Chapter 665: Easter Break
Chapter 665: Easter Break
For Felix, Easter break meant taking care of some important matters.
The Future World Company, which had grown significantly after the war, now had over a third of its workforce made up of new faces. He took advantage of the holiday to meet these new employees, many of whom were humanoid races.
"According to your requirements, we've hired six or seven employees from each category: Sirens, Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies. We even have two Trolls, though no one is willing to live with them", Lupin said, his eyes circled with dark bags but his mood quite cheerful. "Most of them are Half-Bloods and can use wands, making communication much easier. I've assigned them the task of suggesting improvements to our existing products and promoting them in various communities—mostly through barter."
Felix nodded.
"What about Centaurs and Mermaids?"
"Progress has been slow. Centaurs are quite exclusive, and Mermaids, well, Half-Blood Mermaids are rare, and even if they exist, they don't often venture into the Wizarding World", Lupin explained.
"Oh, I see. Any interesting stories?"
"The Werewolves are quite in awe of you", Lupin said with a smile, noticing Felix's surprised look. "Didn't you recruit some Werewolves in Hogsmeade? They saw you transform and were amazed. Now the news has spread."
"…They don't think I'm a Werewolf, do they?"
"Indeed, a small group of Werewolves do believe that", Lupin said with a peculiar expression. "But after the press conference, those rumors lost traction. Many foreign potion experts stayed in Britain and formed several loose circles to study the magical structures of Werewolves. Healers suspect that many incurable diseases are related to magical distortions in the body, leading to various hypotheses."
"Very lively", Felix said, satisfied.
He spent a week at Sword Castle, visiting each room. The House-elves welcomed him warmly, showing that they genuinely enjoyed their work environment and communal living. He even saw Dobby, who, despite being one of the closest House-elves to Felix, still participated in the actual work. Unlike Wizards, House-elves generally consider idleness shameful.
Even Dobby only asked for a small salary, never shirking his duties.
"Sir, we have prepared a gift for you", Dobby said in a high-pitched voice. The little elves moved aside to reveal a massive Easter egg, large enough for a House-elf to live in. Each shell was inscribed with a House-elf's name in chocolate.
Felix expressed his gratitude multiple times.
"I have a gift for you as well", he said, and from his ring, hundreds of circular chestnut wood pieces flew out. Each piece was inscribed with golden text, bearing the name of a House-elf and phrases like "Outstanding Employee", with the backside featuring an engraving of Sword Castle.
...
Harry and Ron completed the first step of the Animagus preparation a few days before the holiday. They hid the crystal vials at the edge of the Forbidden Forest and diligently cast the spells morning and evening.
The benefits of Animagus transformation on Transfiguration were circulating among the students, leading to a consensus that one must learn the Patronus Charm before becoming an Animagus.
Professor Flitwick adapted to this idea and covered the necessary knowledge in the last class before the holiday.
"I heard Professor Flitwick plans to include the Patronus Charm in the professor's spell repertoire", Ron said.
"Practicing that spell isn't easy", Harry replied, recalling his own struggles with the Patronus Charm. Even excluding himself, others had practiced for months, but only a handful managed to master it.
"There's always a way", Ron said optimistically.
"What about Hermione?"
"She might be with Valen. Without the professor around, Valen is even more unruly. We could go for a walk outside the castle, maybe we'll spot a Niffler and a beaver..."
"Or we could watch an animated film, the one I told you about last time!"
"Maybe later. I need to work on Quidditch strategies. We lost a match because I was in the Hospital Wing for two weeks, and the scores are tight. The next few matches are crucial", Harry said after some thought.
“Didn’t Dumbledore give you extra lessons during the holidays?”
Harry shook his head.
“Headmaster Dumbledore said he had some family matters to attend to.”
“Family matters!” Ron’s eyes widened. “He has only one relative left, doesn’t he?”
“Right,” Harry said softly. “Aberforth Dumbledore, the owner of the Hog's Head.”
