HP: Spirit Talker

— Mr. Hoshino, — Flitwick said. — You look tired, don't you? — The boy nodded silently, finished his water, and the plastic bottle disappeared from his hand without a trace, causing little surprise since Sora did not hide the information about the Artifact of Expanded Space, but used it openly.

However, very few people knew what kind of artifact it was, which made them literally covet those "simple rings". — In that case, I suppose we can familiarize ourselves with the results tomorrow, when you have a rest? — suggested the Professor of Charm, but the answer he heard deeply disappointed the vast majority.

— There was no talk of giving information to outsiders. — The Japanese spoke in a calm tone, folded the silver robe neatly and handed it to its rightful owner. — The data obtained belongs to only two people — myself and Mr. Potter.

— But how...? — The Head of Ravenclaws said in a confused tone.

— Professor Flitwick's payment for his observation was the presence of an audience. The rest was out of the question.

Miss Granger almost choked on her indignation at what she heard: the professor had agreed to help (!), had spent his time and energy, and in general, these data could reveal many secrets of the magical sciences! This is wrong!

Some of the Ravenclaws present even echoed Hermione's thoughts, though much more diplomatically, but the Japanese man stood by his decision, his only argument being that family heirlooms and artifacts, the knowledge of the ancestors, were something that should remain with their rightful owners and should be paid for at the cost of obtaining them.

Hermione had just finished the first part of the Code of Magical Laws and hadn't even started on the Clan Codes, so she had no idea why or why not to hide such potentially valuable knowledge from the public.

When almost everyone had left, the girl asked the question openly, and the shamelessly beautiful French girl and the Slytherin girl present at the ritual looked at her strangely, but Hermione shrugged it off — she was interested in the answer. She was burning with righteous indignation and indignation.

The Japanese man remained extremely calm, if it weren't for the tiredness lurking in his eyes, you couldn't tell that he had been working seriously for hours without rest or break.

Sora gave the indignant girl a slightly condescending look, which he often gave to her and her friends, and advised her to read the unedited version of the History of Magical Britain first, then the aforementioned "Codex Rods", and only then, if the girl didn't understand, would he answer.

Hermione was extremely dissatisfied, but she didn't hold it against him — the thirty galleons she'd received for two weeks' work had made her rethink a lot of things, and she didn't want to lose her unexpected earnings.

Hermione has already finished learning German — with the help of the methods provided by the Japanese it was not difficult, and in the shop of rare and imported books she is waiting for a three-volume book "Runes of Europe and Scandinavia: yesterday, today, tomorrow".

The girl made an advance payment of the same thirty coins, and asking her parents for seventy gold galleons is obviously too much, especially when there is a possibility to earn money herself. And it also turned out to be very pleasant to buy something with honest and personally earned money.

Hermione, Ron, Harry, Astoria, the Patil sisters, Sora herself and the shameless French beauty whose portrait annoyed some of the girls spent the next hour in the boy's living room. Fresh fruit and berries, drinks to taste, fresh pastries and sweets generously laid out on the table diverted the youngsters' attention a little.

Hermione glanced at Ron and was even more annoyed because the boy didn't want to control himself: he grabbed everything in sight from the table, often talked with his mouth full and also openly "fixated" on Fleur.

The Frenchwoman tried to ignore him, talking to other girls, but sometimes she couldn't hold back — she wrinkled her pretty nose in displeasure. But Hermione was soon distracted by conversation and sweets. No matter who you are, and talking about an interesting topic while eating something delicious is a common human trait.

***

— Good evening, Mrs. Bones. — A slight, friendly smile crept out at the sight of the powerful, pure aura of a woman with regular features and dark, copper-colored hair.

— Mr. Hoshino, I presume? — I was scrutinized with a professional squint, and my gloves and sleeves caught her eye for a moment. — Come in, have a seat. Why did you want to meet me? — Even though the woman tried to hide it and did not show it in her appearance, tiredness was firmly in her eyes.

— I was brought to you by several questions, but I thought I'd start with my case. I'm interested in the progress of the investigation into the werewolf attack on my construction site.

— You may have heard about it from the investigator in charge of the case. Besides, Mr. Hilliard, as your head of security, already has the answers. — There was a flicker of displeasure in his eyes, but it faded.

