Chapter 19 :The New Tour

The sun was setting, and the road was crowded with cars and people heading home from work. Suddenly, a loud horn blasted, catching everyone's attention. Out of nowhere, a blue bus appeared, moving at an incredibly fast speed. It effortlessly weaved through the cars and abruptly came to a stop. The strange thing was that nobody seemed to notice or care about the bus, neither the people in the cars nor the pedestrians on the streets. Then, the bus's door opened, and five people stepped out onto the pavement. In a blink of an eye, the bus vanished, zooming away at that unnatural speed.

[Olivia POV]

"We've finally arrived," I announced as we reached our destination. Glancing back, I noticed four companions who had accompanied me. There was Jacob, an old friend and colleague, Charlie, a skilled broom maker from Diagon Alley, Oscar, and Henry, acquaintances from my time at the Ministry. They had all agreed to work alongside me here.

After completing our shift for the day, we rendezvoused at the Leaky Cauldron. From there, we boarded the Knight Bus, which brought us to our current location.

"Everyone, we're here," I said, pointing at a dilapidated building. Jacob, crossing his arms, voiced his doubt. "Are you sure, Olly? This place seems like it could collapse any moment." He meticulously surveyed the structure from top to bottom. The three-story building appeared ancient, its walls adorned with cracks, patches of mold, and moss near the ground. The faded paint hinted at its age. Were it not for Olivia's consolation, one might consider the building abundant.

"Don't worry," I reassured everyone. "It may look that way from the outside, but the interior has been completely renovated. Rohan made a deliberate choice not to conceal the building from Muggles, so the house elves couldn't work on the exterior. He plans to hire Muggles for that later."

With conviction, I approached the door and knocked. It swung open promptly, revealing Rohan's welcoming smile. "Welcome, everyone," he greeted us, ushering us inside.

We entered swiftly. The room stretched out spaciously, featuring long couches placed on each side, a substantial desk at the far end, and potted plants nestled in the corners. The walls boasted simple wallpaper but lacked any embellishments. The space felt oddly empty.

Rohan turned to face us, his smile beaming as he addressed the group. "You've probably noticed the renovations aren't finished yet. Today, I'll show you around and explain your roles in the coming months. Follow me, and I'll give you a tour."

We eagerly trailed behind Rohan, ready to explore our new workplace. As we moved forward, he pointed out the first room. "This used to be the living room, but we've transformed it into a reception area. It welcomes both magical and non-magical visitors."

Curiosity sparked, Charlie, the broom maker, spoke up. "Why is that?"

Rohan's eyes gleamed mischievously as he replied, "I'll reveal the reason soon enough." With that, he guided us deeper into the building.

Rohan proceeded to show us several rooms that resembled offices, each with its own unique character. Among them was a room that concealed a basement entrance behind a bookshelf. Rohan chose to keep this particular area a secret, entrusting me with the confidence to keep it to myself. Frankly, it didn't concern me much either way.

Next, we arrived at a door labeled "Employees Only," discreetly tucked away along a corridor where it blended in with the other doors. Rohan faced us and explained, "This staircase leads to the upper floors. As you can see, only a select few have access upstairs. For now, your work will primarily be on the first floor."

With that, Rohan handed each of us a key to the door. At first glance, it appeared to be an ordinary key, but upon closer inspection, I noticed its enchanted nature. It possessed an intricate unlocking enchantment, making it resistant to duplication or damage—a costly enchantment, no doubt.

Following Rohan's lead, we ascended the stairs, exploring a floor I had never seen before. My attention had been occupied with overseeing the magical constructions below, leaving me just as clueless as my companions.

As we climbed, I couldn't help but notice the remarkable brightness of the first floor. Its white walls, floors, and ceilings, complemented by the glow of tube lights, created an ethereal ambiance. Along the sides, I noticed unusually large doors, piquing my curiosity.

Rohan led us to the first door adjacent to the staircase, and as we entered, we discovered a cozy and welcoming space. The room boasted a small kitchenette, a comfortable couch, tables for dining or relaxing, lockers for storage, and conveniently placed washrooms. It emanated a sense of homeliness and comfort.

