The last piece

There was one point that Soisen completely forgot when closing up store during these dark times, and that is that the Ministry had placed a large order for gloves, hats and protective cloaks at the last minute and Nagini took it without waiting for the sudden closing order. They couldn't refuse at this point because it would affect credibility, so he only had himself to blame for not expressing his intentions early enough and they must carry it out.

That meant that technically he was still running the business and the amount of house elves that were helping to build the magical bastion were not as many as he had hoped to divert initially, causing everything to slow down, but unable to rush things to avoid affecting the quality of the product.

In fact, there was a time when he considered whether it was really worth completing the order, as there would be a period of time in the future when even the Ministry of Magic would be being controlled by Death Eaters and equipping your enemy was never a wise choice.

In addition, many of his wizarding employees who helped create his other products got a paid vacation until everything resumed. You already had the staff trained and used to it, it would be stupid to fire them and look for new people who needed training.

-"Mr. Galegold, wait a moment," called Professor McGonagall once she finished the Transformations lesson before she left with Hermione, "Headmaster Dumbledore asks you to come to the Headmaster's office before dinner time. The password is... never mind," McGongall then remembered that Soisen was the current owner of Hogwarts and the guardian blocking the way to the Headmaster's office was actually under his control. It was still hard for him to get his head around the idea that Hogwarts became the private property of someone so young.

No matter what password Dumbledore would use in the future, his very presence was a free pass for the entire castle and even the talking pictures were on his side.

-Remind Silvia that after dinner, we'll meet in my common room to continue perfecting the PX project," Soisen told Hermione.

-All right, see you later," Hermione nodded as she stuffed the dense notes into her backpack and walked in the opposite direction. She used more magic than usual today and was hungry, but since there was still an hour until dinner, she thought she'd finish her Potions homework to distract her mind and stomach.

As Soisen took the forgotten shortcuts to the headmaster's office, he thought about what topics of conversation he would discuss. Undoubtedly, the castle property would go out into the field. He didn't know if all the modifications to the castle were noticed by Dumbledore, but no doubt many were easily seen.

Just take a tour of the kitchen, it looked like a different place after the renovations.

He also sensed that someone tried to undo some more discreet modifications, but seeing that he could not succeed, he wisely desisted. Soisen was very careful when it came to weaving the magic of the place and anyone who tried something like that would only manage to fail or succeed and damage many related defenses in the process.

So if there was no desire to weaken the school's protections, anyone who disliked the changes could only grit their teeth and shut up. As to whether there would be any additional issues, he wasn't sure, but it was best to be mentally prepared when facing an old man like Dumbledore.

After passing the custodian and ascending the spiral staircase, just before entering the door, Soisen suddenly had an idea and taking advantage of being in a safe blind spot, he pulled out a vial containing a golden liquid in his suitcase, taking its contents in a single sip. He waited a few moments to feel the effect and taking a deep breath, he entered the office and looked around.

-Is he not here right now or is he hiding and watching from some corner like Ollivander? -Soisen thought as he saw no trace of a large beard anywhere.

But this was perfect for his last minute purpose!

His gaze immediately shifted to the phoenix who was watching him with obvious interest.

-It's been a while, Fawkes," Soisen greeted as he approached him and pulled out some of the phoenix's favorite jelly beans before offering them, "Do you know where the headmaster is?

Through mime, some wit, a little delicious bribery and good words, he got a general understanding of the answer.

-He left quickly due to an unexpected emergency and will be back soon? -Fawkes nodded to Soisen- I see -with a thought of his own, the portraits of the previous directors who were watching him silently suddenly fell asleep and could no longer observe what was going on in this place- Fawkes, how about making a little deal?

The phoenix sensed no malice from Soisen, but rather sadness and even a bit of very hidden desperation, which aroused the noble creature's curiosity.

-What do you think...? -Soisen began to whisper.

...A few minutes later...

A green flare erupted in the fireplace in the Headmaster's office and Dumbledore stepped out as he shook the soot from the flare off his new favorite purple robe. When he looked up, he was surprised to see Soisen eating chocolate frogs happily sitting on the steps next to his phoenix companion, suddenly remembering, he had called him before hurrying off.

