The next day, it rained heavily at Hogwarts, dousing the morning fog in the Forbidden Forest, while leaving everything within sight gray and dull.
Niffler shrunk into a basket bed that is covered with a fine sponge and velvet sheet. Since yesterday, when she knew that she would be staying at Hogwarts for a long time, she refused to go into the space inside the pocket watch and moved her bed out when Felix wasn't looking, then she hid the silver pocket watch away, and later Felix can't find where she had put it even after he sorted through her collection again.
Of course, he did not seriously look for it, he can't always keep her inside - before there was nothing he could do when they're out of the house.
Somehow, her collection got enriched - silver fork, which should be the tableware of Beauxbatons; the crystal ball emitting light, Felix looked at it left and right before recognizing it as the one from Nicolas's former residence - the first time he saw it, the top was covered with dust, but now it is clean and smooth.
When Felix looked at Valen, she carefully blew a breath and rubbed the surface of the crystal ball with her small hand to make the interior more visible with clarity and brightness. In addition, there are also some miscellaneous new objects, presumably also collected while Felix was not paying attention, thermostatic pendant, badger-shaped magic lamp, flint case, gray hourglass, gold necklace - oh, this Felix knows it, he changed it with golden galleons, the reason is to find out how dark the Gringotts Goblins actually are, to find how much galleons mixed with sand and other minerals, the result well ... he suddenly wanted to rob the Goblin race.
He remembered having read a book about ancient goblins, which described in detail the extravagant life of the top ten families of goblins, all kinds of details written vividly as if the wizard who wrote the book lying on his stomach in the goblin burrows to check it out.
In his description, these goblin families are comparable to the Malfoy of today's magical world.
It's hard to say who the wizard who wrote the book had more ill will towards, but Lucius Malfoy certainly wouldn't have liked to let the metaphor circulate.
It had been a week since the Quidditch World Cup had ended, and in that time Lucius had not given him any response. Felix is in no hurry, these pureblood families will choose a good day to even send invitations, let alone to bow down and submit to him from now on.
In addition, the Ministry of Magic has not given up on tracking down the escaped hooded wizard due to public pressure, so I guess the matter will have to drag on for a while.
But Felix only intends to wait until Christmas this year, if Lucius does not respond by then, he will have to collect the debt.
Right now, Niffler Valen has taken a fancy to the Ring of the Ouroboros Snake, which is kept on his workbench, and at the same time she also adores the silvery memory stone basin, but last night Felix taught her a new lesson.
The new lesson in summary - Her little Pocket should be used to hold her favourite things, and anything that is not that precious should be kept in the office, which is also her home and hideout.
Since then, she has learned the truth that the cunning Niffler should have three caves(hideout) ...
There is also the fact that it cannot steal other people's things, otherwise, Felix will cast a spell to seal up her little pocket and will also give her treasures away in front of her. Then there is an additional reward if she behaves well.
After many days of education and coercion, Niffler Valen raised her three pink fingers and swore to heaven in the name of her two little brothers.
"Rumble!"
A lightning bolt cut through the gray sky and illuminated the figure of Felix standing in front of the window screen. Niffler Warren raised her head, squirmed her body to climb onto Felix's shoulder, and looked out with him at the thick curtain of rain.
They listened to the sound of the pouring rain, the thin, blown away haze of rain hitting their faces, which is cool and refreshing.
Felix tilted his head slightly to the side and said with a grin, "Don't wear that necklace in the future, it's too ugly." Niffler also turned her nose away, her dark little eyes despising his aesthetics.
Eleven o'clock in the morning.
By this time, the Hogwarts Express would have departed King's Cross station, spewing out steam and heading towards the Scottish Highlands.
Felix appeared in the Headmaster's office, where Professor McGonagall is sitting on the sofa and discussing with Dumbledore about the reception of the four wizarding schools during the tournament of champions.
"... Madame Maxime and the students of Beauxbatons will be arriving in a carriage, and they can be housed at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and the people of Durmstrang will come by boat and can be housed close to the Black Lake ...," Professor McGonagall pursed her lips, "but the other two schools are not easy to arrange, although Uagadou does not mind living in the forbidden forest, as they can turn themselves into small animals-"
"Minerva," Dumbledore propped a hand on his forehead, "Ilvermorny will use the Portkey to cross the continent and will disguise themselves as a travelling group, they can be accommodated near the Quidditch pitch, and as for Uagadou, they won't be here until later... ..."
"Later than scheduled?" Professor McGonagall asked, "How many days later?"
"That's the problem." Dumbledore said, gesturing for Felix to find a place to sit down as he said with some distress, "They're planning to travel all the way over here."
Professor McGonagall looked at him in surprise, "Albus, what are you talking about, they're literally in Africa!"
"Yeah, I know, and I've been there a few times, especially hoping to try the dream messenger job -" Dumbledore said with a smirk: "Tell the young wizards in their dreams that you've been accepted, and then leaving a notice behind. "
"Dumbledore--" Professor McGonagall looked at him sternly.
