My School Life At Hogwarts Chapter 568: There's No Business Like Snake Business - Novel Cool

Chapter 568: There's No Business Like Snake Business

Chapter 568: There's No Business Like Snake Business

That evening, while the Weasley twins were busy copying their History of Magic homework, Albert was playing cards with Lee Jordan by the window, casually teasing the duo from time to time.

"For our first Quidditch match, Wood drew Slytherin as our opponent," Fred grumbled, his head almost buried in his parchment. "Now he's driving us crazy with extra practice sessions, saying he wants to beat Slytherin's Nimbus 2001."

Just then, Kenneth Towle approached Albert, expressing his desire to engage in a business deal with him.

"You want to sell amulets and anti-dark charms to Muggle-born wizards in school?" Albert shifted his gaze from his cards to regard Kenneth. "What do you need me for? Are you planning to invite me to join you in selling these amulets?"

"We can work together," Kenneth replied without hesitation. "We can all make money together."

Oh really?

"No one's going to buy those things, so you won't make much from reselling them," Albert said, politely declining the offer.

"Come with me," Kenneth said, reaching out to pull Albert away from the common room towards the entrance, as if he wanted to share some secret with him.

"Okay, okay!" Albert sighed in exasperation. He wasn't fond of being pulled around by a stranger, and their relationship hadn't progressed to such a level of familiarity.

As Albert and Kenneth left the common room, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan looked up, their curiosity piqued. They exchanged glances and then quietly followed the pair.

Kenneth glanced at Albert and then at the three who were stealthily trailing them. Despite the distance, he could guess what they were thinking.

"If you want to hear, then come over here!" Albert called out to the trio, giving Kenneth a sideways glance.

The three grinned and walked over to greet Kenneth.

"You should know about the Chamber of Secrets legend," Kenneth said, glancing at them before turning back to Albert to get to the point.

"I know," Albert replied, raising an eyebrow slightly. After a moment of eye contact, he understood what Kenneth was getting at, surprised that this guy was aware of such matters.

"I wrote home to ask about it, and they told me that fifty years ago, the Chamber of Secrets was indeed opened by a Slytherin heir," Kenneth said mysteriously.

"We already know that," George said, looking at Kenneth strangely, thinking he was going to reveal something more intriguing.

That's it? Kenneth was momentarily stumped by George's comment and regretted inviting these three, who were now making things difficult for him. He glared at George irritably and continued, "At that time, there were multiple attacks in Hogwarts, spreading fear throughout the school. Eventually, a Muggle-born Ravenclaw wizard died, and the school almost had to shut down because of it."

"Your information is outdated," Fred said, his face full of disappointment. "We already learned about this on Halloween. I thought you had some big secret to share, but it turns out it's about this?"

"In the end, the culprit was caught," Kenneth continued, ignoring Fred and glancing at Albert. "It's said that person later became the gamekeeper here."

"We already know all this," Lee Jordan said to Albert. "I think we should just go back to playing cards."

"Let me finish," Kenneth said, feeling his chest tighten with annoyance.

"You think the attacks will continue," Albert finished for him.

"Can you let me speak? It's frustrating when you keep cutting me off," Kenneth complained, surprised that Albert was so well-informed about the Chamber of Secrets. If he hadn't written home to ask about it, he would still be in the dark like everyone else.

"Hagrid... well, I mean, Hagrid wasn't a Slytherin heir. He was in Gryffindor back then. How could he be the Slytherin heir who opened the Chamber? He was just a scapegoat because the real culprit wasn't caught," Kenneth said bluntly. "Now that the Chamber has been opened again by the real Slytherin heir, Filch's cat won't be the only victim. More attacks will happen, and the school will be in panic again. That's when amulets and charms will sell like hotcakes."

"You're probably better at selling than I am," Albert admitted. "And I don't have the patience for it anyway."

"So, we can work together," Kenneth said, looking intently at Albert, his sincerity evident.

"What do you mean by 'work together'?" Albert asked. "Do you want me to provide you with amulets?"

"Yes." Kenneth Thole gave him a thumbs-up. "You truly are Albert."

