Chapter 707

“… I now pronounce you to be companions for life.”

At the announcement of a small, thick-haired wizard, Bill and Fleur clung to each other as a large silver cluster of stars surrounded them, highlighting them more and more radiantly. Charlie, Ginny, and Gabrielle, who were closest to them, applauded excitedly, smiling brightly. Sobs of joy rang out off-stage from Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Delacour.

“Ladies and gentlemen! Please stand up!”

The guests stood up. The white tent canvas was rolled up and the golden sunlight shone in through the orchard, seemingly turning the whole air into a fruity smell. Under the effect of magic, the tables and chairs were grouped together in the corners, and a puddle of molten gold slowly spread out under the couple’s feet, forming a golden dance floor. The band sang and danced, and the attendants, carrying trays full of food, poured in with a rush, weaving nimbly between the empty space and the colourful confetti and bells floating in mid-air.

Felix picked a glass of champagne off the tray in the attendant’s hand and walked over to a table.

“Mr. Elphias Doge, may I sit down?”

“Felix Hap?” The old man wearing a Turkish hat looked up in surprise, a few strands of soft, thinning hair exposed, “Sit down, boy! I’ve been trying to get a chance to talk to you, but the timing wasn’t right last time …”

Felix knew he was referring to the time at Dumbledore’s funeral when the two had the opportunity to talk, but then the great matter of the wizarding community being exposed occurred. Felix had known him from very early on; Doge was once a member of the Order of the Phoenix but had now retired.

He and Dumbledore had been very close personal friends, the two had enrolled in the same year and had immediately become good friends, a friendship that had lasted for a century.

“Mr. Doge–”

“You can call me Elphias if you don’t mind.” Doge said briskly.

Felix paused, “Elphias, I read your obituary for Dumbledore, it was very touching–”

“–Yeah, I think I’m obligated to write one; Since I have known him the longest.”

“-you refuted Grindelwald’s claims very hard in your article.”

“That’s exactly the point!” Doge said immediately, the soft and even somewhat transparent hair on his head floating in the air because of the agitation, “Do not believe him, from the first day I knew Dumbledore, he has been very sympathetic to muggles, his noble character can’t be slandered–”

“As far as I know, all that claims were mostly true.” Felix said calmly.

Doge fell quiet as if he had been under a curse, and his expression became distressed.

“Alas, I too once had my doubts, we had the most minimal contact during that period in our lives. I went on a long journey at that time, and when I returned again he had changed a great deal.” After a good long while, Doge said in a sullen tone, as if he had been hit hard, he had undoubtedly been an admirer of Dumbledore – admired his ideals, admired his personality, admired him for his ability to save the world.

” – maybe once he did support Grindelwald’s cause, but I think it was only for a brief moment of stupor, he was confused because of his mother’s loss. I can assure you that, as I said in my article, that painful experience nurtured his genuine ideology, along with a big, benevolent and compassionate heart.”

“You don’t need to convince me.” Felix said seriously: “Just as your obituary is limited in space, and you can pick only one or two things to mention, Grindelwald is no different. Besides, he had only really been in contact with Dumbledore for a mere two months, with obvious subjectivity and bias, and I think you’ll agree that his words were somewhat misleading and that some people, therefore, concluded that Dumbledore had been obsessed with dark magic–”

“Who?” Doge reddened in anger as if he had been insulted.

“It doesn’t matter.” Felix gently uncovered the topic, “What is important is that there have already been signs of such a remark slowly spreading. Dumbledore delving into dark magic, Dumbledore harbouring hatred for Muggles, Dumbledore trying to gain fame by playing hero, and it even extended to his family by saying that his mother imprisoned her own daughter in order not to bring shame to their family …”

Doge’s face became increasingly red with rage.

“… Someone must come forward to make some clarification.” Felix finished his sentence.

“That’s right, someone has to come forward!” Doge repeated in a loud voice as he eyed Felix, “My dear boy, I think with your reputation-”

“I can’t.” Felix shook his head, and before Doge could show the disappointment in his face, he turned his head to the side, “There is someone who is able to, who knows Dumbledore better than any other man alive in the world, and fully counts as an inheritor of his outstanding ideals.”

Doge followed this gaze through the crowd and saw a dark-haired young man clutching a sandwich and chewing on it.

“You mean to say that person’ … Harry Potter?” The old man stared at Harry and muttered in a small voice, but it was more like he was talking to himself, “It’s very conceivable … I have read in the newspapers … that that child could take on a dragon all alone… …At his age, so surely someone must have taught him.”

Felix didn’t refute the notion. Part of magic originated from the mind, and from that perspective, Dumbledore gave Harry support like never before. He struck while the iron was hot and said.

