Harry Potter: The Golden Viper

0363 Arrival In Paris

In the spacious and meticulously organized office of Barty Crouch, the diligent Dirk Cresswell was earnestly briefing the inattentive Cuthbert Mockridge on some recent critical work matters. However, it was abundantly evident that the preoccupied Cuthbert was unwilling to be disturbed at that particular moment, as he appeared to have a matter of great importance to discuss with the sociable Ludo Bagman.

Barty Crouch sat behind his imposing desk, meticulously scrutinizing the 'safety plan' that had been submitted by Bryan, the Head of the Hogwarts Office of Student Safety. His brow furrowed slightly as he skimmed over the document, an unmistakable aura of dissatisfaction emanating from his stoic demeanor.

To be honest, Barty was not satisfied with the safety plan put together by Bryan. Not to mention its contents, if one of his subordinates had submitted such a poorly formatted report for his review, he might have already blown his top. Now, the only reason he could tolerate the grammatical errors and misspellings in the report was because it bore Albus Dumbledore's approving signature. Additionally, Bryan himself had a special status.

Not to mention that Bryan, the Head of the Hogwarts Office of Student Safety, was viewed as a hero for eradicating werewolves by many residents of the British wizarding world. Moreover, he was a favorite of the Minister, not to mention his deep connections with certain people within the Ministry.

To openly antagonize an individual of such stature and influence would undoubtedly be misinterpreted as a brazen attempt by Barty to ignite a conflict, which would be unwise given his current unstable position.

"There are many areas that need revision," Barty said impassively ten minutes later. He tossed Bryan's submitted plan onto the desk, hoping the potentially rude action would make the young man understand that what he had submitted was merely a pile of 'garbage'.

"Time is pressing, so achieving perfection is admittedly difficult, but fortunately we still have time for revisions," Crouch added with forced courtesy.

Bryan understood Barty's dissatisfaction, but he didn't take offense. He simply smiled slightly and said, "Speaking of which, so far Headmaster Dumbledore has only told me to prepare a safety plan to present at the event review committee under the International Confederation of Wizards, but what are the specific regulations?"

Exhaling an inward sigh of exasperation, Crouch nevertheless maintained an outward demeanor of unruffled calm as he provided Bryan with an overview of the protocols.

"We must submit Hogwarts' 'safety plan' promptly at 8 am three days from now to the Event Review Committee. At that time, the venue will be closed off, and representatives from the three schools participating will verbally present their respective plans to the review committee members and ask any inquiries they may have.

"This elite committee, consists of eleven internationally respected experts and officials, who will then commence a meticulous assessment to determine whether the proposed safety measures can effectively ensure the lives of the young witches and wizards brave enough to compete in this challenging event. Only when the committee members have thoroughly interrogated all potential risks and emergencies will they hold an anonymous vote to formally select which School will have the honor of hosting the historic Triwizard Tournament."

Crouch paused briefly to straighten the perfectly crisp collars of his tailored pinstriped suit jacket before continuing in that same rigidly formal tone. "After that vote, we will need to convene a comprehensive series of logistical meetings to hammer out the extensive remaining event details. These details range from establishing the specific timing and nature of each competition task, to securing appropriate accommodations for the visiting students and faculty from the two away schools throughout the tournament period, to determining the prizes to motivate the efforts of the eventual victor, and many other crucial considerations. This elaborate planning process will likely consume one to two months of continuous efforts."

The moment Bryan asked the question, a small part of Crouch had been tempted to simply roar at Bryan to immediately vacate his office, then charge straight to Hogwarts and thoroughly interrogate Dumbledore on whether he even knew the immense historical significance and prestigious honor represented by hosting such a monumentally important event as the Triwizard Tournament. However, he ultimately restrained himself for the time being and calmly provided Bryan with a general overview of the regulations.

Bryan's brow furrowed slightly as he processed this overview of the complicated procedures. "8 am three days from now?" he questioned with a hint of confusion. "The time frame seems quite sufficient. Then why did we need to rush off to Paris today in such haste?"

"The purpose of reviving the Triwizard Tournament tradition is to promote mutual understanding and unity between the leading Wizarding Schools of Europe," Crouch explained in that same regimented tone. "This evening, the International Confederation of Wizards will be hosting an internal cocktail reception that key representatives from the three countries's ministries and competing schools are required to attend, as a symbolic gesture of unity and respect."

Having thoroughly explained the urgency of their travel, Crouch then glanced at the antique grandfather clock in his office before rising from his chair and adjusting his suit collar with an air of impatient briskness.

"We should get going to avoid any unfortunate tardiness or delays. Ludo - and you too, Dirk. Surely you couldn't have only just discovered today that Cuthbert would be taking personal leave? Why did you not get those lingering issues properly sorted out well in advance?"

The rebuke caused Cresswell's already bad expression to sour even further. "Situations are constantly changing and new problems keep arising every day, Mr. Crouch," he responded unhappily. "Like just last night for instance, who could have possibly foreseen that one isolated summer rainstorm would manage to cause the construction crew so much unexpected trouble?"

After learning that due to previous evening's torrential downpour the arena section had collapsed sending over a dozen innocent workers to St. Mungo's, Barty's face turned ashen. This was no small matter- first and foremost, the families of those employees would surely demand substantial compensation from the Ministry, not to mention the Daily Prophet's scandalous coverage alone would be enough to give the Ministry a massive headache.

