Percy's previously grim expression had turned to stunned disbelief after Basil's remarks.
But he was still a little confused. "The Muggle market is huge, but my dad's salary isn't that high, is it?"
Basil slapped his forehead again. What simple, honest wizards!
"Actually, all the famous shops in Diagon Alley are doing this. Let me give you a random example: secondhand robe shops. The so-called secondhand goods inside are actually brand-new; they just change the label because the fabric, or even the entire item, was made by Muggles."
"Safety in this area falls under your father's department. They could absolutely pass a law—for example, requiring wizards who use magic on Muggle goods for commercial purposes to obtain a business license."
"Would they still be short of money then?"
Percy nodded in sudden realization.
Basil nodded approvingly and casually asked, "How much does your dad make?"
Percy rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
All his earlier gloom had vanished, and he no longer carried himself so stiffly.
He looked like the boy next door.
"My dad earns 50 Galleons a week, not counting bonuses or overtime pay."
"What?" Basil could hardly believe it.
Fifty Galleons was 250 pounds.
At the exchange rate of the time, that was 1,000 yuan.
This was 1991, when the average salary was only 195 yuan!
And that was weekly pay!
"You're wizards. Food and drink can basically be handled with magic. Even clothes, if you want. There are nine people in your family—surely you don't spend even half of those 50 Galleons in a week!"
"Wait," Basil said as a possibility occurred to him. He looked at Ron. "When you usually go to Diagon Alley, where do you buy things?"
"Huh?" Ron snapped out of his thoughts, still immersed in the revelation that his father was actually rather impressive.
"For clothes, Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. For toys, Zonko's Joke Shop. As for food and drink, aside from snacks, most of it is grown or raised in our own garden."
Basil began to question his life.
"These... these are all raw materials for wizard factories, products processed with wizarding magic."
"They may be ordinary shops too, but people who really know their stuff go to the places I mentioned, like secondhand robe shops. Or they just exchange money for pounds on the black market and spend it in the Muggle World."
"You can even print Grimoire books at the print shop at the end of Charing Cross Road, through the Muggle World entrance at the Leaky Cauldron."
"The owner of that shop is a wizard, so there's no need to worry about the Statute of Secrecy."
Ron and Percy: "You can do that?!" X2
Elsewhere.
Basil's face fell.
He was the Joker now.
The poor bastard had been himself all along!
Hm? That wasn't right.
Even so, they shouldn't have been short on money, should they?
Those were all ordinary shops too.
The Weasley family also had bonuses!
And if nothing else, overtime pay!
"So where does your family spend all its money?" He looked at Percy.
Percy stroked his chin. "Bill's, Charlie's, mine, Fred's, and George's wands, robes, textbooks, and other school supplies. Charlie's, Fred's, and George's brooms. Ron's comic books and toys. Ginny's clothes."
"My dad's hobby spending. For example, this year, that scrapped turquoise Ford Anglia 105E Deluxe Sedan of his, which cost 50 Galleons."
"When bonuses come in, we also go traveling."
The farther Percy went, the quieter his voice became.
After sorting it all out, along with what Basil had said earlier,
he finally realized that his family had never actually lacked money.
They just spent it recklessly.
Percy felt deeply uncomfortable.
He suddenly remembered that both his father and mother had actually been born into so-called pure-blood aristocratic families.
His father's mother had been from the Black family.
Although her marriage to a Weasley had not been blessed, she had still brought a substantial dowry.
They had never lacked money.
His mother, meanwhile, had come from the renowned Prewett family, which had produced Aurors for generations.
The Department of Magical Law Enforcement had practically become the Prewett family's private domain.
If not for the Dark Lord, who had wiped out the Prewett family until only his mother remained,
their family would not have ended up like this.
Having been born and raised in such a family, it was no wonder they spent money so freely.
Not to mention that, as wizards, they never really had to worry about food and drink. Magic could take care of it all.
Basil was likewise stunned by the Weasley family's extravagant spending.
Quidditch was not a game for commoners.
Competition brooms held the same status in the wizarding world as sports cars in the Muggle World.
