Chapter 182: A Letter of Apology
Chapter 182: A Letter of Apology
"Oh my, Mafalda, what on earth happened? Who upset her this time?" Rufus set down his half-finished drink on his desk and looked up towards the source of the noise, addressing the assistant of the office head.
"Someone sent a letter." Mafalda glanced at the office door and lowered her voice. "And now, well, you can see the result."
Unlike Rufus, Mafalda was a bit fearful of their boss. Whenever she spoke about her, she was extra cautious to avoid losing her current position.
"A letter?" Rufus was perplexed but didn't inquire further, as he, too, was aware of his superior's temperament.
Yes, a letter—a letter that had been torn to pieces.
The head of the Office of Misuse of Muggle Artefacts had never been so furious. She felt threatened, and the source of this threat was none other than Hoktor Dagworth.
The name was not unfamiliar to her.
Days earlier, Hoktor Dagworth had paid a visit, only to be turned away promptly.
This time, Hoktor hadn't come in person but had sent a letter instead, implying that if she didn't apologize, he would have to do it for her—through the Prophet.
Hoktor had even included a draft of the apology he expected to be published.
Even without reading the draft, she knew that having a master potion maker like Hoktor Dagworth apologize in the Prophet for the trouble she had caused would have consequences.
No one would think Hoktor was making a mountain out of a molehill. Instead, they would wonder why a master potion maker had to apologize for the Ministry's mistake.
And then, it would be her turn to face the music.
In the worst-case scenario, she would lose her current position, and there were plenty of people eyeing it, not to mention her unpleasant colleagues who would surely kick her while she was down.
Apologizing was the only option at this point.
Let Hoktor Dagworth regain his gold membership card, or else... Who knew what else he might do?
It was truly baffling how things had escalated to this point.
But the problem needed to be resolved.
Who was this person that Hoktor wanted her to apologize to?
"Mafalda."
The head of the Office of Misuse of Muggle Artefacts had long forgotten who had caused all this trouble, but she knew her assistant was aware, as Mafalda was one of the few who knew the full story.
Finally, after searching through the archives, Mafalda personally wrote the letter of apology. Technically, she could have had her assistant write it, but... In the end, she decided against it to avoid any further complications.
How could someone who held the position of office head be brainless?
It was better to endure this minor setback. Endure... The quill in her hand bent.
...
On a weekend afternoon, Albert emerged from Professor Raven's office. Professor Smith was skilled in many areas, and the two of them had plenty to discuss.
Their academic exchange greatly benefited Albert, who gained a wealth of new knowledge.
As he returned to the common room, an older student called out to him and handed him a letter. There was no sender's name on the envelope, only the recipient's, which was odd. But Albert recognized the wax seal—it was from the Ministry.
Albert had a good idea what the letter was about, so he opened it immediately.
Mr. Anderson, We have received a letter from Mr. Hoktor...
Albert quickly scanned the contents—nothing but insincere excuses and an apology that clearly lacked any genuine remorse. However, he hadn't expected a real apology anyway.
What caught Albert's attention was the name of the sender: Dolores Umbridge, Head of the Ministry of Magic's Office of Misuse of Muggle Artefacts.
"Dolores Umbridge?" Albert murmured, repeating the sender's name.
Then, he frowned slightly and muttered, "Umbridge... She rings a bell. Ministry? Umbridge... Hogwarts professor... Dark Magic Defense... Pink... Toad... Hogwarts High Inquisitor!"
"Oh, that person!" Albert exclaimed, finally placing who she was.
The Dark Magic Defense professor who appeared in the fifth installment? He never expected that person to be the Head of the Office of Misuse of Muggle Artefacts.
At that moment, Albert understood why Hoktor despised this woman so much.
The term "ugly woman" was not an exaggeration! From Albert's fragmented memories, Umbridge was self-righteous, unreasonable, and had a sky-high control freak tendency.
To expect an apology from her?
That would be a challenge, and Hoktor certainly had his work cut out for him to get his gold membership card back.
Albert examined the envelope and compared it to his mental notes of the warning letter. It didn't seem to be written by the same person, Mafalda Hopkirk.
There was one more clue, though.
The ink on the parchment was deeply imprinted, as if the writer wanted to punch a hole through it.
This alone showed how agitated the writer had been when penning the letter.
If Albert knew that Umbridge had broken five quills in the process of writing this letter, he wouldn't simply describe her as agitated.
In Albert's opinion, if the other party could take such details into account, he would let the matter rest.
However, the likelihood of that was slim.
Nevertheless, now that he knew Dolores Umbridge was the Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office, Albert could understand why she had sent Dementors after Harry.
After all, as the head of that office, she would naturally be well-versed in the relevant laws.
"What's up? Who's the letter from?" Lee Jordan asked curiously.
"The Ministry," Albert replied, folding the letter and tucking it into his robe pocket. "That issue from last time has been resolved. Where are you off to?"
"The library. Want to come?"
"Sure, give me a moment. I was just about to head there myself to look something up." Albert returned to his dormitory to grab a few things.
"Looking something up?" Lee Jordan asked, then realized, "The riddle?"
"What riddle?"
"You don't know?" Lee Jordan looked at Shana in surprise.
"Know what?" Shana asked, confused.
"The bet between Albert and Katrina!" Lee Jordan explained with a laugh. "I heard them talking about it this morning. They're betting on who can answer a hundred riddles first, and it's supposed to happen mid-month. Quite the challenge!"
"A hundred riddles?" Shana's eyes widened. While riddles weren't particularly difficult for her, answering a hundred of them was no easy feat.
Undoubtedly, this was a contest between two geniuses.
"Who do you think will win?" Lee Jordan asked Shana.
"Albert, of course," Shana said matter-of-factly. "He's a true genius. How could he possibly lose to anyone else?"
(End of Chapter)
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