Chapter 391: Persuasion
Evening had fallen.
Felix erged from the Great Hall after finishing his dinner and was intercepted in the corridor by the anxious Cedric and Roger Davies.
"Weather magic? That's quite an obscure branch of magic," Felix looked at Cedric with so surprise.
"I think it's well-suited for the first task," Cedric said with clarity. "When you can't overpower, you can try circumventing with tactics like concealnt, obscuring sight, and the like. I found a spell in the library these past days, Fog Veil. It can create a mist out of thin air. That way, I won't need to rely on the combination of the Aguanti spell and the Exploding Charm anymore."
"Are you thinking of delving deep into this?" Felix thought carefully for a mont and then spoke slowly, "It's not a bad idea, but keep in mind that dragon flas can counteract mist. Have you considered that?"
"Professor Flitwick gave
so advice. He said the essential spells for dragon tars are Extinguishing Charms, specialized magic to extinguish the flas of dragons."
Felix nodded approvingly. "That's true, but it requires a lot of practice."
"Exactly. The spell is quite challenging. We're not sure if we can reach the proficiency of those dragon tars before the tournant. So, we need a backup plan. In the Room of Requirent, we've been studying dragons extensively, learning the specifics about each breed. Collins ca up with an idea—"
"Why isn't she here?"
"Oh, uh, she confiscated a batch of unauthorized badges and is filling out forms…"
Felix nodded slightly. "Go on, what's her idea?"
"Professor Sprout's Greenhouse Eight inspired her. You know, there are a total of seven greenhouses in the school. Counting the virtual one in Room of Requirent, that makes eight…" Cedric explained. "Professor Sprout's mory replica has conjured nurous rare magical plants, but the rarer they are, the more… peculiar they tend to be."
He carefully selected his words. He, Roger, and Collins had tried once and were soundly taught a lesson by the powerful and odd magical plants inside. Devil's Snare, Whomping Willow, Blackthorn, Exploding Berries, Spurt, and countless others they didn't even recognize.
It was only when Sprout's mory replica ca out that they were rescued. Roger Davies had been swallowed by a giant umbrella-like plant, leaving only his legs flailing outside. Though they knew he wasn't in mortal danger, the experience left them quite shaken.
This experience made Cedric a bit wary of their usually cheerful head of house.
However, precisely due to that morable challenge, they instinctively leaned toward that direction as they studied dragon lore and thought of strategies.
"Professor Sprout was a bit reluctant," Cedric took out so blackish clumps from his pocket, "but she still gave us so precious Blackthorn seeds."
He looked at Roger Davies beside him. "Roger knows Growth Charms and is decent at potion-making. Following Professor Sprout's thod, we can cultivate a batch of fast-growing Blackthorns."
"The only drawback is that this approach can't beco a standard thod against opponents. Blackthorn seeds are precious, and using potions and Growth Charms damages their original structure, causing them to wither quickly."
Felix pondered for a mont in his mind. Wasn't that similar to what his little assistant had in her bead bag? Her bag even contained so Devil's Snare, though it was processed with ancient runes.
Felix thought quietly for a mont and then looked at the two of them.
"I originally planned to cover this part during the weekend, explaining the mutual restraints and cooperation of spells, testing the spells you excel at, devising strategies based on your strengths, and then practicing repeatedly using the advantage of Room of Requirent. But since you've already developed your own ideas…" Felix pulled out a piece of parchnt and quickly wrote down the nas of a few books and a string of spells.
"There's so material on weather magic here. You can take a look." Suddenly, he frowned and retracted the extended piece of parchnt. "I digressed a bit. When it cos to expertise in weather magic, apart from the tent rchant, Newt Scamander cos to mind."
"Mr. Scamander?" Cedric and Roger Davies looked at him curiously.
"Ah, yes," Felix's expression beca reminiscent. "He and his wife live in Dorset. I visited them once during the holidays, and that's where I learned this. They have a massive underground chamber expanded with Undetectable Extension Charms. It's filled with magical creatures from all around the world that need care."
Cedric and Roger Davies blinked, seemingly realizing sothing.
"As you might know, different magical creatures thrive in different environnts. For this reason, Newt has divided the area into multiple sections, each with distinct terrain and weather. There are volcanoes, pools, thunderclouds, dense forests… It's not vast, but it's incredibly comprehensive."
