A certain Hogwarts professor of runes

Chapter 700 Moon Sand and Bottle Forest

That evening, Ms. Burns and several students emerged from Gringotts, surrounded by a group of goblins. Reporters, who had received advance notice, immediately swarmed around her. Flashbulbs blared. Ms. Burns announced to the public that the negotiations had gone smoothly and that consensus had been reached on several issues.

The Gringotts goblin spokesperson agreed with this statement and offered an explanation for the recent dragon escape incident.

"That dragon is no longer up to the task. If you know anything about it, you'll know that Gringotts has been looking for a replacement recently. Yes, the dragon has been moved to another location and is awaiting disposal. In the meantime, the Sphinx is in charge of guarding the most important vaults. We've considered dressing the trolls in goblin armor, which provides defense comparable to that of a dragon."

When a reporter pressed for an explanation for the dragon's escape, the fairy spokesperson gave a curt reply:

"The elders made a last-minute decision to move the dragon to avoid frightening their distinguished guest. Unfortunately, an accident occurred en route. The person in charge was an outsider who was unfamiliar with controlling dragons... Cross-eyed Bodrick, who unfortunately died in the accident; further details cannot be disclosed."

After the impromptu press conference ended, Harry and his friends came out to meet Ron. Ron suggested they have a drink together, so the group poured into the Leaky Cauldron, which was packed with wizards discussing the matter. Just as they were wondering what to do, Neville peeked out from a dark, hidden corner and waved vigorously at them.

"Harry, Ron—over here!" he shouted excitedly.

After everyone was seated, Ron was unhappy that Draco Malfoy was sitting next to him. "I thought you went home," he said, frowning.

"The negotiations aren't over yet, so of course I can't leave." Draco glanced at Ron with disdain, causing Ron to glare at him. "True, you were excluded from the negotiations and know nothing, so naturally you're unaware of the role I played in it."

Ron paused, then looked at Harry, who reluctantly nodded, acknowledging his role.

"Okay, uh, so—can anyone tell me what happened during the negotiations? Why did a dragon suddenly appear?"

Harry briefly described the entire negotiation process.

"Sounds like it wasn't an accident," Tonks said. "Oh, thank you, Tom." She took the drinks that the bartender Tom handed her and distributed them to everyone. As she bent down, a bunch of glistening grapes fell out of her pocket, looking very tempting.

"Oh." Tonks pouted. "I bought it from the Weasleys Magical Tricks Shop. You guys can try it. It's called Multi-Flavored Grapes, kind of like Bibi Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans."

Neville picked one up. "Red cabbage flavor," he said with a relieved look. Hannah also picked one up, tossing her ponytail. "Pumpkin pie flavor." "Spinach texture, seems pretty good?" Collins said, taking a small bite. "Celery," Harry said, wrinkling his nose, then picked up a glass of water to rinse his mouth. Hermione and Ginny, upon hearing that it was something brought from the Weasley Studios, didn't even touch it.

After the interlude, they remembered their earlier conversation.

"It was definitely that cross-eyed guy's doing," Ron said confidently. "They tried to scare people with a dragon, but they miscalculated. As soon as Ms. Burns gave the signal, the Aurors outside would rush in immediately, wouldn't they, Collins?"

Collins nodded.

"And then?" Neville asked curiously. "After the dragon flew away, you talked for another two hours."

Harry turned to Hermione. "Nothing else happened after that. Hermione did most of the talking, occasionally pausing to ask Madam Burns for her opinion or to answer questions from the goblins. They would often argue over a single word for ten or even half an hour. It felt like I was back in my history of magic class."

Everyone laughed. Hermione rolled her eyes, picked out a few valuable pieces of information, and with her explanation, everyone roughly understood the key points of the negotiation.

"We've avoided some thorny issues," Hermione said. "They're the intractable knot of wizarding and goblin hostility, not easily untied. Perhaps the professor will have to step in in the end."

They also mentioned what the fairy spokesperson had said.

“‘Honored guest,’” Ron said with a look of disdain, “I’ve never heard a fairy speak so sweetly.”

