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Chapter 1683: A War with No Victors (One Hundred and Thirty-Three)
Chapter 1683: A War with No Victors (One Hundred and Thirty-Three)
For some unknown reason, the weather in October was unusually cold, and the rain poured relentlessly, drenching everyone to the bone.
Many fell ill with the flu, and Katrina, who had hoped to spend more time with Albert, soon found herself bedridden as well.
She suspected that she had caught the illness from her mother during their last meeting, but she was grateful that the effective medicine had already been invented, saving her from much trouble.
Katrina decided to temporarily close the Witch's Beauty Shop for a few days.
Of course, customers could still place orders for potions by owl, and Mrs. Primpayne continued to set aside time each day to send out the orders promptly.
As Albert had said, as long as you gave Mrs. Primpayne enough incentives, she would be even more proactive than you.
Thus, Katrina was relieved to leave the shop in her care and take this opportunity to rest and recuperate.
Staring out at Hogsmeade Village shrouded in rain, Katrina muttered, "I wonder when he'll be back?"
After drawing the curtains again to block out the cold, she padded across the soft woolen carpet to the fireplace, where a roaring blaze banished the chill from the room.
Katrina sank into a soft recliner, pulling a warm woolen blanket over herself. She then reached for the newspaper on the small round table beside her and began to read the latest headlines by the light of the fire.
It was an article about the current flu epidemic, but what made Katrina frown was that the report merely glossed over the reason for the swift containment of the flu and made no mention of Albert, the developer of the effective medicine.
"What an ungrateful bunch," Katrina muttered, tossing the newspaper into the fireplace to be consumed by the flames.
She felt a sense of disgust, and while Albert might not care, Katrina believed that some people shouldn't take things for granted.
If the flu had been allowed to spread further, she was certain that the front-page headline of the Prophet would not have been so nonchalant.
Indeed, people often failed to appreciate things that came too easily, let alone feel grateful for them.
As a high-ranking member of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, Madam McDougal was more aware than most of the severity of this flu outbreak. Even the most experienced healers had few effective remedies, and it would take time to concoct the specific medicine, requiring patients to undergo lengthy and costly treatments for full recovery.
This meant that recovery would be a heavy burden, especially for those with limited resources.
It was for this reason that the director of St. Mungo's had personally written to express gratitude to Albert and even invited him to become a special advisor to the hospital. The speed with which he had developed the cure for the flu, as well as the complexity of the potion, spoke volumes about his expertise.
And so, after some discussion, Albert found himself with yet another title—advisor to St. Mungo's, much like his advisory role to the Minister of Magic. However, the details of the arrangements remained unknown.
...
"You're famous again!"
Seeing Albert's exasperated expression, Shannon grinned as she handed him a newspaper.
"What's this?" Albert asked, looking at the headline with confusion.
"The Defense Courier," Shannon replied.
"The Defense Courier?" Albert flipped through a couple more pages, raising an eyebrow as he asked, "Are they planning to change their style and start publishing newspapers instead?"
"I think they feel that with the end of the Second Wizarding War, their audience will be smaller if they focus solely on publishing a magazine about Dark Magic Defense," Shannon said, noticing Albert's reaction. "Is there a problem?"
"There are many different magazines in the British wizarding world, and many of them lack a unique selling point," Albert shared his thoughts. "I'm concerned that if the Defense Courier loses its specialty, it might quickly get drowned out by other newspapers and magazines."
"Well, having a niche audience might not bring in huge numbers, but it's relatively stable, and it's likely to be popular with Hogwarts students," he added.
"Since when did Sirius start paying so much attention to the publishing business?" Albert asked, genuinely surprised.
"I think it was Remus's idea," piped up Lee Jordan, appearing from nowhere. "I guess he wants to... well, do something for the magazine."
"That's not surprising, but it's best not to make rash changes," Albert said, understanding Lupin's intentions. It was natural for him to want to contribute to the magazine and try new ideas, but the problem was that hasty decisions often led to more problems.
Even though the Second Wizarding War had ended, there were still those who subscribed to the Defense Courier, and there would always be interested readers. Moreover, the magazine had gained a following during the war, and many Hogwarts students were fans. The revenue was enough to keep the magazine running and pay Lupin's salary.
However, without a unique selling point, the magazine, with its lack of experience, would likely struggle to compete with established publications.
Then they might not just lose salaries, but the entire magazine business.
"You seem to have a clear picture," Shannon remarked, feeling that her own thoughts had been validated. She had initially felt that the idea was not a good one.
"It's not about having a clear picture," Albert replied. "I just think Lupin doesn't need to take this gamble. If he had a large stash of galleons, I wouldn't stop him from trying, but he doesn't. He doesn't have the capital to afford these mistakes. Right now, he's relying on this job to support his family. What if the magazine fails and he loses this source of income? Where will he find another decent job?" Albert could, of course, offer Lupin another position, but the magazine was something Lupin and Sirius had built together, and it held a special significance for them.
Fortunately, Lupin hadn't lost his sense of reason. He probably had these thoughts, but he wanted to consult Albert first and hear his opinion on the matter.
The feedback he received, however, only added to his disappointment.
"There, there, old friend," Sirius said, patting Lupin on the shoulder. "I think Albert's right. Firstly, we don't have the manpower or the experience to venture into the world of newspapers rashly. And there's nothing wrong with focusing on Dark Magic Defense. We can always explore other semi-academic weeklies like Today's Transfiguration or Innovations in Incantations in the future."
(End of Chapter)
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