Chapter 707: During the Wedding - (1)
Felix and Bill stood in front of a tall wooden house not far from the wedding tent. The house was about twenty to thirty feet high, constructed from tree trunks with their branches trimmed off, leaving only the top part of the canopy, making it resemble a green mushroom.
This temporary dwelling was prepared for Hagrid's brother, Grawp, but now there was a large hole in it.
"Grawp couldn't find the door when he woke up this morning," Hagrid explained, as if that was all that needed to be said. He busied himself dismantling the damaged wood and replacing it with new logs. Tying a handkerchief the size of a tablecloth to the edge of the door, he showed Grawp how to use it.
The giant pinched the handkerchief between two fingers, pulling it back and forth, causing the door to swing open and closed.
"He's quite smart," Bill commented.
"Yeah," Hagrid said proudly, "Grawp can count up to twelve now."
With his thick fingers, Grawp counted each log, grunting, "One, two, three… ten," and when he reached ten, he added two more, "Grawp eleven, Hagrid twelve."
He touched his head and chuckled.
"Not bad, Hagrid," Felix said. "He's got a lot of potential. But we need to move the house first."
"Go ahead," Hagrid agreed cheerfully. "I think I can get Grawp to count to seventeen by associating names with numbers, but no more," he added, his face darkening, "he tends to miss one or two names."Suddenly, Grawp positioned himself in front of the house, roaring, "Grawp—want—house."
"It's just temporary," Hagrid replied loudly. "We'll give it back tonight." He looked uncertainly at Felix, "You can use that—what's it, the spell that makes objects smaller, right?"
"I'm planning on using a different spell," Felix said vaguely, "more portable and definitely more fun." He looked at Grawp, "Excuse me, please." The giant hesitated, recalling the incident with the three-headed dog, and reluctantly moved aside, sitting down with a thump that shook the ground.
Felix circled the hut, looking for the right angle, then the structure began to spread out like silver gauze. The wood's color blurred, and the lines on its edges became more pronounced, turning into a three-dimensional painting. With a push, the painting flattened into two dimensions and gently landed in Felix's hand. He rolled it up and handed it to Hagrid.
Hagrid unrolled the canvas in disbelief, Grawp's eyes bulged, his head resting on Hagrid's shoulder, mumbling incoherently.
"You can do this now?" Bill asked in surprise.
"Ancient Runes combined with other magic, quite interesting, isn't it?" Felix asked.
"It's like my memory's been tampered with," Bill said casually. "I never thought Ancient Runes would turn out like this—Are you still in touch with Professor Babbling?"
Felix hesitated, "She says I turned her leisurely vacation busy." However, his former Ancient Runes professor was full of praise for Felix's management of the Ancient Runes Society, seeing it as a way to get back at her detractors.
"The old codger's avoiding me now," she wrote proudly in her letter. Felix wasn't sure if she was referring to Creme's grandfather or the previous president—or perhaps both.
Felix conjured a top for Grawp to play with, and they walked towards The Burrow on the soft lawn, with Hagrid waving at Grawp, holding the rolled-up canvas.
"Be careful, Hagrid, magic might disrupt its structure," Felix warned. Hagrid's movements instantly became gentler.
Passing through a patch of sandberry trees, The Burrow came into view. Bill hesitated.
"Felix, I need to talk to you about the goblins."
Felix looked at him, waiting.
"I worked at Gringotts for a while; I understand them, or at least I thought I did. When not touching on sensitive topics, wizards and goblins could potentially be friends. Like wizards, goblins vary individually, both good and bad."
Felix knew Bill wasn't just talking about this, "That's not surprising, sentient beings' personalities and emotions are always more complex."
"Exactly," Bill agreed, then continued, "A goblin friend of mine told me the Brotherhood of Goblins chose a new leader. They're dissatisfied with goblins too readily agreeing to join the Pan-Magic Alliance and with wizards threatening to reveal goblin magic secrets. Also, goblins aren't just in Britain; Gringotts is worldwide, as are goblins. They balance differing opinions through an elder council
. The previous negotiations involved only about a third of goblin elders."
"You mean they're divided, and the trend is clear?" Felix pondered for a moment, "Do they plan to do anything soon?"
"Not that I know of," Bill said. "But once our negotiations with the Muggle government conclude, they're likely to act."
"Then we'll keep an eye on it," Felix said. "Even if it's a powder keg, it's for the future. Unlike the ongoing government talks, goblins have joined the Pan-Magic Alliance. The head of the Goblin Liaison Office, Dirk Cresswell, will pacify them. I can't spare the time right now—if nothing unexpected happens, I'll be going abroad after the wedding."
"Abroad?" Both Bill and Hagrid exclaimed. Bill's eyes sparkled with thought, "Related to the last-minute guests Sirius brought? They're from the International Confederation of Wizards..."
"Hmm," Felix didn't elaborate, "Compared to overseas issues, goblin troubles seem minor. The goblin issue isn't insoluble; it's just not immediately resolvable. We can pretend to threaten a split at the negotiation table, but implementing it would undoubtedly lead to turmoil and chaos in the wizarding world, not worth it at this juncture."
His message was clear: prioritize, with goblins falling into the latter category.
As they walked through the freshly watered garden, Mrs. Weasley stood at the window with a long list, her sharp gaze scanning back and forth. Hearing the door, she approached, unable to hide her anxiety, "I feel like we're still missing something."
Bill opened his mouth to speak, but a white figure leaped into his arms—it was Fleur. She stepped back, twirling in her white dress, which rippled like water, her silvery hair the perfect finishing touch.
"Do I look beautiful?" Fleur asked.
"Stunningly so," Bill replied, and Fleur beamed, though Mrs. Weasley's smile faded. Felix pointed at the floating banners and purple lanterns in the corner, "I think it's because of this, Molly. Some of Harry's birthday decorations weren't cleared away last night."
"Oh, right," Mrs. Weasley said, flustered.
Hagrid followed Felix into the crowded living room. "Hello, Charlie," Hagrid greeted warmly. Charlie, the second Weasley child, worked with dragons in Romania. Hagrid was fond of him, perhaps because Charlie had once helped him significantly.
"How's Norbert?" Hagrid asked.
"Norbert?" Charlie chuckled, "We now call her Norberta."
"What—Norbert's a girl?"
"Yes," Charlie said. "It's hard to tell with young dragons. As they grow, it becomes easier. Like the Ukrainian Ironbelly I recently acquired; it's ballooning up..." He looked at Felix, who waved and sat next to Lupin.
"They do grow fast," Hagrid murmured, recalling his dragon-rearing experience.
As Felix sat down, Lupin leaned in eagerly, whispering, "Can you spare some time to visit the office after the wedding? It shouldn't take long."
"What for?" Felix whispered back.
"I think... it worked," Lupin struggled to hide his excitement. The Delacours were puzzled but soon distracted by Mr. Weasley's jokes.
"What worked—oh!" Felix looked at Lupin. He mimed a shape with his mouth.
"Ancient magic to control werewolf transformations," Lupin said, his voice trembling slightly. "Maybe it was the alcohol, but after Harry's birthday party, returning to the sword castle, I had a strange feeling. I tried it, and it went smoothly to the last step, but I didn't dare go further."
"No problem, let's do it tonight," Felix pondered. He was happy for Lupin; after five months, he finally saw a glimmer of hope. Lupin's work had given him a foundation in Ancient Runes, highlighting the difficulty of this magic.
He understood Lupin's urgency—ideally, testing on a full moon night is best, but the significance of this magic was too great for Lupin, making half a month's wait unbearable.
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