Mrs. Weasley arrived! An agreement with Dumbledore

Inside the Hogwarts Headmaster's Office.

Mrs. Weasley and Arthur Weasley wore stern expressions as they glared fiercely at Ron.

Ron cowered behind Harry like a startled quail, not daring to raise his head.

As the central figures in the series of incidents, Argus and Draco had also been invited to the Headmaster's Office.

"Ron! Have you been letting everything I say go in one ear and out the other?"

"I'd only just sent you a letter, and you dared to do something like this!"

"When Professor McGonagall came over, I couldn't believe it!"

Bringing a mother's bloodline suppression to bear, Mrs. Weasley unleashed a torrent of scolding on Ron.

Her temper was so fiery that even Dumbledore beside her didn't dare interrupt.

Yet the moment she saw Harry, her expression softened.

She pulled Harry into her arms.

"Oh, Harry, it's so good to see you, dear."

"You poor child! You've been dragged into this!"

"Don't worry, I'll give Ron a proper warning!"

She turned to glare at Ron.

"Did you hear me? If there's a next time, Professor McGonagall won't need to get involved. Your father and I will come and take you home ourselves!"

Meanwhile, Arthur faced Argus and Draco with an utterly sincere manner.

Even with Draco, whose family was at odds with the Weasley family, he was willing to answer for Ron's mistakes.

"Mr. Grindelwald, I'd like to apologize to you for what Ron did."

"And... Mr. M-Malfoy!"

"It's a disagreement between children, Mr. Weasley. Please don't dwell on it."

Whenever he was the center of attention, Argus always maintained a gracious manner.

He responded politely to Arthur's apology.

Seeing that he wasn't being aggressive, Arthur breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mr. Grindelwald, your generosity is admirable. You're welcome to visit the Burrow anytime."

Ten-year-old Ginny curiously studied the blue-eyed boy before her.

His gentle, refined manner left a deep impression on her.

"This is Ginny, my youngest daughter. She'll be starting school next year."

Arthur introduced her to Argus and Draco with considerable pride.

Only then did Argus notice Harry's future wife.

Young as she was, she already showed signs of the beauty who would one day be Hogwarts' school belle.

"A clever, pretty young witch. Welcome to Hogwarts!"

Argus smiled warmly at Ginny, his sunny, handsome appearance making her blush involuntarily.

"Th-thank you."

"It's getting late. We shouldn't keep Mr. Grindelwald from his classes."

Arthur called to Molly, interrupting her scolding of Ron.

"Behave yourself, and don't cause me any more trouble!"

Still angry, Molly left him with that final remark before joining Arthur in saying goodbye to everyone.

Just as Argus was about to leave with the others, Dumbledore, who had remained silent all this time, spoke.

"Mr. Grindelwald, please wait a moment."

"There are a few things I'd like to discuss with you."

After a moment's thought, Argus smiled again.

"Of course, Headmaster."

Only after everyone had left did Dumbledore speak again.

"Mr. Grindelwald, would you care for something?"

"How about some Cockroach Clusters?"

"No, thank you, Headmaster. If there's something you want to discuss, please get straight to it."

Not wanting to waste time with Dumbledore, Argus refused decisively.

Dumbledore sighed, took a Cockroach Cluster, and dipped it in milk before taking a sip. A look of enjoyment appeared on his face.

"Mr. Grindelwald, as headmaster, I apologize for everything you've suffered at school."

"Apologize?"

Argus laughed.

If you were really sorry, you would've shown up the first time Ron snatched something in Flying Class.

Why wait until now?

If Professor McGonagall weren't so fair and upright, Ron wouldn't have faced a damn thing!

Old Bee!

"Headmaster, you have countless matters to attend to. You can't possibly oversee everything."

"Ron's mistakes are his own problem. They have little to do with you."

His reply was deeply sarcastic, mocking Dumbledore's failings as headmaster in every respect.

Yet Dumbledore acted as though he hadn't understood. Rather than arguing, he picked up where Argus had left off.

"Yes, Ron ultimately brought his mistakes upon himself."

"If Harry remains under his influence, in the future..."

"Stop!" Hearing the implication in Dumbledore's words, Argus hurriedly cut him off.

"Headmaster, who Harry chooses to befriend is his own decision."

"And he alone has to bear the consequences of whoever influences him!"

"I know."

Dumbledore spoke slowly.

"But Ron is no longer suited to being Harry's friend. At least... he shouldn't be his closest friend."

"If he isn't suitable, who is? Me?"

Argus scoffed.

When he looked up, however, he found Dumbledore silently watching him, and his heart jolted.

"You want me to take Ron's place?"

Dumbledore felt helpless too.

If he had any other choice, he would never have chosen Argus.

Over the past few days, he had gone through every possible candidate.

Neville... was too timid to shoulder any responsibility.

Seamus... only knew how to cause explosions. His talent was average, and so was his family. He couldn't provide Harry with solid backing.

Hermione... was an outright fangirl of Argus's. Because of the incident with Ron, her attitude toward Harry was terrible, and she wouldn't even acknowledge him.

Draco wasn't even worth mentioning!

After all that consideration, Argus turned out to be the only person he could use!

However unwilling he was, he could only hold his nose and swallow it!

Whatever else happened, with Argus around, Harry at least wouldn't go astray like Ron!

"Forget it. I don't have time to babysit."

Argus refused decisively.

"You wouldn't need to stay by his side all the time like Ron. You would only need to offer him the right guidance at certain moments."

I wouldn't feel at ease having you by Harry's side all the time either!

In just a few short days, Dumbledore had witnessed Argus's extraordinary charisma.

His fanboys and fangirls were everywhere in the school.

Even the professors had nothing but praise for him!

Pressed for a solution, he could only adopt this compromise to control Argus's influence over Harry.

"If that's all, I could consider it. But I have one condition."

"Let's hear it."

"I have a few shops in Diagon Alley that will be opening soon. I'd like you to help me deal with trouble from the pure-blood families. That shouldn't be difficult for you, should it?"

Argus had thought this condition through carefully.

The Acolytes had only just entered Britain, and their foothold was weak. A direct confrontation with a large number of pure-blood families would be unwise.

But if they didn't show some strength, they would inevitably be seen as easy targets.

Trouble would keep coming afterward.

At a time like this, borrowing Dumbledore's name and throwing his weight around was the best choice.

These pure-bloods wouldn't dare move against Dumbledore. Even if they wanted to target Argus, they would have to consider Dumbledore's stance.

As for guiding Harry... please, you said yourself it was only at certain moments!

Wouldn't I be the one deciding when to help him?

Argus's mental abacus clattered away.

Dumbledore said nothing, clearly weighing the pros and cons.

Only after quite a while did he slowly nod.

It was only a matter of a few shops, after all. With his influence in the wizarding world, clearing away a little trouble would be no great difficulty.

"It's a deal!"

"Then I'll look forward to you keeping your promise."

Having received the answer he wanted, Argus bowed slightly and left the Headmaster's Office.

Yet a flicker of puzzlement crossed his eyes.

How strange!

That old geezer actually didn't ask me about entering Quirrell's office!