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Half an hour later, the senior coordinator from the International Floo Network Coordination Office finally paused, her throat dry from all the talking. She reached for her glass and gulped down a generous mouthful of water.
"Phew—it was a pleasure chatting with you, Noctis!" she said with a bright smile, waving at the raven perched nearby. "Off you go now. Continue your journey, and may your flight be smooth and safe. My shift's about to end anyway."
"Caw!"
Noctis spread his wings wide, casting one last glance at the control room. The chamber was filled with the gleam of magical instruments and the hum of enchanted machinery, a perfect fusion of sorcery and technology. Then, in a sweep of motion, he soared into the starlit sky, vanishing like a streak of black light.
…
A few days later
Australia, Sydney. Headquarters of the International Confederation of Wizards Gazette.
Noctis appeared at the upper levels of the Gazette building, descending with precision to the wide windows of a vast, open-plan office.
The view inside was nothing short of a magical marvel.
Dozens upon dozens of floating notice boards hovered in the air, their surfaces crowded with glowing words that streamed and tumbled endlessly like cascading rivers of light. Updates flashed every second as breaking magical news from across the world, official bulletins, emergency alerts, and even whispered rumors all converged, collided, and were sorted within this one place.
Uniformed staff hurried through the aisles, wands flicking and gesturing as they categorized, archived, or dispatched information streams at remarkable speed.
The air was thick with the scent of parchment and ink, accompanied by a low, steady hum born from the ceaseless motion of magical data.
At the heart of the office stood a stork before a massive information hub assembled from countless sheets of enchanted parchment.
He wore a sharply tailored gray suit, his hair slicked neatly back, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses rested on his nose. Behind the lenses, his keen eyes flicked rapidly across the endless streams of shifting text.
All the while, his wand moved in precise rhythm, tapping the air again and again.
Each touch brought a headline into focus and expanded it before sending it toward a designated notice board, or else marked a dubious, inflammatory message with a scarlet sigil reading "Quarantine," instantly redirecting it to the review queue at the side.
Noctis landed without a sound upon a metal perch beside the information hub, a stand made especially for messenger birds.
Stork did not even bother to turn his head fully. His gaze flicked briefly toward the raven through the reflection of his lenses, but his wand never slowed.
"Wait a moment! Thirty seconds," he said calmly, his voice steady and stripped of any superfluous emotion.
He was in the middle of processing an urgent report about an unusual migration of magical creatures somewhere in South America.
Exactly thirty seconds later, he handed the active task sequence over to a waiting assistant beside him and finally turned to take the parchment from Noctis's beak.
He skimmed through the scroll swiftly, eyes darting over the different handwritings and brief reports from various correspondents. A faint, somewhat stiff smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"I don't have any mithril reserves here," he said dryly. "But the canteen downstairs has a special batch of owl feed. Would you like some?"
Noctis gave a slow shake of his head.
Stork said nothing more. He adjusted his glasses and pulled a black fountain pen from his suit pocket, twisting the cap with smooth precision before quickly writing across the parchment.
༺✧─────────────✧༻
All is normal.
Additionally, according to internal notice, the conferment ceremony for Hummingbird's First-Class Order of Merlin is scheduled for mid-August. Congratulations.
— Stork
༺✧─────────────✧༻
The ink dried at once. He rolled up the parchment neatly and slipped it back into the leather tube fastened to Noctis's leg.
Yet the raven did not leave immediately.
It folded its wings close and remained still upon the cold metal perch, resting quietly for a long time.
Only when another exhausted owl messenger landed beside it, letting out a faint, tired coo, did Noctis seem to remember his purpose. He stretched his wings, gave a soft flutter, and made space for the newcomer.
Ahead of him lay another long journey that would cross continents and seas.
Noctis took flight once more, flying without rest, his wings beating steadily toward the vast lands of Africa.