Turning to face us, Rohan provided an explanation. "This is the break room. As you know, our work involves electronics, which are quite sensitive to magic. Therefore, it's crucial to leave any magical items behind before proceeding. I've created this space for you to take breaks and store your belongings."

He gestured towards the lockers, emphasizing their importance. "Each locker has your names on them, and the keys I provided earlier will unlock them. You can safely store your personal items in these lockers while you work."

Excitement filled the air as everyone began exploring the break room. Oscar, ever curious, was the first to approach his locker. Opening it, he found a set of clothes neatly arranged inside. Perplexed, he inquired, "Why are there clothes in my locker?"

Rohan chuckled and replied, "Ah, I forgot to mention. Besides wands and other items, your regular clothes are infused with magical properties. This means they also carry traces of magic, which could interfere with our work. Hence, you'll need to change into these provided clothes before proceeding. They're simple but suitable for now. However, in the future, I encourage you to bring your own clothes. I'll cover the expenses, of course."

As everyone exchanged glances, there was a slight inconvenience in having to change our clothes. However, deep down, we understood the rationale behind it. After all, we would be working extensively with muggle electronics, and avoiding any magical interference made perfect sense. Besides, the promise of new clothes funded by the company was an added incentive that silenced any potential arguments.

Once I had finished changing, I attempted to lock my locker using the special key. To my surprise, the key seamlessly melded into the locker, becoming one with it. It appeared that only our own magic could retrieve the keys now. Such an enchantment must have come at a hefty price. It became evident that Rohan had spared no expense in ensuring the utmost security and functionality of this place. It left me wondering what could be of such great importance to warrant such investments.

With our belongings securely stowed away, Rohan led us to another room—a spacious area that immediately caught our attention. Dominating the center was a long table adorned with computers, each ready for our use. Adjacent to it, a blackboard stood against the wall, giving the room an air of a classroom-like setting.

Rohan turned to face us and began speaking. "Take a seat wherever you want. Let me give you a quick overview of what we'll be doing here."

We all found our spots and sat down, each assigned to a computer with some space between us. Once we were settled, Rohan took his place at the head of the table, facing us.

He started speaking after a brief silence. "First of all, thank you all for joining. Together, we'll achieve great things. Now, before we begin, how much do you know about computers?"

I spoke up first, a bit unsure. "Well... we learned about them in Muggle Studies class, but it was more of a general understanding, not the technical side." Everyone nodded in agreement.

Oliver and Charlie added, "We've also read the books you gave us, so we know a bit more."

Henry hesitated and then admitted, "I don't know much, to be honest. Computers weren't part of my Hogwarts education, and my work as a magizoologist didn't involve them. I tried reading the books, but most of it went over my head."

Rohan reassured Henry, saying, "No worries, we'll start from the basics, and everyone here will help you catch up."

"Now, before we dive in, I need to emphasize that everything we discuss on this floor must remain a secret. According to the contract you signed, it's vital that you don't talk about our work here outside these walls, especially in front of anyone from the Ministry."

I couldn't contain my curiosity and asked, "Why all the secrecy? What exactly are we going to do here?"

Rohan thought for a moment, stroking his chin, before he began to explain, "To understand what we'll be doing here, let's start from the beginning. Just a few months ago, I discovered the existence of magic and the wizarding world when my brother received a letter from Hogwarts."

He continued, "While my brother was excited and fascinated by magic, I was filled with curiosity and concern. So, I delved deeper into learning about the wizarding world. It didn't take long to realize what kind of place it truly was, with the past war and the emphasis on blood purity."

Leaning forward, Rohan spoke with determination in his eyes, "Most people would stay away from the wizarding world in such circumstances, but not me. As a man of science, the fact that I couldn't perform magic wouldn't deter me. I bought books and items to examine and conduct tests, but it was challenging. Being a non-mage made it difficult to purchase things, and I struggled with adapting modern research techniques in the old-fashioned wizarding world. And on top of it."

Olivia interjected, "So, that's why you bought all those potions from me earlier?"

Rohan hesitated briefly before replying, "Indeed, Miss Olivia. As I was saying, that was just the beginning. In the wizarding world, if you can't do magic, you're often treated as a second-class citizen. And especially for someone like me who is a muggle. It made buying things even more challenging for me.