"We completely overlooked this!" Cedric exclaid with excitent. He glanced at Roger Davies. Both of them seed to have had the sa idea: they were itching to go to the Room of Requirent right now.
As they left in their excited state, Felix pondered, realizing he hadn't paid much attention in the past few days. He hadn't expected these young champions to be so proactive. Were Harry and the others the sa way?
Were they also working hard behind the scenes?
He pursed his lips, good students with initiative were a joy to teach. He began to look forward to tomorrow.
However, tonight he had an important eting to attend.
Late at night, the darkness was profound, shrouded in a misty haze.
The November night was already quite cold, especially on the exposed mountaintop where the wind howled and trees swayed like ghostly shadows.
Felix Harp sat on a bare rock, ntally calculating the ti of the full moon. Unbeknownst to him, the ti had passed eleven o'clock.
"Psst!"
Suddenly, a figure erged, wearing a hood and a valuable fur-lined cloak.
Felix glanced at the stranger. "Lucius, your cane looks quite exquisite."
"It's a wand."
Lucius lowered his hood, speaking deliberately. His pale blond hair looked silver-gray in the night. He exhaled a cold breath, eting Felix's eyes and shivered unexpectedly, emitting a muted groan.
"Legilins?" he said irritably.
"Relax, I don't usually resort to such rough thods. But given that you seek to collaborate with , I need to test your capabilities first… It's the foundation of any cooperation."
Lucius frowned.
He realized sothing was amiss. Prior to this, or more accurately, before the Quidditch World Cup, his attitude toward Felix had been neither too warm nor too distant. Except for representing a few pure-blood families at Sirius Black's brother Regulus Black's funeral, where he attempted to integrate a dazzling new star into his group, he had not taken any significant actions.
Unfortunately, that attempt had failed.
However, later on, Felix had subtly indicated his willingness to collaborate. His style of speaking at that funeral was quite familiar to Lucius. In his imagination, Felix was preparing to enter politics and join the Ministry of Magic. Of course, he wouldn't bother with ordinary positions; it would have to be the Minister's position, likely even the seat Fudge held.
To beco Minister of Magic, one would inevitably require support from a portion of the families. And Malfoy had the power to sway a significant number of people's attitudes.
But that wasn't the only possibility. Because at so point, Felix's personal influence had beco extrely far-reaching. Lucius gazed at Felix with his astute, calculating eyes. He had a vague sense that Felix was emulating soone.
Dumbledore!
Sa academic achievents, sa impressive abilities, sa fondness for Muggles, and even—both beca professors at Hogwarts, nurturing generations of students inclined toward them.
The only difference was that Felix also opened a company, managed by that werewolf.
How could Lucius not know who Lupin was? A mber of the first generation of the Order of the Phoenix. For Felix to employ soone recomnded by Dumbledore, what did that signify?
Carefully savoring the implications behind Felix's words, beads of fine sweat ford on Lucius Malfoy's forehead in the cold wind. He contemplated for a while, then smoothly spoke, "You must have misspoken, Mr. Harp. It is you who seeks to collaborate with the Malfoy family."
"Oh, really," Felix said softly. "It seems you're not aware of how perilous your situation is. Putting aside your despicable conduct at the Quidditch World Cup, even though I'm quite tempted to cast a hex on you… Let
remind you of sothing—the diary."
Lucius Malfoy's face turned ashen in an instant.
"Mr. Harp, I fail to understand your aning."
"There are certain matters I won't divulge, as they involve your son and my students. In this regard, our intentions align." Felix said, "However, I need you to be clear about where the danger lies, so you won't remain oblivious during the reckoning."
"The Chamber of Secrets has nothing to do with the Malfoy family, even less so with Draco." Lucius tightened his grip on his splendid wand. "Moreover, that person is already dead!"
Felix gazed deeply at him. "If you wish to believe that, feel free. But it doesn't stop you from pondering it when you have spare ti. Now, allow
to tell you a story, about a clever young wizard who—coincidentally—had the sa hair color as you…"
"...and thus, he triumphed over one of Voldemort's Horcruxes—the diary that contained his precious mories." Felix didn't ntion Horcruxes, but Lucius's face had already drained of color. "As a professor at the school, I saw through the malevolence of that dark magical object and destroyed it without hesitation. In doing so, together with this astute young wizard, I protected all the students in the school, particularly those from Muggle backgrounds."
"A splendid victory, wouldn't you say, Lucius?"
>
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