bacchusnovels Chapter 217 Amelia's Thanks
Chapter 217 Amelia's Thanks
Chapter 217 Amelia's Thanks
This office is very large.
It's bigger than the office where Sean taught Defense Against the Dark Arts.
The office is very small.
It's much smaller than the headmaster's office at Hogwarts and Fudge's office just now.
Unlike when Sean first moved into his office at Hogwarts, this time he didn't have to unpack it himself.
A specialist cleans his office every day, if he needs it.
Sean glanced at the document briefly, accepted the office key, and then, guided by Harvey, went directly to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement on the second floor.
During the conversation, Sean learned that the Department of Magical Law Enforcement includes many agencies.
For example, the famous Auror Office, the Office for the Prohibition of the Abuse of Muggle Items where Arthur works, Wizengamo and the Wizengamo Administration, the Office for the Prohibition of the Abuse of Magic, and the Office for the Investigation and Seizure of Counterfeit Defense Charms and Protective Equipment are all branches of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
He couldn't wait to face the powerful Amelie. He exited the elevator and entered a corridor with doors on both sides. Turning a corner, he passed through two heavy oak doors.
Harvey led Sean into a chaotic, noisy open area divided into many small cubicles, where people were chatting and laughing and it was very lively.
Notes carrying messages flew in and out of the cubicles like miniature rockets.
A sign hung crookedly on the nearest cubicle: Auror Command Post.
Sean peered into the room through the door.
The Aurors plastered their cubicle walls with all sorts of things, from portraits of wanted wizards to photos of their families, posters of their favorite Quidditch teams, and clippings from the Daily Prophet.
The scene inside wasn't as serious as Sean had imagined.
Sean even saw several wizards sitting together playing Wizard Kill.
They were excitedly discussing the outcome of the previous game, completely unaware of Sean and Harvey standing nearby.
"Why is it that this set of Wizard Killer character cards only includes Moody, and not even the Chief?" One of the Aurors asked, frowning in confusion as he flipped through the Wizard character cards.
Meanwhile, the Auror sitting to his right shook his head as he shuffled the cards. "I don't know. You'd have to ask Phillips himself. But then again, Moody's skills are really impressive."
"Is anything more powerful than Dumbledore's skills? Give me five cards, and I can prevent everyone here from even having a chance to play a card."
"Ahem." Harvey cleared his throat.
Only then did the group notice Harvey and Phillips standing to the side.
"Mr. Harvey." Several people greeted Harvey, then turned their gaze to Sean on the other side. The wizard who had first asked the question paused for a moment, then his eyes widened in surprise, his jaw almost dropping. "Philips, what are you doing here?"
Harvey explained, "From today onwards, Mr. Phillips will be a senior advisor to our Ministry of Magic, and he will be guiding the work of the Division of Magical Law Enforcement during this period."
Sean gestured for everyone to relax. "Don't be nervous, everyone. I'm just passing by. As for that question, I can answer it."
He paused, then continued, "Due to the nature and requirements of Aurors' work, and to protect their safety, real Auror members, especially high-ranking Aurors, are rarely included in these game character cards. Professor Moody appears because of his legendary status in the Auror world and his outstanding contributions to the fight against dark magic, which makes him highly recognizable in the public eye, so..."
Sean didn't continue, but everyone present understood what he meant.
They nodded in understanding, while the Auror who had asked the question earlier looked embarrassed.
Sean waved his hand, signaling them to continue, and then Harvey led him through a second oak door and into another corridor. The offices on either side of this corridor had signs that read "Office for Prohibition of Abuse of Magic" and "Office for Detection and Confiscation of Protective Equipment."
The front door was tightly shut, and it was quiet inside; there wasn't a sound.
Turn left again and you'll enter another corridor. Then turn right and you'll enter a dimly lit, dilapidated corridor. Finally, you'll reach the end of the corridor, where you can't go any further.
On the left, a door was slightly ajar, revealing a broom shed inside. On the right, a faded brass sign hung above the door.
The misuse of Muggle items is prohibited in the office.
This is the complete picture of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
Sean had originally planned to go in and say hello to Arthur, but after thinking about it, he gave up on that idea. He figured he could come here after he found Amelia.
Sean and Harvey continued on, passing through the third oak door, beyond which was a more solemnly decorated corridor, with portraits of past heads of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement hanging on the walls on both sides.
At the end of the corridor, a large door, intricately carved with magical symbols, stood tightly shut. A brass plaque above it gleamed faintly, reading "Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." Harvey gently knocked, and a soft female voice came from inside: "Please come in."
