Chapter 625 Quidditch Selection
When Felix Harp returned to his office, it was already late, and the sky had turned ink-black.
Valen the Niffler yawned in boredom while making the tip of his exclusive wand emit colorful sparks. It couldn't comprehend why that guy who blew up the little snake could perform such incredible feats with an exclusive wand. Clearly, its gemstones were more valuable.
Upon seeing the Dark Lord push open the door, Valen imdiately rushed to his shoulder, chattering non-stop.
"You can't compare him to Fawkes," Felix said. "Fawkes hasn't touched magic for so many years, so even with a new exclusive wand, he still heavily relies on the built-in magic in the gemstones..." He glanced at his desk, where there were several letters, and the table was cluttered with owl paw prints and cookie crumbs.
Valen patted his chest, indicating that he entertained a guest.
"Good job," Felix remarked.
Felix walked to the desk, sat down, and opened the letters. After a quick scan, the first two were from Mrs. Bones and Lupin. Surprisingly, Rita Skeeter had also written to him.
The letters generally introduced their recent situations, with Mrs. Bones being the most concise since she had been writing frequently.
"... Everything is fine. Today, Sirius sent
a puzzle set, claiming it's a Muggle pasti... rlin, doesn't he think I look busy enough?" The following paragraphs were about Sirius, ntioning his new job, but mostly complaining. Apart from expressing regret that she couldn't catch him before the school year started, there was little else of note. "There's more than one gathering intelligence, but I lack soone completely trustworthy. Rumors are spreading in the departnt that I'm preparing a comprehensive reform plan, but I feel more like a puppet. Felix Harp, you scoundrel, you never told
you expanded 'Future World' into the Muggle society, seven branches in total!"
Felix grinned; after days of correspondence, Mrs. Bones seed to be getting acquainted with him – possibly learning from Sirius. Felix made a ntal note of that. He picked up his quill to reply.
"Alia, those seven shops don't fit into the future plans. The employees have no idea their boss is a shape-shifter, and it would severely demotivate them if they found out. Regarding the staffing issue, I do have so suggestions. If it's for secrecy, I suggest you modestly expand the Muggle Affairs Departnt. The reasons are readily available: outdated laws can't keep up with the changes in the tis, and extensive information gathering is needed for their revision..."
Valen slapped his chest, indicating he entertained the guest.
"Well done."
Felix continued to the next letter from Lupin. As Felix looked at the densely packed tables, it was evident that all the exclusive wands sold were approved by the Ministry, except for one exception – Mrs. Arabella Figg. Dumbledore had specifically written a plea for her. However, it wasn't necessary, as Felix imdiately understood when he saw her address on Privet Drive. The Muggle Affairs office two streets away was overcrowded, and many parents were coming with a try-it-out attitude. In short, it was quite lively. The business was officially declared as "retraining skills," and Felix wondered who ca up with that term.
"Arthur is very happy lately. His son Percy beca the youngest supervisor in the departnt, even younger than the late Chester Denton, of course, Denton is already a thing of the past. His death is still a mystery, with no Death Eater admitting guilt... Percy negotiates and prepares materials with magical departnts of fourteen countries every day, very busy. Penelope says he plans to learn two more foreign languages, surpassing Mr. Crouch. I think it's a challenging task..."
Felix happily wrote back.
However, when he opened Rita Skeeter's letter, his mood soured. This woman was asking for money, claiming credit for the popularity of exclusive wands. Felix disagreed; he didn't rember expressing such sentints. So when Felix recounted the letter to Valen, not only did he gain an ally against her, but Valen also enthusiastically offered to help write a response. Felix agreed with a smile.
After reading the lengthy rebuttal spanning two parchnt pages, without changing a word, Felix added a minor remark at the end – the Ministry had money, and there were opportunities for extra inco recently. But one must keep their mouth shut; otherwise, the consequences would be more severe than dealing with illegal Animagi.
Having finished these tasks, Felix stretched and walked to the window.
He stared at the distant castle, Forbidden Forest, and the dark silhouette of the mountains, but his thoughts were on the branch that had split from Voldemort's mories. It was too early to call it a "branch"; at best, it was a small tributary. Without Felix's help, it wouldn't exist.
The cool night breeze brushed his face, bringing the scent of lush vegetation. Valen climbed up his leg and handed him a Chocolate Frog, looking at the shimring black lake under the moonlight. Felix tore open the packaging and bit off the Chocolate Frog's head.
The sweetness and bitterness of chocolate lted on his taste buds. He examined the Chocolate Frog card, revealing an angry woman with black long hair, wearing half-moon-shaped glasses. She held a huge sign that said, "Ban Suppression Charms."
Felix glanced at the witch's na on the card: Carlotta Pinkstone. He paused; wasn't she the radical activist? He flipped the card to the back, confirming her identity:
Carlotta Pinkstone (1922-Present)
Advocate for abolishing the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, activist informing Muggles about the true existence of magic. Ms. Pinkstone has been imprisoned multiple tis for openly and deliberately using magic in public places.
If he rembered correctly, this person would be released this year, a year earlier than Barty Crouch Jr. Felix planned to keep an eye on the recent newspapers; there were less than four months left until the end of the year.
Felix yawned, rubbed his forehead, and as he returned to the bedroom, he noticed the tower lights of the Headmaster's office were still on. It seed he wasn't the only one unable to sleep tonight. He wondered if the school would rapidly replace the new Dark Arts Defense professor.
It turned out Dumbledore persuaded Grindelwald using so thod. The following classes were all about the silent curse. However, Felix didn't believe that Grindelwald was purely interested; that's why he subscribed to those Muggle military magazines.
This wasn't baseless worry; Dumbledore had once considered handing him a live map, probably fearing the old man would sneak out and bring back a full set of Muggle military equipnt as teaching aids.
Perhaps, it wouldn't be long before the curriculum progressed to the section on "how to identify and defend against small firearms." Even so parts of the syllabus didn't need Grindelwald's attention; Felix had provided detailed information in "Magic in the Muggle World."
Due to the requirents of the silent curse and wandless manifestation of magical runes, students could be seen everywhere staring at a plant or their food with a flushed face, lost in thought. If observed closely, their expressions would shift from determined to vacant.
Felix saw similar scenes almost every year, but he still found it amusing. Those students seed like programd entities, with almost identical expressions. Felix felt tempted to write to the Weasley twins, providing ideas for their new products.
The silent curse wasn't a specific spell but an entire set of spellcasting techniques used in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, and Transfiguration classes. The sudden strict requirents frustrated sixth-year students severely, making them feel as if they were back in the last two months of fifth-year O.W.Ls exams.
"I must be in a nightmare," Seamus complained loudly. "Silent curses, ancient magical runes requiring wandless casting, and in Herbology, we have to deal with tentacles squirting sticky liquid..."
After two days, the students finally realized that there was no easy subject in the sixth-year advanced class. Especially the silent curse and wandless manifestation of magical runes, neither could be mastered in a short ti. Professor Harp claid in the fifth-year class that he had prepared a large detention room for students who failed to et the requirents and didn't write essays.
"It's true," Luna said to Ron on the Quidditch stand on Saturday.
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