— Yes, I've read the information, but I'm not interested in the standard pattern, I'm interested in the truth. We both know that the attack was organized by someone powerful: the werewolves were equipped with good protective amulets, and three of them had magic wands. So I'm interested in everything you found, even if it's unofficial.

They stared at me for a while, openly studying me. The unfamiliar structure of the monocle changed the movement of the magic several times, but it did not show outwardly.

The woman's emotions were dominated by fatigue, but there was also a faint suspicion and doubt. Thinking, she made up her mind and activated the stationary complexes of the multi-layered, comprehensive defense against espionage and eavesdropping. Then she pulled a folder of papers from a desk drawer on the table in front of her.

— Good. — The woman sighed heavily, covered her eyes, and then looked at me, her crimson eyes looking firm and confident. — I think you have a right to know, Mr. Hoshino. — Hands in the thinnest of flesh-colored gloves opened the folder. — You know that everyone involved in this case died suddenly within twenty-four hours of the most natural causes. — I nodded in agreement and looked into the woman's eyes.

— There's no direct evidence, but the circumstantial evidence that we don't talk about shows that Senior Auror Rotcheston had gathered some of the Aurors around him and they were working together on a racket. They were not connected to the werewolves in any way — that was definitely proven. So, with no more "strings" to tie them together, we had a theory that the attacking pack had decided to go on a robbery spree of their own, as was the nature of the dark creatures. Bypassing me and Scrimjer, this version was presented to the Minister, who officially approved it and closed the case by right.

— And the wands and amulets were just stolen by werewolves, right? — He chuckled.

— You're very clever, Mr. Hoshino. — Mrs. Bones replies with feigned seriousness, but there's sarcasm in her voice. — If you wish, after you graduate from Hogwarts, I invite you to work with us, your skills will be useful to us. — And here in this part everything turned out to be quite serious, and in the woman's emotions there was a timid hope for my approval. I'm sorry to disappoint her.

— Unfortunately, or fortunately for many, I already have plans for the future, and they may only be indirectly related to the Aurorate. — I throw my hands up in the air and say there's nothing I can do about it.

— Let me ask you, what do you see as the connection?

— Let's come back to that question a little bit later, when we're done with the first question, if you don't mind, of course.

— Very well. — Madame Bones nodded calmly, not even emotionally objecting. — The officially approved version does not explain the werewolves' staffs, a batch of which was illegally purchased in Sweden and smuggled into Britain. Nor the protective amulets, which were traced back to the Finnish wilderness. The pack had no such ties, but we were able to determine that some of the werewolves were in the unspoken service of the Light of Life factory... — The woman paused, obviously choosing her words carefully.

— I know what that place is and what it does, but I don't know who owns the place where the werewolves' hearts are cut out.

— Mr. Hoshino, — the woman spoke a little faster when she saw something in my eyes. — You see, a werewolf's heart is a valuable ingredient for many healing potions that have no substitute in the same price range. Werewolves, on the other hand.

— They're dark creatures. — I interrupted the woman in a calm, even tone. — If that were the case, I wouldn't say a word, but it's not that simple. You know that, don't you?

— Yes. — The woman nodded, but looked away for a moment. — They infect Muggles on purpose.

— Not just Muggles. You don't seem to know everything. They kidnap young boys and girls, strong and healthy and beautiful, have all the fun they want with them, and then give them to the slaughter. — Amelia Bones kept her face professional, but her emotions flared with shock, frustration, anger. Apparently, the official version is quite different. I'll continue. — If the victims were rapists, maniacs, murderers, I would not mind myself, but innocent people are suffering just because someone wanted to. That's wrong.

— I understand that. — A frozen expression on his face and an icy coldness spilled over his emotions, a coldness of fear for someone. — But it's not in my power to change anything.

— You're right. — I lean back in my chair and raise my eyes to the pale blue ceiling, which harmonizes with the light furniture and curtains, creating a softer atmosphere in the woman's office. — But there is an opinion that everyone has the power to change the whole world, but it is necessary to see the opportunity that will start the right chain of events. But I won't bore you with my thoughts — it's not necessary now, and the subject can be closed. — I look again at Bones, who is thinking hard. It is clear to me that she has clearly been threatened by her niece.

— Let's get back to the other topic, which is my possible connection to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I don't know if you know this, but I have a partnership with the DMLE of France — I sell first aid seals that can significantly reduce fatalities. If you're interested, we can talk about it...