Chapter 333: Wagadu Witch
Chapter 333: Wagadu Witch
Half an hour later, they set off on camels into the desert.
Hermione had a good impression of Clemi. During a casual conversation in the tavern, when Felix mentioned that Hermione had never ridden a camel before, Clemi took them to the local market and rented three camels. Hermione chose a light yellow one. Then, Clemi helped her pick a large sun hat and a pair of Martens boots. Once she put them on, Hermione felt a bit strange.
However, she politely declined Clemi's recommendation of "local cuisine", which didn't look very appetizing.
Before her lay an endless sea of sand, with dunes gently blending into one another. She quickly lost her sense of distance. Looking back, she could still see the buildings of the city in the distance. The sun grew hotter, and when there was no wind, the air felt like a giant steamer.
Suddenly, a pleasant coolness spread from her skin to her fingertips, and she snapped back to reality. In front of her floated a small, square box on a chain, looking like a pendant box. She reached out to grab it, feeling no chill, and turned to see Felix nodding at her.
"I only brought one; it's a new product from the company, still in the testing phase", he explained. "But it can cover a twenty-foot radius." He called over Clemi, and the three of them walked side by side. Clemi marveled at the small device.
"We have similar magic in our tents, but it doesn't work inside the pyramid."
Wearing the pendant box, Hermione felt more alert. She was fascinated by every detail they passed, like the plants growing on rocks in the sand or a large gecko that suddenly darted out. They even saw a gray snake.
After about an hour of walking, the three arrived near a tall pyramid. In the shade, they could see about seven or eight tents, surrounded by scattered equipment, looking like a small archaeological team.
Felix's mind raced. "You have the support of the local government?"
Clemi smiled. "We have official credentials recognized by the government, but it's just a cover." They reached the tent camp and tied the camels to wooden stakes. Two people emerged from the tents, dressed to blend in with the locals. Felix also noticed some tourists taking photos nearby.
"This is Faisal Abdul Iz Kampachi Duyum—uh", Clemi looked at the man, awkwardly asking, "What comes after that?"
The young man mumbled, "Just call me Faisal."
Clemi whispered to them, "Faisal's name has four parts, each equivalent to a full name. I wanted to introduce him formally..." but she couldn't remember due to lack of use.
A middle-aged wizard with a brown cloak over his shoulder said, "Just call me Rahman." He extended his hand and shook Felix's.
After some small talk, they agreed to enter the pyramid at two in the afternoon. "We're waiting for someone from headquarters", the middle-aged wizard explained.
Clemi led Felix and Hermione to the back of the tent. "Professor Hup, you can stay in Bill Weasley's tent. He's taken his personal belongings with him. Hermione and I will share a tent, and we can chat."
"Bill Weasley isn't here?" Felix asked, suddenly remembering that Mrs. Weasley had mentioned her two sons—Bill and Charlie—would be back in a few days. Sure enough, Clemi gave a consistent explanation.
"He's on leave; the Quidditch World Cup is starting soon, and most of the camp has taken time off to go home", Clemi said. "Otherwise, you could catch up with your old friends. Unfortunately, I'm not interested in Quidditch, so I stayed behind."
Hermione's eyes sparkled at the mention of Bill Weasley. "He's Ron's older brother?"
Felix nodded. "That's right. He works as a Curse-Breaker for Gringotts here." He then looked at Clemi. "Ron is the youngest of the Weasley boys."
For the rest of the time, Clemi took out a thick notebook and asked all the questions she had accumulated. Felix answered them quickly, but Clemi's mood was not great. She gave Hermione a meaningful look and found an excuse to take a walk nearby.
In the tent, Clemi told Hermione, somewhat dejectedly, "Gringotts has hired a new graduate from Ravenclaw. Her Runic Script scores were particularly high."
"Who is it?"
Clemi mentioned a name, and Hermione remained silent. She had seen the person's scores during the year and knew they were not among the top graduates. It seemed Clemi had graduated too early to benefit from the new teaching methods and the Professor's innovative classroom.
"Did you know the Professor started a new company?" Hermione asked tentatively.
"I'm not sure", Clemi hesitated. "When did this happen?"
"Probably recently. The company is called 'Future World.' Professor Lupin—oh, he used to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts and now manages Future World—told me the Professor wants to transform the wizarding world", Hermione said mysteriously.
"Transform the wizarding world?" Clemi was taken aback.
"I guess it means changing wizards' lives", Hermione said uncertainly. "I saw the magic lamp and this little thing", she lifted the chain of the pendant box around her neck. "I think the Professor must have studied Muggle technology in depth. It's very evident in his books..."
They chatted excitedly, Clemi's expression alternating between excitement and doubt. Meanwhile, Felix walked around the large pyramid, seeing tourists from different countries, though not many. He even helped a family take a photo, earning seven grateful thanks.
