0828 VISITING

Government interference and manipulation of mainstream news media was something that happened in both Muggle world and the wizarding world, regardless of which specific country or political system one might be inspecting.

But when Remus picked up this morning's freshly printed copy of The New York Ghost and discovered that there was not a single word of coverage, not even the briefest mention, about the potentially catastrophic events that had unfolded during the last night's chaos, he still felt a certain sense of shock and disbelief.

"I genuinely thought they would at least mention the incident in passing, perhaps with some cautiously phrased euphemisms or official statements," Remus said with obvious disappointment to Bryan, who was sitting across from him at their small breakfast table.

Bryan appeared completely absorbed in the pleasure of earnestly eating a bacon sandwich, chewing each bite with satisfaction. Remus slid the disappointing newspaper across the table toward him.

The meteorological conditions in New York had undergone a complete transformation since the last day's events, entirely abandoning the pleasant weather they had initially enjoyed upon their arrival.

To the southeast of the metropolitan city, a massive, ominous wall of storm clouds was blocking out what little pale sunlight managed to penetrate the gloomy atmosphere.

These clouds were being swept toward the urban center by powerful high-altitude winds. The approaching weather system made a heavy, lengthy rainfall seem absolutely inevitable.

Bryan flipped through several pages of the newspaper, his eyes quickly skimming the various reports, editorial columns, and articles.

Finding nothing of substance related to their concerns, he casually tossed the disappointing paper aside. He took a moment to swallow the remaining food in his mouth completely, then lifted his teacup and took a sip of the steaming hot tea, allowing the warm liquid to clear his throat before speaking.

"Under normal circumstances, the MACUSA might not choose to seal off information so tightly. However, with the presidential election rapidly approaching, almost anything, no matter how seemingly minor could potentially be weaponized and used as ammunition to attack political opponents, especially an incident of this scale and serious nature."

He paused to consider his words before continuing his analysis. "Both competing political sides would inevitably assume that this was some form of trap or strategic manipulation thrown out by their competition.

So, it's really not difficult to understand why they would tacitly and mutually agree to suppress the news, maintaining silence that serves both parties' immediate interests."

Remus nodded slowly in reluctant agreement. This battle and its complex aftermath weren't truly their responsibility to worry about or attempt to influence.

Their current energy, focus, and strategic thinking needed to be concentrated on successfully dealing with next week's crucial joint review committee.

Yesterday, they had heard some very valuable information from Gnarlak's mouth—they now knew of compromising material that could bring down Graves.

But despite this apparent advantage, their overall situation remained frustratingly difficult and troubled with complications that could easily backfire against them.

The challenge lied not in possessing the information, but in determining how to use it effectively without destroying their own position in the process.

Using this sensitive information to directly threaten or blackmail Graves would be unwise and potentially terribly counterproductive.

Completely tearing off the diplomatic mask and flipping the negotiation table wasn't necessarily a bad tactical approach for forcing a stubborn opponent to submit to one's demands, but if Bryan were to use such aggressive tactics regularly, he would sooner or later find himself completely unable to move even an inch within the wider wizarding world.

"Should we try to find some other way to arrange a meeting with Graves, Bryan?" Remus asked with concern.

The matter of promoting their learning machines throughout America had already been delayed far too long, well beyond their original timeline and expectations.

Though Remus hadn't shown his rising anxiety externally, maintaining his calm demeanor in Bryan's presence, he was actually quite worried and anxious inside.

After the last night's riot had been successfully quelled, they had provided detailed information about the incident to the professional Aurors from the Department of Magical Security.

Remus had originally thought that this cooperation and assistance would naturally provide them with an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face with Trask Graves. Such a meeting would give Bryan a golden opportunity to get close enough for an examination of exactly what mysterious illness or condition was affecting Graves's state.

But much to their frustration and disappointment, even after Bryan had specifically and formally requested such a meeting through proper official channels, Graves had still chosen to maintain his distance.

He had the responding Aurors relay a message: he would not meet them before the review committee began.

"Graves's reply to our request last night was indeed very direct, but it was also remarkably clever," Bryan said thoughtfully, glancing toward the large window where he could observe the increasingly fierce and violent wind outside, his expression remained calm despite the increasing challenges they faced.

"This is clearly a very intelligent and shrewd wizard. He obviously knows that we would naturally try to approach him, attempting to persuade him before the formal review committee began to allow us to pass the examination and gain approval.

So, he directly accepted and called out this obvious strategy, making our entire plan fall through before we could even try to implement it."

Bryan's mind continued working as he spoke. "If Graves really does have serious physical problems or health issues as Gnarlak said, I even suspect that he might be using this policy of non-engagement as a convenient excuse to avoid any direct contact with us.

Because given this person's cautious personal style, he might suspect that if he were to appear directly before me in person, there's a significant possibility that I might be able to see through his true condition."

Remus frowned deeply and pondered this troubling analysis for several moments before nodding with reluctance.

Taking time to pull out a clean cloth napkin to wipe his mouth clean, Bryan rose from the breakfast table. He walked across the room to retrieve his dark wool coat from the wooden rack where it hung and put it on.

Observing that Remus was still at the table, lost in thought with a worried expression, Bryan gave him a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry too much about our current situation, Remus, we'll find some way to handle this."

Hearing this optimistic reassurance, Remus gradually emerged from his dark thoughts and internal concerns. He nodded, then suddenly noticed that Bryan's body language and preparation clearly indicated that he was ready to go out into the bad weather.

"Are you planning to return to the Blind Pig for further investigation, or are you thinking of paying a visit to that Mr. Scamander?" Remus inquired with casual curiosity.