"If I wanted to sell something, I could just ask Fred, George, and Lee Jordan to help me," Albert said, gesturing to the trio beside him.

The three boys grinned at Kenneth, chiming in unison, "Yeah, you're unnecessary."

"Don't say that. I can provide you with a lot of conveniences." Kenneth Thole realized he had made a wrong decision and waved his hands dismissively. "Working together, we can make more money. Why not collaborate?"

"I don't plan to sell amulets. They're useless against the monster in the Chamber of Secrets," Albert shook his head. "If you want to sell something, you might as well wholesale a bunch of Sneakoscopes. At least those can be somewhat effective."

"Sneakoscopes?" Kenneth Thole muttered. "Those can be bought in Hogsmeade. Why would anyone buy them from me?"

"Are you trying to say that people buy amulets just for peace of mind?" Albert looked at Kenneth with a quirky expression.

Kenneth: "..."

"You can tell what I'm thinking with just one glance." The trio wore mischievous smiles.

"I'm not angry, I'm not angry." He took several deep breaths. "I can provide you with effective amulets. I think you should be able to make them, right?"

"I said, they won't work against the monster in the Chamber," Albert reiterated.

"You also said they're just for peace of mind." Kenneth spoke earnestly. "Many peddlers sell fake products. At least, we'd be selling the real deal."

"We?"

Once again, the trio sensed the other guy's shamelessness.

"I don't have the materials." Albert stated, "If you can get me the materials, I'll partner with you. Sixty-forty split, sixty for me."

"Fifty-fifty. I'll help with the materials."

"Sixty-forty, sixty for me. You won't lose out." Albert inspected him and added, "Also, don't say that I made them."

"Albert can handle it alone." George reminded him.

"What do you need?" Kenneth Thole compromised, adding, "If the materials are too expensive, then fifty-fifty."

"Amethyst or obsidian, a guard tree, or purple robe." Albert glanced aside and explained casually, "The first two are for exorcism, and the latter two can be used to make amulets that repel dark creatures. If you have any other suitable materials, bring them along as well."

"Indeed, you are the right person for this. I didn't come to the wrong guy." Kenneth Thole didn't haggle over the price; after all, these were inexpensive materials.

"To be honest, amulets are probably not as useful as Sneakoscopes. If we could detect in advance..." Albert trailed off, suddenly feeling that this was a good idea. Since the basilisk was a dark creature, why not create an alarm device to detect its presence and avoid it altogether?

At least, he could detect it in advance and effectively mitigate the risk.

Albert narrowed his eyes, knowing the principle behind Sneakoscopes, which could detect suspicious individuals. Why couldn't he modify it to detect the basilisk or other dark creatures?

"You get the materials first, and I'll make a prototype. If anyone wants to buy it, they can place an order, and I'll make more then." Albert looked at Kenneth and continued, "If they don't sell, I'll cover the cost of the materials."

"Alright."

Kenneth Thole left, satisfied.

"I think you didn't need to partner with Kenneth," George told Albert after Kenneth had left. "If you sold them yourself, you'd get all the profit, and we could help you too."

"Amulets might have some effect, but that's about it. They definitely won't work against the Chamber's monster," Albert shook his head. "Since Kenneth wants to make some money, let him sell them. Anyway, if we're unlucky and the items are discovered to be ineffective, it's not my fault, and I doubt many people will buy them anyway. It's not worth the hassle."

After all, the students' financial resources were limited; it was already a stretch for them to spend a few Galleons.

As the four of them were about to head back to the common room, they ran into Fred and George's sister, Ginny. She looked slightly pale, and her spirits seemed low.

"Is your sister unwell?"

"Percy said Ginny's been having nightmares lately," Fred frowned. "Mrs. Norris's death has been disturbing her."

"That's unusual." Albert narrowed his eyes.

"Unusual?"

"Never mind. As her brothers, you should fulfill your duties. If Ginny's having nightmares, take her to see Madam Pomfrey. She knows how to brew potions that prevent nightmares." Albert changed the subject, glancing at Ginny's retreating figure. "If her emotions are truly unstable, give her a small dose of sedatives. I still have some; I'll get them for you when we get back."

(End of Chapter)

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