bioinnovel Chapter 426 Neglecting One's Proper Duty
Chapter 426 Neglecting One's Proper Duty
Chapter 426 Neglecting One's Proper Duty
Even days later, Belvina couldn't recall how she left the principal's office that day.
It was as if her memories were reduced to fragmented pieces, so scattered that they could not be pieced together.
What is most memorable is Dumbledore's sudden support and help.
To this day, Belvina still doesn't understand the whole story, whether it was Takamura Ichiban who was fooling her, or whether she was fooled by Old Deng.
Respect death, understand its impact on others; killing is not the only means to an end.
Dumbledore's words were like shackles on Belvina, firmly imprisoning her restless heart. If she made any move, the chains would rattle.
At the same time, these words seemed to dispel the fog in front of Belvina, allowing her to see the path ahead more clearly and making her heart more resolute when facing wrong turns.
And so, the days passed by, and before we knew it, it was late August.
In the past few days, Voldemort has remained inactive, and no Death Eaters have come out to do anything foolish.
At the Ministry of Magic, the handover between the old and new ministers has been completed, and Amelia Bornes has moved into the minister's office.
As for Belvina, she turned down all unimportant work meetings these days, and the Scroll King of the International Magic Cooperation Department suddenly stopped rolling up his scrolls, only interested in two things each day.
Firstly, regardless of the time of day, Belvina would go to the Department of Mysteries at least once a day.
Sometimes, she went to the Department of Mysteries for work; sometimes, she went to catch up with old friends; and sometimes, when she couldn't think of a reason, she would use a lame excuse like taking a walk after dinner.
Over the course of a few days, Belvina's unusual behavior left the Silent Ones completely baffled, even leading them to suspect that she was about to be transferred to the position of Director of the Department of Mysteries, and that she was bringing the bad habit of "getting things done to the death" to the Department of Mysteries.
This also caused Belvina's image to plummet in the hearts of the Silent Ones, and the administrative and technical staff of the Department of Mysteries treated her like a thief.
Besides being annoying to people every day, another thing that interests Belvina is knitting.
In Britain, knitting sweaters has a very long history.
From kings and prime ministers to soldiers and civilians, knitting enthusiasts are found in all walks of life.
It's as if the British always have an endless supply of yarn; during World War I, knitting was even considered a sign of patriotism.
During World War II, the chimney-like Qiu Laopang was also very enthusiastic about knitting. While German planes were bombing London, he stayed in the air-raid shelter knitting sweaters.
As a professor of Muggle Studies, Belvina was quite knowledgeable about Muggles, so she began to knit in her office, much like former Muggle Prime Minister John Church, as a way to regulate her emotions.
Although hand knitting is considered by most people to be a woman's exclusive activity, Belvina vividly illustrates what it means to be "unskilled and clumsy," as her hand knitting skills are truly appalling.
Her once slender and nimble fingers have now become stiff clubs, and Belvina can't handle any of them, whether it's a low needle or a high needle.
The more this happened, the more Belvina wanted to master knitting. She refused to believe that she could not understand knitting needles, even though she had figured out how to use a withered hazelwood wand!
That day, the annoying Belvina returned from her stroll with the Department of Mysteries. She had just picked up the knitting needles she had been longing for when there was a knock on the gleaming wooden door of the office.
"Miss Black."
Assistant to the Director, Gemma Farley, walked into the office.
"Ms. Burns' inaugural address is about to begin. Is Miss Black really not attending?"
"No way. What's the point of attending an inaugural address? It's just the same old clichés about how the Ministry of Magic is still powerful."
While talking, Belvina continued knitting a scarf with her head down.
She felt that knitwear such as hats, socks, gloves, and sweaters were too difficult to make, and that scarves were simpler.
Young Gemma Farley glanced at the half-finished knitting project in her boss's hand, then at the knitting magazine next to her, and thought her boss was probably hopeless.
"Miss Black, Professor Black, Director Black!" the young female assistant pleaded earnestly. "The new minister is giving his inaugural address, and the Director of the International Magical Cooperation Department is hiding in his office knitting a scarf? Is that appropriate?"
