A certain Hogwarts professor of runes.

"what is that?"

“A pointed square column is a monument to the ancient Egyptians who worshipped the sun god. I have seen them in France and London, but since Egypt is the birthplace of the obelisk, it should be different.”

Kremy thought for a moment, "I don't know much about it, but I can ask around for you."

They had a wonderful two days. During the day, they visited various attractions. Clémi was very familiar with the magical stations in Cairo, while Hermione had read a lot of descriptions from books. The two took turns choosing places and had a great time.

In the evening, Hermione began learning golden fire magic from Felix. Felix told her, "You have enough self-control to try arranging rune sequences in private, but you must wait until after school starts to cast spells."

On the third day, they returned to Diagon Alley in London, and Kremy Vera followed. Her reason was that she didn't want to be alone with the greedy Gornuk, so she took a vacation to watch the World Cup. However, as soon as they arrived in Diagon Alley, she went into the headquarters of Futureworld and refused to come out.

Futureworld has been quite busy lately, as it has finally opened a branch in Diagon Alley and begun selling its merchandise. Lupin paid a hefty rent for the right to use the shop for the next two years, not far from Ollivander's Wand Shop.

This shop currently only sells one item—magic lamps, all sorts of magic lamps. When Sirius and Harry went to Diagon Alley to buy books, they were immediately drawn to the two majestic fire-dragon magic lamps at the shop's entrance. As they approached, they saw other kinds of magic lamps depicted on the freestanding posters at the shop's entrance.

A blond young shop assistant kept order at the entrance. Harry and Sirius entered the store, which was lined with shelves displaying various magical lamps in translucent boxes. Besides these, figures that had appeared in posters floated in mid-air, within easy reach.

A little boy reached out to touch the fire dragon above his head, but couldn't reach it no matter what he did. His father lifted him up, and the boy struggled. "I'm going to school this year!" he said, both anxious and ashamed.

"Dennis—" The father was about to speak when the magic lamp shaped like a fire dragon emitted a fan-shaped beam of light, startling them.

Harry also spotted Luna, who was standing with her back to them, wearing a striking bright yellow robe, examining an exquisite box containing twelve palm-sized magic lamp dolls, though their designs looked even cuter, just like the ones he'd seen in cartoons.

"Luna," he greeted.

“Oh, Harry,” Luna turned around, looking at him in surprise, holding a small eagle with short wings in her hand, “you’re also rushing to buy things before the World Cup? I guessed I’d run into some acquaintances today.”

Harry looked her over, sensing something was off. "Where's your little carrot earring?"

“It’s at home,” Luna said regretfully, turning to a wizard beside her who was intently staring at the purple patterned item on the shelf. “Dad—”

The middle-aged wizard, Luna's father Xenophilius Lovegood, turned around, the silver pendant around his neck dangling in front of his chest. "What is it, my dear?"

“How about we take it home?” she asked, holding up the palm-sized little eagle.

“Oh, not good,” Xenophilius frowned, his gaze shifting back and forth between the eagle and the box, his cotton-candy-white hair billowing over his shoulders. “I don’t think it’s good… We can’t separate them; that would break some mysterious connection between them.”

Harry watched as Luna happily carried the box containing the twelve magic lamp dolls, preparing to go to the counter to pay.

"See you at the World Cup, Harry."

Luna waved to him, and Harry waved back. As the father and daughter passed Sirius, Xenophilius stopped and stared at his face. Sirius was a little impatient, but didn't say anything. Too many people had looked at him strangely along the way.

But Xenophilius was staring at him for too long, so Luna moved the box to the other side and started chatting with Harry. She asked him seriously, "Have you seen Hermione? I need to talk to her."

“No—” Harry replied hastily, glancing at Sirius Black, the atmosphere tense.

Xenophilius leaned closer, his slightly crossed, light silver eyes scrutinizing Sirius's face. He grinned, revealing his teeth, and asked mysteriously, "Are you Bodman?"

"Bo—what the hell?" Sirius's eyes widened.

"The lead singer of the Mischievous Fairies, Fat Boydman, was very famous more than ten years ago," Xenophilius said in a low voice. "Sirius should be your pseudonym?"

Sirius stared blankly at him. "No," he said with a strained voice. Xenophilius left with a look of regret, as if he had suffered some kind of blow.

Harry chuckled beside him, tears welling in his eyes. "Short, fat guy—Bodman, is he talking about you?"

Sirius gently patted the back of his head and said thoughtfully, "A whole Ravenclaw family? I always thought that house was full of weirdos when I was in school."

“They are exceptions, just a little odd,” Harry said, speaking up for Luna.

Sirius said irritably, "You just asked that little girl where her radish earrings went."

