Chapter 138: The Founders
Almost a month had passed since that staff meeting. During that time, almost nothing changed, except that the Hogwarts protection group was stationed in the castle. Perhaps that was the only significant change. At first, of course, the children were a little nervous, but soon they got used to it, and now the men and women in that group were accepted as normal. Even the group that arrived that very day was received with interest and joy.
Incidentally, apart from my Quarter, no one sent a squad to Hogwarts. Apparently, the thought that Hogwarts was the safest place in Britain was too deeply ingrained in the minds of those around us. In my opinion, that was foolish, but...
At that moment, Helena appeared beside me.
"Draco, there are a couple of questions that need to be resolved..."
"Yes?"
I looked at the ghostly girl.
"Right here?"
She looked around in surprise.
"Why not? My lessons for today are already over, so I can give you some time..."
I shrugged.
"Hm..."
She looked at me thoughtfully.
"The Founders have almost finished the ritual that will give them the ability to walk through Hogwarts in their own bodies."
"But?"
I looked at Helena attentively, and my question confused her.
"But?"
She asked in return.
"Well, usually, when someone starts something like that, there's always a 'but,' so I'm asking: what happened or what's required that made you decide..."
"Ah! No, no!"
She shook her head.
"Nothing like that. It's just that this ritual requires your help, or more precisely, the help of someone living, but the Founders would like you specifically to help us..."
"And what exactly do you need my help with?"
"We need a sacrifice... the sacrifice must be magical, and we just don't know what exactly can be used as the sacrifice."
"Well..."
I shrugged.
"...I have an idea, but I'm not sure how to implement it..."
"And what is this idea?"
"Dementors. They can be used. I just don't know exactly how they would affect your bodies, or how to capture Dementors to sacrifice them."
"Hm..."
Helena thought for a couple of seconds.
"...no, I can't answer that so simply. We still need to go to the Founders..."
"All right. Where are they?"
"The Room of Requirement."
"All right, I'll come now..."
Having said this, I hurried to leave my office, while Helena, who didn't want to rush to meet her mother and the other Founders, flew beside me.
"Is something troubling you?"
"No..."
She shook her head.
"...what makes you think that?"
"You haven't been around at all lately, and now... now you just flew to me. It doesn't quite add up."
I made a vague gesture in the air.
"I was just busy... that's all there is to it."
"Well..."
I shrugged.
"...then I won't think anything of it, but I had to consider it."
"I understand... and how are things with you? I heard you won the tournament and even beat the bronze medalist of the adult group..."
"Yes..."
I smiled at the girl, showing that I was proud of my achievements but also that I hadn't become arrogant.
"True, I won, but the silver medalist beat me quickly and easily. Still, next year, I'll try to change that."
"That's the right attitude..."
As we talked about other things, we reached the Room of Requirement.
"Draco..."
Rowena saw me and smiled affectionately.
"...I'm glad you didn't refuse our request. We could really use a fresh look at the problem we're trying to solve."
"Well, I have already been brought up to speed..."
I shrugged.
"...but if you don't mind, I'd like to familiarize myself with your calculations."
"We don't mind..."
Rowena nodded toward the table. I approached it, took a scroll, and quickly read through the information written on it.
It took me several hours to familiarize myself with it and understand it.
"This variable bothers me..."
I indicated the variable in the scroll.
"...if I'm not mistaken, it means your physical state will depend on the creature that's sacrificed."
"Now... let me look..."
Rowena loomed over me and nodded after a couple of minutes.
"You're right... we need to think about how to mitigate this effect. And you didn't want to call anyone..."
The last words were clearly addressed to the other Founders, who looked away.
"Alright... we'll still fix that, but since you noticed that point..."
"Yes, Rowena, as soon as I heard you needed a sacrifice, I thought of something that could be used."
"And what?"
Salazar spoke for the first time since I found myself in the Room of Requirement.
"Dementors can be used. They're magical creatures, and I don't think anyone will object if a couple dozen of them simply disappear."
"Hm..."
Salazar nodded thoughtfully.
"The boy is clever..."
Godric nodded as well.
"...we were all thinking of ordering criminals or some dragon, but he noticed that the sacrifices are right next to us. We just need to figure out how to deliver a couple of creatures to Hogwarts."
"Will you help us?"
Rowena looked at me with a questioning glance, and I nodded.
"Yes. I will help."
Very good...
