Study Brooms, Ron!

After the flying lesson ended, Harry Potter was summoned alone to Professor McGonagall's office for a talk. Just as Zhang San had expected, she invited him to join the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

The moment Harry left the Head of House's office, he eagerly shared the good news with Ron and Zhang San.

A young man's thoughts were impossible to hide. Seeing Harry practically glowing with happiness, Ron could not help feeling deeply envious.

The Weasley Family had Quidditch in their blood too. Their second brother Charlie, as well as their twin fourth and fifth brothers, were all key players on the Gryffindor student team.

It was a proud Weasley Family tradition to serve on the Gryffindor team. It couldn't end with me, "Sixth Weasley"!

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"I really envy you. Professor McGonagall picked you for the house team a whole year early. We can't even sign up until second year," Ron said enviously.

Though Harry's grin was harder to suppress than an AK, he still comforted Ron. "I'm not even sure whether I can handle being a Seeker. Besides, I'm sure you'll join the house Quidditch team next year and fight alongside me."

"I definitely will!" Ron said confidently.

Early the next morning, Harry Potter received a Nimbus 2000 flying broom sponsored by Professor McGonagall. The sight of several owls flying in formation, straining to carry a large, long parcel to the Gryffindor table, drew intense attention from the students.

Once the packaging was removed, the elegant, classically styled broom with its sleek lines drew a chorus of gasps.

If the old teaching brooms used in flying class were beat-up Jettas that had changed hands countless times, then Harry's Nimbus 2000 was an Enzo Ferrari.

How could the students not envy a first-year like Harry owning a brand-new Nimbus 2000?

Ron especially could barely tear his eyes away from the broom in front of him. He was just short of drooling over it like a creep while stroking it and murmuring, "My precious!"

Zhang San asked from beside him, "Want one?"

Ron nodded so hard his head nearly flew off. "Of course I do! Who wouldn't want the latest model of flying broom? But this thing costs two thousand Galleons. Even if you sold me, I couldn't afford it!"

"Why is it so expensive? Damn, that's daylight robbery!" Zhang San was equally shocked.

Why was a broken broom so expensive? Other than flying a little faster and handling a little better, it wasn't that much higher-quality than an ordinary broom.

If a Nimbus 2000 cost a hundred or two hundred Galleons, Zhang San could have given Ron one under the pretense of handing out a year-end bonus... but two thousand Galleons was truly outrageous.

It wasn't that Zhang San couldn't afford to give one away. Ron simply couldn't handle it. Give someone a little favor, and they'd be grateful; give them too much, and they'd resent it. Some help became a burden when overdone.

Zhang San's initial help had exceeded Ron's expectations, so Ron had been immensely grateful for it.

But if Zhang San kept giving, that help would become something Ron felt entitled to. Once expectations were raised without limit, every kindness became a matter of course. If Zhang San did not give enough, they might even become enemies.

Furthermore, long-term, unconditional assistance could make the other person dependent, weakening both their ability and desire to strive on their own. Remaining in the weaker position of "receiver" for too long would make them feel inferior and uncomfortable. To protect their self-esteem, they might subconsciously belittle your help—or belittle you.

If Zhang San and Ron had begun as equal friends, then under Zhang San's repeated assistance, their relationship would gradually become the unequal one of "giver and receiver." Ron might always feel inferior, and that pent-up feeling could eventually turn into resentment.

Maintaining a friendship over the long term was never simple. You never knew what kind of bizarre conclusions the other person's mind might leap to.

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Hearing Zhang San complain about the Nimbus 2000's price, Ron nodded in complete agreement. "You think its price is outrageously high too, right? My dad's annual salary couldn't even buy one of these brooms."

After pondering for a while, Zhang San said, "Since flying brooms are made by wizards, could we make one ourselves—a flying broom that's faster and performs better?"

Ron's mouth fell open. "How is that possible? Flying class only teaches us how to ride brooms. No one has ever taught us how to make one."

"If no one teaches us, then we'll teach ourselves. The Hogwarts library contains a vast ocean of knowledge. As long as we look, we'll definitely be able to figure out how to make flying brooms. As long as our technology is strong enough, we won't need to wait for the Nimbus Company to squeeze out tiny improvements bit by bit. We can make our brooms fly as fast as we want," Zhang San said, patiently guiding him.

He continued, "And you don't necessarily have to work alone. Fred and George might be able to help you. As far as I know, they're exceptionally gifted at making little magical gadgets."

Ron's eyes grew brighter and brighter. "I think you've convinced me. You're right—flying brooms are made by wizards. Why can the Nimbus Company make them while I can't? Once I figure out the technology for making flying brooms, I'll be able to get myself a super broom that outperforms the Nimbus 2000."

"Exactly. Wood isn't valuable, and metal wire isn't valuable either. It's only the magic added to the broom that makes those pieces of scrap wood worth a fortune," Zhang San encouraged him.

"As long as it's knowledge, we can learn it. As long as we're willing to learn, we can master it. Nothing in the world is difficult for those with determination. If we study hard, we'll definitely be able to make the best broom with the fewest Galleons."

Ron's fighting spirit immediately ignited. Harry, who had no idea what was going on, asked from the side, "Why is he suddenly fired up?"

"He's found a goal worth striving for—such is the power of Galleons," Zhang San said with feeling.

Ron suddenly leaned over and asked, "Siri, I know nothing at all about making magical brooms. Where should we start learning?"

"Why not ask the professors? Hogwarts has the best professors in the magical world. I'm sure they'll give you the answers you want," Zhang San said.

Although Hogwarts was merely a magical technical school, none of the professors who had established themselves there were incompetent. As long as they were willing to answer those questions, there would be no professional line of thought they could not straighten out.

Making flying brooms involved specialized knowledge from many subjects. For instance, enchanting a broom required knowledge of Charms; choosing wood required Herbology; processing materials required Alchemy; reinforcement and stabilization required Ancient Runes...

If Ron could really make a flying broom from scratch while still in school, he would never have to worry about finding a good job after graduation. Wizards with solid magical technical skills like that were always highly sought-after talent at major companies.

Wizards who could cast spells were everywhere, but wizards with research ability and an understanding of production technology were hens that laid golden eggs.

The Potter Family had left Harry several huge warehouses full of Galleons just from the formula for a shampoo, while the Ollivander Family had monopolized Britain's wand business for centuries with wandmaking technology... it was clear just how comfortably technically skilled wizards lived.

Even if Ron did not work for a company, he could still live a comfortable, unhurried life by opening a magical broom repair and modification shop of his own in Diagon Alley.

This was the magical version of "Learn math, physics, and chemistry well, and you can go anywhere without fear."