0842 Meeting
Since Bryan was willing to accept the invitation from that highly suspicious letter, there was certainly no logical reason to refuse the far more straightforward dinner invitation extended by Amelia's well-intentioned parents. Though it would simply have to be scheduled after the time agreed upon in that invitation letter.
So, one week after Bryan and Remus had first landed at New York, their feet finally crossed the threshold of the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA).
When Amelia led them through the entrance designed to accommodate both Muggles and wizards, the magnificent spectacle awaiting them in the Congressional Hall momentarily stunned both visitors from across the Atlantic.
The vast Congressional Hall was wide in front of them like a cathedral, its ceilings decorated with moving murals that depicted the founding of American magical society. Floating orbs of golden light provided lighting, while the marble floors reflected everything like mirror.
In the center of this spacious and impressive Congressional Hall stood around thirty to forty witches and wizards, all dressed in their finest formal attire with expressions of grave solemnity upon their faces. They waited in perfect formation, their posture showing disciplined professionalism.
From the brief but stern look that flashed across Amelia's face the moment her eyes fell upon this gathered welcoming committee, it became immediately clear to both Bryan and Remus that these reception personnel were no ordinary MACUSA employees.
A luxurious red carpet stretched in a straight line from the main entrance all the way to the shoes of the reception personnel.
Along both sides of this ceremonial pathway, curious wizards and witches who had paused in their daily congressional business to witness this unusual event were kept at a respectful distance by security barriers, while vigilant Aurors in their robes maintained positions at regular intervals.
The gathered crowd included several members of the magical press corps, their cameras already raised and ready to capture every moment of this diplomatic encounter, their quills hovering in mid-air beside floating parchment as they prepared to document every word and gesture for tomorrow's editions.
"That's Mr. Trask Graves, Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and Ms. Marcelline White, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation," Amelia whispered quietly to Bryan and Remus as they walked behind her as she pointed out the identities of the two most prominent officials among the MACUSA delegation.
Her pace noticeably quickened as she spoke. Behind them, Remus silently and sensitively stepped back a couple of paces.
"Welcome, Mr. Watson—"
When the two approaching parties were still thirty feet apart, the two primary representatives from the MACUSA delegation stepped forward from their formation.
The middle-aged witch with curly blonde hair extended her gloved hand toward Bryan with grace. Her smile was warm yet professional as she spoke in a loud voice.
"Welcome the most powerful wizard of our time to the Magical Congress of the United States of America!"
In the world of magical politics, where every gesture carried layers of meaning and every word could have diplomatic consequences, such a public and demonstrative welcome represented a significant political statement.
From this first encounter alone, Bryan could immediately judge the current political stance of this head of the American Department of International Magical Cooperation.
"Oh—"
Bryan also wore a smile, quickly stepping past Amelia to grasp the fingertips of Ms. White's hand and shake it briefly.
"It seems the Magical Congress of the United States is determined to make me feel utterly embarrassed by such generous hospitality, is that it?"
His tone carried just the right hint of self-deprecating humor mixed with appreciation. Under the focused barrage of camera flashes that erupted like tiny lightning storms throughout the hall, both parties shared a moment of soft, understanding laughter.
"Please allow me to introduce myself properly, Mr. Watson—"
Marcelline maintained her gentle hold on Bryan's hand without releasing it while speaking with a pleased expression.
"I am Marcelline White, currently serving the Magical Congress of the United States of America as Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. It is truly an honor to meet such a distinguished wizard."
"The pleasure is entirely mine, Ms. White—"
Bryan inclined his head in a subtle nod, his gentle smile never wavering as he looked politely into Ms. White's eyes.
"Mr. Barty Crouch, the former Director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation of the British Ministry of Magic, is a good personal friend of mine," Bryan continued smoothly.
"He has spoken to me about you on several occasions, Ms. White. Mr. Crouch described you as a truly exceptional witch, particularly noting your remarkable achievements in the challenging field of promoting international magical cooperation, where your contributions have been simply indisputable."
