A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts C.325: Penelope

"Percy, did you see it?"

"...I saw it."

In a corner of Diagon Alley, Percy and Penelope stared at each other dumbfoundedly. Percy asked her, "Do you think Professor Snape is here as a guest?"

"Don't be silly," Penelope exclaimed excitedly, clenching her fist. "We should have realized it earlier. The job posting revealed a lot of information"

"You mean the ancient magical texts and the admiration for Muggle items?" Percy caught on. "We're lucky we came back one last time. The previous times we came, it was just an empty space here."

Percy and Penelope had come here more than once, and they had even followed the recruitment advertisement to find the L.C.A. Building. The staff of this newly thriving comic company led them to a domestic elf. This domestic elf, dressed even more elegantly than them, had a separate office. He didn't reveal much information, only insisting that the interview location hadn't changed and asked them to come on time. "You won't regret it."

Percy was about to start at the Ministry of Magic in a few days, and today was their last visit. They happened to witness this scene.

...

Felix and Snape entered the Future World Building. Felix's fingertips brushed against a copper Knut. "Dobby," he called softly.

"Squeak!"

With a slight sound, a domestic elf dressed in exquisite butler's attire appeared. He gave a deep bow. "Mr. Harp, Dobby is at your service." He looked up, gazing around. "Is this our new company? It looks a bit dim..."

"Of course, it still lacks illumination," Felix said. He extended his hand forward, magical script converged, forming a palm-sized milky-white sphere of light that spiraled upward. It landed in the enormous crystalline fractal chandelier at the top of the building, instantly illuminating the whole place.

"It can last for a while. I'll create a stable magical item with similar properties in a couple of days." He said thoughtfully, "Perhaps this could become the company's first product."

"Magic lamp?" Snape pondered. "A good idea."

Felix clapped his hands. "The interview time is at nine o'clock. We have about two hours. We can use this time to make some adjustments"

He stopped mid-sentence as a young man and woman pushed the door open from outside. "Professor?" Penelope said nervously.

Felix nodded at her. "You're earlier than I expected. Hmm... I've seen your records. It's not really necessary, but let's go through the process."

He said to Dobby, "If someone arrives early for an interview, please take them to the room on the second floor." He pointed to a spacious room on the second floor. It had a huge double-door made of wine-red chestnut wood with intricate carvings.

"Very well, Mr. Harp," Dobby said cheerfully.

The group walked up the broad spiraling staircase. Percy took the opportunity to inspect the bas-reliefs on the dome above, depicting various scenes. Alongside wizards with wands, there were people in Muggle attire. Some were holding different types of glass tubes, some were contemplating complex mechanical structures, and others held a brass balance scale.

It was hard for him to understand why these people were brought together. They seemed to come from various professions. Percy focused on the images of the wizards and recognized a few individuals who had a common traitthey were renowned for discovering or inventing significant spells.

For instance, he saw Samobi, the inventor of the Cheering Charm; Flewellyn Belby, who discovered a method to repel Hinkypunks; and Grover Hipworth, the inventor of the Pepperup Potion. Percy speculated that the Muggles he didn't recognize were likely similar figures. People who had discovered or invented something?

"Miss Cleavat, take note. We can make the staircase move." Felix, who was leading, said.

"What? Oh, alright." Penelope replied, rummaging in her pocket. Percy kindly handed her a small notebook and a quill. "I prepared these in advance..."

"Thank you, Percy." She jotted down the information swiftly.

Felix Harp offered some more suggestions. "We need some decorations... that's not urgent. Employees can arrange their workspaces according to their preferences. However, we do need to prepare some tables, chairs, stationery, ink, and perhaps some greenery. Prepare a list, and you can discuss it with Dobby."

He glanced at Penelope and added, "I'm sorry, we're short-staffed at the moment, so we'll need you to handle some miscellaneous tasks for now."

"No problem, Professor. I can quickly familiarize myself with things around here." Penelope said, jotting down the requirements. "Is Dobby the domestic elf we met earlier?"

"That's right. It's important to note that, like you, he's an employee of the company, not someone's servant."

"He's a free elf?" Penelope said in surprise.

"He prefers to call himself, Dobby the Free Elf." Felix smiled in response.

They entered the large room on the second floor. Despite lacking decorations like tables, chairs, and carpets, it was hard to imagine that everything had just materialized. Percy caressed the delicate carvings on the windowsill, seemingly sniffing at something...

Felix conjured some long tables and chairs in a Hogwarts-style. He and Snape sat on one side of the table, while Penelope and Percy sat on the other. However, the interview quickly turned into a discussion about the company's scope of business, management system, and daily operations.

Percy was quite enthusiastic about the Ministry of Magic's management methods and suggested replicating them entirely. But this met strong opposition from his girlfriend.

"Percy, the Ministry's way of management is too cold and rigid. For a long time, our workforce won't be that large..." She glanced at Felix, who nodded gently. She turned back and continued, "You see, if there are only a dozen or so, maybe a few dozen people, a friendly atmosphere is more important."

"Exactly because of the small size, certain rules should be established early on. It's good for everyone." Percy insisted.

"Rules are necessary, but they don't have to be so rigid." Penelope patiently explained, "Future World's main focus is on research and development. It's completely different from the Ministry of Magic..."

Felix and Snape sat quietly on the side, watching them argue. Both of them had a streak of stubbornness in their personalities, but they were also rational individuals. After half an hour, Percy was persuaded.

At that moment, Felix smiled and said, "Looks like you've reached a consensus."

"Let me share my thoughts. Just as Miss Cleavat said, Future World's mission is to provide convenience for all wizards, to make their lives better. In other words, our mindset should be ahead of the entire wizarding world. We are the future."

"A relaxed environment is essential. I won't impose too many constraints. However, some practices from the Ministry of Magic can also be beneficial. Like the paper airplanes Percy mentioned to pass messages. I found it intriguing the first time I saw it."

"Knock knock!"

Dobby knocked on the door and appeared. "Mr. Harp, there's an applicant. He says his name is Lems Lupin."

Snape stood up abruptly. "I'll go bring him in." Without waiting for Felix's response, he hurried out of the room.

Felix shook his head and quickly followed. These two had just had a quarrel not too long ago, their relationship was indeed complex. But another round of argument wasn't a big deal. He just needed to keep Percy and Penelope occupied.

Turning to the two of them, he said, "You've been hired, Miss Cleavat. Enjoy your break, and report for duty tomorrow..."

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