Snape fought the urge to brush it off and took the grilled fish, but his gaze was frighteningly intense.
" Got something to discuss with me, Severus?" Felix asked, seeing that Snape was silent. They emerged from the great hall and made their way to the middle of the yard, where the ground was covered in a blanket of snow.
"I heard your discussion with Burbage about growing crops with magic-" Snape paused, putting the words together without a rise in his tone, "and I happen to have a similar doubt."
Of course, he had heard more than that, such as the existence of a pen pal involved, which he assumed would probably be the dangerous man that Dumbledore had mentioned, and through Felix's description, Snape had a brief mental picture of a withdrawn, stubborn, inarticulate, out-of-touch wizard.
Such people were not uncommon in the wizarding world. But the one who could alarm Dumbledore so much would probably be someone of great strength.
These thoughts flashed by as Snape concluded his sentence and surveyed Felix without moving.
Felix glanced at him, unfazed; he had happened to want to pull a Potions Master in, and compared to Damocles Belby, who lived far away, Severus, who lived close at hand, would be obviously more suitable.
There is also an alternate candidate in the form of Slughorn, but with that old man's fickle nature and fondness for enjoyments, it won't be easy to convince him.
" The wizards have always shown a disposition to be self-sufficient. Growing vegetables with magic? To them, it's no different from washing dishes or tidying their rooms with magic, but if you look at it another way - vegetables, fruits, and crops are all life, and no one had ever known for studying how magic played a facilitating role in this process of growth."
Snape listened silently, always feeling something was wrong, why was the conversation actually going on about growing vegetables?
"What the wizards have taken for granted is a fantasy in the eyes of the muggles." Felix continued, "I think this is a good starting point."
"Starting point for what?" Snape asked perceptively.
"Looking at Muggle science from a wizard's point of view, and ultimately adopt and improve it using magic." Felix said, " This process requires an understanding of both sides - there is no need to be well-versed, and Professor Burbage's knowledge base is perfectly adequate for it, which is why I introduced this subject to her."
Snape hummed through his nose and said nonchalantly, " It is indeed better than going into the nature of magic without knowing it."
Felix didn't respond to that, "As far as I know, no wizard has ever systematically studied the effects of magic in growing crops before, there is one big reason for that, besides the fact that there are indeed fewer people in the wizarding community: the prevalence of pragmatism among wizards."
This was the conclusion Felix came to when he looked at the differences between wizards and non-wizards from a broader perspective.
The foundations of the two buildings, magic, and technology are very different - the former is based on magic and the soul, while the latter is based on reason and logic. For the vast majority of wizards, the ability to reason and deduce logically, although useful, is not necessary, at least it does not interfere with their ability to cast spells.
Over time, this part of knowledge has only been reflected in specific disciplines.
"... Magic Planting Studies? Or Magic Agriculture Studies? If Professor Burbage can really work something out, it might change the world."
"Change the world?" Snape couldn't help but frown, the very word sounded dangerous.
"Ah, a poor choice of word," Felix grinned and took a bite of grilled fish, "the accurate term is, wizard's powerful trump card."
Snape made a silent note of it while secretly wondering where this card could be used, he subconsciously took a bite of the fish as well, the tender and tasty filet exploded in his mouth followed by a warm heat that filled his stomach and heightened the cold and biting air in the yard.
He heard Felix continue, "Professor Burbage stands at the doorstep of a whole new field, and I'm happy to provide her some meagre help."
"Like that pen pal?" Snape risked asking.
He felt he was getting a little closer to the truth, Dumbledore had instructed him to - no, Dumbledore had no intention of telling him who that person is, but that didn't stop him from finding out from Felix. Snape thought secretly.
Well, he didn't expect it to go so well either, Felix didn't seem to be hiding it.
A wonderful sense of familiarity arose in Snape's mind; when had it happened before? Oh, he had been pulled into the 'Future World' company, and still to this day he had to take some time out of each month to brew an enhanced version of wolfsbane potions and sort out recipes for alchemical materials ...
Vigilance instantly pulled up.
Felix blinked. That was some serious eavesdropping, Severus. Like a seasoned hunter waiting for his prey to take the bait, he explained patiently, " There are more people than just him. At least as far as I can think, the discipline of magical planting - let's name it that for now - may also require knowledge of spells and potions."
Him? A male wizard? Snape's mind wandered. Then it dawned on him why Felix had revealed this information to him readily; it required knowledge of Potions ... He had a feeling he was throwing himself into the net.
"It seems like a lot of work, and I don't see any point in it." Snape said calmly, "I've only heard of dumb wizards, not starving wizards."
" Broaden your mind, Severus, there are more than just wizards in this world."
Snape mulled it over slightly, his calm heart rippled, the hand that held the grilled fish trembled, and he had to use Occlumency to hide his true emotions. After a long while, he asked hoarsely, "You mean - those muggles? No - there is Statute of Secrecy to restrict it - unless -"
His expression became unfathomable, and then a cold chill went up to his spine.
Felix waved his hand, "I didn't mean to defy the Statute of Secrecy, that's why I said it is just a trump card," Snape was slightly reassured, but Felix's next words made his heart rise to his throat and his guts jump out along with it.
"After all, there are lessons to be learned from the past," Felix said, "If I've learned anything from the past, it's that you can't take an extreme route, because if you're extreme, the people who support you will be even more extreme. Even if it influences hundreds of thousands of people, it's somewhat insignificant -" he shot Snape a meaningful look.
A name instantly dawned on Snape - Gellert Grindelwald. Is he the man Dumbledore is wary of, the first Dark Lord? He listened intently, even slowing his breathing to carefully deduce every word Felix said.
"Extreme views can bring in blind followers, but they can also separate you and your followers from normal people ..." Felix said, "It happens all the time, doesn't it? When you are the only one who is distraught by something and crying out for justice, the bystanders who don't feel that way, would look at 'you' strangely and be intimidated by the way you wave your arms and subconsciously move away from you."
" So what did you do to solve this problem?" Snape asked, having calmed down completely.
"With Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic holding the front of the line!" Felix said irresponsibly, "At best I am simply anticipating some possible crisis and doing some advance preparation. It's not illegal to start a company, is it, and supporting the development of the wizarding world is not going to be attacked by the masses ..."
"Including pushing Burbage to study what you call magic planting study? You think this thing will get us through a certain storm (crises)?" Snape pursued the question heartily.
"I don't know." Felix said briefly, "All I know is that there are still over a billion people who don't have enough to eat in this day and age."
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