Standing just behind Bryan, Remus felt the carefully maintained business smile on his face stiffen unnaturally for just a moment, he was quite certain that Bryan was completely fabricating this out of thin air.
"Oh, you're far too kind, Mr. Watson. In fact, I'm simply doing my utmost not to disappoint President Quahog and our entire magical community's expectations," Marcelline replied, though Bryan's expertly delivered tactful flattery had clearly hit its mark, making her smile brighten considerably with genuine pleasure.
She smoothly used her gaze and a subtle gesture to redirect Bryan Watson's attention toward the wizard standing beside her.
"Please allow me to introduce Mr. Trask Graves, Director of our Department of Magical Law Enforcement and Chief of Security for the Magical Congress of the United States—"
Marcelline's voice had a tone of specific respect as she made this introduction.
"I'm quite certain you must have heard of him and his exceptional reputation, haven't you, Mr. Watson?"
Standing behind Bryan and slightly to his left, Remus had been observing the wizard beside Marcelline White throughout the exchange with interest.
The man stood with military-straight posture that spoke to either formal training or natural discipline. His face was sharp and stern, bearing only the most superficial and professionally required of smiles—an expression that reminded Remus of Barty Crouch Senior's continuously stiff demeanor.
Upon hearing Marcelline's formal introduction, Remus felt his previously relaxed brow unconsciously tighten with subtle concern.
Bryan, however, seemed utterly oblivious to any undercurrents of tension or concern. The polite, tactful smile on his face showed no sign of being disturbed or moved by anything as he turned his attention toward Trask Graves with the same gracious courtesy he had shown to Marcelline.
Throughout his career, having been born into a prominent wizarding family with deep political connections and now serving as a high-ranking official in one of the most powerful departments within the American Magical Congress, Graves had encountered countless witches and wizards of impressive reputation and considerable influence.
His experience included meetings with high-ranking officials from various international magical governments, ministers of magic, and even legendary figures whose names appeared in history books.
With his experience in the highest circles of magical political power and his deep background in both law enforcement and governmental affairs, he was more than qualified to interact with such distinguished individuals as complete equals, meeting them on level ground without fear or respect.
However, the precise moment when his somewhat deep gaze met the startlingly unusual pale purple eyes of the young wizard standing directly opposite him, Graves instinctively held his breath for just an instant.
Despite having spent long time mentally preparing himself for this encounter, despite having studied every available report about Bryan Watson's abilities and achievements, despite his years of experience dealing with powerful magical individuals, in that single moment of unexpected direct eye contact he seemed to see something that defied his expectations.
Those pure, almost shining purple eyes seemed to contain infinite depth, it was like gazing into a star-filled night sky that stretched beyond the boundaries of the known universe.
The experience was both beautiful and deeply unsettling, causing his usually steady heartbeat to become somewhat irregular despite his best efforts to maintain professional control.
"Certainly—"
With just that one glance, Bryan had already discerned far more than Graves would have been comfortable knowing. It seemed that the information Gnarlak had shared with him had not been without substantial basis in fact.
Bryan allowed his tone to become slightly deeper.
"If my memory serves me correctly, Wizarding Weekly published a report just last year that praised the remarkably stable and orderly living environment of the American magical community.
The report specifically noted that with the massive wizard population distributed throughout the American magical world, being able to achieve and maintain such an impressive level of social stability and public safety is sufficient proof that MACUSA's Department of Magical Law Enforcement has consistently maintained the most professional and fair enforcement standards in the international magical community."
Bryan paused knowingly, allowing his words to settle before delivering his conclusion: "I believe such remarkable success must be inseparable from Mr. Graves' exceptionally strict supervision and dedicated leadership."
"Just as Ms. White said earlier—"
The moment Graves first laid eyes on Bryan Watson in person, he knew with absolute certainty that all his previous concerns, all his sleepless nights of worry and strategic planning, had not been the product of excessive paranoia or baseless anxiety.
