Chapter 257: Kettleburn's Reply
Chapter 257: Kettleburn's Reply
At the end of the banquet, Felix, wearing his cracker hat, stood up to leave. He noticed Hermione Granger hadn't left with her friends but had stayed behind.
"Is there something you need, Hermione Granger?" He thought Hermione might be looking for him.
"Oh, Professor", she hesitated, "I need to speak with Professor Mcgonagall."
"I see..." Felix nodded. "I'll be off then. By the way, I really like the music box you gave me. It doesn't seem to be a simple Alchemy Artifact, does it?"
Hermione's worried expression eased, and she said happily, "I brought it from home and re-cast it using the original mechanical structure. For the music part, I referred to the Parseltongue Scroll. The Runic Script circuits for storing sounds were quite useful..."
Felix understood. After the Chamber of Secrets incident last year, Harry had spent a few days perfecting his Parseltongue pronunciation. Felix had organized the corresponding syllables into a book and stored it in his Mind Chamber.
For a while, he had indeed seen Hermione studying the scroll on her own and asking him some questions about the crafting techniques...
Back in his office, Felix took some time to reply to a few letters. One formal letter caught his attention.
"It's from the Ministry of Magic."
Felix looked at the emblem on the letter, wondering what it could be about. Could it be about his memory treatment essay? But he had only sent it yesterday, and the Ministry of Magic usually didn't respond so quickly.
He opened the letter and first glanced at the signature at the bottom. It was from Walsh Sidwell of the Minister's Advisor Office. Then he read the content.
'Dear Mr. Heap:
Some of my colleagues have noticed that your new book, "Muggles' Magic", has been listed as a recommended read by the Ministry of Magic in twelve countries. Along with your two previous books on Muggle issues, this clearly demonstrates your deep understanding of the Muggle World. We sincerely invite you to give an internal lecture to the Ministry of Magic staff...
...
The tentative date is the first Thursday after the Christmas holiday, at 2:00 PM in Conference Room 2. If you have any objections or scheduling conflicts, please contact me promptly.
Sincerely,
Walsh Sidwell, Minister's Advisor Office.'
Below was a long list of departments that would be his audience if he accepted the invitation, including the Muggle Affairs Committee, the Muggle Liaison Office, the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Artifacts, the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, the Obliviator Corps, and other interested parties.
"Quite reasonable, these are all departments that frequently interact with ordinary people."
Felix thought for a moment. He was very willing to promote his ideas and wanted to learn more about the actual workings of the Ministry of Magic. Among the people he had dealt with, Fudge was a typical politician, and Umbridge was even more unpleasant. Kingsley Shacklebolt, on the other hand, was steady and competent.
As for the others, he either didn't know them or had only communicated with them through letters, making it difficult to form a clear judgment.
He took out a piece of parchment and wrote: Dear Mr. Sidwell, I am very pleased to accept your invitation. However, I would like to move the date to Friday, as I have no classes that afternoon...
After sending the letter, all he could do was wait. In the last few days of the holiday, he didn't spend time in the library or in his office studying Runic Script artifacts. Instead, he developed a new habit.
He always kept a few Runic Script symbols, no larger than a pinky finger, close at hand, often fiddling with them. He even tried to maintain this habit while eating and sleeping.
At his level, simply increasing the number of Runic Scripts was no longer very effective. The Ancient Runic Scripts he had learned from many ancient texts and alchemy items were not deeply understood.
He decided to take some time to organize his knowledge. Completing a book on Runic Script would be far more valuable than learning hundreds of new practical Runic Scripts.
He also visited a few experts in Ancient Runic Script—his friends in this field were few and far between, and even his closest friend, Toffey, had limited knowledge in this area.
In Felix's view, he might as well pretend to be an alchemist and mingle with the alchemy community. Nicolas Flamel had introduced him to a few people, and he had written a few letters expressing his interest in exchanging ideas. However, the conversations gradually fizzled out because their areas of focus were entirely different, making the exchanges feel awkward.
Alchemists were more concerned with the selection and mixing of alchemical materials, as well as the integration of different properties. A rare formula could fetch an astronomical price or become a closely guarded secret. They also paid attention to alchemical formulas, especially unique methods of achieving specific functions.
Felix exchanged some knowledge with them and kept the correspondence at a low frequency.
He wasn't in a rush. If there wasn't a suitable community, he would create one himself. Of the students who graduated last year, about eight or nine still kept in touch with him, and the one with the surname Vera was the most enthusiastic.
She had become a Curse-Breaker at Gringotts. Being a Curse-Breaker was a dangerous and serious profession. They could be killed by ancient curses, poisons, or curses during their work, but the rewards were also substantial.
Crema Vera wrote to him, telling him that she was currently working in Egypt, where there were numerous ancient tombs and historical sites, and her colleagues were friendly.
She even discovered a practical application for Runic Script—many ancient defenses and traps relied on alchemy, and practical Runic Script, compared to other alchemical symbols, had superior magical performance and could carry more magic. Therefore, it was often chosen by ancient wizards as the core of their defense and counterattack systems.
During a recent mission, Vera unexpectedly found a practical Runic Script hidden in the decorative patterns of a pit. She used it to avoid a sinister curse and was subsequently promoted to a full-time position.
Felix was generous with his advice. In his reply, he suggested that for some alchemical traps that were not highly aggressive but difficult to solve, she could try setting up a Runic Script circuit to draw out the magic and quickly drain its energy.
...
On the other side, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were not idle. Since Hagrid wrote to Professor Kettleburn for help, they visited Hagrid's Hut every day to check on the progress.
Having something to do also indirectly reduced Harry's resentment towards Hermione. He knew she meant well, but having his new Firebolt confiscated by Professor Mcgonagall to check for dark magic and curses, while he had to endure the old Nimbus, left him feeling deeply aggrieved.
It wasn't until just before the start of the school year that Hagrid finally received a reply.
"Go on, Hagrid, read it!" Harry said impatiently.
Hagrid tore open the letter and cleared his throat, "Hagrid, I'm glad to hear from you. I feel sorry for Buckbeak's situation, but I'm afraid I can't do much. I have no connections at the Ministry of Magic. You can't expect a man who was held back 62 times and only got a honorary promotion before retiring to have many friends, unless you want to make a couple of troll friends—"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione's expressions were strange, a mix of disappointment that Professor Kettleburn couldn't help and amusement at his self-deprecating humor. They looked like they were trying hard not to laugh, with Ron's eyebrows nearly reaching his hairline.
"Then what do we—"
"Wait, there's more", Hagrid said, "I'll continue—however, I recommend someone to you. He has enough influence in the field of magical creatures, and coincidentally, he is very interested in Hippogriffs, supposedly due to his mother's influence. I've included his address, and you can write to him soon. I'll also write a letter explaining the situation. Yours faithfully, Silvanus Kettleburn." Hagrid finished reading the letter and looked up at them.
"Who is it? Who did he recommend?" Hermione asked, her voice hoarse from a recent cold.
Hagrid lowered his head again and read the name at the bottom of the letter, eyes wide, "Newt Scamander."
(End of Chapter)
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