From Hogwarts to Sturhaven

In comparison, the wizards' financial system is so simple it's almost idiotic, with only three types of coins: gold, silver, and copper. Although the mechanism for exchanging them is a bit ridiculous, at least it achieves uniformity across the entire international magical community.

Because the wizards handed over the financial system to the fairies, Ivy was able to enjoy the convenience of using the same Galleons to purchase goods in France, and was also exempt from currency exchange fees.

“Muggle!” Nico exclaimed suddenly, after he had been sighing over the brightly lit Parisian nightscape.

"It was those clever, energetic Muggles who created this steel monster beneath our feet!" Nico stomped his foot, the metal plate clanging loudly, the sound carrying far through the night sky.

"Do you think this might be a steel golem that will one day rise up and fight to defend Paris?" Nicole didn't quite understand the Muggles' motivation for building industrial wonders. "Otherwise, why would they build such an iron tower?"

“Perhaps it was used to transmit signals? I’m not quite sure.” Ivy thought for a moment before answering. “In any case, it couldn’t have been used to protect Paris, otherwise Hitler’s attack on Paris wouldn’t have been so successful.”

“Well…you’re right, the Muggles haven’t fought many wars in Paris.” The old Frenchman Nico had to admit Ivy’s statement. “I remember the worst they fought was at the end of the 18th century, when I was just over four hundred years old. I remember the streets were in complete chaos, and we didn’t even know where to buy wine.”

Late 18th century.

Ivy calculated the timeline and concluded that it must have been the French Revolution of 1789. The conflict between social classes could indeed be considered a war.

“That’s right. That’s when I got into the habit of storing a lot of wine at once. Who knows when these Muggles will start causing trouble?” Perena also recalled the past. For people like them who have lived for hundreds of years, war and revolution have never been the main theme of their lives. They are not even as profound as not being able to buy wine to drink all the time.

This is a valuable lesson about longevity and good health, and Ivy is going to write it down.

A series of crackling sounds echoed in the air.

Two male wizards appeared on the edge of the Eiffel Tower.

A gust of cold wind blew from high above, and the two wizards immediately screamed. One of them quickly grabbed the railing, but the other was not so lucky and fell from the Eiffel Tower, his scream echoing for a long time in the air.

Ivy reacted quickly, casting the first-circle alteration spell, Featherfall, on the poor wizard.

This spell can be triggered by a reaction, causing the target's falling speed to 10 feet per second for one minute. If the target lands before the spell ends, he will be able to stand safely on the ground with both feet.

A simple calculation reveals that the maximum safe descent distance for the Featherfall spell is 600 feet. However, the platform where Ivy and her group are located is the top floor, which, in addition to necessary safety measures, also includes a bar. It's approximately 300 meters above the ground, so even if the Featherfall spell were applied, the wizard couldn't possibly land safely.

The steel structure at the top of the Eiffel Tower creaked and deftly transformed into a rope, easily pulling the wizard dangling over the railing back. It was obvious that Dumbledore had intervened.

"Thank you!" the wizard exclaimed in French, still looking shaken, then peered down. "Help my colleague! We are civil servants from the Department of Magical Accidents and Disasters of the French Ministry of Magic!"

"Aha! I have a flying carpet, which should come in handy." Nico put both hands into the same pocket and began rummaging through it.

Ivy sighed, and just as she was about to take action, she heard another "crack".

He turned around and saw that Dumbledore was no longer there. Although the old wizard was always late, he was indeed a master at saving lives.

So Ivy granted herself the ability to speak languages ​​and began to listen to the French Ministry of Magic civil servant's intermittent narration.

"The department said someone was performing a spell here... so we made a bet on whether it was a student on holiday with nothing to do, or an adult who had been drinking and was venting their energy..."

Chapter 159 Funeral Invitation

A crackling sound came from the air.

Dumbledore reappears with the French Ministry of Magic official who fell from the top of the Eiffel Tower.