Pushing open the door, they entered Amelia Borns' office. The office was spacious and bright, with walls covered with various legal documents and maps, and the desk piled high with files and books, giving it a busy yet organized feel.
Amelia was sitting at her desk, intently reviewing a report, when she heard the door open. She looked up, a smile spreading across her face. "Harvey, you've arrived. And Mr. Phillips, welcome to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." Amelia stood up to greet them warmly.
Judging from this, Amelia seemed to have known all along that he was coming here.
Sean thought to himself.
In that case, he should be more cautious in his words and actions going forward.
Sean replied, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Director Burns. I look forward to working together to contribute to peace and order in the wizarding world."
Amelia nodded, gesturing for him to sit down, and at the same time, Harvey said goodbye and left Amelia's office. "I'm looking forward to it too. Mr. Phillips, I heard you will be guiding our work in the coming days, which is undoubtedly a great support for us. Do you have any initial thoughts or suggestions?"
The test has begun.
It seems like Sean encounters similar problems every time he joins a company.
This is not surprising, as it is a very common practice for a manager to ask for someone's thoughts when a new manager joins a company or department.
However, Sean was completely unprepared for Amelia's sudden question.
He had only learned fifteen minutes earlier that he would be transferred to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and he had only just gained a rough understanding of the specific tasks the department was responsible for through Harvey's hurried introduction.
At this moment, he had neither relevant information to refer to nor time to conduct a specific investigation. Under such circumstances, how could he possibly offer Amelia a reasonable and well-founded idea or suggestion?
This is undoubtedly a difficult task.
In this light, Amelia's question does seem rather intriguing.
Was she trying to test his ability to react on the spot, or was she genuinely interested in his ideas and wanted to hear his insights?
Or—did she actually have another purpose, wanting him to embarrass himself as soon as he took office in this new position, thereby putting pressure on Fuji and forcing him to leave the Department of Magical Law Enforcement in disgrace?
Sean was filled with doubt.
He currently has far too little information, and he has never met Amelia before, so he knows nothing about her personality or her way of doing things.
Therefore, he cannot draw a definitive conclusion based on the existing circumstances.
He could only deal with it cautiously.
After thinking for a moment, Sean decided to use a watertight formulaic response to Amelia's question.
He has a wealth of experience in this area.
"I believe that first, we need to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the current state of law enforcement in the magical world, to understand what is being done well and what needs improvement." Sean spoke while carefully observing Amelia's expression, but she remained impassive, offering no emotional response. He paused and continued, "At the same time, strengthening communication and cooperation with other magical departments, especially the Auror Office, is also crucial. After all, law enforcement is not merely a judicial issue, but also involves the safety and well-being of the entire magical society."
About five seconds after Sean finished speaking, Amelie slowly nodded.
She thought for a moment, then said, "A very good start, Mr. Phillips. I believe that under your guidance, we will be able to further enhance the efficiency and influence of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. So, let's begin with the assessment."
Amelia's answer took Sean by surprise.
She actually agreed to the suggestion I made casually?
Before Sean could react, Amelia suddenly laughed and said, "To be honest, Mr. Phillips, before you came, I had heard about you from Susan. She said you are a very responsible professor, and she especially mentioned your care and help to her, saying that she has learned a lot of valuable things from you during this time."
"Therefore, as a parent of a Hogwarts student, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to you. Thank you for your care and guidance of Susan over such a long period of time, especially for your successful resolution of the Chamber of Secrets incident at Hogwarts some time ago and for ensuring Susan's safe return home. On behalf of the Burns family, I extend my sincerest thanks to you."
Amelia's words carried a sincerity and gratitude that surprised Sean.
He never expected to be praised so highly by Amelia in such a setting, nor did he expect that he would leave such a deep impression on Susan.
Sean smiled somewhat awkwardly, while secretly pondering Amelia's intentions.
Was she testing herself? Or was she genuinely expressing her gratitude?
Sean decided to remain cautious and discreet, not wanting to stand out too early in this new environment.
So he humbly replied, "I'm just trying my best to do my job..."
However, just as Sean was halfway through his sentence, Amelia suddenly stopped smiling, looked him in the eye, and said quite seriously, "But as the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, I hope you can bring about a better change for us. I know you may not be ready yet, and you may have many questions about this new position. But based on your past experience, I believe you have the ability to bring new vitality to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."
As Amelia uttered those words, Sean's doubts gradually became clear.
There are so many implications behind that statement...