The Unscrupulous Merchants

The fierce wind, carrying snowflakes, relentlessly lashed against the windows. The biting cold seeped into the room through the glass, but was kept out by the heavy curtains. In the center of the dormitory room sat a large stove, with blue flames roaring inside.

Albert and his roommates were sitting around the large fireplace, warming themselves by the fire and busy with their tasks.

"Can Baruffio's Brain Elixir really make people smarter?" Fred examined the green potion. This was the Baruffio's Brain Elixir that Albert had brought back. The dose in the bottle was probably enough for each person to take a small sip.

"Baruffio's Brain Elixir really does make people smarter," Albert said without looking up. "As long as you drink that stuff, you'll easily get an excellent grade on your written exams this year."

"Really?" Fred's gaze at the Baruffio's Brain Elixir became even more eager.

"Of course it's true. I've already taken it, and the effect is really amazing." Albert paused, then frowned. "However, brewing the Baruffio's Brain Elixir is very difficult, and collecting the materials is also very laborious."

"Didn't you say you could dilute the potion with water?" George snatched the bottle from Fred, staring intently at the green liquid inside, and continued, "With Albert's expertise in Potions, brewing Baruffio's Brain Elixir shouldn't be too difficult, right?"

"It's difficult!" Albert wasn't that arrogant. Even if he used experience points to upgrade his skills, he didn't think he could succeed on the first try.

Brewing any Potions requires multiple attempts. Even a genius Potions Master cannot guarantee success on their first attempt at brewing an unfamiliar Potions.

"Don't worry about the imperfections, we can just dilute it with more water later," Lee Jordan reassured her.

"That's a good idea. Although the Potions might not be as effective as this one, it will still help make our minds more agile and get excellent grades on the exam." Judging from the excited expressions on the three faces, they were even more confident Albert himself.

"Stop dreaming. Do you think you can drink Potions every day?" Albert couldn't help but roll his eyes at the three of them. "Drinking a little occasionally is fine, but if you drink it every day, you'll really become a cripple when you run out of potions."

"Things can't be that exaggerated, can they?"

"How about we make this bottle of Baruffio's Brain Elixir the prize for the champion?" Fred suddenly suggested. "I believe Albert will definitely be able to brew this potion in the future. Right now, we need to let some students know that we have a special channel to obtain this potion that can make people smarter when drunk. The champion's reward is ten Galleon, so let's set the price of this bottle of Baruffio's Brain Elixir at ten Galleon."

"I suddenly realized that you also have the potential to be a shrewd businessman!" Albert looked Fred up and down and said with a smile.

The raw materials for Baruffio's Brain Elixir are indeed very precious, and the process of brewing it is very difficult, but its price is also very expensive.

Although the bottle of Baruffio's Brain Elixir in George's hand can only last for a few hours at most, taking a sip at a crucial moment can solve any subject's written exam, so it's actually quite worthwhile.

At least with this thing, you don't have to worry about failing the exam and getting into trouble with the professor.

"This potion will definitely be popular between fifth and seventh grade," Fred continued. "I think they'd be willing to empty their pockets of Galleon for a good report card."

"That is, if they have Galleon in their pockets," Albert said irritably.

"Everyone has some savings," Lee Jordan explained.

"Fred, you've changed," George said, heartbroken. "I never expected this..."

"Having Galleon is actually quite good," Fred shrugged. "Especially after seeing Albert, I suddenly realized that people really need Galleon so they can live happily according to their own wishes."

"Are you planning to join the Ministry of Magic after graduation?" Fred asked, looking at his Twins brother.

"Forget it, a man really needs Galleon." George immediately wilted and nodded in agreement with Fred.

"Alright, although I think it's a bit early for this..." Albert paused for a moment before saying, "After the Christmas holidays, I'll start trying to brew the Baruffio's Brain Elixir. You guys will be in charge of selling it, and as for the commission... you'll get one Galleon for every bottle sold." Albert paused here, then continued, "Or, we can save this money as start-up capital for opening a shop after graduation."

After all, Albert plans to open a Wizard Card shop in the future, and he's already planning to bring a few of his roommates along to open the shop together.

"A commission of one Galleon per bottle?" Fred and the other two's eyes lit up instantly upon hearing this.

After all, Albert was responsible for brewing the Potions, purchasing the ingredients Albert, and bearing the risks Albert. If selling a bottle of Baruffio's Brain Elixir could earn them a Galleon's commission, it would be an incredibly lucrative fortune for them.

However, when Albert mentioned opening a shop together after graduation, all three of them felt a bit lost, as it seemed too far away for them right now.

"I plan to open a Defence Against the Dark Arts shop, specializing in selling items and books that protect against Dark Magic," Albert continued, outlining his future plans. "Maybe I can even go back to Hogwarts and become an honorary professor someday."

"Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, you really dare to dream of that?" All three of them couldn't help but want to complain. They all knew that this position was cursed, and whoever took it would be unlucky.

"We want to open a Joke Shop," the Twins said in unison, looking at each other.

"And there's also Wizard Card specialty store," Lee Jordan suggested.

"Yes, we can open a shop in Diagon Alley and sell all three shops together," Albert nodded. "We'll talk about that later. Before that, we need a large sum of Galleon as seed money."

"Perhaps we should come up with a catchy name for that shop beforehand," Lee Jordan suddenly suggested. "How about ' The Four Founders '?"

"Don't you think this name sounds awful?" Fred retorted immediately. "People who don't know the context might think we have huge heads!"

"There's no rush, we can talk about it later. Anyway, this matter has a long way to go. Just don't forget to give us a nice name when the time comes." Albert twitched the corner of his mouth, coughed lightly, interrupted the three's argument, and refocused his attention on the Mandrakes roots drying in his hands.

"Are you going to use this thing to make Protective Bracelet?" George put his newly completed Wizard Card back into the box. The three of them are now also learning to design Wizard Card to help Albert share the burden.

"Yes, dried mature Mandrakes roots can be used to make various amulets that can effectively ward off some Dark Curse and Dark Magic," Albert explained. "As for the shavings, they can still be used to make Potions."

In fact, Albert had already changed several sets of runes and wood, but the Protective Bracelet he created were only of average effectiveness.

Today, Albert is not going to make Protective Bracelet, but to try to make a special amulet. The object carved in front of him is a unicorn about the thickness of a thumb, which is both an amulet and a cute pendant.

This is a birthday gift prepared for Isobel.

Albert didn't know Isobel's preferences, so he just followed the typical girl's approach.

"I think the Protective Bracelet you made before were already quite good." George had his eye on the Protective Bracelet Albert made long ago.

"Even if you say that, I won't lend it to you to play with," Albert suddenly said, and Fred and Lee Jordan next to him couldn't help but laugh.

"Your carving skills are getting better and better," Lee Jordan asked, staring at the finished wood carving. "What is this? A horse?"

"A unicorn," Albert pointed to the unicorn and reminded him.

"A Christmas present for your sister?" Fred remembered that Albert had gotten a Hippogriff last year.

"Hmm, a birthday present." Albert responded noncommittally, but in his mind he was wondering how many Galleon this thing was worth.