Harry Potter: The Golden Viper

0640 Waiting

Waiting is the most agonizing thing. It troubles the mind, frays the nerves, and stretches each passing second into an infinity of restless anticipation. And on this particular evening, as the long-awaited Yule Ball drew nearer, the students of Hogwarts were finding that truth to be more obvious than ever before.

Although the grand event was not set to officially begin until the clock struck eight, the young witches and wizards of the castle could hardly contain their excitement. As early as half-past five, they began to emerge from their respective common rooms in the towers and dungeons, with each one dressed in their finest dress robes and gowns.

A tangible air of eager expectation was in the environment as they made their way down to the Great Hall.

But as the students began to gather in the Hall, their initial excitement quickly gave way to puzzlement and uneasiness. As instead of the spectacular displays of holiday decorations they had been expecting, they found themselves in a hall that was curiously, almost shockingly, plain.

Gone were the towering Christmas trees that lined the walls, with glittering trinkets and streamers. The enchanted ceiling, which typically mirrored the starry night sky, now showed only its original stonework, bare and simple. Even the hundreds of floating candles that usually illuminated the room had been reduced to a few handfuls, their light was so dim and flickering that it just barely pierced the darkness.

"They aren't really planning to hold the banquet just like this, are they?" Ernie Macmillan of Hufflepuff muttered to his friend Justin Finch-Fletchley, his voice was filled with a mixture of incredulity and disappointment as he stared up at the unimpressive ceiling. "Surely there must be some mistake..."

All around the hall, similar sentiments were being expressed in tones ranging from confusion to outright indignation. The students simply could not understand why the school would treat such a crucial occasion with what appeared to be a terrible lack of care and effort. Had the professors simply forgotten about the ball altogether? Or was this some sort of half-baked prank, designed to dampen their holiday spirits?

As the time approached six o'clock and the scheduled start time of the festivities drew closer, the faculty began to trickle into the hall as well. Almost immediately, Professors Flitwick and Sprout were besieged by a clamoring swarm of young people, all demanding to know what in Merlin's name was going on.

But much to the students' frustration, the two professors just smiled inexplicably and shook their heads, clearly determined to keep the secret - whatever it might be - under wraps until the very last moment.

Draco Malfoy, dressed in a black velvet high-collar dress robe, looked around but didn't see Professor Watson. So, he turned his gaze to Professor Snape, who was lazily standing there in his usual attire. After some thought, Draco walked over and asked, "What's going on, Professor?"

Draco raised his chin slightly in displeasure. "Has Hogwarts truly fallen on such hard times that it's become this shabby and run-down without the generous financial support of the Malfoy family?"

Snape's dark eyes flickered disinterestedly over Draco's straight posture and the way Pansy Parkinson clung to his arm in her pink robes, and just shrugged.

"You'll have to ask Bryan about that," he drawled disinterestedly, his tone making it clear that he couldn't care less about the matter. "He's got some grand plan up his sleeve, or so he claims. Don't ask me, Draco. He demanded we keep it secret—"

Despite Snape's apparent lack of concern for discretion, his words spread like wildfire through the positions of the waiting students, fueling a fresh wave of speculation. People whispered curiously, discussing what Professor Watson was planning to do. Some gossipmongers even wanted to go together to Watson's office demanding answers directly, but their plans were quickly blocked by the realization that Professor Watson was nowhere to be found.

Little did they know that the man who had become the talk of the castle was, at that very moment, engaged in matters of management and was not so idle.

As the host of the Triwizard Tournament and the de facto representative of Hogwarts, it was on Bryan to welcome the various dignitaries and officials from the Ministry of Magic who had played a role in organizing the event. And so, while the students gossiped about in the Great Hall, growing increasingly restless with each passing minute, Bryan was in his office, deep in conversation with none other than Percy Weasley.

Percy, who had been absolutely giddy with excitement ever since his lunch meeting with Bryan, had spent the entire afternoon amusing his former teacher with tales of the dramatic changes that had taken place in his work life since he had taken Bryan's advice and asked his father to introduce him to some well-connected friends at the Ministry.

"It's like a whole new world, Professor!" Percy repeated the same words for the seventh time in great delight. "All those tedious, menial tasks that used to eat up so much of my time... they're just gone! I can't even begin to tell you what a relief it is to be able to focus on the things that truly matter..."

Bryan, who had long since changed into his own finely tailored dress robes of deep, midnight blue, nodded along politely as Percy chattered on, making all the appropriate noises of interest and encouragement.

Shaking himself from his trance, Bryan glanced at the clock that stood in the corner of his office and realized how late the hour had grown.

"I'm glad you're taking to your job well, Percy, but I'm afraid we must leave now" he said briskly, rising from his chair and levelling the front of his robes. "I guess there must be a lot of people waiting for me to show up in the Great Hall right now—"

"Alright, Professor—" Percy smacked his lips with some reluctance and followed Professor Watson out of his office.

"About what I mentioned to you last time, Madam Bones' proposal to increase the number of Hit Wizards..." He said eagerly, his words tumbling out in a rush as he struggled to keep pace with Bryan's long steps. "Oh, although Madam Umbridge rejected the suggestion, Madam Bones was determined and insisted on her approval. Now the Minister's Office has sent an inquiry to Mr. Crouch, and Minister Fudge wants to know Mr. Crouch's opinion…."

