After the first night with Lizzie, the idea for the movie came to me. Why hadn't she thought of it before? Besides, selling crystals with movies for Cups and opening a movie theater for those who can't afford Cups is one thing.
Another is to create another artifact and a separate crystal standard for movies, similar in appearance to "lollipops". With this artifact I decided not to get too wise, so I got the same "box", but with a new function — playback of video recordings only from a certain type of crystals, memories with its help do not look.
The price is also two and a half times the price of the regular music box, so the price will be two hundred and fifty galleons. Insanely expensive, but in this way will not reduce interest in other goods, and such a large credit no one will not give, at least to all in a row. Frankly speaking, I'm not sure that this product will be in demand, I mean, they will definitely buy movies, but a new box — unlikely. But let it be.
There's something else I wanted to say. Showing films — this is not a whim, it is an attempt to remove the grayness of students' free time, to add culture. What do students do after class? They go to the library and the lounge and do their homework. And after that? The school does not provide entertainment, and you need to relax. A few circles under the guidance of teachers — it's not the same, because they are created for in-depth study of subjects.
What do the other kids do? Exactly, they invent their own entertainment! Chess games, "spit stones", "subversive fool" — that's the whole list of games, well, and Quidditch, but not everyone plays it. This is where the roots of the various fermentations after lights out, drinking alcohol, and loose intersex relationships grow. And who controls the kids? For example: a couple agreed to engage in "interesting", slipped away, hid in a secluded place, and so on in such a castle without counting, and do what comes into their heads.
No, I'm not against couples or sex, but when partners are changed randomly, like gloves, it's already dirty. Let people think what they want, but my upbringing does not accept such a disorderly relationship. There must be order everywhere and in everything, especially in the soul. That's why I decided to make such a "throw-in" to the masses. Let the children do something else.
Two weeks after the first show, and a few days after the first fencing and dancing lessons, Parvati told me about the opening of three clubs, or rather, clubs in which girls and even some boys were engaged in designing new clothes. They called themselves the National Dress Club, the Ball Dress Club, and the Progressive Fashion Club. After another week, the Magic Duel Club, the Traditional Blade Duel Club, and the Closed Gentlemen's Club were formed.
The latter wasn't very easy to organize. Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall and a number of students had strongly protested its existence. Severus Snape, as Curator, stood firm in his defense and was unwilling to give up his position. In fact, as Draco Malfoy had told me, we had developed a sort of even relationship, without much warmth, but without negativity either. Well, this club is nothing like that, only young gentlemen should meet there, no exceptions.
To get into the club, you have to go through a whole procedure of invitations, checks, and approval by the "High Board" as well as the "Supreme," who is the curator of the club. There are no special classes, I repeat, and it is designed to improve etiquette, rhetoric, the art of chattering, and all that sort of thing. In short, a purely English affair for high-born and invited "necessary" people. However, the champions of the Light, as well as the envious, expressed sharp disapproval of the next "den of snakes," "the nest of the new Dark Lord," and simply impertinent rich people.
There were rumors, which no one wanted to confirm, that they even wanted to set up some kind of commission to investigate the club's existence. On the other hand, McGonagall had set up a "Bred Ladies' Club", volunteered herself as curator, and stated that the club aimed to educate young girls in the "noble traditions of Britain". Attendance was free.
The girls went, but said that the assistant director only showed up at the club's opening and never showed up again. And the club itself immediately turned into a gossip club. In my opinion, the excitement was worth the effort, especially since the young people had already started talking about starting various intramural competitions, and the Ravenclaw House representatives had brought up the idea of not tying any possible competitions to the faculties, in order to reduce the heat of inter-faculty passions.
The clubs were made up of students from different houses, so why would it be a good idea to stir up and destroy the first budding friendships? After this loud announcement at dinner, Hogwarts was buzzing for a few days, even at the Heads' Meeting, where the proposal was discussed.
Finally, another week later, just before Friday's meeting, the general decision of the students to form an empowered Student Council was announced at dinner, and an official paper from the school's Board of Trustees was presented to the professors to back up their words.
One Japanese, however, tried not to show it, for it was he who had suggested the idea of a student council. This new body would regulate the work of clubs, societies and various competitions.
Quidditch was left under the traditional supervision of the Directorate. But this sport somehow "moved" in the current life of the school. By the way, this evening was shown a film: "Three in a boat, not counting the dog". English humor was more understandable for the locals, and the whole movie was noisy in the hall with laughter and shouts from the audience. And on Monday, the "Travelers Club" and the "Water Walkers Club" were registered.
While the students were enthusiastic about their new pastimes, I, who was observing these processes, was really shocked. I did not expect that things would happen so quickly, and on such a large scale. I thought that the British were not a very agile people when it comes to change, but it seems that the boredom and grayness that have ruled for many years have played a role here.
What can we talk about when even parents of students, adult wizards and sorcerers, began to glimpse in some clubs as "experienced advisors" It turns out that it's not only Hogwarts that's boring, but ordinary life as well. Though I came to the same conclusion when my movie theater started taking a line a week or two in advance.
***
POV Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
Sitting in his office, Albus Dumbledore looked at the newly created document "Register of Clubs and Club Activities" and realized that he had made an enemy. No, an enemy! His blue eyes shifted to the Student Council magazine, and his face contorted into a grimace of disgust and anger. How had this happened? How had he managed all this? Who had helped him? Someone from the Council? The Lords? Tom? No," the man shook his gray head. — Tom hasn't gotten his body back yet, and he's hiding somewhere. But then who? Could it be old enemies? The Russians may have begun to turn on their heads in recent years, but the process of forming a 'brain' in them will definitely take some time, and someone very nimble and cunning is at work here.
Merlin's underpants! Yes, here you can feel the hand of an experienced grandmaster, where those Russians with their straightforwardness! There is a subtle, beautiful game going on here — just like that, just by some movie to make such a wave that even the Lords managed to push through a decree to reduce the whole parasitic department in the Ministry.
Twelve high-ranking spies and four agents of influence were dismissed, and the Malfoy Party demanded that the money thus freed up be used to take over the Aurorate! Unthinkable! And Mungo? Gapal Patil, that rookie wizard, had managed to shake up the Headmaster and get the boy to order a batch of First Aid Healing Seals, which had caused Severus to lose some of his orders, which had been passed on to another Potions Master, and as a result some of the projects had had to be put on hold.
No, he couldn't leave it like that, he had to push the boy! Since he had decided that he was old enough for political games, he should get a taste of real life — political reality, Mordred damn it!
The headmaster took out a stamped parchment for official letters, one of his favorite brightly colored quills, dipped it in emerald ink, and began.
"Miss Yusheng Lan, I hasten to inform you that..."