"What?" "A safety drill?" "What's that?"
The Heads of Houses and Dumbledore looked at each other in confusion. From their expressions, it was clear that no one understood what Alan meant by a drill.
"Are you out of your mind? Haven't you heard? Hogwarts and Gringotts are the two safest places in Britain. There's no need for any so-called safety drill here! We are here to protect it, and Dumbledore is here!" Snape scolded, highly displeased as he watched Alan grow increasingly presumptuous.
"Oh? Is that so?" Alan smiled faintly. "Then I might have to tell you some bad news. A year ago, Gringotts commissioned the company to conduct a comprehensive safety inspection for them, and at that time, we performed a simulated crime drill. Guess what the final result was?" Alan looked at Snape with a smile, making him feel a chill all over.
"You can even infiltrate a place as safe as Gringotts?" Before Snape could react, Dumbledore looked at Alan with a surprised expression.
"That's right!" Alan nodded slightly. "We conducted two tests on Gringotts: a frontal assault and a stealth infiltration. Gringotts failed to withstand either of these drills. It proved that, with sufficient preparation, a wizard of average Auror skill could silently infiltrate Gringotts and steal from the shallow and mid-level vaults. Five bold and meticulous wizards could even violently rob the deep-level vaults and escape unscathed."
"It is precisely for this reason that Gringotts recently underwent a comprehensive security upgrade by us. Some problems will not be exposed without a real test. Safety drills are not entirely for the children; all professors are also within the scope of the test." Alan said with a somewhat smug smile.
He hadn't even personally participated in the previous drill at Gringotts; he had only borrowed a few Aurors from the Ministry of Magic to complete a series of operations. These guys didn't know that when the goblins discovered their heavily guarded vaults were empty, their eyes almost popped out.
"Such a big thing happened, why was there no rumor at all? You're not lying to us, are you?" Snape looked at Alan with a questioning expression; he just couldn't believe it.
Alan smiled faintly at his words. "Haha, how could those goblins at Gringotts spread such embarrassing news everywhere? The participants in the drill were all put under a gag order. Furthermore, I also hope that everyone present here does not spread it around, and even if you do, Gringotts certainly won't admit it." With that, he turned his head to Dumbledore. "Headmaster, do you think this request is acceptable?"
"Ah?" Dumbledore had been lost in thought before, not knowing what he was thinking, and was startled when Alan suddenly interrupted him. "I have no objection, but how do you plan to conduct this safety drill of yours? It shouldn't cause any real safety hazards, should it? It wouldn't be good if someone got injured during the drill," Dumbledore quickly added after he reacted.
"Don't worry, it's just some basic exercises. As for the specific drill content, please allow me to keep it a secret. After all, this kind of drill emphasizes spontaneity; the time, place, and event must all be kept confidential." Alan said, with a faint smile in his eyes, perhaps trying to fool them.
"Then let's settle it. Hogwarts has indeed been too peaceful for too long, and it is certainly necessary to instill some sense of crisis in everyone." Dumbledore exchanged glances with the other Heads of Houses before nodding in agreement, though he seemed somewhat distracted at the moment.
"That's good. So, that's all the content I have to report to you today. However, since the work I'm currently undertaking at the Ministry of Magic is not yet finished, my return to school might be a bit late, but I will definitely be on duty before September first. I hope everyone will bear with me." Alan finished speaking, giving a slight apologetic nod to everyone.
After the meeting, Dumbledore hastily called Hagrid away, seemingly for some urgent matter that needed discussion. On the other side, Alan was led away by Professor McGonagall; she was going to show Alan his office and theoretical classroom.
Speaking of which, Dumbledore indeed treated Alan very favorably. The school allocated him a high-standard private office on the fifth floor of the main tower, impeccable in terms of location, space, and decor, second only to the offices of the four Heads of Houses and the Headmaster's office.
"Alan, this used to be the office of Professor Meles, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. She chose to retire after You-Know-Who graduated and cursed this position. Since subsequent successors were… how to put it, didn't hold the position for long, most of them were assigned to temporary offices, so this place has been vacant, but the house-elves still keep it very clean. I hope you like it." McGonagall led Alan into the office and briefly introduced him to its history.
