Harry Potter: The Golden Viper

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The Leaky Cauldron was an important passageway connecting the magical world and the Muggle world. Every day, there were endless wizards and witches passing through it.

As the sun climbed higher in the sky, more and more magical folks entered the pub. However, upon walking through the door these newcomers immediately froze. Their expressions transformed from casual anticipation to alert wariness as they saw the stern-faced Aurors stationed throughout the main hall.

At the center of this gathering stood Bryan Watson, as he conversed intensely with the intimidating figures around him about something. Without needing to be driven away, they tactfully retreated on their own, backing toward the door with murmured apologies and averted gazes.

Some exchanged knowing glances, others whispered gossips about what dark business might have occurred in the pub. A few of the bolder regulars tried to crane their necks for a better view before being tugged away by more cautious companions.

Half of the Aurors brought by Kingsley were dispatched to investigate the memories of the shopkeepers on both sides, searching for clues about the whereabouts of the manipulated person.

The news coming back to headquarters- as the Leaky Cauldron had effectively become was encouraging thus far. Three separate Muggle shopkeepers had reported seeing a person matching the exact description from Tom's memory, confirming Bryan's theory.

The mysterious courier did indeed appear to be a Muggle. According to the gathered witness records, he hadn't disappeared through magical means such as Apparition or an unauthorized Portkey, which would have left magical signatures detectable by specialized Auror equipment.

Instead, after exiting the Leaky Cauldron and reentering the Muggle world, the man had turned north onto Charing Cross Road and boarded a Bus at the station.

Currently, a team of Aurors was tracking down that particular London bus using the route number and approximate time provided by witnesses. They were also trying to locate the specific driver who had operated the vehicle that evening.

But Bryan's orders weren't nearly over yet.

"If you were the one who committed the crime, Kingsley," Bryan asked in a pensive tone as he sat at a corner table gently swirling the viscous liquor in his glass, "what would you do after committing it?"

Tom had been officially cleared of any involvement in the affair. What likely awaited him was a fine and this kind of punishment wasn't particularly devastating for Tom, who had managed the famous Leaky Cauldron pub in the British magical world for decades and had accumulated considerable wealth despite his humble demeanor.

The relief at avoiding more serious consequences was obvious in his transformed energetic self as he hustled around, having finally come to his senses after the initial shock. He began attentively preparing some drinks and food for the Ministry employees and Bryan Watson in his pub.

Bryan had been pondering many things since leaving Hogwarts yesterday.

"Undoubtedly, I would choose to leave the country—" Kingsley gave his answer almost the instant Bryan's voice faded.

"If I were the culprit," Kingsley continued, "it's foreseeable that once I succeeded, Albus Dumbledore and you, Bryan Watson, would definitely investigate this matter to its decisive conclusion, leaving no stone unturned. The Ministry of Magic also wouldn't simply let the culprit who attacked one of the Triwizard champions escape justice. They would use every resource at their disposal to track my whereabouts—"

Before Kingsley could explain further, a flash of realization crossed his face. Without requiring additional prompting or clear instructions from Bryan, Kingsley immediately straightened up and strode toward a subordinate and said urgently.

"Go to the Ministry immediately, check all records of wizards who have officially entered and left Britain in the past month or two. Hurry—go directly to the Wizard Immigration Office and find Pennock."

The junior Auror was about to interject a question about routine authorization, but Kingsley cut him off with a raised hand. "If he doesn't cooperate fully or attempts to delay, inform him that this is a direct order from Minister Fudge and Mr. Bryan Watson!"

The young Auror nodded sharply, and without further questions, he turned on his back and disappeared with a loud crack of Apparition.

"Investigating solely through official channels isn't completely safe, Kingsley—" Bryan didn't move to stop Kingsley's order, but after the junior Auror had left, he continued,

"Judging from the caution showed by the mastermind throughout the process of mailing the package, he wouldn't overlook such an obvious escape route as official border crossings."

Bryan's eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he touched the rim of his glass with one finger. "So, I strongly suggest it would be best to simultaneously investigate wizards who have smuggled themselves out of Britain through unofficial channels during the past fortnight—"

"Go take a look at Freddy—" Glancing at the leisurely Bryan Watson sipping sherry, Kingsley then said sternly to another subordinate awaiting orders,

"Make absolutely certain he hands over his complete list. If he shows any reluctance or tries to withhold information, bring him directly back to the Ministry. And make it clear to him that the Wizengamot won't be happy to see him jumping the queue even if he's so eager to get into Azkaban!"

"There's also Bruce and Nia. Those two are mainly responsible for the southwest border. Freddy will be happy to tell you the whereabouts of his two competitors—" Bryan added.

Hearing his words, Kingsley's subordinate looked at Bryan Watson in bewilderment as he was a bit at a loss.

"Do as Mr. Watson says—" Kingsley pursed his lips and said swiftly. To speed things up, he arranged for two more Aurors to handle this matter together.

After sending this team off with instructions about handling the slippery smugglers, Kingsley came to the table where Bryan was sitting alone. Half-jokingly and half-probingly, he said, "It's truly astonishing, Mr. Watson. You're not an Auror, yet you're very knowledgeable about these things—"

"Hehe—" Bryan smiled slightly. "Knowing a few more sources of information isn't a bad thing in times like these, Kingsley."

