#834 - Exchange students

Seeing Bertha's performance, Anduin didn't know whether to be glad she had a bad memory or feel sorry for her.

How was she, in this state, even accepted into the Ministry of Magic?

After pondering for a long time, Bertha still couldn't figure it out, and finally gave up, saying, "Sorry, I really can't remember what happened before I fainted, but I still have to thank you all for your help. If it weren't for you, I might really be in trouble."

Hearing Bertha's words, Shatia and Hogg couldn't help but chuckle. Although this witch seemed silly, her simple and honest character made them feel a little embarrassed.

They were the ones who knocked her unconscious, but she was thanking them in return, which was a little awkward.

"You're welcome, we are loyal partners of the Ministry of Magic, helping each other is what we should do." Compared to the two, Anduin's skin was much thicker. "It's just that my subordinates have already brought you back to England, which may have interrupted your vacation in Albania."

"It's okay!" Bertha waved her hand dismissively. "Anyway, that place isn't very fun. I didn't leave any valuables there, so just consider it an early return home."

"But…" As if remembering something, Bertha suddenly looked troubled. "Returning to the Ministry of Magic like this might make Director Bagman unhappy."

"It sounds like your work in the Ministry of Magic isn't going very well. Have you ever thought about switching departments?" Shatia suddenly felt a little sorry for Bertha and couldn't help but ask.

"No department wants me." Bertha pouted and complained. "Ever since my memory got bad, they've been passing me from one department to another. In the end, Director Bagman and the Department of Magical Games and Sports took me in."

"Hmm?" Anduin raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "Did your memory get worse later on?"

"That's right." Bertha nodded. "They all say it's because I misused inferior beauty potions. I say that's absolute nonsense. The potions I bought were all top-quality goods from 'Madam Primpernelle's Beautifying Potions'!"

Madam Primpernelle's Beautifying Potions? The beauty potions in that shop are indeed quite inferior, but it seems like they just diluted them with some water, right? Could there be a side effect of memory loss?

Anduin shook his head in confusion, then smiled and comforted her, "Well, I happen to have some business dealings with the Department of Magical Games and Sports recently."

"I'll ask Director Bagman what he thinks. If he agrees to let you go back to work early, I'll send you a message. Do you have a communicator?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Bertha nodded excitedly. "Speaking of which, the communicator you invented is really amazing. It is said that Albania is also about to connect to the magic network, and they have even started pre-sales there."

After Bertha left her communicator number with Anduin, Shatia escorted her out of the research institute, and Hogg breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was close, sir. I thought I had caused trouble."

"You did the right thing, and it was actually a rescue for Bertha. If Peter had discovered she was following him, her life would have been in danger."

Anduin shook his head slightly, then instructed, "You still need to keep a close eye on Voldemort. I'm not sure if he will discover the location magic hidden in the memory fragments, but in any case, don't let him escape."

"Understood, but you just said you were going to find Director Bagman, are you planning to put the instance business on the agenda?" Hogg asked.

"Yes." Anduin nodded. "Enough tests have been done. It's time to release one or two products to the market. Of course, this matter is still up in the air. It probably won't be finalized for a while, at least not until next year."

"Next year at this time, it seems to be the Quidditch World Cup!" Hogg's eyes lit up. "Could we take this opportunity to promote it to wizards around the world?"

"I have this idea too, so I have to prepare in advance. Besides the World Cup next year, there is another major event that may be restarted." Anduin smiled mysteriously.

"Major event? Restart?" Hogg tilted his head in confusion.

"That's right. Fudge, Dumbledore, and I have been discussing this topic recently, which is to restart the 'Triwizard Tournament,' an international competition that has been interrupted for hundreds of years!" Anduin said.

"The Triwizard Tournament? Is that the competition where many people died before?" Hogg knew quite a bit.

"Yes, the main reason why this event was interrupted before was because it was too dangerous. Participants were injured or killed every few sessions," Anduin explained.

"But after Dumbledore saw our instance project, he suddenly had the idea of restarting the Triwizard Tournament."

"Did he like the safety measures used in our instance?" Hogg nodded knowingly, then said excitedly, "Why don't we just take over the entire event while we're at it?"

"I have a similar idea, but the specific matters are still being discussed. The main obstacle is not in the Ministry of Magic and Dumbledore, but in the other two schools abroad."

"They don't object to restarting the Triwizard Tournament, and they are also very confident in the security provided by Silver Flash Commerce, but they still have a lot of concerns."

"After all, I am a professor at Hogwarts, and they are afraid that I will be biased during the event," Anduin said, troubled.

"Isn't Karkaroff the headmaster of Durmstrang? Does he dare to disobey your decision?" Hogg curled his lips in displeasure.

"Durmstrang is not entirely up to him." Anduin shook his head helplessly. "And Beauxbatons also has a lot of opinions, so I will inevitably have to argue with them about these trivial matters recently."

"In that case, I think it's better to have them send those students who want to participate to Hogwarts to live and study together, so they won't have anything to say, right?" Hogg muttered unhappily.

"Hmm?" Anduin raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "You know what, that's actually a good idea!"

A few days later, in the Ministry of Magic's conference room, Anduin and Dumbledore came to discuss the specific matters of preparing for the Triwizard Tournament. Also present were Fudge, Ludo Bagman, Director of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, and Barty Crouch, Director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation.

"That's how it is…" Anduin repeated his suggestion.

"Let the students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons come as exchange students a year in advance to experience teaching at Hogwarts?"

Dumbledore stroked his long beard and nodded with a smile. "I have no objection. Such exchanges are good for both the school and the students, but I don't know if the other two schools will agree."