“Ivy’s magic was absolutely beautiful!” Dumbledore said happily. “I waited down there for ages before I found out he’d been blown back up the Iron Tower by a strong wind.”

As soon as the wizard, who had been dragged by Dumbledore, landed, he immediately clung to the steel pillar beside him, indicating that the fall had indeed frightened him greatly.

Seeing that his colleague was unharmed and the civil servant who hadn't fallen made the tip of his wand emit a little light, wanting to see clearly who was standing on top of the Eiffel Tower in the middle of the night. He was shocked by what he saw.

“You…you are…Dumbledore…”

Dumbledore's iconic white beard and tall stature made him instantly recognizable, after all, his image has always been on the Chocolate Frog illustrations.

"Nico Lemaître!" the wizard clinging to the steel pillar exclaimed. In the dim light, Ivy could see many freckles on his face.

Most of the civil servants of the French Ministry of Magic are from Beauxbatons, and as Beauxbatons' largest donor and honorary trustee, Nico's portraits are hung all over the walls of the academy, so it is not difficult for people to recognize him.

Moreover, everyone knows that Nicolas Flamel and Dumbledore are old friends. Although there is a difference of more than 500 years between them, Nicolas does not look much older than Dumbledore.

"Is there anything I can do for you two esteemed gentlemen?" The wizard holding the wand nervously tugged at his collar, afraid that there was something inappropriate about his attire.

Nico and Perenad exchanged a glance and said excitedly, "We were originally planning to notify the Ministry of Magic tomorrow, but tonight is fine too."

Both male wizards adopted an attitude of being all ears.

"Nico Lemaître is going to die!"

The two civil servants looked at each other blankly, unsure whether there was something wrong with their ears or their eyes.

"Who's going to die?" the freckled wizard asked.

“Nico Lemaître!” the alchemist replied with a smile.

"And who are you?" the wizard holding the wand asked again.

"The answer is the same!" the alchemist's wife replied succinctly.

The two wizards didn't ask any more questions and instead fell silent. For a moment, only the sound of the wind rushing past the top of the Eiffel Tower could be heard.

"Did we drink when we left the department?" the freckled wizard asked quietly as he pulled his companion around.

"You definitely drank it!" the wizard holding the wand answered decisively. "Otherwise, how could you have fallen down?"

“That makes sense!” The freckled wizard nodded vigorously, then turned to the alchemist couple and asked, “You told us this because…”

"Invite the French Ministry of Magic to the funeral!" Nicolas Flamel conjured several wine glasses and handed them to two civil servants, as well as Ivy and Dumbledore, who were standing by watching.

Perena then conjured a bottle filled with golden wine and poured it for everyone.

"Attending Nicolas Flamel's funeral?" The freckled wizard swallowed hard as he smelled the aroma of Sauternes.

“And my wife, Perenaar.” Nico raised his glass in a gesture of respect, and everyone drank it down in one gulp.

After a glass of wine, the two civil servants seemed much calmer, and even smiled.

Nico pulled a beautifully framed invitation from his pocket and slipped it into the freckled wizard's hand.

“Please give it to the Minister of Magic,” Nico instructed.

"Of course, of course!" the freckled wizard readily agreed, but his eyes never left the bottle floating in mid-air. "Can I have another one?"

“Alright, it’s all yours.” Perenaar smiled, directing the bottle to refill their glasses, and then shoved the whole bottle into the hand of the wizard holding the wand. “Just remember to tell the Minister of Magic for us.”

"Thank you for your generosity!" The two wizards, carrying bottles of wine and invitations, Apparated away from the Eiffel Tower.

"Let me go." Inside the brightly lit office of the Department of Magical Accidents and Disasters at the French Ministry of Magic, several wizards on duty were playing cards. Seeing their colleague return, they immediately asked, "So, what kind of person was it that cast the spell at the Eiffel Tower? An idle young man, or someone who had been drinking..."