In an inconspicuous hidden corner of the pyramid, Felix sensed traces of magic. 'This must be the entrance,' he thought. However, he was more curious about the magical environment in Egypt.
From his observations, at least twelve people seemed to be Wizards—this was normal, after all, Cairo was the capital of Egypt. What puzzled him was that five of these twelve were dressed as witches, wearing exaggerated clothing and selling various mystic items, such as amulets and voodoo dolls.
Of course, those so-called mystic items had no trace of magic, otherwise, the witches wouldn't dare to parade around so openly.
A pair of tourists passed by him, and Felix overheard a snippet of their conversation—
"I heard... the Gypsy Witch's divination... is very famous..."
"Really? We have to try it!"
Felix's eyes blinked, and he followed the two people to a tent with a striking appearance. A long queue was forming in front of it. Felix waited quietly and soon heard many stories about the Seer named Seyvara.
It was said that her crystal ball and tarot card divinations were particularly accurate, and many people traveled long distances just to meet her.
Although the queue was long, it moved quickly. Many people entered and left within half a minute, looking dejected.
An experienced person nearby explained, "This is because the person's fate is too obscure, and the witch is unwilling to exert much effort to help them." However, no one left because they thought the witch was incompetent; instead, they believed her even more.
Felix was also curious. He switched to his magical vision and saw a faint, obscure aura inside the tent, indicating that the person inside was a genuine Wizard.
Wagadu... divination...
Felix pondered. Africa indeed had a branch of divination magic, the Seers, but from what he knew, this type of divination magic was not much better than dark magic, often involving physical harm that was difficult to recover from, and the results were not always accurate.
He found it incredible that a witch would perform divinations for ordinary people and even openly engage in business.
He glanced at the long queue behind him and was somewhat astonished. Was she not afraid of suddenly dying the next day? Or being taken away by the Ministry of Magic?
When it was his turn, about an hour had passed. A calm female voice called from inside the tent, "Come in." Felix entered, and the scorching heat outside was blocked out. The air inside was thick with the scent of incense, making him feel drowsy. He looked at the witch, who had several small incense burners around her and a clutter of mystic items, most of which had no magical aura. The few items that caught his attention were the Gypsy Witch herself, the crystal ball in front of her, and... her purple hair.
Indeed, under Felix's vision, the magic radiating from the witch's hair was as brilliant as her own.
"We need to conduct a test. I won't waste the hard-earned spiritual energy on—on—" She suddenly stammered, and the witch, who had been putting on a show with half-closed eyes, abruptly opened them.
Under Felix's and her gaze, a strand of hair on the witch's head suddenly broke and burned in mid-air.
Her voice, which had been calm and emotionless, now became soft and urgent, "Wizard friend, I have a legitimate license and the Ministry of Magic's approval. Please don't cause me trouble..."
"Clang!"
Felix tossed her a small bag of Galleons. A few golden coins rolled playfully on the table, sliding off the edge and into the witch's hand.
"Will you accept this?"
"Of course, big business." The witch examined the Galleons in her hand and weighed the bag on the table, saying with experience, "At least fifty Galleons. You must be a—cough—noble heir from Europe?"
She scrutinized Felix's appearance, pausing slightly on his black hair and blue eyes. Before he could answer, she stood up, stepped out of the tent, and spoke to the crowd outside, who gradually dispersed.
"Alright", the witch returned with a light step, stretched, and wiped her face, instantly removing the thick layers of makeup to reveal a young, brown-skinned face.
She looked to be in her early twenties.
"You're not a Gypsy Witch?" Felix said with a laugh.
The witch huffed, "There are only Wagadu Witches here, no Gypsy Witches."
"I come from Britain—"
"Close to what I guessed." She took a bite of a pear.
"I'm a professor—"
"Crunch... Hogwarts?"
"Invited by Crema Vera—"
The witch finally put down her half-eaten pear, "You mean Clemi? That Gringotts girl who pretends to be on a scientific expedition?"
Felix smiled and nodded.
"Since you're introduced by a friend, I won't cheat you", the witch patted her chest and said, "Riphedin, that's my name." She added, "My real name."
"Riphedin", Felix mused over the name, "Does it mean... a prodigy of the ages?"
"Doesn't it?" Riphedin said, "I chose it myself. When I was a child, I traveled with a Gypsy circus. One day, in a dream, a Dream Messenger told me I was chosen to study magic at Wagadu. When I woke up, I found a stone with inscriptions in my hand."
"Standard admission process."
"Exactly, but I was young and thought I was a chosen one, so I gave myself a nice name and eagerly awaited my grand debut. When I got there, I found out that nearly a thousand people were admitted in the same batch..." she said with a self-deprecating laugh.
"Why did you choose divination, then?"
