16

By the time he put the phone down, Eli could still feel an unknown fire burning quietly in his heart.

The fire was not violent, the temperature was not searing, it did not burn through his usual calm and steady, but somehow it did not go out. Even though he didn't really know what it was burning for, he could feel that he didn't reject it.

After he hung up the phone, he felt some embarrassment in hindsight -- his sanity seemed to come back with the end of the communication, and he now realized that the headmaster had been a little deliberate in listening to the song with his eyes closed.

"Sorry, Professor, I've taken up a little more time." He apologized earnestly, adjusted the receiver carefully, and, after a moment's recollection, concluded, "The signal is fine, and it does exactly what a telephone needs to do to communicate... Professor?"

He shouted twice more, and Dumbledore, as though recovering from his musical immersion, stopped playing his own harp beside him. His blue eyes looked at him through half-moon lenses, genial as ever, and it seemed as if nothing had really happened, leaving Eli somewhat embarrassed and wondering why on earth he felt it.

"Oh, I suppose so, of course." "Said Dumbledore, smiling." With your clever idea, and Arthur's ingenious refit, it will certainly work as intended, I have no doubt of that."

To be honest, Eli himself was skeptical. This was his first time working with someone like this, and he had no experience to draw from. But it was clear that the affirmation from the headmaster was a powerful encouragement, and although he knew there must be an element of exaggeration in it, he was inevitably pleased by it.

"Do you think the magic telephone will go well, Professor?" Eli looked inquiringly at Dumbledore, a little apprehensive in anticipation.

"I don't think that's important." "Said Dumbledore slowly, winking at him." As we all know, every change is meaningful, no matter how small or large its impact is at the moment -- do you think that if this magic telephone advance does not go as well as you had hoped, you will be so frustrated that you will accept your fate and not continue doing what you want to do, Eli?"

"What? Of course not." "It doesn't matter whether I succeed or fail this time. If I want to do something, it means I think it's worth doing. It may not be easy, and it may not be wise, but I will do my best before I stop."

Dumbledore smiled at him as Fawkes made a soft cry from a shelf nearby and fluttered toward him -- though he had seen the Phoenix for months, he had marveled at its beauty and sanctity every few times.

The Phoenix laid its powerful claws gently on his shoulder and gently pecked at his earlobe, enveloping him from head to toe with a warm feeling. A feather fell slowly in front of him -- Eli caught it just in time, glancing slightly quizzically from the beautiful, muscular phoenix to the relaxed Dumbledore.

"Has Fawkes come to the time for molting?" "He asked hesitantly." I read that phoenixes don't usually start shedding their hair until they're close to nirvana..."

"I think what you read in the books is exactly right, Eli. Then it will be obvious that this feather came from Fawkes." "Said Dumbledore, beaming as Eli looked surprised." The Phoenix possesses powerful magic. Its feathers are used as the cores of wands, are highly active materials, and are choosier in choosing their owners. I remember that the core of your wand was a phoenix feather, and you must have some sense of that."

"Yes, you do." Eli nodded in surprise, staring at the feather. "Fawkes gave it to me? Thank you very much... But what does it expect me to do with this feather? I can't get another wand ordered."

"It's a very rare material, even if it's not the core of a wand, but its magical properties aside, I think it's pretty good on the outside -- why not give it to a friend, like the one you first called? I thought it would be a nice gift."

"May I? Astonished, Eli looked uncertainly over his shoulder at Fawkes. "I got this as a gift, and I don't know if it would be a little bad to re-gift it..."

Fawkes pecked his ear again and gave a low, soft chirp with just the right amount of sound and force. It was clearly not angry.

"As I was saying, even if you don't have to be the core of a wand, it has a very valuable function and value -- but I certainly think so, if you're willing." "Said Dumbledore, smiling.

Expecting more from his visit to the principal's office, Eli thanked the principal and his phoenix and left the room with the precious phoenix feather, walking down the winding staircase with an undue spring in his step.

It doesn't get any better than this, he thought lightly. He had managed to wrap things up for a while before final review week arrived, and he had such a precious gift -- he decided to give it to Petunia, who seemed a little angry on the phone, and Eli felt he owed an apology when he realized why she was upset. The phoenix feather was probably the best gift.

