A certain Hogwarts professor of runes.

"I didn't see it clearly."

"Besides Voldemort?"

“There should be others, but Harry forgot. You know, with dreams, the more you try to recall the details, the less you remember. Maybe Voldemort is up to something again, and he has an accomplice! That's why he's asking you. I hope this is just an accident, a dream. Aren't you a healer?”

“I’m not,” Felix sighed. “If he has a memory problem—well, you know what I mean, you should go to St. Mungo’s Enchanted Damage Department.”

Sirius's words were full of worry, "I'm worried about causing unnecessary trouble. Perhaps the effects of the curse are still lingering. The Killing Curse... there's never been a precedent for it. And Harry didn't escape on his own, but with Lily's magic."

He briefly revealed some information, mainly about the ancient magic Lily had cast, including its effects and costs. Felix had actually heard similar accounts before, but Sirius had described it in more detail.

“I see. I suggest you talk to Dumbledore and explain things clearly. He has many secret channels for gathering information and may be able to find out Voldemort’s movements.”

Neither of them spoke. The wizard with the flamingo was stopped. The Ministry of Magic's enforcers suspected him of smuggling rare magical creatures. Although the two enforcers did not recognize the large bird with its bright rose-colored feathers, they still politely asked the wizard to come over.

"That's a flamingo! Do you know what a flamingo is? It's not a magical creature... and it's not related to a phoenix!" the wizard shouted angrily as he was dragged away.

Sirius suddenly asked, "Then it really isn't a magical creature?"

“No,” Felix said firmly.

Aren't you going to explain?

"We'll figure it out eventually, and maybe they'll become friends."

Inside the tent, the children began to talk about their experiences. The Weasley twins mentioned the Epcot company where they spent half the summer, exclaiming, "It was so cool!"

Fred sighed and said, "We've made quite a few friends; think about it, dozens of like-minded people—"

“Compared to them, we’re just small fry,” George said.

"Don't say that. At least we successfully sold the Couple Mirror. Professor Lupin said it would completely change the wizarding world."

"You sold it?" Harry asked in surprise.

"No, we signed a two-year cooperation agreement, until we graduate," Fred said with a grin. "We'll be using Future World Company's storefront for sales, so we don't have to worry about anything, and we'll even get a monthly bonus—"

"There is ample funding for other research!"

George happily added, "After graduation, we'll have saved up a lot of money, and then we can just buy a shop in Diagon Alley."

"They've even come up with a name—"

"Weasley's Wizarding Tricks!" The two raised their arms and cheered simultaneously.

Mr. Weasley, standing nearby, sighed. Professor Lupin had visited the Burrow and insisted on signing the agreement in his and Molly's presence, offering extremely favorable terms. They simply couldn't think of a reason to refuse.

See you later.

Felix said goodbye to them and went to a large tent in the camp. Lupin stood in front of the entrance, hung up a sign, and took two steps back to examine it carefully.

“It’s a little crooked,” Felix suddenly said beside him. Lupin was startled. His wand, hidden in his sleeve, shot out a cluster of red sparks. He looked around, and when no one was looking, he quickly swiped his right hand, and the sign was immediately stuck to the tent squarely.

The two looked at the sign that read "Future World" together. Lupin whispered, "The Ministry of Magic advised us to use magic as little as possible. After all, this is Muggle territory, and there's a small village less than ten kilometers away."

Just then, two young men emerged from the tent. Kremy wiped the sweat from her brow. "Rearrange the boxes. My goodness, it was like a huge warehouse inside. Oh, Professor Hyp, you're here too—"

“Hello, Mr. Hyp,” said the blond young man next to her. He was an employee of Future World Corporation’s sales outlet in Diagon Alley, named Arik McKee.

"Hello." Felix nodded to them, then called Kremy aside. "How have you been these past few days?"

“Not bad,” Kremy said excitedly, “especially that memory stone basin. I took some time to listen to the parts I didn’t understand before, but there aren’t any more lessons…”

She was referring to the teaching aids Felix used when teaching ancient magic at the Magic Rune Club last school year. It was a replica of the Pensieve, but Felix brought it to the company during the holidays, modified it, and used it for employee training.

Felix said, "It's for employees who are interested to catch up on their learning; the content isn't too advanced."

Chapter 338 Crouch's Strangeness

One hundred thousand Quidditch fans gathered here, and even the slightest sound from each person would turn the entire camp into a boiling cauldron. As the afternoon approached, this restless mood not only did not subside, but spread even more widely, and even the summer air seemed to tremble.

