On the cobblestone streets of Diagon Alley, Josephine, who was wearing a black cloak and the uniform of the Ministry of Magic, was wearing a sunhat. Many members of the Department of Magical Creatures Management and Control that she was in charge of seemed to be on the move today, following behind her. The group of people attracted the attention of the customers and portraits in the shops in Diagon Alley, as if they were about to launch an important event.
In this area, there were more Aura patrolling than usual, and there were even armed forces from the Red Umbrella Department assisting in guarding the shops that had business dealings with the Red Umbrella Department. Recently, the tough plans of the Hogwarts and the British Ministry of Magic had not only dissatisfied the foreigners, but also frightened some of the pure-bloods in the country. Although nothing drastic had happened in the United Kingdom for the time being, Harris was still afraid that the embargo would be used against them.
Some extra arrangements were made in advance to deal with the possible situation.
However, in fact, most of the ordinary sorcerers in the British magic world had started to develop a nationalism similar to that of the American sorcerers. Of course, this ideology was different from the exaggerated sense of crisis of life and death that the Americans used to exaggerate. It came more from the British's toughness and superiority towards the possession of the energy core of the floating city, as well as the three most powerful sorcerers in the world (even if one of them was a Mystery Man) and a true god.
Along the way, most of the shops did not have many customers, and some could even be said to be deserted. Only Fred and George's Weasley Magic Theater was bustling with activity. Many wizards directly came here with Alien Apparition, and many wizards left through Apparition after going out. This became a rare lively scene in the shops in Diagon Alley.
But now, the ones entering and leaving the laughingstock shops were not the young wizards of the past, but many middle-aged and old wizards. They took out large amounts of gold coins, and some were almost frantically rushing to buy decoy bombs, portable swamps, and other magical items that could help them escape.
Only the shelves of powerful aphrodisiacs like the Wonder Witch were emptied. As for the invisible smoke bombs, because they had to be imported from Peru, they were already out of stock when the magic world began to embark on a war against the United Kingdom.
On the poster with a purple background on the window, there were dazzling yellow words that attracted people's attention:
You protect the world,
We protect you,
Strike the Death Eaters,
50% discount on strange items …
"I know a few …" Sirius was a little puzzled. "They didn't look like pranksters in school, why are they playing tricks now that they're old?"
"Don't you watch the news? The Umbrella's rapid response security force is going to send armed forces to Europe to fight the Death Eaters' recent crazy robberies. They are the parents of those wizards … "Josephine frowned." Penello has given a lot of extra tools for these troops. These parents are too worried. They're not sent to fight the Lord Voldemort himself … "
"I know a few parents whose children work in the Umbrella. They are actually proud of it and boast to me every day … But their children have to go out on dangerous missions, so it's inevitable that they'll be worried. I can understand their seemingly contradictory emotions … Fortunately, Cedric and Autumn are both excellent Quidditch players. They've never made me worry … Uh, I'm not saying that I don't support them in battle, but they're more suitable to play in Quidditch …" Amos felt that he had said something wrong midway, but then his tone became proud again. "Cedric has already become the star player of the Montrose Magpie Team. Autumn rejected the invitation of the female captain of the Hedhabi Team, Gwenge Jones, who thinks that women play better than men. She went to the Tatterhill Tornado Team that she liked since she was a child and also became the team's substitute …" He looked proudly at his single boss and his middle-aged colleague who were still single. "As you know, as the star players of Quidditch, their salary is not bad and they each have a large number of fans … So they're planning to get married soon. They plan to get a house on the floating city. Don't turn down the wedding invitation."
"Then I'll congratulate you in advance, Asmo." Josephine nodded and forced a smile on her face. "Also, I have to remind you that as a member of the Ministry of Magic, you have some benefits on the floating city, including housing. If it's under your name, it's much better than those who don't belong to the Umbrella or the Ministry of Magic."
"That's great. I'll write to Cedric when I get back … Uh … Director, we have to stay away from that magical zoo … The owner with the thick, black-rimmed glasses isn't easy to deal with … She's been causing trouble for us recently, trying to demand compensation …" Amos Diggory pointed to a dimly lit shop with a closed door. "The Owl Shop is fine … But your nephew … I'm talking about Principal Harris' recent feat … The embargo imposed on us by these countries has caused problems for the zoo's supply channels. In recent years, the little wizard's taste has become picky, and the Hogwarts no longer restricts the students' pets to cats or toads. Her voice is terrible …"
The pet shop, which used to be very crowded and full of all kinds of animal noises, was now very quiet inside.
