Chapter 342: The Lantern Festival and an Accident
Chapter 342: The Lantern Festival and an Accident
They followed the lantern-lit path back to the campsite, where everyone took out various magic lamps from the large tent and piled them into a small mountain.
"Except for those two 'big ones,' the rest are all here", Cremi said.
Lupin smiled and said, "Felix, your plan still shocks me. I've been waiting for today." Cremi looked at him with anticipation.
Felix shrugged and pressed his wand to his forehead, a thin, silvery light emerging from the tip.
"Hisss~"
Felix gritted his teeth and muttered under his breath, "The model is too intricate; it's a bit difficult to pull out. It feels like scooping a spoonful of... something from your brain."
Cremi gave him a disapproving look; the professor's description was too bizarre.
Felix extracted a long, silvery strand of memory from his mind, coiled it into a ball, and held it in his palm. Then, he extended his hand, and golden and silver threads wove together in the air, forming a hexagonal snowflake-like open corridor. In the center of the snowflake corridor, a palm-sized vortex swirled continuously. Felix waved his wand with the other hand, and one by one, the magic lamps flew into the vortex, disappearing in a blink.
Under their watchful eyes, the snowflake-shaped structure, about seven feet tall, gently floated up, rising into the air and expanding until it occupied half of the campsite. Then, Felix pointed his wand downward, and the snowflake structure plummeted. Cremi let out a scream but found herself standing in a magnificent corridor a second later.
In the corridor, variously shaped magic lamps flickered in and out of sight.
Next, Felix cast a Levitation Charm on himself, lifting him up to about forty feet in the air. In the darkness, he looked like a giant kite, swaying gently in the wind.
From his vantage point, he pointed his wand, and one corner of the snowflake corridor extended outward, connecting to the path leading back from the stadium.
Felix descended from the air, "Alright, almost done. Let's spend a bit more time making adjustments—"
"Professor Hup, what kind of magic is this?" Cremi asked from the other side of the corridor's railing.
"Hmm, how about calling it the Room of Requirement... Mind Chamber?"
"Room of Requirement Mind Chamber." Cremi pondered the name; it sounded strange, but when her hand passed through the corridor's pillars, it made more sense.
...
The Weasleys, Harry, Sirius Black, and Hermione were pushed forward by the surging crowd, squeezed together until they finally had some breathing room after leaving the stadium. They continued walking, discussing the match's outcome heatedly.
Small goblins flew overhead, carrying golden or green lanterns, cackling in the air.
"The Irish Chasers were amazing, no, everyone was fantastic, working together seamlessly. Bulgaria had only one standout, Krum, but their teamwork was problematic, really problematic", Charlie commented.
"Their sportsmanship isn't great either. Look at their number of fouls", Ron said.
"Ron", Charlie said, "reasonable fouls can disrupt the opponent's rhythm, especially when they're on a roll."
"Charlie, I disagree", Mr. Weasley said. "The game should be clean. No elbowing or dirty tricks should be allowed. The referee should blow the whistle whenever they occur..."
"Dad, you said it yourself, just a whistle, not a red card. To win, some people even cast dark spells. I've seen it happen a lot in school."
Mr. Weasley and Charlie argued back and forth, until Charlie finally said, "I wish the game could be completely clean, but it's impossible to eliminate such things."
Hermione yawned widely, and Mr. Weasley noticed her fatigue. He said gently, "Back at the campsite, we can have a cup of cocoa, which will help you sleep... Trust me, it will be noisy tonight."
Ginny was so tired her eyes were almost closed, tugging on Hermione's sleeve as they walked. "Are they planning a bonfire party?"
"Ha! It's not impossible", Mr. Weasley said. "The match ended too early, and people aren't satisfied. Most of them are prepared to stay for three to five days... Just wait, it won't be quiet tonight."
They noticed the noise ahead had subsided, replaced by a chorus of gasps. "Look over there!" Hermione's eyes widened.
On the path leading to the campsite, an open corridor had appeared, adorned with various lanterns that illuminated the intricate patterns and designs.
"What is this?" Ginny, suddenly wide awake, tiptoed to get a better view.
"I don't know..." Mr. Weasley looked puzzled. "Is it something the Ministry prepared?"
As they approached, they realized the corridor was an illusion. A mischievous child kept darting back and forth between the railings, giggling uncontrollably. Another older boy hid behind the carved pillars, thinking his family wouldn't find him.
His father and mother watched the little one helplessly, playing along. "Little Leo, where are you hiding?"
The boy covered his mouth, his eyes curved into a crescent moon.
"It's clearly related to Professor Hup", the Weasley Twins pointed to the magic lamps hanging in the corridor. "These are products from Future World. Let me show you—"
He reached out and his fingertips passed through a palm-sized lion-shaped magic lamp. "Hmm? Is this an illusion too?" But then, they realized it was a game. A line of golden text appeared in the air, a word puzzle.
'Which letter is an animal?'
"Oh, that's too easy", Fred muttered. "It's the letter B, for bee." As he spoke, the lion-shaped magic lamp made a clicking sound, detaching from the green vine and falling into his hand.