*** A Month Later. ***
It seems... finished?
I looked in surprise at the rather large diamond I had created under the Founders' supervision, with many spells cast on it. It was a Dementor trap that served as a sort of vacuum cleaner, meant to suck the creature inside, and afterward a pentagram to hold it.
And now I looked at the diamond and was simply amazed by the work that had been done...
"You did well..."
Rowena appeared before me.
"...if not for you, we most likely would not have been able to achieve such results."
"No need for flattery..."
I shook my head.
"...Dumbledore, Flitwick, McGonagall. They are among the teachers who could have done the same thing I did, and let's not forget Vector, Sinistra, Babbling, and Lupin..."
"You should not diminish your merits. After all, we turned specifically to you."
"I am not diminishing them..."
I shook my head.
"...I am grateful to you for such an experience, for the knowledge you shared during the creation of this wonder of magical thought, but I understand perfectly well that almost any Hogwarts teacher could create something similar, though the object would not always be identical."
"All right..."
Rowena sighed.
"...all that remains is to catch the Dementors?"
"And also rework the ritual... If you remember, there was a part that determines what is sacrificed. No, if we leave it in, then of course we can deliver it to Hogwarts... But then we would have to do it secretly, so as not to shock the students, with Dumbledore's permission, or else do it during the summer holidays altogether."
"No..."
Rowena shook her head.
"...we already have problems because we can teach our subjects only orally. Teachers for these subjects still have not been found, and those who were invited did not meet our qualifications as wizards or teachers."
"All right, then shall we begin reworking the ritual?"
"Yes..."
Rowena nodded, and we sank into new work.
*** Some Time Later. ***
Time flew by quickly. Several weeks passed in what felt like an instant. Another breach from Blake's world occurred, and I was transported to my Quarter because I had been urgently summoned for some sort of negotiations.
"So?"
I looked at Mother Bella, who met me at the exit of the fireplace building.
"During the breach, not only did Grimm end up with us, but, as with the girls we know, the breach brought people to us... and it didn't just bring them..."
Bella shook her head.
"This time, several houses appeared on Russian territory at once, houses where Faunus lived. As we learned, their home was a disgusting place, a mine where Dust was extracted..."
Bella clenched her fists, and hatred was audible in her voice.
"Mom?"
"They branded even children! Monsters!"
She practically shouted that, drawing the attention of those around us, but she did not care.
"It's a pity I can't reach those creatures..."
"For now, you cannot..."
I shook my head.
"...but one day..."
"Do not."
Yang appeared beside us, and her gaze was surprisingly serious.
"Do not?"
Bella looked at the blonde with disbelief and fury.
"Do not?!"
"I understand your fury. I feel it myself, but you must remember that the Schnee Company employs not only racists but also ordinary people. If that company is simply destroyed, then perhaps it would make several thousand, maybe tens of thousands of Faunus happy, but at the same time, it would make just as many ordinary people unhappy."
"And what do you suggest?"
"I... The corporation does not carry the Schnee name for nothing. Weiss has the right to take a leadership position in the corporation, and so does her sister. The leadership can simply be changed... if, of course, the corporation stays afloat after ending up in this world..."
"It will stay afloat..."
Bella sighed.
"...Dust deposits were found recently. So we'll find something to extract in our world..."
She began to calm down.
"...and you know, if Weiss or her sister signs a contract with us to make the corporation subordinate to our House, then we'll try to preserve it, and if not..."
She waved a hand, as if to say she hadn't really wanted it that badly anyway.
"Returning to the Russians and the Faunus, right now the Russians are figuring out what to do with them. Russia already has serious problems: too much territory, cities too far apart... In short, many problems, and now they have to deal with rehabilitation too. They won't refuse them, but..."
"Have negotiations already been scheduled?"
"Yes... in two hours, the international Portkey will activate, and we'll be on their territory."
I sighed.
"All right... a short briefing on..."
"Everything's already prepared. You have time to study the data, so don't worry. We won't send you into negotiations unprepared. And yes, you need to understand that even though the Russians don't need this headache right now and are perfectly happy that their specialists are taking courses with us to prepare for countering Grimm, they won't just hand over the Faunus."
"I understand..."
I nodded.
"But what can we offer?"
I gazed thoughtfully at the sky.
"For now, that's not clear. But I think the Russians will tell us what they need, and we'll try to lower the price if, in our opinion, it's too high..."
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