"How are you?"
Percy, as always, greeted in his impeccable English.
"I'm fihank you."
Jane Yu, as always, responded with her impeccable English.
Percy nodded in satisfaction, adjusted the horn-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, and said, "Welcome to the Burrow. Mum and Dad have been talking about you for ages."
Jane Yu hesitated between blurting out a polite "Please thank your parents for me" and steering the conversation elsewhere. She chose the latter.
"Are you busy with work? Am I interrupting you?" she asked.
This question seemed to strike a chord with Percy. He straightened up, gripping the quill in his hand with pride.
"Oh, yes, but it's no bother. Penelope must have told you—I've become Mr. Bartemius Crouch's personal assistant."
"You know, I'm currently drafting a report for the Department of International Magical Cooperation."
"We're planning to standardize the thickness of cauldrons. Some imported cauldrons have bottoms that are too thin—the leakage rate has been increasing by nearly 3% annually."
Jane Yu was caught off guard by this unexpected tidbit about cauldrons.
She recalled the image of Severus Snape storming off with a cauldron in hand—angrily, no less. She wondered if Sirius Black and Harry Potter had anything to do with this rising leakage rate.
Percy quickly confirmed her suspicion.
"The data from Patch's Cauldron Shop shows that this year's leakage rate is particularly high—but the shopkeeper insists it's due to damage during transportation."
Ron sneered and quipped, "Amazing. This report is going to change the world. I bet the Daily Prophet will feature it on the front page: 'Cauldron Leakage Crisis.'"
Percy's face turned pink. He retorted indignantly, "Mock all you want, Ron! But there must be some international law established. Thin-bottomed cauldrons are fragile and dangerous—they pose serious risks—"
Jane Yu suddenly thought of the Department of International Magical Cooperation's responsibilities.
Its subordinate body, the International Magical Trade Standards Body, was tasked with overseeing and evaluating trade practices within the magical world, as well as drafting and implementing trade standards.
Perhaps Percy could be of use to her in the future—like when she needed to handle the import and export of gaming consoles after moving to Europe.
After all, the Lemays had already transferred all rights to her, allowing the couple to focus entirely on their research.
She decided to give Percy a little boost.
"An excellent report, Percy. I've always thought your talents extend far beyond being a Head Boy."
Percy's eyes, hidden behind his glasses, widened in surprise at the compliment. He stammered, "Ah… well… this is my first job… I just want to be diligent… it's not as good as you say…"
His chest puffed up, and he opened the door wider, inviting Jane Yu inside to sit.
Ron looked utterly dumbfounded, as if he'd swapped brothers.
It was unbelievable—Percy saying words like "diligent" and "not as good as you say"? And him actively inviting someone in for a chat?
This was the same Percy who had chased every family member out of his room for making too much noise while he worked!
After Jane Yu sat down in an armchair, she continued the conversation.
"It seems you're not the only Hogwarts student to join the Ministry this year—Gemma Farley—"
"Ah—" Percy sighed heavily at the mention. "Yes, Miss Farley. She initially joined the Goblin Liaison Office—"
"To be honest, her position wasn't as good as mine, was it? But for some reason, she's quickly gained the favor of Madam Bones—the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."
"She might even be transferred there to become Madam Bones's assistant—"
Jane Yu smiled mysteriously and replied, "I suppose it's because she submitted some suggestions for improving legal provisions to Madam Bones."
She recalled how Gemma had burned the midnight oil in the common room for two straight weeks last term—besides those reports, hadn't she also drafted some legal provisions?
At least, that's what Gemma had confidently assured her:
"Hermione Granger contacted me after reading about it in the papers. We discovered we share a common dream—"
"We'll absolutely make anyone who speaks nonsense—pay the price—"
Jane Yu didn't know the exact content of Gemma's drafts, but they seemed ambitious.
"Makes sense." Percy looked even more anxious. "I need to write a report like that too—but a cauldron—oh—"
He flipped through the unfinished report on his desk, absently fiddling with a thick reference book, his brows furrowed tightly.
It seemed that a report on the standardization of cauldron bottoms couldn't compete with seasoned legal provisions.
His competitive spirit made him restless.
"Think small, act big," Jane Yu offered him some guidance. "On a small scale, this is an entire document on cauldron standardization. When setting the standard for cauldron bottom thickness, have you considered its outer diameter, straight wall thickness, curved wall thickness, height, and roundness deviations?"
"Beyond thickness, have you considered the number of scratches, impurity spots, bubbles, and dents allowed?"
"Or the standards for metal content in cauldrons? The impurity levels for tin, brass, silver, and gold cauldrons?"
Percy looked at her as if he were gazing upon Merlin himself.
His eyes seemed to clear away all the fog, leaving a bright expanse of clarity.
"Merlin's beard—that's it—product standardization should be exactly like this!"
He scratched his head vigorously, grabbed his quill, and dipped it in ink to jot down Jane Yu's suggestions.
Minutes later, he seemed to realize something. Breaking free from his excitement, he waved his wand, and tea floated over to her.
"Hey!" Ron shouted. "Percy, did you forget I'm here too? Where's my tea?"
Percy hadn't even noticed his brother's presence. To him, Ron was just an annoying buzzing fly. Ignoring him, Percy frowned in frustration.
"But who will inspect so many standards? If international standards are strict… what happens if domestic standards don't measure up?"
"That's the bigger picture," Jane Yu replied. "It involves management scope and departmental responsibilities."
"For instance, under the International Magical Trade Standards Body, you could establish a Market Supervision and Management Office. The Standards Body would issue standardized policies and documents, coordinating and guiding industry and enterprise standards. Meanwhile, the Market Supervision and Management Office would handle inspections and consumer protection, maintaining market order and fairness…"
Percy looked as though he might kneel before her on the spot.
"Brilliant idea! Absolutely ingenious!"
He stood up, waved his wand, and transformed Jane Yu's armchair into a leather sofa. Tea and snacks were served, and the lights grew brighter.
"Hey! Percy!" Ron waved his hand in front of Percy's face, shouting, "What about me? Where's my tea and snacks?"
Percy finally noticed his brother was still in the room.
"Why are you still here?" He frowned at Ron as if looking at a pile of dung, even covering his nose. "This is Ministry business—"
He shoved Ron out the door as though sweeping out a pest with a broom.
"Why are you loitering here instead of helping Mum with dinner?"
Ron struggled as his brother unceremoniously booted him out, his status as the lesser sibling painfully clear.
"Now then," Percy sighed in relief after evicting his brother. He turned to Jane Yu with a grateful look. "I dare say this will be a groundbreaking report!"
"Mr. Crouch… though he's very busy, he's the most responsible person! I believe this will catch his eye!"
"Shall we discuss it further—"
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