A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

"How's Harry? The newspapers don't say much about him…"

"He's fine, probably cuddling a dragon egg to sleep."

In Lupin's office, Felix sipped tea, eyeing the decor. "Hmm! Your taste in colors is a bit old-fashioned. You're not even forty yet."

Lupin shrugged. "But I'm not exactly young either."

"You still have plenty of time to spare," Felix said. After tea, they got down to business.

"How are the sales of the magical cards?"

"Not bad. Without those carving machines, we might have struggled. Some foreign businesses are seeking collaboration too, thanks to our success with the magic lamps."

Felix nodded contentedly.

"Ludo Bagman's proposal seems good. We can use projection screens for the second and third projects. It might need you to make a trip. The main point is, we can record the match process and make it into a video… We can't rely solely on a peculiar sister act to promote the magical phonograph, can we?"

For wizards, storing sound and images together wasn't much of a difference. Similarly, comparing flat images to holograms wasn't just a wild dream.

Lupin pondered, tilting his head slightly towards Felix after a while.

"I don't disagree, but there are a few hurdles. Unless you're willing to help—next project's in February?"

"February 24th."

"That should be doable," Lupin considered. He glanced at Felix. "The people in the company admire you a lot. Even those who recently joined spread stories about you… You solved most problems during the summer, and after you left, our research slowed down."

"Alright, I'll spend this weekend at the company," Felix reluctantly agreed.

With his involvement, research sped up visibly. Often, researchers posed questions, and he swiftly simulated solutions in his mind, offering theoretically backed plans within minutes.

From newcomers to veterans, everyone scurried as he directed tasks, all with excited faces.

"Is this the prowess of our boss?" a red-necked Irish wizard asked softly. He had recently joined, proficient in precision-cutting spells and skilled in simultaneous transfiguration.

"You haven't seen him at the Quidditch World Cup!" a young researcher remarked.

"When I was abroad…" the red-necked wizard muttered. Despite his words, he couldn't help but admire his boss, who seemed to know so much.

Felix efficiently assigned tasks. "Let's try two new approaches—Group One, use long-distance transfer spells. Group Two, synchronize magic with transfiguration. This one's complex; I'll handle it…"

Fifteen minutes later, a golden mist flowed quietly like liquid gold, refracting light, creating blurry images.

"There's an issue… maybe binding the mist or trying the containment charm? Runes, perhaps?"

Felix pondered continuously. Clementine, nearby, rapidly noted his words and the experiment's outcomes. By evening, they had solved most of their hindrances.

As dusk fell, everyone bid him farewell, showing genuine approval.

"You're the true boss of this company," Lupin smiled.

Felix pressed his forehead. Intensive use of accelerated thinking wasn't easy. Especially, enduring it for so long; at this moment, he wanted to think about nothing and lazily lay on Lupin's office sofa.

"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking," Felix half-closed his eyes. "I just don't want the company to rely solely on me. It's fine for now; I solve problems, but in the future—"

He abruptly stopped.

"What about the future?" Lupin looked puzzled.

But frustratingly, Felix began to hum again, leisurely sipping tea. "In the future, I'll just wait for the money. I don't want to work hard."

"I recall you saying otherwise," Lupin said. "Including your registration of 'Future World' in the Muggle government. I feel like…" he looked at Felix carefully, choosing his words, and said softly, "You seem to anticipate some change in the future, like a complete breakdown of the Secrecy Law?"

"Felix, are you preparing for that?"

Saying this, even Lupin startled himself. His mind was slower than usual. He, typically sharp, repeatedly thought over it several times in his head, arriving at a dreadful conclusion: "Are you planning to become another Grindelwald, forcibly abolishing the Secrecy Law?"

"How unlikely," Felix chuckled, opening his eyes. "I can't think that far ahead, nor do I want to be Don Quixote charging at windmills…"

"Hmm?" He rubbed his chin, pondering. "On second thought, I do have the power to shatter windmills."

Seeing Lupin's increasingly serious expression, he muttered, "Why are you so much like Percy, lacking any humor…"

Lupin weakly chuckled. "This is a serious matter, especially coming from you. So, what's your plan? You're handing the company to me, and I'll manage it according to your ideas."

"My plan is simple."

Felix raised a finger. "Firstly, to gradually make wizards aware of Muggle progress. As pioneers, we carry the responsibility to merge the wisdom of both sides, but for now, our customers can only be wizards…"

—But the future is uncertain.

"Secondly, prevent Voldemort's return."

—In other words, unity.

"Voldemort?" Lupin looked surprised, initially incredulous, then visibly concerned.

"Has anyone mentioned this to you?" Felix curiously asked.

"Sirius did," Lupin frowned, retrieving a bottle of eggnog from a cabinet behind his chair. "Would you like some?"

Felix shook his head slightly.

Lupin took a big gulp. "He didn't elaborate, seemed to involve a big secret. Dumbledore stopped him from telling others… but he warned me not to slack in training, saying the war from over a decade ago isn't truly finished—"

"All hatred will come to an end in the future," his hand clutched his knee.

Felix watched Lupin, knowing he had an enemy still at large.

He spoke softly, "You're right. Sirius was onto something. No one knows what the future holds. For the past few decades, Hogwarts' dark magic defense has been lacking. Plus, the Ministry lacks a sense of urgency. Except for Malfoy, most struggle even with a basic Shield Charm."

"It's only been the last few years; the Dueling Club became regular, now an elective. It partially substitutes for dark magic defense, giving graduates some basic protection. But if they neglect training, in

a few years, they'll forget what they've learned… Have you considered, if war truly comes, what can they do?"

Lupin realized the gravity of the issue. A decade ago, why was Voldemort everyone's nightmare? Firstly, his sheer power; even Dumbledore couldn't fully contain him. Secondly, his Death Eaters, individually strong, combined with his alliance with dark creatures, resulted in countless tragedies.

He couldn't fathom what another war would entail, given how short the peace had been! If Voldemort returned, those who lived through the previous war would submit even quicker, aiming to minimize harm. As long as they weren't Muggle-born, they'd mostly be spared, albeit with few genuinely supporting the Dark Lord's rule.

In fact, this trend began toward the end of the last war.

As the only one Voldemort feared, Dumbledore remained confined to the school. Some criticized, but a few believed Dumbledore had already faced off against Voldemort and won. That was why the Dark Lord didn't dare touch the students of Hogwarts during the war—given Voldemort's character, he wouldn't spare young wizard-borns so easily.

But clearly, Dumbledore couldn't overcome Voldemort, at least not to imprison him as he did with the first Dark Wizard. Rumors spoke of a mysterious individual, skilled in an escape magic of unmatched mastery. There were even rumors suggesting this person had altered themselves using extreme dark magic, allowing rapid healing regardless of injuries, returning to life in no time...

Lupin's thoughts tangled, and at that moment, Felix's voice seemed to echo from afar.

"As for the third, I indeed disagree with the Secrecy Law and the Ministry's incompetence… but what use is my discontent alone? To oppress with power, become the second Dark Lord? Oh, sorry, the third, no matter how you look at it, it's a foolish move."

"So, I see myself as a variable." He suddenly showed a mischievous smile, twirling the teacup in his hand. "Yes, the original variable, the first variable… Change some things, catalyze some events, drive some occurrences, then wait calmly for the storm to arrive."

"Though I've never passed Divination class, I have a strong feeling—I might live for a long time," Felix grinned at Lupin, half-closed eyes. "So, I can wait."

>

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