-I apologize for calling you and being absent like this, something came up and I couldn't help but help," said Dumbledore as he reached over to stroke Fawkes' feathers, "I thank you for keeping my old friend company. I see you two have found my stash of secret sweets," he chuckled as he looked at the leftover treats in the phoenix's beak.

-Never mind, Headmaster. It's nice to spend some time with Fawkes, I think he and Buckbeak could be great friends.

-Ah, the hippogriff. Yes, Hagrid has told me how close you are to that magnificent creature. He could certainly make an excellent companion for a few flights now and then," Dumbledore nodded in agreement, "But I think we'd both better take our seats, there isn't much time before dinner starts and neither of us want to miss the excellent food from the kitchens. They seem to be adding more variety of dishes to the menu each year and it has caused an increase in healthy appetites among the students.

Soisen got up from the steps and sat down across the table as the principal sat in the chair assigned to his charge.

-So, what would you like to talk about, principal?

-I must say, Mr. Galegold, that I was expecting all sorts of news after my return to Hogwarts. Complaints from parents, protests from our warden, disputes for the quidditch pitch schedule, etc. But! I never expected to be told that the castle and its grounds had now become his private property," the glint in the old man's eyes behind the half-moon spectacles betrayed his unease.

-I was completely honest when he asked me about it during my first year," Soisen did not look away because he knew that Dumbledore could not read his mind. Not at least, that he decided to commit suicide with the protections he had- It wasn't until the summer between second and third year that I was able to get some more information, completely unexpectedly.

-And you didn't feel it was appropriate to share that new information? Given the number of people who might be affected by it.

-Not really, after all, it was about my family heritage.

The two maintained eye contact for several minutes before Dumbledore looked away to reach into a drawer and grab a Lemon Drop, which he tossed into his mouth to enjoy the aftertaste.

-"Alright, let's put aside your 'heritage' for now and focus on something more current," said Dumbledore after calming down a bit with the sweet in his mouth, "I am aware that you have made a number of changes to the castle's enchantments and renovated various facilities. While I am happy with how well it has all done to the performance of the students' studies, as headmaster, I need to know the extent of the more subtle changes.

-Of course," Soisen dug into the pocket of his robes and pulled out a parchment he had prepared earlier in anticipation of this situation, "Here are all the changes you need to know about, from the renovation of the kitchens to how the barrier bordering the Forbidden Forest works.

Dumbledore took the parchment and read it seriously. At times he nodded and at other times he reflected a look of confusion, before turning to one of understanding. It took him a good twenty minutes to finish it and this was only what Soisen could do in this short period of time with multiple simultaneous projects.

-Admirable," was the first word he uttered as he looked away from the parchment he laid carefully on the table, "Many of these renovations are decades behind schedule because of the Council and I can only be relieved to see that I no longer need to fight over these.

-It's nothing, Director. I can't allow my things to be in disrepair, what kind of impression would that make on me? -Soisen replied with an innocent shrug.

-Of course, of course....

The rest of the conversation was to clarify some things that Dumbledore wasn't sure how they worked after altering them and some additional miscellaneous matters. The elder wizard showed subtle signs to invite Soisen into the Order of the Phoenix or tried to draw out some commitments for Soisen to support Potter in times of need, but all he got in return were evasions or refusals.

He had no idea if Dumbledore might be trying to set up some sort of weird magical contract, so he made sure to take great care with the words he chose to respond with.

Until Voldemort and Potter step into the ring, the rest is cannon fodder.

By the time he left the headmaster's office, Soisen had to restrain his impulse to jump for joy all the way to the Great Dining Hall, where after eating a few bites and warning that plans were postponed to Silvia, he left directly and hurriedly for the common room of his house, where after entering his private room, he took out a small vial.

-At last I can do it! -he shouted ecstatically without worrying about being overheard, as he gazed with fervor at the phoenix tears contained behind the enchanted glass.

After years of study and collecting ingredients....

He was finally able to cure his mothers squib condition!

He immediately took steps to calm himself and once he managed to regulate his mood, he went into his suitcase and began to prepare the potion with the greatest determination of his life.

He still had a few lucky hours left and he wasn't going to waste them.