In an unblemished snow, the primeval forest is decorated like a fairy tale world, while also covering up the desolation of the forest in winter.
On the way back to the castle, Vaintya who looks like Alastor Moody was still thinking about the Horn Elder's proposal to destroy their awkward situation. If it had been her residence in the druids for years, such a problem would not have occurred. They had their own ways to live away from society.
But this time, the relocation proposed by her happened quite abruptly, and also, in order to prevent the two awe-inspiring wizards in the castle from discovering it, the process of moving had to be extremely secretive. Many things were directly discarded at their previous residence by the druids, apart from items that were important for heritage.
The method proposed by Horn indeed was a good one, and Vaintya even considered that the inhabitants of the secret realm could rely on cultivating magical ingredients for their survival in the future, which was not difficult. Taking care of plants and animals was even their specialty. Druids were good at it.
As for the sales channel, it's not a problem.
They wouldn't need to apply for any relevant licenses to the wizards' magical department. Vaintya was also very familiar with the underworld of Tumbleway from her previous search for Amostar Brenn. As long as they didn't touch the bottom line of some pureblood wizard families in terms of production and price, the remaining issues would only be minor troubles.
However, doing this thing requires time.
Druids believe in the laws of nature. They have ways to make plants healthier, but they won't try to hurry things up. Therefore, before they get a reward, they indeed have to go through a tough period.
The moment she stepped out of the forbidden forest, a sudden burst of light caused Vaintya's two blue eyes, one real and one false, to shrink. After that, with great difficulty leaning on her crutches and hobbling across Hagrid's vegetable patch, she arrived at the campus ground.
This is the first snow of the year, and the vast campus ground is filled with the laughter of little wizards like a paradise. The children from first grade to seventh grade are chasing and running in the snow, throwing snowballs at each other or catching someone's hands and feet and throwing them into the snowy field, then watching their comical appearance and bursting into laughter.
The smile on everyone's face is so pure and clear that Vaintya quietly watches this peaceful scene, unconsciously, her lips are tinged with a genuine smile for a moment.
Whoosh—
Suddenly, a fierce gust of wind swept through the mountains, causing the black lake to roar with the sound of shattered ice, and the playground was immediately shrouded in a dense white mist. This did not extinguish the children's laughter, but rather let their joyfulness overflow even more.
Vaintya took another step towards the castle, but the smile at the corner of her mouth had turned into bitterness.
Neither she nor the children in the secret realm can enjoy such simple happiness without letting down all their guards under the peaceful peace, because they do not have a protector like Albus Dumbledore or Amostar Brenn above them.
Moreover, looking at it for a long time, the joyful appearance of these little wizards is somewhat eye-catching to her, because she knows very well that what she is doing now is destroying the peaceful environment in which these children live.
She is undoubtedly despicable to the group of wizards. Her heart is tormented, but compared with the long years of wandering and countless ancestors' blood since the collapse of Avalon Island, her hardships are insignificant.
"No problem, Alastor. I can sign, but this doesn't count if I'm the only one who signs. If you don't want to go to Albus, at least, you need Amostar to sign his name on it as well--"
On the second floor, the small study by the corridor.
Professor McGonagall expressed her apologies,
"This is a regulation set by the School Board, and we must adhere to it. Of course, if you need it, I can provide it privately."
“No need, Minerva Well, damn it again!”
Professor Moody hammered his cane on the floor to express his discontent with these annoying regulations, his face covered with every inch of skin scarred and twisted, looking incredibly hideous. He picked up the signed application form from Professor McGonagall on his desk,
"I'll go get Brenn to sign it right away, oh, I hope he can be as easygoing as you!"
Under Professor McGonagall's apologetic gaze, Professor Moody limped out of her office. He first went up to the third floor, followed the corridor, passed his own office, and then made several twists and turns before arriving at Brenn's office. After knocking on the door, he found no one inside.
