bioinnovel Chapter 251 A Father's Entrustment
Chapter 251 A Father's Entrustment
Chapter 251 A Father's Entrustment
At seven o'clock, the lively dinner at the humble abode began.
Fourteen people sat neatly around a long table made up of two long tables joined together.
The delicious dishes that Mrs. Weasley had carefully prepared exuded an enticing aroma.
Ron, the Gryffindor's "rice king," was the first to start, holding a chicken leg in one hand and a ham pie in the other, not even bothering to say a word.
Harry, who was standing nearby, also joined the King of Rice in enjoying the meal, while Hermione was still somewhat mindful of her image and ate in a more refined manner.
On the other side of the table, the adults ate and chatted, each with a glass of elderflower wine in front of them.
Mr. Weasley, Sirius Black, and Lupin chatted about the past, occasionally taking a sip of wine, their faces all flushed.
Charlie is talking to Fred and George about the Quidditch World Cup, and his unique insights into Quidditch are very helpful to the two younger brothers.
Mrs. Weasley, on the other hand, held onto Bill tightly, looking at his unusual appearance with ill intent.
"Seriously, Bill, can't you take your earring off? It has that horrible fang in it. Don't the people at the bank care? Or could you get a slightly more normal earring?"
"Mom, the people at the bank don't care about what I wear; all they care about is how much treasure I can recover."
As for Belvina—may Merlin bless her! She was only invited to the Burrow as a guest, and no one told her beforehand that she would have to work there!
Before dinner officially began, Percy, that clueless jerk, insisted on sitting next to Belvina.
Before Belvina could even sit down, Percy immediately began his report, using terms like "flying carpet" and "crucible" repeatedly, which made Belvina feel quite uncomfortable.
"Miss Black, can I give you the report on the crucible thickness tomorrow? I'll go upstairs in a bit to finish it and give it to you tonight!"
Percy patted his chest and said confidently,
Belvina looked helpless. Why was this child so stubborn, just like the house-elf Kreacher?
I've told you so many times, you don't need to call her "Miss Black" at home, why make it so formal, but Percy just won't listen.
Also, submit the report tonight. Percy Weasley, who are you trying to kill?
Your boss is very unhappy right now, you know that?
At this moment, Belvina really wanted to recommend Percy to that old guy, Barty Crouch; those two workaholics would definitely get along.
"Percy, work and life need to be kept separate," Belvina said earnestly. "We are living now, so you shouldn't talk about work anymore."
Upon hearing this, Percy blushed and scratched his head, finally realizing that he had been focusing his efforts in the wrong direction.
"But Miss Black, the Quidditch World Cup final is coming up soon," Percy said with difficulty. "We all have to go watch the game, and we don't know when it will end. What will we do about our jobs?"
Thankfully, they still know to watch the World Cup final, so there's still hope.
"Work should be prioritized. We are human beings, not machines—not products of alchemy," Belvina said. "Important things should be done as soon as possible, while things that are not urgent can be done slowly. You can't rush things."
"But Miss Black," Percy said solemnly, "I think the thickness of the crucible bottom is quite important. Imported crucibles have bottoms that are too thin, and the leakage rate is increasing every year. This will seriously disrupt the domestic market and might even endanger personal safety!"
It's hopeless, just bury it. Consider tonight's meal a feast.
Seeing that Percy was so stubborn that nothing could sway him, Belvina had no choice but to let go.
She coughed lightly and said bluntly, "Mr. Weasley, do you think that bringing work into your life makes you seem very responsible and highly capable?"
Percy paused for a moment. His life was already filled with work. Wasn't that enough of a sense of responsibility?
"Completely wrong, terribly wrong," Belvina said sternly.
No one else at the table looked over; the children didn't care, and the adults didn't want to get involved.
Regardless of her status or age, Belvina was an elder, and it was Percy's honor that she was willing to teach him something.
"Only those who lack ability confuse work and life," Belvina continued. "Work hard during work hours, and enjoy life to the fullest when it's time to live. Never let your work take over your life."
