Chapter 174

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In the morning after the Quidditch match, the first thing I did was tell the portrait of Walburga about what had happened at the championship. I told her about my lucky bet and that I was on my way to collect the money. I complained about Delphine's somewhat incomprehensible behavior during the attack.

"There could be all sorts of reasons," said Walburga while we were drinking tea. She, of course, drank drawn, as she always did. "But take my word for it - since Delphine didn't start killing them right away, there must have been reasons for it, some purpose of hers, and she wasn't worried about the girls' safety for a reason, either. What did she say herself?"

"That she was trying to determine if her husband was among the attackers and to act on that knowledge."

"Is the disguise of those hoodies and masks that good?"

"They seemed exactly the same until they started moving. There already, yes, there was an obvious difference between the wizards."

"So, Max, take for granted her explanation. At least for now. She was probably ready to use magic at any moment, but if she did, those Death Eaters would have responded right away, and then it was just a matter of crushing them to victory, not figuring out who was who. Maybe she wanted them to start moving, take a few steps, and then determine who to kill and who not to kill."

"Good theory, but I don't like that she didn't start defending the girls right away."

"What do you know about her defense methods? Maybe they've already been protected? Like I say, for now, it's worth taking Delphine's words as given but not closing yourself off to other theories and possibilities. Better tell me, what are you going to do with the money?"

"I don't know, honestly. I was thinking of investing some of it in something, but I don't know what at all..."

"The money must work, certainly," nodded Lady Walburga, lighting a cigarette. "However, I believe it requires knowledge of how the economy of magical England works. You can find promising students at Hogwarts and fund their projects, but youth... It is like that. One minute a student wants something, the next month they don't. Not everyone is able to withstand the pressure and competition. Almost the entire service sector is occupied by the ministry, so individuals develop either production or cultivation of something. Or selling and reselling. While you're at Hogwarts this year, try researching wizards' needs for finished goods, ingredients, or services. During the first magical war, many industries suffered. They belonged mostly to those who didn't want to join any faction. Well, the Dark Lord's methods of negotiation are extremely radical. It's unlikely that many have been able to get back on their feet now. You didn't grow up in the wizarding world, and you may have a fresh perspective on things."

After this short but informative conversation, I went to Gringotts Bank to receive my due. The goblins were not particularly happy about my winnings. They took me to a separate room to get it, and we put stacks of galleons into a small purse for an hour and a half. I exchanged some of the money for pounds, about a thousand galleons. As it turned out, there are restrictions on exchange - only for Muggle-borns, at least according to the documents, and with an annual maximum of ten thousand pounds. That is, in one year, you can let ten thousand pounds into the swap. Odd, considering that Muggle world prices rise in a similar way to regular prices. Simply put, the purchasing power of galleon changes in exactly the same way as the pound. Oh, well, that economy, for now, to Morgana.

The second point was Knight's house, where, after a light snack, I called Hermione and asked her how she was feeling. She seemed fine, but the girl's voice was much more neutral and calm. Maybe she drank something for her nerves? Anything was possible.

Back at the Grimmauld's house, I went to the training room, where, according to Rowena's calculations, I was learning how to apparate, a skill I should have mastered a long time ago.

It was quite simple - with or without a wand, you could swing your magic around yourself and imagine the place you wanted to be in detail. Turn around on your heel, and you're transported to that very spot. Thanks to Rowena's calculations, the first apparation was successful and went smoothly and accurately. Occlumency, on the other hand, allowed me to imagine the right place very accurately and quickly, and the place was not blurred in my imagination. I spent the whole day practicing apparation, and afterward, I asked Walburga if she knew what kind of spell or skill it was when a wizard in the form of black or any other smoke flew through space. Unfortunately, she doesn't know the essence of such magic, just general information. It is called combat transgression, and for a wizard who is not engaged in combat training in general, and combat in particular, the skill is rather useless and difficult. Walburga had no idea how to master it. And there shouldn't be such a thing in the library - this skill of manipulating magic appeared not so long ago, in the range of sixty years ago.

I ended up making a couple of trips to the Diagon Alley, purchasing all the necessary supplies, making sure I had everything I needed, and buying a wand from Kiddell, which was almost completely unsuitable for me. A second wand was needed to be able to practice magic and learn to sense it not only with Hermione but separately as well.

There was no news from Delphine, but I did not despair - we will figure it out somehow about the apprenticeship.