A certain Hogwarts professor of runes

Chapter 707 The Wedding in Progress

Felix and Bill stood in front of a tall wooden house not far from the wedding tent. The house was at least twenty or thirty feet tall, and each side was made of tree trunks with the excess branches trimmed off, leaving only the top part of the crown, making it look like a green mushroom.

This was a makeshift house prepared for Hagrid's brother, Grop, but now the small house has a large hole in it.

"Little Grop couldn't find the door when he woke up this morning," Hagrid said abruptly, as if that was enough. He started knocking and banging, taking apart the broken wood and replacing it with new logs. He tied a handkerchief the size of a tablecloth to the edge of the door and pointed it out to Grop.

The giant extended two fingers, pinched the handkerchief, and pulled it back and forth, causing the door to open and close repeatedly.

"He's very smart," Bill said.

"Yes," Hagrid said proudly, "Little Grop can already count to twelve."

Grop's large fingers plucked at the logs one by one, and he said in a deep voice, "One, two, three... ten," and when he reached ten, he added two more, "Grop eleven, Hagel twelve."

He scratched his head and grinned foolishly.

"Very good, Hagrid," Felix said. "He still has a lot of potential. But we need to move the house first."

"Let's move it," Hagrid said readily. "I think binding names to numbers will allow Grop to count to seventeen, but no more than that." His face darkened. "It's easy to miss one or two names."

The giant suddenly blocked the house's path and roared at them, "Glopp—want—a house."

"It's just temporarily moved," Hagrid replied loudly. "I'll return it to you tonight." He then looked uncertainly at Felix. "You can use that—that magic that shrinks objects, right?"

"I'm going to use another spell," Felix said vaguely, "easier to carry, and of course more interesting." He looked at Grop, "Excuse me, could you move aside?" The giant hesitated for a moment, then remembered the fate of the three-headed dog. He reluctantly moved aside and plopped down on the ground.

The ground trembled violently.

Felix circled the cabin, searching for the right angle, and then the thought cabin unfolded like a silver veil. The color of the wood became indistinct, and the lines on the edges became more prominent, like a three-dimensional oil painting. He reached out and pushed, and the three-dimensional painting was compressed into a flat surface, fluttering into Felix's hand. Felix rolled it up and handed it to Hagrid.

Hagrid stared blankly at the unfolding screen, while Gropp's eyes widened, his head resting on Hagrid's shoulder, muttering incoherently.

"You can do this now?" Bill asked in surprise.

"The combination of ancient runes with other magic is quite interesting, isn't it?" Felix asked.

"It's like my memory's playing tricks on me," Bill said casually. "When I was in school, I had no idea that ancient runes would turn out like this—do you still keep in touch with Professor Babling?"

Felix hesitated for a moment. "She said I made what was supposed to be a relaxing vacation busy." However, his former professor of ancient runes praised Felix's move to take over the Ancient Runes Association, believing it helped her vent her anger.

"The old man is hiding from me now," she wrote smugly in the letter. Felix wasn't sure if she was referring to Clemi's grandfather, or the previous chairman—or perhaps both.

Felix conjured a spinning top with magic and let Grop spin it around. Then they walked towards the Burrow on the soft grass, with Haig waving to Grop along the way, holding an irregularly folded oil painting in his hand.

"Be careful, Hagrid, magic could damage its structure," Felix warned him. Hagrid's boisterous movements immediately softened considerably.

Passing through a grove of crabapple trees, the Burrow came into view in the distance, and Bill hesitated for a moment.

"Felix, I have something to tell you, it's about fairies."

Felix looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"I worked at Gringotts for a while, so I know them, or at least I think I do. Wizards and fairies can be friends as long as they don't get into sensitive topics. Like wizards, they are different individuals, with both good and bad personalities."

Felix knew that wasn't what Bill was going to say. "That's not surprising. Intelligent beings always have richer personalities and emotions."

“That’s right,” Bill chimed in, then continued, “A goblin friend of mine told me that the Goblin Brotherhood has elected a new leader and is unhappy about the goblins’ easy agreement to join the Pan-Magical Alliance, as well as the wizards’ threats to reveal the secrets of goblin magic. Besides, goblins aren’t just in Britain; Gringotts are all over the world, and so are goblins. They balance different opinions through a council of elders, and only about a third of the goblin elders participated in the previous negotiations.”

"You mean they're divided, and the trend is clear?" Felix pondered for a moment, then asked, "Are they planning to do anything soon?"

"As far as I know, no," Bill said. "But once our negotiations with the Muggle government are over, they should take some action."

“Let’s keep an eye on it,” Felix said. “Even if it’s a powder keg, it’s only going to explode in the future. Unlike the ongoing government negotiations, the fairies have joined the Pan-Magical Alliance, and Dirk Clysway, the head of the fairy liaison office, will keep them calm. I’m currently tied up—if nothing unexpected happens, I’ll be going abroad after the wedding.”

"From abroad?" Bill and Hagrid exclaimed simultaneously. A thoughtful look flashed in Bill's eyes. "Is it related to those guests Sirius Black added at the last minute? They're from the International Wizarding Federation..."

