A day at Hogwarts.

Chapter 577 Negotiators
"Charles, what are we having for dinner today?"

Gabrielle's clear voice rang out with the creak of the wooden door being pushed open, and her figure bounced in, bringing with it the fresh air of the forest. Her long hair was slightly disheveled by the wind, and her cheeks were flushed from running.

She closed the door after Ruby entered, keeping out the chill of the forest after the rain.

Now only she can find Charles's fishing spot in this hidden forest through the ruby.

Dumbledore wanted Fawkes to ask Ruby, but Ruby bribed him with a potato pancake made from potatoes, shallots, garlic, parsley, eggs, flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and told him not to ask.

Thus, Gabrielle became Charles's only messenger.

However, the little girl seemed more interested in the delicious treats Charles would prepare for each visit than in delivering letters, as if those desserts and delicacies were the real motivation for her to come to this forest.

At that moment, Charles had just poured the fluffy cake batter, which consisted of flour, butter, warm milk, sugar, and eggs, into the mold. He was carefully spreading thinly sliced ​​apples evenly on the surface of the cake, and then evenly sprinkling a layer of powdered sugar mixed with cinnamon. The enticing sweet aroma had already begun to permeate the warm wooden house, mingling with the crackling sound of firewood burning in the fireplace.

“Apple cake,” Charles said, putting the cake into the oven. “It’ll be ready soon. Go wash your hands first.”

His voice was gentle and calm, with a hint of relaxation after exhaustion.

Although I'm not at school, I haven't given up my research.

"Yay! Apple cake!" Gabrielle cheered, put the letter she brought on the table, and ran a few steps to the sink in the corner to wash her hands carefully.

She tiptoed to reach the faucet, the water gushing as it washed her little hands, and she hummed the tune she had just been taught, her eyes occasionally glancing toward the oven.

The cake was placed in the oven, which seemed to have been blessed by time, and soon it emitted an even richer baking aroma. The sweet and sour apples and the spiciness of cinnamon filled the air, attracting Ruby to sit down on her chair at the table early on.

Gabrielle washed her hands and dried them on Ruby. After a while of playing around, the cake was baked.

While waiting for the cake to cool, Charles poured himself some juice and picked up the letter Gabrielle had brought.

The familiar, meticulous handwriting on the envelope indicated it came from Percy Weasley, who was now the key figure in the negotiations between the Ministry of Magic and Gringotts, while everyone else was busy dealing with Voldemort.

Charles sat down on the wooden chair by the window and unfolded the letter in the early summer sunlight.

The letter detailed the latest deadlock in the negotiations.

Gringotts' attitude has changed.

The fairies made concessions on some peripheral issues, such as the dispute over insurance compensation for the Quidditch World Cup tents last year.

At that time, the goblins vehemently denied the existence and destruction of the Death Eaters, claiming that the Ministry of Magic had not reported the mass breakout from Azkaban, that the so-called Death Eater arson was a wizard fabrication, and even tried to stall for time with lengthy legal provisions and cases.

However, the fact that Voldemort personally led the Death Eaters to breach the deepest part of Gringotts and rescue Charles shattered the goblins' excuse.

What made them even more uneasy was that Draco Malfoy would always ask Hogwarts for leave during each negotiation and then sit silently in a corner of the negotiation room.

Everyone knows that the Malfoys are right next to Voldemort. Could Draco's appearance mean that the Dark Lord's shadow is looming over the negotiating table?

His icy gaze made the fairies' negotiators feel like they were sitting on pins and needles, even their breathing became cautious.

Faced with unprecedented pressure from both the legitimate and criminal worlds, the fairies quickly realized the reality: they had to resolve trivial matters as soon as possible and concentrate their efforts on dealing with the more critical crisis.

After quickly resolving the tent compensation issue, the goblins completely backed down on the Lestrange vault and Malfoy Manor robberies, no longer creating any obstacles and fully cooperating with Wizengamor's investigation. They were even prepared to sacrifice a few scapegoats to quell the anger.

