The next morning, Fudge kept his word and sent a courier with a shiny medal for Bryan. He also organized a modest ceremony in the Great Hall, where Dumbledore and half of the Hogwarts professors gathered to honor him. The medal was a circular golden disc with a star-shaped cutout in the center, where a blue gem glittered in the light. It had the words "Order of Merlin" engraved on the rim and a ribbon of purple and green stripes attached to it.
The 'Order Of Merlin' Medal was a prestigious award in the European magical world. It was given to those who had performed outstanding deeds or services for the wizarding community. In the British Ministry of Magic, holders of second-class or higher medals automatically became honorary members of the Wizengamot, the highest judicial body in the country. They also had the right to vote in trials and influence important decisions. This was a remarkable privilege, which meant that Bryan could command respect from even the most powerful officials in the Ministry. Although Bryan had many ways to impress or intimidate those bureaucrats, having a respectable identity on the surface was always useful.
Obviously, Bryan underestimated people's curiosity about the Basilisk that had the name of an ancient creature and was related to the great founder of Hogwarts. The Basilisk was a huge snake, a rare and dangerous beast that could kill with its gaze and petrify with its venom. It had been hidden in the Chamber of Secrets for centuries, until Bryan defeated it with the 'help' of Harry and Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix.
According to Dumbledore, Fudge received nearly two hundred letters in just one day, all asking the Ministry of Magic to publicly exhibit the Basilisk. The department had an emergency meeting and decided to hold a public exhibition at Hogsmeade next month. The Daily Prophet sent a group of reporters to do an urgent interview. Many magical creature experts, including the author of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them", the famous Newt Scamander, clearly stated that they would attend the exhibition meeting.
Fudge invited Bryan through Dumbledore. He hoped that Bryan would attend the exhibition as a special guest and praise the 'huge' and 'unignorable' role played by the Ministry of Magic in this event in front of everyone. But Bryan refused him with an unhappy look. He had no interest in being part of Fudge's publicity stunt.
"I think this is a rare opportunity, Bryan!"
Lockhart, who hadn't appeared in public for a while, almost knocked Professor Flitwick out with his enthusiastic gesture. Thanks to Mrs. Pomfrey's careful care, his teeth were still shining like pearls.
"I can go with you to the exhibition, Bryan. I can teach you some valuable experience in maintaining perfect manners and creating hot topics in public!" He winked at him conspiratorially.
I think you need to urgently learn how to get along well with Dementors, Professor Lockhart - Bryan thought to himself and avoided his entanglement.
Even though Bryan was not a student of Gryffindor House, he belonged to Hogwarts after all. Professor McGonagall was wearing her usual tartan dress and square spectacles, but her stern expression softened as she saw him. Tears welled up in her eyes as she watched him stride towards her with a confident smile. She had always admired his courage and talent, even though he sometimes broke the rules; he reminded her of herself when she was young.
"Ahem, Professor McGonagall -" Bryan smiled shyly, "When do you think it is convenient for me to say-, the salary" He joked lightly, hoping to ease her mood.
So, Professor McGonagall's eyes became redder. She couldn't help but laugh and hug him warmly.
Snape stood silently on one side. He looked at Bryan who was laughing and talking with everyone. Unconsciously, his gloomy mouth showed a slight arc. He was wearing his usual black robes that made him look like a bat.
"You can all have a brighter life, Severus -"
Dumbledore came over and said softly, "We can't change those tragic things that happened in the past, but the future is always a choice, Severus, if you are willing"
Dumbledore hadn't finished speaking yet, Snape had already walked away first. He did not want to hear Dumbledore's words of wisdom or pity. He had his own reasons for doing what he did, and he did not need anyone's approval or forgiveness.
Lockhart had been lying in bed for almost two months and needed a few more days to fully recover his energy. Therefore, Bryan was still responsible for the last week's Defense Against the Dark Arts course. He decided to give his students a memorable lesson.
In the senior Defense Against the Dark Arts practice class, when Bryan brought a bare-chested middle-aged man with a gloomy and terrifying expression to the Quidditch field, most people showed inexplicable expressions. They wondered what this man had to do with their subject. Of course, there were also a few Hufflepuff senior girls who gave him a silly smile at the strong chest muscles of the middle-aged man. They thought he was handsome in a rugged way.
And what happened next can basically be described as appalling.
The transformation was swift and shocking. The middle-aged man, who had been sitting quietly on a chair, suddenly sprouted fur, claws, and fangs. His body grew larger and more muscular, his clothes ripped apart, and his eyes turned yellow and bloodthirsty. He let out a terrifying wolf head, baring his ferocious teeth, and making a murderous and violent roar that echoed across the Quidditch field.
