Pandora's box

Gaude was once again ready to perform his morning ritual of the Daily Prophet, yet his eyes stopped on the image on the front page.

There was a moving picture of a certain insane wizard using a spell he had never seen before, a chained-together killing curse, not to mention the fact that it seemed to be doing harm to Dragons.

'Damn! He's that powerful? What the hell is up with that spell? If the killing curse can be used like that, I'll need a spell researcher! I'll need a pure magic corps as well, I can't just rely on physical fighters anymore.'

With just a thought, an elf was summoned and given the orders to look for anyone talented in spell research. With Gaude's widespread intelligence network, it shouldn't even take too long.

Suddenly, another elf showed up by themself, without summoning.

"Master, a letter has arrived for you."

'There shouldn't be anyone that knows my address. Hell, I don't think the mailman would even be able to get up here.'

However, after Gaude took a glance at the name of the sender, he quickly realized that this letter hadn't arrived due to the stalwart efforts of an exceptionally stubborn mailman with mountain-climbing gear. The name on the letter was 'Lucius Malfoy'.

Gaude recognized the last name rather quickly because one Abraxas Malfoy had made all sorts of proposals in the Wizengamot, as well as the fact that Lucius Malfoy had become a part of Gaude's list of high-profile Death Eaters.

After casting a few diagnostic spells on the envelope and making sure it wasn't carrying any hexes, charms or curses, Gaude received and opened it. After unfolding, he discovered that the envelope itself was also the parchment the letter was written on.

The parchment bore a House Malfoy crest on the upper right corner and the contents were a generic invitation for Charles Vywin to attend a lunch in the Leaky Cauldron in two days.

'Oh, so you send a freshly out of Hogwarts kid to do the talking and you expect an extremely busy old man to find the time for shit like that? You're looking down on old man Charles too much. The best I can do for you is his grandson. If you can swallow a spoonful of your own medicine, then we can discuss whatever you're interested in.'

Gaude went to check up on the Academy. He had to make sure the vampires were adapting to it well enough, after all.

The moment he stepped out of the Floo, he discovered that Amanda was doing the exact same thing Irma had done with her pack of Werewolves – they were running on the track. The difference was, however, that each of them had a blood pack instead of a water bottle and they kept taking small sips every now and then – it looked like they wouldn't even need the potions at that rate.

Once Amanda saw Gaude, she came to a stop, but the moment some of the others had the same idea, she shouted: "What are you doing? Keep going!"

"Hey, Mandy!", Gaude greeted and opened his arms wide.

Not thinking twice, she was in Gaude's embrace not an instant later, smiling happily.

"Did you come here for just that?", she asked after a while.

"Well, yes, but I was also wondering how the new trainees were doing."

"They're getting used to it. There are some turned among them that were just too weak to keep going, they were put down."

"Oh, good. Keep at it.", Gaude replied absent-mindedly. He was recharging his hug bar once again and wasn't paying too much attention to what his recharge device was saying.

"Once it's ready, will you give me the Sanguini bloodline potion, too?"

"Hm? Sure thing."

Once Gaude was done recharging, he came out of his dazed state and said: "If there's anything you need, just ask me."

He then left before Amanda could even say anything else. There was still much left for him to do and it didn't sound like she was complaining, so whatever she said should've been something trivial. There was no need to have her repeat it.

---

A while later, Gaude was standing in Madam Puddyfoot's and waiting patiently for the second hour as a young blonde lady with a well-groomed appearance was using numeric as well as regular runes to do something he could only suspect was high-level wizarding algebra. To Gaude, it didn't look much different from a physicist trying to crack the unified field theory using ten different sets of equations simultaneously.

Yet, as time passed, her quill never came to a stop and she continued writing rune after rune, even subconsciously taking out new parchments until finally, her inkwell seemed to run dry.

Gaude made use of that pause, hoping that she'd be open to an outside stimulus at that time.

"Pandora Lovegood, I presume?", Gaude spoke.

The young woman jolted a little and exclaimed: "Yes, I'm her. I didn't see you there, you scared me!

Did you lose your parents?"

'Well, technically I lost them a long time ago and permanently, but that wouldn't progress the conversation at all. Still, I'll try the recruitment talk in a child's body, so I'll get more used to it. Can't keep relying on illusions and tricks forever, that would just lead to a split personality or something like that.'

"Actually, I'm here for you. Name's Gaude Vywin, a pleasure."

Gaude stretched out his hand with the best smile he could put on and she reciprocated. Her hand was soft and warm, very different from Irma's hands that were hardened by extensive workouts.

'I hope my parents didn't go outside and get caught in some sort of a Death Eater ambush. Why would a child even come talking to me if that was the case? I really can't fathom why such a young boy would want to talk to me.' "You were looking for me? What for?", Pandora asked, a small amount of interest and curiosity on her face.

"Have you heard of the Vywin conglomerate, or at least Charles Vywin?"

