On the evening of July eleventh, Richard travelled by Portkey to Grosvenor Workshop accompanied by Proudfoot. At that very moment, Mr. Weasley happened to be in his office on the third floor.
Construction was proceeding at full speed all around them. An enormous skyscraper was being erected by wizarding labour, and seven floors had already been completed. Not far from the building stood a fenced-off excavation site for the future bunker.
Several wizards were pouring sand and gravel mix from bags enchanted with Extension Charms, after which they used magic to compact the foundation layer and lay granite slabs on top. The slabs, reduced to the size of bricks for transport, were enlarged back to full size and bonded together with spells. In this manner, the road was taking shape. Cheap, fast, reliable, and durable. Given the thickness of the granite slabs and the gravel foundation beneath them, the road would last for centuries.
Once covered with a few inches of asphalt mixed with recycled rubber from tyres and reinforced with durability charms, it would become practically indestructible. Temperature fluctuations, heavy loads, precipitation, and other environmental factors would hardly affect it.
Soon, Richard found himself in Arthur's office. The room was furnished austerely, containing only the essentials: a simple desk, a comfortable armchair, a pair of chairs with backs, and several cabinets filled with documentation lining one wall. The desk itself was buried beneath stacks of paperwork.
Arthur Weasley looked up from sorting through documents and studied his visitor carefully. His face immediately brightened with a delighted smile.
"Lord Grosvenor!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. "I was just about to get in touch with you."
Richard greeted Mr. Weasley with a nod and, without asking permission, took a seat opposite Arthur.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Weasley," he said. "Did you wish to discuss something with me?"
"Yes, yes." Arthur nodded several times. "Sir, forgive me, but I wanted to ask..." The man hesitated slightly and fidgeted with a document he was still holding. "Sir, I'd like to resign from the Ministry of Magic and devote myself entirely to the workshop. The expansion of our workforce and projects is taking up too much of my time and energy. I've been sleeping here at the workshop."
"Very well, Mr. Weasley," the boy replied without objection. "Now that the Statute of Secrecy has been relaxed, we no longer have such a pressing need for a man on the inside of your department."
Arthur Weasley's face lit up with happiness.
"Thank you!" he said fervently. "Thank you, sir! Now my wife and children might actually get to see me at home. There was one more thing I wanted to ask..."
"Yes?" Richard raised his eyebrows, encouraging Arthur to continue.
"A reporter from the Daily Prophet approached me," Weasley said. "They'd like to interview me and take photographs of me with my family. May I agree to it, sir?"
"Of course, Mr. Weasley. You're perfectly free to give interviews. I would only ask that you refrain from disclosing confidential information or anything that might damage the reputation of the company or my own name."
"Certainly not!" Arthur exclaimed. "The thought never even crossed my mind. Thank you!"
"Mr. Weasley, I've heard that you have a brother named Bilius who has been to the Moon?"
"Cousin Bilius," Arthur corrected. "He's my uncle's son. But yes, Bilius did travel to the Moon. He brought back a great deal of moonstone, and selling it made him fabulously wealthy. These days, Billy travels the world. Mostly, he prefers expeditions to dangerous and remote places."
"Mr. Weasley, do you know what spells your cousin used?"
"Er..." Arthur thought for a moment. "He talked about it during family gatherings, but I wasn't paying much attention. I know he reached the Moon by Portkey. As far as I remember, he used various protective spells—a modified Bubble-Head Charm and things of that nature. Why do you ask?"
"Mr. Weasley," Richard said, "I consider it extremely important to recruit a wizard who has successfully travelled to the Moon for our space programme. Surely you understand that the assistance of such a wizard would be invaluable?"
A look of revelation appeared on Arthur's face.
"Oh, Merlin!" he exclaimed emotionally. "Why on earth didn't I think of that before? Forgive me, my Lord..."
"That is rather curious. Why didn't you?" Richard asked with interest.
"You see..." Arthur ran a hand through his hair in agitation. "I'm so used to thinking of Bilius as a carefree joker. We only really meet at occasional family gatherings, after all. And those tend to involve plenty of drink and good cheer..."
"I understand, Mr. Weasley," Richard said with a nod. "You've simply never learned to take your cousin seriously. Nevertheless, if he truly travelled to the Moon, then he has a great deal he can teach us. That kind of experience is irreplaceable."
"Of course, sir," Arthur agreed. "I'll contact Bilius and ask for his help. I doubt he'll refuse. And if he finds out we're planning to travel through space to other planets... Oh! He'll be begging for a place on the spacecraft crew!"
"Let him. I have no objections. Since that's settled, let's move on to more important matters," Grosvenor continued. "Mr. Weasley, I need the best researchers available for a very important project. It will be conducted under the patronage of the Unspeakables with the approval of both Her Majesty and the Minister for Magic. The project is strictly classified. Every researcher granted access will be required to sign magical non-disclosure contracts."
"What sort of project?" Arthur asked curiously.
"Research into the Killing Curse and methods of defending against it."
Arthur's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
"How?!" he exclaimed in astonishment. "But everyone knows it's impossible to defend yourself against Avada Kedavra!"
(End of Chapter)
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