A certain Hogwarts professor of runes

Chapter 702 Changes in Sword Fortress

"You're the legendary wizard? I was shocked when I saw your face on TV!" Jim exclaimed excitedly.

Felix shrugged.

"Because I needed to hide my identity, I actually left the orphanage to go to school." He briefly introduced his true experiences over the years.

"Then your work experience—" Jim looked doubtful. Could it be fake too?

"That's true. I worked in London for two years after graduation."

"A strange hobby," Jim thought, puzzled by the idea. "If I had the talent, I would definitely be studying magic." After a while, the door opened from the outside, and it was Rebecca. When she saw Felix, she was so surprised that she almost cried out.

"Wow, it really is you! You're that magician?" She took a carrot from her bag, pretended to hold it up like a wand, and made strange noises. "You dispelled all the dark clouds in the country with a single spell?"

“To be precise, wizards,” Felix said. “And I’m not the only one.”

"Rebecca was sleeping; she was watching TV," Jim explained, taking the bag from her. "She's been a bit sleepy lately, and the doctor advised her to exercise more." Felix looked at Rebecca's slightly protruding belly with some surprise.

"Yes, we got married," Jim said. "We couldn't reach you back then, and we thought you were abroad. Of course, we know why now."

Felix then thought of his phone, which he had hardly ever used.

After changing her clothes, Rebecca sat down next to Jim. "The TV said they're inviting some people to visit the wizarding world?"

"Yes, do you want to see what a real wizard is like?" Felix asked. Whether it was arranging two spots or making arrangements privately, it was an easy thing for him.

Jim was somewhat tempted, but after glancing at his wife, his expression suddenly became hesitant.

"Never mind," he said, shaking his head. "Rebecca is pregnant. I don't want—" He blushed slightly, "Well, I'm worried about something going wrong."

Felix nodded knowingly.

At this time, it's not necessarily a good thing for ordinary people to associate with wizards. Felix himself is safe, but his friends might be under threat, which is why he came. After consulting Jim and Rebecca, Felix cast a complex spell to keep this friendship a secret.

After staying for a while, he got up and left, leaving a card behind. "Wizards are particularly adept at handling certain problems. If you encounter any tricky trouble, you can contact me. Just tear up this card."

Jim accepted the card respectfully and saw Felix to the door.

"The old director's health isn't very good," he said.

Felix paused for a moment, then said, "I will go visit him."

"Hey! The due date is early January," Jim called out from behind. Felix turned around, waved the card, and said, "At least this time I don't have to worry about not being able to find you."

……

The next morning, at Hogwarts.

After finishing their newspapers for the day, the students gathered in small groups to chat.

"Has a new organization emerged today, determined to drown wizards like drowning rats?" Ron asked deliberately in a hostile tone.

"No," Harry said, yawning, "but I've heard that the wizarding employment rate is low and they want to offer us jobs."

Ron muttered, "Mind your own business."

Dean said, half-jokingly, "I'd like to give it a try once the situation stabilizes."

Upon hearing this, Neville looked up, glancing around hopefully: "Is there any new progress in the negotiations? There's nothing in the newspaper I'm in charge of."

“It won’t be that fast,” Hermione said cheerfully. “It’s only the second day. But we always prepare in advance and try to get ahead of the curve—does anyone here want to go to Sword Keep?” She looked at the others.

"You mean the gathering of Diagon Alley shopkeepers?" Harry asked, sensing something was off. "You want to go see it?"

Hermione shrugged. Luna and Ginny passed by Harry, Ginny raising her arms and circling behind him like a ballerina before disappearing. Hermione chuckled.

Harry looked at her, puzzled.

"It's nothing," she said immediately.

At this moment, Hannah and Susan Bornes came over and joined the conversation, with Ernie and Justin staggering behind them, both pale-faced as if they hadn't eaten breakfast, and Daphne constantly smoothing her hair on the right side.

"That's outrageous! A newspaper actually said that wizards have radiation—what is that?" Hannah said indignantly.

“It’s like a malignant infectious disease,” Hermione said briefly. “Draconis?” Hannah asked. “More or less,” Hermione said, then realized, “That’s really what the newspapers said?”

Hannah spelled out a word.

Hermes found it unbelievable. "I can't believe they could come up with such a lie."

“Next time you could check if the author’s last name is Dursley,” Harry said listlessly. “That sounds like something my uncle would say. He always thought wizards pollute the environment…” He looked up thoughtfully. “The newspapers probably don’t allow too much swearing.”

"There's also the theory that wizards foreshadow the end of the world," Ernie interjected, turning to Justin. "It involves a prophecy, but I've forgotten the word—"

"The Maya," Justin muttered.