Gryffindor opened its eyes, arched its back, and a pair of small wings sprouted from behind. It flapped and flew around Fred, letting out a babyish growl, "Awooo~" and spat out a white light ball.
The light ball projected a shadow of a castle, along with a line of small text, 'Future World — Headquarters in Diagon Alley, UK.' The shadow flickered for a few seconds and disappeared, leaving only the milky white light ball, emitting a bright light.
"Wow", Fred marveled, "Looks like those guys have added some new features."
"Is it Mr. Heap's 'Future World' company?" Mr. Weasley asked with interest. He had been listening to the Weasley twins talk about it at the dinner table and had learned quite a bit about the company.
"Exactly", Fred said.
Mr. Weasley blinked, "So, girls and boys, are you still sleepy?"
"Oh, Dad, we at least need to get a little magic lamp for ourselves!" Ron shouted, his words met with a chorus of agreement. It was clear that the riddles weren't too difficult, and everyone had a chance.
Inside the 'Future World' tent, Felix held a small model of a corridor in his hand, his eyes gleaming with a silver light. He seemed to have heard their words, and a smile curled at the corner of his lips.
The Weasleys searched for the riddles, with Ron boasting, "I'll guess ten!" But soon they realized the problem. Only the first riddle was relatively simple, and the difficulty increased sharply on the second try.
Hermione held a miniature lion magic lamp, standing in front of a fire dragon magic lamp the size of an owl, which was energetically spewing 'breath' all around. About seven or eight people were watching.
Harry approached, and Hermione's riddle was a logic puzzle. The dozen names on it made his head spin. He read it twice but still couldn't understand the meaning.
"Do you know the answer?" he asked Hermione, who was deep in thought.
"Oh, don't bother me, I'm almost there", Hermione said. Her wand drew strange symbols in the air, which looked like Latin letters to Harry. He pushed through the crowd and wandered down the corridor, where he ran into Mr. Barty Crouch.
"Hello, Potter."
"Hello, Mr. Crouch", Harry said stiffly, remembering that Crouch had argued with Sirius Black earlier that afternoon.
Barty Crouch's eyes gleamed with a peculiar light, as if he were appraising a treasure. "Follow me, Potter, I need to speak with you."
"What?" Harry asked, surprised.
"It's about Sirius Black. Someone has filed a lawsuit against him for attacking Knockturn Alley during his escape", Crouch said coldly.
"But the Ministry of Magic has already cleared Sirius Black! He's innocent!" Harry said angrily.
"That's only because no one has pursued it", Crouch said impatiently, reaching out—
"Let go of Harry!"
A roar echoed, and Sirius Black rushed from behind, pushing Barty Crouch away and drawing his wand, pointing it at him. "Old man, what do you want with Harry!"
Their conflict drew the attention of a group of foreign fans. Crouch nodded at the two and left without a backward glance.
"What's going on?" Sirius asked.
"I'm not sure. He said someone has filed a lawsuit against you and wants me to go with him", Harry said.
"How—how can that be!" Sirius exclaimed, incredulous. "I'll go and find out!"
"Don't go", Harry pulled Sirius back. "Don't go, Sirius. He's a high-ranking official at the Ministry of Magic—"
"I'm not afraid of him, let go, Harry!" Sirius said angrily.
"Sirius, I don't want to lose you again", Harry said.
Sirius lost all his strength, his fingers trembling. "Alright, let's go back to the tent. You and I need to talk. That Barty Crouch is up to something!"
Seeing that he had convinced Sirius, Harry nodded in agreement. "I think so too. I have a theory..."
...
Fudge looked at the suddenly appearing corridor building and couldn't help but ask the staff beside him, "Whose idea was this? Why didn't I know?"
A Ministry of Magic staff member said, "It's the 'Future World' company. They applied to host a lantern festival, and we approved it. But, well..." He looked at the massive structure hesitantly. "We didn't expect it to be this big."
"Felix Hep's company?" Fudge asked. He didn't mention confidentiality; the commotion caused by a hundred thousand people earlier that afternoon was much bigger, and it was now late at night, in a remote area, with minimal risk.
The only nearby Muggle family should be asleep, and if they weren't, the Ministry of Magic staff would ensure they were.
He was more concerned about whose company it was.
The staff member nodded.
"So when did they... set this up? It wasn't there when we were watching the match", he said, using his thick fingers to draw a large circle, encompassing the building in his line of sight.
The staff member said, "I asked the colleagues on duty. They said—" His tone became hesitant and puzzled. "They said it appeared suddenly. They were on duty, and then a building descended from the sky..."
Fudge was silent for a moment, then waved his hand. "Leave me alone, I'll take a walk." He walked down the corridor and soon saw fans guessing various riddles. In some hidden corners, fireworks would suddenly explode, often revealing a box of candies or various small souvenirs, all labeled with the 'Future World' company name. Among these, the most eye-catching were things called 'animations.'
