I left the kitchen just a few seconds after entering, almost bumping into the auror who was heading towards me to watch me, in case I "tried to escape."
I brought three glasses to serve a new premium juice from my store and offered them to Dumbledore, Amelia, and Moody, though the latter didn't drink it. The other 'guests' didn't receive the same treatment, at least not until more werewolves arrived, part of the rotation from the previous group. I intentionally said, not very discreetly, that they should attend to the rest of the people present.
"Charge them double," I whispered loudly, raising two fingers.
"Huh... why?" someone protested loudly.
"The insurrection scared off my customers. I don't know when I'll recover; I have to seize every opportunity to secure something in case the future is dark," I said in a lamenting tone. "But what luck I have, before me is the high class of the magical world, the nobility among nobility, the most worthy examples of our race. I can't imagine better customers. My humble products would hardly affect your immense wealth, not even if I raised the price tenfold."
The noble wizards had no choice but to remain silent in the face of my words; even though they didn't like my attitude, I had touched their pride. Besides, it was true that even luxury items in my shop were cheaper than anywhere else, one of the reasons they so desperately wanted to get rid of me.
I took my time talking to Amelia, though she wasn't very interested in starting a conversation. She was worried, like Moody and almost everyone present, focused on the aurors' investigation. Most of them were just waiting for me to fail. The only calm one was Dumbledore, who was enjoying his juice, even asking for a straw to drink it, and spoke to me when I gave up trying to converse with Amelia.
"Beautiful healing spell you cast on Miss Harris just now," said the old man, noting the healing I had done on my employee. Having been a headmaster and a professor for so long, he still remembered his students. "Of Greek origin?"
"Thank you, and yes, it is. They're just a few tricks that Tonks and I learned in our free time, and now they're useful. They're interesting, though with obvious limitations," I replied humbly.
"Still, it's impressive that someone your age has learned spells like those. The magic you were using when I arrived also didn't seem like something common nowadays. Few know it, and even fewer have the opportunity to learn it. I'm surprised that, with how busy you are with your business and other obligations, you still find time to study this kind of magic," commented Dumbledore, stirring his juice with the straw, evaluating how much I had progressed in combat, something he hadn't noticed before, at least not to this extent. Additionally, those spells weren't in any records, not even in the school's restricted section, and he was probably wondering where I got them from.
"What can I say, the opportunity presented itself, and I learned all I could. It would have been a waste to let that magic slip away. I believe your school has a motto, if I'm not mistaken: 'Unlimited intelligence is the greatest treasure of mankind,'" I said casually, as if trying to remember it. "I hope to take full advantage of that unlimited intelligence to learn as much as I can."
"That's the motto of one of the founders of one of the four houses, not of the school itself," he corrected me, playing along.
"Well, it's a great motto. I would have loved to belong to that house if I had gone to Hogwarts," I said, laughing.
"Surely," replied Dumbledore, also laughing.
We both laughed and exchanged looks, playing along in front of the others, though in our minds we were judging each other.
"It's very interesting magic, and I see you have a great desire to preserve knowledge. How would you feel about coming to Hogwarts to give some lectures and share those ancient spells you've learned?" Dumbledore asked, smiling.
"I don't think I have time for that, but I could write them down, and you can distribute them as you see fit." (Tenebrius)
"That would be fine as well; it would be a great contribution to the library. Madame Pince will be delighted." (Dumbledore)
"Although not all spells are safe... I burned myself several times before mastering the fire cloak you interrupted earlier. I'm not sure I could share everything I've learned." (Tenebrius)
"Don't worry about that; we have a restricted section for dangerous magic," replied Dumbledore calmly, while I rolled my eyes. Getting into that restricted section was too easy.
Fudge was watching us with fury; he disliked that we were talking so amiably. He knew Dumbledore was a pillar of the magical world, an authority that, although he wouldn't admit it, was superior to his own. My good relationship with him was bad news for Fudge, who tried to interrupt our seemingly friendly conversation, not realizing that it was actually a kind of strategic exchange, a form of blackmail from the old man. But at that moment...
"Sir," said one of the aurors leading the investigation on the board.
"Yes? Did you find the Portkey?" asked Fudge, standing up quickly, before Moody, to whom the auror was actually speaking.
"No, Minister..." replied the auror uneasily, scratching the back of his neck. "It's... just a normal board. We didn't find the slightest trace of magic on it, except for a cleaning spell applied a few days ago."
"Impossible!" exclaimed one of Fudge's men.
"He must have changed it," suggested another.
"It's the same board as always; I've never changed it," I responded, leaning back in my chair.
"We have witnesses who used that Portkey..." insisted one of the nobles, getting involved in the investigation that wasn't his responsibility. "That board was changed."
"It wasn't," I reiterated.
"Then why wasn't the Portkey detected?"
"Because it's not a Portkey," I repeated, now losing interest.
"And how is it that people have been sent to unknown places by touching it?"