"Are they fortune tellers among Muggles?" Daphne asked curiously.

"I don't know. The only information we have is that they were a branch of ancient Native Americans, whose civilization was once very advanced, and then suddenly declined," Hermione said. "Later generations have found some dubious prophecies in their relics."

"What the newspaper said sounds pretty true," Justin said seriously. "I saw something similar when I was a kid. It was written in a book with a really scary cover—but my mom confiscated it later."

"What did she say?" Hermione pressed.

"She said it was a waste of time." Justin scoffed. "But she didn't even know about divination classes back then. During the holidays, she used eggs from the kitchen to do divination, using the book 'Seeing the Future Through the Fog'."

"You still keep it? I thought you lost it," Ernie said.

Hermione was clearly uninterested in divination, though she admitted Trelawney had indeed done a real reading once or twice, but she stubbornly believed that Trelawney's mind was usually a complete mess, made with sherry. She asked them again who was going to Sword Keep.

Finally, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Susan, and Neville decided to go check out the commotion. "Where's Ginny?" Harry asked, turning to look for the red-haired girl as the group headed towards the Transfiguration office.

"I saw her leave with Luna," Hermione said.

They arrived at the Transfiguration office on the second floor. It originally belonged to Professor McGonagall, but it had been vacated after she moved into the principal's office. The fireplace in the office was used by students for their daily commute.

The shops on both sides of Diagon Alley were deserted, with temporary closure notices posted in their windows.

"Look over there, Harry!" Ron said, pointing to a spot.

Harry looked over, his eyes widening suddenly. It was the location of Florin Foster's Ice Cream Shop. When he came to Diagon Alley before the start of sixth grade, it was closed, but now it seemed to be reopened. He strode over, and there was a "Closed" notice on the door as well. He calmed down a bit, staring at the huge parasol standing outside. Harry's mind flashed back to the scene of him eating ice cream and doing his homework here. He reached out and touched it; there wasn't a speck of dust on the parasol.

His heart stirred; this meant someone had cleaned it, but Harry wasn't sure if it was someone else. The answer might be where he was headed. He excitedly walked towards Sword Keep, only to be stopped at the entrance.

"I'm sorry, we're not seeing visitors today; I have important business to attend to."

"Kremi?" Harry looked at the witch who had stopped him in surprise.

"It's Harry," said Kremy Vera, greeting him with a smile. "Are these your friends?" She looked behind Harry, recognizing some and not others.

Hermione also seemed somewhat surprised when she saw Clemi.

“It’s too noisy in there, I came out for some fresh air,” Kremy explained. “Penelope is inside.” “Is Arik back yet?” Hermione asked. “Not yet,” Kremy sighed. “He went to inspect the branches in Latin America and probably won’t be back for another week.”

As among the earliest members of the "Future World" company, Lupin and the others were entrusted with important responsibilities. Over the years, they took charge of different parts according to their interests. Clemi liked to delve into technology, Penelope was more inclined to day-to-day management, and for a time Lupin was distracted from his work with the Order of the Phoenix, so the two of them were responsible for keeping the company running smoothly. As for Arik, he was in charge of the overseas branches.

"By the way, Kremy," Harry thought of the question that had arisen in front of the ice cream shop, "have you seen Florin Foske?"

Kremy thought for a moment, "The owner of that ice cream shop?"

"That's right!" Harry said excitedly.

"Here I am," Kremy replied affirmatively.

"I remember he was captured by Voldemort, wasn't he?" Ron asked from the side.

"Because he was lucky enough to escape becoming an Infernal." A strange voice broke the silence between them. Harry looked up sharply and saw an elderly man with gray hair. He exclaimed in surprise, "Mr. Foske?"

"Mr. Potter, I'm so glad you still remember me," Florin said with emotion.

"Of course I remember you!" Harry said. "But how did you escape?"

“I didn’t escape; I was rescued by the Aurors,” Florin said. “The Dark Lord captured a group of people who were skilled in the history of magic, and I was one of them. He also captured some wandmakers. I know a guy named Gregorovich, but he was unlucky and couldn’t withstand the torture.”

Harry vaguely knew about this. Voldemort fabricated the rumor of the "Ten Great Wands" by torturing these people. Mr. Ollivander was originally one of the targets, but he managed to escape the Death Eaters' pursuit. He then spread rumors that he had fled abroad, but in reality, he had been hiding in the basement of the wand shop, even fooling Voldemort.

