https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-770-Ivan-Be-Careful-Be-Very-Careful-/13454629/
Chapter 769: Weasley's Wizard Wheezes (Part 2)
Chapter 769: Weasley's Wizard Wheezes (Part 2)
Ivan pondered for a moment, his gaze sweeping across the classroom, lingering particularly on Malfoy and the other Slytherin students.
Their parents were all Death Eaters, so any of them could potentially be after him...
However, he couldn't let his guard down around the others either. After all, powerful Dark Wizards could use the Imperius Curse to control anyone.
With this thought, Ivan glanced at Snape again. The man surely knew more, but for some reason, he was unwilling to share the information directly.
Was it because of some constraint, or was he merely being mysterious?
Ivan rubbed his chin, feeling a bit at a loss. Snape had kindly warned him, but he couldn't exactly grab Snape and interrogate him, could he?
The two Potions classes passed quickly, and as they stepped out of the Potions classroom, all the young wizards heaved a sigh of relief.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were discussing the upcoming O.W.L. exams and their future career choices, while Ivan continued to ponder who might be trying to harm him.
"Ivan, Ron, Hermione, have you thought about what you want to do after graduation?" Harry asked, looking at the group with curiosity.
His knowledge of the wizarding world was limited to his years of study, so he couldn't determine which exams would be more important.
"Not really", Ron said slowly. "But I think being an Auror sounds pretty cool..."
Unfortunately, the requirements are too high...
Ron silently added to himself. The N.E.W.T. exams were already difficult, and to apply for the Auror program, one needed at least five O (Outstanding) or E (Exceeds Expectations) grades in relevant subjects, which only a handful of students managed each year.
"Aurors? I think being a professor at Hogwarts would be great, like Lupin and Mad-Eye Moody", Harry said. Due to Fudge's repeated blunders, he had a poor opinion of the Ministry of Magic.
Hermione, on the other hand, was determined to do something more meaningful after graduation.
"Something meaningful? Like freeing House-Elves?!" Ron couldn't help but interject sarcastically.
"That's just one thing! Ron, besides that, I want to do many other things, like banning Wizards from calling non-magical people Muggles. It's a derogatory term..." Hermione said firmly.
In Hermione's view, the British wizarding world was still steeped in medieval decay, with laws riddled with inequality and loopholes.
This was why Death Eaters like Lucius could act with impunity, and Voldemort's schemes could succeed time and again.
Ron scratched his head, unable to understand Hermione's point. What was wrong with calling non-magical people Muggles? They had always done so.
Hermione's other ideas seemed equally far-fetched to him. Whether it was giving House-Elves better treatment, banning derogatory terms, or changing the laws, it all seemed like a pipe dream.
"Who says it's impossible? If the Minister of Magic is willing to enact the right laws, we can avoid these issues to a great extent", Hermione said confidently.
"So you really want to be the Minister of Magic?" Harry looked at Hermione with a strange expression. She had said this before last year, and he had assumed she was joking.
Ron shook his head. A witch from a Muggle family becoming the Minister of Magic was practically impossible.
Hermione ignored Harry and Ron's skepticism and continued outlining her plans.
Although she was still far from her goal, she could start working towards it this year. For example, she could take all the O.W.L. exams and aim to get the highest grades in all of them.
Excellent grades and a strong résumé would be capital for advancing to the position of Minister of Magic...
Hearing that Hermione planned to take twelve exams this year, Harry and Ron felt a bit embarrassed.
Is this what a top student looks like? Better not mess with her...
"Ivan, are you planning to take all the exams this year like me?" Hermione turned to Ivan, who had been silent, and asked.
"Uh... what?" Ivan, lost in thought, nodded absentmindedly before realizing what Hermione had said.
"That's great! We'll have another chance to compete then!" Hermione said with great enthusiasm.
Ivan rubbed his nose, wondering when he had agreed to this.
However, Ivan didn't refuse outright. After all, these exams were no big deal for him. If it weren't for the concern of crushing Hermione's confidence, he could have taken the N.E.W.T. exams right now without any issues.
Hermione then turned to Harry and Ron, asking if they wanted to join in.
Ron shook his head wildly. For someone who knew his limits, passing six to seven O.W.L. exams this year would already be a miracle.
Harry quickly changed the subject. "By the way, Ivan, you didn't say what you want to do after graduation."
"I, well, I plan to buy a big enough house, build a Magic research lab, and spend my days studying Magic..." Ivan hesitated for a moment before speaking.
Just that? Harry, Ron, and Hermione all looked at Ivan with peculiar expressions.
As a recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class, and the most outstanding genius in Hogwarts' history, he was planning to study Magic at home after graduation, essentially becoming a shut-in.
That... was too strange.
Noticing their odd gazes, Ivan pursed his lips but didn't bother to explain.
With his abilities, becoming an Auror or a Professor would be a waste of his talents.
As for dominating the Wizarding World? It didn't seem particularly appealing.
If not for necessity, Ivan had never been interested in forming a power base. Battling Voldemort was solely to protect himself and his loved ones.
What he was most passionate about was studying Magic, especially after learning about its fundamental nature from Nicolas Flamel. This desire had only grown stronger.
Altering matter, Eternal Youth, bringing the dead back to life...
The power of Magic was truly unimaginable and utterly fascinating!
...
The first day of classes ended quickly, and as they stepped out of the Divination classroom, the group headed back to the Gryffindor Common Room.
As they entered, they saw George and Fred stealthily posting something on the notice board.
"George, Fred, what are you doing?" Ivan asked, walking over and noticing that George and Fred were using Magic tape to stick an advertisement on the board.