If Crouch did not have this vital obligation to travel urgently to Paris for meetings, he would have certainly needed to convene an emergency strategy session with Minister Fudge and Dolores Umbridge to properly face the impending backlash. As it is now, he would just have to find a way to address the disastrous mishap at a later time.

"Let's go--" Barty Crouch told everyone stiffly, "While I can still get away from this mounting chaos."

The sensation of traveling long distances via the Floo Network felt like being tossed into a violently shaking sieve. For wizards like Bryan who could rapidly switch positions via Apparition during combat, or Barty who frequently needed to visit foreign ministries on business trips, it was an unpleasant yet tolerable experience.

But for the more inactive Ludo Bagman or the not so young Cuthbert Mockridge, the dizzying effects of Floo travel became an absolute nightmare.

The two men came tumbling ungracefully out of the elegantly adorned receiving room's huge fireplace onto the plush maroon carpet below, Cuthbert faring even worse as he vomited up the contents of his recent breakfast in a disgusting display that caused the attendant wizard receiving them to frown deeply.

"Oh—I'm starting to doubt my choice, Ludo," Cuthbert groaned pitifully, his face a sickly shade of green as he struggled to regain his footing on the luxurious wool carpeting. "This is even worse than those dreadful contraptions the Muggles use! At least their methods don't leave one feeling quite so violently ill."

Ludo, having recovered slightly quicker thanks to his athletic background, shot his friend a sympathetic look as he patted his own slightly paunchy belly. "Believe me, old friend, I can certainly empathize with you," he replied with a chuckle. "I experienced those horrendous Muggle forms of travel just once during my glory days on the Quidditch trips- it was a nightmare! I'll take a bumpy Floo journey any day over being trapped in one of those weird metal bird contraptions the Muggles insist on using."

After being helped back upright by the disapproving attendant, Cuthbert could only offer a weary wave of farewell before hastily departing with his luggage in tow, clearly desperate to begin his long-awaited vacation away from such arduous wizarding duties.

The remaining three an unlikely trio - the distinguished if eternally dissatisfied Barty Crouch, the seemingly scatter-brained yet influential Ludo Bagman, and the relatively young if highly-skilled Bryan Watson.

They now found themselves in the lavishly decorated lobby of a luxurious wizarding hotel. The sound of gently flowing water outside caught Bryan's attention. He turned to gaze upon the iconic Eiffel Tower, towering like a giant and bathed in a golden glow from the rising sun.

Averting his eyes away from the famous landmark, Bryan turned his attention to scrutinizing their new surroundings with a puzzled frown. While the city of Paris itself wasn't entirely unfamiliar for him, he couldn't recall ever encountering a hotel quite like this particular one in all his travels.

The architectural aesthetics clearly paid homage to the often-underappreciated goblin culture in the most distinct fashion.

In the center of the lavish circular lobby area rose an immense marble pillar, practically every inch of its towering surface intricately carved with vivid bas-relief depictions of legendary battles between goblin rebellion forces and human wizarding armies.

While not particularly knowledgeable about history, Bryan could still recognize the depicted scenes specifically chronicled the Goblin Rebellion of 1612 and its aftermath - a brutal conflict the Goblins had fancifully termed as their "Holy War for Sovereign Dignity" - unfortunately for them, the outcome was not favorable.

The wall facing the reception area was a rough stone surface extending all the way to the ceiling, with many niche carved out and holding various precious artifacts and alchemical treasures hailing from goblin artisans across the globe throughout the centuries - treasured kemetic amulets, intricately decorated ceremonial blades and goblets worked from precious minerals, arcane tomes of forbidden lore bound in dragon-scales, and all manner of wondrous goblin-made relics.

Every aspect of the lobby's extravagant architectural decoration and interior design loudly proclaimed it to be a goblin-owned and operated establishment, constructed to cater exclusively to the comforts and tastes of the wizarding elite. Subtle touches like the natural quarried stone surfaces and raw materials enhanced an overall aesthetic of modest yet unmistakable goblin sophistication.

"I got quite the scare myself the first time I laid eyes on this place!" Ludo had been discussing matters with Cuthbert earlier, but now he finally had a chance to chat with Bryan.

When interacting with a departmental head like Barty Crouch or Amelia Bones, one could easily sense an 'aura of authority' from their words and behavior.

However, Ludo Bagman was decidedly different.

As Barty went to check them in, Ludo noticed Bryan examining the hotel's decor. He stepped over and wrapped an arm around Bryan's shoulders with a smile.

"Those greedy little goblins won't pass up any potential opportunity to bolster their already overflowing coffers, I'll give them that!" Ludo continued with an amused snort. "They constructed this hotel with the sole purpose of playing hosts to us wizarding officials who conduct regular business with the International Confederation of Wizards. They even donated a sum to the French Ministry of Magic, just to ensure their establishment would be the designated lodging for the Ministry's valued VIP guests!"

Ludo smacked his lips in an exaggerated display of dislike, though his twinkling eyes showed his lack of genuine indignation towards the goblins's commercial scheming.

After momentarily pursing his lips in an expression of contemplation, he changed the subject as he eyed Bryan with keen interest.

"Back in Barty's office earlier, I overheard you two discussing the 'safety plan'. How'd it go? Was Barty full of complaints as usual?"

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