“So, do we have a deal? Will you two collaborate with each other to create a biography of Dumbledore? I know I might not be in a position to ask you, and I’m not sure if you can even able to spare some time, but I can feel the sincerity welling up inside you just through your words, and if you are open to the idea –”

“Of course, I would like to!” Doge said eagerly, “It would be my pleasure!” He then became hesitant, “Have you spoken to that boy, and would he agree?”

“I was just about to tell him.”

Felix stood up, at which point Doge called out to him. “Mr. Hap – Felix, can I ask you the reason you are doing this? I know you have been occupied with great issues affecting the fate of the entire wizarding world in recent times, so what made you bother to take the trouble to arrange all this alone -”

“Dumbledore has taken good care of me. And objectively speaking, Dumbledore has actually become an icon that represents wizards; he may have made many mistakes, but they shouldn’t be portrayed as pure evil. Of course, the effects of the rumours are not obvious yet, and it is perfectly fine to delay it for a while – I am doing it because of another person.”

“Harry Potter?” Doge guessed, pronouncing this name for the second time tonight.

“That’s right.” Felix said with a nod, “He doesn’t know yet what a great fortune he has acquired, and I had to give him a reminder. Lest he forgets.” He said stepping onto the dance floor and moving through the cheerful crowd.

On the other side, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione were huddled at a table, watching Luna and her father dance around while gorging themselves on food. It was obvious that they were starving.

“Hurry up and eat, we have to dance after that!” Ginny said, her thoughts all written on her face. She looked at the noisy crowd, her eyes suddenly froze, as she whispered, “Oh, look-”

Several people turned their eyes away from their food and looked at Professor Hap who was walking toward them. Hermione choked on her glass of champagne, she quickly wiped her mouth as she put down her food and sat much more upright.

“Miss Granger.” Felix nodded at her, and sat in the empty chair next to her, telling Harry the reason for his visit.

“Do you want me to write a biography of Dumbledore?” Harry said blankly, as he thought of his unfinished book. The others also stared in disbelief.

“It’s both you and Elphias Doge.” Felix raised his chin in the opposite direction.

Harry looked in the direction the professor was showing him and saw an old man with a small round hat stretching his neck and looking straight and fiercely in their direction.

“… you just need to provide some information, tell him exactly what happened, what you saw, and how much you wanted to disclose, but just be mindful of the truthfulness of the information you are going to provide. It will probably take a year and a half, and it may not be able to make it in time to get in the first list of books that will be used for the exchange( to learn each other’s culture) – the Ministry of Magic thinks it’s best to pick out a list that will represent the wonders of magic – but the whole thing is quite worthwhile in itself.”

“But, Professor,” Harry thought of something else, “I have heard that the negotiations are not going well?”

“Oh that, well Harry, you need to look past the surface.” Felix said with a smile as he looked over at Hermione. Hermione raised her eyebrows, “Professor, do you mean that the recent slow progress is just a negotiation technique? Or perhaps we are stuck on a key issue?”

“Pretty much, and another reason is that some of the government officials are being influenced by the countries outside England, and I will be addressing that trouble soon.” Felix said politely, “Let’s not discuss such a serious topic at a wedding, I think-” He stopped talking abruptly and stood up agilely, his eyes cast outside.

“What’s going on, Professor?” Harry asked, as Ron, Ginny, and Hermione looked uncertainly around but didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.

“We have an unexpected visitor, it’s not a big problem though, I’ll go check it out.” Felix said as he got up and walked towards the orchard outside the tent, Hermione thought for a moment and also followed behind.

The fruit trees shimmered in the brilliant sunset, and the tent was surrounded by a pleasant, idyllic landscape. Hermione walked through the crowd and looked around the edge of the tent for a while to find Felix returning with a strange girl, and the two were talking about something as they walked.

“… you will have to treat it like a dream, deal?”

The girl nodded and looked up timidly and longingly at the tent. Felix pointed toward her and her dress immediately turned into a beautiful gown-length dress.

“Go on.” Felix said encouragingly, the girl rushed into the tent while holding her dress, and stepped onto the golden dance floor to look left and right. A bottle of champagne and an empty glass pushed in front of her with a tinkling sound, and she poured herself a small glass with interest, then searched the crowd, then her eyes lit up, and she strode off in one direction.

“Professor, is she … a muggle?” Hermione uttered in surprise.

“She lives in a nearby village and her parents run a flower store.” Felix said, “Just a few days ago, Fred and George traded a bunch of snacks for flowers that were used to decorate today’s wedding, and this clever girl was able to spot their lies and kept an eye on the village entrance every day. The Weasley house was protected by a spell though, so no ordinary person could find it – but she was quite persistent and kept on watching for several days, and today she unexpectedly saw guests arriving using their Portkeys on the far side of the hill.”

