0625 The Conversation

Words : 1291 Updated : Apr 10th, 2026

Dive into Chapter 624 of "Harry Potter: The Golden Viper": 0625 The Conversation A pungent smell of blood mixed with a faint trace of rotten decay... Find out more!

0625 The Conversation A pungent smell of blood mixed with a faint trace of rotten decay permeated the stale, musty air of the dimly lit room. Even without lifting the sleeve of Barty's worn, tattered robes, Bryan could easily guess the dire state of the gruesome burns inflicted by the Hungarian Horntail on Barty's arm. He gazed at Barty, his eyes filled with the concern and empathy for an old friend. "I absolutely refuse to go to St Mungo's, Bryan—" Barty looked truly weak and fragile, his face was thin and haggard, and even speaking seemed to be an immense struggle for him, but he still maintained his signature icy, aloof tone that kept people at a cold distance. "The meddlesome Healers at St Mungo's will only needlessly exaggerate the severity of my condition. If I were to be admitted, it would cause far more trouble and complications for me than it's worth, surely you must understand that?" Bryan pursed his thin lips, falling into a pensive silence for a brief moment. For an ambitious politician with the strong potential to one day become the Minister of Magic, maintaining a healthy physical condition was of the utmost importance. If unpleasant rumors were to spread that Barty had serious health issues, it could greatly impact his supporters' confidence and belief in him. "I've personally concocted some highly potent, restorative potions for myself, which should be more than enough to effectively deal with any lingering troubles caused by that vicious, foul beast. But of course, as you can plainly see, Bryan, what I need most right now is uninterrupted rest and recuperation—" Barty glanced at Bryan, a distinct hint of dissatisfaction and irritation in his weary tone, as if subtly blaming him for rudely insisting on disturbing his peaceful recovery with this unwanted visit. "But no matter what you say, Barty—" Bryan looked at him with deep worry etched on his face. "You absolutely need someone here to properly take care of your daily life and basic needs. Just look at the sorry state of this messy house! There's not a single log burning in the cold, empty fireplace, the water in the kettle is freezing ice cold, the kitchen counters are piled high with unhealthy Muggle junk food... I'd bet my wand there's still a big pile of laundry in your laundry room. This kind of living environment certainly won't help you recover quickly or fully. Seriously, you should at the very least find someone competent to take care of your fundamental needs and chores. Oh—" Bryan suddenly raised his thick, bushy eyebrows, as if he had just remembered something important. His expression caused a barely noticeable flash of wary suspicion to flicker in Barty's sunken, shadowed eyes as he sat stiffly across from him. "I just thought of something—" Bryan said slowly and thoughtfully, stroking his chin. "That house-elf you dismissed is currently working in the kitchens at Hogwarts." Bryan's unexpected words caught even Barty off guard. He reflexively blurted out, "You mean Winky?" "Yes, Winky," Bryan narrowed his sharp eyes. "After leaving you, this poor house-elf fell on hard times and had a bleak period of miserable vagrancy. Later, by chance, it stumbled into the kitchens at Hogwarts and began working there. Oh, but to be perfectly honest, it's not at all happy with its new situation. It still deeply misses serving the Crouch family, misses the working for you. Seriously, would you consider showing mercy and taking the poor creature back into your service? I believe before that unfortunate incident at the World Cup, it took exceptionally good care of all your personal needs—" "How very surprising, Bryan—" Bryan's intriguing proposal did indeed tempt Barty, but still he did not immediately agree to it. Instead, he looked at Bryan with undisguised wariness. "A wizard like you actually cares about whether a lowly house-elf that was kicked out is happy or not. This uncharacteristic sentiment from you really does surprise me, Bryan. If it were coming from Dumbledore, I certainly wouldn't find it so strange!"@@@@ "It's just a coincidence—" With a quick wit, Bryan showed a pleasant smile. "You see, a few young wizards from Gryffindor were attempting to sneak into the school kitchen in the middle of the night to find some petty excitement, but I managed to catch the troublemakers red-handed. Bryan smiled knowingly as he listened to Barty's opinion of his assistant. Then he straightened up and looked around the room with feigned nonchalance, as if suddenly seeing the place with fresh eyes. "May I use your bathroom, Barty?" "Yes, yes of course. Down the hallway, second door on the left—" Watching Bryan's retreating figure stroll away and disappear around the corner, Barty forced his lips into a polite smile, but once Bryan was out of sight, his left cheek twitched irregularly and a terrifying spark of madness flashed deep within his darting eyes. Click— The moment the bathroom door closed behind him, the lighthearted smile plastered on Bryan's face vanished, replaced instantly by a grim expression of intense concentration. His eyes carefully swept every inch of the room, carefully examining and assessing every detail. After ensuring that the bathroom held no surprises, he "saw" Barty sitting on the sofa sipping his tea, patiently waiting for his return. With that, Bryan withdrew his focus from maintaining the image of the living room and fixed his eyes on the tiles beneath his feet, staring deeply into the floor with narrowed eyes as if he could see right through to the foundations of the house itself. A tense moment later, his physical body suddenly took on a hazy, indistinct quality, then seemed to collapse in on itself, transforming into a writhing wisp of shadow that silently seeped down into the floor and vanished from sight. The vast range of anti-intrusion spells and other devices intertwined into the stones of the underground room immediately reacted to the intruder attempting to bypass them. But before these protectives magics could fully trigger and lash out at the trespasser, a fierce glint of raw power flashed in Bryan's eyes. With a swift wave of his wand, a pulse of immense disruptive magic burst from its tip, instantly freezing all magical surveillance flows in the room and temporarily paralyzing the defensive facilities guarding this secret space. As Bryan resumed physical form in the hidden chamber, his eyes quickly took it in at a glance - as large as a Hogwarts classroom, but lined with more than a dozen shelves in the style of fine, museum-quality bookcases. Each shelf was filled with a collection of rare artifacts and antiques from across the wizarding world. Bryan even saw a golden gem the size of a goblin's skull displayed on an ashen-bank wood base. Most of the items on the shelves were antiques from various magical civilizations, with a long history and extremely high research value. On one wall of the chamber hung many cold weapons that gave off a chilly light, with designs that were both elegant and beautiful, clearly crafted by the skilled hands of goblins. Bryan only paused for two seconds in front of a shield that glowed with a silvery light, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. If he remembered correctly, this thing had flowed out from his hands. After that, he ignored the room full of collections that would drive most people crazy. He quickly walked to a dusty wooden box leaning against the corner of the wall. After a brief stare with narrowed eyes, Bryan raised his hand and slowly reached for the box's clasp. ******************************* For More /FicFrenzy

0625 The Conversation

Comments (0)