Chapter 444: Gratitude
Chapter 444: Gratitude
The path back from the Black Lake to the castle was filled with laughter and joy. Felix estimated they would, as before, occupy the Great Hall for a celebration. The only difference was that the champions from the other schools were also following the crowd toward the castle.
"Did we achieve our goal?" Bagman said, standing beside him. "To teach the students the value of cooperation through competition."
"That doesn't sound like something you'd say", Felix smiled slightly.
"Oh, well... it was actually Barty's speech, which I found in his office", Bagman explained in a low voice. "I'm not very good at this, but if you need to liven things up... let's get back to the main topic." He suddenly became uneasy.
"It's about that... what do you call it, the Magic Projector?" He stammered, looking into the distance. Students were lining up and walking up the marble stairs into the castle, with occasional "pops" of explosions or red sparks shooting from someone's wand tip.
The projection screen by the Black Lake remained in place, with a few 'Future World' staff members bustling around it. These screens would be dismantled and stored in the temporary warehouse until the next use.
"Exactly", Felix said. The Magic Phonograph and the Magic Projector were not much different in terms of the magic used, but Felix hoped the projector could show regular movies.
He looked at Bagman, who wiped sweat from his forehead. "I know 'Future World' has the authorization to sell the images from the second project..."
Felix nodded slightly and said calmly, "Yes, there are plans for that. The Triwizard Tournament will generate as much buzz as the Quidditch World Cup, and there's no shortage of demand. The only issue is that Remus is trying to make the projector more refined. As Cremia puts it, more magical..."
"I can convince the Ministry of Magic to promote these images", Bagman said, his forehead glistening with sweat in the sunlight. "To persuade Fudge... he's having a tough time lately. He miscalculated; no one cares if the Ministry of Magic, under his leadership, facilitated another international potion collaboration. People want more exciting, eye-catching news, like the Triwizard Tournament. One of my colleagues told me that other countries have reprinted a lot of our reports."
"I don't intend to change the contract—"
"Oh, of course not, it won't affect you. I'm just suggesting it. Fudge will agree; he wants to shift the public's attention. You know, there are rumors going around the department... the Dark Mark... the old Barty's arrest, Scrimgeour is very upset..."
...
"Don't be a party pooper, Hermione. We're definitely going to have a good time", Ron said cheerfully.
Fleur and her companions had just left, coming to thank Harry. She kissed Harry on the cheeks, much to Ron's envy. Then the Wagadu champions parted the crowd, praising Harry's brilliant Patronus Charm.
Captain Nona Lebert even gave Harry an amulet, which looked like a hollow knot woven from leaves and twigs.
"It will protect you", Nona said firmly.
The other two Wagadu champions stood beside her, like guards. Harry had never been so close to them before; he suddenly noticed how tall they all were.
Harry took the knot and mumbled, "Thanks", then hung it on his clothes.
"It looks great", Nona said with a smile, and they turned to leave.
What followed was overwhelming for the three of them. One by one, the champions found opportunities to speak with them alone, just to say a few words. Even Graves, who looked rather sullen and shrewd, came over to talk. Harry had never had a good impression of him because he once tried to attack Hermione with a powerful spell, but surprisingly, he approached them on his own.
"What's going on today?" Ron asked, wide-eyed.
"It must be because of Harry's Patronus", Hermione thought for a moment and provided an answer.
"But I only cast one spell", Harry said, eyes wide. "They look at me as if I've done something incredible..."
"Oh, it's different, Harry", Hermione looked at him, her eyes half-admiring, half-regretful.
Harry looked back at her, somewhat confused.
“By the end of the competition, everyone was exhausted. If it weren’t for your Patronus, they might have all been captured by the merpeople. That’s a huge difference—between success and failure,” Hermione said. “I think that’s why they’re grateful to you.”
“So,” Ron was surprised, “we had a chance to far outpace everyone in the second task?”
“It’s just a possibility,” Hermione said sternly. “I suspect if that had happened, the other teams might have only scored half of what they did. But that’s just speculation, given that Harry has already made his choice.”
Harry scratched his head. He hadn’t thought about it that much; he just felt he had to do something in that situation, especially since Cedric and the others were in there too. Hermione’s words made him blush, but at that moment, Fred and George Weasley walked past them, and he gave them a look, following them.
“Hello, Mr. Bagman… Can we buy you a drink?” Fred and George Weasley said with a mischievous grin.
“Oh, well, kids… All right, let’s talk over there…” Bagman said, hurrying away with Fred and George, almost bumping into Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who slowed down and strained to listen.
“I’ll be getting some money soon, when? Today. So don’t worry, kids!” Bagman raised his voice and then disappeared with the twins into the Great Hall.
“Do you think they—oh, Professor,” Hermione said, looking at Felix.
Harry and Ron also greeted him. Felix nodded and smiled, saying, “Congratulations.” He added meaningfully, “You’ll become famous because of this competition.”
“Will we be in the newspapers?” Ron asked, intrigued. “I saw a lot of reporters, but they only circled around when we came out of the Black Lake, then turned their cameras back to the dignitaries.” He added sarcastically.
“It might be more than that,” Felix said with a smile. “You might start getting fan mail… I estimate, in a month or two?”
Harry and the others left, puzzled.
Later in the evening, Sirius burst into the office, “Felix, I need to borrow your fireplace. I almost forgot, I promised to help organize the equipment back at the school. Old Fernal can’t manage alone…”
“How’s school life?” Felix asked, sitting behind his chair.
“It’s okay,” Sirius said vaguely, hastily grabbing a handful of Floo Powder and tossing it into the fireplace. “Those mischievous students… they’re everywhere. Sometimes I really want to hit them with my wand.”
“Maybe that’s exactly what Dumbledore is worried about,” Felix said.
Sirius stared at him, stunned for a moment, then shouted, “You mean he’s worried I’ll hit the students? I wouldn’t—”
“I didn’t say anything,” Felix said with a smile, his tone teasing. “But you can’t think of yourself as a student anymore. Maybe you prefer the title of ‘student leader’? Want to become the head of Gryffindor House?”
Sirius made a rude gesture and disappeared in the rising green flames.
Felix refocused his attention on the Runic Tome lying on his desk.
It lay there quietly, flickering every few seconds as if it were breathing. Whether it was actually breathing, he wasn’t sure, but he knew one thing: the book was indeed growing.
At first, he had only wanted to organize the Runic Scripts he had learned. For convenience and out of habit, he chose the form of a book. Initially, the Runic Tome was completely intangible, with no physical substance, but then came the first page, the second page.
Felix murmured softly, “I should have realized it sooner. Quantity isn’t what matters. My understanding of Ancient Runes forms the skeleton of the book. As each Runic Script fills in, these scripts will find the optimal arrangement… Finally, it’s time to reap the rewards.”
His index finger gently traced the spine of the book, and the Runic Tome opened.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
