A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 329: The Secret of Secrets

Three figures stood at a bustling intersection on a commercial street.

Having just emerged from a clothing store, the twins were now dressed in matching deep blue casual suits and jeans. They examined their new looks, pointing and nodding in approval.

"That shop assistant nearly brushed against my wand hidden at my waist," Fred shuddered, recounting a close call.

Felix hailed a taxi. "First to Diagon Alley, then to Sam's Precision Mechanics," he instructed the driver. He turned to the twins, "We're picking up Professor Lupin. He's joining us."

The taxi driver's face carried the typical morning weariness as he lazily navigated through streets and alleys. "Diagon Alley's up ahead. Where would you like to stop?"

"Just a bit further ahead, by the record store," Felix replied.

The driver glanced back. "Business matters, I assume?"

"More or less," Felix replied, twirling a luminescent coin between his fingers. The driver blinked, momentarily disoriented by the glowing coin. The car pulled over, and he cautioned, "Waiting by the roadside also counts as time."

"And you won't be left out of it," Felix remarked casually.

Before long, a middle-aged man suddenly appeared near the record store. It was as if he had been there all along. Fred rolled down the window and waved at him. "Professor Lupin, over here!"

Lupin smiled, walking over and getting into the car. "I didn't expect you to arrive in this fashion."

"How's the recruitment going?" Felix inquired. He then added, "Taking a car is more convenient; actually, I was thinking of renting a car."

Lupin shot him a stern look. "Just thought of that now? You vanished for a whole week after saying you'd help."

Felix shrugged. "I took a trip to Albania."

Lupin's expression grew serious. Sirius had mentioned that Voldemort had once lurked in the Albanian forests. He cast a cautious glance at the twins, who were eavesdropping with pricked ears, and vaguely asked, "Any discoveries?"

"Not what you're thinking," Felix explained. "I intended to visit an old friend's former home, but the years have reduced it to ruins."

Upon learning that Felix hadn't gone to search for Voldemort's traces, Lupin's interest waned. He moved on to discussing the company's situation. "All the candidates have been interviewed. According to your requirements, I hired 37"

"Do I know any of them?"

"The six you recommended are quite capable. Also, aside from Kriwet, three are recent graduates this year..."

After nearly half an hour, the car pulled up in front of a factory.

Felix paid the fare and led them to the entrance. After registering their names at the security office, a middle-aged man hurriedly approached a few minutes later.

"Mr. Harp, I presume?" the man greeted warmly. "I'm Hobart Nate, the manager of Sam's Precision Mechanics. We spoke on the phone before." The twins exchanged glances and mouthed the name 'Nate'.

Felix showed no reaction to the name that held special significance in the wizarding world. He introduced naturally, "This is Remus Lupin, the Managing Director of Future World Corporation. And these two..." He glanced at the twins who were standing tall, "They're here for a visit, um, as part of their holiday social practice."

"No problem, welcome, welcome!" Hobart hurriedly replied.

As they made their way into the factory, Lupin asked in a hushed tone, "How does he know about Future World? Did you tell him?"

"I registered a shell company with the same name in the British government," Felix explained with a smile.

"Was that really necessary? Seems quite troublesome..." Lupin queried in confusion.

"Not too much trouble, and it led to an interesting discovery," he whispered a few words in Lupin's ear.

"What did you say!" Lupin's eyes widened in disbelief. The twins and Hobart, the manager, glanced over. Lupin gave an apologetic smile, then lowered his voice. "You're saying it's true? Someone in the magical world is selling precious metals and silverware?"

"Not exactly a novelty," Felix remarked. "There are always clever individuals who acquire antique silverware from old families and then sell it to Muggle collectors. Imagine, silverware crafted by fairies that repels dust and carries a unique weight of history."

"Aren't they afraid of being discovered by the Ministry of Magic?"

Felix chuckled, "The laws in this area are ambiguous, and who do you think is involved in this? Just a few petty thieves? While they've been discreet, there are still traces to follow."