The problem is that Wisengamor couldn't find anything, not a single clue, as if the goblins hadn't done it.

In the past, one might have thought the fairies were framed, but now that they've even dared to kidnap Charles, the complete lack of leads in these two cases only makes it seem like they've washed their hands of the matter too cleanly. Even Arthur Weasley is beginning to suspect that the fairies have secretly disposed of or hidden the real criminals in places no one knows about, since those underground vaults and labyrinthine tunnels have become perfect sanctuaries, just like the dungeon where Charles was imprisoned.

In desperation, the goblins could only pin all the blame on their kin who died in the Hogsmeade raid and the Farbatten Castle fire—the dead could not testify, casting a shadow of absurdity over the entire incident.

The heaviest burden currently weighing on the fairies is the enormous compensation owed to Falbaddon Castle and the Dancing Grass Restaurant.

The professionals at Falbaddon Castle provided a detailed list of the losses, down to every single rag, all with legal receipts and contracts. The suppliers were also prepared, including the Yiwu merchants who sold the tables, chairs, dishes, and other items.

The Ministry of Magic went through the motions, confirming the list with a mix of laughter and conversation.

Sirius Black's initial estimate in an interview was 250 million Galleons, but the final approved list was accurate to 286 million Galleons. Every number was like a needle piercing the hearts of the fairies.

When the fairies first formally negotiated, they tried to generously express their willingness to pay a total of 290 million Galleons in compensation, and even spread their hands and shrugged in a show of generosity.

As a result, Percy's face darkened, and without saying a word, he got up and left, abruptly ending the negotiations and leaving the fairies in an awkward silence in the meeting room.

Now, the fairies gritted their teeth and raised the compensation amount to 300 million Galleons, their eyes filled with desperate pleading.

In his letter, Percy cautiously inquired about Charles's opinion—clearly, the young official, though highly capable, was somewhat shaken by such an astronomical figure and felt that perhaps the round number was acceptable.

Charles looked at the letter and shook his head helplessly.

Percy was too young and lacked a concept of true wealth and the limits of negotiation. In Charles's eyes, those Galleons were nothing more than pawns on a chessboard, and the fact that the fairies did not threaten to rebel but only played the victim showed that they had not yet crossed the line.

"Charles, can we cut the cake now?"

Gabrielle's voice was filled with eager excitement as she gazed longingly at the golden apple cake on the table, which exuded an enticing sweet aroma and steam. Ruby also chirped impatiently twice.

“Yes, that’s fine,” Charles replied, taking out a pen and paper to write back to Percy and Farbatton Castle.

Human abilities and fairy money are like water in a sponge; you can always squeeze some out if you try hard enough.

There is someone in Hogwarts who is very suitable to replace Percy in the relevant negotiations, and Dumbledore doesn't seem to restrain him.

The core ideas of the reply are twofold:
First, we rejected the offer of 300 million Galleons.

Second, Farbatton Castle hired Draco Malfoy to form a team to negotiate compensation with Gringotts, and offered him a 5% commission on any amount exceeding 300 million Galleons.

He then wrote another letter to Blake, exchanging information on some issues.

There were some things he hadn't considered before, but Percy's shortcomings in the negotiations gave him a reminder and also showed him an opportunity.

So he wanted to seize this opportunity to have Draco drag those hesitant families into the mess.

The pen scratched across the paper, Charles's expression was firm and resolute, so Gabrielle didn't call him for cake, worried about disturbing his thoughts.

Gabrielle cut the cake into three pieces. When the first piece of soft and fragrant apple cake was placed in front of Ruby, Phoenix sniffed it with satisfaction and chirped happily twice.

"Shh!"

Gabrielle immediately put her finger to her lips and whispered, "Don't disturb Charles."

Ruby immediately stopped shouting and lowered her head to start eating the cake in small bites.

(End of this chapter)