The senior students, who had been expecting a normal Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, were caught off guard by the sight of the werewolf. Nearly half of them were so scared that they collapsed on the lawn, paralyzed with fear. Some who could move also used their limbs and fled desperately in all directions, dropping their books and wands in their haste.
"Hey, come back, guys. I've already told you how to deal with this thing in class. Well, maybe you can go together. As long as you can knock him down, I will tell Professor Lockhart that you can get an 'O' directly for the final exam of Defense Against the Dark Arts!" Bryan shouted with a tick mark on his forehead. He looked at the scattered little wizards with frustration and amusement. He had planned this as a surprise test for them, but he didn't expect them to panic so easily.
Bryan's encouragement still had some effect. A few little wizards raised their wands tremblingly and tried to stop the werewolf from approaching. Percy Weasley, who was always eager to impress, even used a beautiful shattering curse to remove a small tuft of black hair from the werewolf's chest. The werewolf snorted in pain and anger, but did not slow down.
There was also Gryffindor's Oliver Wood, who was more used to handling a Quaffle than a wand. He cast a stunning spell, but for some reason, the willow-thick red light didn't hit the werewolf, but hit Marcus Flint who was fleeing in another direction. Flint fell to the ground with a thud, unconscious. Wood grinned sheepishly, wondering if this counted as 'revenge' for all the times Flint had fouled him during Quidditch matches.
"I told you," Bryan sighed helplessly, "the werewolf's fur has a magical resistance that is outstanding even among magical creatures. The spells cast by young wizards are unable to knock down the werewolves. The werewolves are hard to keep their sober reason when they transform. In the fight against the werewolves, making traps and transfiguration are the most useful."
Penelope Clearwater whimpered in fear as she hid behind her boyfriend Percy, holding his arm as if it was a lifeline. She looked at the monstrous creature that was getting closer and closer, and felt a surge of panic. "We are not you, Professor Watson," she said in a trembling voice. "We can only handle boggarts, not real werewolves." She wished she could disappear from this nightmare.
Bryan scowled and wrinkled his nose as if he smelled something unpleasant. "Oh, that kind of thing that scares children!" he said with a tone of disdain. "You should have higher pursuits, Miss Clearwater!"
Percy felt a surge of protectiveness for his girlfriend, who was trembling behind him. He held her hand and tried to sound brave. "But- we are just young wizards, professor-" he protested weakly.
In the end, none of the senior students could cause any substantial damage to the werewolf that Bryan turned out of the chair. To be honest, this made him feel a bit disappointed. If they couldn't face those really dangerous things in the school, in a heavily protected environment, what would they do when they stepped into the magical world without any preparation?
Looking back at his two-month teaching career, Bryan actually found a lot of talented little wizards.
Potter didn't need to say anything. His agile response and keen intuition for danger were outstanding. Hermione's thirst for knowledge and competitiveness could also make her achieve remarkable results in the future.
The twin brothers of the Weasley family had commendable innovation abilities. They were always inventing new products and pranks that amazed and amused everyone. Their little sister Ginny had excellent response to changes. Neville burst out of potential under pressure and caught people's attention. He was always loyal and brave despite his self-doubt and clumsiness. There were also many little wizards, such as Cedric of Hufflepuff, Luna Lovegood of Ravenclaw, Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott of Slytherin, including Draco Malfoy, these little wizards had good talents.
Cedric was noble and fair-minded; Luna was creative and quirky; Blaise was cunning and ambitious; Theodore was clever and independent; Draco was confident and charismatic
Unfortunately, almost every one of them had a huge flaw.
In Bryan's eyes, if nothing unexpected happens, they can become excellent wizards, but if they say that their future strength is as good as himself or Professor Snape, there may not be one. They all lacked something that was essential for becoming a powerful wizard: discipline, courage, humility, compassion, wisdom, or integrity.
But then again, everyone had different expectations for the future. Just like the twin brothers of the Weasley family, they obviously hoped to make some achievements in those prank products. Not everyone was like Bryan. He knew that he wanted to become a powerful wizard on the first day he knew the existence of the magical world!
"Know in your heart what kind of wizard you expect to become in the future and keep moving forward and work hard in that direction," he said to them on his last day of teaching.
On Friday night, Bryan looked at his empty office and smiled softly. He had packed his belongings and memories in his suitcase. He closed the office door behind him and walked away, leaving behind a trail of sparks and smoke.
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