Using Harry to Lever Slytherin

Silan set aside half the money—forty-eight Sickles—and pushed it toward the two of them.

"This is for you."

George and Fred exchanged puzzled looks. "Silan, you calculated it wrong. We agreed last time that we'd get forty percent. It should be thirty-eight Sickles."

"No, I didn't." Silan picked up a silver Sickle and examined the serial number on it under the lamplight. It had been left there by the goblins when they minted these magical coins.

Besides that, there was another kind of magical currency: leprechaun gold. It looked exactly like a Galleon, but vanished a few hours later.

"The forty percent we agreed on is what you earned. The extra ten percent is both a reward for you and my thanks," Silan said.

The difference between forty and fifty percent was only a few Sickles, but suddenly receiving a bonus felt pretty good.

It could motivate people to work even harder.

To Silan, money mattered when he had none.

But when he had money, it became the least valuable thing.

At times like this, he preferred to use money to trade for things of greater value.

"It's just a little money, so let's not fuss over it." Silan pushed the coins closer to them. "There's more money to be made later."

He took out the second batch of maps he had made and laid them on the table.

"I've made another batch of maps, one for each of the four houses. You can keep selling them. We'll still split the profits sixty-forty. How about it?"

"Of course," the Weasley twins agreed happily.

Having just tasted success, neither of them was willing to let go so easily.

The money came in too fast. Their earnings from just a few days were more than they could save through months of hard scrimping.

Still, they had not been blinded by the huge profits.

George thought for a moment, then warned, "They should sell in Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Ravenclaw has a lot of bookworms, but not a single idiot. It's been nearly two weeks since term began. A lot of them have probably already memorized the stairs' pattern by now."

"So I didn't make many Ravenclaw maps. We'll sell however many we can. Even if we don't sell a single one, we won't lose anything."

As he spoke, Silan picked the Slytherin Maps out of the stack and set them aside.

Fred was interested in the finely made maps. He picked one up, looked it over, and casually asked, "How much are you planning to sell the Slytherin Maps for?"

"Five Galleons."

"How much?!"

Fred's eyes widened. He almost thought he had misheard and could not help blurting it out.

He had expected the Slytherin Maps to be expensive.

Those people were either from wealthy pure-blood families or well-off half-blood households.

But wasn't this far too expensive?

It was only a copied map!

Even with the finest parchment and flashy lilac ink, the cost was less than five Sickles.

And it could sell for five Galleons?!

Though they hated to admit it, they knew the Slytherins were rich, not stupid. Who would buy something so obviously overpriced?

Both George and Fred wondered if Silan had gone mad.

"Isn't that... a little too expensive?" George swallowed and lowered his voice.

If they searched the Weasley family vault at Gringotts from top to bottom, they probably would not find five Galleons.

Silan did not seem bothered. "It's not expensive. We're trying to make money, after all."

Making money was fine, but wasn't he trying to make a bit too much?!

Fred felt that his little cousin was incredibly bold.

The maps really were exquisitely made, but selling one for five Galleons was absurd.

"Look carefully."

Silan took out a map and held it beneath the light for them to examine closely.

George and Fred craned their necks and widened their eyes.

"Do you see anything?" Silan asked.

The Weasley twins nodded together.

They saw that the lines drawn in lilac ink on the map shimmered faintly. Whenever the firelight flickered, tiny glints became clearly visible, and those lines resembled a flowing river of stars.

Combined with the premium parchment embossed with gold patterns, it truly carried an indescribable sense of luxury.

"This map uses the finest materials, and it is entirely handmade. It took days of painstaking work, polished day and night, crafted with unparalleled care. There are only ten in all of Hogwarts. Compared with ordinary maps, it is not only practical, but can also be preserved for as long as eight months—more than ten times longer than an ordinary map."

With the solemn air of someone presenting a priceless treasure, Silan pointed at a blank space near the top of the map.

"Moreover, we offer private customization. Anyone who buys a map may have their family crest engraved on it free of charge. That transforms it from an ordinary map into one that bears the glory and honor of their family. This is not merely a map—it is a symbol of identity and status!"

After delivering that entire sales pitch in one breath, Silan slowly asked, "Do you still think five Galleons is expensive?"

"This..."

The Weasley twins were stunned.

The parchment and lilac ink used to make the maps had both been bought by them.

They knew perfectly well that the cost of one map was not even five Sickles. Yet after hearing Silan put it that way, they suddenly felt as though the map really ought to be worth that much.

George and Fred knew very well that Slytherin's pure-blood wizards had always taken pride in their family honor.

When they wanted to buy something, price and quality were not enough. It also had to show off the dignity and status of their pure-blood wizarding families.

If the map sold for only a dozen or so Sickles, they might not even give it a glance.

But if it sold for five Galleons...

Well, then it felt right.

That was exactly the sort of thing Slytherin would like.

"Wouldn't we make more if we made a few more?" Fred asked.

"The brilliance of this map lies in its scarcity. There are only ten, not one more." Silan waved a hand. "Once there are too many of these things, they stop being valuable."

George said, "There's another problem. The other houses are fine, but we don't have any friends in Slytherin. It won't be easy for us to sell them there."

"It's fine. I'll handle the Slytherin Maps myself. I just need you two to do me a small favor."

"What favor?"

"Bring Harry here and have him cooperate with me." Silan wore a mysterious expression.

To sell the maps in Slytherin, Harry Potter was the most important part of Silan's plan.

Archimedes had once said, "Give me a fulcrum, and I can move the whole world."

Now Silan would say: Give me one Harry, and I can move all of Slytherin.

Harry was the fulcrum, while Malfoy was the lever.

After George and Fred agreed, they gathered up the maps. Just as they opened the door to leave, Silan called out to stop them.

"Don't move. Someone's coming!"