"Well," Felix didn't elaborate, "compared to the problems abroad, the troubles caused by fairies seem insignificant—the fairy problem isn't unsolvable, but it's difficult to solve in a short time. We can pretend to threaten to sever ties at the negotiating table and part ways, but in practice, it will inevitably lead to turmoil and chaos in the entire wizarding world, which is not worthwhile at this juncture."

His point was simply to distinguish between primary and secondary matters, and clearly, fairies belonged to the latter category.

The three walked through a garden that looked as if it had been washed clean. Mrs. Weasley stood by the window, holding a long list, her sharp eyes scanning back and forth. Hearing the door open, she stepped forward and said anxiously, "I feel like something's missing."

Bill opened his mouth, but a white shadow brushed past Mrs. Weasley and pounced into his arms. It was Fleur. She took a step back, spun around, and her white dress unfolded like ripples on water, her long silver hair the perfect finishing touch.

"Darling, do I look pretty?" Hibiscus asked.

“It’s absolutely gorgeous,” Bill said, and Fleur’s face lit up with a smile, but Mrs. Weasley’s smile vanished. Felix looked around and pointed to the banner floating above the ceiling and the purple lanterns piled in the corner. “I think it’s because of this, Molly. There were some things left over from Harry’s birthday party last night that we didn’t have time to clean up.”

"Oh, yes, you're right," Mrs. Weasley said hastily.

Hagrid followed Felix cautiously into the living room, which was packed with people. "Hello, Charlie," Hagrid said warmly. Charlie was the second Weasley's son, and he worked in Romania researching dragons. Hagrid liked him quite a bit, perhaps because Charlie had once done him a great favor.

"How is Norber?" Hagrid asked.

"Nober?" Charlie laughed. "We'll call it Norbert now."

"What—Nober is a girl?"

“Yes,” Charlie said. “It’s not easy to tell the sex of baby dragons, but it’s easier when they grow up. For example, I recently got a Ukrainian Ironbelly, and it’s as big as an inflated balloon…” He looked at Felix, who waved to him and sat down next to Lupin.

"They do grow very fast when they're young," Hagrid said softly, recalling his experience raising dragons.

After Felix sat down, Lupin leaned over and whispered somewhat urgently, "After the wedding, could you spare some time to come to the company? It shouldn't take too long."

"What?" Felix asked in a low voice as well.

"I think...it's a done deal." Lupin seemed to be desperately trying to hide his excitement. The Delacours were quite surprised, but they were immediately drawn to Mr. Weasley's witty joke.

"What?! Oh!" Felix looked at Lupin. He mouthed a gesture.

"Ancient magic that controls werewolf transformation." Lupin said, his voice trembling slightly. "It might be the effect of the alcohol. After celebrating Harry's birthday last night and returning to Sword Keep, I had a strange feeling. I tried it once, and it went exceptionally smoothly to the last step, but I didn't dare to continue."

"No problem, tonight it is," Felix said thoughtfully. He was also happy for Lupin. After five whole months, Lupin had finally seen a glimmer of hope. He even had a considerable amount of ancient runes due to his work, which showed how difficult this magic was.

He could understand Lupin's eagerness—normally, testing on a full moon night would be the best option, but the significance of this magic was too great for him, and a two-week wait seemed far too long.

……

Mr. Weasley burst into laughter, as if he were the one listening to the story.

The Delacours weren't very fluent in English, so they expressed their praise in French. Their youngest daughter, Gabrielle Delacour, sat between her parents, looking around. She was a spitting image of Hibiscus; although only 11 years old, she was already a stunning beauty. She and Ginny were bridesmaids at today's wedding.

Gabrielle suddenly jumped up from her seat, pressed her little face against the window, and chattered excitedly, "Mommy! Someone's here! Are they wedding guests? Is the wedding about to start?"

Mr. Weasley also stood up and went to the window to look out. "It's Percy and Penelope, and one more person—Sirius!" He glanced at his watch, then his gaze swept around the room before settling on Charlie.

"It's almost time, Charlie. Go and call the little ones in the garage—" Charlie stood up in response. "Yes, Dad." "—And while you're at it, check if they've made a mess of the garage."

"Let Gabrielle go," Mr. Delacour said good-naturedly. His wife stood up. The couple seemed to be reversed in height; the wife was taller than the husband, slender, with a head of brilliant blond hair, while the husband was short and stocky with a small black mustache.

Gabrielle skipped excitedly to the door, pushed it open, and disappeared from their sight in the blink of an eye. This seemed to be a signal; everyone in the room sprang into action.

On the other side, earlier—

The adults chatted in the living room, while the children (or those considered still children) huddled in the Weasley garage, chatting casually. Ron kept fiddling with the radio equipment the Weasley twins had brought back.

"I'll buy one someday too," Ron said.

"You're not going to be an Auror anymore?" Fred raised an eyebrow.

“Of course I will,” Ron said, “but that doesn’t stop me from having my own hobbies.”

“Our brother is very interested in putting his voice into other people’s ears,” Fred told Cedric. The two families moved to a neighborhood to look after each other because of Voldemort’s brief threat. After the war, the Diggory family did not move back, but instead thought it was good and often visited each other.

