HP: The Duelist of Hogwarts - 414

Chapter 414: Cooperation with Scrimgeour

It seemed Scrimgeour really did come to the Golden Arches (McDonald's) often, because he ordered and paid with remarkable ease. He had intended to look after Sean and help him order, but when he saw Sean place his order even more smoothly than he did, Scrimgeour finally realized something.

“I remember your parents are Muggles, yes? So you grew up in the Muggle world. You have been to this restaurant before, haven’t you?”

“Not constantly, but definitely more than a few times. It is a chain, actually. There are many in Britain and many in other countries too. The food is mostly the same, though there can be differences from country to country.”

“Then I may have chosen the wrong place…”

Scrimgeour had wanted to pick a nice restaurant, and he truly did think the Golden Arches tasted good, a flavor he had never had in the wizarding world. He had simply overlooked Sean’s background.

“It is fine. I have not had it in a long time. Having it again is not bad.”

With trays in hand, they sat at an empty table. Sean picked up a fry and ate it.

Seeing Sean begin, Scrimgeour also started on his meal. It was obvious that he was quite satisfied with the taste of the food here, especially entranced by the ice-cold cola.

No one can resist the lure of an iced cola.
No one.

Halfway through the meal, Sean dabbed his mouth and fingers with a napkin and looked at Scrimgeour, who was happily drinking cola. “Mr. Scrimgeour, I think we can talk business now.”

Before coming to eat, Sean had changed into Muggle clothes—a T-shirt and jeans. Scrimgeour remained in a double-breasted suit and overcoat. It was a bit off-season, but not unheard of, so he did not attract much attention.

At Sean’s words, Scrimgeour wiped his mouth and fingers, nodded, and said, “All right. We should. But before we do, I want to ask you something.”

“Please, Mr. Scrimgeour.”

“Sean, the Dark Lord. Has he truly returned? You saw it with your own eyes. Didn’t you?”

Sean nodded seriously. “I saw the Dark Lord return with my own eyes, and I fought him. He is very powerful.”

Scrimgeour exhaled, breath tinged with fry and cola. His expression was complicated. “The fact that you fought the Dark Lord and survived, even with the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang champions helping you, is enough to prove your ability at your age.”

Hearing that, Sean’s expression turned a shade odd.

It seemed that even those who believed the Dark Lord had returned did not think he had faced Voldemort alone. That was fine. The tall tree catches the wind.

“So, Mr. Scrimgeour, did you invite me out just to ask that?”

Scrimgeour shook his head. “Of course not. In truth, I want to cooperate with you.”

“Cooperate… Could you explain in detail?”

“I know that before Gavin Bulstrode died… pardon me, before he passed, he entrusted you with his network and the family’s armed strength. In reality, the power you command now is already significant.

“For example, this time, I can use my influence and connections to help you and Dumbledore’s Order of the Phoenix resolve the matter with Sturgis. But you will also need to help me. Link Dumbledore and the Order’s networks to support my investigation into Death Eaters within the Ministry and the Dark Lord’s specific situation.”

Sean nodded slowly and looked at Scrimgeour. “Mr. Scrimgeour, why not go to Dumbledore directly?”

“Dumbledore underestimates the function of power. If I work with him, I will not get what I am after. In fact, had Dumbledore taken power seriously at any point, he would not be in such an embarrassing position now, having to run around fixing things when his own people are framed. So I will not work with Dumbledore in depth.”

Scrimgeour’s words were a touch biased and extreme, but Sean had to admit there was truth in them. If Dumbledore had acknowledged the importance of power and become Minister for Magic, much of the current mess would never have happened. The moment Voldemort showed himself, Dumbledore could have led the Ministry’s strength to confront him and the Death Eaters.

With the Ministry’s number and quality of Aurors, they could have crushed that handful of Death Eaters directly. With Aurors at his back, Dumbledore could have fought Voldemort, and a large force could have helped search for Horcruxes. It would have been hard to lose with so many on the windward side.

Thinking of this, Shawn let out a quiet sigh. He said nothing more. If Dumbledore would not walk that road, then Shawn would.

“Cooperation is fine. But to protect both our interests, I think we should sign a contract. What do you think?”

Sean drew his wand and cast a spell around them, blurring the interest of the surrounding Muggles. Unless he blew up the restaurant, no one would notice what they were doing or saying.

When the concealment was set, Sean took a fresh parchment from his Undetectable Extension Bag. He tapped it with his wand and lines of clauses appeared one by one. When the writing was done, he handed the parchment to Scrimgeour.

Scrimgeour reviewed the terms. They were acceptable and precise. For instance, so long as it did not violate Ministry regulations, Scrimgeour would not trouble the forces under Sean’s command. After reading it twice and finding no issues, Scrimgeour signed magically with his true name.

When Sean added his own true name, the parchment ignited of its own accord, turned into a wisp of white smoke, split in two, and settled into Sean’s and Scrimgeour’s hands. Each part became a feather-shaped mark that sank into their skin and faded.

With that done, Scrimgeour and Sean shook hands.

“Shall I take you back to Hogwarts?”

Sean shook his head. “No need. I can manage.”

“Very well. In that case, I will be off.”

“Goodbye, Mr. Scrimgeour. And thank you for lunch.”

Scrimgeour nodded and turned away. Sean also turned and left in another direction. This cooperation truly fell outside his expectations and reshaped his impression of Scrimgeour.

He was sure Scrimgeour had noticed when Sean erased the memory of that Auror Scrimgeour sent. Yet Scrimgeour had not said a word. It seemed he was not as rigid as Sean had imagined. That was good news for Sean.

Faced with the current Ministry, and with Voldemort and the Death Eaters, an overly upright Scrimgeour would be of little use. A more flexible Scrimgeour was a different matter entirely.