Hermione saw this as well and blocked their way, scolding them. "The notice board in the Common Room is for Prefects to post urgent announcements, not for your advertisements."
"We'll only use it for now, and we'll take it down if there's an emergency..." George said with a grin.
Unfortunately, Hermione wasn't buying it and firmly refused to let them use the notice board for their "product" promotion.
"Also, you're not allowed to sell Skiving Snackboxes, Self-Inking Quills, or Love Potions in the school. That's a serious violation of the rules!" Hermione glared at them.
"Don't be so uptight, Hermione. Everyone needs a bit of fun outside of studies!" Fred said with a fervent tone.
"Right, like our newly developed Amortentia (Love Potion). I think many Wizards need this to boost their charm..." George nodded, then his eyes darted around before pulling out a bottle of Amortentia from his pocket and secretly slipping it into Hermione's hand. He whispered, "Imagine it. If you sneak a drop of this into Ivan's drink, he'll fall head over heels for you..."
Hermione's face turned red with anger, and she threw the Amortentia back at them. She didn't need such things.
Ivan was speechless. George's attempt at bribery was subtle, but his body had been enhanced multiple times, and such a minor action couldn't escape his notice.
"Why are you in such a hurry to promote your new product?" Ivan asked.
"Of course, to earn more Galleons. Fred and I plan to open our own Magic shop after graduating this year, and we still need a lot of money", George said, shrugging helplessly.
"Need any help? How about three thousand Galleons? Would that be enough?" Ivan casually threw out a number.
"Three... three thousand Galleons?!" George and Fred were taken aback, both drawing in sharp breaths. They had never seen so much money!
Since their third year, they had earned initial research funds from a betting scheme and started making Magic items on their own. At their peak, they had no more than a hundred Galleons, with most of their money going towards buying materials and supporting new projects.
Sometimes, they even ran at a loss...
That's why they planned to distribute flyers and sell their products to earn money this year.
However, even with that, according to their estimates, renting a cheap shop in Diagon Alley and renovating it would still require at least eight or nine hundred Galleons. They would need to sell a lot of goods for several years to save up that much.
After all, they were short on manpower and time, and there was no way to increase production.
"Wait, three thousand Galleons isn't enough?" Ivan noticed George and Fred were lost in thought and asked again.
"No, no, it's too much!" George jumped up, clearly excited.
Three thousand Galleons!
They had only planned to rent a shop in a remote area, anywhere that would suffice. But with three thousand Galleons, they could choose the best location and do a more thorough renovation. More importantly, they wouldn't have to worry about funding for future research.
Just thinking about it made them ecstatic, but their enthusiasm soon cooled down.
George hesitated and said somewhat sheepishly, "Ivan, you've helped us a lot already. We can't accept any more help... and three thousand Galleons is just too much..."
Ivan raised his hand to stop George from continuing and explained, "Don't get it wrong. This is an investment, one that will yield returns. I have a lot of confidence in the joke items store you're planning to open..."
George and Fred exchanged a glance and nodded in unison. "Alright, but the profits..."
"I'll take just thirty percent. After all, the Magic Items you develop are the foundation of the Magic store..." Ivan interjected.
Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was George and Fred's dream and hard work, and Ivan didn't intend to take it over.
However, George and Fred felt that Ivan was getting the short end of the stick and firmly disagreed.
After some discussion, they decided to sell Ivan a forty percent share of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes for fifteen hundred Galleons, with the remaining fifteen hundred Galleons considered a loan.
Ivan, unable to persuade them otherwise, agreed. He then changed the subject, "Now that we have the money, don't go putting up flyers everywhere. The new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor isn't easy to deal with. If she catches you, it won't just be detention."
"That Umbridge from the Ministry? We're not afraid of her", Fred said nonchalantly.
"Besides, you're now the biggest shareholder in Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. You can't always side with your girlfriend. You need to be more assertive, Ivan. You can't let her have her way all the time", George said, ignoring Hermione's angry glare.
"No, it has nothing to do with Hermione. I'm just worried about you guys getting into trouble", Ivan sighed and then asked Fred, "What if someone bought your Amortentia and secretly spiked Angelina's drink? What would you think, Fred?"
Fred followed Ivan's line of thought and felt a green light flash over his head, shivering at the thought.
"I'll always keep an eye on Angelina", Fred said firmly.
"You can't always be by her side", Ivan shook his head. "So, it's best not to sell Love Potions. They're too dangerous. Instead, use your time to develop new products. You're almost done with school, and if you get caught, you might be expelled, which would be a real problem."
Persuaded by Ivan, George and Fred finally abandoned their plan to sell dangerous items and enthusiastically started plotting their next big move.
After they left, Hermione couldn't hold back any longer, "You shouldn't have agreed to it, Ivan. That's three thousand Galleons..."
Ron nodded in agreement, his eyes glazed over. He had never seen so much money.
"That's just three thousand Galleons!" Ivan said nonchalantly. He could easily make hundreds of Galleons by crafting a single Alchemical Artifact, and the Philosopher's Stone was like a money-printing machine. To him, this amount of money was nothing.
Moreover, George and Fred had a real talent for making Magic Items. While their ideas were often mischievous, these products were very popular among students.
Why not do a business that only brings in profits? He wasn't short on money, but he certainly wouldn't turn it down, and he could help his friends in the process...
Hermione was exasperated. While she knew Ivan was rich, even the richest person shouldn't spend money like that... Additionally, if George and Fred focused all their energy on their Magic store, they would definitely fail their N.E.W.T. exams this year.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
