Chapter 288: “Mr. Wallup’s Help”
Chapter 288: “Mr. Wallup’s Help”
The summer vacation has begun, and Sean is free.
In class, practice is still king. If you don’t practice magic, his power will be much reduced. Sean had already used the Dark Mark to ask Barty Jr. Even if he changed to an adult wand, he could not cast spells freely during the summer vacation.
Every year, a Ministry of Magic staff member stays at King’s Cross Station, and his job is to spread traces. When the students walked out of the platform, the Trace would automatically wrap around every student, and the Ministry of Magic used this to monitor whether they were casting spells outside the school.
The accuracy of Trace itself is not enough. It can only monitor at a certain range. So, it is difficult for the Ministry of Magic to judge whether the student of the wizard family has cast spells.
Moreover, they thought that the workload of monitoring was too much. The Ministry of Magic will only start monitoring during summer vacation, Christmas, and other holidays, and the main targets are wizards from Muggle families.
In other words, Trace is a kind of monitoring for the underage wizards that are worth paying attention to. It is not attached to the wand and only detects the magic fluctuations in an area.
For example, Sean is the only wizard in his area. If there is a magic fluctuation, the Ministry of Magic will immediately send a letter reminding him about the violation. At that time, a professional will test his wand to determine whether he has violated the law. If it is in an area where there are a lot of wizards, the Ministry of Magic will not care at all.
The Trace will no longer take effect when the wizard becomes an adult.
Sean was a little sad when he heard the news, which meant that if he wanted to cast spells freely, he could only wait until school started or go to places like Diagon Alley and Godric’s Hollow during the vacation. Sean soon regained his optimism. Since he can’t use magic, he should do something else.
For example, read all the textbooks for the next school year and deepen his relationship with his magical animals.
The basilisk was in good shape, and after his family went abroad for a vacation, Sean sneaked it into the jungle for a few laps, and the guy became even more excited.
Kangaroo tastes good. That’s what it says.
However, Sean was worried about being discovered by the Australian Ministry of Magic. He only dared to find some remote places in the middle of the night. But the basilisk is quite satisfied.
When he returned to London at the end of his vacation, Sean especially piled up a lot of Daily Prophet newspaper. After playing with Ella for a while, he went to the attic to read the news of the magical world during this period.
Nothing major happened, except that the space occupied by Grindelwald’s wanted notice in the lower left corner was getting smaller and smaller, and the biggest news recently was that the British Ministry of Magic’s ministerial election was about to begin.
Fudge is obviously very enthusiastic about being re-elected, and every issue of the Daily Prophet has various pictures of his speeches. Apart from Fudge, Barty Crouch is naturally the second choice. He has many people supporting him.
The head of the Ministry of Magic is elected by democratic voting, and several committee members have clearly expressed their voices.
Sancho Peterson, a well-known contributor to the Daily Prophet, mentioned in his article, “The ministerial election is in full swing. Whether Fudge will be re-elected or Crouch will be in power, I think that the wizarding world will undergo a big change. Of course, according to reliable sources, Dumbledore has been busy hunting down Grindelwald, this great wizard who has repeatedly rejected the Ministry of Magic’s invitation to become a minister and seems to have always been less interested in ruling the office.”
“For example, for the position of president of the International Confederation of Wizards. Dumbledore, the British office’s representative at the time, had a very high favor. But it was another person who took the position at the end. This really tells Dumbledore’s political stance in the world.”
“Of course, there is another thing worthy of our attention. The president of the International Confederation of Wizards is about to step down. I wonder if Dumbledore would be interested in taking control this time.”
Sean put down the newspaper. If there were no accidents, Fudge might not be re-elected. Lucius had always supported him on the surface, but Sean knew that when the election officially started, the Malfoy family would turn against him directly.
Sean was about to close the window of the attic but found a black spot outside that gradually enlarged, and he quickly recognized it.
Sure enough, the Hogwarts public owl came with next semester’s book list and Hogsmeade permission form. After giving the messenger a few owl biscuits, Sean took the form and went downstairs.
“Hey, Dad. I need you to sign for me. The school allows us to visit Hogsmeade next school year, but the parent’s signature is required.”
Mr. Wallup took a look at the form and said, “A village full of wizards? It sounds good. But why does this thing need my signature?”
“Who knows?” Sean shrugged.
Mr. Wallup signed, and when he handed it over, he said, “What are you going to buy this year? This time, we can take Ella to Diagon Alley. My God, how could she like eating that candy so much?”
“About coming to Diagon Alley…” Sean pursed his lips and looked at his father.
“What’s the matter?”
Sean hesitated for a while and finally pulled his father, “Dad, I have something to ask you.”
Sean has hesitated for a long time whether to ask his father to help him make suggestions.
He wants to gain more voice in the magical world, and he wants to gain power that he can use for himself in official institutions, but for now, he can’t. Among the forces he has, Death Eaters are an evil organization that cannot be dealt with. The Golden Dawn needs time to develop and grow.
If he wants to get a foot in the official organization, Mr. Wallup is obviously more experienced than him.
After listening to Sean’s explanation, he took out a cigar, put it under his nose, and sniffed it. Because of the two children, he had quit smoking for a long time, and this was a little habit left behind.
“To sum it up, you want to gain the right to speak, obtain information channels, and obtain some official and private assistance, right?”
Sean nodded, “Precisely.
