"Heh heh, that's not a bad idea," Arthur's smile grew wider. "You don't need to be so discouraged; there is actually a way around that law."
"Oh? What do you mean?" Alan saw Arthur's relaxed expression and knew there was a trick involved.
"You see, the law states it's illegal to cast a spell on a Muggle item if it's 'intended for use.' If you can prove that you didn't actually want it to have that function, it's considered as not having the intent to use it."
"For example—and I mean only for example—if I enchanted a Muggle car to fly, but because I didn't actually intend to use it for flight, it wouldn't be considered 'with intent to use.' Therefore, it would be legal," Arthur said with a slightly smug grin.
"What? Are you sure that isn't just a play on words? It sounds like a massive loophole. Does that really hold up?" Alan looked at Arthur with doubt before draining the rest of the vanilla tea in his cup.
"It doesn't matter. Regarding this law, if it really doesn't work, we'll just change it. After all, most of the legal provisions concerning Muggle items were written by me," Arthur said with a shrug.
Pfft!
Alan couldn't hold back the mouthful of tea and spat it out. Fortunately, Arthur reacted quickly and dodged the spray.
"Cough... cough... What did you say? The law prohibiting the misuse of Muggle items was written by you?" Alan choked, his eyes wide as he stared at Arthur.
"Why are you so startled?" Arthur looked at him, somewhat puzzled. "Actually, I didn't write all of it. This law has existed for a long time, but many provisions were outdated, so I modified and added a lot of content and issued individual supplementary acts. It's nothing, just routine operation."
*Are the Ministry's laws a joke? Can a department head just casually rewrite them?* Alan suddenly felt the world had become much more surreal.
"Sigh," Arthur breathed. "The main reason is that the Office for the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts is still not taken seriously. Right now, the entire department is just me and Perkins. No one else cares about these legal provisions, so naturally, we have to handle them ourselves."
Listening to Arthur, it sounded as if he felt wronged for having to revise the law alone. Alan looked at him speechlessly. He truly didn't realize how much power he actually held.
"So," Alan deliberated for a moment, feeling a bit embarrassed but unable to resist asking, "could the sale of enchanted items processed from Muggle objects be legalized and written into the code?"
"Are you serious? I thought you were joking," Arthur laughed. "Of course, no problem. Those are minor matters. Many people have sold cursed Muggle items before."
"Actually, most wizards don't know much about Muggles. Even if you cast a spell on a Muggle item, they might not even notice. Take the magical camera; it was actually developed by alchemists in Cairo, but it's often mistaken for a Muggle device that's been enchanted."
"As long as the item isn't dangerous and doesn't fall into Muggle hands, we won't make things difficult. Dealing with items that accidentally circulate to Muggles is enough of a headache as it is. In short, Muggles cannot see or possess magical tools. That's the bottom line."
"I understand, Mr. Weasley." Alan felt like he was seeing Arthur in a new light. This usually gentle, middle-aged man unexpectedly possessed significant influence.
The two continued to chat about Muggle artifacts for a while, and Arthur was clearly fascinated by how Alan intended to process them. To Alan, Arthur seemed more curious about Muggle life than any other wizard he knew. He strongly suspected Arthur couldn't even abide by the laws he had established himself.
As they chatted, Molly, who had been busy in the kitchen, came out to exchange pleasantries. She refused Alan's offer to help, clearly wanting him to enjoy her cooking properly.
At this time, the children playing outside streamed back in. Under the direction of Bill and Charlie, they changed out of their protective gear and put away the Quidditch equipment, showing much more awe for Alan than for their own parents.
Hog followed them into the living room, but he wasn't alone.
Bill had managed to get Ginny to let go of Hog's tail, but he couldn't help the wolf escape her entirely. Ginny had simply changed her position. She was now sitting proudly on Hog's back, her small hands tightly gripping the fur on his neck, looking very imposing.
Hog looked numb. He was being driven to the brink by this red-haired girl. First, she had tried to pull his tail off, and now she was riding him like a pony. Since he started following Alan, he had never suffered such humiliation.
Seeing Alan, Hog cast another pleading look at him. His master had already cruelly abandoned him once today.
However, Alan was in a good mood. Seeing Hog's resigned expression, he walked to Ginny's side, clapped his hands, and opened his arms in an invitation for a hug.
Seeing Alan, Ginny reacted quickly. She shifted her attention, opened her arms wide, and pounced into his embrace with a soft "whoosh," obediently curling up against his chest.
The Weasley brothers were speechless. They had spent the last hour trying to persuade her to let go, and she had ignored them. How could Alan get a hug just by opening his hands? It felt like a direct insult to her brothers.
The most satisfied person in the room was Hog. Seeing he had finally gotten rid of the girl, he quickly scurried to the corner. He wanted to stay as far away as possible from the children of this family.
"It seems Ginny really likes you," Molly said, watching her daughter cuddle with Alan. "Speaking of which, Ginny was practically born with your companionship, Alan. How about..."
Molly looked at Ginny, then at Arthur and Alan. "How about you be Ginny's godfather? Even though you're only twelve years older than her, Alan, you're mature and sensible. When she was born, you were already like an elder, helping to take care of my children."
"Me? Godfather?" Alan looked down at Ginny, who was sitting obediently in his arms, chewing on her hand. A strange sense of tenderness arose in his heart.
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