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Her Majesty the Queen is waiting for you, please follow me."
Following behind the guards, Zhang Mu held the staff and leisurely admired the green plants on both sides, all the way to an open-air pavilion in the middle of the courtyard.
The queen with ear-length white hair sat at the stone table in the pavilion in her gorgeous attire.
"Welcome, Mr. Dumbledore." The old queen pushed away the maid's hand and stood up by supporting herself on the table.
"You're welcome." She raised her hand and pointed at the stone bench, and Zhang Mu sat down with her with a smile.
"I thought you would refuse my invitation." The Queen pulled her coat closer and greeted him.
Zhang Mu didn't know what her purpose was, but he wasn't in a hurry: "There's still some time before the freshman exam. I'm not busy."
"I heard you mention it this morning." The queen didn't seem to want to beat around the bush, "First of all, I want to apologize to you on behalf of my reckless subordinates.
He has been removed from office and sentenced by the laws of the kingdom. If you are not satisfied, you can..."
"It doesn't matter."
"Thank you for your kindness and tolerance. There are also some other things I would like to seek your advice on."
This shouldn't be the case.
As a qualified politician, when meeting a stranger for the first time, what you need to do is to try your best to find out the target's background.
But she didn't do so, probably because she thought that facing a magician who could destroy a country by himself, human's twists and turns were useless.
Nodding, Zhang Mu chuckled, "Of course."
"Regarding the new students at Hogwarts, the royal family will contact them. Do you have any objection?" Even though Her Majesty the Queen controls a country, she is still unsure at the moment and her tone seems a little cautious.
"Hogwarts adheres to an open teaching philosophy. As long as it is voluntary and in compliance with school rules, we do not force students to behave personally."
The Queen was not carried away by this seemingly favorable answer.
The scope of school rules is very broad.
After a brief silence, she asked, "Wizard...how long has Hogwarts existed?"
"If the lady is asking about wizards, the exact age cannot be verified. Hogwarts was founded in 1473."
Noticing the Queen's puzzled expression, Zhang Mu, who looked like an old man, explained: "Rolin only has fragmentary memories, so it's not surprising that there are mistakes."
"So...mages only exist in the kingdom?"
"Magician, indeed."
The queen is not stupid, but very smart. She can naturally understand the hidden meaning of this sentence.
The clenched fist of her right hand tightened: "Mr. Dumbledore, am I, the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, qualified to be a wizard?"
The old man's narrowed eyes slightly opened, and a gentle smile appeared on his wrinkled face: "The way to get an interview letter is to pass the assessment."
Although I had an expectation of the answer, when I actually heard it, a sense of loss still inevitably filled my heart.
After a long silence, the Queen forced a smile and said, "Ms. Rowling is your granddaughter?"
"Yes." The old man replied softly, "I raised her for a while, but in the end, disaster forced me to send her away from Hogwarts."
"disaster?"
"The disaster has passed. Although there are still aftermaths, they are under our control."
The Queen's eyes became solemn as she pondered silently. To be called a disaster by Mr. Dumbledore, who had shown his power...
"The kingdom needs your help."
"Hogwarts will not sit idly by, rest assured."
After saying that, the old man stood up and walked out of the yard: “Madam, even I cannot violate the school rules of Hogwarts.
But it just gives you enough time to try to pass the test...
Based on your care for Rowling, I will provide you with some help as a grandfather."
Enough time?
Coming back to her senses, the excited Queen stood up tremblingly: "Mr. Dumbledore, you mean..."
"Wait for the day we meet again."
After saying this, the old man walked farther and farther away, and disappeared through the wall.
Sitting back on the stone bench, the queen touched her chest to calm her violently beating heart.
Finally catching her breath, the old man's whispers kept appearing in her mind, and her cloudy eyes stared at the personal maid standing beside her.
After a long silence, she murmured, "It's hard for me to find another maid as pleasing to my heart as you."
Chapter 153 The Queen's Deployment
The maid standing outside the pavilion did not hear the queen's murmur.
He raised his head, smiled and waved, and she came to his side obediently, bending slightly and listening attentively.
The queen looked at the maid's young face, stroked her own wrinkled face, and felt a little emotional.
Time is cruel, but also kind.
It treats everyone fairly, regardless of wealth, power, or wisdom. Under its gentle company, everyone falls into eternal sleep.
The queen thought that if she was still conscious at that time, what she would see would be a despairing darkness.
After all, humans cannot fight against its greatness.
But this time, the Queen felt that this was not the case.
Before meeting Mr. Dumbledore, she had imagined many scenes and scenarios.
The other party displays magical powers and terrifying strength, which may be novel to the queen, but not shocking.
In her decades of life, she has seen too much.
In her opinion, power that has never been seen before is also power.
In essence, it is driven by humans, but the forms of expression are slightly different.
But she never expected that Mr. Dumbledore could prolong his own life and his attitude was so casual.
It was as if what he wanted to manipulate was not the time that runs through and overlooks the entire river of human civilization, but to pull out a weed on the roadside.
If I had known that Mr. Dumbledore had such ability, I would never have allowed a third person to appear at the scene, even if she was my most trusted personal maid.
With a sigh, the queen's blurred vision gradually became clear, and the maid's beautiful face appeared before her.
"How long have you worked at the palace?"
"Fifteen years, your Majesty."
"So that's the one who entered the palace at the age of nine?"
"Yes."
"Where do your parents work? Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
"My parents have passed away, and I was adopted by Mr. Butler from an orphanage."
She waved, and the maid squatted down in understanding.
The queen sat on the stone bench, pressed her cheek against his thigh and gently stroked her fine hair.
"I remember your name, your name is Ellie."
"Yes, your Majesty."
The queen nodded and smiled apologetically: "Ellie, I made the mistake. I shouldn't have allowed a third person to be present at such an important occasion.
But I’m sorry, you’ll have to pay for it.”
Ellie looked up in confusion, not quite understanding what the queen meant.
The Queen knew there were many reasons to let her go.
For example, the voices she was talking to Mr. Dumbledore were not loud, so she might not be able to hear clearly what they were saying.
Even if I heard it, I guess it would only be a few words.
Or maybe the Hogwarts headmaster who masters mysterious magic knows some sound insulation techniques.
What's more, Ellie was adopted by the palace when she was young, so there will be basically no problem with her loyalty.
And so on.
But the problem is that none of the reasons can be added with the word "absolute".
The Queen stroked Ellie's smooth cheek with her wrinkled palm.
In this world, the only people who will never reveal secrets are the dead.
"plum."
Following the high-pitched shout, an old man in a tuxedo walked over with a swift pace that did not match his age.
"The ashes are buried in the back hill."
"As you command, Your Majesty."
The maid was still in a daze, but the old man did not hesitate at all. He reached out his hand quickly, grabbed the back of her neck, and twisted it gently.
"Click——"
After a few seconds of silence, the queen said to the hunched figure who was carrying the corpse by the scruff of the neck and about to leave the yard, "You can invite the lucky ones to come."
"As you command, Your Majesty."
The old man disappeared along the stone path across the lawn, and the queen stood up and walked slowly towards the empty reception room on the right.
About half an hour later, twenty-three men and women lined up in a long queue and followed the guard through the door.
The Queen smiled and raised her hand: "Ladies and gentlemen, please take a seat."
After all, it was a palace that they had heard of for a long time but had never seen. Everyone looked around curiously and sat down on both sides of the long table.
Toby was specifically asked to sit in the first seat on the right, and Leon and Claysi in the first and second seats on the left.
When everyone was seated, the Queen's eyes fell on the little girl that Toby had been holding by his side. "You seem to attach great importance to this lovely little lady."