From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 211 Cheers to Victory

Ivy turned around and saw that the person who caught up with him was the deputy presiding judge of this court, Albert William Nott, and next to him was Lucius Malfoy, who was leaning on a silver-covered cane.

"Lord Doom, I have heard your name from Lucius more than once." Nott said with a smile and winked at Ivy.

Ivy immediately understood that Lucius had already told the man in front of him about the time when he, as "Professor Victor", was in charge of building a base for magical creatures at Hogwarts.

"Today is such an exciting day. Those who were wrongly accused have been vindicated, and past mistakes have been corrected." Nott's words were very interesting. He did not seem to deliberately flaunt his identity as a "pure-blooded saint". Instead, he extended the invitation in a rather peaceful manner, "To celebrate this good day, why don't we go have a drink together?"

It seems that what Lucius told Nott was not only Ivy's disguised identity, but also about Peter Pettigrew's trial today.

After Ivy caught Peter, he sent Lucius a short letter describing what had happened and asking him to act according to circumstances and try to ensure that Peter was successfully convicted.

As the old Crouch who had judged the case failed to sit in the judgement seat, it meant that Lucius's plan was successful. Just like when he helped to deal with the magical creature base before, Lucius's partner was still the pure-blooded political rookie who was trying to find a way to rise.

After hesitating for less than a moment, Ivy decided to accept Nott's invitation. It was not easy to seek allies in the only authority in the British wizarding world. With Lucius' help, Ivy had a great opportunity in front of him.

No wonder Voldemort thought Lucius was his loyal friend and gave him one of his Horcruxes.

In the right occasion and at the right time, the subjective initiative that Lucius can exert should not be underestimated.

It was clear that Ivy's instructions to him were to act according to circumstances. Not only could he successfully complete the task of advancing the trial of Peter Pettigrew, but he could also help Ivy win over a powerful figure in the Ministry of Magic.

If the "celebration" goes well, Chief Nott will soon become another member of Ivy's warship.

After notifying Dumbledore using text messaging, Ivy followed Nott into another elevator and headed to the office of the Director of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures on the fourth floor.

The fourth floor where the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures is located is very large, because this department is the second most powerful department in the Ministry of Magic and one of the main sources of income for the Ministry of Magic. Whether in the Muggle world or the wizarding world, trade with rare animals is a highly profitable industry.

In addition to the director's office at the end of the floor, there are many other offices on both sides of the corridor, which fully demonstrate the redundant civil service system of the British Ministry of Magic.

At the door of the room with the name "Beast's Office" written on the doorplate, Ivy, Lucius and Director Nott happened to run into a wizard who pushed the door open.

He is tall, with a ruddy complexion, and looks energetic and in good spirits.

"It looks like the trial is over, Chief Nott?" The wizard, who was walking out with some documents, greeted his boss. "Judging from the expression on your face, the result must be good, right?"

"Amos!" Nott smiled. "You guessed right. Justice has prevailed!"

"Great!" The wizard called Asmo by Nott also said with a smile, "Based on my understanding of the minister, maybe we can see relevant reports in the Daily Prophet next Tuesday?"

"I couldn't agree more."

Before Director Nott said goodbye, the tactful wizard Asmo took the initiative to end the conversation: "Director, are you going to celebrate this victory with your friends? Then I won't bother you any more. Just wait for Tuesday's newspaper."

"Oh, Asmo, you are so thoughtful." Nott and Asmo said goodbye to each other.

But before leaving, Asmo called Nott again: "The dragon managers wanted to look for you in the office but couldn't find you. I think you will be happy to know this news."

"Thank you very much."

Watching Asmo go away, Nott turned around and said to Ivy and Lucius, "That's Asmo Diggory. He has a son who goes to school at Hogwarts. What he usually shows off the most to his colleagues is his baby son."

"Which house?" Lucius asked. "If it's Slytherin or Ravenclaw..."

"Hufflepuff," Nott replied.

Then Lucius shut up, apparently not intending to discuss the issue any further.

"He said those who take care of dragons..." Ivy was a little curious. After all, he himself had a dragon.

"Oh, it's the Dragon Research and Restriction Bureau." Nott led the two forward and explained to Ivy, "It's a subordinate department of the Beast Office, under the direct leadership of Asmo Diggory. They have always been reluctant to establish a new dragon research institute in Hogwarts."

As if he had eyes on his back and noticed Ivy's curious expression, Nott continued to introduce: "The UK already has two fire dragon sanctuaries, the Welsh Green Dragon Sanctuary and the Hebrides Black Dragon Sanctuary. Although the fire dragons in these two places are of a single species, they can be said to have monopolized the fire dragon product business in the entire British wizarding world, so they certainly don't want to see new places where fire dragons can survive. Even if Hogwarts is a research institution."

Where there are interests, there are disputes, even in the magical world.

"But we are almost convincing them. After all, recruiting dragon researchers has never been an easy task. If the new standards of Hogwarts' Care of Magical Animals course can improve this situation, they are willing to make some concessions." Nott took out the key and opened the door of the office, inviting the two to come in. "Welcome to my office!"

Nott's office is not luxuriously furnished, but filled with specimens of various magical animals. There are snow monsters with long white hair and green fangs, ferocious fire dragon skulls, and many other strange creatures. Anyone who comes here can understand that the office in front of them is a place with a strong personal style.

Nott took out a bottle of mead and three goblets from a nearby cabinet, and filled them with amber liquid one by one. The mead that Nott kept in his office was in good condition, and after pouring it into the cup, it smelled of cream and honey, which was neither too sweet nor unnoticeable.

"Lucius." Nott handed Lucius a glass filled with amber liquid, and then handed another glass to Ivy, "Lord Doom."

Ivy took the glass and the three of them raised it together.