"Thank you, Professor McGonagall, I am very satisfied with this place. I didn't expect to be able to see the Black Lake directly from here; what a beautiful view." Alan smiled and walked to the window, appreciating the surrounding scenery with great interest. He hadn't expected that one day he would return to Hogwarts as a professor.
"As long as you like it." McGonagall also smiled and stood next to Alan. She had always admired this former student. Whether it was the matter with the German Ministry of Magic back then or the hidden truth about Sirius Black, she understood it all. In her eyes, Alan had always been very caring toward his friends and a person who valued emotions deeply.
"Alan, Dumbledore must have told you, that child… he will also be enrolling this year." McGonagall gazed into the distance through the window, murmuring softly with an unclear meaning.
"You mean Harry," Alan nodded thoughtfully. "Speaking of which, I haven't seen him in ten years. I wonder how the child is doing now."
"When Harry was placed, I had some understanding of his upbringing. His situation might be quite complex…" McGonagall fell silent for a moment, then continued, "When you see him again, I hope you don't blame Dumbledore; he was also considering Harry's safety."
"What do you mean?" Alan frowned slightly at her words. Was there something wrong with Harry's upbringing?
But McGonagall didn't answer directly at this moment, changing the subject. "Let's not talk about those. I remember Dumbledore also told me that because of your trading company business, you seem to need to travel frequently between inside and outside the school. I will give you a special pass later. With it, you won't trigger the school's protective magic when entering and exiting Hogwarts. However, Apparition is forbidden at Hogwarts, and there are no fireplaces connected to the outside world. The only Floo Network that allows people to move is in Dumbledore's office, so to travel to and from Hogwarts, you either go to the Headmaster's office, or you can only leave the Hogwarts grounds."
"You don't need to worry about that; I have my own methods." Alan shook his head indifferently, then took out an exquisite leather pouch, and then, right in front of McGonagall, he forcibly pulled out a door from it! After casually placing the door against the nearby wall, Alan chuckled, "I can just use this to go back to the company; no need to trouble you."
"This…" McGonagall looked at Alan's series of unexpected actions, shaking her head and smiling wryly. "I was so foolish to worry about such a problem for an Alchemy Master like you. But you must keep a close eye on this door of yours; don't let any strange people run in."
"Don't worry, this door cannot be opened without my permission." Alan said, then twisted the handle, opened the door, and made a gesturing motion. "Please, Professor McGonagall, I'll take you to Diagon Alley for a couple of drinks. The last time we had tea in Diagon Alley was eleven years ago."
…
Half a month passed in a flash.
On August first, Hagrid once again passed through the Leaky Cauldron's door and arrived at Diagon Alley, only this time he was accompanied by a thin boy.
"Welcome to Diagon Alley, Harry!" Hagrid let out a hearty laugh, looking joyfully at the boy beside him.
"Wow!" The savior, experiencing the magical world for the first time, was staring wide-eyed at everything around him, everything appearing so new and fascinating to him.
The bustling crowd squeezed around him. Some were loudly hawking goods with strange names, while others moved in groups along the road, or pressed their faces against shop windows, admiring the goods longingly, or discussing something enthusiastically.
"Have you heard? The Silver Lightning Trading Company recently signed a mysterious singer named Celia; her voice is simply beautiful!"
"I heard about it a long time ago, and your news is too outdated. I also know that her records have recently been included in the Silver Flash blind boxes, and I've personally seen someone draw one!"
"Then what are we waiting for? A blind box is only ten sickles; let's go draw a few! Even if we don't get a record, it's not a loss!"
Harry watched as several girls beside him ran toward the depths of Diagon Alley, chatting and laughing, which made him curious and he tilted his head to ask, "Hagrid, what are those blind boxes they're talking about?"
"Blind boxes, huh." Hagrid scratched his head and chuckled. "I seem to have heard Alan mention them before. It's like he's clearing inventory to raise funds… Oh no, no, in his words, it's a kind of lucky draw gimmick. It seems to have been very popular since its launch. If you're interested, I'll take you to see it later. You also need to buy a lot of teaching supplies at the Silver Lightning Trading Company anyway."