Without looking up, Belvina said, "The minister's inaugural address will have no substantive content, will not reveal the latest security plans, will not announce any protective measures, and will only be inspiring empty words. It's okay if you don't attend."
"Are you aware of the rumors circulating in the department that you and Ms. Burns are at odds?" Gemma Farley said. "Some say you're about to be transferred to the Department of Mysteries, away from the political center."
"Now that you've told me, I know, don't I?" Belvina kept her head down. "The rumors in the department change every day; hardly anything is true. You need to learn how to find the truth among mountains of lies."
Gemma Farley was puzzled. She wanted to know where the former Director Wang had gone, and where this salted fish who knitted scarves every day had come from.
"Furthermore, my relationship with Amelia cannot be broken up by a few rumors," Belvina continued. "Some people want to break up our partnership and want to see us fight amongst ourselves."
Belvina finally paused her work and continued, "It's impossible for her to give way. We share a common goal, and our partnership will remain very close until that goal is achieved. Only death can separate us."
"Is your common goal to defeat the Mystic, or to protect the public from the Mystic and the Death Eaters?" Gemma Farley asked, seemingly lacking confidence in the Ministry of Magic.
"Of course, it's about defeating the Dark Lord," Belvina said matter-of-factly. "The Ministry of Magic can't protect everyone. The only thing we can do is defeat the Dark Lord as soon as possible and minimize the losses."
Gemma Farley thought for a moment and realized that her director was right; the Ministry of Magic couldn't protect everyone.
During those dark years, despite the Ministry of Magic's constant resistance to Voldemort, they were powerless to stop his rise, and people died or went missing every day.
If it weren't for the miraculous emergence of Harry Potter, Voldemort's reign of terror would have continued, and he might have even stormed the Ministry of Magic, seizing control of all British wizards.
"So it's okay if Amelia doesn't attend her inaugural address," Belvina continued. "The purpose of the inaugural address is to tell everyone that the Ministry of Magic has changed leadership, and the newly formed leadership will protect everyone, nothing more."
"But the Ministry of Magic can't protect everyone," Gemma Farley said, her voice sounding somewhat discouraged.
Currently, the wizarding community is still relatively stable and has not fallen into chaos due to the bloodshed caused by the Death Eaters.
When Voldemort and the Death Eaters are no longer hiding and launch a full-scale attack, will wizarding society still be able to maintain its stability?
How many people will die every day, how many will go missing, and how long will this war between wizards last—a year, two years, or eight or ten years?
The thought of all this filled Gemma Farley with intense unease, and Belvina's knitting became increasingly unsettling. Gemma Farley longed to confiscate all of her boss's yarn.
"As long as everyone believes they are protected, that's enough," Belvina said seriously. "This trust in the Ministry of Magic will help them get through the most difficult time, and what we need to do is shorten that time."
Belvina looked up at Gemma Farley. She knew the Slytherin prefect's discouragement and the young woman's anxieties about the future.
"Gemma, do you know what happened in 1981?" Belvina asked.
"1981?" Gemma asked doubtfully. "Everyone knows that Harry Potter defeated Vader in 1981."
"Yes, the Dark Lord disappeared in 1981." Belvina started knitting a scarf again. "Overnight, the Dark Lord's painstakingly built power collapsed, and the Death Eaters scattered like birds and beasts."
Gemma Farley thought for a moment and said uncertainly, "You mean the Death Eaters aren't scary, and if Mysterio fails again, they'll surrender like they did in 1981 and scatter like birds and beasts once more."
"That's right, the real threat is only the Dark Lord." Belvina nodded. "Death Eaters are never scary. Their power and terror are shaped by the fear in people's hearts. Apart from a few diehards, most Death Eaters are no match for you."
These days, to outsiders, Belvina seems to be neglecting her duties and indulging in frivolous pursuits, spending her days knitting. However, Belvina herself believes that she is gradually finding peace and her inner anxiety is being effectively relieved through knitting.
This is the real reason why Belvina likes knitting: she wants to calm herself down, she needs to calm down, and knitting like a Muggle perfectly satisfies her needs.
While the Director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation was engrossed in knitting, the inaugural address of the new Minister of Magic had already concluded. However, Amelia Borns did not rush to leave but instead announced new personnel appointments.
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