"If you rented Gringotts's vault and deposited a huge sum of money in it," Draco Malfoy said mockingly, "you'd get tired of hearing it."

"How much money do you have? Just yourself?" Ron retorted. "I have over a thousand Galleons at my disposal."

Draco Malfoy gasped for breath.

"Where did you get so much money?" he couldn't help but ask, a thousand Galleons was a huge sum of money even for him.

“I’ve saved it all up,” Ron said without hesitation, “the prize money from the tournament, the licensing fees for the competition videos, the manuscript fees—oh right,” he slapped his forehead, “I also have a large sum of money deposited with the Muggle newspaper. If the negotiations go through, I wonder if I can go and ask for it back?” he said uncertainly.

"Are you obsessed with money?" Ginny said.

"That's what I deserve," Ron said, dissatisfied. "Have I given you fewer gifts every year?"

Ginny pouted. Draco, standing nearby, said smugly, "When we graduate, our family will give us a huge sum of money, a really huge sum, you know? At least tens of thousands of Galleons..."

"Does this have anything to do with you having a Nate?" Harry asked, annoyed.

“Yes, Harry has a lot of money in his vault, but he never mentions it,” Ron said immediately.

"Oh, please," Hermione said impatiently, "when did you all start comparing yourselves like this? I don't think money can solve what we're facing—"

“Those of us from humble backgrounds certainly don’t understand the benefits of money,” Draco scoffed. “My father has connections with quite a few outstanding healers—and in a few years, I might become the director of the first wizard-Muggle joint hospital.”

"Is that so?" Hermione retorted sharply. "Then can the heir of the powerful Malfoy family tell me, if this business has such a promising future, why hasn't anyone else gotten involved? Is it because of the Malfoy family's reputation? Or is it because of the money and power you're so proud of paving the way? Oh, I almost forgot, the Malfoys only have money left as an option."

Draco's face darkened. Because Hermione was telling the truth.

The Malfoy family's wealth and prestige shrank significantly after the war, and their influence was far less than before. The only reason no pure-blood family intervened in the hospital was that they all believed the United Hospital was compensation for Professor Hyp's infiltration of Lucius.

But the truth is—

Draco remembered his father's words. "He never promised it, and he probably didn't even know it existed. Protecting the Malfoy family is his reward for my undercover work," Lucius said in the study.

"That--"

"Because of you. At that time, the wizarding world hadn't been exposed yet, and among the people he came into contact with, only you showed this tendency, so he was happy to support you." Lucius calmly analyzed, "The wealth accumulated by the Malfoy family over a dozen generations, and their intricate network of ties with Muggles... all of this will make things simple, but remember, you are not the only candidate, which is why I tried to publicize this matter as much as possible, and also secretly warned some pure-blood families." He chuckled coldly as he spoke.

"A noble pure-blood family? Pure-blood is worthless now; they've become a crippled family."

……

Over the next few days, the negotiations got on track. With everyone's best efforts, the two sides entered into substantive negotiations, and the difficulties were overcome one by one. As Hermione had expected, only a few extremely stubborn issues remained, such as the ownership of items made by goblins and whether goblins could possess wands.

"Those are all details, and details are irrelevant to me. What we're discussing is whether the fairies should join the Pan-Magical Alliance—assuming most intelligent beings join," Felix said, appearing at yet another negotiation, seated in his seat.

"Fairies may wield wands, but there is always a price to pay. The day a fairy wields a wand will be the day their special methods of forging metal are revealed." He turned to Hermione. "Write that in the notes to the terms and conditions."

"Oh yes, Professor!" Hermione said hastily, adding notes in the blank space of the parchment.

An awkward silence ensued. Neither the fairies nor the wizards present were entirely satisfied with the outcome, feeling that their side had been taken advantage of. However, upon closer examination, they realized that this was almost the best way to circumvent the controversy.

Fairies, in theory, possess a right they've been fighting for for centuries. This right was previously restricted by law—non-wizards were forbidden from possessing wands—but today a loophole has been opened. However, the price is staggering—

What is the special method by which fairies forge metal?

