Chapter 458: Marcus's Joyful Day
"Mr. Marcus McGonagall—" the attendant whispered again.
"You know my name? Did you once work for the Auror Office?" Marcus asked, chin held high, looking remarkably spry.
"No, no—" the attendant shook his head rapidly.
Now it was Marcus's turn to look baffled.
"Please, follow me to the VIP lounge, honored Mr. McGonagall." The attendant seemed extraordinarily excited, ushering Marcus and Sean into a quiet room. It appeared to have been warded with a Silencing Charm; the cacophony of the shop was muted instantly.
"My good man, what is the meaning of this?" Marcus was always one to speak his mind.
"Ah, honored Mr. McGonagall, you are a friend of Mr. Hermes. Please, you should know: the Fairy Tale Workshop is open to you and Professor Minerva McGonagall free of charge." The attendant asked in surprise, clearly unable to understand Marcus's confusion.
"Friend?" Marcus frowned. He couldn't recall ever meeting such a master alchemist. He assumed the man must be a colleague of Minerva's.
Beside him, Sean tugged at his robes.
"We shall leave momentarily, my dear Little Green," Marcus said, as if soothing a child.
"My deepest apologies, Mr. McGonagall. Please, take this Magic Hand Mirror..." The attendant quickly placed a Slimline Magic Hand Mirror into Marcus's hands. "Do you require a Multi-Way mirror? We have three-way, four-way, all the way up to seven-way mirrors, all handcrafted by Mr. Hermes himself. You need not worry about stock; you have the highest priority."
"What is a Multi-Way mirror? Man, be quick with the explanation; my young gentleman has been waiting too long," Marcus's interest was piqued again.
"Of course—a Multi-Way mirror supports real-time, face-to-face communication for multiple people. It is a scarce product of the Fairy Tale Workshop; there are fewer than thirty in total, and the highest-grade seven-way mirror is limited to only three." The attendant explained quickly.
"Like this, then—oh—I must ask Minerva—" Marcus thought of something, and his expression turned troubled. Not knowing who this mysterious alchemist was, he dared not spend his gold recklessly. He had always understood that the "free" gifts were often the most expensive.
"Grandpa Marcus, here."
A familiar mirror surface appeared at his elbow. As he looked down, Minerva McGonagall's gentle face materialized.
"My dear Minerva—" Marcus said, surprised.
A moment later, he realized what was happening, his eyes widening as he looked from the mirror to Sean. "Do you know an alchemy master named Hermes?" he finally asked, swallowing his doubt.
"Marcus, you really are getting old and doddery..." Minerva McGonagall shook her head, her lips curling into a helpless smile. "Why don't you ask Mr. Green?"
The VIP room was silent. After hearing those words, the attendant—who had been pricking up his ears—discreetly exited the room, leaving only Sean and Marcus behind.
"This is our shop, Grandpa Marcus." Without the background noise, Sean finally managed to make the excited old man hear his words. He had been pondering the existence of wizarding long-distance communication magic for quite some time.
"This?" Marcus's eyebrows knitted into a question mark. "Since when did dear Minerva become a master alchemist..." he muttered.
"It isn't Professor McGonagall," Sean said.
Marcus was completely at a loss. He racked his brain, trying to think if any of his disappointing young relatives could be capable of such a feat, before his bewildered gaze finally settled on Sean.
Sean nodded.
"The Thrice-Greatest Hermes?" Marcus asked, his voice rising in volume.
"Just a rumor," Sean shook his head.
"The Future's Greatest Wizard?" Marcus's lips curled high, his surprise turning to pure delight.
"The wizarding world has always loved to boast and exaggerate, Grandpa Marcus," Sean shook his head like a fan.
"By Green's beard—!" Marcus finally exclaimed in joyous surprise.
Seconds later, Sean felt himself floating upward as the glass display case below grew smaller—Marcus had picked him up. Moments later, a black cat scrambled down from the air and transformed into a young wizard upon landing.
"Whose beard?" Sean asked, confused.
"The gift bestowed upon the McGonagall family—Green's beard—!" Marcus was still lost in his bliss.
Sean finally heard it clearly. He couldn't help but touch his own chin—there was no beard there, though his Animagus form had one. It was hard to say how accurate that was.
It was the happiest day Marcus had experienced in decades. He strolled through the Fairy Tale Workshop, clutching a Magic Hand Mirror in one hand and holding the young wizard's hand in the other, basking in the joy surging through his heart. The brilliant blue sky looked waxed to a shine, and the leaves of late winter seemed glazed with color.
The world suddenly felt clear and bright. Happiness was like a soft, furry kitten purring within his heart. Was he the happiest wizard under this blue sky? Yes, certainly. At a moment like this, it was impossible to feel troubled by anything—not even Voldemort could destroy his joy.
Wars naturally destroyed many things, but there were certain wizards who were forever beyond their reach. That was correct; he meant the top-tier masters—most importantly, the Potions Masters and Alchemy Masters. Rulers fought over power, constantly remaking the wizarding world into the image they desired, but the truly top-tier wizards lived quite well regardless. His theory could be verified by history: Nicolas Flamel during the time of Grindelwald, or Professor McGonagall, who remained teaching at Hogwarts despite being pressured and restricted during the rule of Voldemort.
Watching the wizards scramble to buy the Magic Hand Mirrors, Marcus hummed a cheerful tune under his breath.
"Minerva's child, my lovely child, the child of the McGonagall family..." He muttered without rest, occasionally laughing to himself.
Sean watched Marcus with concern, observing the old wizard's uncontrollable, radiant smile through the mirror. When they parted at the fireplace, the old wizard didn't even blink. While he contemplated how to break the good news to Nais, he offered words of comfort:
"It is only a brief separation. Spring is here; can summer vacation be far behind? Waiting is a painful thing, but it must be endured..."
Sean opened his mouth, unsure of what to say.
"You can do it, Marcus—"
He heard Marcus's voice again. Then, the green flames swallowed Sean whole. When the familiar castle appeared before him, Sean had already used the idle time of the day to figure out exactly how to break the curse on the Resurrection Stone.
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