Kingsley moved the corners of his mouth in agreement, then sat down across from Bryan.

Looking at Bryan Watson who was lost in thought, and was highly regarded as the top contender to be Dumbledore's successor at Hogwarts, Kingsley blurted out, "Your style is completely different from Albus', Mr. Watson—"

However, as soon as the words left his mouth, Kingsley felt regret. His relationship with Watson was strictly professional; they weren't close enough friends for such direct comparative comments that might be interpreted as criticism of either of the two powerful wizards.

"Oh?" Bryan, who had been pondering something, chuckled again upon hearing this. "Where do you think lies the biggest difference between Dumbledore and me?"

This question wasn't actually easy to answer. One careless word could offend the big shot person in front of him. However, after a brief contemplation, Kingsley still spoke truthfully, "You seem... I mean, your way of doing things, appears much more flexible than Albus'—"

The tall and strong Kingsley smiled and said in a deep, slow voice, "If it were Albus here today, he wouldn't go check Tom's memories, nor would he have the Aurors examine the Muggles' memories even with Ministry authorization—"

"I don't deny what you're saying, Kingsley—" Bryan shook his head with a smile. "But I think perhaps you don't know Dumbledore deeply enough as you might think—"

Dumbledore was never actually one to rigidly stick to established rules and conventional restrictions when something truly mattered. It's just that he always maintained an internal moral compass—a personal ethical scale in his heart that helped him weigh whether what he was going to do was worth overriding systems, regulations, conventional rules... and other societal norms.

If, after careful consideration, he determined that a particular situation needed such extraordinary measures, then he would do so with absolute thoroughness and commitment.

Kingsley's view was only because as Dumbledore grew older and his international prestige and influence increased, fewer and fewer situations have risen to the threshold of requiring his direct, rule-bending intervention. This gave people the false impression that he valued rules above all else.

"There's one additional matter to discuss, Kingsley—" Kingsley's observation and willingness to speak honestly earned him a measure of Bryan's professional trust. After a brief internal pondering visible only as a slight furrow between his brows, Bryan decided to entrust Kingsley with this matter. "There's another possible way to approach the mastermind behind the scenes that I didn't mention just now—"

Bryan looked Kingsley in the eye and said, "Yesterday in Dumbledore's office, we also didn't tell Minister Fudge about this... The curse Hermione is under is very unusual. The curse's seed and the curse itself are separate. Only by destroying the seed can the curse in Hermione's body be completely expelled. In magical Europe, there aren't many wizards capable of creating this kind of curse—"

Bryan took out from his pocket the list he had obtained from Verrence. "A friend of mine helped me investigate. This is a list of wizards in magical Europe who possess this ability—"

To avoid having people associate him with Golden Viper, Bryan didn't tell Kingsley that he had procured this list himself. "I originally planned to personally visit the wizards on the list. But these people are scattered throughout Europe, and it's unrealistic to expect them to stay at home. Tracking them down will also take time—"

Kingsley solemnly took the list. He scanned the contents. Although the number of people wasn't large, not everyone had a clear location. Some names had a special note that the information source was from several years ago.

"It's best to select elites to carry out this task, Kingsley—"

"Understood, Mr. Watson—" Kingsley nodded gravely, indicating his understanding.

Wizards capable of creating and maintaining curses of such extraordinary complexity and potency were very powerful wizards.

If Aurors approached such individuals with standard investigative techniques, like appearing unannounced at their homes with official demands for information then it was completely possible that their encounter would escalate rapidly into dangerous magical conflict.

As many such specialized curse-users had developed their skills during darker periods of magical history and still maintained deep suspicions of Ministry authority.

Turning to look at the remaining Aurors, Kingsley hesitated for a while before making arrangements. He carefully explained the danger and importance of this mission, and watched them as they left one by one.

Tom hid behind the bar, watching Bryan, Kingsley and this group of people. His eyes held a resentful look, because his pub had now practically been turned into a command center, with all patrons being blocked at the door.

Throughout the day, Bryan and Kingsley stayed in the Leaky Cauldron, directing the operation and listening to reports every so often from the Aurors who had gone to investigate the person who delivered the package.

As the sun gradually shifted westward across the sky, sliding toward the horizon, the pub hall gradually darkened. With each passing hour, the atmosphere of murderous intensity within the place seemed to grow more concentrated.

Tom, having finally surrendered to the reality that his bar had been seized for the foreseeable future, had abandoned his earlier protests and was now experiencing this rare moment of forced leisure with surprising contentment.

Decades of maintaining the busy pub had given him few opportunities for genuine rest. Now, having served a hearty late lunch to the Ministry personnel, he was enjoying a nap snoozing sweetly sprawled over the bar counter.

BANG!

The explosive sound of the front door being violently thrown open shattered the concentrated silence of the pub. Simultaneously, a powerful gust of refreshing evening air surged through the opening, circulating throughout the room like an invisible whirlwind.

"We found him, Mr. Watson!" exclaimed the suddenly appearing Auror, his voice was cracking with barely contained excitement as he burst into the space.

And there in his chair near the hearth, the apparently napping Bryan slowly opened his eyes with his pair of pale purple pupils flashing an intense glint in the dim, shadow-filled pub hall.

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