It's clear that when a certain number of children gather, the corridor projects a series of images, somewhat like connected comic strips, but far more captivating—coherent plots and intriguing stories that even he couldn't resist watching for six or seven minutes until the animation ended.
At the end of the animation, a line of small text appeared: "This product is under development and will be completed in the next three to five years. Stay tuned." Following that were the company name and address.
Fudge walked forward with a mix of emotions, finally reaching the end of the corridor—a hexagonal clearing. He realized that the place he had come from was just one of the six extending corridors.
People from different corridors converged here, chatting and laughing, holding various small magic lamps.
"Big Brother Uriel, can we meet Mr. Heap?" an energetic voice asked. She was a young witch with bright golden hair.
The young wizard called 'Big Brother Uriel' smiled and said, "I'm not sure, but we'll definitely see him at Hogwarts this year. Bethany, where's your brother?"
The young witch sighed, "Byers is obsessed with word puzzles. He insists on getting a second magic lamp, not thinking that with a hundred thousand people here, it's impossible for everyone to get one. How could it be that easy to get a second one?"
Uriel laughed and said, "I actually hope he succeeds, so I can trade for a Thunderbird-shaped magic lamp with him."
Bethany pointed to the clearing, and a giant fire dragon suddenly appeared. It was a black Hungarian Tree Bee, with a menacing appearance and a length of seventy feet, causing a stir among the crowd.
Below the fire dragon stood a young witch. Cremi excitedly waved her wand, making the Hungarian Tree Bee move. It glowed all over, which was why people didn't immediately run away. They recognized it as a fake, likely a giant magic lamp.
The fire dragon flapped its wings, rising from the ground and soaring through the low sky. People from different parts of the camp looked up, the fire dragon resembling a large light bulb, radiating a milky white glow.
"Welcome to the Magic Lantern Festival presented by Future World", Crema Vera said excitedly.
The Hungarian Tree Bee shot a fan-shaped burst of light into the sky, like a brilliant firework, and the crowd erupted in applause.
"Is this an adult fire dragon?" Harry asked, wide-eyed, outside the tent. He wasn't unfamiliar with fire dragons; in his first year, he had seen Hagrid's Norbert and helped Ron and Hermione take it to the Astronomy Tower, where Charlie's friends took it away.
"Yes", Sirius Black said, "if you encounter one, stay far away."
"How dangerous are they? I know Ron's brother Charlie raises dragons in Romania", Harry asked.
"Dangerous?" Sirius Black repeated, then said seriously, "They can stomp you to death with a single step or burn you with their fire. Remember, their fire is magical. Without sufficient knowledge and professional training, don't try to challenge them."
"Are spells ineffective against them?" Harry's mouth dropped open.
"Well, if your spell hits their scales, it's mostly useless. Even on their skin, you need to aim precisely and cast repeatedly in the same spot. You can also use tricks, like deception or attacking weak points. The easiest is the Blinding Hex, but you need a lot of luck."
Next, they watched a performance with the fire dragons. Soon, a second fire dragon appeared, slightly smaller, a Peruvian Vipertooth with bronze scales and a raised black spine.
The two fire dragons fought, biting and circling each other, flying and diving. Then various magical creatures appeared: Phoenix, Chimera, Unicorn, Flower Fairy, Thestral, Hippogriff, and Horned Serpent. However, the audience didn't realize that these animals were actually constructed illusions.
Inside the Future World tent.
Felix hid inside, controlling the unique performance. Lupin sat beside him, curious, and asked, "Why aren't you at the scene, but leaving it to Vera?"
Felix rolled his eyes, "I signed a confidentiality agreement, so I can't reveal the Triwizard Tournament projects. I can't have people linking me to the fire dragons, and I need to control the scene."
He flicked his fingers, and in the "sand tray", five or six Mooncalves quietly appeared.
Lupin was taken aback by his answer, "The fire dragon-shaped magic lamps have sold quite a few, and you're pretending to be uninvolved?"
Felix explained seriously, "I just agreed to one of your designs for the magic lamps."
The performance lasted for two hours, longer than the Quidditch World Cup final. Finally, Felix, feeling a bit tired, notified Vera. After she announced the end of the performance, the magical creatures and the snowflake-shaped corridor that occupied half the campsite gradually disappeared.
Cremi and Alik ran back, their excitement evident.
"Professor, Alik has distributed all the flyers. We prepared five thousand, but it wasn't enough. Many people had to just note down the company name."
"Hmm, looks like the company won't be short of orders for the next year or two", Felix said. "Remember to include a brochure with the shipments, featuring some of the products still in development. It's also a form of advertising."
Cremi sighed, "I can imagine how busy it will be then."
"You've decided to stay, Vera?"
"Of course", Cremi smiled. "I'm looking forward to what the company will be like in five or ten years."
...
As the Magic Lantern Festival drew to a close, the campsite grew quiet. A few stragglers sang raucously, and occasional minor scuffles broke out, but for a campsite of a hundred thousand people, it was nothing out of the ordinary. The Ministry of Magic staff handled any issues quickly.
Around three or four in the morning, a faint stir began.
(End of Chapter)
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