A certain Hogwarts professor of runes.

Arric and Kremi emerged from the standing castle, each wearing only a single layer of clothing, yet unaffected by the cold wind.

Clémi adjusted the knob on the thermostatic locket, stuffed it into her pocket, and looked at the wizards and witches on the street with satisfaction. She said with a sigh, "In less than half a year, Diagon Alley has changed a lot."

Alec said with empathy, "Indeed... Remember the book signing at Flourish and Blotts on New Year's Day? Rita Skeeter bought two magic phonographs, and the quirky sisters' shadows floated at the bookstore entrance until the end. It was like watching a live performance..."

Kremy blinked, recalling the scene. That reporter was incredibly audacious, actually including members of the ancient Black family in her book, but even more outrageous was her mention of the Dark Lord.

Some of the descriptions in the book still make her blush a little when she thinks about them:

"...That demon-like figure possessed an extraordinary charisma, a charisma not limited to men or women. Even the descendants of ancient and pure-blooded families found it irresistible, willingly bowing at his feet and devoutly kissing his insteps. Even the slightest possibility—to dine with this cold-blooded demon lord, or to receive the favor of a kiss on the back of his hand—would have made our young man in the story willing to go through fire and water..."

The young pure-blooded descendant would never forget that night when the Demon King personally summoned his loyal servant. The Demon King's long, slender fingers brushed against his cheek like burning embers, whispering a stern voice that brooked no refusal: "My believer, I need you… I need you to do one thing for me…"

Although their names weren't explicitly mentioned, anyone with a bit of knowledge would guess who the two main characters in the story were based on.

"What's wrong with you?" Arik asked, looking at Kremy who suddenly blushed, and curiously examined her.

"N-nothing," Kremi said, her face flushed.

……

On a bustling street in central London, two unfamiliar men stood in front of a well-decorated shop.

Next door to this shop was a stationery store. The shop owner looked at the two strangers without a shred of suspicion about their actions. She herself also found the shop next door rather strange.

She had lived in London for decades, but it was only a few months ago that she first heard of the company 'Future World'.

'How strange, why would a jewelry store have this name?' the proprietress thought indignantly. 'Isn't retro style all the rage now? Is this a new fashion trend from Paris?'

There's another unreasonable thing. The shop sign has "Shop No. 7" written in gold lettering in the lower right corner, which is just outrageous. Even when the staff there said that other branches should be located overseas, she wasn't convinced.

As she pondered this, she openly peered through the glass window at the two people at the intersection. One was very young, but with a composed expression, seemingly a wealthy young man with considerable experience. The middle-aged man next to him had a face full of stories. If she could, she would gladly invite him to share a small glass of brandy and listen to a sad tale from his past…

At this moment, Felix and Lupin were completely unaware that they had become the subject of others' gossip, and their impromptu conversation was coming to an end—

"She's terrified right now. She just finished a book signing, and the next day the Ministry of Magic released a warrant for Barty Crouch Jr.' Even though Fudge is trying to deny Voldemort's existence, the mere words 'a staunch follower of the Man of Unknown, vicious and ruthless' are enough to keep her up at night—and Sirius Black keeps trying to confront her, so her attempts to skirt the issue won't convince him."

Felix curled his lip. He had already flipped through Rita Skeeter's new book and felt corrupted. He deserved to make her worry for a few more days.

He told Lupin, "Don't pay any attention to her for now."

Lupin feigned a look of confusion at just the right moment. "You're going to make her wait almost two months? She'll go crazy." That would be the time when the second event of the Tournament begins, when the gates of Hogwarts will open and some spectators and reporters will be invited.

Felix smiled knowingly: "Don't forget that our journalist friend has a special skill."

Lupin's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly asked, "Animagus?"

Felix nodded slightly.

Rita Skeeter was once an illegal Animagus. The word "once" is used because she has closed the loophole by registering with the Ministry of Magic, but this also exposed her and made her a rather unpopular figure.

According to reliable sources, the medicine for removing beetles sold out during that period.

"You want her to do things for you?" Lupin asked in a deep voice. He felt very awkward. Although he didn't like dealing with someone like Rita Skeeter who made up stories as easily as drinking water or breathing, he also couldn't bring himself to watch her walk into a trap of death.

Felix glanced at Lupin, understanding his thoughts perfectly. After all, Sirius had said that what drew him and James to Lupin was his genuine kindness—no one would refuse to have such a friend.

Felix cautioned, “You seem to be in some kind of moral dilemma, but the truth is, we haven’t done anything.”

“Yes,” Lupin sighed softly, “it’s because we did nothing…”

They entered this most unconventional store, number seven, which had a long corridor with exquisite glass counters on both sides. The counters were decorated with red, black, and purple velvet and displayed a dazzling array of exquisitely crafted gold and silver ornaments, jewelry, and precious stones.