"Oh, yes ... where were we? The people from Uagadou use the journey as a training exercise, they've always had that tradition, but going from Africa to England is something that has never happened before."
Professor McGonagall's expression grew serious, "Albus, this shows that they take this competition very seriously, I can almost imagine what kind of honing those children have gone through on the road, compared to them, our students can't even pronounce the incantation properly."
"Minerva, don't get carried away." Dumbledore smiled and said, "I always thought that our students are not that bad. Isn't that right, Felix?"
Felix looked up and laughed, dismantling the stage, "Albus, I just got back from Beauxbatons, and their students have been informed of the Tournament in advance, and they are using the summer break for special training."
"Uh ..." Dumbledore was dumbfounded as he looked at Professor McGonagall, and sure enough, she said indignantly in a loud voice: "Look at that, Dumbledore! Other schools are preparing, and we?! Having a happy time over the holidays, the students don't even know that their Quidditch match is cancelled this year."
"Minerva ..."
"... I've been trying to talk to you about this for a long time, and it turns out that you can't be found at all, just like a hands-off manager." Professor McGonagall's chest constantly heaving, obviously exasperated, at the thought of Hogwarts students will be hung up and beaten, her heart stuffed tight.
Felix, who was watching the fun, looked away sheepishly, thinking about Lupin, to whom he had left a whole load of work.
'Is Remus in the same mood as Minerva?'
"Minerva," Dumbledore obliged to appease his Deputy Headmistress, so he said, "I have made arrangements, and Felix is here today for that matter."
"Really?" Professor McGonagall gave him a sceptical expression.
"Of course," Felix nodded, "I advised the Headmaster during the holidays to include some spells that must be mastered before graduation, and Albus said that he would have to reconsider, and now he will probably agree with it?"
"Not this matter." Dumbledore said helplessly.
"But I think it's a good proposal," McGonagall said as she looked over at Felix, "I've always thought the young wizards were too lazy, Felix, we could talk about it sometime and get it settled."
Dumbledore interrupted their conversation and said bluntly, "I'm going to let the Dueling Club take on additional roles, and it will become a special elective course with an open-ended faculty that can be rotated. And Felix, you'll have to spare more time for special training of the champions."
"Why me?" Felix asked curiously.
"You have the unique advantage with those magical teaching aids ..." Dumbledore winked, "they will help with the champions' training a lot, didn't you ask me to give my opinion, I think that stone basin is far from being used as it should be, it has surpassed the Pensieve."
Felix mulled over the headmaster's words, "You mean-"
"I can offer a memory of the seventeen-year-old me." Dumbledore nodded slightly, "Containing my own battle wisdom."
Felix was taken aback, a wizard's memory is his most valuable asset, many people will guard it very tightly, although he knew that Dumbledore would certainly eliminate irrelevant memories beforehand to prevent someone from snooping, but this trust came too suddenly.
Dumbledore smiled slightly when he saw Felix looking at him blankly: "Am I an old fogey in your eyes, who is still living in the last century?"
Felix regained his composure, "Just a bit of a surprise, Headmaster Dumbledore."
Professor McGonagall was very interested in what they were talking about, and after learning what the Memory Stone basin could do, she immediately decided to join in, "There are other professors we can get-"
"No, Minerva," Dumbledore shook his head firmly and said in a quiet voice, "Don't bother the other professors, we can't force them to make a decision, don't even mention it."
Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, but Dumbledore's attitude was so firm that she did not raise her voice to object. "Alright then, I'll go and set up the great hall with Filius." She said and walked out of the office.
"Headmaster, what led you to this decision? To be honest, I was shocked just now." Felix said jokingly when only two people were left in the Headmaster's office.
"Because Dumbledore received a letter from ...," the Sorting Hat on the compartment suddenly cracked open a slit on it and said audibly.
But Dumbledore directed a solemn gaze at it, and it immediately shut its mouth and turned to softly hummed the song of this year's Sorting.
"
Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,
Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,
Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,
Shrewd Slytherin, from fen.
They shared a wish, a hope, a dream, ... They shared a wish, a hope ..."
The Sorting Hat seemed to not have made up the lyrics, or was in the final stages of rehearsal, repeating the last line over and over again, but the song was so hard to listen to as Felix had listened to it for seven years when he was at school, and two years after he graduated, that he grew a bit tired of it, if only it would just shut up and let itself be studied.
Dumbledore did not care about the Sorting Hat, he just raised the volume, as he explained: "Remember the Christmas present you gave me the first year you joined, 'The 99 inventions that changed the world'? I passed it to a friend, and we talked about what was in it when you were mentioned incidentally."
----------
Thanks for all your support.
There are 388+ chapters on P_atreon, if you have some extra pocket money, Support me on Pa_treon: www.pa_treon.com/Crazy_Cat.