During this pause, the young man compares the two men, and the longer he does this, the more he realises that they are completely different. When he has finally decided that he can’t find a relationship between them, he does manage to see a certain, almost imperceptible similarity in their faces, but he doesn’t have time to understand in what way it is expressed because the moment of memories passes and the father looking at his son says,

«I don't know if you remember the day I showed you the first experimental model of a magobook. You were so happy congratulating me on my success, and then you said, “I wonder if it is possible to create a room in which a mage would sit in an armchair and the memory would reveal itself around him?”»

«No, I don't remember this at all! I remember how you showed me your invention and called it the magobook; if I remember correctly, I was already fifteen then.»

«Yes, that’s right, you learned from me all the possibilities of the magobook with real interest and then took in the experimental model.»

«Of course I took in, you could develop a function for the magobook to conduct calculations for rituals and the ability to design ritual schemes, and a function and an artefact for the magobook to remove memories and view them for weak mages and even squibs. Mmm…» he has drawled, closing his eyes and enlightening his father again, «and that’s your additional invention for squibs, which was very useful to me in the past.»

«And when have you, a powerful mage, had any use for the artefact designed for squibs?»,Harry asks pointedly, leaning forward.

«Let’s not be distracted by insignificant trifles», Alrus has shrugged his shoulders, and without letting his father insert even a word, he changes the subject, «so what am I talking about? Oh, yes. I remember well everything that was connected with the demonstration of the magobook to me, but the fact that I then put forth some other additional ideas I don’t remember at all.»

«Like I said, that was! You pitched your idea aloud and forgot, or maybe you didn't even realise it, but I didn't. I’d heard, remembered, and hadn’t forgotten.»

«Wait, wait! Are you telling me that all these years you were working on the idea that I said then?», says Alrus with an astonished face. «But you've never mentioned it…»

Without finishing the phrase, Alrus thinks for a while, then his face flushes with joy, and he leans forward, peering intently into his father's face, and asks,

«Were those two strange potions for the creation of artefacts of material illusions that I developed for you needed for this project?»

«Yes», Harry says with sadness in his voice, and then, having shaken off like a dog after the bath, in a more cheerful voice, he continues,

«At first I didn’t want to tell you about this in order not to surprise you; I dreamed of seeing your face when I took you into a room with eyes closed, and then I would show and tell everything, but it happened to be during the working process that I understood that the world mustn’t see this project …»

«Did you create a weapon? No way; I can’t believe that you could create something destructive. You’re not interested in any of that. You even rejected the readymade elder wand. And I can’t imagine you creating a weapon… I really can’t do this.»

«You’re right; I didn’t create a weapon. But I created something that could get me chained or killed.”

«Is everything so serious, father?»

«Well, yes. And that’s why, before I’ll show you my project, we’ll sign a magic contract that will secure you and me from any methods of investigation, both magic and non-magic ones.»

«Dad…»

«Please. Don’t interrupt me! I understand that it’s meant to drag you into this. I can keep silent, but I wanted to share my triumph and knowledge at least with someonе», and almost not heard, «and to share with someone …my problems.»

After these words that have been said with such pain, there’s a deep silence, that Alrus doesn’t know how to stop it and how to help his father. That’s why he does what’s not customary for them, the Englishmen, and is considered a bad tone.

«I’m with you, father!» says Alrus. He gets up and, having dragged his father from the armchair, hugs him.

Faugh!  They are snivelling like a baby! No, like women! I get sick of looking at this!

Shut up!

So they’ve stood for a while when the father collects himself, and having freed from the hugs of the son, he looks him in the eye and says,

«Son, thanks for the support». After a pause, he continues, « That’s why in the last half a year I prepared a contract for you and me and also for me and my lawyer so that it’ll be impossible to find out what kind of a contract that we already have signed he was preparing for me.

I understand that I behave like an egoist, dragging you into this, but besides this, they asked for my help, and I promised to talk to you about this with the condition that you’ll agree to provide a service voluntary.»

«What’s with the help I should give?»

«For the time being, I’ll discuss not the concrete support but a preliminary agreement on intention about possible help in the future. I serve as an intermediary.»

A second pause, and Harry continues,

«You can still refuse the secret; I don’t insist. You simply take an oath that you won’t tell anyone that I have a secret.»

«No way!», emotionally has resented Alrus. «You have intrigued me so much, and now there’s “you can refuse from it; I don’t insist”», he has cited his father. «Сome on, show me where your contract is.»

The last words of Harry's son make him break down. All these feelings, emotions, and experiences that he has been keeping under control for many years come to the surface and resulted as inadequate behaviour.