Percy's voice trailed off uncertainly, and he glanced up at Bryan with a furrowed brow. "What do you think I should do, Professor? Should I write to Mr. Crouch, ask for his say on the matter...?"

Percy was still tireless in seeking guidance.

For a moment, Bryan was silent, his eyes were thoughtful as he considered the question. If you asked how the real Barty Crouch would judge this matter, it was hard to say. But now, the person in Barty's house would surely disagree.

"I think," Bryan said at last, his voice low as they reached a corner and began to go down the final stairs that led to the Great Hall, "that you would do well to throw your support behind Madam Bones' proposal, Percy. Barty has dedicated his life to the eradication of Dark magic and those who practice it. He would want to see the Ministry taking bold, decisive action to strengthen its defenses against the forces of evil."

Percy's eyes lit up with fierce approval, and he nodded vigorously, his chest was swelling with pride and determination. "You're absolutely right, Professor!"

As Percy launched into yet another breathless monologue, praising the virtues of his own political shrewdness and foresight, Bryan had to fight back a sigh of mingled exasperation and amusement.

I warned you, if you want to engage in politics, you can't be so naive.

"Oh Bryan! There you are!"

The cry cut through the silence of the corridor like a thunderclap, and Bryan glanced up to see Ludo Bagman striding toward him, in robes of eye-searing purple. At his side, her face pinched with disapproval, was Professor McGonagall, looking as though she would rather be anywhere else in the world than playing escort to the flashy Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports.

"You look simply radiant!" Ludo strode towards Bryan. He seemed not to notice Percy's subtle contempt for him, his eyes were only on Bryan as he grinned.

"Thank you, Ludo," Bryan greeted him with a nod and a faint smile, his eyes were flicking curiously over Bagman's dazzling attire. "You seem to be in high spirits tonight. Did something good happen?"

Bagman's grin widened, and he clapped a hand on Bryan's shoulder, his eyes were gleaming with barely suppressed excitement. "Ah, you know me too well! I've got some marvelous news to share with you, simply marvelous...but perhaps we ought to find someplace a bit more private, eh? Minerva, Percy, would you mind giving us a moment...?"

McGonagall's lips thinned in disapproval, but she nodded curtly, turning to gesture Percy after her as she started off down the corridor. "Come along, Mr. Weasley," she said briskly, her voice carrying back to Bryan and Bagman as she went. "I believe Professor Karkaroff and Madam Maxime are already waiting for us in the Great Hall..."

Ludo kept watching Percy and Professor McGonagall go downstairs until he could no longer hear Professor McGonagall asking Percy how life was at the ministry. Only then did he turn to look at Bryan, whose eyes were a little exasperated.

"Don't look so gloomy, Bryan—" Ludo said gleefully, "I'm going to tell you some good news!"

"I hope it's good news, Ludo, but please be quick—" Bryan sighed slightly as Ludo pulled him behind a tapestry.

"Here's the thing, Bryan. To thank you for your generosity when we were in Paris together earlier this year, I want to share some valuable information with you. Oh, every word I say is worth a big handful of Galleons!"

"You're welcome, Ludo. Please go on—" Bryan remained expressionless, already knowing what was coming.

Bagman didn't speak right away. Instead, he carefully poked his head out from behind the tapestry and looked around as though searching for hidden eavesdroppers. Only when he didn't notice anything unusual did he pull his head back in and lower his voice, "I have some insider information, Bryan. It's, ahem, something some friends told me—"

Ludo looked at Bryan, his eyes glinting with excitement, "You must know about the betting pool set up in Paris by the goblins who got the broadcasting rights for the tournament, betting on who will win the Triwizard Tournament. There's a group of German investors planning to bet a large sum of Galleons that the highly favored girl from Minerva's House won't be able to finish the competition. It's not a small amount they're putting out, Bryan. Once they officially enter the game, people will follow their lead. By then, Granger's odds of winning will definitely be pushed sky-high by the goblins. If, if—"

Ludo gripped Bryan's arm tightly, his voice trembling, "If we were to place our own bet on the girl, to bet against these German fools... we could stand to make an absolute fortune! All you'd have to do is make sure that Granger makes it through to the end of the Tournament, and the gold would come pouring in faster than you could count it!

Bryan, just imagine, Bryan, Galleons will pile up high in your office!"

Bryan's face was gloomy as he stared at Ludo Bagman for a long time. In a soft voice with a hint of coldness, he said, "In my opinion, Ludo, a cell in Azkaban would suit you far better than any amount of ill-gotten gold. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

With that, Bryan turned on his back and was about to leave.

But Ludo wouldn't let him go, he still grabbed his arm with eager eyes, "You don't agree with this plan, Bryan. Okay, okay, I really don't get it. Gold delivered to your doorstep..."

After taking a few deep breaths, Ludo shouted, "If you won't go in on the bet with me, then at least lend me the money to place it myself! I swear on my old Wimbourne Wasps jersey, I'll pay you back with double interest - no, triple! - as soon as the Tournament's over and done with..."

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