'Vywin? I think I've seen that name somewhere? Oh, right, it's been in the paper a few times recently.'

"You mean the man that bought everything on Diagon Alley but the pavement?"

'She's definitely got a good memory, that's a bonus point from me.'

"Yeah, that's exactly who I mean. That's my grandpa. I'm here to hire you as a spell researcher."

'Why would anyone send a little kid to do the hiring for their company? Don't they have some sort of wizard resources department or something that would do the job for them? It sounds like this kid is trying to sell Glumbumble honey to me.' Thinking that the child in front of her was up to some sort of a practical joke, Pandora crossed her arms in front of her and leaned back a little. Whatever he was up to, she would not go along with it, but it was a nice change of pace from the exhausting piece of Arithmancy in front of her.

"Why are you the one that's here trying to hire me, instead of someone, well, older?"

'Oh, looks like it's already beginning. She's not as gullible as any proper witch should be. It seems that something went wrong with her indoctrination process in Hogwarts. I suppose it can't be helped; I'll have to do some convincing.'

"If it makes you feel any better, you can consider it a test from my Grandfather, to see if I'm capable of hiring an employee by myself. You see, he hasn't been well for the past few months and he wants me to familiarize myself with the process so I can take over when he goes on to build a company in another world."

'So, he's just one of those rich brats that get sent on errands. I've never heard of anyone that young sent on an errand like that. The old man must really be at the end of his rope. Strange, he didn't look like it at all from the few pictures that have been taken of him. I suppose I shouldn't make his task any harder for him than it already is. At least I can hear him out.'

Pandora's posture relaxed noticeably, and while she was still on guard, she seemed a lot more open to negotiation now.

"Alright, what would you offer me?"

'Seriously? A sad story goes and does it again. Damn, I'm liking the face I'm wearing right now, it works so well with the ladies.'

"Well, for starters, how does a hundred Galleons a week sound? It's still negotiable to an extent if you feel like it won't be enough. Naturally, if you're willing to work as the head of the spell research department, I'd increase it by another fifty.

There's also a high-security testing facility and spell testers in the package. Naturally, I can't have the most brilliant witch of the generation doing the testing by herself and risk injury or death."

'What? Isn't that more than most Professors make in Hogwarts? And the department head, that would be even more than the Headmaster! I really hope it's not an elaborate practical joke. I don't think Xeno will get a high-paying job the way he is.'

"Where do I sign up?", she asked, her face was now a battle between doubt and enthusiasm.

'That's the face I like to see on a young lady of exquisite looks, er, prospective employee.'

'Good thing I had the contract drafted the moment I found out you can go above and beyond what run of the mill spells can do.'

Gaude took out a large piece of parchment with nearly a hundred terms and conditions that could be shortened to: no revealing the nature of the spells being researched in the lab. No self-experimentation. No standing at an unsafe distance from a spell testing personnel. No experimentation outside the designated facility, even outside working hours. There were many more, but those were the most important ones.

Upon breaking any of the key rules, the violator would be transported to a secure holding facility and rendered unconscious until processing.

Pandora read each term and caveat carefully, looking puzzled at times, confused at others and dissatisfied just to mix things up.

"Isn't this contract too harsh? According to the contract, I'm not even allowed to try out new spells outside the research facility!"

'Oh, I'm sorry, I must've gotten the wrong contract. I guess I should've pulled out the one for the auxiliary research personnel that can blow themselves up or grow a second head for all I care.'

"I'll tell you what's harsh. Let's say there's a brilliant researcher, similar to yourself. One day, she has a nine years old child, and she decides to try out yet another spell. Suddenly, it goes out of control, her magic runs rampant and her chest explodes, all under the eyes of her child. Do you really want to be a mother like that?"

Pandora's face went paler than the parchment that she had been writing on. 'How did he even come up with something like that? That's horrible!'

"No, of course not. I suppose I can just visit the research facility if I want a spell tested."

Pandora finally signed the contract. While it didn't give her true free will, it came as close as Gaude was comfortable giving a wizardkind.

"You know when the working hours are, and where to Floo. One of the elves on watch will be able to give you the grand tour. Oh, and don't mind the spell testers. They're perfectly expendable. They're repurposed unmarked Death Eaters. They can't even say Voldefart's name, as they'd die the moment they affirm their resolve to do so, and they're well aware of the fact."

For a moment, panic appeared on Pandora's face, but was quickly replaced by a knowing smirk. 'What? Did he just say the name of he-who-must-not-be-named? No, he said it different. Voldefart? I like that kid!'

"I think that's a good name for him, much shorter than the usual ones."

"Thank you, I suppose I'll be off. People to meet, contracts to get signed. I hope to see you putting the spell testers to good use as early as tonight.

Oh, and here's a box with an emergency Portkey. It'll take you to a safe place with well-trained medical personnel if or when something does go horribly wrong."

"Goodbye. I do have some spells that I've already calculated but haven't dared to try out myself."