Chapter 1116: Valuable Defense Against Dark Arts
After leaving the safe house, Albert used the transformation technique to disguise himself as a red-haired middle-aged man. He couldn't go directly to Diagon Alley, that would be too ostentatious, would put himself in danger, and might even cause trouble for the three of them and the newly opened joke shop.
So, it is best not to let too many people know that you are related to that store, otherwise you are very likely to be targeted by Death Eaters.
After all, what I’m going to do next is indeed a bit hate-inducing.
When Albert walked into the Leaky Cauldron Bar, he found that the originally bustling bar had become extremely deserted, with not even a single customer. The elderly shopkeeper was sitting on the bar. After hearing Albert's footsteps, He stopped wiping the wine glass and raised his head hopefully, expecting the guest in front of him to sit down and have a drink.
Albert nodded to Old Tom, and under his disappointed gaze, he walked through the bar hall and headed to the small yard behind where the trash cans were kept.
The entrance to Diagon Alley is here.
He did not apparate directly to Diagon Alley, but passed through the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron. In fact, he wanted to figure out the current situation in the magical world without attracting other people's attention.
Albert raised his wand and tapped a brick on the wall. A doorway immediately appeared, leading to a winding cobblestone path. He stepped through the doorway and walked directly into Diagon Alley.
Today's Diagon Alley has completely changed. The prosperity of the past has disappeared, replaced by gloomy and deserted streets. Wanted notices for Death Eaters were posted everywhere, and many shabby little stalls popped up on both sides of the street. Those vendors were all wizards who used to wander on the edge of gray. Nowadays, the Ministry of Magic no longer has any extra energy to manage Diagon Alley, and all the monsters and monsters originally hiding in Knockturn Alley have emerged.
On the way to No. 93 Diagon Alley, Albert saw a scruffy little wizard selling a silver amulet to passers-by, claiming to be able to resist werewolves, inferi and dementors.
That kind of suspicious thing obviously cannot provide any help to the wearer. Only a fool will believe it and be willing to spend money to buy it.
However, there were actually some people around the stall who were hesitant.
It can only be said that the resurrection of the mysterious man has made most people panic and desperately seek protection!
Pedestrians on the street are no longer willing to stop and talk to others, or even stay in Diagon Alley for too long. People always come and go in a hurry, or move together in small groups, as if being alone will happen. What a terrible thing.
It is human instinct to join a group to keep warm.
Those wizards who live in gray areas will not pay their attention.
However, Albert still doubts the effect of people joining together. Strength in numbers may be useful and can bring comfort to everyone.
But what about when you actually face the Death Eaters and the mysterious man?
Is it possible to take advantage of the large number of people?
There is a saying: I can’t outrun a bear, but I can outrun you.
Hand in hand to resist?
If everyone really had the courage to fight against the forces of darkness, Voldemort would no longer be able to stay in Britain.
When I walked to the front of store No. 93, I found that it was still under construction.
The project of "Fun House" is still in the preliminary renovation stage. Lee Jordan is talking to two wizards. They are obviously wizards who specialize in helping people decorate houses.
As long as there is money to be made, you can always find a corresponding career.
Making money is not shabby.
“Why are you alone?” Albert stepped forward to greet Lee Jordan with a smile.
"Why are you...you here?" Li Jordan was slightly stunned when he saw the red-haired middle-aged man raising his hand to greet him, and then thought that the guy in front of him was Albert.
I probably didn’t want to be recognized, so I put on a simple disguise.
Albert mentioned this to them last night. His current identity is a Weasley with some money, and his red hair is the best proof.
“Let’s see how your store is doing.”
Albert smiled and nodded to the two wizards, then moved his gaze to Lee Jordan: "Why are you the only one, Fred and George?"
“We are all busy people, so I can only look after the store here.” Lee Jordan said in a resentful tone, leading Albert towards the back of the store.
When he got outside and out of earshot of the two of them, Li Jordan lowered his voice and asked, "How did you get yourself into such a state? I almost didn't recognize you."
“It’s not good for people to see it.” Albert said with a smile: “You don’t want to be troubled by others.”