Lupin's mind was in turmoil, feeling like his understanding of the wizarding world had been turned upside down.

"Pure-blood families?" he pondered, "No, many families I know of have fallen from grace. Perhaps it's a faction within, one that's been maintaining this secret!"

Several family names quickly flashed through his mindsome families with relatively short histories that had become remarkably wealthy within just a few decades.

Lupin hesitated, "But Gringotts sets limits on the exchange rate between pounds and Galleons."

Felix commented casually, "In the black market, bartering with goods is not an issue. Pure gold and silver have value in the wizarding world, fetching profits of at least several times their cost."

Before Lupin could fully process this, Hobart led them into a workshop. Humbly, he said, "We've prepared various precision carving devices, hoping to meet the needs of your esteemed company."

"This is a mechanical engraving machine. It features an all-steel structure, diamond cutting heads, and employs high-precision ball screws and rails. It can be operated manually or through simple programming. We have samples ready. Wait a moment; I'll fetch them."

After a short absence, he returned with a three-foot-long brown wooden board, intricately carved with complex patterns. He introduced, "Many clients use these for high-end furniture patterns."

The twins stared at the sharp conical blade, about to reach out to touch it when it suddenly buzzed to life, transforming into a blurred shadow.

"Careful!" Hobart exclaimed. "It's spinning at two thousand rotations; very dangerous." He shot a glance at Felix, as if saying, "Keep an eye on your rascals!"

"Fred, George, you wouldn't want to leave a hand here, would you?" Felix advised in a hushed tone.

The twins grinned, and Fred inquired, "Could we see a demonstration?"

Seeing neither Felix nor Lupin oppose, Hobart felt his chances of making a sale rise significantly. "Absolutely!" he cheerfully agreed. He then called over a professional staff member. Taking the wooden board, the employee scrutinized it, flipped it over, clamping it onto the workbench. Pressing a nearby control button, the rotating conical carving blade began to move. As it touched the wood, wood chips flew, forming intricate patterns.

The twins stared in awe as the blade deftly maneuvered over the wood. Five minutes later, when the board was removed, they compared the designs on both sides repeatedly, finding them identical down to the last detail.

"Consider whether it could be incorporated into your products," Felix suggested. Hobart gave them an odd look, wondering if they were to make toys or something. Yet, as long as they could be sold, he didn't care about their purpose. After all, the manual listed over a hundred safety precautions; if accidents happened due to improper usage, he wouldn't have to pay a penny.

"Next is the laser engraving machine..."

"It offers higher precision, faster carving speed, and smooth, natural transitionscomparable to the work of some hand-carving artists. It can work on various flat surfaces, like metal sheets, glass, leather, fabric, canvas, and more."

"What about parchment?" Fred asked with interest.

"Parchment?" Hobart hesitated. "Perhaps you can try a printer for that?"

"Alright, Fred, spare him," Felix said airily. "Mr. Nate, could you help me find a stone tablet?"

"Of course, I remember having a similar sample in my office," Hobart hurriedly left.

With only four people remaining, Lupin asked, "Can we make use of this?" He gestured towards the small computer. "It looks quite complicated."

"No need to worry about it," Felix said. "I only need the mechanical components..."

His hand rested on the mechanical engraving machine. Magic gradually permeated and touched it, rippling outward invisibly. After a few seconds, the stationary conical blade suddenly began to spin. Under his control, it left a magical runic symbol at the edge of the wooden board.

Felix gently blew away the wood shavings and brushed his fingertip over the engraved mark, leaving a trace of magic behind.

"Imagine, if we combine this with the principle of magical portraits, and imbue it with basic intelligence, what could it become?"

The convergence of magic and technology is a theme of this story, but the main focus will remain on the changes within the magical world. Elaborating too much on the modification of mechanical devices would feel out of place and disrupt the narrative flow.

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