Chapter 106: Doing Some Business
“……”
The proud witch, nearly a hundred years old and still spirited enough to rally her old subordinates, heard the young professor’s words, and her straight back hunched over, bending more than a Magyar cavalry bow, as if aging in an instant.
A trace of reluctance flashed in Abnercy and Kristin’s eyes.
“But I can get him out of that prison.” Melvin said softly.
This sentence was like thunder on a summer rainy night, breaking the silence that lingered in the enclosed space, stunning the three Cabal Remnants with stars in their eyes. Old Vida suddenly looked up, gazing at him with shock and suspicion, the other two’s eyes full of astonishment, and Abnercy’s face full of wariness.
Old Vida eyed him cautiously: “What do you mean?”
“I want to make a deal with you.” Melvin smiled. “Three years. For the next three years, you Cabal Remnants work for me, and after three years, I’ll make Grindelwald walk out of that prison of his own accord.”
“……”
None of the three wizards could make up their minds, not knowing what to say for a moment, standing there in silence.
Melvin was like a stall vendor at a wizard market, wholeheartedly promoting his wares and dispelling all the customers’ concerns:
“Powerful wizards are always long-lived. With Mr. Grindelwald’s magical prowess, plus the regular routine at Nurmengard without worries about work or life, it’s entirely possible for him to live two or three hundred years normally. He’s just a little over a hundred now; he can certainly wait three years.
“Your companions don’t want adventure, don’t want to go back to days of hiding and dodging. Rather than piecing together a group that’s likely to fall apart at any moment for an impossible prison break, why not choose my plan.
“We can sign a contract. I won’t ask you to do anything illegal or disruptive to your current stable life—just some business and work cooperation…”
The result proved that Melvin indeed had a talent for business.
……
That same early morning.
Melvin sat by the hotel room window, quietly watching the bright moonlight spill over the street.
It was still the 90s, and Budapest’s nights were far from bright enough; the city lights were sparse and scattered, unable to mask the starry sky and moon, while the distant Danube River surface swayed quietly, showing no trace of magic in the shadows.
In front of him lay a Communication Book—the very one from the market, which had circled back into Melvin’s hands.
The first three pages already had portraits; the first two were old wizards, nothing worth seeing.
The third page featured a young witch. In the portrait, the witch’s deep brown hair was casually pinned up, with a few strands falling along her cheeks, somewhat disheveled from hastily removing her hood. Her eyebrows were thick, her features sharp with a touch of heroism, her lips slightly pursed as if reluctant.
Her light-colored eyes looked to the side, unfocused, giving an ethereal and aloof impression—actually, she was resentful about having to rub a portrait after handing over the Communication Book.
Below were their signatures:
「Abnercy Guthrie, Vida Rocher, Kristin Rocher」
Melvin curved his lips in an amused smile. The surname Rocher was not unfamiliar to him; this vast Pure-blood Wizard family had branches all over the world, mainly concentrated in England and France.
Draco’s grandmother was a Rocher. The name Druella Rocher might be obscure, but mentioning her as the mother of Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Narcissa made it familiar.
The Rosier family had produced Ministers of Magic, Witchcraft Saints, Death Eaters, and Aurors who heroically sacrificed themselves. They had gone to the New Continent in the 17th century and participated in combat during the goblin rebellion…
Every major historical event in the Wizarding World had their presence; they stood unshaken and remained in the ranks of the Twenty-Eight Families to this day.
Though Vida was a Dark Wizard on the wanted list, the Rocher family had not abandoned this old witch in recent years; instead, they had invested money and effort to help her gain a foothold in Budapest, amassing considerable wealth and influence.
Among the Cabal Remnants, there was more than one old wizard with such astonishing influence. With their help, the Magic Mirror Club could soon expand Projection Mirrors here.
As for the method to free Grindelwald, of course it fell to the headmaster.
Melvin’s eyes gleamed with an odd light. Using the Floo Network to pioneer family Projection Mirrors seemed feasible here too—after all, there was no Umbridge to obstruct, nor any Minister in the way.
“Now with Abnercy and their help, as long as the Romanian Ministry of Magic nods…”
Melvin looked down at the Communication Book and sent a message to the two witches of the Rocher family: “Spread your eyes and ears, gather news. I need to help the Romanian Ministry of Magic investigate the case.”
“……”
Vida Rocher didn’t reply; after all, she was an old wizard of advanced age who had just endured intense shock—no young wizard could endure that.
The portrait of the other young witch soon sent back a message:
“?”
……
The next morning, the weather was clear.
Melvin, who had slept in, walked into the courtyard. The Isle of Dragon creatures were lazily strolling in the garden, their chestnut coats glossy and smooth, with a lingering wine scent around their muzzles.
Kettleburn was teaching the half-giant to identify several goblins and bowtruckles. Hagrid had little interest in these common Forbidden Forest critters, but mainly because the professor said that once he memorized their characteristics, he’d take him to see a thunderbird.
With a 5X-level dangerous creature dangling as incentive, Hagrid suddenly found motivation to learn, reciting word for word after the professor.
“The word root of bowtruckle comes from ancient Scottish dialect for ‘dwelling,’ and its related Latin means ‘tree branch,’ with connotations of subordination and dependence in its etymology.”
“They mainly live in the west of England, south of Germany, and certain forests on the Scandinavian peninsula; the wood of these trees is often suitable for wand-making.”
“Fingers slender and good for digging beetles, temperament mild…”
Melvin listened for a few sentences and found this lesson even more boring than History of Magic; without the live demonstration, Hagrid would probably have fallen asleep.
He cleared his throat and demonstrated teaching for Professor Kettleburn: “Spring has arrived, and it’s once again the season for animal breeding and mating…”
“It’s summer now!”
Kettleburn thought it was some proper lesson at first, but it turned out to be disruption. He used his remaining arm to push him toward the front hall. “Don’t interfere with normal teaching here. Abnercy’s looking for you and said to go to the front desk as soon as you get up.”
Amid laughter, Melvin was ejected from the classroom by this teacher-student duo and arrived at the front desk, where he didn’t see Abnercy but instead spotted that young witch.
Kristin looked indifferent, her eyelids lowered, plainly showing reluctance and defiance yet helplessness:
“Aunt Vida found some leads. They might have personally smuggled the dragon egg out. Abnercy and the others have gone to investigate the details, and they told me to wait here for you.”
“Aren’t you an Auror?”
“To rule out internal involvement, all staff members on duty the day of the dragon egg theft have been suspended.”