He raised his eyebrows.
He patted Sean on the shoulder and said with satisfaction, “Very well, Sean. I am very happy with your thoughts.”
“Oh, I thought you were going to talk me out of it.”
He smiled, “You have already stepped into this world, and it is unrealistic to leave now. In my opinion, your action of preparing to increase your influence and strength in advance is naturally worthy of recognition. Stand blankly and waiting for the unexpected to happen? That’s the idea of the weak. We don’t take risks, but we need to strengthen ourselves.”
“What makes me even happier is that you are still willing to ask your father for help. To be honest, your mother and I were worried whether our son would have some kind of difference from us because of his identity as a wizard. Now it seems that there is no need to worry at all.”
Sitting next to his father, Sean said with some displeasure, “I’m not very happy that you guys doubt your own son.”
“Okay, I apologize for that.”
“It’s okay, I forgive you.”
The father and son looked at each other and smiled.
That night, he led Sean to his private study and pulled out a safe.
After a click sound, the safe opened, and Sean stretched his head and saw many things moving around. Beside it was a pile of newspapers and books about the wizarding world.
Sean stared at his father with wide eyes, “How did you get it?”
He smiled triumphantly, “Do you remember when I asked you to order a cloak for me?”
“I remember.” Sean nodded. About four months ago, his father asked him to buy a dragon skin cloak from Diagon Alley. At first, he didn’t think much about it but thought his father wanted to feel the magic.
Allen continued, “Remember Jennings, the wizard bodyguard? I gave him the dragon skin cloak and then ordered the Daily Prophet and these books in his name. In order to avoid the owl flying every day and causing trouble. I bought a house in the suburbs and pick it up every few days.”
“As expected of you, Dad.”
He pursed his lips, “It’s mainly because what was the name of the last time, the big mouth monster? After that incident, I started thinking about what to do.”
He looked at Sean, “I want to know what my children are facing every day in another world, and as a father, what can I do if my children ask for help.”
Sean pursed his lips, finally stood up, and hugged his father, “Thank you, Dad.”
Mr. Wallop hugged him equally hard and then winked at him after letting go, “Oh, I want to do something else before I tell you.”
Sean laughed, “Is it a work of his life?”
“Oh, boy. Your father is in the prime of his life.”
The father and son talked and laughed for a while. He pulled out another safe, which actually contained a lot of Galleons.
“I asked Jennings to take me to Gringotts when he took me to Diagon Alley. God, the bank won’t accept currency exchange just because I’m a Muggle. Fortunately, bribing a goblin with just one ounce of gold is enough.”
“… that’s expected.”
“Thank you for your compliment. I must remind you that our private hospital is the best in London.”
“So, tell me what you think, Dad?”
He closed the safe back, then leaned on the chair and sniffed the cigar, “I have to say, the financial system in the wizarding world is so bad that I haven’t even heard of the most basic arbitrage trading. In fact, as long as I pull up a team of senior financial experts when all the shops in Diagon Alley have to be changed to Wallup’s name, how much do I need to pay? A mere hundreds of thousands of pounds a year, that’s all.”
As he spoke, he shook his head again, “Unfortunately, I don’t know magic, and I can’t deal with many things. The worlds of normal humans and wizards are the same. Whoever has the bigger fists has more power, which makes me afraid to operate.”
“Moreover, because the number of wizards is too small and the existence of magic, these relatively primitive financial and social systems have many disadvantages. But it is precisely because of this that the cost is smaller.”
Sean was amazed, “Please do continue with your thing, Dad.”
Allen smiled triumphantly, “So, we can’t treat wizards with the means and ideas of ordinary people. What we have to use is the common ground in human nature.”
“Such as?” Sean was completely interested.
“Sean, remember. Everyone’s behavior is driven by the sense of profit. It’s just that everyone has a different understanding of profit. Money is profit, power is profit, and the stronger magic is profit. For the belief in my heart and my dream, this is another kind of meaning, interest.”
“If a person wants to travel unimpeded in this world, there are two ways. First, you are invincible and completely superior to other people. Second, you have the interests of most people, and your interests are linked one after another. They will naturally make the way for you if you have their interest.”
Mr. Wallup moved closer, his eyes narrowed slightly, “The wizarding world is too small. How small is it? Throughout the UK, the life of a wizard is divided into two stages. One is Hogwarts, and the other is magic. Not only in the UK but also in other countries. Can I say that if I can gain the right to speak in schools and official institutions at the same time, then I have enough power in the entire wizarding world?”
“There is no one who can do this. Your headmaster, Mr. Dumbledore, doesn’t value power. He even has to be restrained by the Ministry of Magic. Obviously, he is powerful. At least newspapers and books said all of that.”
“So, Sean,” He put his hands on his son’s shoulders, “Where do you think the starting point is now?”
“Uh, where?” Sean was stunned by his father’s words.
He licked his lips, and a shrewd smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, “I have read all the news during this period. Your entry point is very simple. 1. Nurmengard since they currently don’t have a leader. 2. The British Ministry of Magic campaign. 3. The Guards and the International Confederation of Wizards.”
Sean fell into deep thought and hesitated for a moment before saying, “It’s not easy for me to reach that level for the time being.”
Mr. Wallup smiled happily, “It’s dangerous to get too involved now, and I don’t want to see my son get stuck in the mud. But, we can change the way to get in.”
“Huh?”