When I left the Russian Hammer Tavern and returned to Hogwarts, it was already evening.

"Is school going to be open again? Time flies. ”

Elena sat on the edge of the terrace outside the Ravenclaw lounge, watching the "little ants" pouring in on the Castle Avenue below, recalling the chaotic layout of the holiday days, and sighed slightly.

"Alas, the ...... of all evils of capitalism"

If she had had the opportunity to participate in the capital feast of the collapse of the Soviet Union half a year ago, she might have directly chosen the same means as European and American countries to raise prices, short the ruble, and destroy the market mechanism...... Within the scope of the rules, the profits that capital can make are limited after all, and only by completely destroying the market can we obtain almost unlimited returns from the past, present, and future.

But now that she is at Hogwarts, she has to think from a different perspective, not only for the interests of wizards and the wizarding world, but also for the new options that the magical power of magic can bring.

At least in front of Elena's eyes, the future of the winter solstice of this year is divided into two entangled but very different paths, one of which has already been written, the union collapses, the Star-Spangled Banner dances on the bear corpse, billions of people will face a famine for nearly a decade, and half of humanity's most brilliant knowledge is buried forever under the snowflakes of Moscow.

The other path leads to a new world into the unknown, where the power of magic will shelter from the red afterglow, the Iron Throne soars in the sky, and the course of history will change from this moment on, but the future will also be shrouded in a fog that she can no longer see, which is also the point she was most hesitant about before.

After returning from the Nikolaev shipyard, Elena has been thinking that maybe she doesn't have to pay too much attention to the foresight of historical events - people's hearts will always change, and relying too much on this aspect may lead to a big problem.

Even Mr. Makarov, who has a firm faith, has been shaken, angry, crying and other emotional out-of-control situations in several "archives", and Elena does not think that the "plots" in her mind will play out as scheduled.

You must know that the plot of the Philosopher's Stone has almost been flapped by her little wings and can never come back, and the plot of the secret room is unlikely to repeat itself, rather than praying for the restraining force of the world, it is better to take the initiative to hold the future in your own hands.

Coo-goo-goo –

Elena looked at the sky in the distance and stretched out her hand to catch the reserve food that fell from the sky, as if holding up the whole world.

And I, Elena Kaslana, am ......

"Elena, guess who I am?"

At this moment, a pair of fleshy little hands violently covered her eyes from behind, and two false hearts slammed into the back of the white-haired ball, almost knocking her straight down the terrace that stretched outward from the castle, and a familiar voice came from her ears.

"Uh, Hannah, scare me...... How do you know I'm here?"

The atmosphere that had been brewing was suddenly dissipated, and Elena casually stuffed the reserve food into her chest, and while breaking the hands covering her eyes, she turned to look behind her in surprise.

In addition to Hannah Abbott, Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood are also there.

The three excited little faces were a little red, and the weak bodies of the girls trembled slightly under the wide wizard's robes, and it was obvious that the three of them had just returned from the wind and snow outside the castle, and they had rushed directly here.

"Luna told me that she felt like you might be waiting for us here...... Long time no see, small reserve grain. ”

Hannah smiled, reached out and expertly rubbed the little head on Elena's chest, and replied casually.

A little behind Hannah, a panting Hermione glanced at the white-haired dumpling that had just jumped off the terrace, a look of shock appeared in her eyes, and her gaze wandered between Luna and Elena who were smiling in disbelief.

"It's amazing, how do you know Luna, you must have written a letter secretly, right?"

"Well, I just guessed...... I think Elena should be on the terrace. ”

"That's too much of a coincidence, isn't it? Hogwarts Castle is so big, you should have played with Elena here on a regular basis, and this is the best place to observe the Castle Avenue, so ......"

"Granger, you're always thinking it's too complicated, but I'm really just guessing......"

Elena looked at Hermione, who was full of unwillingness, and then at Luna, who retorted in a low voice, and said with a smile:

"Alright. Stop arguing, let's go back to the Gryffindor common room - I'll show you Harry's newfound baby! And the Weasley boys, they've been playing chess together these days, but they've bullied me badly, and I need help!"

In fact, Grindelwald and Dumbledore didn't understand, and from beginning to end, Elena didn't have such huge ambitions.

All she wants is to be free to live the life she wants, and to be able to make the people she cares about unharmed and happier...... It's just that this number is getting bigger and bigger.

If the most powerful person is to be crowned as the Demon King, then Elena doesn't really mind wearing this tiara.

Because as Grindelwald said, protection is the most powerful force in the world.

......

Ukraine, a wizard's inn in Kyiv.

