A certain Hogwarts professor of runes

Chapter 240 The Revitalized LCA Publishing House

Felix politely but firmly declined the request for an exchange from the current dean of St. Mungo's, saying, "I'm sorry, one morning a week is the limit of my free time, and I also need to spend time summarizing the treatment plan for the Longbottoms."

Standing at the entrance of St. Mungo's Hospital for the Injuries of Magic and Wounds, Felix revealed the latest progress in their treatment to Madam Longbottom: "They will reach the critical point of recovery after a maximum of three treatments."

At that time, I will use Frank and Alice's relationship as a bond to tie their memory recovery process together.

If one person's self-healing ability is activated, the other will also benefit.

Mrs. Longbottom clasped her hands together, suppressing her inner turmoil, and asked rationally, "Won't something unexpected happen? Won't this bond drag the other down?"

Felix smiled and said, "Don't worry, Mrs. Longbottom. This would certainly be inappropriate for two strangers, but Frank and Alice are different. After so much treatment, I'm quite certain of one thing: they are the most important people in each other's lives..."

After parting ways with Mrs. Longbottom, he made a detour to Diagon Alley. The LCA building had been completely renovated, its dilapidated and old exterior now painted with bright rainbow colors, constantly attracting the attention of passersby.

On the newly erected plaque, a little boy clinging to a small window of a Ferris wheel smiles happily.

He could also see several seven- or eight-year-old children pointing at the huge plaque, clinging to their parents' arms, and screaming excitedly.

"It looks like Andy and Dobby did a good job."

The lobby on the first floor had been repurposed, and as Felix entered the building, a young witch greeted him, "Hello, sir, is there anything I can help you with?"

"I'm looking for Andes," Felix said briefly.

"You are—"

"Felix Heap, a shareholder of this company."

The young witch's eyes lit up. "Mr. Hyp, please go this way to the third floor. Mr. Andes has said that you can look for him anytime."

"Isn't his room on the second floor?"

"The second floor has been converted into production offices, where there are twenty skilled illustrators, all of whom were long-time employees of LCA Comic Strip Publishing House," the witch explained.

"You know it very well?"

"My father used to work for Mr. Andy's grandfather, but the publishing house went downhill and many people left. Now, things are much better; the company has been revitalized, and a significant number of people have been brought back," the witch said cheerfully.

Felix nodded and was led to a long, narrow office on the third floor. Andes, with a full beard, was having a heated discussion with an old wizard. He glared at him and shouted, "We need to speed things up! Publishers from three more countries have come to us seeking collaboration."

The old wizard replied loudly in a gruff voice, "We don't have enough manpower, little Andes! I also hope to speed things up, but skilled painters are hard to find. I've gathered as many experienced staff as possible."

"We can train them ourselves."

"Good idea, but it's too late to solve the immediate problem."

After they finished talking, Felix stepped forward, and Andes' eyes lit up. He opened his arms and hugged him tightly, complaining, "Oh my god, our great hero and major shareholder has finally come to see us!"

"Honestly, how long has it been since you showered?" Felix instinctively took a step back; the smell was just too strong. He gave Andes a thorough cleaning. "It's not that I don't care, it's just that... well, he represents me. By the way, where is he?"

"He's downstairs, he takes on many jobs and works very hard... Where did you find this house-elf? Introduce me to one too."

"Don't joke around." Felix shook his head. "I came today to see if you've run into any trouble and if you need my help."

"You see," Andes shrugged, "the biggest problem is the lack of manpower. Unless you can find a large number of employees."

Are there any specific requirements?

"Experienced and skilled painters are of course the best, but if we don't have any, we can train them ourselves, but they have to be hardworking... After all, this job is a bit tedious."

Felix thought for a moment and then called Dobby over.

Dobby was still wearing his little suit, but his demeanor was quite different. "Great, generous Mr. Hyp!" he cried out excitedly.

Felix automatically translated his words into a greeting, "Hello, Dobby." He said with a serious expression, "Listen, Dobby, I have an idea that I need your advice on."

"It would be my pleasure to serve you!"

Felix paused, still unaccustomed to the elf's speaking style: "The publishing house is currently short-staffed. I was wondering if you know any house-elves, the kind without owners?"

Dobby gave him a hesitant look, his tennis ball-sized eyes filled with uncertainty. He shifted uncomfortably. "Yes, sir. Yes..."

"Is there any obstacle?" Felix asked calmly.

"They are not in good condition. For house-elves, losing their owner means losing everything. They are often devastated and become depressed."

"Dobby, can you convince them to work for me?"

Dobby's eyes widened. "Is it okay? Dobby has been wanting to... Oh, Dobby is too greedy, but Dobby has been hesitant about whether to bring it up..."

Felix laughed. "They work for me, and I pay them. That sounds fair."

His thoughts went beyond that. From his previous conversation with Andes, he realized that Dobby's position was somewhat awkward. It was difficult for elves to directly command wizards—they were usually the ones being commanded. So Dobby did more of a supporting role, or was temporarily pulled out by Andes to act as a figurehead and deal with wizards from pure-blood families.

This is not what he wanted.

"Dobby," Felix looked at him earnestly, "you help me find those free elves, whether wild or banished, I don't care. You're responsible for persuading them, and bringing them to see me every time you gather a group. If there are no problems, they can get a formal job, and they'll all be under your management."

Dobby blinked his big eyes and nodded vigorously, his eyes brimming with tears of excitement.

"Dobi, Dobi, it's an honor!"

This made Felix feel somewhat strange.

"It's simply a matter of mutual benefit. Pokémon are perfectly capable of handling repetitive tasks. And using Dobby to manage the other house-pockets is a win-win situation."

……

At three o'clock in the afternoon, amidst the snow-covered landscape, Felix arrived at the Hog's Head pub in Hogsmeade.

This unassuming bar, tucked away in a narrow alley, had a pig's head sign that creaked and swayed in the cold wind.

Standing at the door, Felix, cloaked, hooded, and masked, couldn't help but laugh. Why did this place always come to mind first when underground transactions were mentioned?

Perhaps it's because it's fashionable for guests here to hide their faces?

Pig Head Bar is essentially a semi-public black market. The bar owner doesn't really manage things and allows some shady transactions to take place here, possibly even using this permissive behavior as a way to attract customers.

He also spotted the Dementors in the distance; they were patrolling back and forth in pairs.

However, what's somewhat amusing is that some Dementors are noticeably shorter than their companions.

"I never expected to run into a familiar monster..."

(End of this chapter)