Riphedin scratched her head. "Maybe it was influenced by my childhood. I didn't choose the strong subjects of the Wagadu tradition—Transfiguration, Potions, Alchemy, and Astronomy. Instead, I chose the obscure divination. But I am indeed a prodigy, and I improved this highly dangerous dark magic."
"Using hair as the casting cost?" Felix asked. Compared to the original methods that often involved serious bodily harm, this improvement was indeed clever.
"Exactly, but I only have so much hair, so I have to be careful. Do you have any good shampoo recommendations?"
"Hmm... I know someone whose Phoenix Egg Shampoo is quite good, but you probably can't get it. The Potter Family's is also good—"
"I've heard of the latter", Riphedin said.
"Since you've improved Wagadu Divination magic, could you make a prediction for me?" Felix asked softly.
Riphedin shook her head hurriedly. "No, no, I can't make predictions for wizards."
"Is the cost too high?"
"See that burning hair? Before I graduated, I wanted to make a prediction for the Headmaster. The result was the same." Riphedin made a burning gesture. "My teacher pulled a handful of my hair and told me that if I made predictions for powerful wizards, I would risk my life!"
She picked up the pear again. "This was her final lesson for me. After that, I graduated. Later, I realized that it was hard to find a job, so I thought, if making predictions for wizards is too costly, what about ordinary people?"
"So you chose to work here, making predictions for tourists?"
"Pretty smart, right? I carefully select my subjects and make vague predictions. Some people's fates are easier to predict. I also use these items as a disguise; Muggles recognize this stuff..." She pointed to the various mystical items in the tent. "It cost me 2000 Egyptian pounds in total."
"Less than a hundred pounds, indeed cheap. But you mentioned earlier that you have permission from the Ministry of Magic—" Felix was very curious if this violated the Secrecy Law and exposed the magical world.
"How should I put it?" Riphedin looked at him with a troubled expression. "I know the Secrecy Law, right? But the situation is different in every country..."
She bit into the pear pit and waved her hands, speaking indistinctly. "In Africa, mysticism is very popular, and it's hard to tell what's real and what's not. People are used to it, and they don't find it strange. I was even invited by a Tribal Chief to share my Rain Prayer experience."
"You can do Rain Prayers?"
"They can't either! I just show a little trick, and we praise each other, and I get a decent amount of gold."
Felix was amazed. He had never seen or heard of such things in the black market. They chatted for a while, and just before leaving, Riphedin called him back.
"Are you the help Clemi called for?" she asked cautiously.
"How did you know?"
"This incident was quite big. The person almost didn't make it. I took a look, and their face was swollen like a coconut, overgrown with weeds..."
She looked at the Galleon on the table and bit her lip. "Since you've paid me two months' income, I'll take a look—though I won't make a prediction for you! Don't even think about it!"
"Then what do you mean?"
"Call others, the companions you'll enter the Pyramid with. The weaker, the better."
Ten minutes later, Hermione sat in front of Riphedin, who had changed back into her Gypsy Witch attire, her face painted with colorful patterns.
"There are only the three of us here", Felix said with a smile.
"This is a sign of respect for magic", Riphedin replied seriously.
Hermione timidly asked, "Professor? What are we going to do?"
"Divination, child. I'm going to make a prediction for you." Riphedin's voice was calm and distant, reminding Hermione of the school's eccentric Divination teacher, Trelawney.
Are all divination practitioners cut from the same cloth?
Riphedin carefully examined Hermione. "I need a strand of your hair... You have a lot, but the quality isn't great." She suddenly reached out and yanked a few strands of hair. "Ouch!" Hermione cried out, glaring at her.
"Don't worry, don't worry. I'll give you a pear later", Riphedin reassured her. She twirled Hermione's hair, the brown strands writhing and gradually solidifying into silver where they touched Riphedin's fingers, like silver threads.
When the tips of the hair strands also solidified, Riphedin released them. The hair fell like fragile porcelain, shattering upon touching the black velvet surface of the table.
Riphedin held her breath, carefully observing the powder, occasionally flicking it with her fingers.
"Strange..." she said.
"Hah, that's not surprising to me", Hermione muttered, reaching up to rub her head.
"No, what's strange is that your silhouette is hidden in the mist, not very clear, but... it's not unprecedented." Riphedin shrugged. "Don't worry, you'll be safe this time, at least you will be."
"You're really putting me through it", Hermione said with a sarcastic expression, feeling a bit sorry for her hair.
"You're welcome." Riphedin demonstrated a face-changing technique in front of Hermione, who was so stunned that she forgot to refuse the pear Riphedin offered.
On the way back, Hermione asked about Riphedin's background. Felix gave a brief explanation. When they returned to the camp, they saw a small, suit-wearing figure, about three to four feet tall, with pointed ears.
If not for the different skin color, Felix might have thought it was House-elf Dobby. But it was actually a Goblin from Gringotts.
(End of Chapter)
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