“That’s a pretty rough place to spend the holidays.” Ron shook his head, pretending to sigh.
...
During the holiday, Felix visited the Ministry of Magic. Madam Bones, intrigued by recent rumors, looked up from a stack of files over her monocle.
So, Felix transformed one of his arms into a werewolf’s arm and, in front of her, shattered a cup.
“That was my favorite cup!” Madam Bones raised an eyebrow.
Felix shrugged, restored both his arm and the cup, and lazily teased, “I thought you liked this puzzle on the wall more.” Because he spoke the truth, he was promptly shown the door.
Before leaving, Madam Bones told him something.
“Agumbad wants to meet you.”
“The new chairman of the International Confederation of Wizards?”
Madam Bones nodded, handed him a card, and a faint magic flowed through it.
Felix showed a hint of interest.
“I see. But not now. Maybe during the summer.”
“Suit yourself. We’re all busy,” she said, eyeing Felix with a hint of envy. “Maybe I’ll consider teaching at Hogwarts after I retire. At least you have time to do research...”
Felix wasn’t pleased. He pulled his right hand off the doorknob, deciding to show this woman the true extent of his workload. His leisure was entirely the result of squeezing every moment out of his day.
So, when Tonks knocked and entered, she saw their Minister buried under a thick stack of parchment, massaging her forehead in pain. Felix was holding a teacup, urging her on with a smile, occasionally commenting on her work.
“Efficiency, Amelia, efficiency! You’ve only graded one hundred and three assignments, and by the end of the day—” he glanced at the time, “you’ll probably finish two hundred.” For some reason, Madam Bones’ normally expressionless face was twitching, her nostrils flaring.
“Tonks!” Madam Bones jumped up, asking seriously, “Tell me, how is the situation now?”
Tonks looked at her boss blankly.
What did she mean? She had nothing to report; she just wanted to take a day off. Things had been quiet lately, and she wanted to go home early to spend some quality time with her partner.
Madam Bones’ sharp gaze, through her monocle, fixed on Tonks like a hawk.
“I think... it’s probably serious?” Tonks said slowly, her tone wavering. Madam Bones’ lips curled into a smile, which she quickly suppressed. “I see,” she said solemnly. “I’ll go handle it immediately.”
She walked out with a steady, determined step, exuding a decisive and commanding presence.
Tonks stood there, her mind filled with questions. Turning around, she saw that Felix had already packed up the student assignments and was standing in the fireplace, green flames licking at his cheeks.
Felix, looking like a victor, waved at her. “I don’t mind if Remus takes the occasional day off.” Then he disappeared, leaving Tonks stunned. Now that everyone was gone, who would approve her leave request?
Midway through the Easter break, Felix finally returned to school.
After some thought, he appeared directly in the Chamber below the castle. The environment was still poor, dimly lit, with a faint smell of decay and must in the air. The ground was littered with traces of his magical practice. Felix spoke a sentence in Parseltongue, and the mouth of the Salazar Slytherin statue slowly opened, revealing the space inside.
Hundreds of creatures that existed only in imagination emerged from it.
Felix examined them. These ‘Runic Creatures’ were not quite living beings, at least not in the same sense as the Sorting Hat, which possessed true intelligence. He hoped to create genuine life forms, not entities that required a special environment he had to painstakingly create.
As Chamber Magic slowly radiated from his body, the Runic Creatures, which were not fully adapted to their surroundings, became more lively. Felix extended his hand, and a Swift, its body ablaze with golden-red fire, landed on it, jumping around in his palm.
Felix stroked his chin.
“Ancient Runes as the medium, Memory Nodes to lock in memory fragments—hmm, this is like a low-grade Wizard body and soul, but each part is just a bit off…”
Suddenly, the Swift’s body dispersed, the fire swirling into a golden-red vortex in front of Felix. Felix gazed at the scenes flashing through the fire, or perhaps ‘records’ would be a more accurate term. The Swift lacked the necessary emotions, and its reactions were all within Felix’s expectations.
