Having a younger sister did not have much impact on John.
During these three days, he had not been idle.
Aside from repairing a cabinet, he also had to open and read through stacks of letters.
"France?"
John stared at the letter from the French Minister of Magic.
His original plan had been to open a branch there. If Death had not schemed against him, his shop would already be running.
Still, this period of travel had not been without its benefits.
His hair had returned to black, and his eyesight had also been restored.
"What exactly was that dimension?"
John stroked his chin, recalling the dark dimension.
That place had been like a paradise for him.
But crossing dimensions was something most people would never encounter in their entire lives. John could only feel a hint of regret.
At the time, he had been threatened by the White Wolf, something that could bring about the end of the world.
Let alone John, even the Witcher world would not dare face it.
"Charles Roland. Since he has sincerely invited me, I should accept his goodwill."
John rubbed the ring on his finger. If the French Ministry of Magic had extended an invitation, they would certainly be prepared to make concessions.
"It seems the Delacour family and a few others have contributed quite a bit to this matter. Since they have shown goodwill, I should return the favor."
Charles Roland alone, a Minister of Magic nearing the end of his term, would not have had such influence. The Delacour family and Madame Maxime had both provided support behind the scenes.
The Delacours did so because their relationship with John meant they were bound to the same ship.
As for Madame Maxime, aside from John having studied there, the more important reason was that he was a disciple of Nicolas Flamel.
Speaking of legitimacy, John was the student of a legendary French alchemist. He could be considered half a part of France's magical orthodoxy.
"The situation in America is stable. Next, it's time to expand influence across Europe."
John fell into thought as he opened the remaining letters.
"As for Germany, Ludovic is willing to offer assistance and mediate with the Ministry of Magic."
"That will also be the most troublesome place. Grindelwald's main forces are entrenched there."
The path had to be taken step by step. John decided to begin with France.
"Heinrich and Kim should be on their way to France by now, right?"
John had considered sending Heinrich back to school. With Durmstrang now effectively under the Edgar name, such a request would have been easy.
But Heinrich had no desire to return. With his level of magical attainment, he had long since surpassed the need for formal schooling.
So John could only let him be.
The matter of sending the two dropouts to France to prepare for opening a branch was also part of John's plan to cultivate them.
There was no need to mention Heinrich. He was John's right-hand man.
Kim Ladislay already had a talent for such matters, having handled various affairs for the American branch.
John's arrangement was for Kim to oversee the Silverhand shops across different countries in the future.
Once the establishment in France was complete, Kim would remain there for a period of time.
Just like in America, John intended to place his own people in various locations.
Closing the letter from France, John murmured to himself, "Since Minister Roland is interested in cooperation, I don't mind letting others see the benefits of working with me."
He picked up a quill and began writing on parchment.
After finishing the invitation, he handed it to Riddle, then took out some dried fish and fed it to him. "Deliver this to Charles Roland. If anyone gets in your way, peck them."
Riddle nodded.
The moment Basil heard that pecking people was allowed, his eyes lit up as he strutted over proudly.
"You can forget it. Last time you beat up Barty Crouch Sr.'s owl, I had to cover the medical expenses."
John poked Basil's head helplessly.
He had no idea where this domineering temperament of the owl came from.
Basil, dissatisfied, swatted John's hand away with his wing. Turning his head, he saw Kiki quietly pulling open a drawer, preparing to steal some dried fish.
Kiki froze.
Trouble.
No, not trouble. A heart attack waiting to happen.
Feathers flew everywhere as John turned his head aside, pretending he saw nothing.
Kiki was seized by the throat by one of Basil's claws and slammed onto the table.
Basil stood over him, one foot planted firmly, utterly domineering.
His wings came down again and again on that big head, beating Kiki until stars danced in his eyes.
After Tom, a second unfortunate victim of Basil had appeared.
As for Tom, she made it clear that it had nothing to do with her.
