The Hogwarts Emerald

Chapter 534: Thicknesse's Transformation

Last year in Little Hangleton Village, Vida had sent a death threat to Fudge, and the Rosier family from France had become a thorn in the Minister's side.

Unfortunately, the other party was in France and Cornelius Fudge could not reach him.

That night, Laura Fournier stood beside Vida, pointing her wand at the Minister of Magic. It was hard for Thicknesse to forget this name. Moreover, ever since Ada openly opposed the Ministry of Magic, the Ministry of Magic had been collecting intelligence on her and her accomplices.

For example, Sergei, Daniel, and Laura Fournier, those who often accompany Ada or often appear in public, their information will naturally be placed on the desk of the deputy director of the Law Enforcement Department.

Laura was born into a small French family. Unlike ancient pure-blood wizard families like the Rosier and Malfoy families, although the Fournier family were also wizards, they were just a small family of three or five people.

According to Laura's resume, she graduated from Beauxbatons and worked briefly in the French Ministry of Magic.

Whether in school or while employed by the Ministry of Magic, Laura had no disciplinary or criminal record, as clean as a piece of paper.

But even so, Pierce Thickness was still on guard against Laura. The other party was the one who dared to attack the minister, so Thickness, the deputy director, was nothing.

"What do you want to do?" Thicknesse asked. "Where is Isabel?"

Laura, who was pointed at by the magic wand, did not show any fear or dread. She pulled out the chair in front of the desk and sat down. She said, "Mr. Deputy Director, you just asked two questions. Which one do you want me to answer first?"

Without waiting for Thicknesse to respond, Laura continued, "Let's talk about Isabel first. She's fine. She's still dreaming at home. Don't worry, she's really sleeping. I'm a man who knows how to be sympathetic to women."

Thicknesse's expression improved, but he did not put away his wand.

Thicknesse threatened, "It would be a great achievement to capture you, Miss Fournier. From what we know, you are the right-hand man of the Dark Lord Drizzt."

"That's great. I was worried that you would position me as Ada's nanny!" Laura said excitedly, as if she had heard something happy.

"You!" The contempt in the other party's words stung Thicknesse, which made Thicknesse angry.

Laura put away her joking expression and said solemnly: "Mr. Thickness, of course you can hand me over in exchange for the 'great merit' you mentioned, but how much of this merit can you get?"

"I am the Deputy Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic." Thicknesse emphasized his identity. He is a senior official of the Ministry of Magic.

"Mr. Deputy Director, I know your identity very well. If you were a small fish or shrimp, I would not be sitting here." Laura said, "You know very well what I am talking about, but your arrogance makes you think highly of yourself."

Thicknesse slowly put down his wand and said, "What do you want to say? If what you say next does not impress me, I will reserve a good place for you in Azkaban."

Everything in the world can be discussed slowly. If we cannot talk about it, it only means that the interests are not enough and the conflicts are too great.

Laura smiled, but this smile looked awkward to Thicknesse. The person he was talking to was a French woman, but the one smiling at him was Isabel, his secretary, whom he worked with day and night.

"We all know that the Ministry of Magic is preparing for the change of ministers recently. Mr. Deputy Director, have you ever thought about going a step further?" Laura said slowly, like the snake that seduced Adam and Eve.

Thicknesse did not give an immediate answer. Although he had some guesses in his mind, he was still somewhat surprised when the other party stated his intention directly.

"The position of Minister will definitely belong to Ms. Bones. If you want to threaten the Ministry of Magic like the You-Know-Who, I suggest you go and talk to Ms. Bones." Thicknesse said, "But before that, I will send you to Azkaban first."

Faced with Thicknesse's threat, which was not really a threat, Laura still smiled.

She said: "Of course, even we have to admit that Ms. Bones is the best answer for the Ministry of Magic at the moment, but it is too early to call Ms. Bones the Minister today!"

"What do you mean?" Thicknesse grabbed his wand again. He felt the murderous intent in Laura's words. The Minister of Magic had been assassinated before. The current Amelia Bones was only a backup candidate. If the real Minister could be killed, what would a Director of the Department of Law Enforcement be?

Laura was still smiling. She stood up and walked around the office casually. She saw a bottle of good wine in the cabinet. Laura, who was excited to see the prey, immediately took the bottle in her hand to enjoy it.

At this time, there was a rough knock on the door, and the wooden door of the office was banging.

Without Thicknesse's permission, the person who knocked on the door opened it and said anxiously, "Mr. Thicknesse, something bad has happened. Ms. Bones is dead!"

"Mr. Scrimgeour has come over. He asked me to inform you..."

The strange atmosphere in the room prevented the person knocking on the door from finishing his words. Thicknesse waved his hand and drove him out, leaving only the words "I'll be there soon".

The person knocking on the door retreated, and Pierce Thicknesse looked at Laura's charming back, holding the wand tightly in his hand.

Laura put down the bottle, she didn't have the time to think about how delicious this bottle of wine would be. The sudden death of Amelia Bones made Laura feel worried, Voldemort walked ahead of them.

Laura, who sat back in her chair, said, “We are not the only ones who don’t want to see Ms. Bones become Minister Bones.”

Thicknesse put down his wand again. He believed what Laura said. Everyone knew what it meant for the Ministry of Magic to have a strong and capable minister. This was a scene that those who were enemies of the Ministry of Magic did not want to see.

"What do I get?" Thicknesse asked. "Miss Drizzt's ethereal friendship?"

Things have deteriorated to such a bad point. The most promising Amelia Bones is dead. Thicknesse's ambition overcomes his worries. He should think about himself.

"We have always cherished friendship, because friendship is hard to come by." Laura replied, "Perhaps in a few days, I will change my name to Minister Thicknesse."

It would be a lie to say that he was not tempted by the price, but Thicknesse did not agree to it outright.

To sell himself to the Dark Lord, a minister alone is not enough, what Thicknesse needs is commitment and guarantee.

"Miss Drizzt is not my only choice," Thicknesse said arrogantly, "and, after Ms. Bones, I will be a strong contender for the position of minister. It will not make much difference whether I have your friendship or not."

"I like your confidence, but too much confidence is often not a good thing." Laura said, "We are not your only choice, but we are your best choice. I think the future minister will be able to tell the difference between helping someone in need and adding icing on the cake."

Thicknesse still had doubts in his heart. Ada was not his only choice, and likewise, he was not Ada's only choice. Thicknesse asked, "Why not Arthur Weasley? As far as I know, he and Miss Drizzt are like father and daughter."

"In the ministry, Pierce Thicknesse is the more capable one, isn't he?" Laura asked instead of answering.

"I want to see Miss Drizzt." Thicknesse said, but Laura's promise alone could not reassure him. He had to see Ada in person to feel at ease.

Laura stood up, shook off her robe, and said, "Of course, as like-minded friends, it's a normal little thing to meet and have a cup of tea."

At this time, Thicknesse picked up the wand again, but this time he didn't point it at Laura, but at the bottle of wine in the cabinet.

The bottle of wine floated in front of Laura under Thicknesse's control. Thicknesse said, "You and I both love wine. This bottle of wine is my gift. I wish Miss Fournier a wonderful afternoon."

"Thank you for your generosity!" Laura took the offer mid-air. "In return, please pay more attention to Yaxley, Mr. Deputy Director. You will gain something unexpected."

(End of this chapter)