bioinnovel Chapter 429 Courage
Chapter 429 Courage
Chapter 429 Courage
If you were to ask who in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is most dissatisfied with Belvina, the answer would undoubtedly be Piers Sinkness.
With Amelia Burns' promotion to Minister for Magic, Sinkness, as the second-in-command of the Department of Law Enforcement, has the opportunity to advance further.
Of course, the prerequisite for promotion is to beat out a host of competitors, especially Rufus Scrimgeour, the Auror's head of office.
As a result, Belvina suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and Sinkness, who wanted to improve, lost his chance to advance. It would be a miracle if he liked Belvina.
Although both Sinkness and Scrimgeour had complaints, their complaints were not the same.
Scrinker was worried that Belvina would be unable to manage the Department of Law Enforcement, and he strongly opposed Belvina's recent slacking off on Weibo.
Sinknis's complaints were entirely devoid of any public spirit; his dissatisfaction with Belvina was entirely driven by personal desires.
After all, cutting off someone's source of income is like killing their parents, and the same principle applies to preventing someone from getting promoted.
That's why Pierce Sinkness arrived late, deliberately arriving just in time for the meeting.
They weren't late, though; everyone else entered the meeting room right on time. But they weren't late either; he was the last one to arrive. Everyone was waiting for him.
This kind of behavior is very difficult to judge; it's like a toad that doesn't bite but is still disgusting. Sinknis did this to make Belvina feel disgusted and uncomfortable.
Pierce Sinkness had considered the consequences of his disgusting behavior beforehand.
If Belvina were to fly into a rage, Sinkness would immediately slide to her knees, denying the new director a chance to establish his authority.
If Belvina is planning to settle scores later, Sinkness will wait until after the meeting to slide on his knees and regain face first.
Whenever Belvina slides on her knees, as long as she feels uncomfortable, Sinknis feels much better and doesn't care about anything else for the time being.
However, the argument between Belvina and Scrimgeour ruined Sinknis's little scheme, causing Sinknis's disgusting plan to run directly into the line of fire.
Pierce Sinkness, dressed in a black robe embroidered with gold, stood at the conference room door, his fake smile frozen on his face. At that moment, Sinkness was caught between a rock and a hard place, unable to move forward or backward, and could only stand there awkwardly.
The atmosphere in the conference room was exceptionally serious and tense. The newly appointed director, Belvina, had a cold and stern look in her eyes, while the Auror's chief of staff, Scrinker, had a stern face, and his eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses revealed anger.
The strikers and law enforcement team remained silent. Arthur Weasley stared at the ceiling, lost in thought. Mafalda Hopkirk huddled in her chair, pretending not to exist.
At that moment, the most conspicuous person in the entire conference room was Pierce Sinkness, who happened to be the last to arrive and stood alone at the door.
I regretted it so much.
Sinknis was filled with remorse; he wished he could disappear into a crack in the ground.
"I thought you'd been attacked on your way to work, Sinkness," Belvina said coldly.
"Your concern is truly touching, Belvina!" Sinknis said, not in a sarcastic tone, but deliberately misinterpreting the situation.
Kingsley Shaker and Gadwin Robards both sighed. Scrimgeour, the Auror's chief of staff, was exactly lacking in this kind of flexibility and shamelessness.
If Scrimgeour had even a tenth of Sinkness's ability, he wouldn't have stubbornly argued with the new director.
"There will be no second time," Belvina said coldly.
"There definitely won't be a second time," Sinkness said. "Definitely not."
He patted his chest as he assured her, then sat down in the first seat to the left of Belvina.
"I'm so sorry, I was dealing with the sewage backflow incident at Bessner Green and lost track of time," Sinkness continued.
Mr. Weasley, who had been gazing at the ceiling, looked away, shocked by Pierce Sinkness's shamelessness. He could swear to his wife that Pierce Sinkness was lying!
Because the Bessner Greens sewage backflow incident was handled by Mr. Weasley, and the work report was submitted a week ago!
"I am very proud to have such a hardworking deputy as you."
He said he was proud of Sinkness, but Belvina wouldn't even look at him twice.
"Alright, now that everyone's here, let's begin the meeting," Belvina continued. "I only have one thing to say at today's impromptu meeting."
Upon hearing this, everyone in the Legal Enforcement Division looked at Belvina.
"You all know in your hearts that difficult times are coming, and the Ministry of Magic will face a great threat. When danger strikes, the Division of Law Enforcement, as the law enforcement agency, will be the first to bear the brunt."
Belvina said slowly and clearly, "If any of you feel fear, you can bring it up with me within three days, and I will arrange for you to work in another department or give you a severance package."
The officials in the meeting room were taken aback at first, before realizing what the new director was trying to say.
The people present looked at each other, and no one showed any inclination to desert, not even the timid Hopkirk.
Even if someone really wanted to desert, they wouldn't say it in front of everyone; that would be too shameful.