At that moment, Tom lay sprawled on the floor. Ariana, now dressed in casual girl's clothing, cautiously reached out and poked her belly.
Tom flashed a fawning grin, her tongue hanging out, which delighted Ariana.
…
Silverhand Manor.
John was hosting Barty Crouch Sr..
"You should try this. A drink from the Muggle world."
He handed the fizzy glass bottle of cola to Barty Crouch Sr., who eyed John with suspicion.
The black, bubbling liquid looked almost poisonous.
He took a tentative sip. The bubbles danced in his mouth, and he had to frown to keep from spitting it out.
"Muggle things are getting stranger and stranger," Barty Crouch Sr. said.
From a Muggle's perspective, a wizard's possessions were far stranger still.
John made no comment and said casually, "My parents bought quite a lot."
"I nearly forgot, your parents are Muggles."
When he said this, Barty Crouch Sr. hesitated, as if wanting to ask something more.
He was very curious how Muggles could be more proficient at killing dark creatures than wizards, and what kind of Muggles rode dragons for fun.
Even among wizards, very few would dare to do that.
"So, Silverhand Johnny's new shop will be set up in France?"
"What, are you here to warn me?" John let out a light laugh, making a casual joke. "Silverhand can't remain confined to just one country."
"Of course not. Charles Roland has dealings with me. He is a complete politician," Barty Crouch Sr. said, ignoring the joke. "He wants to use your involvement to extend his time in office."
"People are greedy. He is no exception."
Charles Roland had risen through political maneuvering, but the downside was that he appeared rather mediocre.
Without enough achievements, he could easily be pushed out of office.
"He approached me last year to ask about you," Barty Crouch Sr. said, taking another sip of cola with a frown before quickly setting it aside. "He has been paying attention to you for quite some time. He is also someone who knows how to follow the wind."
"Follow the wind? Then he should know who is worth following."
John smiled. People like that might be unpleasant, but they were also the easiest to control.
"He's willing to make concessions to help Silverhand enter more smoothly," John said, lifting his teacup. "I'm also willing to let his term last a little longer."
"You really haven't changed. I'm rather glad you're still in school."
Barty Crouch Sr. stared at John's cup. You have tea, yet you give me this?
Did he not know that tea was a symbol of Britain?
Even for British wizards, it was the same.
John took a sip, naturally catching the meaning behind Barty Crouch Sr.'s words.
"Being ordinary is not a good aspiration, Barty."
Their conversation turned to the amusement park, a project led by Silverhand and sponsored by the Ministry of Magic, which was about to open.
"This is a good opportunity, isn't it?" John set down his teacup. "Let the Ministries of Magic of various countries see this project and drive the development of tourism."
Only by letting everyone see the benefits created by Silverhand could he ease their wariness.
Barty Crouch Sr. looked at John and said in a low voice, "Building the amusement park near a werewolf community is a risky move."
"Only by letting more people see werewolves can they gradually become human again."
John spoke with a deeper meaning. "The number of werewolves in the world is not small."
Barty Crouch Sr.'s rise had been supported by the werewolf community. He was also the one who most hoped to improve their status.
Hearing this, he pondered for a moment before saying, "In my last proposal, I passed the renaming of the Werewolf Capture Unit, establishing an Office for Werewolf Affairs."
"If they can guarantee that the amusement park will be completely safe this time, with no werewolf disturbances, the Ministry Council can grant them full authority over werewolf matters."
This was essentially returning a degree of autonomy to the werewolves, greatly improving their status.
Incidents involving werewolves harming others would be handled through werewolf oversight.
Wizards would no longer be able to kill werewolves at will, nor would such actions be treated merely as the killing of magical creatures.
John was satisfied with this outcome. Compared to before, werewolves now held greater authority, which benefited both Barty Crouch Sr. and John.
"They will manage it."
____
o(*￣▽￣*)ブSupport and Read 12 Chapters ahead: Patreon/Dragonel