"You just mentioned infernal corpses?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Florin's expression darkened, tinged with lingering fear. "The Dark Lord tortured us based on our reputations. He wanted to know some very secret things, and I happened to know a little bit. Luckily, he changed his mind halfway through and instead questioned the more famous wandmakers. I wasn't tortured much, just kept locked up for a long time... I wasn't confident I could hide it from the Dark Lord. Those who were tortured to death were used to make Inferi."

Harry's feelings were complex. He felt both hatred for Voldemort's cruelty and confusion about Florin's ambiguous words, until he saw Hermione's lips move and it dawned on him. Florin was referring to the Deathly Hallows. Luna's father had inquired about this from Florin when he was young, and Voldemort might have also heard of the legend of the Deathly Hallows. But even if he knew, he would only be interested in the Elder Wand. If Voldemort interrogated them one by one, Mr. Foske would definitely be in trouble. However, with the rumors of Professor Hyp possessing the Elder Wand, Voldemort's attention may have shifted, and his focus had turned to other wandmakers.

"Anyway, at least I'm still alive and can discuss my ordeal with you. The Auror who rescued me said he got a secret lead; I guess he might be an informant for the Ministry of Magic. I've always wanted to thank him." Florin recounted his recent experiences. "After being rescued, I recuperated for a few months, and recently I've cleaned up the shop, planning to reopen..."

Florin left.

"Who do you think that informant is?" Harry asked after he left.

"Could it be Snape?" Ron guessed.

"It could also be Lucius Malfoy," Hermione said.

"Or perhaps Professor Hyp dug useful information out of Voldemort's brain," Ron said.

They entered Sword Keep, where the hall was bustling with activity. In the center of the hall were a dozen or so tables, behind which sat a Ministry of Magic official, opposite the shopkeepers of Diagon Alley, who were discussing something while holding a piece of parchment.

A witch near Harry said, "I only sell beauty potions to fix minor blemishes on witches' faces, like freckles or lumps. I don't think they'll be of any use; any healer could do something similar..."

"Don't say that, Ms. Prim Purnell. Your beauty potions are far more effective than the magic of a typical healer," the staff member said patiently.

"Really?" The witch stared at him suspiciously.

They continued walking, when a young wizard, growing impatient, shouted, "I run a wizarding travel agency! Listen—clearly—it's a wizarding travel agency! We specialize in providing thrilling and exciting trips for wizards, but we are not responsible for any dangers that occur during the trip!"

The Ministry of Magic staff member opposite him persisted, "Then do you think it's possible to develop tourism projects specifically for Muggles?"

The young wizard looked at the staff with some confusion. "I'm not sure... Although we did tame a group of zombies, to make it more realistic, there's still a possibility of attacks during the expedition."

"No zombies," the staff member said immediately. "I mean, some unusual, novel places that can attract attention."

The wizard pondered for a while, and just as Harry and the others decided to leave, they heard him ask behind them, "How about the Bermuda Triangle? But a wizard went missing last year, and they still haven't found him..."

Neville suddenly stopped, looking alarmed. He whispered, "My great-uncle wanted to go there for a trip, and I have to persuade him to give up the idea."

A familiar voice came from ahead.

"...Obviously nobody cares whether your inventory list has one more page or one less page, because it doesn't matter."

It was either Fred or George speaking. They took two steps forward. In the foyer, near the inner side, Fred and George sat in the same chair, opposite a sullen-faced Percy. Harry hesitated, stopping in his tracks; it seemed they had come at an inopportune time.

"Since you've brought up the list," Percy said through gritted teeth, "I can tell you right now that half the goods are substandard—"

"You can't do that!" Fred shouted.

"This is abuse of power for personal gain," George shouted as well.

"Oh, you can go to the Ministry of Magic and report me," Percy said with a confident smile. "Let's see whose side they'll take? The nosebleed nougat that makes you bleed uncontrollably, the vomit-inducing vomit candy, the coma-inducing flower candy that makes you suddenly faint..."

Penelope leaned over from the next seat.

“Your brother did the right thing. Muggles are fragile; they’re said to need months to recover from a broken bone,” she said sternly. “We need to exclude as many risky items as possible when considering the trade list.”

Ron grinned and put his hands on the twins' shoulders, taking the opportunity to kick them while they were down.

"To be fair, some of their products are so bad that even a wizard couldn't handle them. They need to be rigorously vetted."

Fred and George turned around, one on each side, and stared at Ron with blank expressions, making him feel uneasy.

Harry had anticipated this scene. He looked up, searching for the constant commotion that had been going on ever since he entered Sword Keep. A group of house-elves were peeking out from the upstairs railings, looking down with excited expressions.

(End of this chapter)