The Day of the Draw at Hogwarts

Who is keeping the country of Great Britain running? Royal Family, Prime Minister or Cabinet? No, it was countless civil servants who maintained the operation of this old empire, making this old car that was about to fall apart drive slowly and steadily on the downhill road.

They can't change the fact that the car is going downhill, but they can make the people in the car feel extremely stable. As the saying goes, play GG in the midst of laughter and laughter

Hundreds of thousands of civil servants "dedicate themselves" in obscurity to ensure the smooth operation of government departments. But since they have to bear such huge power, they have to sacrifice something, such as vacation.

During the Christmas holiday, the civil servants definitely couldn't rest. On the contrary, they were busier than usual because all the lay ministers who were obstructive and whimsical went on vacation. The rope around the necks of the civil servants was briefly loosened. . Civil servants who are good at timing will definitely not miss this window period, and they are working overtime to handle various government affairs that are usually inconvenient to deal with.

Naturally, the heads of civil servants are no exception. When Harker visited Hogwarts, Harker's secretary Sir Humphrey and cabinet secretary Sir Arnold were having a small meeting. The two people at the top and second top of the food chain in the British administrative system got together like this.

Sir Arnold, the cabinet secretary, was, in a sense, the most powerful man in the country. He is the permanent secretary of the Prime Minister and controls the agenda of the cabinet. Everything in Britain is under his control. Even the magical world has an unclear relationship with him.

But such a person will retire one day.

He invited Humphrey to his office today and chatted with him. The chat went smoothly, and Sir Arnold walked to the table on the side naturally to pour wine for himself and Humphrey.

"By the way, Humphrey, I have decided to retire early." Arnold said while pouring the wine, as if he was talking about a trivial matter in Chapter 1, and even the amount of wine flowing out of the jug did not change.

"Really, Arnold?" Humphrey couldn't be so calm, and his voice was trembling after hearing the news.

Sir Arnold noticed the change in his subordinate's mood.

"It's just in the New Year." Arnold handed the wine to Humphrey, and he said while holding the glass: "My successor must be firm in facing politicians, and must be strategic, gentle, charming, and sophisticated...especially... Be reliable."

As he spoke, he sat down in an armchair. Humphrey echoed his every word.

"It is therefore my duty to nominate a permanent secretary to the Prime Minister who fully meets these criteria."

Faced with Arnold's crazy suggestion, Humphrey accepted it all. He felt that this candidate was simply carved in his own image. His whole body became excited and his eyes were shining.

"Then, you... this... do you have... now..." Humphrey, who was eloquent, actually stuttered.

"You see, the true meaning of this business is not to find the right answer, but to find the right question and see who can find the most critical question." Arnold, who wears black-rimmed glasses, always looks calm and calm. The words that came out of his mouth were always vague, but in Humphrey's ears, Arnold's meaning could not be clearer: Whoever can help me solve key problems will be the next cabinet secretary.

He took a sip from his glass and began his performance.

"By the way, Arnold, let's change the subject. What are you going to do after retirement?" The change of topic was very blunt, but very effective.

It can be seen that after Humphrey said this, Arnold's mood became visibly happy, and there was a hint of appreciation in his eyes when he looked at Humphrey. He began to talk endlessly about his plans for retirement.

"Chairman of Bank of the West, IBM, BP, Chairman of the Theater Royal Foundation - the whole thing has to wait until next year, Honorary Chancellor of Oxford University, Deputy Governor of the Bank of England may be a bit challenging... but you always like challenges... In the end , President of the British Caribbean Association is an opportunity to benefit the public, especially in winter.”

"Exactly." Arnold was extremely satisfied. Humphrey was worthy of being his chosen successor, and he had arranged his retirement life in order.

After agreeing on the promised position, the two began to discuss confidentiality matters. Humphrey assured Arnold that some documents involving Arnold would be kept safe and secure.

Who doesn’t have a dark history? It doesn't matter if you have a dark history, just don't expose it while you are alive.

"I can finally rest assured. So, having said that, all my colleagues and I agree that you are the first candidate for Cabinet Secretary." Arnold looked as normal, as if the negotiation just now had never happened at all.

Humphrey smiled with delight, a smile that grew even brighter when he learned there was only one candidate.

After the transaction was completed, Arnold and Humphrey drank from their glasses together. At this time, Sir Arnold seemed to remember a trivial thing.

"By the way, since so far you are the first and only candidate for the next cabinet secretary, I think it will be a good thing for you and the entire administrative team to take you to meet someone in advance. . He and the forces behind him are very important, but their existence can only be known to the cabinet secretary - are you free now?"

Humphrey's expression became serious. He knew his boss too well. The more important the matter, the more he would say it last, and the more relaxed and ordinary the tone, the less relaxed and unusual the matter would be.

He adjusted his sitting position and said, "Arnold, of course I'm free. Who is the big shot we want to meet?"

Arnold glanced at his watch and said, "Don't worry, there's still a quarter of an hour. As for the person we want to see, he's a wizard."

Humphrey:…

He felt that there must be something wrong between his ears and Arnold's brain. wizard? He stopped believing in wizards at the age of three!

“After a long day, a joke can really relax you.”

Arnold looked at Humphrey with cold and ruthless eyes. Under the intimidation of Arnold's eyes, Humphrey obediently closed his mouth.

"I'm not kidding. This is a top secret that cabinet secretaries will pass down from generation to generation."

Humphrey was already considering whether he could successfully become cabinet secretary after letting the lunatic asylum kidnap Arnold.

Arnold is so mature, how could he not see through Humphrey's little thoughts? But he didn't bother to explain, he just sat quietly in his seat, waiting for the appointed time to arrive.

Time flies. Suddenly, the flame in the fireplace in Arnold's office burned violently, turning into a green flame as tall as a man.

A figure emerged from the flames.

"Please allow me to introduce you, this is Lucius Malfoy, from the wizarding world."