Chapter 584: Fleecing Potter
Chapter 584: Fleecing Potter
For Harry, Hermione, and Ron, negotiating with Mundungus Fletcher, a stranger, was undoubtedly a difficult task. They had no experience in such dealings and had no trust whatsoever in this thief, making the likelihood of a successful transaction very low.
After much hesitation, Hermione finally wrote to Mundungus, mentioning in her letter that she was a customer referred by Albert and that she wished to purchase a small quantity of unicorn horns and snake skins.
When Mundungus received Hermione's letter, he was baffled. He didn't know who Hermione Granger was and even suspected that the envelope might be tampered with.
However, upon reading the letter, he discovered that the sender was a customer referred by Anderson.
Mundungus muttered to himself as he held the letter, "Unicorn horns and snake skins?"
These were ingredients for brewing potions.
Usually, these two ingredients were only needed when brewing complex potions.
The reason Mr. Mundungus, the thief, was able to guess at first glance what potion Miss Granger wanted to brew was mostly because he had helped someone find unicorn horns and snake skins before and had encountered some trouble, so he remembered it vividly.
In the black market, obtaining small quantities of unicorn horns and snake skins was not particularly difficult.
After all, there were always a few shady individuals in the black market who liked to use complex potions to disguise themselves.
Mr. Mundungus, the thief, decided to accept this deal. It was a good business opportunity, and he could also do Anderson a favor. He had a good impression of the young Anderson. From time to time, Anderson would ask him to help collect some strange items, and although they were always odd requests, he could always make a small profit from them. Mundungus was naturally happy to maintain this steady stream of business.
Mundungus first rummaged through his small briefcase to see if he had any stored unicorn horns and snake skins.
However, the remaining ingredients in his case were all worthless items.
Mundungus slammed his briefcase shut in frustration and took the opportunity to reply to Hermione, quoting a high price of ten Galleons.
If the buyer was willing to pay, he would be confident in obtaining the ingredients for them.
As for fleecing the customer?
Sorry, but when a sheep is offered for slaughter, it will be slaughtered.
The customer wasn't like Anderson, who always managed to haggle him down to the bare minimum.
However, after sending off the owl, Mundungus suddenly regretted his decision. He worried that Granger would back out of the deal because of the high price he quoted, and he wanted to recall the owl and rewrite the letter. But the owl refused to cooperate and even pecked at Mundungus's arm, causing him to cry out in pain.
"I hope this deal doesn't fall through!" Mundungus muttered as he examined the wound on his arm.
Soon after, Hermione received Mundungus's reply, but the outrageously high price of ten Galleons left her breathless. She certainly didn't have that kind of money, and even if she did, she wouldn't spend so lavishly on unicorn horns and snake skins.
"He must be crazy," Hermione muttered, her hands clutching the letter tightly. "I must convince Harry to give up on this."
"Convince me about what?"
Just then, Harry and Ron walked over and sat down beside them. Seeing Hermione's tense grip on the letter, they asked curiously, "Who's the letter from? Did Mundungus reply?"
After a moment's hesitation, Hermione handed the letter to Harry.
Ron and Harry immediately leaned in to read it.
"Ten Galleons? He must be mad!"
Ron felt the weight of ten Galleons pressing down on him. Those ingredients weren't even worth a single Galleon. Just as Albert had said, they were being ripped off, with the seller asking for ten times the actual value.
Harry was wealthy, but ten Galleons still made him wince.
After all, even with his vast inheritance stored in Gringotts, every expense added up.
However, considering that he wouldn't have to cause trouble in Snape's Potions class, he finally agreed to pay for the unicorn horns and snake skins.
"Write back and tell him I'll buy it!" Harry said through gritted teeth.
He, Harry Potter, was rich.
"Hold on, Harry. We should seek Albert's opinion first," Hermione quickly interjected, "I'm sure you don't want to be fleeced."
Ron fully agreed with Hermione's suggestion, thinking they should consult Albert to avoid being scammed by Mundungus.
Ten Galleons was too expensive for those ingredients.
If they really had to spend that much, Ron would rather agree to Hermione's unreliable plan.
After all, the cost couldn't be split evenly among the three of them, as Ron and Hermione didn't have that kind of money.
The trio spent quite some time looking for an opportunity and finally managed to corner Albert outside the Great Hall during breakfast to ask for his advice.
After reading Mundungus Fletcher's reply, Albert commented, "That's expensive. A small quantity of unicorn horns and snake skins isn't worth that much. Although the black market often has markups of up to ten times the regular price, you're still being fleeced."
"How much do you think it's worth?"
"Those ingredients are probably worth about one Galleon. If you offer three to five Galleons, Mundungus Fletcher will be more than happy to sell them to you," Albert replied after a moment's thought.
Harry was very frustrated. No one wanted to be taken advantage of, but if they couldn't get their hands on those ingredients, they would have to risk breaking into Snape's office.
"Thank you," Harry said gratefully. "Otherwise, I would have been scammed."
"You can meet him in Hogsmeade to make the deal. Negotiate face-to-face, and only pay when you receive the goods. Don't pay in advance, or he might not send the items," Albert advised, "Be very cautious when dealing with these people to avoid being tricked with fake goods. This happens a lot in the black market."
"We can't go to Hogsmeade," Harry said glumly, realizing that buying from the black market was more complicated than he'd thought. Not only did he have to watch out for being overcharged, but he also had to be careful of fake goods. Were there also cases of scammers being scammed?
"There's a secret passage on the fifth floor of the castle that leads outside. Fred and George used it to sneak into Hogsmeade in their first year," Albert glanced at Hermione and continued, "If you're not in a hurry, you can wait until the next Hogsmeade trip and ask Fred and George to help you deal with Mundungus Fletcher. They have experience in these matters."
The three of them looked at each other, surprised that there was a secret passage out of the school.
"If you're in a hurry, you'll have to pay Fred and George a fee for their trouble."
Ron's expression became complicated as he listened to Albert. In truth, he also wanted this so-called "running fee."
(End of Chapter)
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