From customers to staff, they are all ordinary people.

A young female teller spotted Felix and Lupin. Her large eyes darted over Felix before recognizing Lupin. Lupin nodded to her, and they walked straight down the long corridor toward a small, inconspicuous door.

A customer is asking a shop assistant, "Is this a cigarette case from the time of George IV?"

"Madam, this is just a replica. You can see the logo on it," the shop assistant said with a polite smile. Perhaps wanting to impress the boss, her tone was exceptionally patient and gentle.

"Every piece of our silverware strictly adheres to the sterling silver marking system. In addition, we provide a reference book for customers to check the silver content, origin, date, and other information, as well as certifications from official appraisal institutions..."

Felix and Lupin pushed open the small door, which led to a narrow cubicle. A workbench occupied a third of the space, and some common crafting tools were placed on it.

"Will we need these things?" Felix asked, holding up a pair of tweezers. He didn't really know how these things were made, but he could shape them with magic, especially since he could cheat with the Mind Hut magic.

“We use them occasionally, and some customers will ask for minor adjustments,” Lu Ping said. “To make it easier to keep things discreet, we also acquire silver products through normal channels, and we have dedicated staff to handle this.” He smiled and said, “In fact, apart from the occasional piece made by fairies, this shop operates much like other gold and silver jewelry shops.”

“Felix, I must remind you that the company has more than 120 employees.”

Felix looked into Lupin's eyes, considered for a second, and said, "That's exactly what I've been hoping for. You should have realized this recently: only when you reach a certain scale is it necessary to define a clear division of labor, pool your wisdom, and achieve economies of scale. Moreover, with more people, we can concentrate more resources on the same thing and achieve results quickly. Just like this research on projection screens."

Felix smiled and said, "I like this feeling, watching them go from strangers to friends, getting through the adjustment period with some simple tasks. Only in this way will they not be caught off guard when there are really big tasks."

Lupin looked helpless. "Don't let the people in the company hear these words. They don't think they've accomplished a 'simple' task."

“Oh, I misspoke,” Felix said dismissively, “It’s a very difficult task.”

As Felix and Lupin parted ways after leaving the seventh branch, dusk had just fallen. He was satisfied with everything, especially since his book of runes was nearing completion, which put him in a very good mood.

He took a rare stroll through the streets of London, where people hurried by. Before he knew it, he turned onto a secluded street, where a figure swayed precariously in the dim light.

He was a dark-haired man, thin as a stick, with sunken cheeks and eye sockets, and messy hair.

'A homeless person? A drug addict?'

Felix moved aside slightly, but to his surprise, the man walked towards him. A strong sense of absurdity welled up in Felix's mind. 'Could this be a robbery?' This thought prevented him from leaving; instead, he stayed where he was, curiously scrutinizing the man.

The man was so thin he looked like he could be blown away by a gust of wind. He reached into his pocket with one hand, and Felix tilted his head, putting on a humanoid armor spell. "Should I call a doctor for you?" he said slowly.

“I do need some ‘medicine’,” the man said, licking his yellowed teeth.

He pulled out a folded flyer, handed it to Felix, and gave him a strange smile. Then he left to find his next target.

Felix looked at the contents of the flyer and was momentarily bewildered—

Do you believe in magic? Do you believe in mystery? There exist unknown realms in this world, a world completely different from science. If you often feel dizzy, lightheaded, and wake up not knowing where you are (this paragraph is highlighted)... friend, you may very well be a member of the hidden world.

Welcome to join us! We'll provide helpful guidance and fulfill one of your wishes—for example, if you desperately need to turn your bad luck around, yearn for a genuine perspective, or suffer from an incurable disease and feel hopeless about life…

Chapter 428 The Possibility of Secularizing Potions

This is followed by a long string of 'for example'.

Felix estimated that any normal person would be tempted by one or two of the points mentioned above, provided they could actually be realized.

Below the flyer was a simple map.

Felix's curiosity grew stronger. The person who handed him the flyer was clearly an ordinary person, but why did he approach him directly? Was it a coincidence or just a coincidence? He felt it was more likely that the person was using magic as a pretext to do something mysterious. As for what exactly it was, he decided to go and find out.

Felix followed the instructions on the flyer through the secluded streets. The hand-drawn map was quite 'unique,' with hidden markings at every street corner, requiring some effort to decipher.

Felix stood in front of a wall, staring at the graffiti on it. He studied it for a while under the dim streetlights, then followed the direction of the large rat holding a vertical sign in the graffiti and turned to the left.

