One week later, on the morning of
Place de la Fort Saint-Baptiste in Paris, France.
Vincent and Hermione, taking advantage of the fact that there were few people around, headed towards one of the Wallace fountains in the square.
As soon as they approached the fountain, countless vines sprouted from the ground and surrounded the two, forming a birdcage-like elevator that sank into the ground.
Upon entering the main hall of the French Ministry of Magic, the most striking feature is the three French words cast in crystal in the central fountain.
Incanté
Envouté
Conjuré
Hermione, who knew a little French, muttered to herself, "Spell, bewitchment, enchantment..."
She inexplicably recalled a slogan from the Great Revolution, which also consisted of three words.
Liberté (Freedom)
Egalité (equality)
Fraternité (philanthropy)
The French Ministry of Magic was founded during the French Revolution, and it seems their motto was modeled after the slogans promoted by Muggle at the time.
"What's wrong?" Vincent asked with concern.
Hermione whispered in his ear and shared the interesting thing she had just discovered with him.
France has its own unique circumstances, so it should be said that this was a creation of the Ministry of Magic.
The two exchanged a meaningful glance, then smiled and walked into the hall.
In addition to its regular staff, the French Ministry of Magic also keeps a group of Matagot.
These magical cats, capable of copying, pasting, and creating clones, are not usually ferocious; they only show their aggressive side when attacked.
Perhaps it's because of his cat-loving nature, Vincent hadn't walked more than a few steps into the hall when they swarmed around him.
Matagot are no different from ordinary black cats, except that they have a pair of big blue eyes.
Perhaps it's because the food here in France isn't very good; they look much thinner than Mrs. Norris.
Vincent crouched down and, as was his habit, pulled a packet of low-oil, low-salt dried fish without any palatability enhancers from the pocket of his suit, which was enchanted with Undetectable Extension Charm.
"Sweetie, everyone has one."
The Matagot obediently lined up in front of him, and soon the bag of dried fish was gone.
However, Vincent brought out a second pack, and even a third and fourth pack.
He also gave Hermione two packets, but the cats didn't really pay her any attention.
All the Matagot in the French Ministry of Magic ran to the hall. The staff initially thought something terrible had happened, but when they arrived at the hall, they found out it was a false alarm.
As an apprentice of a legendary Alchemists, Vincent is extremely well-known in the French Ministry of Magic; while not a household name, he is certainly quite famous.
A witch who appeared to be of high status stepped forward.
"Mr. Wayne, in addition to security work, Matagot is also responsible for the department's email distribution."
Vincent, understanding the implication, nodded to her and put away the dried fish in his hand.
He patted the heads of the cats in front of him. "Alright, you should go back to work now."
Under the gaze of countless pairs of reluctant blue eyes, he rose to face the witch in the dark robe.
"Deputy Minister Cassina, I am truly sorry to have disrupted your normal operations."
Cassina smiled and shook her head. "No way. Matagot don't usually approach others on their own initiative. It's been almost half a century since something like today has happened."
The last time... must have been when Newt Scamander was young.
Vincent smiled knowingly. "Vice Minister Cassina, it's probably because of my special constitution that I'm naturally attractive to animals."
Cassina glanced at the Matagot who were still unwilling to leave, a hint of helplessness on his face.
"Mr. Wayne, the intuition of Fantastic Beasts is often more accurate than that of wizards, which shows that you are a trustworthy person."
Her praise prompted Hermione to subconsciously nod in agreement.
Regardless of whether they have special physical characteristics, some people are born trustworthy. Both humans and animals feel that they are particularly reliable and make them feel safe.
Vincent once again crouched down to persuade Matagot to hurry back to work, is a good example.
"Come on, after I finish my business with Minister Russell, I'll definitely have some fun with you all."
"Meow--"
"What time do you get off work? I have plenty of time today."
"Meow--"
"Okay, then I'll wait here until you get off work, is that alright?"
The cats gradually left, but they kept looking back from time to time, as if afraid that Vincent would suddenly disappear.
Cassina, amused and exasperated, joked, "Mr. Wayne, why don't you come work for our French Ministry of Magic? We can discuss all the terms if you're willing."
"Really?" Vincent feigned surprise. "But I still have to go to school. Can I work part-time?"
Cassina was amused and covered her mouth to laugh. "Of course, no problem. I can make the decision about this."
After laughing, she led Vincent and Hermione to the courtyard behind the hall.
"Minister Russell is currently meeting with guests; you two may have to wait here for a while."
The courtyard of the French Ministry of Magic is very special; the floor has a slight incline, making it feel like you're floating when you walk on it.
The glass dome is decorated with a variety of Fantastic Beasts totems and star charts, giving it a very stylish feel.
Cassina led the two to a sofa. "Gentlemen, I should get back to work now. We'll let you know as soon as Minister Russell's meeting is over."
"Thanks."
Shortly after she left, a staff member brought her hot tea and snacks.
Vincent chatted with Hermione while patiently waiting.
About half an hour later, a familiar voice rang out from the corridor deep in the atrium.
"Minister Russell, this child is especially popular with the Fantastic Beasts at school; even Salazar Slytherin's Basilisk is very fond of him."
"Dumbledore, are you referring to that thousand-year-old Basilisk?"
"Yes."
Vincent and Hermione turned around and saw that the person walking out with Russell was indeed their headmaster, Albus Dumbledore.
Dumbledore also spotted the two. "Minister Russell, you absolutely mustn't tell this boy anything."
Russell was initially puzzled, but when he saw Vincent also looked puzzled, walking towards him, he immediately understood.
He looked at Dumbledore with a wry smile, "Your Excellency, I certainly will."
This feeling of helplessness and despair is probably a sign that I've been tricked.
Vincent walked up to the two of them. "Professor? What are you doing here?"
Dumbledore Hermione, who was following behind him, a meaningful look. "Oh—I'm getting old, and I ended up in France without even realizing it."
Vincent's expression faltered. "Professor, that's the worst joke I've ever heard in my life."
The International Confederation of Wizards Conference is still over a month away, and the meeting isn't even being held in France. Old Bitch Deng came all this way and kept it a secret from him; he's definitely plotting some evil scheme.