0190 Monitoring

0190 Monitoring

A long night passed, and with the help of Filch and Lupin, Bryan finally reinstalled the modified panoramic telescope, which could capture every corner of the castle and its surroundings. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, once again, appeared in front of him in such a clear and vivid way, as if he was standing on the highest tower and overlooking the magnificent scenery.

Late last night, the sky began to drizzle, and it gradually stopped until dawn. By the time the faint sunlight could penetrate the gaps in the clouds, it was already ten o'clock in the morning, and the drowsy Bryan stood at the window, still being hit by the cold wind mixed with heavy moisture, to invigorate his spirit. He felt the chill seeping into his bones, and he rubbed his hands together to warm them up.

He turned around, and a parchment with the title 'Permit' was spread out on the desk. At the end of the paper, it was the signature of the current Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, written in elegant and curly letters.

This was what Dumbledore gave him privately after the dinner last night:

Permit:

I,

The Minister of Magic, hereby grant the Director of the Student Safety Office of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Bryan Watson, the right to monitor the behavior of all personnel in the public areas of the school, including but not limited to students, faculty, headmaster and deputy headmaster, in the event of a serious threat to the personal safety of the students of the school, recognized by the Board of Governors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the Ministry of Magic.

This right will expire immediately when the threat is lifted, and a new application is required to activate it again.

Cornelius Fudge

Bryan stared at the words on the paper again, and smiled silently.

To be honest, if it were the situation last year, Fudge would never sign such an absurd Permit. If this thing were to be spread out and known by the wizarding world, it would mean that Fudge's political career was over, and he could pack up and prepare to step down.

The Permit was tantamount to admitting that the Ministry of Magic was incompetent and powerless to protect the students from the notorious mass murderer, Sirius Black, who had escaped from the most secure prison in the world, Azkaban.

But the situation now is uncontrollable. After all, Black's escape from Azkaban was the result of the Ministry of Magic's poor supervision. If Black was not caught for a long time, or if someone inside or outside the school was confirmed to have fallen victim to Black's hands, Fudge would also face the same fate. He would be blamed and criticized by the public, and his reputation would be tarnished beyond repair.

Of course, an important reason why Fudge was willing to do this kind of authorization was that the authorized person was Bryan Watson. From donating the basilisk in the first half of the year to helping take care of Harry during the summer vacation, he had a good impression of this young and promising wizard. He also believed/(had to believe) that Bryan had the ability and integrity to handle the situation, and that he would not abuse his power or expose the secret of the Permit.

Holding a cup of steaming bitter tea, Bryan sat on the edge of the desk, quietly examining the dazzling pictures on hundreds of screens. He could see every detail of the castle, from the paintings on the walls to the cobwebs on the ceilings. He felt like he had a pair of eagle eyes, and nothing could escape his sight.

Bryan narrowed his eyes and walked quickly to the front of the monitor. After waving his wand, the picture on the monitor screen began to rewind like time flowing backwards. He wanted to see if he had missed anything, or if he could find any clues.

'Not two Hermiones, but three!'

There was another Hermione Granger who followed the crowd into the Arithmancy classroom taught by Professor Victor.

Staring at the three Hermione Grangers who appeared almost simultaneously at the doorways of the three professors, Bryan said nothing, his eyes became narrower and narrower, and a solemn light flashed in his pale purple pupils.

Doo, doo, doo

Time passed by minute by minute, Bryan gave up the idea of going to the shrieking shack to study the soul curse, and his fingers tapped the desk anxiously, his eyes only falling on the doorways of the three professors' classrooms where Hermione was.

"So–"

The memory that was sealed in Malfoy's dormitory reappeared in Bryan's mind.

Every picture, every dialogue in the memory was very clear in front of Bryan's eyes. He never forgot the content of the memory.

'Just, try to avoid it-

The butterfly effect, the past and the future, the immeasurable impact'

Finally, after a long time, Bryan's tense face showed a faint smile,

"So, the time turner is yours, Miss Granger."

He whispered to himself, as he recognized the magical device that could manipulate time.

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