But this time he was not going to send an owl. She said she wanted to see him, and he said yes on the phone, surprised at how little he had left to think.

It was a little late when we returned to the Gryffindor common room; the common room was not very crowded, and Lily was nowhere to be seen, presumably in bed. Only three of the group of four in the next dormitory were on this side of the room, and they were huddling together, discussing something. Lupin wasn't among them, Eli wasn't sure if his memory was wrong, and it seemed as if Lupin was disappearing at intervals for three or four days.

"Hey, Eli! As he recalled Lupin's intermittent absences, James had spotted him eagle-eyed and waved strongly. 'What a surprise I didn't see you sitting in the common room reading letters today! Are you finally done with all the letters that keep pouring in?"

"Almost so." Eli raised his eyebrows lightly, rarely showing any casualness, at odds with his usual calm image.

Sirius looked at him, raised his eyebrows slightly, and said, 'Did you make that magic telephone?'

Eli laughed at last.

"There's one in the principal's office right now." He shared the happy news and took the opportunity to recommend, "It's really convenient, you could have one in your own home. When the magic telephone becomes commonplace, wizards will find that human communication has never been easier."

"That sounds cool!" 'said James cheerfully, making a sure gesture at him.' I'll have my parents install it when I get home for the summer - where can I get a magic phone? '

"There are no shops for sale yet. If you want, you can fill out your Owlpost order to Arthur. Weasley's order."

"Yes, I'll write and make a reservation." 'said James, who was eternally curious and active about new things.' I think it'll be interesting - don't you, Sirius? '

"Good question." Sirius brushed aside his elegant half-length curly black hair and casually assumed, 'Let's see, what does my mother look like when she sees Muggle objects? The same way you look at garbage and at me. She would have thrown me out of the house with the phone after a scream and ordered Kreacher to do a house cleaning... '

James laughed and Peter joined him. Eli smiled, too, at his exaggerated presupposition, and then straightened his face, giving them serious, confident predictions about the future.

"Wait and see." "The use of Muggle objects in the wizarding world is definitely on the agenda, it's a change that matters to the wizarding world and it's going to win -- history has told us so many times."

One of the first to respond to the changes was the Ministry's International Co-operation department.

On that first day of inspection, the department became interested in the magic telephone. They have a hard need for long-distance communication, and it would no doubt be much easier if every department of International Cooperation in the Ministry had a telephone. The topic of magic phones has been discussed in the newspapers for so long that the Magical Congress of the United States has also heard about it, and they have sent a message to ask if it is possible to gradually shift their work to using magic phones in the future, which is convenient and quick, and completely the choice of The Times.

The Wizengamot had no comment that day, but after a follow-up visit to the magic phone of the International Cooperation Department, they too readily signed up and flew to Arthur, along with a handful of family purchase orders. The Weasley's house.

Arthur has been so busy lately that he has to deal with so many orders for owls all by himself -- the magic phone is not yet in production on a large scale, so he will have to make it himself for the time being. He was now working all day at the Ministry of Magic and all night working on the magic telephone. He had lost a noticeable weight and looked taller and thinner.

There were obvious benefits, of course, the most obvious of which was the greatly improved living conditions of the Weasleys -- the eloping couple, who had just started a family, were immediately better off with this extra income. Mollie could not dissuade her husband from continuing and had to give him more care in life.

Arthur had said he didn't need the retrofit and was willing to work for free, all to promote the magic phone. But when Dumbledore stopped him and Eli didn't agree, it was easier to do things together when everyone had something to give, as even a man Eli's age knew. But even though Arthur is a father, he's still keeping his heart open and inspiring himself and others, and that's certainly not a bad thing.

All in all, it's a great thing to be out of trouble. Although the promotion of the magic telephone was still in its infancy, Arthur, a young man only a few years out of school, had suddenly become very popular at the Ministry -- people greeted him warmly, even though Arthur had no recollection of knowing many of them; The Weasleys had come to terms with reality and the family after Molly gave birth to Bill, though they were a little awkward at first. And Mollie was glad that the Pratt grandfather, who had been hanging on precariously, was walking again -- she was no longer in secret contact with her parents and brothers.

As you can see, while the wizarding world continues to debate the need for universal magic telephones, visionaries have already begun to act quietly. On the night of the final exams at Hogwarts, the adults gathered at the Weasleys' house for a small celebration of the successful introduction of the magic telephone.