Kurt Mayr, who had changed into a non-magical world attire, pushed a stack of papers in front of Gilderoy Lockhart, the "Temporary Security Advisor of Destiny", and said in an unkind tone

"That's your first job, and your only responsibility at the moment, and you're free to do it. ”

"Is that all? helping to maintain the secrecy of a large Muggle industry?"

Gilderoy Lockhart roughly flipped through the documents in front of him, and said with a little surprise, "Actually, you don't have to be so cautious, if it's just this, we don't have to go through that way before......"

"Hmph, keep looking. ”

Kurt snorted coldly, a look of reluctance and threat on his face.

"I don't know why, but Miss insists on making you the chief security advisor for this event, in other words, you will be able to mobilize thirty wizards, including me, to work on magic protection - the only condition is that no secrets must be leaked, and all sounds, images, and memories can only be left in that slipway. ”

"Wait, I'm in charge, and there are thirty wizards?!"

Lockhart was slightly stunned and pointed at himself with some exaggeration.

The wizard quickly lowered his head and looked at the document in his hand,

It is expected to take three months to half a year, and the estimated amount of the whole project is 12 million, with 30 resident wizards, and in case of emergency, all Mandate of Heaven staff in Ukraine can be dispatched, and when their lives are threatened, most of the single spells are allowed to be used, including the Avada Death Spell and the Imperius Curse......

Grunt......

Lockhart immediately looked around the room, the dozen or so middle-aged and elderly wizards staring at him unkindly, and the handsome blonde wizard swallowed nervously, revealing an embarrassed but polite smile.

"Well, isn't there something wrong, I don't ...... except for a little talent for the Oblivion Charm."

If he was still glad that he didn't meet any object of revenge at the beginning, Lockhart was already full of uneasiness in his heart, in today's wizarding world, he can mobilize the power of dozens of elite wizards at will, and it is not the Ministry of Magic.

In his impression, even the Death Eaters under the mysterious man of the year needed to come out of the nest.

Who are these people......

"Don't worry, no mistake, since my granddaughter said you can, then you can. ”

Just then, an old hoarse voice came in from outside the door.

Gilderoy Lockhart looked up and saw a well-dressed old gentleman pushing open the door and slowly walking in.

"If you don't achieve the results we want, it must be you who are deliberately mischievous or negligent. As for the consequences, that must be something that neither of us wants to see...... Of course, we're not unreasonable scoundrels and ruffians. ”

The old man pulled out a strange wand covered in scabs and smiled at a panicked Lockhart.

"Following an ancient tradition in the wizarding world, you can end this contract directly by dueling a wizard one-on-one - as long as you can defeat me in a duel, then it can all be written off. ”

"Duel?" asked Gilderoy Loja subconsciously after a pause.

"yes, I don't think I need to explain too much. The old man grinned, revealing a look of special nostalgia, "Dear Mr. Lockhart, given the special period, I can give you a day to pick a dueling assistant. (Click to view annotation)

Huh? And pick an assistant?!

A hint of hesitation flashed in Gilderoy Lockhart's eyes, and he began to think in his mind about the powerful wizards he knew, as a celebrity in the wizarding world, and an honorary member of the Anti-Dark Arts League, he still knew many powerful characters.

It's just that in the face of this unknown mysterious old wizard, there is not necessarily a certainty of complete victory.

"In that case......

After a few seconds of hesitation, Gilderoy Lockhart gritted his teeth, raised his head to look at the mysterious leader in front of him who began to look through the pile of "employment contracts" in front of him, and took a deep breath and said.

"Then I chose Dumbledore, Albus Dumbledore, you must know, yes, he has been my pen pal for many years, and it makes sense that I chose him as my assistant!"

"Huh, Albus?"

The old wizard repeated with a strange look on his face, raised an eyebrow, and looked at Lockhart with a playful look and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I guess not. ”

"Sure enough, I knew. What a wizard duel is, it's nothing more than a vicious game of cat and mouse. ”

A look of desolation appeared on Gilderoy Lockhart's face, he should have understood that the other party would not give him a chance to contact Dumbledore at all, how could such a low-level loophole appear in such a mysterious and huge magical organization.

"No, no, no, I think you're mistaken, I'm not planning to break the contract. ”

The old wizard raised his finger and shook it, and said with a gentle expression, "It's just that according to convention, it is impossible for the same person to serve as an assistant to both sides of the duel at the same time, and Albus is already my dueling assistant, so you may need to find another person." ”

"Besides, as far as I know, he doesn't seem to have a pen pal like you...... Right?"

A dangerous glint flashed in the old man's eyes and he said softly.