Chapter 330: The Gift
After some bargaining, Felix procured three sets of equipment for each of them. Following that, he, along with Lupin and the twins, strolled through the streets and alleys of London. He recited the names of various Muggle companies and purchased a mishmash of items.
Back at the Future World Company in Diagon Alley, Felix piled up the purchased items in the hall, forming a small mountain. This spectacle drew the attention of the onlookers, including the new employees of the company. They gathered around, curious about these peculiar objects and the elusive company owner.
Felix gathered them around, and a brief meeting ensued.
"In the upcoming period, I'll be residing here and working together with all of you to create the company's first product," Felix said. "And incidentally, I'll be conjuring up some magical contraptions as well."
Penelope reminded him, "Professor Harp, oh sorry, Boss"
"No worries, you can still call me Professor or Harp," Felix said with a smile.
"...Alright, Professor," Penelope said nervously, but swiftly transitioned into work mode. "We need to consider the Ministry of Magic's stance, especially regarding the misuse of Muggle items."
"You mean the department supervised by Arthur Weasley?" Felix inquired knowingly.
Penelope blushed a bit, feigning ignorance. "This department's responsibility is to prevent the magical use of items made by Muggles, to ensure they don't end up back in Muggle shops or homes."Updated from novelbIn.(c)om
Felix noticed similar concerns on the faces of others. After a moment of reflection, he earnestly responded, "Indeed, that's a concern, but I've thoroughly studied this aspect of the law. Its impact on us is minimal. We just need to register those carving machines with the Ministry."
"Following this topic, you'll discover that the entire law is geared towards one purposepreventing exposure of the wizarding world."
"To summarize, the prohibition of Muggle item misuse has three main implications," Felix swept his gaze around, looking at the puzzled expressions in the crowd, and began counting on his fingers, "First, it prevents malicious spellcasting to tease Muggles; second, it prohibits the sale of enchanted products resembling Muggle items, especially their unique creations, like a toaster for instance;" he chuckled, "Of course, nothing is absolute. The Ministry has a list of exceptions, not everything is disallowed."
"Third, it forbids unauthorized modifications or additions of functionalities. These kinds of legal clauses are quite vague, perhaps because, if we were to investigate thoroughly, many households would possess banned items, and they might not even realize it. So, the only thing worth noting is," he elongated his tone, saying softly, "to avoid using them in front of Muggles."
The Weasley twins exchanged a glance, and Fred smirked, "Dad's mind is an open book." He knew that his father had authored this law. Fred was curious about everything in the Muggle world, so he had kept many loopholes for himself.
Before Arthur Weasley, the Ministry's laws regarding Muggle items were nonexistent. However, as instances of Muggle item misuse increased, the Ministry finally recognized the need for legislation in this area. Mr. Weasley was the one who formulated the law and took charge of this department against this backdrop.
Felix continued, "One of our guiding principles is the improvement and transformation of Muggle items. What does that mean? It's not mere duplication, but drawing inspiration from their displayed wisdom, not from any specific object;"
"Take the magical lamp, for example. Its principle is entirely different from the electric lamps Muggles use. The only similarity isboth emit light."
The audience chuckled softly, their hidden worries dissipating. Most of them didn't have the courage to openly defy the Ministry.
"During this process, you'll find that we're adopting a conceptual approachcreating more convenient and practical forms of illumination. We don't need to struggle with learning how to use electricity or studying the materials and principles of electric lamps. Instead, we consider how to achieve the desired effect using magic."
Felix looked at the crowd and said solemnly, "I don't want to see any prejudice against the non-magical world in the 'Future World.' Any individual, any group, as long as they possess distinct external characteristics, won't be liked by everyone. To put it bluntly, where some see advantages, others will see flaws..."
The Weasley twins exchanged glances, and Fred smirked, "Dad's mind has been read like an open book." He knew very well that this law was drafted by his father; he was curious about everything in the Muggle world, leaving many loopholes for himself.
Before Arthur Weasley, there were virtually no laws related to the Ministry, but as examples of the misuse of Muggle items increased, the Ministry finally recognized the need for legislation in this regard. Mr. Weasley formulated the law and took charge of the department against this backdrop.
Felix continued, "One of our principles is the improvement and transformation of Muggle items. What does this mean? Not simple replication, but drawing inspiration from their displayed wisdom, not specific things."
"Take the example of the magic lamp. Its principle is completely different from the electric lamps used by Muggles. The only similarity is that they both emit light."
People chuckled softly, their hidden worries dissipating. Most of them didn't dare openly defy the Ministry.
"In this process, you'll find that we're using a conceptual approachmore convenient, more practical lighting methods. We don't need to laboriously study how to use electricity or the materials and principles of electric lamps, but rather focus on how to achieve the desired effect using magic."
Felix looked at the crowd, speaking seriously, "I don't want to see any prejudice against the non-magical world in 'Future World.' Any specific individual or group, as long as they possess distinct external characteristics, won't be liked by everyone. To put it plainly, where some see advantages, others will see flaws..."
"I don't want you all to be preoccupied with these mundane matters. With an appreciative heart, you'll find that over the past few centuries, the outside world has achieved remarkable accomplishments. In this process, the wisdom, ideas, and achievements they've demonstrated are worth learning from."
In the following days, Felix stayed in the Future World's tower, working with Lupin, Penelope, and a few seventh-year graduates who mastered the Lumos spell, to complete the design task for the magic lamps.
The most challenging part was how to store ancient magical runic sequences in physical objects. Felix went through the materials left by Nicolas Flamel, finally discovering an enchanted material akin to flowing mercury and used magic to shape it.
This process required numerous attempts. Severus Snape even protested at the rapid material consumption, but he was eventually drawn into the research by Felix.
Basic chandeliers, candelabras, and lantern-shaped magic lamps were successfully completed. Subsequently, a witch who had graduated from Ravenclaw proposed using Transfiguration to design a form resembling an eagle. When activated, by uttering specific syllables, the eagle would flap its wings, fly into the air, and release a bright light.
This idea garnered unanimous praise from the 17 graduates of Ravenclaw. More forms for magic lamps were proposed afterward: majestic lions with awakening abilities, sprightly badgers that could accompany the owner, and serpent-shaped magic lamps embedded with green gemstones.
Felix also added a few dragon-shaped ones and used Transfiguration to shape the emitted light into breaths of fire.
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