The Weasley twins used Silver Arrows.
They had started school in 1989.
At the time, the Silver Arrow was the newest product of the Cleansweep Broom Company.
Though the twins had not joined the school team until 1990,
by then the Cleansweep Broom Company's newest product had already been the Six-Star.
Even so, it was still impressive.
As the company that had founded competitive brooms, the Cleansweep Broom Company could be considered world-class.
It held a position comparable to BMW in the Muggle World.
Who bought two BMWs for two children in their second year?
What kind of family was this?
Traveling did not even need mentioning.
In the third Harry Potter series film, the Weasley family had spent nearly 700 Galleons—the Daily Prophet grand prize—to travel to Egypt.
They had even replaced Ron's wand while they were at it.
But the car...
As a rich second-generation heir, Basil was also into cars.
He remembered this antique car vividly.
The young woman selling him the car had gone to great lengths to teach him all this while they sat in it.
Ahem. Things learned during post-nut clarity really did leave a deep impression.
The Ford Anglia had been introduced in 1959. Bruce Nan, the actor who played 007, had bought one for 50 pounds in 1971. It had been secondhand, and the driver's door had been a little damaged.
And now it was 1991!
Fifty Galleons was 300 pounds at the official exchange rate!
Not to mention that this was a scrapped wreck.
There really was a reason the Weasley family was poor!
"Where did your dad buy it? I want to sell him some things too."
Golden light gleamed in Basil's eyes. He had discovered a path to wealth!
Why let outsiders make the money? He should make it himself!
He was Ron's brother by bond and blood!
His beloved friend and family!
Owl Finn?
Don't show up. Ron might misunderstand.
Percy answered awkwardly, "From Mundungus."
Basil flew into a rage and instantly abandoned his grand money-making plan.
Painful memories came flooding back.
"Him! That shameless liar and thief!"
"He scammed me once! A child! He'd even scam a single Knut from a child!"
"A Ford Anglia 105E Deluxe Sedan, even an intact secondhand one, wouldn't cost more than eight Galleons!"
Once upon a time, when he had still been an innocent child and had not awakened the memories of his Previous Life,
Mundungus had tricked him at the Leaky Cauldron into spending one Knut on a glass marble!
Ron suspiciously dug at his ear. "But Mundungus is in the Order of the Phoenix! Rounded up, that makes him one of Dumbledore's men!"
Percy narrowed his eyes, looking ready to devour someone.
Right now, he wanted nothing more than to find an Auror and have that swindler who had cheated his family out of money arrested!
His father had bought a piece of junk!
Rounded up, his family had practically been scammed out of 50 Galleons outright!
That was nearly a month of his father's salary!
"He isn't Dumbledore's man! More precisely, he isn't Albus Dumbledore's man!"
"He belongs to that goat-loving, repeatedly accused owner of the Hog's Head Inn—Aberforth Dumbledore!"
"I'm writing to my dad!"
As he spoke, he handed the stack of parchment in his hand to Ron. "Just give these to your classmates. This is your timetable for the week! I'm writing a letter! I'm going back to the dormitory to write it!"
Ron watched Percy's departing back. "He must be furious! This is the first time I've seen Percy like this. His voice even cracked!"
Basil nodded. "After all, it's 50 Galleons!"
Including the seven Galleons Old Tom had given him and what he had earned at the train station,
he currently had only nine Galleons, 114 Sickles, and 40 Knuts.
One Galleon equaled 17 Sickles, and one Sickle equaled 29 Knuts. That meant one Galleon equaled 493 Knuts.
After converting it all, he had 15 Galleons, 13 Sickles, and 11 Knuts.
"Looks like this summer—no, if the world I travel to is modern, I could consider bringing back some airplane parts to sell to Ron's dad," Basil mused.
Ron shoved Basil. "What are you thinking about? You're grinning so wide your mouth is nearly at your ears! Come hand out the timetables with me!"
"Mm-hm!" Basil nodded repeatedly.
His path to wealth depended on Ron!
Before you continue