78 78. A Man, A Wizard & A Mission

Greengrass was determined to at least give it a try. Whether to make the vow or not was a matter to discuss later on. If there was a way to save Astoria, he had to try it. So, he quickly returned to prepare for the task Happy had given him.

Meanwhile, Happy made his way back to Britain first, and then he headed off to Afghanistan and from there to Thailand. He didn't try to exceed his comfort level in teleportation, so he safely made multiple jumps instead.

The goal of his visit to Thailand was, in reality, the muggle soldier he had asked Chris to find. And apparently, a retired American Soldier who suffered from PTSD was living in the forests of Thailand. He had given up on the world, and he didn't believe there could be anything good out there.

It was only after Happy heard the man's name did he decide to recruit him at all costs. The reason was simple, the man had plot armor attached to him, and considering his abilities that were almost superhuman, he was the perfect choice.

Happy had received a photograph of the location he needed to go, as well as an accurately mapped location, so he could use a compass to make the teleportation jumps. The last thing he wanted was to fall into the ocean or appear in front of some train.

He didn't fear for his life, though. He was afraid that the train would derail because his luck would try to save him, even at the cost of hundreds of lives on that train.

He reached a tiny forest village in Thailand near the Burmese border. Not many people lived there, and they didn't react to Happy thanks to magical means. Happy quickly walked out of the village to the East, toward a riverside. It was where the supposed American man was living.

"I wouldn't move if I was you, kid!"

Happy stopped and glanced to his left. There was a burly man standing with his hand on what seemed like arrows on his back.

"Chris told you about me, right? I'm Happy Lestrange, owner of Lestrange Investment Bank!" Happy introduced himself. "I'm here to discuss our terms of business."

"They sent a kid?"

Woosh!

Happy disappeared from his spot using apparition and appeared behind the man, a bona fide muggle gun nestled against his back. "A magical kid, Mr. John Rambo."

Bam!

Rambo was fast, he swiftly used a maneuver to grab the gun from behind him, but to his surprise, it didn't have a magazine.

"I'm not here to spill blood." Happy reiterated. "I believe you are aware of my kind?"

"I know your kind… Wizard, right?" John replied. "You wreaked havoc in Vietnam against our troops. While American Wizards refused to send their people to help—rules, they said."

Happy shrugged. "Those were the old days. What I'm doing is not related to the government, but something personal. What I'm doing holds the power to feed the entire world and eradicate world hunger within this decade. But, I found that a few nations are being ruled by warlords, or corrupt governments, or dictators who don't care enough to feed their people even when I'm willing to sell food at extremely cheap prices.

"You've fought in wars, been disgraced in your homeland—I'm giving you a chance to become something greater and see the world change right in front of your eyes."

"What's in it for you?" Rambo asked.

Happy didn't lie. "Money, of course. But do consider that I have to pay people and, beyond that, support philanthropic work to establish schools and hospitals for the poor. All the while, I'm selling food at a price sometimes even half of what's in the market right now. A good mixture of capitalism and charity. Even this country, Thailand, is buying from me."

Rambo's head turned to look at him intently. "So it was you."

"What?"

"The village here, as well as those by the river, recently received rice and other grains. The only reason why I'm talking to you right now is because I saw the name of your company on those sacks." Rambo said, turning less hostile by the minute, and pulled his hand away from the arrows on his back. "Come with me, and tell me in detail."

Happy followed the man to his small handmade shack/house. It was by the river, and the man earned a living by selling snakes he caught. It sure was a bad retirement for a man of Rambo's skills.

Soon enough, they sat down by the river on the deck. Rambo gave Happy a glass of boiled water and drank some alcohol himself.

"So, what do you want me to do?"

Happy took out a contract first. "I don't need you to fight, Mr. Rambo. I want you to go to a few African nations of my choice and investigate a few things. Who the warlords are, how they're running things, where does the money go, how corrupt is the government, and if there are any foreign hands involved? My long-term plan is to bring these nations to the right track without the use of violence or any war. To do that, I have to target a few aspects—which are all related to money."

"Huh," Rambo smirked a little. "It's always the money. Suppose I get you all the information. What then?"

"The warlords will be bankrupted. I'll take all their wealth. The government will be strong-armed into accepting my terms if they still want to earn any money—a new government will soon follow. I need you to oversee it all because I lack non-magical folks who understand day-to-day politics and governments. You were a Captain in the Army. I believe you have the smarts to understand all the intricacies.

"On this mission, you'll also have a wizard working with you named Greengrass. He'll be your backup and miracle worker. If you need anything, or you need to escape from somewhere or enter somewhere. He'll help you."

Rambo heaved a long sigh and looked at the river. "Salary?"

"Ten thousand dollars a month, bonuses and benefits worth almost two hundred thousand per year. Magical assistance in case of emergency—Be it a flesh wound, broken limb, or even chopped body parts, we can fix it all." Happy detailed with much pride. He had too much money, and retaining talents like him was a top priority. "This is all just for the probation period of one year. If you like working for me and seeing happy kids make you feel fulfilled—everything would be doubled. Mr. Rambo, you need to understand that if you do this, you serve no nation, you serve no company—you serve humanity."

Rambo stood up and went inside his shack to bring out a bag. "When do I start?"

"Immediately. Contact Chris again. He will provide you with the flight details. Remember, it's best for you to maintain secrecy, or else, the wizards will come and wipe your memory for just knowing about them." Happy warned him before leaving. "Bye-Bye!"

Woosh!

Happy got up, jogged a little, and disappeared into the portal.

Rambo just watched in amazement. "Must be convenient."

…

Happy returned to school and quickly went back to the dorm to take a nap. It was way past midnight, so he needed to get some much-needed rest. It was a blessing that Ron was a heavy sleeper and Harry was practically blind without his glasses.

"Quack?"

"All done. Go to sleep."

Koko made sure Happy was fine before making himself comfortable beside his chest under the blanket.

The winter was slowly approaching, and it was getting cold. Happy thoroughly enjoyed his days in school that year with nobody to truly bother him. With a new reason to study herbology and runes, he actually seemed like a serious wizard for once.

A few quidditch practices also kept him entertained. And since he was so friendly with students from other houses, he was able to call other houses to bring their teams for mock matches. With that, Cho was also introduced as a player for the Ravenclaw team, while Cedric Diggory was the seeker for Hufflepuff.

Although Happy rarely played seriously as his luck was too powerful. Most of the time, he was just the referee who loved blowing the whistle and calling for fouls at every small mistake.

Days passed, and at last, on a fine morning during breakfast in the Great Hall, the news Happy had been waiting for arrived, and Dumbledore proudly announced it to the rest of the school.

With the tables filled with food and the professors sitting attentively at the teacher's table. Dumbledore stood before the podium and spoke with a smile.

"Today, Hogwarts once again witnesses history in the making. Once again, one of ours has brought glory and pride to the school, especially Slytherin House. Today, I received word from the Ministry of Magic that a decision has been made—Tomorrow, right here, before breakfast—Professor Severus Snape shall receive the Order of Merlin, First Class, for his bravery and battle against an ancient Basilisk."

Clap clap!

Happy was the first to cheer, and following his lead, the entire Great Hall began screaming or cheering. It was a treatment Snape was never accustomed to. He couldn't remember if he had ever gotten such cheers in his entire life.

"So I suggest all of you be present for the ceremony because the one presenting the award will be none other than Nicolas Flamel—the famed ancient wizard!"