Hogwarts: My Grandmother is the Queen

Chapter 117: Handle with the professionals.

One weekend in April, Ron's older brother Charlie arrived at Hogwarts.

The sun was shining brightly that day, and Hagrid started working early in the morning, cleaning the hut spotlessly and placing a large pile of his own baked rock cakes on the table. Although the cakes looked as hard as rocks as ever, Hagrid still insisted that everyone loved them.

"Charlie!" Ron jumped up first when he saw his brother walking over from a distance, almost knocking over his chair.

Charlie walked over with a smile, first shaking hands firmly with Hagrid, then patting Ron on the shoulder, and nodding to Harry and Hermione.

Finally, his gaze fell on Henry, and his smile became more serious.

"Your Highness Henry," he said, "it's been a long time."

Henry stood up and extended his hand.

"Hello Charlie, you've had a tough time lately."

Charlie grasped his hand and shook it vigorously.

"You've worked so hard," he said. "The 20 million Galleons donation still feels like a dream to me."

Henry smiled but didn't say anything.

Several people sat around the large table. Charlie looked a little thinner than the last time they met, but he was in good spirits.

His face bore the marks of someone who had spent years traveling, his skin tanned dark by the Romanian sun, and fine lines around his eyes, but his eyes shone with a light that only someone who truly loves what they do has.

"It's going very well," he said, pulling a roll of parchment from his old leather bag. "The Scottish Highlands are much bigger than we thought."

He spread the parchment on the table, and several people immediately gathered around.

It was a hand-drawn map, with meticulous strokes and neat lines, clearly the result of a great deal of effort. The map clearly marked the purpose of each area—in the very center was the research center complex, next to which were the medical station and staff dormitories, and further out were several areas marked with different colors.

"The red area is the fire dragon zone," Charlie pointed to a large area in the upper right corner of the map. "Norwegian ridgeback dragons like highlands and open spaces, and this area is perfect for them. We even brought in a few Norwegian fir trees to create a familiar environment for them."

His finger moved to the green area on the left side of the map.

"This is the unicorn zone. There's an old forest over there, with trees that are hundreds of years old, and a stream that flows through it. We hired a few centaurs as consultants—they're not very fond of dealing with wizards, but when they heard about the unicorn sanctuary, they came to us on their own initiative."

Hagrid's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Horsemen? They're willing to help?"

Charlie nodded.

"Yes, their clan has protected those unicorns for generations, and they know their habits better than anyone else."

Hagrid was so engrossed in listening that he forgot to eat his rock-skin cake.

"And this area," Charlie said, moving his finger to the blue area at the bottom of the map, "is the aquatic animal area. We dug an artificial lake and brought in fresh water to specifically house those magical creatures like bird-snakes and horse-shaped water monsters that need rescue."

Hermione was studying the map carefully, her brows furrowed slightly.

"Charlie," she said, pointing to a mark on the map, "what is this 'quarantine zone' used for?"

"Oh, that." Charlie's expression became more serious. "Some magical creatures become aggressive after being injured, or they carry infectious pathogens. The quarantine area is used to temporarily house them, and they are released back into their respective areas once they have recovered."

Hermione nodded, her eyes shining even brighter.

"What about the research center?" she asked, pointing to the cluster of buildings in the center of the map.

"Yes," Charlie said. "There will be a laboratory, a library, and an exhibition hall."

It can be opened to the public in the future, allowing wizards to visit and learn. The Department of Magical Creatures Control of the Ministry of Magic has agreed to send people to teach regularly and will also allocate some internship opportunities to Hogwarts students.

"An exhibition hall?" Ron asked curiously. "What's on display?"

"Specimens, data, research records, and so on of Fantastic Beasts," Charlie said. "Mr. Newt Scamander has agreed to donate a portion of his private collection."

Ron's eyes lit up, while Hagrid's eyes were a little red.

"Great—great—" he rubbed his huge hands together, repeating the same phrase over and over.

Harry listened quietly, then suddenly asked, "Charlie, what about your work in Romania?"

Charlie waved his hand.

"I've discussed it with the Fire Dragon Sanctuary and I'll be working in the UK from now on. They support me, saying it's a good thing and will help the entire cause of magical creature conservation."

Hermione nodded thoughtfully.

"This is indeed a good thing," she said. "If it can set a precedent, more similar protected areas may appear in the future."

“Hermione is right. I’ve heard that the French Ministry of Magic is already discussing this,” Charlie said. “If the British reserve is doing well, they plan to build one near Strasbourg as well, specifically to house endangered magical creatures.”

Henry sat to one side, listening quietly.

Charlie talked a lot about the reserve, the progress of its construction, the difficulties encountered, and future plans.

Hagrid listened with great interest, occasionally interjecting with questions about the dragon.

The Gryffindor trio also asked a lot of questions, especially Hermione, who kept asking one question after another, from budget to species conservation strategies, from employee benefits to future development plans. Charlie was almost overwhelmed.

"Hermione," Ron muttered quietly from the side, "let Charlie rest for a while, he hasn't even finished his tea yet." Hermione then realized that she had asked too many questions, and her face turned slightly red.

"I'm sorry, Charlie, was I?"

Charlie smiled and waved his hand.

"It's alright, those are all very good questions. To be honest, there are some that I hadn't even thought of myself. I'll have to write them down and discuss them with them when I get back."

Hermione's face turned even redder.

After chatting for a while, Charlie suddenly remembered something and took an envelope out of his bag.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot the important matter." He handed the envelope to Henry. "This is last month's financial report. Every expense is recorded here. Your Highness can have someone check it."

Henry took the envelope, but didn't open it; he simply nodded.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Charlie looked at him, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Aren't you going to take a look?"

Henry smiled.

"No need, let the professionals handle this kind of thing."

Charlie paused for a moment, then smiled.

"That's true."

Hagrid, watching this scene unfold, suddenly exclaimed, "Oh dear, we've been so busy chatting! Come on, have some rock-skin pancakes! I just baked them!"