“Of course it’s a drunk adult!” another wizard exclaimed. “Didn’t you see the bottle of wine in his arms?”

"High-class stuff!" Someone pulled the bottle from "Jean's" arms. "I've never seen such beautiful wine! Hey! You lot! Pay up! Let me calculate... twelve silver schooners in total!"

"What is this again?" Someone discovered Nicolas Flamel's funeral invitation. "You confiscated their wine, and they're inviting you to their wedding?"

“It was a funeral,” Rang replied, pulling out a chair to chat with his colleagues, then mysteriously asking, “Guess who we ran into?”

"Nico Lemaître?" the wizard exclaimed in surprise upon receiving the invitation. The names of Nico and the Philosopher's Stone were known to everyone in the French magical world.

"The French Ministry of Magic is hereby invited to attend the funeral of alchemist Nicolas Flamel and his wife, Jean-Pierre Perenaï, on August 15, 1992..."

The wizards on duty exchanged bewildered glances, one muttering to himself, "The first day after the Feast of the Assumption of Mary?"

The Feast of the Assumption of Mary is a public holiday in France. Although the wizarding world and the Muggle world do not see each other, they still celebrate the holiday together, only one celebrates theirs and the other theirs.

"Doesn't that mean there are only two weeks left?" A wizard flipped through the calendar on the wall. "To predict that he will die in two weeks, how strange!"

"Is this some kind of new prank?" someone asked. "Drinking with Nicolas Lemaître on the Eiffel Tower and being invited to his funeral—I could brag about that to my wife for days!"

“Not only Nicolas Flamel, but also his wife Perenais Flamel and Dumbledore, and a handsome young man,” the freckled-faced Jean replied earnestly.

"Dumbledore?" Everyone in the office stopped.

“You know, the one from the Chocolate Frog picture cards… He even saved my life! I fell off the Eiffel Tower.” The freckled face shrugged.

“I think it’s necessary to tell the minister about this…” someone said slowly.

Then the whole office erupted into chaos. Some people were writing letters, some grabbed the funeral invitation and rushed out, and a few went to apply for owls.

The freckled man remained seated, grabbed a bottle of Sauternes that had been tossed aside, poured himself another glass, and acted as if the commotion in the office had nothing to do with him.

What's so strange about that? After all, he just escaped death. Not everyone can survive a fall from a 300-meter tower and still be drinking.

Chapter 160 Advice

Ivy did not stay in Paris to attend the funeral of Nicolas Lemaître and his wife.

Of course, he didn't return to Hogwarts to oversee the construction of the "base." Professor Victor had already left Hogwarts, and Ivy didn't intend to use that identity anymore.

For Ivy Dum, a first-year student, to return to school before the summer vacation was over was highly unusual, especially when other students were enjoying their holidays.

Ivy didn't know whether her Silverlinden Wand had been laced with magic threads, but it didn't affect her much. Although the Ministry of Magic explicitly prohibited underage wizards from using magic during holidays, this didn't bother Ivy.

He can cast spells without a wand, and even when he has to rely on a wand, he has several spares, all of which are spoils of war, antiques from over a hundred years ago.

Dumbledore has temporarily returned to Hogwarts. As the headmaster, he cannot be away for too long, or Professor McGonagall will be furious.

Before leaving, he asked Ivy what he planned to do with the rest of the summer vacation.

Ivy's answer was to talk business. Devlin Whitehorn of the Nimbus Company invited him to see the latest Nimbus broom, which supposedly combined the pneumatic broom band with the Nimbus broom as much as possible.

These are things that have already been told to Dumbledore, and of course there are some things that haven't been told to him.

Malfoy Estate in Wiltshire, England, has welcomed visitors again, marking the third group to arrive today.

Since the Malfoy family, together with many wizarding families with pure-blood backgrounds, proposed building the "Fantastic Beasts Breeding and Training Base" at Hogwarts, there have been visitors every now and then.