The day before school started, the last festive atmosphere of Christmas had not yet dissipated, and Diagon Alley was covered in snow everywhere.

This year's Diagon Alley was very different from the past. Most of the shops were hung with Christmas lights donated by Future World. During this period, at dusk, before the last ray of light in the sky disappeared, these magic lights were already lit, illuminating the small open space in front of them.

Arik and Clemmy came out of the vertical castle. Each of them was only wearing a single piece of clothing, but they were not affected by the cold wind.

Clemmy adjusted the knob of the thermostatic locket, put it in her pocket, and looked at the male and female wizards on the street with satisfaction. She said with emotion: "It's less than half a year, and Diagon Alley has changed a lot." Arik said with

empathy: "Indeed... Remember the book signing event held at Flourish and Blotts on New Year's Day? Rita Skeeter bought two magic phonographs, so that the shadow of the Weird Sisters kept floating in front of the bookstore until the end. It was like watching a live performance..."

Clemmy blinked and remembered the scene at that time. The reporter was so bold that she even wrote about the ancient Black family members in the book, but what was even more exaggerated was that she also mentioned the Dark Lord.

Some of the descriptions in the book made her blush a little when she thought about it now:

...The devil-like figure has an extraordinary personality charm, which is not limited to men and women. Even the descendants of the ancient and pure pure-blooded families can hardly resist it. They are willing to kneel at his feet and kiss his feet devoutly. Even if there is only a slight possibility of having dinner with this cold devil or receiving the gift of kissing the back of his hand, the young man in our story is willing to go through fire and water... The

young pure-blooded descendant will never forget that night when the devil personally summoned his loyal servant. The devil's slender fingertips brushed his cheek like charcoal fire, and whispered a whisper that could not be refused: "My believer, I need you... I need you to do something for me..."

Although he did not call them by name, anyone with a little knowledge would guess who the prototypes of the two protagonists in the story are.

"What's wrong with you?" Arik asked, looking at Clemmy who suddenly blushed, and looked at her curiously.

"No, nothing," Clemmy said with a blushing face.

...

On a busy street in the center of London, two strange men stood in front of a very well-decorated shop.

Next to this shop was a stationery store. The owner of the shop looked at the two strangers and did not doubt their behavior at all. She herself thought that the shop next door was strange.

She had lived in London for decades, but she heard the name of the company Future World for the first time a few months ago.

It's really strange, why is a jewelry store called this name? The owner thought indignantly, isn't the retro style popular now? Is it a new fashion from Paris?

There is another unreasonable place. On the sign of this store, in the lower right corner, it was written in gold letters that the store number seven was too outrageous. Even if the clerk there said that other branches should be set up abroad, she was not convinced.

As she thought about it, she blatantly looked at the two people at the intersection through the glass window. One was very young, but his expression was calm. He seemed to be a rich kid with a lot of experience. The face of the middle-aged man next to him was full of stories. If possible, she would be happy to invite him to drink a small glass of brandy and listen to a sad story...

At this time, Felix and Lupin did not realize that they had become the target of others' comments. The impromptu conversation between them came to an end.

"She is scared to death now. She just finished the book signing, but the next day the Ministry of Magic announced the wanted order for Barty Crouch Jr. Although Fudge suppressed his reluctance to admit the existence of Voldemort, the words that he was just a die-hard believer of the You-Know-Who and was extremely vicious were enough to keep her awake. And Sirius Black had been trying to stop her at her door. Her skirting behavior could not convince him."

Felix pouted. He had already flipped through Rita Skeeter's new book and felt that he was contaminated. He deserved to make her worry for a few more days.

He said to Lupin, "Don't pay attention to her for now."

Lupin showed a puzzled expression at the right time, "You want to make her wait for nearly two months? She will definitely go crazy." At that time, the second project of the competition would begin. At that time, the gates of Hogwarts would be opened, inviting some spectators and reporters.

Felix smiled playfully, "Don't forget that our reporter friend has a special skill."

Lupin's heart suddenly trembled, and he asked quickly, "Animagus?"

Felix nodded slightly.

Rita Skeeter was once an illegal Animagus. The reason for using the word "once" is that she has made up for the loophole and registered with the Ministry of Magic, but she was exposed and became a very unpopular person.

According to reliable sources, the potion to remove beetles was sold out during that period.