"That's great!" Sirius whistled. "Amos, this is good news for us. Our work will be easier because of this!"
"Shut up! You've been working for so long and you're still so sloppy! " Josephine couldn't help but scold Sirius. She then turned to Asmo and said, "Later, tell the Magical Zoo that we know about her. I'll contact the Umbrella and give them some preferential compensation and support …"
"That's great … Director, her shop has always been law-abiding …" Diggory stole a glance at Josephine. "In fact, many businesses like this have been troubled …"
Josephine narrowed her reddened eyes and stared at her subordinate. She then calmed her black cloak and told it not to move. "The Hogwarts have equipment for this. The Umbrella will calculate and provide some compensation and support."
"Asmo, did you take advantage of those shops?" Sirius, who had both hands in his pockets, said casually. Diggory's face turned red, but he looked at the dazzling sunlight shining on the magic umbrellas in Florin's Cold Drinks Shop. "Josephine, it's like summer today. Let the other departments go first. I'll treat everyone to something cold … "
"We're in front of them!" Josephine, who was usually cold and calm, felt a headache coming on. She felt her body heat up without drinking other people's blood. This was an ability she lost after becoming a vampire.
Fortunately, Diagon Alley, which used to be the busiest commercial street in the British Magic World, was not very big. At least, it was especially so when compared to the commercial district of the floating city. Soon, the members of the Magical Zoo arrived at their destination. It was the Gringotte Wizard Bank, the only place in Diagon Alley that had the same number of customers as the twins' joke shop.
Gringotts is the largest building in the entire Diagon Alley's business district, and also the oldest building. It was located in the middle of the T-junction of Diagon Alley, directly facing the street below. It was a very good location. The pillars of this majestic building were crooked and very unique. At the very top was a sculpture of a fire-breathing dragon with its wings spread out. It looked like it was there to deter adepts with ulterior motives, and also to provide security for the customers.
At this moment, in front of this extraordinary white building, all the other shops seemed to pale in comparison. This was the only shop that had enough customers. Customers hurried out of the shop in groups of three to five. None of the Magi were alone, and all of them looked serious and cautious.
Josephine's group stood in front of the snow-white building that towered above the surrounding shops. Next to the shiny bronze door stood three fairies in scarlet uniforms with gold trimmings. The leader was in charge of guiding them, while the other two were in charge of guarding them. Each of them held a slender gold rod with an honesty detector. Seeing the Ministry of Magic uniform on Josephine's group, the leader of the fairies gave a look to the guard beside him. The guard immediately ran into the bank. Not long after, more fairies and wizards rushed out of Gringotte's entrance than the last time Lunn's group came.
Unlike the normal Fairy employees who wore white shirts, black singlets, and black sleeves, the two Fairies in the lead, Nagenok and Pull Ring, wore black striped suits with a sapphire blue silk shirt underneath. Their black leather shoes were polished until they shone brightly.
When the two leading fairies saw Josephine's group, they stopped in their tracks. They thought the Ministry of Magic was here to cause trouble for the Mysterious Soul Vessel. When the fairies heard the news, they suspected that the Ministry of Magic wanted to rely on the Fairy Liaison Office under the Unusual Creatures Office to deal with this matter. However, it seemed that the Ministry of Magic was here to deal with this matter.
"Could it be that the Ministry of Magic wants to use them to inspect Gringotte …" No matter what he thought, Nagenok's expression didn't change. He walked over and bowed politely to Josephine's group. Then, he revealed a wide smile, his pointed beard trembling. He asked tentatively, "Director Josephine Harris, why did you bring so many people to Gringotte today? The fire dragons and other animals we're responsible for guarding have all been registered with the Ministry of Magic. There hasn't been any opportunity or need to bring in new species recently."
As usual, Josephine didn't take off her hat. She returned the salute politely with a polite smile. "Don't be nervous, Nagenoch. We're not here for official business. We're here for personal business. It just so happens that there are a lot of people in the Ministry of Magic who need this today, so I gave my colleagues and I half a day's leave to come here."
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