This wizard whose international reputation had risen so dramatically over the past two years, whose name was spoken with a mixture of awe and concern in magical government circles across the globe, indeed deserved his most cautious and respectful treatment.
A trace of deep regret suddenly welled up from somewhere in his chest, spreading through his consciousness like a cold tide. Graves pressed his lips together slightly, he should never have taken the risk of appearing directly before Bryan Watson like this, face to face where those disturbing eyes could see him.
In fact, he should never have allowed Bryan Watson to set foot on American soil at all. No matter what bureaucratic excuse he might have manufactured, no matter how much political influence he would have needed to mobilize, no matter what international incident it might have caused, before completing his plans, he should have found a way to keep Watson outside the country's borders.
But now, standing here in the Congressional Hall with dozens of witnesses and members of the magical press recording every moment, it was far too late for such considerations or regrets. Under the eyes of everyone present, under the floating cameras and hovering quills, he had no opportunity to retreat or avoid this.
His face remained professionally composed but was slightly more tense than usual, and despite his best efforts, Graves couldn't prevent his eyes from flickering with anxiety.
"I'm simply doing my utmost to maintain the security and stability of the American magical world, Mr. Watson. However, your own role in ensuring the safety and stability of the broader international magical community is truly pivotal and deserves far more recognition than my humble efforts."
Everyone present understood that Mr. Graves was tactfully praising Bryan Watson's actions during the Quidditch World Cup last year, as well as his recent elimination of that large group of dark wizards.
From any objective standpoint, these were indeed remarkable achievements that had saved countless lives and prevented widespread magical conflict.
In nearly a century of magical history, perhaps only Albus Dumbledore's legendary defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald, ending the devastating war that had threatened both the wizarding and Muggle worlds could overshadow the significance of Bryan Watson's recent accomplishments.
Although today's gathering had been officially scheduled as merely a routine business negotiation and review meeting, Bryan Watson's current status and international position were no less prestigious than those of the British Minister of Magic.
Therefore, the current meeting had evolved into something equivalent to an official diplomatic visit between allied magical nations.
After Marcelline White had graciously introduced all the key attendees to both Bryan and Remus, the group spent about an hour directing the choreography of dealing with the magical press corps.
Reporters fired questions, their enchanted quills scribbling frantically as they sought quotes that would make fascinating headlines for tomorrow's editions. Photographers were swarming at perfect angles to capture the most flattering and politically significant images.
Throughout this lengthy media session, Graves who theoretically posed the greatest potential difficulty and opposition to Bryan's visit and business proposals actually made a deliberate effort to minimize his visible presence and participation.
He placed himself in the background, allowing Marcelline to handle nearly all direct communication and interaction with both Bryan and Remus.
This behavior was undoubtedly abnormal and contrary to what everyone had expected based on his reputation and previous positions.
Even Marcelline was frequently casting quick, questioning glances at her longtime colleague and old friend, unable to understand what had happened to transform Trask, who had previously seemed so resolute and determined in his opposition to this entire venture.
His sudden silence was completely out of character, and she couldn't understand what had caused such a dramatic shift in his approach. However, regardless of the mysterious reasons behind Graves' unexpected change in behavior, the joint review meeting still had to proceed according to schedule and protocol.
The group took an elevator to a bright conference room located on the building's second-highest floor. When Amelia, the last to enter the conference room, closed the door, the view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows on all four sides suddenly changed.
The corridors and conference rooms separated by just a window completely disappeared, making the entire conference room seem like an independent room floating in mid-air.
Bryan's interested gaze circled around, appreciating the unique design.
Only after Remus had nervously removed all of their prepared backup materials, documentation, and presentation aids from his briefcase did Bryan finally withdraw his admiring gaze from the magical architecture surrounding them.
He turned his attention toward Ms. White, who was discussing something with Graves at the main conference table across from their own seating area, and spoke in a light tone that seemed to fill the enchanted space effortlessly.
"Shall we begin—"
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