HP: Spirit Talker

In the end, we agreed with the director on ten percent of the harvest of magical plants, while we agreed on equal cooperation with the regular garden. For his part, the director undertook to organize a full-fledged, expanded and permanent space, as well as the supply of soil and fertilizer for this greenhouse. Some of the fruit would be sold, also organized by Dumbledore, for which the workers would be paid.

He won't interfere with the magical greenhouses...yes, I believed that, but we signed a letter of intent. Now it's just a matter of time: at the next meeting of the Board of Trustees, there will be a general vote in my favor, because Malfoy and Greengrass have already talked to many people, and at the right time, they will just finish explaining the benefits of this project.

 And these benefits are not only for the school and those students who will work professionally with plants, because in the new greenhouses will grow new varieties, so the students will gain more experience. It will also benefit the budget of Magical Britain, even if it is not yet tangible, but still.

Well, new jobs, which are traditionally scarce here. Many graduates can barely make ends meet, and most Muggleborns return to the Muggle world because the wand is useless, even purebloods have a hard time making money with it, let alone half-bloods and Muggleborns. The meeting would be in a week, and we could get to work right away. Where would I find a good manager for this project?

The night from Wednesday to Thursday passed quietly, and Thursday itself was unremarkable, except for the fact that I noticed the surveillance in the Lan sisters' performance. Well, I'm often in the library at such times, especially now, when I'm disassembling interesting strengthening charms, which are usually placed on top of the already established protective charms, allowing them to strengthen them greatly.

It's an interesting development, very interesting. In addition, Master Boisselier told me (we sometimes talk to him through Through Mirrors) that these same charms are used in some energy-consuming artifacts — they allow you to transfer the load from the main lines to the side lines, doubling the increase in magic supply without overloading the main circuits. All in all, very useful enchantments.

The Lan sisters not only watched, but came over to talk directly, asking about the date of our dinner together, which was the next night — Friday. This time we were accommodated in a private mansion in London's Chinatown.

We had a rich and very tasty dinner, drank excellent tea, sat on comfortable couches and talked a lot. At the very end of the evening, the girls and I walked in the garden for a while, again talking about a variety of topics, but no longer about politics and preferences in magical means.

You could say that we got to know each other normally that evening. According to the descriptions, that's exactly what "omiai" looks like, but I don't understand why it couldn't be done at Hogwarts, where there's plenty of space and time. But I do have an option: here, I mean in this mansion, the girls feel protected, which means they can let go of tension and open up a bit. In general, the evening went well, calm, even a little fun.

At home I just spent some time in the company of my family. Mrs. Travers was just telling the girls about local traditions over tea. I sat on a thick carpet of self-cleaning charms and listened in silence, burning Universal Seals, my favorite tool for all occasions.

The warmth of the house was so comforting that I didn't even realize I had fallen asleep to Gwyneth's words and the gentle massage of my head. I hadn't noticed before, but it felt good to have someone you trusted take care of your hair.

The sleepy atmosphere of Foggy Albion hid the cares, took away the worries. A peaceful slumber visited many. It seemed as if the islands were in a quiet hour.

But on Saturday the weather turned bad, a cold gusty wind came, a nasty icy rain diligently washed away the remnants of good mood and warmth. People tried to hide from the elements as quickly as possible. And that was the day I had a meeting with Minhe. I had no desire to go anywhere, especially since my mood had been bad since the morning. After watching my blonde sleep for a while, I decided not to wake her up — the longer she sleeps, the less she'll have to see this bad weather.

She also wrinkles her nose funny in her sleep, not like her usual self. After a quick breakfast of ham and cheese sandwiches and bitter coffee, I went to the waiting taxi. This morning I was once again convinced that Gwyneth Travers was the best maid in the world. The woman asked no questions, worked almost in silence, and when I left she gave me a scarf and a huge umbrella under which I was safe from the elements. The taxi driver also succumbed to the general mood of silence, which earned him a generous tip.

The corridors of the bank are still the same, as if these creatures built buildings to the same design, but I honestly don't care. Goblins are like Muslims: if you let them stay under your roof, you're a guest, and you can't touch a guest — it's haram, it's forbidden.

But if a guest ceases to behave properly, he ceases to be such, so he can have his head cut off. I don't plan to attack any goblins now or in the near future, so there's nothing to worry about. Behind the familiar door I found a familiar meeting room.

In the middle was a typical table with typical chairs where Mene Genosuke, Marika and Manami were sitting. The head of the family looked a little worried, but his daughters remained as cold and distant as ever. The goblin closed the door behind me before warning me that he could be summoned by ringing one of the two bells on the table.

— Hello. — I nodded to the whole family at once, because I wasn't in the mood for all that yelling.

— Hello, Hoshino-san. — The man nodded, and his daughters didn't even greet him, which made their father react strangely, but he remained silent. — So you haven't changed your mind?

— Yes, — another small nod from me. — In a few minutes we'll have everything we need and can start. — I'll add a few seconds later. — And I also ask you to reduce the formalities to the necessary minimum — I simply don't have the desire or the mood for it. — I look at Genosuke expectantly.

— I don't mind.

— That's fine.

The girls remain silent. While the goblins were gone, I snuggled into the bottle again. Strange, the weather seems to be wet and I cannot get drunk. There was silence for the next few minutes, and no one was in a hurry to break it. I leafed through the latest issue of the Prophet, paying no attention to those present. In fact, we had nothing more to talk about until the deed was done.

This man may have been a member of the clan before, but with the division of the clan altar, the old oaths are no longer valid. Girls and strangers in general, especially with such characters, so it's better to keep quiet. By the way, I didn't find anything particularly interesting in the newspaper, so I was done with it when the goblins came.