"Three days. Whether you are an ordinary employee or not, you only have three days to consider whether you want to leave the Legal Enforcement Division."
Belvina continued, "If anyone wants to withdraw after three days, I can only apologize. If anyone is cowardly, avoids battle, or even runs away after three days, then they'll have to meet Wisengamo."
The officials in the conference room were stunned again; the new director's words were a bit too direct.
Rufus Scrimgeour frowned; Belvina's blunt manner of speaking made him very uncomfortable.
"Director, what do you take the Law Enforcement Division for?" Scrimgeour asked. "Do you think we're all cowards? Do you think we'd run away in the face of battle?"
"I think you've misunderstood, Rufus," Belvina said coldly. "Facing Voldemort."
Before the words were even finished, a strange noise immediately filled the conference room. Some people shivered, some knocked over their teacups, and everyone reacted differently to the word "Voldemort."
Belvina smiled and continued, "It's only natural to feel fear in the face of the Dark Lord. I won't blame you for that. That's why I'm giving you three days to consider."
"I can give you an answer right now, in less than three days," Scringer said. "No one from the Auror office will be leaving the Legal Enforcement Division!"
Seemingly feeling that his tone hadn't been firm enough, Scrimgeour slowly stood up and looked at Belvina, saying each word clearly: "No one in the Auror Office will leave the Department of Legal Enforcement. There are only two ways you'll see our names on the parchment—"
Rufus Scrimgeour's eyes swept over everyone in the conference room, and he continued, "A commendation order, or a death notice, there are only these two."
The Auror office director's statement was firm and resounding.
Immediately afterwards, Gadwin Robards, Kingsley Shackle, John Dexter, and others also stood up.
These people were the elite of the Aurors and the backbone of the Department of Law Enforcement. Although they did not speak, their eyes were as firm as Scrimgeour's.
A lonely clapping sound rang out in the conference room from Belvina.
She said, "Fear is normal, which is why courage is so precious. The hymn of humanity is the hymn of courage."
At this moment, Felix Ferguson, the captain of the law enforcement team, stood up. Everyone knew he was one of Belvina's men and her confidant.
"I'm not very good with words," Felix said, sounding a little nervous. "All I know is that I'll do whatever Miss Black tells me to do, and I trust Miss Black."
With Felix taking the lead, the other captains chimed in with their own words.
"That's right, we'll do whatever the director tells us to do. We trust the director!"
"Although I fear the Mystic, I will never submit to either him or the Death Eaters!"
"To put it bluntly, even the director is resisting the mysterious men, so what reason do I have not to resist? Let's fight them!"
If even the pure-blooded Belvina is resisting Voldemort, what reason do Muggle-born individuals and half-blood wizards have not to resist him?
Suddenly, the big brothers of the law enforcement team were making a ruckus in the conference room, turning the law enforcement department into a criminal gang once again, and Belvina became the boss again.
At this moment, David Griffiths, the head of the battering department, stood up.
Griffith was a middle-aged wizard with a kind face, not tall, but with a strong build.
He said, "Miss Black, what you just said made me very uncomfortable. My strikers are not cowards; they have been fighting dangerous dark wizards all along."
Griffiths paused for a moment, then continued, "But it's alright, Miss Black, time will tell. You will see that not a single striker will leave the war alive."
Having said that, David Griffith sat down and lit his pipe with his wand.
"Cough cough."
Pierce Sinkness cleared his throat.
He continued, "Belvina, you need not worry about our fighting spirit. We will defend the freedom of citizens to the death and fight against all forces that want to deprive citizens of their freedom."
Instantly, Rufus Scrimgeour, David Griffiths, and the captains of the law enforcement team glared at Sinkness.
The deputy director's words sounded too official and lacked any enthusiasm.
"Um—" Mafalda Hopkirk suddenly spoke up, "I will relay the director's words to the others in the office."
Aurors, strikers, and law enforcement officers were all volunteering, each displaying bravery, when suddenly the Office for the Prohibition of Abuse of Magic appeared and uttered a discouraging remark.
Even if the Office for Prohibiting the Abuse of Magic isn't a frontline combat unit, can't they at least say something uplifting, like "Me too"?
As a result, the petite Mafalda Hopkirk appeared even smaller, shrinking into the armchair.
"I will also pass it on to the other colleagues in the office," Mr. Weasley said. "But I will not back out. I am a pure-blood traitor, and I cannot run away even if I want to."
Arthur Weasley's self-deprecating humor successfully defused Hopkirk's embarrassment, and a burst of good-natured laughter filled the conference room.
After the laughter subsided, Belvina spoke again: "I am not questioning your courage and faith, but the road ahead is fraught with peril, and there is no room for error."
Belvina stood up and walked towards the door. She stopped at the door of the conference room and then reached out to open the door.
She continued, "I hope to see everyone in this conference room again in three days. After the victory, I hope to see you all again and share a drink."