“Oh.” Hermione looked back at the girl who had disappeared behind the phoenix shaped cake, and no one at the wedding had noticed the mix-up of someone who couldn’t do magic. She turned around and quietly gathered her courage and was about to ask when Felix cleared his throat, “Um – Can I have the honour of dancing this set with you?”

Hermione looked at him in surprise.

“If you put it that way.” She nodded her head shyly and held out a hand as the two walked to the dance floor.

“By the way, I always wanted to ask, what did you see during your time travel?”

“Why did that question suddenly come to your mind?”

“Purely out of curiosity.”

“A cave full of stalactites-”

“Ahem, let’s not talk about it.” Felix hastily stopped her, that was where he secretly practiced the Killing Curse.

…

At night, the lights in the sword castle were still on.

“Are you ready?” Felix asked, and Lupin nodded without a word, closing his eyes and preparing for the judgment of the fates. Tonks stood at one side, with her fingers twisted tightly together.

Felix opened his hand, and countless tiny ancient runes danced in mid-air, then returned back like tired birds returning to their nests, and before the other two could react, they turned into a cloud of silvery moonlight, which seemed to emit a haunting growl.

Felix put his hand on Lupin’s shoulder.

A strange feeling surged through his body in a flash, he was no stranger to this feeling, since he had been experiencing it once every full moon night since he was only five years old. Lupin opened his eyes with a jerk, his pupils dilated, as if they had been painted black. But this time was different from all the previous times, he had just used his not so skilled ‘Reverse Werewolf Transformation’ magic on himself – although it had failed several times.

Lupin’s head began to deform, his body was stretched, the dress he hadn’t had time to change out of couldn’t handle the strain, and he let out a low growl, revealing his sharp teeth – Tonks covered her mouth and couldn’t resist taking a step closer – but immediately afterward the disharmonized parts of Lupin’s body all shrunk back, reverted to human form, and when he looked up again, his eyes once again seemed to show the same honesty and reliability.

Tonks trotted over, and with great interest, she pulled up Lupin’s hand to look at it repeatedly, with great relish, she then rolled up his sleeve and confirmed that the stiff brown hairs that had previously grown out of his arm had all disappeared completely, and only then did she breathe a loud sigh of relief.

“We did it? Did that magic work?” She asked, swallowing saliva.

Felix said cheerfully to Lupin and Tonks, “It worked without a doubt.”

“How long the effect of the magic will last? Would it last through the night of the full moon?” Tonks’ voice dripped with something unnatural. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“It should be fine if we don’t forcibly break it.” Felix said.

Tonks let out a joyous cheer, and Lupin looked at her and smiled softly. “Now let’s see what mommy has to say!” She muttered in a small voice, as she made her hair turn in to dazzling golden colour.

Lupin was able to remain calm amidst his great joy as he calmly said, “I just completed the first step, the next is to master the werewolf transformation magic, which involves being transformed into a werewolf even during the time that is not a full moon. With the previous foundation, I think I can master this magic in a month or two.”

“Why do you want to learn that?” Tonks stopped to ask in disbelief, “Why do you want to actively turn into a werewolf?”

Lupin looked at Felix. Felix explained, “Let’s put it this way, the effect of werewolf poison varies from person to person. If an ordinary person was bitten by a werewolf, the wolf poison would kill that person; but if I was bitten by a werewolf, the wolf poison wouldn’t do me any harm at all, at most, it would be some minor annoyance …”

“… Dumbledore is the same. Our bodies and magic have undergone peculiar changes and have become more closely connected to each other, I call it magical biologization, a significant indication of this is that no matter how the body changes, the magic can be perfectly adapted to the current state. This is very different from the wizard’s Animagus.”

“The werewolf’s transformation is somewhere in between – beyond the average wizard’s ability and difficult to control, yet not completely killing the wizard.”

“If Remus mastered both werewolf transformation and reversal, he could constantly familiarize himself with the process while in a lucid state, which would help him master the most subtle changes within his body, thus helping him to overcome obstacles in learning advanced human transfiguration, with the final effect of fixing this transformation state for a long time.”

“You can understand it as a human Animagus transformation specifically targeting werewolves.”

“After learning all three steps, the werewolf identity will no longer have any consequences. The only drawback is that this method is very difficult to promote on a large scale, and it is slightly better to expect those potion masters to create a potion that will completely eradicate werewolf poison.” Felix said calmly, although the ancient runes have strong adaptability, but they certainly can not replace all magic.

“I asked Belby,” Lupin said, shaking his head, “It took him many years to develop the wolfsbane potion, but the final result was just barely suppressing the werewolf poison, allowing werewolves to keep their sanity while transforming, it is very difficult to eradicate it completely… …I plan to go through the whole process myself, and if it goes well I might as well select some qualified werewolves to teach them this mag-”

He looked hesitantly at Felix, who shrugged at him.

“What you want to do outside of work is none of my business. The key to the problem is already in your hands now anyway.”

—————

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