……

Future World Corporation Headquarters.

"What is this?" Lupin held a golden stick, which was a straight rod with a dog-head-shaped handle.

“The Pharaoh’s Scepter.” Felix flipped through various forms.

"What's it for?" Lupin asked curiously. Was it some new product that could suddenly jump up and hit someone on the head? He shook his head, banishing the thought from his mind. He'd been interacting with the Weasley twins too much these past few days, and he was acting strangely.

“These are souvenirs I brought back from Egypt. You can have them if you like,” Felix said casually.

"Forget it, maybe Sirius would like her, uh, or maybe Valen..." Lupin handed the scepter to the Niffler staring expectantly at him on the desk, then turned to ask about Kremy Vera, "What's the deal with that girl? You think highly of her too, and plan to groom her like the Weasley twins?"

Felix thought for a moment, "They are different. Vera will most likely stay. This is probably a pre-employment assessment. She needs to make up her mind."

Lu Ping, quick-witted and astute, said, "I will make things convenient for you."

Felix added, "Vera really likes ancient runes, and if given enough time, her achievements will be very high."

Lupin laughed: "So you were planning to find a farmhand."

Chapter 337 Camp

As evening approached, Felix and Lupin emerged from the headquarters of 'Future World' Corporation—the standing castle-like building had been renamed the company headquarters due to the presence of branches used to sell specific products, and was specifically responsible for research work.

Felix planned to expand the company's sales network worldwide, much like Gringotts Bank. Many British wizards were unaware that Gringotts had branches in various countries; they assumed it was the only one.

The two looked at the store from a distance. It was almost completely dark. Two fire dragons floated in front of the "Future World - Diagon Alley Store". Whenever someone passed by, they would spew out a large mouthful of white, flame-like light, which would cause people to scream.

“Fudge already delivered the tickets, but you weren’t there, so I accepted them for you,” Lupin said softly.

"Ah."

……

Felix returned to his London residence, visited a group of friends, and then one morning, Apparated into a misty forest, a designated area for Apparition by the British Ministry of Magic.

“Go in that direction, and remember to register at the entrance,” a weary old wizard said weakly. Just then, a crackling sound came from not far away, and a South American wizard dressed like a peacock appeared, spinning around, and crashed headfirst into a tree next to him.

The old wizard from the Ministry of Magic muttered something that sounded a bit like "stupid bird." Felix followed the direction he pointed out and walked out of the forest. From the hazy mist, he saw a gentle slope that stretched upwards. Strangely shaped blocks extended along the slope in the mist—these were tents set up by wizards who had arrived earlier.

The Ministry of Magic prepared more than a dozen accommodations around the Quidditch World Cup stadium, allowing wizards to come in batches to watch the games. Naturally, the lower the ticket price, the earlier they could arrive.

Felix arrived at a stone house. A man stood in the doorway, his face dazed and indifferent. Felix realized he was the only ordinary person in the area and had just been subjected to a forgetting spell.

"Hello, sir?"

“Hello, I’m Roberts,” the man said calmly. “Give me your name and pay the money.”

……

Felix weaved through the tents. Not far from the camp entrance were Ministry of Magic patrolmen, responsible for maintaining order and acting as enforcers. "You!" shouted one of the Ministry of Magic enforcers, "What's with the chimneys on the tents?" The reprimanded wizard vehemently retorted, "I haven't violated any secrecy rules, and the Muggles do the same!"

"Are you sure?" the law enforcement officer asked, somewhat confused. "Your tent is different from everyone else's..."

His colleague next to him whispered, "I've seen it too, you might be mistaken."

So the two left, leaving the victorious wizard to continue fiddling with his tent. Felix cautiously traversed the area, his view gradually opening up. He discovered that the Ministry of Magic's patrols were actually only focused on the tents near the edge of the field. After walking a distance, various tents bearing "magical traces" began to vie for attention.

A crooked tent, as if glued together by a child, stood firm in the wind. Seven or eight feet away, it was a normal-sized tent, but on its side, there was a moving poster, probably of a certain sports star, about thirty years old, with a gloomy face.

"Why are there extra things?" a familiar voice called out.

Next came Hermione's voice: "Oh my god, those are tent poles!"

"Can we make do with it? What if it suddenly collapses?" That was Sirius's voice.

Felix looked in the direction of the sound and saw the Weasley children huddled together, watching the two adults in the center of the room—Mr. Weasley and Sirius Black—lying on the ground, checking what was wrong.

"Hello, do you need any help?" Felix asked, unable to suppress a smile.

Sirius Black looked up from the ground, feeling terrible. He immediately stood up, pulled out his wand, and pointed it at the loose tent. The tent immediately jumped up and reassembled itself.