"Gnarlak has unfortunately outlived his usefulness to us and is no longer of any value," Bryan replied. "And Newt is currently trying every method and pulling every available string to secure custody rights for that Nundu we encountered. He probably doesn't have any time to engage in casual conversation with me right now."

Bryan pressed his lips together in a thoughtful expression and smiled. "Shouldn't we go see how Amelia is recovering? She is, after all, the very first friend we made during our stay in New York."

"Friend?" Remus stood up from his chair with a slightly skeptical expression and curled his lip in an amused but questioning manner. "If you say friend, then I suppose friend it is, Bryan."

St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, located in the heart of magical London, had the honor of being the very first large, comprehensive magical medical hospital established anywhere in the wizarding world.

The lengthy, often difficult process of its establishment, with all its trials, errors, and eventual successes, provided tremendously valuable experience and practical knowledge that proved essential for the creation and development of similar medical institutions throughout magical civilizations across the globe.

In other words, almost every major magical hospital that was later established basically copied and adapted St. Mungo's organizational structure, treatment methodologies, and departmental arrangements when setting up their own medical facilities and treatment departments.

St. Josiah's Hospital for Magical Maladies was not actually established by Josiah Jackson, the founder of MACUSA in his time.

Rather, later generations of American wizards chose to name the hospital after him in tribute to his legacy that had helped lead their magical society from chaos and fragmentation toward civilization and unity, and added the honorary title "Saint" to recognize his enormous contributions to their community's development.

Learning valuable lessons from the various problems and shortcomings that had arisen during St. Mungo's establishment and early & later operational years, St. Josiah's location had been chosen with exceptional care and consideration for patient welfare and recovery.

It was not built within a crowded, bustling city center where noise, pollution, and urban stress could interfere with the healing process. Instead, it was thoughtfully situated at the foot of the ancient Catskill Mountains, approximately two hours' drive from New York City.

This decision had proven to be undoubtedly wise. The location allowed patients who needed rest and peaceful recovery time to fully enjoy the therapeutic benefits of fresh, clean mountain air and truly beautiful natural scenery that changed with the seasons.

This stood in contrast to the unfortunate situation at St. Mungo's, where all patients were confined to cramped, square "cages" that served as rooms, only able to catch glimpses of natural sunlight through small, window openings carved high up in the stone walls.

Bryan and Remus had never visited St. Josiah's Hospital for Magical Maladies, which meant they had no choice but to continue relying on mundane Muggle transportation methods to reach their destination.

By the time their hired vehicle finally reached the hospital complex with its beautiful mountain and water scenery that would normally be breathtaking under favorable conditions, the sky had become completely and utterly gloomy.

Dark, heavy clouds obscured the entire visible horizon, and the world around them swayed and shuddered under the battering of wind and rain that made visibility extremely poor and travel risky.

"I specifically warned you gentlemen that today really wasn't going to be a good day for any kind of sightseeing or outdoor activities in this area,"

The helpful Muggle driver said to them.

He was a middle-aged man with a light golden, fluffy beard that gave him a somewhat warm appearance. Turning in his seat to talk to them, he continued,

"Do you need me to take you back to the city? If you're willing to ride with me again for the return trip, I'll only charge you half the normal fare as a courtesy."

"Oh, no thank you for the generous offer," Bryan responded with gratitude and warm smile, reaching into his pocket to retrieve several dollar bills which he handed over with appropriate tip included.

"Touring and exploring in a storm has its own unique charm, doesn't it?"

Watching with bewilderment as Bryan and Remus struggled with their large umbrellas against the fierce wind, their figures quickly disappearing down what appeared to be a wild path that branched off beside the main road and led into the dense forest, the bearded driver's eyes twitched.

"Unique charm..." he muttered to himself while shaking his head slowly. "Oh, I think you're both completely crazy."

Although they didn't know the exact location, once they were close enough to St. Josiah's Hospital for Magical Maladies, Bryan easily found the healing hospital exclusively for wizards through magical sensing.

The heavy rain prevented them from strolling leisurely. After penetrating the barrier, Bryan took Remus and flew directly over the gardens that appeared dark green in the storm, gardens meant for patient viewing which appeared in front of a large complex of buildings.

"Oh, this place looks much larger than St. Mungo's—" Remus, seeing St. Josiah's Hospital for Magical Maladies for the first time, was quite amazed by its scale.

When MACUSA built this hospital, they referenced Muggle hospital structures. The outpatient department and inpatient department here were separate buildings.

As the only major hospital facility in all of America specifically dedicated to serving the medical needs of the wizarding community, this place never experienced periods of quiet emptiness or reduced activity, regardless of whether it was day or night.

After taking time to disguise their appearances somewhat, Bryan and Remus squeezed their way through the crowded, bustling reception hall. The main lobby was filled with wizards and witches of all ages seeking medical attention.

They patiently waited in the lengthy inquiry desk queue for half an hour, and finally figured out which building Amelia Depp was in.

The two men crossed the corridor that connected the outpatient and inpatient buildings, taking the spiral staircase up to the top floor.

The inpatient department was much quieter than the bustling outpatient area they had just left behind. This peaceful atmosphere meant that when Bryan and Remus were still around twenty feet away from Amelia's designated room, they could already clearly hear the sound of voices drifting out from inside.

"Oh, Bryan," came a somewhat hoarse but still gentle female voice that seemed to float out from Amelia's room like a concerned whisper. "Our daughter really needs proper rest and recovery time right now. Could you perhaps come back another time to give your lecture?"

————————————

For More Chapters; patreon.com/FicFrenzy