A moment later, the fire gradually subsided, coalescing into a warm Wizard Chess piece before him.
As days passed, Felix began transforming the Chamber into an amusement park. The memories were already in place; the challenge lay in gathering the materials. With a secret intention in mind, he didn't make a big fuss but instead tirelessly visited over a dozen locations.
During this time, he also went to Newt's place to learn how to integrate different environments.
By the end of the holiday, the Chamber had expanded a thousandfold, divided into over a dozen different terrains and entertainment areas. The ceiling had been raised, and Felix sat on a swing hanging from a cloud, looking down at the natural landscape below.
A winding river connected all the different terrains, starting from a snowy mountain and flowing down a thousand feet to a plain surrounded by vast forests, swamps, deserts, stone forests, and lakes.
The only thing missing was real life.
But Felix could create Runic Creatures. After completing everything, he watched contentedly as the Runic Creatures ran across the landscape below. In the lower left corner of his view, there was a vacant area, a bare stone floor with a clear boundary from the grass.
This area was reserved for the Flight Valley, though he hadn't yet obtained the necessary materials. Still, it was about 80-90% complete, and he could improve it over time.
On the last day of the holiday, Felix sat on the stone steps in front of the castle, gazing up at the moon.
He heard rustling nearby and smiled.
"Valen, Hermione Granger?"
Two heads emerged from the grass, one belonging to a Niffler and the other to a beaver. The beaver immediately pulled its head back. A witch appeared on the spot, and Hermione, dragging her feet, walked out, discreetly beckoning to Valen.
Valen pulled a wand from its pocket and handed it to her.
"Um... Professor, what are you doing?" Hermione decided to skip the topic that made her uncomfortable and asked first.
Felix stared at the moon. "I was thinking about finding some building materials... but never mind, it seems a bit dangerous."
"Building materials?" Hermione looked at him in confusion, then followed his gaze to the sky. Her expression was a mix of understanding and disbelief. "You want to go to the moon? That's, that's just—"
She realized she couldn't keep up with the professor's train of thought.
"Thinking about it is fine", Felix said, suddenly intrigued. He adopted the tone he usually used when discussing magic. "Do you think it's possible?"
Hermione fell silent.
Valen looked up and around, then jumped onto the steps, staring at the bright moon with intense curiosity. It had been to many places with the Dark Lord but hadn't been to the moon yet. The moon was so small, what was there to see?
"Professor, what's the longest distance you can Apparate?" Hermione asked suddenly.
"I've never tried, but probably a few thousand kilometers", Felix replied. The longer the Apparition distance, the more dangerous it became. He wasn't that reckless, but traveling from one country to another was generally safe. Apparating from the UK to France took just one jump, while reaching the US required two or three stops.
"In that case", Hermione took a deep breath, "it might be possible. I remember the distance from Earth to the moon is about 380,000 kilometers. If you can survive in a vacuum, it would only take two or three hundred Apparitions—Professor, do you know about vacuums and cosmic rays?"
"Yes", Felix glanced at Hermione.
"Good. If you really plan to... go to the moon, you need to be fully prepared", Hermione said awkwardly. She wasn't sure why she was discussing such an outlandish topic so seriously, but perhaps it was because he really might be able to do it.
"I remember Muggles have books describing the environment outside the atmosphere. Everything must be done step by step; any reckless or hasty actions could have serious consequences. Professor—I don't want your name to be recorded in some strange way, like that fool who tried to fly to the moon on a broomstick—"
Her tone grew more urgent and stern.
"I understand, I understand", Felix said dismissively.
"This isn't a joke!"
"Ah, it's my fault. I promise, I'm just thinking about it. I have no plans for a long journey right now."
"Professor, swear it!"
"Uh... it's not going to be a magical contract, right? That wouldn't be good..."
(End of Chapter)
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