"I can send them a formal letter to solicit their opinions," Director Crouch actively echoed.

For the Ministry of Magic, successfully hosting the long-interrupted Triwizard Tournament in England would be a very prestigious event, no less than the Quidditch World Cup.

"Good, good!" Fudge also responded with a smile at this time. "Our Ministry of Magic will fully support the Triwizard Tournament to ensure its successful completion."

"The Triwizard Tournament is certainly important, but the Quidditch World Cup cannot be neglected!"

Director Bagman interjected inappropriately at this time.

"I have already surveyed the location for the competition in advance. I have also placed orders with Silver Flash Commerce for the construction, lighting equipment, etc. that will be used. Mr. Wilson, don't just focus on the Triwizard Tournament and forget the main business!"

"Don't worry, Director Bagman. There is still a year before the World Cup. The corresponding props and equipment will definitely be produced in advance."

"But are you really sure you don't want to add some security equipment to the venue and surrounding areas? There will be an estimated tens of thousands of wizards gathering at that time, and it's easy to cause trouble."

Anduin smiled helplessly. Director Bagman was a former professional Quidditch player and a legitimate former star. His enthusiasm for Quidditch matches clearly exceeded other projects.

Like today, this was clearly a meeting to discuss the Triwizard Tournament, but this guy had to chime in, which made him seem a little tactless.

"That's right!" Director Crouch seemed to be distracted by the topic and followed Anduin's words. "Luke, you're investing too much in lighting, sound, cameras, and construction. I've seen the proposal you submitted."

"It doesn't consider safety-related issues at all, and it doesn't even consider preventing Muggles. In theory, it should be stipulated that the wizards present wear Muggle clothes to avoid being discovered, which would reduce a lot of work for the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad."

"And why did you specifically specify on it that you must be the commentator for the final?"

Crouch, as a senior and experienced official, couldn't help but complain to Bagman, the young director.

"Limited budget! Do you know what a limited budget is? The most important thing for the Quidditch World Cup is to present the most magnificent stadium and match to the audience at the venue and in front of the magic recording instruments. If you don't understand, don't interrupt!"

Bagman pouted and rolled his eyes at Crouch. He and Crouch were already at odds.

Back when Barty Crouch was the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, he was almost sent to Azkaban by him for 'providing information to Death Eaters.'

But he had only said a few more words to his father's friend. He didn't even know the other person was a Death Eater. Fortunately, his status as a Quidditch star helped him escape the charges.

Being retorted by Bagman like this, Crouch's face also looked a little bad, and he could only look to Fudge for help.

Seeing this, Fudge had to solicit Anduin's opinion. "Mr. Wilson, what do you think about this?"

What's the matter with dumping your affairs on me? Anduin cursed inwardly, then smoothed things over. "Director Bagman's consideration is actually not a problem. The viewing experience is indeed a very important part."

And he's taking care of my business, there's no reason to refuse, Anduin couldn't help but complain again.

Bagman raised his chin triumphantly upon hearing this, appearing very pleased.

But Anduin added, "But the safety aspects that should be considered still have to be considered. After all, tens of thousands of people are gathering at the same time. If something goes wrong and there are casualties on the scene, it will make international headlines, which will not be good for the Ministry of Magic's reputation."

Fudge nodded repeatedly upon hearing this. He valued the Ministry of Magic's reputation the most, and then patted his chest very generously. "In that case, the Ministry of Magic will add another part of the budget. Without reducing other projects, the new budget will all be put on security. Is that okay?"

The main reason Fudge dared to spend so generously was because the Ministry of Magic's fiscal revenue this year was quite optimistic. He didn't expect such a magic network to provide so many benefits.

And the rest of the people were naturally delighted with his proposal. With more money to use, what was there to complain about?

Seeing that the problems had been resolved satisfactorily, everyone prepared to adjourn the meeting, and Anduin didn't forget to ask one more question before the end.

"By the way, Director Bagman, do you remember a person named Bertha Jorkins? She should be an employee of your Department of Magical Games and Sports."

Being asked by Anduin, Bagman immediately stopped his rising movement, and strangely, Director Crouch next to him couldn't help but stiffen upon hearing this name, but everyone's attention was not on him, so no one felt strange.

"Bertha…" Bagman nodded. "She is indeed my subordinate, but she seems to be on vacation recently. Why did you suddenly mention her?"

"It's like this…" Anduin repeated the story he had made up, about finding her falling down and fainting, and then being rescued by his people.

"She wanted to know if she could come back to work early, but she was too embarrassed to ask you directly, so she asked me to mention it."

"Is that so." Bagman didn't seem surprised that Bertha had encountered such a thing. "Let her continue to rest. This guy only causes trouble in the department. She can even get the meeting minutes wrong."

"Isn't this equivalent to indirectly dismissing her?" Anduin frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled. "In that case, why did you hire her in the first place?"

"Who knew her brain would suddenly have problems…" Bagman pointed to his head and complained helplessly, "Bertha was known for her good memory when she joined the company. The only shortcomings were that she wasn't very smart, and she liked to gossip. She liked to spread gossip when nothing was happening."

"But since her memory went wrong, the only advantage has disappeared, but the shortcomings are still the same. Because of forgetfulness, the gossip she spread is incomplete, and it's no different from rumors. Now, let alone helping, it's a blessing if she doesn't cause trouble. There are very few people in the department who like her!"

Speaking of this, Bagman suddenly pointed to Crouch straightforwardly and complained to him in a joking manner, "It's all Crouch's fault. Bertha's brain got worse after going to Crouch's house once. Maybe he's the one who harmed her."