At this time, Lucius spoke: "To victory!"

Ivy nodded and took a sip with a smile.

Nott said, "To the glory!" Although he said glory, Ivy saw the desire for power on his face. As the saying goes, a wall stands thousands of feet high, and without desire, it is strong. The reverse is also true, with desire comes weakness. Besides, Ivy did not intend to control Nott, and it would not be too difficult to use his desire for power to achieve cooperation.

Thinking of this, Ivy took another sip of mead.

Nott's collection is really good. The mead tastes very smooth and has a little bit of foam. The heat brought by the alcohol in the throat is not irritating, but very warm, which makes people unable to stop.

Ivy put his glass down and saw the other two people in the office staring at him.

"Say something, Lord Doom." Nott had long since abandoned his seriousness in the courtroom and leaned on his desk.

So Ivy raised his glass: "To justice."

Lucius and Nott looked at each other. Although they were both Slytherins, they never thought that their actions were just, nor did they bother to associate with the so-called "justice" of other wizards (especially Gryffindor).

Lucius hesitated for only a moment before deciding to raise his glass, secretly regretting in his heart that if the two sips he had taken earlier had not caused his tense nerves to slow down, he would have been able to think of a few nice words to compliment Lord Doom.

Ivy drank the mead in his cup first, shook the empty cup and added: "Victor's justice."

Nott then laughed and drank the wine in the glass: "I like this saying! Only victory can bring justice!"

When he put down his cup, Lucius said to Ivy, "Fudge will hand over old Crouch's International Magical Cooperation Department to me. This was agreed upon before."

"Ah, this news is really unexpected." Ivy didn't expect this.

As a political novice who has never worked as a civil servant in the Ministry of Magic, if Lucius Malfoy really becomes the Director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, it will definitely cause an uproar in the British wizarding community.

Ivy's mind turned, and then he said: "You must have paid a lot for this, right? Lucius? But don't worry, your efforts will be rewarded, I promise."

After hearing what Ivy said, Nott on the side began to realize that something was wrong.

He originally thought that Ivy was a young wizard that Lucius favored, and perhaps the two of them had a relationship similar to that of sponsors. This situation was not uncommon in pure-blood families, and some pure-blood families liked to recruit similar young talents as sons-in-law to avoid the harm caused by inbreeding.

However, Nott knew from the beginning that Lucius had only one son, so he only considered their relationship as a simple sponsorship.

But he didn't expect that the superior-subordinate relationship between the two people was completely opposite to what he had imagined at the beginning.

So what exactly is the situation with this young man named Doom? Not only can he disguise himself as a professor and substitute for students while still in school, but he can also get the service of the head of the Malfoy family, one of the "Pure Blood Saints".

You have to know that the last person who was looked upon with such favor by Lucius Malfoy was the one whose name could not even be mentioned.

Thinking of this, Nott broke out in a cold sweat.

Lucius's past as a Death Eater was no secret in the British wizarding world. Although society generally accepted the theory that Lucius was controlled by the Imperius Curse, Nott, who was also a "pure-blood saint", knew all too well what was going on.

When he was a Death Eater, Lucius always acted in a mask and never revealed his true identity, which is why he was able to quickly get away with it after Voldemort's downfall.

In other words, Lucius was a masked supporter of Voldemort.

But now, this guy who has always been cautious and good at keeping himself safe has actually shown up to support the young man in front of him. Nott couldn't help but ask why.

But in a blink of an eye, he got the answer.

Either the young man in front of him was the Dark Lord himself, or he was even more terrifying than the Dark Lord.

Director Nott shook his head, threw aside these two outrageous guesses, and began to think about the possibility of Lucius changing his gender.

His action was noticed by the other two. Ivy smiled and said, "You can't handle the alcohol, Chief Nott?"

"Yes, the wine of victory is always more intoxicating." Nott's brain worked quickly and he immediately thought of a way to deal with it.

Since the "young man" in front of him had no intention of revealing his identity, Nott was happy to pretend that he knew nothing. However, he must not lose his manners when dealing with this person in the future, and he must not stop showing his goodwill. If Lucius Malfoy really made some noise in the British wizarding world with the help of this young man, Nott would have to get a piece of the pie.

After covering up his gaffe with a joke, Nott immediately changed the subject: "Lucius' appointment as Director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation is also good for Fudge himself, otherwise he wouldn't give in so easily."

Lucius showed a slightly sarcastic expression. "I think he's not a particularly special idiot. Dumbledore spent so much effort to push him to the position, but he has been in the position of Minister for less than two years and he has already begun to test his former political sponsors in various places. In my opinion, his sights are only slightly further than Peter Pettigrew who is about to receive the Dementor's Kiss."

Nott just smiled in agreement and said nothing. Lucius was not yet a member of the civil service system, so he could speak without scruples, but Nott could not do that. He knew very well that all crows were black, and he, the director, was not much better than the Minister of Magic. They were both people whose heads were controlled by their butts.

"Sir Doom, do you know why the Minister handed over the Department of International Magical Cooperation to Lucius so easily?" Nott hoped to learn more about Ivy during the conversation, so he immediately threw him a topic and gave him some hints in advance, "Because a grand international event will be held in the UK, he must rely on the financial resources and influence of the Malfoy family."

"Is it the Quidditch World Cup final?" Ivy had known about this for a long time, and also knew that the final would be held in Ireland and Bulgaria, but it was too horrifying to say it out loud, so Ivy chose another set of excuses.

"I have business dealings with Whitehorn of the Nimbus Broom Company. He started preparing new flying brooms for competitions last year. I guess it was to get some free advertising at the World Cup finals." Looking at the perfect expression of surprise on Nott's face, Ivy laughed.

　I finished the outline of the third volume today, and will start updating it tomorrow...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)