Now, the biggest problem i faced was The Ministry as they like to control what is being researched. That's when Miss Olivia approached me, and I had this idea of hiring witches and wizards to help me in exchange of money.

Now as far as to why i am so focused on secrecy, it is because of the kind of research we will be doing here."

Everyone looked at each other, still confused and exchanging uncertain glances.

Jacob questioned, "But why are you doing all this? why take the risk?"

Rohan replied, "Why take the risk you say? it is simple. I want to better understand the world and advance the technology to better people's lives and i don't think magic is some divine blessing or power but a part of nature. I believe that the next generation of human advancements lies in this so called magic and i want to know its secrets. "

The room buzzed with conversation as everyone discussed it amongst themselves.

Charlie's voice quivered as he expressed his concern, "Do you know what you're saying? This is an impossible goal. why do you think you can do it while so many have failed. "

Rohan's confidence shone through his smile as he responded, " The wizarding world holds old values and beliefs that make them feel better about themselves. For more then a millennium the wizarding community has been there yet the progress they had made is really bad. Wizards not sharing their findings and the lack of innovation has made them very primitive in their ways.

This is where i come in. Just look at how much the world has progressed in the past 200 years. i believe that if i can use a modern approach to studying magic, then i can surely find something."

Oscar added his thoughts, his tone skeptical, "But even if it were possible, the Ministry wouldn't allow researching it right ?. They're cautious about allowing advanced experiments like this."

Rohan interrupted Oscar with confidence and determination. "I am aware of that. Only the Unspeakables are allowed to research magic freely, and that is exactly why i care so much about privacy. We will, for the time being only use computers for the upcoming months. Even if there is magic involved, it would be simple to testing. Remember, we are trying to detect magic in nonmagical ways. And as far as the Ministry will be concerned, we are not doing may suspicious magic here.

Researching potions is allowed, as many other businesses are already doing it. That's why officially, we'll be hiding using that as a cover."

He explained further, "You see, officially, I'm only an investor, and MIss Olivia is spearheading this company. The real objective of this company is to help me in my research of magic. But in front of the Ministry, this company is actually a think tank that will have students in the summer as a way to earn extra money. And for the rest of the year, this will be a small research lab that will develop new potions. I don't care if this is a failing business, as long as there are a few results, I'll be happy. The real value of this company lies in you helping me."

Curiosity getting the better of me, I asked Rohan, "Can you explain in more detail what we'll be doing here? You never gave a direct answer."

Rohan wasted no time and got straight to the point, "For now, we won't be performing any magic. Your primary task in the coming months will be learning modern scientific techniques for studying and conducting research. For the meantime, you'll start by copying magical books onto computers. I know it doesn't sound useful but it will help us in the long run."

He then asked everyone to gather around him, and he showed them a Word document on his computer, which was a book with a few hundred pages. He explained what they would be doing there.

Henry, not familiar with computers, voiced his confusion, "Why go through all this trouble of copying books instead of using magic to duplicate them?"

Rohan smiled and clarified, "What we're doing here is creating digital versions of magical books. These digital copies will be more versatile and accessible. Look at this," he said, pulling out a shiny circular disk. "It's called a CD-ROM, a new tool to store things a computer can read.

This single disc can hold hundreds to thousands of books in it. And the best part is, we can take it anywhere in the world and we can search for anything among all the hundreds of books in a matter of moments, all we will be needing is a computer. Copying it is also easy.

If we can fill one CD with magical books, we can give anyone a whole library worth of books. "

Henry was amazed and stumped. He asked, "Is this true? How is it able to hold so many books?"

Rohan thought for a moment and laughed, then answered, "Its Magic!"

Everyone was shocked and confused, and i asked without realising, "What?"

Rohan explained, "'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.' Have you heard of this phrase before? It's from Arthur C. Clarke.

As you don't know how the CD works, it's no different from magic. But when you understand how it works exactly, it will just be advanced science, nothing more."

Everyone's curiosity was piqued, leading to a barrage of questions. Rohan effortlessly answered them all, satisfying our inquiries. After approximately half an hour, we descended the stairs to resume the tour. I had been eagerly anticipating for this moment, eager to unveil what i had been working on for about a week.