As she spoke, Belvina took a sip of elderflower wine.
She continued, "When your work time significantly encroaches on your life, it precisely indicates that your abilities are far from sufficient to complete the current work tasks."
These words struck Percy like a bolt from the blue, leaving him utterly stunned and shattered, tearing his pride to shreds.
Percy's dignity was severely trampled upon because the Hogwarts student council president was so incompetent.
Think about it, who are the student council presidents at Hogwarts?
Albus Dumbledore is widely regarded as the greatest wizard of his time.
Minerva McGonagall, Vice-Headmistress of Hogwarts, Head of Gryffindor House, a giant in the field of Transfiguration.
Tom Riddle, who called himself Voldemort, was known in the underworld as "The Mysterious Man" or "the man whose name cannot be mentioned."
Looking at the achievements of his predecessors and then at Percy, who was criticized for his lack of ability, one can imagine how he felt at that moment.
Belvina firmly believes that people can be curly, but not all the time. You must be curly when it's time to be, and you shouldn't lie flat on your side when it's time to be.
If someone is constantly embroiled in conflict, no matter when or where, their fate will be dire. They will either die from overwork or be beaten to death by others. Wizarding society has never been a harmonious society.
Percy, whose self-esteem had been "devastated," silently lowered his proud head, his pride shattered like the ham in a ham pie.
Belvina raised an eyebrow with satisfaction, finally able to have some peace and quiet, no one was going to nag about the Ministry of Magic's endless troubles.
Of course, Belvina's reason for resorting to such extreme measures was certainly not just to seek peace and quiet; she was genuinely considering Percy's well-being.
If Percy is allowed to continue like this, he will only attract the dislike of others, and people will spontaneously form a group to ostracize him, which will be detrimental to his work and even more detrimental to his promotion.
Furthermore, if Percy Weasley's pride as student council president isn't shattered now, reality will have to teach him a lesson in how to conduct himself. The Hogwarts methods are useless in wizarding society.
But reality is often far more ruthless than Belvina's.
The Ministry of Magic is currently rife with intrigue, and factional infighting could break out at any moment.
The situation outside is even more dire. Voldemort, hiding in Albania, is watching with predatory eyes. Who knows what the Ministry of Magic will be like when he makes his comeback?
Therefore, if Percy Weasley wants to stand on his own in the Ministry of Magic, he must grow up quickly, even if the process is unbearable. The same applies to Belvina; she must quickly distinguish between friend and foe, and determine who is worth winning over and who needs to be maintained. Time is running out for her as well.
The light in the courtyard gradually dimmed, and dinner was drawing to a close.
Mr. Weasley conjured up some candles to light up the dimly lit courtyard; Mrs. Weasley served up her homemade strawberry ice cream as dessert.
Everyone quickly finished the generous portion of ice cream and was enthusiastically discussing the upcoming Quidditch World Cup final. Everyone agreed that the Irish team would ultimately win the championship.
The goblins, like silly dogs, were drawn by the lively noise and popped their heads out. Crookshanks hurriedly ran around the courtyard.
Happily chase after every goblin you can see.
At this moment, Mr. Weasley pulled Belvina aside.
Mr. Weasley said quietly, "I heard everything you just said to Percy."
Belvina nodded dismissively. So what if he heard it? She didn't think Mr. Weasley would be angry about it.
It's important to know that Mr. Weasley had been working in the Ministry of Magic for many years. Although he was only a minor official in the Department of Law Enforcement, his abilities were enough to rank him among the top in the Ministry of Magic.
A person who can leave loopholes for his own hobbies when drafting laws would not see the problems in Percy.
Mr. Weasley said solemnly, "Belvina, I'm entrusting Percy to you. I'm sorry to trouble you."
This time, Belvina didn't hesitate to accept Arthur Weasley's thanks and entrustment, standing up straight.
"Perhaps, one day in the future, when people mention Percy Weasley, the first thing that comes to mind will not be 'He is Arthur Weasley's son.'"
"That would be perfect."