucius, admiring it quietly in front of his eyes. The cold light flickering in Bryan's pupils made Sirius shiver.
"Speaking of which–"
After a while without getting a response from Bryan, Sirius asked another question out of curiosity.
"Golden Viper is the name you used in the underground world, right? I don't think Lucius Malfoy had any idea about it. But why did he find you?"
"That's a long story, to put it simply–" Bryan lazily said, without looking away from the claw. "Lucius Malfoy's connections in the underground world are not as influential as his influence in the Ministry of Magic. Because of some previous incidents, he guessed that I was probably active in the underground world, so he directly came to find me."
Sirius had many curious questions, such as what kind of person Golden Viper was in the underground world, what kind of grudges he had with Greyback, and how Bryan and Remus knew each other. From the tone of Remus's previous words, it seemed that it was also related to Golden Viper's identity.
Sirius wanted to voice these doubts, but at this moment, the office door was once again inconveniently knocked. Judging from Bryan's expression, he knew that the person knocking was not Remus.
"This is really troublesome!"
Sirius impatiently waited for Bryan to transform him into a cat, his usual disguise when someone else came to the office.
"I'm going crazy staying in your office all day as a cat. I'd rather wander around the playground and Forbidden Forest in my own Animagus form."
"I won't stop you from doing that–"
Bryan waved his wand, and under a flickering spell light, Sirius turned back into Tom in the blink of an eye.
"Just don't cause trouble for me."
Bryan warned him, knowing that Sirius was prone to mischief and adventure. He didn't mind if Sirius explored the school grounds, as long as he didn't reveal his true identity or get into trouble with other students or teachers.
"Where's Lucius?"
The office door opened, and Professor Snape walked in with large strides, followed by a displeased Draco Malfoy.
"He left a while ago, didn't he say goodbye to you?"
Bryan asked Snape, feigning ignorance.
"I was planning to talk to him about Draco's situation!"
Professor Snape said with a stern face. He stepped back half a step, exposing Draco to Bryan's sight. Draco looked pale and miserable, a stark contrast to his usual arrogant and confident demeanor.
"I can't understand why a small setback would keep you in such a depressed state for so long, but since he has already left–"
Snape looked at Bryan with dissatisfaction. It was because of his official punishment for the torturous practical class that Draco ended up in this negative state.
"You might as well talk to Professor Watson about your thoughts."
Snape suggested, hoping that Draco would open up to Bryan and express his feelings.
"I have nothing to say." Draco said dryly.
'To have the audacity to speak to me in this manner, is this still Draco Malfoy? Could it be that the insignificant setback really had such a big impact on him?'
Bryan's eyebrows twitched imperceptibly. He stared at Draco, who was looking down at his feet, and vaguely felt that something was not right. He sensed that there was something more to Draco's behavior than just a lack of confidence.
"Have nothing to say?"
Draco's response also surprised Professor Snape and made him angry. His chin lifted, and his eyes became dangerous. He was about to scold Draco for his rudeness and disrespect, but Bryan suddenly spoke first,
"Raise your head, Draco."
Bryan's voice carried an unrefusable meaning. Hearing him speak like this, both Snape and Tom looked at him in confusion.
"Look at me, Draco."
Bryan said sternly, and under his strict command, Draco's body swayed like a tree in the wind. His already pale face became even more colorless, and visible drops of sweat formed on his forehead. He seemed very reluctant to do so, but under Professor Watson's command, he couldn't refuse, otherwise, it would seem too suspicious. He slowly raised his head, and met Bryan's eyes.
In the moment their eyes met, Bryan's heart skipped a beat. From Draco's eyes, he sensed another fleeting 'figure'.
"What's wrong, Bryan?"
Snape frowned and glanced at Draco, who was trembling, before turning to Bryan and asking. In his memory, this seemed to be the first time he had seen Bryan speak so sternly to a young wizard.
And Snape's question immediately woke Bryan up from his shock. He quickly regained his composure, changing his serious expression to a gentle one.
"It's nothing–"
Bryan shook his head lightly and responded to Snape's question. He looked apologetically at Draco, who was still trembling under his gaze.
"I didn't expect that practical class to cause you so much trouble, Draco. It's been two months and you still haven't recovered from it. If, um, do you need me to talk to you and your friends?"
"No, Professor Watson–"
Draco's body twitched for a moment. He lowered his head and no longer made eye contact with anyone.
"I can handle my own problems."
"You can handle it?"
Snape's questioning tone was filled with anger. He couldn't believe that Draco was being so stubborn and foolish. He couldn't understand why Draco had changed so much, from a proud and ambitious young wizard to a depressed and timid one, like that dunderhead longbottom.
"Draco, do you know how many professors have complained to me about your behavior in class during this time? They say you're like a block of wood in class. Ah–of course, after my reminder, your homework has returned to normal, but…"
Snape seemed to have had enough of Draco's behavior as a loser. Seizing this opportunity, he let out all the reproaches that had been pent up in his stomach for a while. He scolded Draco for his poor performance, his lack of enthusiasm, his isolation from his friends, and his disrespect for his teachers. He hoped that his harsh words would wake Draco up, and make him realize his mistakes.
Bryan leaned back in his chair, watching this scene unfold without saying a word. He didn't interrupt Snape, or defend Draco. He let Snape vent his frustration and disappointment, while he observed Draco's reaction. He noticed that Draco didn't seem to care about Snape's criticism, or show any sign of remorse.
It wasn't until five minutes later that Professor Snape gasped and finally stopped talking, but when he saw Draco still wearing the same submissive and resigned expression, veins throbbed in his forehead with anger. He felt that his words had fallen on deaf ears, and that Draco had ignored his advice and his concern.
"I think Draco needs a little more time, Professor Snape–" Bryan calmly said, breaking the silence. "After all, he may have never dealt with such a situation before."
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