Felix remained in the tent, helping Lupin and the others check off the supplies needed for the lantern festival. According to the plan, they would hold a grand magical lantern festival the night after the Quidditch final and continue until the end of the match. In addition, Futureworld Corporation spent 1,000 Galleons to purchase pre-tournament text advertisements for the Quidditch World Cup.

The sun finally set, and the last rays of twilight faded away. Kremy and the young shop assistant, Arik McKee, slipped out to play. It was very lively outside, and every now and then, small vendors would Apparate, pushing carts loaded with all kinds of souvenirs, weaving through the crowd.

The Ministry of Magic also gave up its last resistance and let things take their course. All sorts of magical signs suddenly appeared: "crackling" apparitions, energetic shouts and sales pitches, joyful and noisy chatter... the camp was noisy and bustling.

Lupin went out as well, while Felix remained in the tent, fiddling with the layer of air barrier on his left hand. He held his wand in his right hand and whispered, "Thunder Explosion."

A beam of red light shot out from the tip of the staff and struck Felix's left hand. After a second or two, Felix's left hand trembled. He dispelled the magic and looked at his palm, where there was a small red dot.

“Its effects are still quite limited,” Felix pondered. An hour or two later, Kremy and Arik returned laden with bags and packages, which they placed on a nearby table. Felix put away his magic and looked at the various souvenirs on the bags.

There was a glowing green rose-shaped badge, currently shouting at the top of its lungs, "Ireland team will win!" Kremy pressed hard on the top of the rose, and it finally quieted down;

And there were things that looked like binoculars, covered with all sorts of strange knobs and dials. “That’s a panoramic telescope,” Kremy explained. “I think it’s amazing. You can replay the footage in slow motion and quickly flash the analysis of the match.”

Felix tried it out. "It's really interesting." He kept flipping the buttons on it, and the whole world slowed down before his eyes. Kremy was slowly taking out a small model of a flying fire bolt and gesturing in front of him.

In addition, there were statues of famous players for collection. Arik McKee bought a complete set of small commemorative statues of the Irish team, which walked around on the table with a smug look on them. One of them fell off the table when he wasn't looking.

"Oh, my Lynch—"

Arik said, quickly wiping the dust off the little statue's nose, "Misfortune, go away, go away..."

Kremy and Felix both looked at him, and he explained, "This is what my father does, to drive away bad luck, and we mustn't let such a good situation be ruined."

"Does it really work?" Kremi looked at him skeptically.

“Of course,” he said enthusiastically, “Britain has been without a trophy for thirty years, and we have a very good chance of winning this year. We have the most cohesive team – Connolly! Ryan! Troy! Mallett! Moran! Quigley! And of course – Lynch!”

"Is he the Seeker?" Kremy gestured with her chin towards the 'Lynch' in Arik's hand.

“That’s right, the Seeker is the soul of the team…” When talking about Quidditch, Arik was particularly talkative. When he heard that Kremy didn’t even know the basics of fouls, he stared wide-eyed as if he had discovered an alien.

“Let me tell you, there are many ways to commit fouls in Quidditch, such as the most common pulling, charging, elbowing, locking the opponent with a broom handle, and there are also relatively more complex ones…”

Felix quietly stepped aside. He had found an interesting game: create a thick wall of air in the air, throw small, oddly shaped objects like cups and forks at it, and they would stick to it and move forward in slow motion, the speed depending on how hard you threw them.

Clemi also discovered the game, and she tried to knock the professor's cup away with her own.

After repeated failures, she turned her attention to Arik's small statue.

“Absolutely not—” Arik said firmly, but then he pulled out a bunch of small figurines from his pocket. “The Bulgarian team, you can throw these away.”

In no time, various cups, cutlery, badges, and small figurines were stuck in the air, along with a sealed bag of snacks.

"Arik wins, five points."

……

It was completely dark when Felix called everyone to eat, "Let's eat something, we can't watch the game on an empty stomach, we don't know how long it will last."

Where is Lupin?

“Maybe he ran into a friend and chatted for a while. I’ll remember to bring him some food,” Felix said.

“I really wish the competition could last ten days and ten nights,” Kremi Vera said sincerely at the dinner table. That way they would have more time to demonstrate the magic lamp.

Felix laughed.

"Haven't made a decision yet, Vera? You already consider yourself part of the company."

Clemi said shyly, "I haven't decided yet. I like the job of a curse breaker, but this place is great too... Am I being a little greedy, Professor?"

Felix shrugged, swallowed the chicken in his mouth, poured himself a glass of chilled lemonade, and said with a smile, "That's a happy problem for you. I can't help you with that, but don't rush into a decision or put pressure on yourself."