"Don't tell me you don't like it," Ron pointed out.

"Yeah, we're just giving you a heads-up," George said in a threatening tone, "If you're planning on sharing some funny family stories, you'd better not include us, for your own health."

"You mean Mr. Weasley's interview?" Hermione asked the twins.

They did not respond directly. "The Daily Prophet quoted some of the Muggle reports, and now I feel like I'm standing naked in the freezing cold," Fred said dejectedly.

"Parents are terrifying creatures; they remember every embarrassing moment you've ever made since birth," George remarked with deep feeling.

"—And they're also very willing to share."

"I originally thought it was my mother's hobby!"

"Who knew that it would be Dad who delivered the fatal blow from behind?"

"I don't even dare to go out and see anyone."

The two men spoke in unison, and Harry didn't see much embarrassment on their faces. Mr. Weasley didn't mention anything bad either, but Harry's doubts were cleared up—the Weasleys distinguished their identical twin babies by marking their bottoms.

"Hey, I see a bunch of goblins looking this way," Cho Chang said through the window.

"That's strange," Ron said, puzzled. "They usually show up after a day or two; they need time to muster the courage."

"I know why," Ginny said. "Dad thought everyone in the family should share in the joy, so he secretly took some candy and gave it to the goblins."

"Every family member? Goblins?" Ron stared in disbelief, then after a moment of stunned silence, a look of realization dawned on his face. "So that's why Dad decided to give the ghoul in the attic new clothes. I thought he caught it from Mom... right, Harry?"

"Stop talking," Harry said painfully, having accidentally popped several boils while grabbing the ghoul's arm; the stench was enough to make anyone faint. Hermione, Ginny, and Cho Chang giggled, while Cedric turned his head away, equally struggling to hold it in.

Just then, a little girl with cascading silver hair appeared in the doorway. "Hello! They want you to come over! Our guests are arriving!"

"Okay, Gabrielle," Hermione said gently, as if she hadn't just been laughing so happily. "Let's go."

As they came out, they ran into a group of people coming out of the Burrow. Mr. Weasley handed the seating chart to Fred and George, saying, "Help me, kids." Then he turned to Ginny with a stern face and said, "If you don't want to hear your mother calling your name with the Amplification Charm, you'd better go back and change your clothes."

Ginny cried out "Oh dear!" and hurriedly ran back. Gabrielle followed lightly behind.

"Where are Amelia and Tonks?" Felix and Lupin walked together at the back of the crowd, asking Sirius, who had just appeared.

Sirius glanced at his watch.

"She arrived about fifteen minutes early, an hour before the wedding was supposed to start, so she's probably inspecting Diagon Alley now—in preparation for hosting Muggles soon. Tonks is with her. They sent me over to explain the situation; apparently, the narrator is a tour guide from a travel agency. I wonder who came up with this terrible idea."

"It's me," Felix said absentmindedly. "I just mentioned it offhand."

"Very insightful." Sirius grinned. "I don't know that wizard, but back in school, this travel agency seemed to make it their mission to 'disappear' more wizards."

"There will be Aurors watching from the shadows," Felix said. "But when will the International Wizarding Federation arrive?"

"We've arrived," Sirius said. "Amelia had them rest at the Ministry of Magic before coming over. Arkinbad isn't feeling well."

At exactly three o'clock in the afternoon, Harry, Ron, Fred, and George stood outside the huge, cream-colored tent in the orchard, holding a seating chart and awaiting the arrival of their guests. A purple carpet stretched from their feet to the far end of the tent, and rows of gold chairs stood neatly arranged. Flowers that Fred and George had traded from town were carefully placed on the pillars and tables. Hermione and Penelope patiently placed various small gifts in the center of the table.

Mr. Weasley disappeared for a while, then reappeared with a group of waiters and a band. They each did their part, and gradually, the tent filled up with people.

Gropp couldn't get into the tent; he could easily take down the flag stuck in the roof just by standing there. As Britain's only pure-blooded giant—though that might not be relevant—Glopp was also assigned a task: to carry a handful of balloons and hand one to each passing guest. But his only purpose was to terrify them.

However, there are always daring people who are willing to try.

With nothing to do, Felix kept glancing at the guests who had come from afar.

After observing for a while, Felix took out a magic camera and handed it to Mr. Weasley. Mr. Weasley was overjoyed and left with the camera. When Felix looked outside again, he saw Percy standing in front of the giant, holding a camera and taking pictures of the eager guests who were trying to show their courage.

When a group of girls who had come from France and seemed to have the same Meira bloodline bravely posed for photos, the event seemed to turn into a special wedding activity. The successful ones seemed to have returned victorious, and even their posture became more upright.

Finally, the person Felix was waiting for arrived.

The moment Felix saw Babajid Akinbad, he knew that Sirius's previous assessment of him had been far too understated. Akinbad's condition wasn't just a little bad; he was terribly haggard. In just over a month, he looked like he had aged more than ten years.

To address reader questions, here's an explanation: the earlier side stories were written to coincide with the website's 515 Best Books Festival. Although this book is nearing its end, it's not truly finished yet.

(End of this chapter)