This would be the final stop of his global "courtesy tour." If all went as planned, once this errand was complete, he would finally return to the familiar tower of Hogwarts and resume his peaceful, unhurried life — watching over the castle grounds from above, doing nothing in particular yet missing nothing at all.
A journey around the world was no easy feat, especially when one's only means of travel was one's own wings.
It had been more than ten days since he departed from the stone walls of Hogwarts. Were he an ordinary owl, he would have collapsed long ago from sheer exhaustion.
…
Africa, Johannesburg. Headquarters of the Gemstone Merchant Guild.
Noctis descended upon a secluded terrace high atop the guild's headquarters.
From here, the view was magnificent. The bustling Muggle city stretched below like a glittering mosaic, and tucked within its corners were hidden pockets of the magical world, faintly shimmering under protective enchantments.
The air carried the mingled scent of dust and spices, dry and intoxicating.
Behind a broad worktable inlaid with gems of every hue sat Snowy Owl. She wore a silk robe cut with effortless accuracy, and a pair of crystal goggles rested on her face, lenses enchanted to reveal the magical flow within gemstones.
The terrace offered little shade, yet a transparent barrier of magic surrounded it, sealing away noise and prying eyes from the outside world.
Bathed in sunlight, Snowy Owl held a pair of slender tweezers between her fingers, carefully examining a deep crimson gem the size of a pigeon's egg as she turned it toward the light.
Noctis's landing broke her concentration.
Her movements paused. She set down the gemstone and tweezers, then lifted the crystal goggles from her face, revealing her sharp, shrewd features beneath.
Her gaze immediately fell upon the small, sagging dragonhide pouch tied to the raven's leg. Her slender eyebrows lifted slightly, and a faint, knowing curve touched her lips.
"Looks like the trip took quite a toll."
Her tone was calm, almost to herself, as she reached for a silver box set with a large turquoise stone on her worktable.
When she opened it, the box gleamed with neatly stacked bars of pure, cold mithril.
She picked up a few of the heavy bars and dropped them into a delicate enamel dish nearby, their clear metallic chime echoing softly in the still air.
"Here. A little something extra for the road," she said, her voice low and slightly husky from long hours of work.
Noctis hopped onto the railing without hesitation and began pecking at the exquisite "rations," his sharp beak clicking against the precious metal as if he were feasting on grain.
Snowy Owl did not resume her work right away. Instead, she set her goggles aside and spoke in a light, conversational tone to the raven that was eating so intently.
"Let me guess... the letter probably mentions something about me taking over the British aviary, doesn't it?"
The raven ignored her, too absorbed in devouring his mithril banquet to bother responding.
She chuckled softly, no longer expecting an answer.
With a smooth motion, she reached for the leather tube strapped to Noctis's leg and drew out the rolled parchment within.
Unfurling it, her eyes moved swiftly over the brief reports and concise notes written in various hands, ending with a familiar message from Stork.
"Flew this far, did you?" she murmured, lifting her gaze to study the seemingly tireless alchemical raven before her. A faint shake of her head followed.
"Seems whatever he and Kestrel got themselves into this time is even more troublesome than I imagined..."
Her voice dropped to a whisper as she spoke to herself. Then she reached for a quill and began to write swiftly across the blank space at the bottom of the parchment in elegant, flowing script.
༺✧─────────────✧༻
Congratulations to Hummingbird!
Met with Professor Kettleburn two days ago. The professor has agreed to introduce me to several reputable bookshops in Diagon Alley. Negotiations are progressing smoothly.
— Snowy Owl
༺✧─────────────✧༻
Once finished, she rolled the parchment neatly and slid it back into the leather tube.
By then, Noctis had finished his meal. He let out a low, contented croak that expressing its gratitude
Snowy Owl waved her hand lightly, signaling that he need not linger.
The raven spread his powerful wings and, with a single strong beat, vanished once more into the blazing sunlight over the African continent.
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[IMAGE]
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[Chapter End's]
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