“Well, you’re right, even though—even though we’ve lost a lot of fun.” Mr. Weasley also got up from the ground.

"Hello, Mr. Weasley."

“Hello, Professor Hyp,” said Mr. Weasley, his expression somewhat stiff, glancing at the children with concern. “Children, please put down your luggage and make your beds. We may be staying for a few days.”

He pulled Felix aside, and Sirius, looking around, followed.

“Professor Hyp, I heard from Harry that you taught him Apparate?” Mr. Weasley said hesitantly, “It’s not that I have any doubts about your teaching, I just think—well, don’t you think it’s a bit too early?”

"Too early? Mr. Weasley, I don't quite understand."

"The Ministry of Magic stipulates that Apparition training can only begin at least in the sixth year, and even then, it involves rigorous testing. I've heard from friends in the Reversal of Accidents team about all sorts of serious Apparition splits... Actually, I wish it could be done a year or two earlier, but Harry was only in the third year at the time..."

“Harry has that potential,” Felix said.

“Many adult wizards are not good at this magic,” Mr. Weasley said urgently, wiping his balding forehead with a handkerchief.

Unbeknownst to them, the noise inside the tent quieted down, a crack appeared in the tent, and pairs of bright eyes peered in their direction.

“Mr. Weasley, I’ve always felt that Apparition should be one of the hard requirements for graduation,” Felix said with a smile, not particularly bothered by his attitude. “I’ve already made this suggestion to Dumbledore, and it’s expected to be implemented this year.”

"Graduation standards?" Mr. Weasley asked, surprised, his attention diverted. In fact, he wasn't concerned about Apparition, but rather worried that Felix's eagerness to achieve results might hurt Harry, hence his tactful reminder.

He was unaware that Ron and Hermione were also secretly learning from him. He had only overheard Sirius mentioning it while searching for the Portkey at Weasel Hill today, and he assumed Sirius had been secretly teaching Harry. However, upon asking, he learned that it was Professor Hyp from the school.

“That’s right, we’ll include a few spells in the list of things you must master. If you don’t pass, you’ll have to go back and repeat the course; you won’t be allowed to graduate,” Felix said casually.

Harry and Ron, who were eavesdropping nearby, exchanged a glance. Fred and George were on top of them, standing on higher ground, which prompted Ron to complain quietly, "Don't push!" Hermione and Ginny crouched down, taking the lowest position, and looked out through the two rivet holes.

On the other end, Sirius asked with great interest, "Can you tell me what kind of magic it is?"

“It’s not decided yet,” Felix said, “but I think—” He counted on his fingers, “Apparition, Disarming Charm, Armor Charm, Peacekeeper Charm, Muggle Expulsion, Healing Charm—these should be the most basic. There might be more specific categories, related to class choices…”

Mr. Weasley's attitude had improved considerably, and he said thoughtfully, "Is it targeted pre-employment training? That sounds good. Many recent graduates still have a lot to learn, even I when I first entered the Ministry of Magic..."

Sirius grinned. Knowing Felix as he did, he figured Felix was probably preparing for the Wizarding War. He glanced at the tent, then subtly waved his hand. His godson had been too careless, sticking half his head out.

……

"So that's why you taught Harry? You think all wizards should know it?" Sirius found an opportunity to ask in a low voice after Mr. Weasley left.

They were standing in front of the tent, watching wizards coming and going from all over the world. A red-faced wizard in a kilt was leading a flamingo and holding a huge pot.

“Actually, it was his own request,” Felix said calmly.

“You can refuse,” Sirius reminded him. “Like Arthur said, he’s not old enough to even get the certificate.”

Felix looked at him sarcastically: "I'm only responsible for teaching; I can't control what happens to them outside of school. Perhaps... we should expect the guardians of the young wizards to set a good example and provide appropriate guidance?"

Sirius Black had a dark expression on his face. After learning that Harry had mastered Apparition, his first thought was to take him traveling around, and he actually did just that.

He didn't continue the topic, cautiously glancing back at the tent. Mr. Weasley took a water bottle and two stew pots from his backpack, and the children busied themselves making their beds. Sirius cautiously asked, "Do you know anything about the aftereffects of the cursed scar?"

“Why do you ask that…” Felix looked at Sirius, then followed his gaze to Harry. “Is it Harry?”

“That’s right,” Sirius said curtly, glancing again at the wizard in the kilt, two Ministry of Magic enforcers eyeing the bird he was carrying. “The scar on his forehead suddenly started hurting, and he had a nightmare. He said he dreamt about Voldemort… I don’t know much about that.”

Sirius briefly recounted what he knew, and Felix frowned. "What was Voldemort like in his dream?"