Chapter 1094 - 801: Magic Contract
The office of the Minister was silent, Bones sat there wordlessly, lost in thought.
Kael sat opposite her, idly twirling the Galleon on the table.
During this time, someone came to report work to Bones, only to be sent away as she continued to stay silent.
Kael did not rush her.
After an unknown period, Bones finally came to herself and looked at Kael.
"A hundred thousand Galleons, I can’t agree to that, nor would any Minister agree to it."
"The amount is too large, it could even affect the Ministry of Magic’s normal operations."
"So, there’s no negotiation possible?" Kael shrugged.
"Not exactly." Bones stood up, "I’ve thought of a compromise."
"What is it?"
"The Ministry of Magic is willing to pay two thousand Galleons for the temporary usage rights of your item, effective from now until we defeat You-Know-Who."
Kael asked curiously, "What does that mean?"
"Same conditions as before," Bones explained, "this communication device can only be used by the Ministry of Magic, not allowed elsewhere, but the duration isn’t permanent.
"If we defeat You-Know-Who, the restrictions can end, and then you can do whatever you want, the Ministry won’t interfere."
"Two thousand Galleons is still a bit of a loss for me." Kael thought aloud.
"I’m not good at bargaining; this is the highest price I can offer." Bones said, "The Ministry of Magic must keep enough funds reserved, more than this would be impossible, I’m afraid I can only apologize."
"Alright, then." Kael asked, "What if You-Know-Who is defeated tomorrow?"
"The Ministry will still give you the two thousand Galleons." Bones replied immediately.
"That sounds good." Kael continued to ask, "But, what if You-Know-Who isn’t defeated for ten or twenty years?"
"If such a situation occurred, it would only mean the Ministry of Magic no longer exists." Bones shook her head and said calmly, "With the Ministry nonexistent, there’s no need to adhere to agreements, right?"
Kael paused for a moment.
"Then, let it be as you say."
"No problem."
Then Bones took out parchment and quill, quickly drafted a Magic Contract.
The content was short, less than half a sheet of parchment, even fewer words than a first-year Hogwarts student’s assignment.
After writing, she pressed her wand to the blank space on the parchment and softly chanted a spell.
The tip emitted a golden light, and a special symbol appeared in the blank space.
A bold capital ’M’ with a vertically embedded wand.
This is the mark of the Ministry of Magic, used only in specialized Contract Magic by the Minister, present on all important documents of the Ministry.
Bones turned the parchment over and pushed it to Kael.
Kael glanced at it and, with a gentle flick of his wand, changed the "2000" to "1800."
"What do you mean by that?" Bones asked.
"I said before, Susan is considered an old customer of ours, and she’s also a fellow housemate at Hogwarts, a discount is warranted for that relationship."
"Only ten percent?"
"It’s quite a bit." Kael took the quill, signed his name next to the mark, and tapped it with his wand.
Name Magic, which can only be performed by the individual, is a crucial step in a Magic Contract.
The sign represents the Ministry, the name represents Kael, and once the magic activates, the contract becomes binding and its contents cannot be altered.
"So, here’s to happy cooperation." Bones smiled and extended her hand, "Honestly, graduates like you are rare, if possible, appointing you as Deputy Minister seems like a good option."
"Didn’t you say it takes time?"
Kael extended his hand as well, giving a light handshake with Bones.
"That’s true, it’s also a rule set by Wizengamot, initially meant to prevent the Minister from becoming too powerful." Bones said, "But I believe, if you’re patient, there’s a good chance you’ll reach that position, possibly even... become the youngest Minister."
"Hm... we’ll see." Kael smiled.
"Such a pity." Bones sighed, actively changing the topic, "As you can see, there’s much I need to do next."
She pointed at the documents just delivered, "How about leaving other matters to you, including needing the Communication Sickles, and these Signal Badges."
"Sure." Kael nodded, "How many do you need?"
"Considering the number of Aurors and Beaters now, plus some reserves... make three hundred and fifty for starters." Bones thought and said, "The logistics department has some tools you might find useful, or do you prefer working from home?"
"Neither, let’s do it right here." Kael said, "Is my previous office still empty?"
"Of course, I said I’d keep it for you." Bones replied, "Do you need anything?"
"If possible, send some raw materials over." Kael said, "Not true Sickles, there’s too much Goblin Magic on them, they’re useless for making anything."
"No problem, I’ll have someone send them to you shortly." Bones said, "Additionally, I’ll prepare the Galleons ahead, so once you’re done, you can take them anytime."
"That would be wonderful." Kael said with a smile.
Nothing else matters, only this is crucial.