Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and all the wizards Anton had invited to join the Navigators gathered once again.
In truth, none of them had much reason to hesitate. Lucius knew Anton could not give him everything he wanted, while the others naturally knew that Anton's faction was the best fit for them.
Even Draco entered with a serious expression. He glanced around, then joined the group consisting of Fudge, Lockhart, Old Ronaldo, and Montgomery.
Whatever positions Lucius and the Malfoy family had once held within the Ministry of Magic, Draco and people like Fudge were now joining the same group, forming a new alliance of interests.
After all, they now counted as—one of their own.
In fact, no clear factions had yet emerged among the Navigators. Everyone had their own friends, gathering in twos and threes amid a lively din.
Everyone was speculating about whether there would be an oath of loyalty today, but instead, several Cabin members came in and began arranging for everyone to sign the contract documents binding them to the alliance.
"Very much in the Ministry of Magic's style!" Fudge wore an odd expression.
Old Ronaldo chuckled. "I suppose this might be the influence I've had on this apprentice as his teacher."
Contract Magic was an exceptionally profound and obscure form of magic. This seemingly unremarkable branch ranked alongside time, space, fate, and the like in the underlying logic of magic.
Or rather, this magic governing relationships between people was the next step beyond Anton's research into gray magic.
The Safe House, prohibitions on mapping and marking, the Marauder's Map, the Fidelius Charm, blood pact contracts...
These forms of magic even pointed straight at "rules"!
This was a realm Anton had yet to touch. He was still traveling the road of