"Apparition, phoenix, house elf..." I slowly listed. "There are many ways to do something like that without it being a Portkey. And as I said, this is not a Portkey; it can take people to other places, but it's not a Portkey."
"We want a demonstration," said a man with a large mustache.
"Come tomorrow." (Tenebrius)
"So you can change the board, escape, and cover your tracks?! No, it will be now, or you will be arrested for obstructing the investigation," shouted another noble.
At this point, no one cared how irrelevant their actions in the investigation were. Fudge wasn't the only one who saw my interaction with Dumbledore, and anxiety grew. If Dumbledore intervened, they could hardly stop my business. Moreover, the elderly man was known to support Muggle-borns and half-bloods; if he decided to back me, the situation would become even worse for them.
"Ten galleons," I asked, extending my hand.
"What!?" they exclaimed in confusion.
"If I want the board to show its ability, I need to reload a mission. There are only five daily missions and one weekly. If they run out, I have to wait until the next day or reload a mission for ten galleons."
"Don't complicate things, boy; just make it work," ordered Moody.
"It's not that I don't want to, but I'm not going to spend my own money on a senseless investigation you're conducting for your own reasons."
"Make that damn piece of wood work, or I'll lock you up myself," said Moody in an authoritative tone.
"It's not up to me. If I don't give ten galleons, I could even try to make it a child, it wouldn't change anything. I'm just an intermediary; the board isn't mine, nor are the missions that appear on it. The only thing I control is the subsequent payment."
"Here are ten galleons," said Amelia, pulling out a small bag.
"Thank you, beautiful lady," I replied, taking the bag, though she only gave me a stern look.
With the bag in hand, I took out ten galleons and pressed them against the board. The coins disappeared instantly, catching the attention of everyone present.
Then, a new mission appeared on the board:
—————
Kill the enraged boars
Duration: 6 hours
Requirement: Kill (0/6) enraged boars that are destroying the village crops.
Reward: 30 galleons, [Hidden: 30 galleons, 1 boar hide, 3 boar tusks]
—————
I observed the mission and smiled at the group.
"Gentlemen, here it is: kill six dangerous boars... for 30 galleons. Who's brave enough to try?"
The aurors approached the board again to examine the magic now that it had shown some kind of activity, but they were soon disappointed.
"Sir, we didn't detect any magic. It's still just an ordinary board," one of the aurors reported.
"How can it be an ordinary board? We all saw what happened," Fudge stammered. "Isn't there anyone competent here?"
"I'm sorry, sir, but we found no trace of magic. If a spell was cast, it's completely undetectable to us."
"Useless," muttered Fudge to himself, and then turned to Dumbledore with a smile. "Sorry to trouble you, Professor Dumbledore, but do you think you could help us with this?"
"It's no trouble," Dumbledore replied, standing up from his seat and approaching the board, exchanging a glance with me. Deep down, he was also intrigued by this strange magical object I possessed.
The elderly man waved his wand several times while examining the board. He was not only a great wizard but also an alchemist, although not as famous in that field as his friend Flamel. Still, he was the most competent among those present, and many placed their hopes in him. After several minutes— which to some seemed like an eternity— the headmaster turned to us.
"Mr. Tyrian is right: it's just a common wooden board. I found no trace of magic," he declared, maintaining his calm and hiding his own surprise while throwing me another glance.
"Impossible, how can that be?" exclaimed Fudge, as surprised as the others. "Who gave you that board? Who assigns the missions?" he demanded, his frustration evident.
"I don't know," I replied, shrugging. "I'm just an intermediary; I don't know anyone behind this, nor how to find them. The missions appear by themselves every day. I don't ask questions about how or who. I just make some money off of it."
"He's lying," someone from the group said.
"I'm not lying. Now, does anyone want to try the mission and see it for themselves?" I asked.
Moody gestured to his men, who gathered in front of the board. Dumbledore also approached, not to participate, but to study the board in action.
"Only six people can go: one leader and five companions. Once they enter, they won't be able to return until the mission is completed or the time runs out. I don't think you want to make anyone wait for six hours, so think carefully. No one has died in this so far, so I don't know if the bodies would return. Just a warning. When you're ready, the leader must accept the mission, and the others must agree," I explained briefly.
Alastor nodded and gave instructions to his men to follow him, and the ones staying behind were to look for any traces of spatial distortions and detect how the board worked, intending to track its movements.
We watched as the group of aurors disappeared, and immediately, the remaining aurors and Dumbledore began using their spells to investigate the disappearance of the team. However, after several minutes of serious work, they all stopped, frustrated and with no results.
"I've never seen an artifact like this," Dumbledore commented, trying to hide his surprise and concern.
"Nothing?" asked Fudge.
"Not the slightest trace of magic."
Everyone, except me, stared at the board and then at me, as if they wanted to unravel my secrets with their looks. But I ignored them, leaning back in the chair next to Amelia while I calmly drank my juice and asked my former boss what she thought of my new products, as if what was happening around me wasn't important at all.
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3rd Additional Chapter
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