It's related to the fairies' innate talents and their unique magical system. Once all of this is deciphered, the fairies will have no more secrets.

If anyone else had said this, the goblins would likely have scoffed, perhaps even hurling insults, while looking at the wizard with disdain. Goblins were incredibly proud of their magic and would never have believed anyone could pull it off. But since these words came from the mouth of a great wizard comparable to Dumbledore, they were filled with skepticism.

In particular—this great mage has a precedent of almost independently creating (or restoring) a lost system of magical runes. He is only twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, and has probably spent less than ten years researching ancient magical runes. Therefore, his words carry great weight.

The fairies exchanged glances, each seeing hesitation in the other's eyes.

Some clever wizards also considered these ideas. However, their perspective differed from that of the fairies: the swords and armor crafted by fairies were considered divine weapons, and silverware was highly sought after by wizards. If they could acquire this technology, they would be happy to trade.

Previously, wizards were unable to replicate the magic of fairies.

Several wizards stared at Felix with burning desire. Faced with such enormous profits, they were even tempted to start a war. But when they met Felix's cold gaze, their greed was instantly extinguished.

After another round of intense negotiations, the fairies agreed to join the Pan-Magic Alliance, retaining their voice internally but maintaining a consistent narrative with the wizards externally.

"We reserve the right to appeal; we signed a contract two hundred years ago," the fairy elder said, half relieved and half unwilling.

Felix remained silent, but the idea of ​​building a magical city grew stronger in his mind. The wizarding world was intricately interconnected; pulling one thread could lead to the entire magical realm. Felix didn't want to drastically alter the wizarding environment. That might not be a good thing. He simply wanted to paint on a blank canvas, allowing for repeated erasing and repainting. The existing place couldn't withstand such upheaval; the best approach was to find another way…

Meanwhile, the wizards officially contacted the Muggle government in the name of the Ministry of Magic, but still did not discuss any serious matters. This was similar to the follow-up to Felix's first visit to the Queen with his students. Neither the Muggle Prime Minister nor the Minister of Magic showed up; instead, they each sent officials and representatives, albeit at a much higher level in name.

Both sides presented their respective histories, cultures, ideas, and technologies (magic) in a lengthy and solemn manner, similar to government reports.

The high-ranking official sent by the Ministry of Magic was Mr. Weasley, whose status had risen significantly with the reorganization of the Ministry. During the meeting, Mr. Weasley showed great interest in a range of technological products. Upon learning that Mr. Weasley was the wizard father repeatedly mentioned in the currently popular "Wizards Go to School" series of news articles, the government staff decided to give him a set of wrenches, complete with bolts and nuts of various sizes.

"Thank you so much," Mr. Weasley said warmly. "I didn't bring any personal gifts, but when I came, Minister of Magic, Ms. Burns, asked me to present two gifts to the Muggle government—" The box was opened, revealing a simple bowl and a magnificent crystal vase.

The crystal bottle contained a miniature jungle landscape. The government representative glanced at it twice, then looked away, turning his attention to the dusty bowls and plates with their faded and broken patterns, devoid of any aesthetic appeal.

"Uh," the government representative said, somewhat bewildered, "does this bowl and plate have any special significance?"

It didn't look like art at all. They had also prepared gifts, carefully selected artifacts from museums, which were quite valuable for collection, both artistically and historically.

“Its appearance doesn’t matter, what matters is its origin,” Mr. Weasley said. “It came from the moon.”

The government representative stared wide-eyed.

"Moon—the moon?"

"Yes." Mr. Weasley nodded and smiled, but at that moment, the government representative felt that his smile was unfathomable, a stark contrast to his lively expression when listening to the report earlier.

After the meeting ended, the government representatives immediately went to a conference room to be questioned by all cabinet members. The Prime Minister seemed impatient. "So? What was their reaction?" He turned to a very unassuming person behind the representatives. "You're the best psychoanalyst in the country. What's your conclusion?"

The psychoanalyst was lost in thought.

"He might need some time to adjust to the psychological impact of magic... Let me explain." The representative opened the box, and as before, everyone was drawn to what was inside.