“If you had seen the advertising slogan prepared by Fred and George, you wouldn’t think so.” Lee Jordan opened the door at the back of the store and led Albert into a weird room with a tent.
Since the store is still being renovated, the three of them can only live in a tent temporarily.
There is a large box in the tent. When opened, there is a staircase going down. Although it is not as spacious and comfortable as Albert's suitcase, it is enough as a laboratory for making dark magic defense items.
"They are rushing to make defense against the Dark Arts props." Lee Jordan said mysteriously, "Yesterday, three Aurors from the Ministry of Magic came to the store and ordered a large number of Defense Against the Dark Arts props. Fred and George were ready to have a big fight. "
“So, they just left the decoration of the store to you?”
Albert did not enter the box, but walked towards the kitchen of the tent, where Fred and George were enjoying ice-cold watermelon.
Albert actually asked the house elves to grow these watermelons. He had to find something to do for the house elves staying in Hogsmeade.
"Who are you…"
Seeing Lee Jordan leading a red-haired middle-aged man here, Fred and George were slightly startled, and both reached for their wands.
“It’s me.” Albert said.
“How did you get yourself to look like this?” George reacted faster than Fred, and quickly recognized the guy in front of him as Albert. He just mentioned this matter last night, but the two of them have been too busy recently and have forgotten about it.
“You two bastards…”
"Yesterday, the Ministry of Magic reserved fifty sets." Fred excitedly shared the good news with Albert. "They said they might continue to reserve them, and maybe buy one for all the staff of the Ministry of Magic. "
“The Ministry of Magic has at least five hundred staff, that’s a big order!” muttered Lee Jordan. “To be honest, I doubt the Ministry is willing to pay the money.”
"They can, and they can use it to win people's hearts." Albert didn't think the other party would default on the money. Anyway, the money was provided by the Ministry of Magic, and the benefits were taken by the new minister.
"Defense bracelets, defense badges and detection pocket watches are the best sellers." George introduced to Albert, "By the way, Scrimgeour seems to be interested in ordering more advanced defense items from you. We will keep them temporarily as you wish. His contact information. See when you are free and get in touch with him to discuss relevant matters."
The store offers advanced customization services, stronger and more durable black magic defense props, but they are very expensive, and whether you can buy them depends on your luck.
"It seems that the effect is good." Albert was a little surprised by Scrimgeour's approach. Was he planning to make friends with him?
If he were Scrimgeour, he would actually understand.
After all, Albert is a master of prophecy and has shown extraordinary abilities, so he is totally worth winning over.
At present, the prophecy that he will become the Minister of Magic may come true, but the second half of the prophecy is that he may lose his life during his tenure.
This is not good news for Scrimgeour.
Spend some money to build a good relationship with Albert, and maybe the other person will give him some hints at critical moments and help him tide over the difficulties.
There is nothing wrong with a win-win situation for everyone.
“The effect is good?” The three of them turned to look at Albert.
"I gave Scrimgeour a book, and there was an advertisement for dark magic defense items in it. It seems that they have recognized our dark magic defense items." Albert was quite satisfied with the result, as he expected. , the field of black magic defense has completely turned into a cash cow during this period.
“I see, I was wondering why the Aurors from the Ministry of Magic suddenly came to our door.” Fred suddenly realized, “I thought it was the advertisement we published in the Daily Prophet that worked.”
"After they briefly tested the samples you left, their expressions were very exciting, and then they directly ordered fifty Galleons. They were just a little pressed for time. It would be great if you could help." George ate the watermelon and asked Ai Burt complained, "We've been working like crazy lately."
"You can find someone to help." Albert said without hesitation, "Lupin is good. He should be getting married recently and will definitely need some money. You can give him a good salary and let him come here occasionally when he is free. Help, I think he will not refuse this well-paying job."
“Lupine is getting married?”
Fred and George looked at each other with surprised expressions. If they had not heard the news from Albert's mouth, they would not have believed it anyway.
After all, being a werewolf is the biggest obstacle.
"It should be soon, next year." Albert said without hesitation, "Remember to keep it a secret. If some things are revealed, it may affect the results."