There were no lights left, the shops on both sides of the street were dilapidated, and piles of garbage were scattered around the corners. The only light that was on flickered incessantly, and with the howling wind, it felt like a scene from a horror movie.

However, if Felix wanted to, he could create the most realistic horror, and vice versa.

'Three people were watching me from the shadows along the way. There was no trace of magic, and their hostility wasn't particularly strong... Were they just after my money?' Felix walked slowly. Since it had nothing to do with magic, and it wasn't some dark wizard fishing for him, his interest in the end of the road quickly waned. He would occasionally stop to admire the graffiti on the walls along the way.

If I had to describe it, this place is like a necrotic tissue on the body of London, forgotten by the city hall, ignored in several planning projects, and eventually became a paradise for stray cats and dogs, as well as a favorite spot for those 'rebellious young people'.

A few minutes later.

Felix pushed open the dilapidated door and strolled inside. The rudimentary map on the flyer had long been useless. He had found this place because of the sounds of people around and the rather exquisite-looking magic circle painted at the entrance.

Judging from the shop window and the dilapidated sign, this used to be a clothing store. However, the sign reads "Magic House" in graffiti-style lettering.

Felix had a bad feeling; no wizarding organization would do such a thing. It seemed more like something concocted and imagined by some occult enthusiasts on the street.

I hope I haven't been scammed...

Just then, two burly men walked towards him. They were clearly the type who were better at communicating with their fists. Felix sighed, and a silver glint flashed in his eyes. "Bang!" "Bang!" They fell to the ground without uttering a sound.

A few minutes later, the people who had come to help also failed to escape.

Felix searched the abandoned hut, the thick layer of dust indicating that the original owner had left long ago. He looked quite disappointed.

"A robbery gang... perhaps also involving kidnapping and extortion?"

This was the intelligence Felix had gleaned from these people's minds, which greatly disappointed him, especially when he learned that the flyers came from a nearby trash can—it was a double blow.

The truth is outrageous—

This place used to be a secret base for a group of occult enthusiasts. It may have disbanded due to the arrival of winter or other reasons. The flyers were casually thrown into a nearby trash can, where they were put to use by a passing robbery gang. They found familiar words on the flyers (drowsy, floating, waking up not knowing where you are...) and agreed that this description matched the effects of taking certain 'painkillers'. So they highlighted this sentence as a tacit code on the street to attract people in need.

This kind of hint was even given to Felix during his conversation with the drug addict. Unfortunately, Felix didn't notice at all and was instead drawn to the word 'magic' on the flyer, which led to the group's misfortune.

"I was even a little excited when I saw those two mystical symbols at the door," Felix said discontentedly, feeling that he had completely wasted his time and should be in his warm office at Hogwarts right now.

"What's the emergency number again... 999?"

Felix suddenly heard footsteps approaching from a distance and stopping outside the door.

"Is anyone there?" a young voice asked.

Felix blinked, opened the door a crack, and looked down, meeting a pair of gray eyes. The owner of the eyes was holding a flyer in one hand and a wooden stick in the other, looking at him timidly.

Judging simply from his clothing, Felix estimated that this man was not one of the previous thugs—in fact, he seemed even more terrifying to Felix, as evidenced by his constantly trembling hand.

"Is something wrong?" Felix mumbled from his throat.

He wanted to get rid of this person as soon as possible, and then make an anonymous call to the police... Hmm, maybe he could drag it out until tomorrow morning; he'd heard that sleeping on the floor was good for his back.

"Hello, is this the House of Magic?" the visitor asked cautiously, waving a flyer in his trembling hand. When Felix shifted his gaze from the flyer to the wooden stick, the hand holding the stick vanished from his sight. Unless Felix leaned out, he would definitely not be able to see it through the wall.

The visitor smiled awkwardly.

"What do you want?" Felix asked again, his face darkening and his voice rising.

"I, uh... I saw a flyer that said it could grant one wish to members..."

Felix paused, looked back at the ruins of the house and the escaped convict sleeping like a log on the ground, and said sincerely, "You're really lucky."

"So it's true?" a jubilant voice exclaimed.

Felix saw a pair of hopeful eyes, clicked his tongue, and became slightly more serious: "So? I suggest you finish what you have to say at once..."

A trembling hand was offered to him. "I...I play the piano. I injured my hand in an accident, and I hope to play the piano again."

Felix sized up the uninvited guest before him. This person had been sentenced to death by science, so he turned to, or rather, pinned his hopes on, the mysticism.

Frankly, he didn't think it was a smart move. Most wizards conscientiously abide by the law of secrecy and rarely interact with ordinary people. Among the few exceptions who have no such scruples, dark wizards make up the majority.

But this unexpected visitor has made things interesting, and perhaps this will be a day worth remembering. Felix thought.