great-warnovel Chapter 262 The Men from Beauxbatons
Chapter 262 The Men from Beauxbatons
Chapter 262 The Men from Beauxbatons
Little Barty is a very smart and vigilant person; he wouldn't believe that someone would bring him a pillow just as he was sleeping.
Therefore, Hermione and Dumbledore did not intend to fish with a straight hook.
She had already clearly rejected Little Barty's request last time. If she suddenly changed her attitude and tried to tempt him with death magic, it would backfire and arouse his suspicion.
Therefore, on the surface, everyone maintained their original daily routines. Dobby was instructed not to go to the Defense Department office anymore, and Barty would let other Pokémon do it if needed. They also tried not to show themselves in front of others, and even when cleaning, they were only responsible for cleaning the other houses' lounges.
Hermione, however, acted as before, giving him the same indifferent look.
Under Professor McGonagall's instructions, James, Sirius, and Lupin made another Marauder's Map. This map was only useful within the school and was a manifestation charm linked to the Castle Covenant magic. Dumbledore hung it in the Headmaster's office, with Barty's name highlighted in bold red, to monitor his every move.
"Please promise me, Headmaster, don't use this on the students. It's a betrayal of all the nocturnal children by the raiders," Sirius pleaded desperately. If they hadn't been told it had a proper use, they would never have given this thing to the headmaster.
"Barty Jr. carries Voldemort's orders and will not back down easily," Dumbledore told Hermione.
"He will definitely try to get information about death magic from you and do everything he can to build a good relationship with you." His eyes flashed with a cunning light.
"You can ask him for all sorts of benefits, but you have to act like it's real," he instructed Hermione on how to deal with these nobles.
"The Crouch family has already been taken over by him. Rather than letting him use it to support Voldemort, it's better to make him give it back to you."
"This is unique in the whole world, even surpassing Voldemort's death magic, isn't it?" He blinked.
Hermione nodded in agreement, somewhat amused. Once the spy was exposed, his behavior suddenly became rather comical.
However, Hermione is very busy now and doesn't have much time to deliberately wait for Barty to act. She is now almost the second busiest person in the school after McGonagall. Dumbledore has dumped a lot of things on her and let McGonagall take her to get acquainted with the place. Apart from her studies, she spends most of her time dealing with all sorts of things, big and small, in the castle.
Instead, attending classes became the most relaxing time, especially when she sought tutoring from Dumbledore every night. That was when she improved the most and gained the most.
Sometimes, Barty would pretend to bump into her in the hallway, or strike up a casual conversation, or bring up some questions about the splendid stone magic, and Hermione would have to weigh what to say and what questions to answer.
However, this spy was indeed very skilled; he would never do anything that might offend the little girl, and everything seemed reasonable and to the point.
It seems he just wanted to get closer to Hermione, and he wouldn't have any other intentions before that.
Moody, along with members of the Order of the Phoenix, gave the castle a thorough inspection.
Although Tonks and the others didn't understand why they needed to inspect the safe interior of the school, it was reasonable for Hogwarts to be cautious from the inside now that it was officially entering the dangerous Northern Territory.
Barty the Young brought the Fountain of Youth, which was of utmost importance. McGonagall and Dumbledore had secretly inspected it many times, but perhaps because it was the key treasure he used to gain trust, it was perfectly clean and without any problems.
Before Hermione could get any further action from Barty Jr., Beauxbatons' men arrived.
Mrs. Sinta herself rode a broomstick to Hogwarts.
"It's clear that Madam Maxim is very interested in my proposal." Hermione and Madam Sinta sat facing each other in the Potions classroom as usual, while even Fleur was politely asked to leave.
At this point, Hermione was already able to represent Hogwarts independently, and McGonagall hadn't even shown up.
"I never expected that Miss Granger would be able to sit here alone with me and negotiate," Mrs. Sinta remarked, looking at the girl who had suddenly grown taller.
"You are only fourteen years old, yet your papers and your magic are already causing quite a stir in the cutting-edge magical world."
"And those old fogies still don't know that your even greater invention is the trigger spray!"
"If one day they could see the complete you, they might really be shocked."
Hermione thought to herself, "That's because you don't know my fighting power yet, otherwise you would be shocked."
"Let's not waste time talking about anything else, let's talk about antibiotics instead," she said, bringing the conversation back on track.
Mrs. Sinta shifted her posture, pipe in hand: "This business can't be brought into the open, so I'm visiting in a private capacity this time."
"To the outside world, neither Mrs. Maxime nor Beauxbatons had any trade dealings with Hogwarts regarding Muggle technology products."
Hermione nodded knowingly. It wouldn't be good for anyone if word got out that wizards were trading Muggle technology products with each other.
"So what are your thoughts on the three options I've given you?" she asked.
Mrs. Sinta looked troubled: "You've really given me a tough question. When Mrs. Maxim asked me that, it really gave me a headache."
"Option one, the price of the inducing spray will be reduced by 15% afterward. This is the safest option. To put it bluntly, even if Hogwarts is destroyed in the future, as long as one person from the perfumery escapes, this business can continue, and Beauxbatons will make a profit without any risk." She spoke confidently.
"Option three, the trade opportunity with the coexistence fairies. To be honest, I didn't expect you to be one step ahead of us. The extermination faction only told us that the coexistence faction was already extinct."
"This is a standard option, and those managers might really like it."
"But given my personality, choosing the two plots of land in the future Hogsmeade would be the most profitable option." Her eyes were full of cunning.
"Although the risk is also the highest, I think if that day ever comes and Hogwarts replaces Malfoy Castle as the world's largest wizarding city, then Beauxbatons will gain more than just two plots of land."
Hermione nodded straightforwardly: "If Hogwarts and Beauxbatons, the three most prestigious and long-established schools in Europe, could join forces, it might directly change the world order."
"But the risks are too great for Mrs. Maxim to bear," Sinta said, sitting up straight and speaking seriously.
"She is not Dumbledore, and Beauxbatons is not her personal fiefdom. As a half-giant, she also has her own enemies within her own ranks."
"Beauxbatons has a smooth and sophisticated way of dealing with people, and it's impossible for him to side with either side; that would only lead to our destruction."
"But Mrs. Maxim and you are still attracted by my terms," Hermione said with a smile. She knew that Beauxbatons could not completely switch sides to Hogwarts; only mutual benefit could strengthen their cooperation.
"That's why I came in person. I need to know how much power Hogwarts has now, and what the chances are of realizing the future you promised?" Cinta stared intently into Hermione's eyes.