“Who is Lupine going to marry?” Fred asked gossiping.
"I think you'd better pay attention to your business. This opportunity to make money will not last long." Albert reminded: "It will only last two years at most, so you have to seize the opportunity to make a good profit. In terms of product quality, When the standards are met, try to get a good reputation as much as possible, so that the business can continue to flow smoothly in the future.”
The three of them looked at each other, a little surprised that Albert actually asked them to hire someone.
However, they are indeed very busy now. They have all lived directly in Diagon Alley recently and are busy until late every day. Fortunately, there are house elves to help, otherwise I don’t know what life would be like!
"We will ask Lupine for his opinion sometime, if he is willing to help."
"Dark magic defense props should be organized into various packages, packaged and sold at a cheaper price than the unit price, and come with instructions for correct use." Albert began to instill sales methods into the three of them, "We should teach them how to save themselves correctly. For example, if a dark wizard tries to break into your home, how should you protect yourself and your family?"
Albert spoke slowly, and listed the preventive and protective effects of those black magic defense items, and packaged these items into a package and sold them to wizard families who lacked a sense of security.
"You can try the effect of the package first. If the effect is good, you can take the time to ask Lupine, Moody and others for various self-protection measures." Albert continued to say to the three of them, "You can give them a galleons Pay consulting fees, or provide some dark magic defense items to the Order of the Phoenix."
“Look, not only us, the Order of the Phoenix, but also the wizards who buy those dark magic defense packages can benefit from it and be able to better protect their own safety in this turbulent period.” Albert continued to fool. What he said is actually correct, but the actual effect is hard to say without real practical testing, but it is at least worthy of the Galleons paid by the other party.
As Albert said, this is a proposal that everyone can benefit from.
“At that time, we can also develop corresponding black magic defense props based on the suggestions of Moody and others.” George thought Albert’s proposal was great.
“I think we should change the name of the store.” Lee Jordan couldn’t help complaining, “It would be better to call it Defense Against the Dark Arts Store.”
"We just want to make money now, and Albert also said that this kind of business won't last long." Fred and George didn't care about Lee Jordan's complaints, and took out their notes seriously to write down Albert's remarks. Opinion.
They really never thought that this could happen before, it was Albert's brain that worked better.
Those proposals are entirely feasible.
From the Ministry of Magic pamphlet I received last time, it is not difficult to see the situation of ordinary wizards.
They had all read the safety measures for dealing with Death Eaters mentioned in the pamphlet, and it was simply rubbish.
Later on, I secretly changed it and shamelessly copied part of the content from Albert's "Guide to Self-Defense".
The Ministry of Magic doesn't care about the life and death of other wizards at all, otherwise those booklets wouldn't be so embarrassing. It wouldn't be surprising if the Ministry of Magic recommends everyone to buy the "Self-Defense Guide" one day.
Since the Ministry of Magic is unreliable, they still have to rely on themselves to protect themselves.
In the following time, Albert continued to instill the next strategic direction to the three of them, and by the way, let them know that they were not just making money, but also contributing to a just cause (helping the Order of the Phoenix as much as possible) , fighting for great ideals, (supporting Harry, working hard to defeat the mysterious man, and restoring peace to the Ministry of Magic), or helping everyone, (teaching everyone to protect themselves in turbulent times), so many things together, I believe Fred, George and Lee Jordan are certainly motivated enough to work hard.
After Albert's guidance, the three people who regained their spirits are all satisfied with what they are doing now.
Albert is also very satisfied. These two years are the best time to make money. If you want to get rid of poverty and get rich, you have to work harder.
As for someone who is jealous and comes to grab business, Albert is not afraid at all. He has spent so much time on research and layout, how can someone easily crack and steal the final results? And as long as the brand is out there, there is no way that others can be opponents. .
Who knows whether the quality of the counterfeit products can pass the test? What would be fatal if the black magic defense items suddenly failed at a critical moment?
Surely no one wants to make fun of their own lives.
The most important thing is that Arthur Weasley will become the director of the Office of Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Items. He is completely his own person. Other counterfeit products have no competitiveness at all.
(End of this chapter)