"A landscape in a bottle?" The Prime Minister glanced at the unremarkable bowls and plates, guessing that they were probably some kind of artifact. He then focused his attention on the exquisite crystal bottle, lowered his head to examine it carefully, and said, "Interesting. I see birds flying, and they can even move—is it magic?" The others also marveled.

The representative pursed his lips.

"It might be different from what you all think. This is indeed the effect of magic, but it's also mixed with something else..." He said with a strange expression, "Inside is a real forest, using the Seamless Expansion Charm—you can think of it as a magical application of spatial expansion technology."

The meeting room seemed to be paused; the prime minister remained bent over, turning his head to glare at him.

"It's said that this technology—well, I mean the application of this magic is quite advanced. Of course, the magic on this bottle we have will only last for a week. When they visited last time, they heard that the council was planning to break ground on a garden, so they gave us one..."

"They gave us a garden in a bottle?" one of the councilors groaned.

"The method of use is very simple," the representative continued expressionlessly, though his voice carried a hint of uncertainty. "Within a week, smash the bottle in the center of the designated area, and the magic garden will return to its original size, complete with trees, flowers, and a fountain. Just like in real life."

Silence. The ministers in the room silently pondered the meaning of this magic, growing increasingly alarmed with each thought. After a long while, the Prime Minister forced himself to speak, asking, "And the other one?" He found his throat was dry.

"The other one..." the representative said hesitantly, his attitude making the others' hearts clench. Could this plate also be extraordinary, hiding some kind of magic they didn't know about?

"That dish is quite ordinary, it has no magic. The key is its origin. It is said, cough cough, I cannot judge, I can only relay what that wizard said," the representative cleared his throat, "Mr. Felix Heap landed on the moon a few days ago and luckily found a wizard's ruins—"

"Are you kidding me?" the Prime Minister interrupted.

"Perhaps the wizards are joking with us, but that's for you all to judge," the representative said. "This matter has been widely publicized in the wizarding community. Hyp—the wizarding professor who visited last time—claimed that the first landing on the moon was not adequately prepared, and therefore only a cursory search of the surrounding area was conducted..."

Amidst the bewildered glances of the crowd, the Prime Minister suddenly jumped up:

"Summon the best scientists! Immediately! Right now! Have them drop what they're doing—and don't we have a lunar soil sample? Find it, divide it into a dozen or so portions, I need the most accurate conclusions!"

"Prime Minister, lunar soil is very precious, and we only have a little bit," an aide whispered.

The prime minister pointed at the filthy dish and roared at him, "Precious? If that were true, lunar soil would be everywhere! What do you think that bottle means? The wizard is clearly telling us that they could hollow out the moon!"

"Where do they have enough space to pile up the extra soil?" one of the lawmakers exclaimed.

Everyone stared at him like he was an idiot.

"This is indeed a problem," the Prime Minister said somberly. "What do you think about this pile of problems over our heads?"

In the silence, the representative cautiously spoke: "On the bright side, it also means that space travel will become possible. Forgive my boldness, Prime Minister, Your Excellencies, but an ordinary crystal bottle can hold an entire garden, and a wizard, with all his might, could very well build a magical spaceship on his own—or it could be a meteorite crashing down on our heads, it all depends on our choice. If the wizards' magic is combined with our technology, interstellar migration could very well be achieved within a few decades."

"Although my position is humble, I sincerely remind you ministers that only through cooperation can we have a future!"

……

"Kingsley has sent word that the Muggle government is ready to negotiate with us," Ms. Burns told Felix.

"Our strategy appears to be correct: avoid acting impulsively, gradually reveal valuable intelligence, and let the Muggle governments weigh the consequences of war against the benefits of cooperation. They will then weigh the pros and cons themselves and come to the negotiating table. We have finally passed through the most unpredictable period."

"It's time to turn our attention overseas."

Felix looked into the distance where a lighthouse stood, and he sang softly.

"After the sudden arrival of the new era, how many people will be able to seize the opportunity and rise to the top? And who will be foolish enough to rashly develop hostility towards a group they are not familiar with, and then never recover? Time will give us the answer."

(End of this chapter)