Unable to think, he ajogs heads to his office on the way, almost sweeping the doors; he bangs against the table in a full speed, not even noticing that he has swept part of rolls from the table, and then he begins to brokenly search for the contract on the table, being angry and swearing because of the fact that he can’t find it.

The young man watches with interest how Alrus pulls a long face, how his eyebrows raise, and how he, with ever-growing amazement, looks at his father’s behaviour.

And what has he come up with? Or is it right to say, I came up with? Yes, as before, there’s nothing…no echo of remembrance.

Ha-ha, it’s so cool, I watch the memoirs, but I can’t remember a thing.

Having recovered a little, Alrus goes through after his father to the office; he has fluently cast over the opening picture and immediately finds what his father unsuccessfully tries to find. Two rolls with the signs of a lawyer tied together lay on the floor together with the other rolls.

Shaking his head, Alrus, with a delicate gesture, beckons them to him. Having caught the arrived rolls, he goes through them in order to make sure that these are the very contracts.

«Father, aren't you looking for them?»

Having interrupted unsuccessful searches and having raised his head, he looks at the rolls in his son’s hands and hoarsely exclaims,

«Yes, it’s them!»

Having seen the trembling hands of his father, which reach for the contract, the son shakes his head, diverting the hand with the contract so that his father won’t be able to get it, and at the same time, with another hand, pulls out the vial from the purse hanging on his belt. He hands the vial to his father, saying,

«Here, father, drink it. It’s a sedative of my development. As always, add three drops of your blood while I study up the contractsб if you don’t mind.»

Having nodded because his throat is obstructed, Harry takes the vial, sweeps around his table, sinks to the chair, and barely has opened it because the treacherous trembling in his hands can’t be stopped. Finally, he’s managed to fulfil his son’s instruction, and he becomes quiet for some time.

«Every time I use potions developed by you», Harry’s voice is already calmed, and he looks fresh, « I‘m happy to see that you’re just a genius in potion making as your father.»

I didn’t understand. What other father? What, a man who has two fathers?

Maybe one father is a biological, and the other is the one who adopted him.

But have you seen a certain resemblance between them?

But maybe it only seemed to me because I wanted to find the resemblance between them?

Yeah, that can be.

«Thank you!», without stopping to study the contract has uttered the son. «You know, that for me, your attitude towards what I create is very important.»

«Yes, this is a great development. It works very gently, and there are no such side effects as distraction of attention and fuzziness of the thinking process.

I already stand the fact that I’ll never know the truth about why you have decided to develop such potions that heal me bypassing the destructive effect of the basilisk poison walking through my blood.»

Having indefinably shrugged his shoulders in response to his father’s words without stopping to study his version of the contract, Alrus comes to the Blood quill in order to put his signature when his father asks,

«Alrus, for how many days do you plan to stay at my home?»

«For one day, I‘ve an important meeting the day after tomorrow, and I need to prepare for it. And why do you ask?»

«When the project started, I couldn’t tear myself away from it for a year; I studied its possibilities».

A warm smile doesn’t leave his face when he says this, and after this, he unwittingly plunges back into memories. Then, in the silence of the office, there’s barely audible,

«However, the time there passes differently …not to say about the other worlds…»

But his son has heard this, and his eyebrow arches, but Harry doesn’t realise that he‘s said the last words aloud, as well as his son’s reaction already in full voice continues,

«I advise you to free up at least one week to study the project.»

Well, mages! The time passes differently…How so? And the other worlds? What the hell is he talking about?!

I hope we’ll see the memoirs about the other worlds! But you suggest I not to lose any sleep over all these matters and only have a ball?

You’re right! Fuck it all!! I don’t believe in other worlds!

 Hmmm.

 And again, tranquility descends on the young man, and now neither time passes differently nor other words fire his imagination.

 «All right, father, I‘ll follow your advice. Tempus», and before the Alrus’s eyes appears information about the time. Then he continues,

«In this case, I’ll leave you in an hour and reappear as soon as I can free up time to study your project.»

Having decisively taken the Blood quill, he signs the contract and answers the question that appears in his father’s eyes.

«I don’t want to tell my wife even this meager information that you gave me, and I will simply say that I have a contract with you for the joint development, so I’ll just go live with you for a while.»

«Yes, you’re right; this will be easier, and there’s no lie. And the announcement of our joint developments will not surprise anyone and will not attract unwanted attention.»

«See you, father!», Alrus has stood up, respectfully  gives a bow to his father, and without waiting for a response, leaves the office.