That's how it was supposed to be -- but when Arthur got home from work, he was confronted with a rather unpleasant argument.

"I still can't believe it, Headmaster Dumbledore." 'said Mrs Smith, frowning, looking straight across the table at Dumbledore.' Eli's on stage for this magic telephone! I assume you remember him as a student who didn't have much ability to defend himself? Do you think it is appropriate for him to face these glances and attacks?"

"A child may have a mind of his own, dear." Mr. Smith gave her a whisper of advice, but said no more, evidently feeling that his wife had a point. He was supportive when Eli published the article in the first place, thinking it wasn't a bad thing to get out there. But Eli's presence in the magic newspaper after that did make him a little uneasy, thinking maybe it was too high profile.

"I'm sorry, Linda, Hobert. It was an accident." "No one expected it when the original article appeared, and the situation has since turned out to be more serious than expected -- we have some trusted friends, but no one can speak more clearly about objects from the Muggle world than Eli, who is very good, very clever, Linda. I dare say he is one of the best students I have ever taught -- the early revelation of talent is a common trait of geniuse."

It was a rare honour to receive such praise from Dumbledore. Linda's face softened slightly, but her brow remained furrowed. She sighed, her voice no longer belligerent. "I am not accusing you, Headmaster Dumbledore. I just think you may have allowed Eli to make a far-reaching choice without his knowledge -- he doesn't even understand what he's choosing."

"Maybe not, Linda." Dumbledore shook his head and said quietly, amid Mrs. Smith's puzzled eyes, "There are those who are born never to drift with the tide, not to be pushed forward in a muddle by The Times. They will recognize the world in front of them early, discover the core of their own ideals and aspirations, and then throw themselves into the path they have chosen - and will not change with the development of time."

Mrs. Smith opened and closed her mouth sulkily. Unable to deny Dumbledore's point of view, but not at all willing to make sense of Eli's presence so easily, she sat motionless, her lips pressed tightly.

The return of Arthur Weasley had broken the mood, but the sight of his face had made everyone nervous.

"Arthur? Mrs. Weasley opened the door for him and followed him back into the dining room, looking apprehensively at him. "What's wrong with you, dear? What's the matter?"

Arthur sat down in his chair and looked around. The application was complicated.

"Lucius, Malfoy made me an offer to work with him." He said, "Cooperate to sell magic phones."

"Malfoy? It seems that his dislike of you does not extend to a pile of gold Galleons." Mrs. Weasley made a sarcastic remark about a distant relative, then thought of something, and her face suddenly changed.

Everyone in the room looked very serious.

"Malfoy, supposedly the most powerful family under Voldemort, isn't he?" 'said Mrs Smith, her face fading slightly.' If the rumours are true, does Malfoy coming to see Arthur now mean You-Know-Who has... See?"

They sat together in silence for a moment, a heavy feeling echoing in each of their chests, as cold as ice.

Eli, who was still sleeping in the Gryffindor room, knew nothing about the adults' conversation the night before. No one had written to tell him. He packed his bags early, washed and went to bed, and tried to be in the best condition for his appointment the next day.

Elantu Women's College, Cokeworth.

Petunia absentmindedly finished her only test of the day and the last of the term. She came out of the exam room with a spring in her step and a sense of impatience: Lily and Eli were back on the Hogwarts Express tomorrow, she was home tonight, and she had another night to do her hair, pick out her clothes, think about what to say face to face...

She is holding his schoolbag, the head quickly across a classmate, the calf length of the school uniform skirt with her footsteps swinging briskly; She was about to arrive at the dormitory building. She had packed her luggage last night and went straight home...

"Petunia."

Petunia stopped for a moment with a bump in her step, raised her head somewhat unawares, and looked cautiously and incredulously in the direction of the sound.

The summer sun is too bright, dazzling, all colors are lively and bright, light and shadow overlapping, every picture seems too young.

The figure she knew and knew was standing not far away, looking at her with unfurled eyes, and the light seemed to be concentrated on him. He did not seem like a real person, but more like her youth of longing and expectation, in which all the pleasant things around him became irrelevant background, and he was the only one shining in it.

And yet he was real. She heard him smile and say, "I've come to see you."