Chapter 237: The Merchant Princes
Chapter 237: The Merchant Princes
The howling wind, carrying snowflakes, battered the windows relentlessly, and the bitter cold seeped through the glass into the room, only to be shut out by the heavy curtains. In the center of the dormitory stood a large fireplace, blazing with blue flames that cast a cozy glow.
Albert and his roommates sat around the fireplace, tending to their own tasks while enjoying its warmth.
"Does the Befuddlement Elixir really make you smarter?" Fred asked, eyeing the green potion that Albert had brought back. There was enough in the bottle for each of them to take a small sip.
"Yes, it certainly does," Albert replied without looking up. "If you drink it, you'll easily get an 'Outstanding' on your written exams this year."
"Really?" Fred's eyes lit up at the mention of the elixir.
"Of course, I've tried it myself, and the effects are amazing." Albert paused, frowning. "However, it's extremely difficult to brew, and the ingredients are hard to come by."
"Can't you just dilute it with water if something goes wrong?" George interrupted, snatching the bottle from Fred. His eyes were glued to the green liquid as he continued, "With Albert's talent in Potions, brewing the Befuddlement Elixir shouldn't be too challenging, right?"
"It's not that simple," Albert said, not wanting to sound arrogant. Even with his experience-boosting skill, he didn't believe he could succeed on his first attempt.
Brewing any potion required multiple tries, and even a genius Potions Master couldn't guarantee success on their first attempt at an unfamiliar potion.
"Don't worry about imperfections; we can always dilute it with some extra water if needed." Lee Jordan offered a comforting suggestion.
"That's not a bad idea," Albert acknowledged. "Even if the potion isn't as potent as this bottle, it should still help make your mind sharper and improve your exam performance." Seeing the excited looks on their faces, he realized they had more confidence in him than he had in himself.
"Don't get carried away," Albert said, rolling his eyes at the trio. "You can't drink potions every day. Occasional use is fine, but if you become dependent on it and run out, you'll be in real trouble."
"It's not that serious, is it?"
"Why don't we make this bottle of Befuddlement Elixir the grand prize?" Fred suddenly proposed. "I'm sure Albert will be able to brew more in the future. For now, let's spread the word that we have a special supply of this intelligence-boosting potion. We can offer a prize of ten Galleons, and set the price of the Befuddlement Elixir at ten Galleons as well."
"I never took you for a budding merchant prince, Fred!" Albert said with a laugh, looking his friend up and down.
Indeed, the ingredients for the Befuddlement Elixir were rare and expensive, and the brewing process was challenging. But the resulting potion was well worth its price.
Although the elixir in George's hands would only last for a few hours, a timely sip could make the difference between passing and failing any written exam. It was a small price to pay for a good grade.
"This potion will definitely be in high demand for fifth and seventh years," Fred continued, "I bet they'd be willing to empty their pockets for a good set of grades."
"Assuming they have any Galleons to begin with," Albert added dryly.
"Everyone saves up something," Lee Jordan chimed in.
"Fred, you've changed," George said with a dramatic sigh. "I never thought..."
"Having Galleons isn't a bad thing," Fred shrugged. "Especially after seeing Albert, I realized that money does give you options and the ability to live life on your terms."
"So, you're planning to join the Ministry of Magic after graduation?" Fred turned to his twin brother.
"Never mind, I take it back. Money is important after all," George quickly agreed, nodding along with Fred's words.
"Alright, I think this plan might be a bit premature..." Albert organized his thoughts and continued, "But after the Christmas holidays, I'll start attempting to brew the Befuddlement Elixir. You guys can handle the sales, and as for your cut... you'll get one Galleon for each bottle sold.
"Speaking of which, Albert paused, "Or we could save this money as startup capital to open a store after graduation."
After all, Albert planned to open a Wizarding Cards specialty store in the future and intended to bring his roommates on board.
"One Galleon commission per bottle?" Fred, George, and Lee's eyes lit up at the mention of this proposal.
After all, Albert was the one brewing the potions, buying the ingredients with his own money, and bearing the risks. A one-Galleon commission per bottle of the Befuddlement Elixir sold would indeed be a frighteningly large sum for them.
However, when Albert mentioned his plan to open a store after graduation, the trio looked a bit lost, as that was still too far off in the future for them.
"At that time, I plan to open a Dark Magic Defense shop, specializing in selling items and books to protect against Dark Magic." Albert continued to share his future plans, "Maybe I'll even become an honorary professor at Hogwarts one day."
"The Dark Arts Defense Professor? You've got quite the ambition there," the three couldn't help but tease, knowing that the position was cursed and brought bad luck to whoever held it.
"We want to open a joke shop," the twins said in unison, looking at each other.
"And a Wizarding Cards specialty store," Lee Jordan suggested.
"Yes, we can open our shops together in Diagon Alley," Albert nodded, "But we'll discuss this later. Before that, we'll need a substantial sum of Galleons as startup capital."
"Maybe we should come up with a catchy name for the store ahead of time." Lee Jordan suddenly suggested, "How about 'The Big Four'? What do you guys think of that name?"
"Don't you think that name sounds awful?" Fred immediately retorted, "People who don't know better might think we have big heads!"
"There's no rush for that. We can figure it out later. It's still a long way off, so just don't forget to come up with a nice name by then," Albert said, tugging at the corner of his mouth and clearing his throat to interrupt their debate, bringing the focus back to the dried Mandrake root in front of him.
"Are you planning to make protective bracelets with this stuff?" George asked as he put away his newly completed Wizarding Card, as the trio had also started learning how to design cards to help Albert shoulder the burden.
"Yes, mature Mandrake roots can be used to make various amulets that effectively ward off hexes and Dark Magic when dried," Albert explained, "As for these shavings, they can still be used for potion-making."
In fact, Albert had already tried several combinations of Runes and wood types, but the protective bracelets he made only yielded average results.
Today, Albert wasn't planning to make protective bracelets; instead, he was attempting to craft a special amulet—a thumb-sized unicorn carving that served as both a charm and an adorable pendant.
This was a birthday gift for Isabelle.
Not knowing Isabelle's preferences, Albert decided to go with something that most girls would generally like.
"I think those protective bracelets you made before were already pretty good," George had his eyes on Albert's bracelets for a while now.
"Even if you say so, I won't lend it to you," Albert suddenly said, causing Fred and Lee Jordan beside him to burst into laughter.
"Your carving skills are getting better and better," Lee Jordan commented as he stared at the wooden carving, "What is this? A horse?"
"A unicorn," Albert reminded him as he pointed to the horn.
"A gift for your sister? Fred remembered the griffin Albert had made last year.
"Yes, a birthday gift," Albert replied noncommittally, his mind calculating how many Galleons such a gift would be worth.
(End of Chapter)
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