He raised his wine glass in a toast and said, "You're always welcome here, Vera."

Just then, Lupin walked in from outside the tent with a worried look on his face. Felix poured him a glass of lemonade, and he thanked him, his eyebrows relaxing. "I just went to Harry's place and almost got into a fight."

"What's going on?" Felix asked, directing the bowls and plates to float in front of Lupin. "I suggest you try this, fried halomi cheese. Arik bought it from a vendor. It tastes very special when eaten with chicken."

Sitting next to Kremy, Arik McKee gave a stiff smile. Lupin patted him on the shoulder and said gently, "Thank you." He sat down and explained, "Sirius was hanging out with the Weasleys and ended up running into Barty Crouch, you know..."

Felix understood; it seemed Sirius might harbor some hostility towards Barty Crouch, but Lupin's words surprised him.

“It was Barty Crouch who provoked us,” Lupin said slowly, his brow furrowing again. “Crouch was in charge of the camp’s security, and when he spoke about the Death Eaters, he brought up old issues, claiming that a large number of Death Eaters were at large—”

"But Sirius has been proven innocent."

“Yes, but he kept looking at Sirius while he was talking. You know Sirius’s temper. The two of them have a long-standing feud. If Harry hadn’t pulled him back…” Lupin shook his head and didn’t continue, but Felix could easily guess what had happened.

I bet he even pulled out his wand.

A deep, resonant gong sounded from somewhere in the woods, and immediately, thousands of red and green lanterns lit up the trees, illuminating the road leading to the stadium.

"Time is up!"

The four men stood up, stepped out of the tent, and followed the surging, excited crowd into the woods. They emerged from the other side of the woods and were greeted by a huge, oval-shaped open-air stadium, brightly lit inside, the light casting a golden glow on half of the walls.

“It’s said to be able to hold 100,000 people,” Arik murmured.

Holding their tickets to the top-floor VIP box, they climbed the stairs to the top floor, which were covered with a crimson carpet. When the stairs ended, they were standing at the highest point of the stadium.

Downstairs was a spectacular sight; 100,000 wizards were taking their seats. Clemens tugged at his sleeve. To the side of the basketball hoop was a huge blackboard, displaying various advertisements on a loop—

'Cornflower: A flying broomstick for the whole family—safe, reliable, and with a built-in anti-theft buzzer…'

'In the future world, watch games and light shows, say goodbye to kerosene lamps and dazzling torches, the future is right before your eyes—'

Felix nodded, indicating that he had seen it. Soon, people began to enter their small box: the Weasleys, the Malfoys, Sirius Black, Harry, and Hermione, followed by Cornelius Fudge and the Bulgarian Minister of Magic.

Lucius Malfoy gave the Weasleys and Sirius a cold, indifferent glance, nodded slightly, and then began to chat enthusiastically with Fudge. When Felix looked at him, he instinctively looked away.

'Haven't you decided yet, Lucius?' Felix thought to himself.

After everyone was seated, only Fudge and the Bulgarian Minister of Magic could be heard talking at cross purposes in the small box. Fudge missed Barty Crouch terribly. Despite their discord, Crouch's talent was undeniable; he spoke at least a hundred languages, including those of many magical creatures.

Later, Barty Crouch and Ludo Bagman arrived together. Crouch's expression was terribly serious, his face like it was covered in frost, but Fudge was so engrossed in the Bulgarian minister's terrible accent that he didn't notice at all.

"Thank goodness, Barty, you're finally here. I need you to translate for me—"

“I practically dragged Batty over here,” Ludo Bagman said cheerfully. “I told him that he deserved the most credit and should stand at the top…”

“I’m sorry.” Crouch’s face was contorted with disgust, his lips trembling as he seemed to be barely suppressing the urge to slap Fudge. “I don’t have time for these trivial matters—”

“A small matter?” Fudge took a deep breath and looked at him incredulously. What was going on? He was about to say something when Crouch’s lips moved silently. Although no sound came out, Fudge was too close to him to clearly hear the mouth movements. Crouch was saying, “Idiot.”

“Barty Crouch!” Fudge shouted at Crouch, his voice laced with a mixture of anger and fear, “So you’ve finally stopped hiding it and decided to take my place!”

The private room fell silent. No one had expected such a thing to happen. Even the Bulgarian minister gaped, asking in perfect English, "What happened?"

As the opening host, Ludo Bagman froze on the spot, sweat beading on his round face. He instinctively took a few steps back. "Ouch!" Hermione cried out, realizing he had stepped on her foot.

“I’m sorry, little girl,” Ludo Bagman stammered.