"You want her to help you do something?" Lupin asked in a deep voice. He felt very uncomfortable. Although he didn't like dealing with people like Rita Skeeter who made up stories as easy as drinking water and breathing, he couldn't convince himself to watch her step into the trap of death.

Felix glanced at Lupin and saw through his thoughts. After all, Sirius had said that he and James were attracted to Lupin because of his kindness. No one would refuse to have such a friend. Felix

reminded him, "You seem to be caught in some kind of moral dilemma, but the fact is that we did nothing."

"Yes," Lupin sighed and whispered, "It's because we did nothing..."

They walked into this most alternative store No. 7. There was a long aisle inside. There were exquisite glass counters on the left and right. The counters were decorated with red, black and purple velvet cloth, and there were a wide variety of gold and silver ornaments, jewelry and jewelry on them.

From customers to clerks, they were all ordinary people.

A young female teller saw Felix and Lupin. Her big eyes turned around the former twice, and then recognized Lupin. Lupin nodded at her, and they walked straight through the long aisle and walked inside. There was an inconspicuous small door.

A customer was asking the clerk, "Is this a cigarette case from the George IV period?"

"Ma'am, this is just a replica. You can look at the mark on it." The clerk said with a decent smile. Perhaps she wanted to show off in front of the boss, so her tone was particularly patient and gentle.

"Each of our silver products strictly follows the sterling silver marking system. In addition, we have prepared a reference book for customers to check the silver content, origin, date, etc., as well as the certification of the official appraisal agency..."

Felix and Lupin pushed open the small door, and inside was a narrow compartment. A workbench occupied one-third of the space, and some common production tools were placed on the workbench.

"Will we use these things?" Felix asked, holding up a pair of tweezers. He didn't really understand how these things were made, but he could use magic to shape them, especially he could cheat with the magic of the Mind Hut.

"It is used occasionally. Some customers will ask for some minor adjustments." Lupin said, "In order to facilitate concealment, we will also purchase silver products from normal channels, and there are special personnel in charge of this matter." He smiled and said, "In fact, this store operates no differently from other gold and silver jewelry stores, except for a few pieces made by goblins occasionally."

"Felix, I must remind you that the company has more than 120 employees."

Felix looked into Lupin's eyes, thought for a second and said, "This is exactly what I expected. You should have realized recently that only when a certain scale is reached, it is necessary to divide the work clearly, brainstorm and form economies of scale. And with more people, we can concentrate more energy on the same thing and make quick results. Just like this research on the projection screen."

Felix smiled, "I like this feeling, watching them go from strangers to familiar with each other, and go through the running-in period through some simple tasks. Only in this way, when there is a real big task, we won't be in a hurry."

Lupin showed a helpless expression, "Don't let the people in the company hear these words, they don't think they have completed a simple task."

"Oh, I was wrong," Felix said perfunctorily, "It's a very difficult task."

After coming out of the seventh branch, it was just getting dark, and Felix and Lupin separated. He was satisfied with everything at present, especially his magic rune book was almost finished, which made him very happy.

He rarely strolled on the streets of London. People on the street were in a hurry. Unknowingly, he turned into a secluded street, and a figure was swaying in the dim light.

It was a dark-haired man, with a stick-like figure, sunken cheeks and eye sockets, and messy hair.

Tramp? Drug addict?

Felix moved away a little, but he didn't expect that the man walked towards him. Felix felt a strong sense of absurdity in his heart. Could he be robbed? This thought made him choose not to leave, but stay where he was, looking at the other person curiously. The man was so

thin that he seemed to be blown down by a gust of wind. He put one hand in his pocket. Felix tilted his head and put on a human-shaped armor spell for himself. "Do you need to call a doctor for you?" He said slowly.

"I do need some medicine," the man said, licking his yellowed teeth.

He took out a folded flyer and handed it to Felix with a weird smile on his face. Then he left to find his next target.

Felix looked at the content on the flyer and found it incredible for a moment .

Do you believe in magic? Do you believe in mystery? There are unknown areas in this world, a world that is completely different from science. If you often feel drowsy and dizzy, and don't know where you are when you wake up, this paragraph is highlighted...Friends, you are likely destined to belong to a member of the secret world.

Welcome to join us, we will provide thoughtful guidance and fulfill one of your wishes. For example, you are in urgent need of reversing your bad luck and are eager to see the real perspective; or you have an incurable disease and feel that you have lost hope in life...