As Penelope sighed in contemplation, the atmosphere on the second floor of the shop also grew somewhat strange.
The 100-square-foot area, originally used as storage space, had now been tidied up, clean and organized.
A long rectangular table, nearly twenty feet in length, was placed in the center, with twelve high-backed chairs on either side.
If a Hogwarts professor were present, they would recognize that the people seated here were once 'notable' students from the castle.
Marcus Flint, Mina Burke... and even Percy Weasley, with his short red hair.
These people were all involved in the operation of the Movie Mirror.
...
"I feel like this meeting was called rather suddenly. Does anyone know why?"
Marcus, seated in his chair, scanned the room with a smile, though his eyes held a cold glint.
But such a demeanor might scare the younger students at Hogwarts, yet none of the eleven people present here cared. They all remained indifferent, ignoring his display.
As the situation seemed to grow awkward, Mina Burke, a former Slytherin prefect, eased the tension:
"Don't ask! If it's something we need to know, we'll find out. Otherwise, you could ask Malfoy; he would know best."
"I did ask, but he wouldn't say!" Marcus explained with a chuckle, happy that someone had responded.
Percy, seated quietly in his chair, watched the exchange between the two.
Marcus and Mina, one overseeing Diagon Alley and the other Knockturn Alley, were clearly probing the others, but unfortunately, there were no fools present. Everyone maintained a silent understanding.
...
Time passed slowly in the slightly tense atmosphere.
Soon enough, everyone on the second floor of the shop felt a faint chill.
As a blue glow flashed, a figure appeared in the room, accompanied by a familiar voice that rang in everyone's ears:
"I apologize for keeping you all waiting."
Ino smiled at the familiar faces in the room, nodding in acknowledgment.
But his smile and politeness were in vain, as everyone present instinctively lowered their heads.
The blue phoenix had only made a fleeting appearance, yet it felt as though many had come face-to-face with curses and death.
"Oh! Sorry! I forgot about Fide's nature. But there's no helping it—you all know that the dormitory fireplaces at school aren't connected to the Floo Network."
Ino's tone was slow, but his emotions seemed genuine, every word filled with sincerity.
As he looked at the twelve shareholders involved in the operation, a hint of amusement flickered in Ino's eyes.
This was exactly the effect he wanted—he would play the good cop, while Fide played the bad cop. Whether the operation had issues or not, such actions were essential. After all, in the world of pure-bloods, reputation often paled in comparison to raw power.
Seeing that his goal had been achieved, and not wanting to push too far, Ino gently stroked the phoenix's back:
"Fide! Go home and play with the little ones. You've scared my friends."
The blue glow flashed once more, and Fide's figure disappeared.
...
For a long time, the room remained cold even after the phoenix had left. But it no longer radiated the direct despair and fear that had permeated before.
"Fide is like that, but perhaps you could have some chocolate—it might help."
Ino pulled out some liquor chocolates he had prepared in advance.
As he placed the chocolates on the table, they instantly replicated into a large plate, which was then distributed to everyone.
"Thank you, Mr. Swinburne! This is the best chocolate I've ever had."
Marcus looked at the chocolate in front of him, unwrapped one, and popped it into his mouth without hesitation, seemingly unconcerned with the general rule of not eating anything randomly in the magical world.
With someone taking the lead, the others also started eating the chocolates.
Perhaps, as the original story suggested, chocolate truly does help alleviate stress.
In just a few minutes, the atmosphere on the second floor softened.
"Thank you for the compliment, Marcus." Ino responded with a light laugh as he sat down.
"Actually, there are two things on the agenda for today's meeting. The first is regarding the Bulgarian Seeker, Viktor Krum…"
He had made a promise about Krum before, and now it was time to give him a clear answer, fulfilling that promise.
"... That's the situation. Krum came to me, so what do you all think?"
After explaining the situation, Ino fell silent, leaving the question for the others to discuss.
At the same time, Marcus reflexively sat up straight.
"That's impossible! Please believe me! We didn't receive any letters! Really, we didn't. As for Durmstrang, it's always been their Headmaster, Karkaroff, who has been in contact with us…"
Marcus's tone grew somewhat anxious, but understandably so. After all, he had always been responsible for the public-facing business.
But in his haste, Marcus replaced "I" with "we," which caused the others to frown.
Especially Percy, who shot a displeased glance at Marcus. He was here to secure benefits for the Weasley family, not to share responsibility.
"Excuse me, but I must interject! I had no knowledge of this. The letters and external sales have always been handled by Mr. Flint."
Percy's words resonated with the others, and aside from Mina, everyone else nodded in agreement.
"You…" Marcus felt humiliated, and just as he was about to explode, he noticed the calm, smiling face at the head of the table.
"Excuse me! Please give me a moment." Marcus stood up and walked toward a storage cabinet in the corner of the room.
A moment later, a pile of letters and a thick notebook were placed on the table.
"These are all the correspondence with Karkaroff, and this is the sales ledger after the World Cup, detailing prepayments, orders, quantities—everything is recorded here."
"Oh, and I'm willing to take Veritaserum! I have nothing to hide."
Marcus spoke defiantly, feeling betrayed. Everything had been fine until something went wrong, and now, out of twelve people, only Mina seemed to trust him.
Hearing the mention of Veritaserum, Ino frowned slightly. He knew that if Marcus really took Veritaserum, their business would be over, not to mention the favors owed to old Flint and Newt.
Veritaserum was out of the question, but they could still check the books, and his gut told him Marcus wasn't lying—there was no reason for him to do so.
As one of the few top pure-blood families, if the Flint family were that shortsighted, they would have been eliminated by history long ago.
Just like when they launched records and books, old Flint was willing to take a loss just to make connections.
With this in mind, Ino made a decision.
"Forget the Veritaserum; we're all friends here. As for Krum's issue, it seems like the problem is on Durmstrang's end, but that's not our concern…"
What worried him initially was that these people would band together. But now, it seemed that out of the twelve, only Mina and Marcus were close.
"Thank you for your trust!" Marcus said sincerely.
"No, you've proven yourself with facts." Ino gestured toward the ledger and letters on the table.
He didn't want to take the credit for this—business had to be handled by the rules.
Marcus wasn't foolish. Realizing he had misspoken, he smiled sheepishly and fell silent.
"Well then, onto the second matter—the Triwizard Tournament."
Ino lightly tapped the table.
"This time, we have an opportunity. We could launch a special commemorative edition, but there are some challenges. First, we need to win over our dear Headmaster…"
Ino shared his thoughts. In the original story, he always felt that the Triwizard Tournament was somewhat dull, especially the last two tasks, which completely ignored the audience's experience.
Hiding underwater, dodging through a maze—it seemed like they were trying to avoid being seen.
Now, he had the chance to make the tournament more spectator-friendly, starting with removing that underwater task.