Chapter 388: A Unique Business
Chapter 388: A Unique Business
"Communication cards, bridging the distance between people."
Albert stood in front of the Gryffindor message board, contemplating the advertisement silently. His roommates were indeed a talented bunch, and this catchy slogan was no exception.
Below the slogan was an introduction to the functions of the communication cards.
Price negotiable?
Well, mentioning a price of ten galleons upfront might scare away potential customers.
Fair enough.
Let them do as they please.
Albert didn't bother himself with the Weasley twins' plans; as long as they could sell and make a profit, he was content.
Incentivizing others with profit would form a stable interest group, even though such tactics were unnecessary among them.
However, Albert wasn't particularly concerned about money. The main reason was that earning money was not difficult for him at the moment, or at least, earning a substantial amount of pounds wasn't.
"I saw Fred and George promoting these communication cards a few days ago," Susan murmured as she appeared silently beside Albert, her eyes on the advertisement as well. "Did you make these?"
"Yeah," Albert replied casually.
"Wow, you're amazing," Susan said, having read Albert's previous paper and immediately understanding the situation upon seeing the ad.
"Have you succeeded, then?" she asked, impressed.
"Not yet," Albert replied, picking up his cat, Tom, from beside the fireplace. "The communication cards only allow one-way message transmission. Wizards don't usually have a need for this, except maybe for couples in love. I doubt anyone else would pay for these cards."
"Even so, it's still impressive," Susan praised, genuinely admiring Albert's ability to turn his ideas into reality, a feat not everyone could achieve.
Just then, the common room door opened, and Fred and George strode in, their faces flushed with triumph and their mouths curved in confident smiles. They walked with a newfound swagger.
"We sold eight sets in three days," Fred and George said simultaneously, their eyes shining with pride.
As they spoke, Fred pulled out a money bag and placed it in front of Albert.
Albert turned to Lee Jordan. "What about you?"
"One set," Lee mumbled, sounding slightly dejected.
"Looks like you're not cut out to be a salesperson," Albert teased as he emptied the bag, counting the galleons inside.
Watching Albert count the money, Susan couldn't help but exclaim, "I can't believe nine people bought those cards."
She knew the price of the communication cards, having overheard the Weasley twins selling a set to a couple and letting them test the cards' effectiveness.
"To be precise, it's eighteen people," Fred corrected, taking the eight golden galleons from Albert and happily explaining to Susan, "The cards are sold in pairs for five galleons each. Usually, each person in the pair pays half the price. Admittedly, not many students can afford it."
"That's about what I expected," Albert said as he finished counting the galleons, his actions attracting the attention of several students in the room.
"Wow, where did you guys get all those galleons?!"
The exclamation came from behind them, and they turned to see Ron and Harry standing there, their eyes wide as they took in the scene of the spoils being divided.
Harry, with his vast gold reserves in Gringotts, didn't pay much attention to money, but Ron was a different story.
Ron had never had a single galleon to his name, and witnessing Fred and George pocketing their share of the profits made him seethe with envy. He would have been fine if everyone were equally poor, but seeing his brothers with money while he had none made his stomach churn with jealousy.
"Here, take this," George said, reaching into his pocket and placing something in Ron's hand. He patted Ron's shoulder and then left with Fred, their shoulders pressed together.
The coins jingled merrily in their pockets, a pleasant sound.
The two now understood, to some extent, why Albert always carried himself with such confidence.
Money bred confidence! They planned to wander around some more to see if they could find more suitable buyers.
The success of the Weasley brothers in selling eight sets of communication cards in three days was largely due to the help of the Marauder's Map, which allowed them to locate their targets accurately and strike when the time was right.
Ron looked down at the candy in his hand, his smile freezing. His cheeks flushed, and he had expected... but never mind what he had expected. In his hand were two candies.
"Those two little rascals are as mischievous as ever!"
Lee Jordan watched the interaction and couldn't help but laugh.
"Come on, Ron," Harry said, patting Ron's shoulder. He took one of the candies and, at the same time, slipped a Sickle into Ron's hand.
Ron's eyes lit up at the sight of the Sickle, but the light soon dimmed, and he returned the money to Harry. He unwrapped the candy and popped it into his mouth.
"They've been playing pranks on me since we were kids," Ron said to Harry.
"Let's go and study that treasure map we found in the book a while ago," Harry suggested to Ron.
"Treasure map?"
Lee Jordan and Albert exchanged a glance.
It couldn't be...
It had to be that.
A meaningful smile appeared on both their faces.
"Your smiles are so creepy," Susan commented, shuddering slightly.
Changing the subject, Albert asked Lee Jordan something that had been on his mind. "Has anyone tried to crack the communication cards?"
"Yeah, some people have tried," Lee confirmed, his smile widening at the memory. "They thought your cards were too expensive, so they wanted to make their own to sell."
"If these cards were a bit cheaper, I think more people would be willing to buy them," Susan mused.
"The price is already very low; it can't go any lower without selling them at a loss," Albert explained, shaking his head. "The communication cards may look like simple metal cards, but they involve advanced transfiguration magic. And each card can be used for a long time, so they're worth the price."
"These cards are way more convenient than writing letters, and you can contact each other anytime," Lee agreed. "That's why people are willing to pay for them."
"Did they succeed?" Susan asked, curious.
"I doubt it," Lee replied, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "In the end, that Ravenclaw student came to me with his nose in the air and bought a set of communication cards from me."
Albert wasn't surprised at all. The communication cards required a high level of transfiguration magic, and most students probably didn't have the skill to create something similar.
(End of Chapter)
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