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Chapter 739: Pouring on the Drama
Chapter 739: Pouring on the Drama
"My goodness, it's absolute chaos over there. They still haven't captured that fugitive?"
Daisy placed a cup of steaming hot tea in front of Herb and picked up the Prophet from the table, scanning the front-page headlines. She turned to Albert, examining him up and down as if looking for any signs of injury.
"It's just a minor hiccup." Albert replied nonchalantly.
"Minor hiccup?" Daisy raised an eyebrow as she read aloud from the newspaper: "'Negligent Ministry allows Black to remain at large. Dementors guarding Hogsmeade fail to capture Black, instead cause mayhem at Hogsmeade Station during 'routine duties', resulting in multiple injured students returning home.' "Unbelievable! They actually allowed Dementors to feed on the students' happy memories!"
A witness told the reporter that the Ministry of Magic had completely disregarded the safety of Hogwarts students, and that the Dementors' 'routine duties' had caused pushing and trampling at the station.
Fortunately, a student stepped forward, summoned a Patronus, and drove away the Dementors, just in time to restore order on the platform.
'Is that Auror actually suggesting that the student who drove away the Dementors and maintained order was hindering the Ministry from carrying out its duties?' exclaimed another witness to the reporter. 'How can the Ministry's idea of "carrying out duties" involve standing by and watching students get hurt?' 'My child was pushed down and trampled. It's unbelievable that the Ministry would deploy Dementors near Hogwarts to protect the students in this manner!' exclaimed an agitated parent.
'The brave young man who stood up to protect everyone deserves recognition. If not for him, the situation could have escalated into a more terrifying chaos, causing even more students to be harmed.' 'Dementors are an extremely evil and dark force. They should stay far away from those children,' commented a professional in the field.
'The Ministry has never taken the students' safety seriously. As early as a month ago, the Dementors lost control once. They trespassed onto the Quidditch pitch at Hogwarts, causing Harry Potter to fall from his broom during a Quidditch match. He nearly died, and Dumbledore was furious about it.' According to a student who wished to remain anonymous, the Dementors searched the Hogwarts Express on the first day of school and started feeding on students' happy memories, causing Harry Potter to faint.
As we all know, Dementors evoke people's worst memories, and Harry Potter's experiences make him particularly vulnerable to their influence.
Daisy stopped reading, as the entire article was focused on blaming the British Ministry of Magic.
"What are Dementors?" Nya asked as she combed Tom's fur.
"They are an extremely evil and dark force," Albert explained as he took out a piece of paper and quickly sketched the appearance of a Dementor. "They feed on human happiness and sometimes even souls. They serve as guards in the Ministry of Magic's Azkaban prison." He continued to describe these dangerous monsters to his family: "Ordinary people can't see Dementors, but they can feel their presence. When they appear, the temperature drops drastically, and it becomes difficult to feel any sense of happiness. Your mind will be filled with the worst memories of your life. When Dementors appear in large groups, they form a chilling fog, causing plants to wither from the cold. Currently, there's only one very difficult spell that can drive away these monsters."
"You can cast that spell, can't you?" Daisy looked at her son expectantly.
"Of course." Albert replied confidently.
"So, the student in the newspaper who drove away the Dementors was actually you, wasn't it?" Herb asked, his eyebrow arched slightly as he had already guessed this while reading the paper.
"Yes, I was in the crowd when the Dementors appeared and caused a commotion. I almost got knocked over in the chaos," Albert picked up his tea and took a sip before continuing, "You should know how terrifying it is when a stampede occurs on a crowded platform."
"It's impressive that you were able to calm everyone down."
Herb knew how challenging it was to achieve that, as fear could spread like wildfire, becoming utterly uncontrollable, especially with the presence of Dementors exacerbating the situation.
"How did you do it?"
"I used magic to amplify my voice, as if I were shouting through a megaphone right next to their ears, forcing them to calm down." Albert explained casually.
"Won't the Ministry cause you any trouble?" Daisy asked, more concerned about this issue as the article had essentially slapped the Ministry in the face.
"No, I know quite a few famous wizards, and I've won two World-Class Championship Cups for them. I'm somewhat of a celebrity in the wizarding world myself, so they wouldn't dare," Albert chuckled. "Besides, my fists are harder than theirs, and most wizards aren't really that capable anyway."
"But you can't use magic!"
"Actually, I can now use magic without a wand."
"Really?" Nya blinked curiously, as if expecting Albert to perform a magic trick for her.
"Watch closely."
Albert waved his hand, and a coin appeared between his fingers.
"Are you sure that's magic?" Nya complained. "That's just a regular magic trick."
"While it's true that we can't use magic outside of our world until we come of age, we can still use it in emergencies." Albert pocketed the coin and turned to Herb, asking, "How was your trip?"
"It was prosperous over there. I visited some of our compatriots, and while some plan to return home, others are reluctant to do so." Herb briefly summarized his trip to the East. "However, you're right that many people are worried. But it seems that even more people are looking to profit from the situation by driving up housing prices. Apparently, many residents are optimistic about the prospects of reunification."
"Hmm, we'll probably start seeing signs of it next year, and then in '95, housing prices will surge. By the summer of '97, there should be a downward trend in prices." Albert pulled out a notebook from his pocket, tore off a page, and handed it to Herb. "These two cities are also good investment locations. Capital cities usually don't see a decline in housing prices, so it won't hurt to buy early. However, I suggest you set up a company, find a local to be the figurehead, give them a share of the profits, and then you can control it from behind the scenes. It's easier for locals to handle these matters, and it avoids any potential backlash from dealing with it as a foreigner."
This approach was quite common in certain countries, where most companies were foreign-owned but managed by locals, who also took the brunt of any negative reputation.
"You really do have a talent for this," Daisy immediately recognized the benefits of this approach, knowing that reputation was often crucial.
(End of Chapter)
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