Usually, he could wait until dinner was over and discuss it with Brenn privately. But she wanted to settle this matter during the double weekend. So, Professor Moody turned back and prepared to go down to the Slytherin basement.
At Hogwarts, the staff are all aware that Brenn has the best personal relationship with Severus Snape, who visits Snape's office for a stroll more times in a week than Albus Dumbledore's office sees him in an entire year.
Fortunately, just as she left the second floor, she ran into Brenn, who was staring outside blankly.
Vaintya was very clear about what she should pay attention to when speaking in front of Brenn, a powerful wizard. She composed herself, and quickly went through the lines she had prepared in her mind. Then, she opened her mouth and shocked Brenn out of her reverie.
Well, she had no choice but to follow Amostar Brenn back up to the third floor to his office, which she had just left.
Amostar noticed that among all the guests he had invited for tea, Professor Moody was the one who loved the bitter and astringent taste of clear tea most sincerely, which was rare. Traditional British people usually preferred thick and aromatic drinks. The delicate fragrance and bitterness that clear tea offered was not their style.
However, thinking about it, this is not strange.
After all, the one sitting opposite her, who has been secluded from the world and living a solitary life, and who worships nature, might often drink water infused with various tree leaves in the forest.
"Brenn, I came to see you for——"
"Thank you very much for your trust, Professor Moody."
Alastor put down his teacup and was about to say something, but Amostar suddenly raised a hand to stop him from continuing, and then said something that was hard to understand.
Facing Professor Moody's confused eyes, Amostar pointed at the bulging bottle in his pocket and smiled slightly,
"I thought you wouldn't drink the tea I made for you. It seems like I've gained your trust, then?"
"If Amostar Brenn is not worth trusting, then there are no trustworthy wizards in the British magical world, are there?"
Moody coughed and laughed hoarsely,
"Many people think I've gone mad from my experiences as an Auror, but you and I both know that we must remain vigilant at critical moments, because it's the scoundrels who will talk about morality!"
Moody showed a hideous smile, but her heart was cold. She had temporarily removed her disguise at the request of the Horn Elder, and was worried about the welfare of her followers. She only let out a little hint, but it was immediately discovered by Brenn.
Facing Professor Moody's not-explanation, Amostar only smiled faintly. He could see that Moody was eager to steer the conversation towards the purpose of her visit, but he still took his time to rise and walk to the bookshelf in front of him--
"Since you're willing to have tea with me, Professor Moody, why not—"
Amostar squatted down, opened the expanded storage space at the bottom of the bookshelf, revealing the densely packed boxes tied with various colored ribbons inside. He picked up the one on top and then closed the cabinet before turning back. The box was opened, revealing it was filled with chocolate hearts and cookies.
"-- why not have some dessert as well."
Amostar smiled and said, he noticed that Professor Moody was surprised by the shapes of these cookies and chocolate hearts, so he quickly explained,
"Oh, don't worry about that, Professor Moody. It's uh, perhaps students, or fans who have sent Christmas presents in advance. There are too many, and I must quickly 'get rid' of them--"
"Oh!" Professor Moody's astonishment faded. "That's very romantic, Brenn. I remember last month I also received a student gift from you, something similar. It was an old teapot cozy filled with crawling cockroaches!"
"Haha, I think it was a teapot cozy. Maybe you could give it to me. But roaches, oh, they might be a type of candy called 'Cockroach Heap', which Dumbledore Headmaster likes very much. Are you sure he sent it to you?"
Amostar chuckled.
The atmosphere of the conversation was still quite good, not as full of tests and targets as the two parties imagined. As Amostar took the last piece of dessert in the box, Alastor secretly breathed a sigh of relief. His hand was about to touch his pocket and take out the application form--
Thud, thud, thud!
The office door banged unexpectedly, and Moody sighed to himself, discreetly removing his hand from his pocket.
It really is difficult to make money.
(The end of this chapter)
