Factory Plan

They flew for a long time before finally finding the railway the Hogwarts Express was supposed to take.

Ron Weasley drove the car along the tracks. At least that way, they would not lose their way.

Suddenly, the sound of a train whistle rang out.

Their faces lit up, because this railway had been specially allocated by the Muggle government to the Ministry of Magic for the exclusive use of the Hogwarts Express. In other words, that whistle could only have come from the Hogwarts Express.

"Looks like we're about to catch up with them!"

Harry said excitedly. Flying to school in a car was simply too thrilling!

But Eli could not laugh, because he had already heard that the train was coming from behind them!

"Get out of the way! The train's right behind us!"

A whistle even louder than before perfectly confirmed Eli's words.

Harry and Ron instantly went pale.

"Hurry!"

Ron slammed the accelerator to the floor, and the car immediately surged to top speed.

But how could a car outrun a train?

Eli anxiously kept looking back. The train was getting closer and closer!

"Turn aside!"

Harry shouted urgently, and Ron hurriedly spun the steering wheel.

The car swerved sideways off the tracks, avoiding the fate of being smashed into by the train.

However, anyone who had passed their driving test knew that when an accident happened while driving, you should never jerk the steering wheel sharply.

Eli and the other two were now experiencing the consequences of doing exactly that.

The entire car began spinning through the air, tossing the three of them around inside.

The owl trapped in its cage chirped and screeched in terror.

Clearly, the car Arthur Weasley had bought was no luxury model. It did not even have a cushioning charm.

With a click, the door on Harry's side was shaken open. Harry, thrown off balance, was suddenly flung out!

"Harry!"

Eli's face changed dramatically. Fortunately, Harry reacted quickly and grabbed the car door, but at this speed, he would not be able to hold on for long.

"Hold on, Harry! I'll pull you up!"

Eli hurriedly reached out to grab Harry, but he did not have superhuman strength. How could he possibly haul Harry up in one go?

"Fuck, I'm a Wizard! Accio Harry!"

Harry suddenly felt an enormous force pushing him, instantly carrying him back beside Eli.

Whether from the wind or sheer fright, every strand of Harry's hair stood straight up!

Even his lips had lost all color.

That was fucking thrilling!

Eli hurriedly sealed the car door shut, while Ron also struggled to steady the car.

The journey had truly been full of one surprise after another. At such a young age, they were already enduring life's hardships.

The train had long since disappeared into the distance, so being late was inevitable.

By the time they approached the school, it was already night. They definitely would not make the Sorting Ceremony.

Ron slowly guided the car down toward an open area.

As everyone knew, getting a car moving was one hurdle, and bringing it to a stop safely was another.

Eli and the other two had now run into exactly that hurdle.

Who planted such a huge tree in a place like this?!

Ron drove the car straight into the tree, leaving the entire vehicle suspended in the air and completely unable to struggle free.

Then they suddenly felt the tree begin to sway.

Eli suddenly remembered that the school seemed to have a Whomping Willow that could move and beat people up.

Could this be it...

Bang! A thick branch smashed through the car window, and the entire tree began shaking violently, trying to fling the damned car off.

Ron, who had been terrified the entire way, had already broken down. He struck the steering wheel with his wand, trying to use magic to do something.

Fate truly liked to toy with people. The spell did not come out, but his wand snapped instead.

Ron stared at his barely connected wand, his face ashen.

Eli could not just let the Whomping Willow go mad here. If it got damaged, would he not have to pay for it?

Pay compensation? Never!

"Incarcerous!"

A powerful spell instantly covered the entire tree. The Whomping Willow, which had just been raging wildly, could no longer move at all.

The car, shaken askew, slowly fell down.

Bang bang bang

The car seemed to have completely given up on working. It flung the three of them out at once, then spat all the luggage from the trunk out like garbage before strutting away.

Eli was dumbfounded by the sight. Had this thing become sentient?

The three watched as the car charged straight into the Forbidden Forest. Ron's eyes had completely lost all hope of life. His wand was broken, and now the car was gone too.

With no other choice, they picked up their luggage and ran toward the Great Hall.

Along the way, Harry told the other two about the strange encounter he had had with a House-elf.

Before they could even enter the Great Hall, they were caught and taken to Snape's office.

After Snape gave them a furious tongue-lashing, Harry and Ron could not even lift their heads.

What about Eli? He did not exist. Snape's main targets were Harry and Ron.

Right at the start of term, Snape had caught an opportunity to berate someone. He flicked his hair, feeling thoroughly refreshed!

"If Mr. Hall had not been so thoughtful, the two of you would already have been expelled for violating a whole host of Wizarding laws and school rules!"

"Twenty points to Slytherin!"

Harry: "?"

Ron: "?"

Eli: "Yay!"

Because of Eli's interference, they had not actually caused much trouble. Aside from losing a car and arriving late, the worst of it was paying for the Whomping Willow's emotional damages.

Whomping Willow: "I was just sleeping there when you suddenly slapped me across the face. Think about it—how much damage does a slap cause to a tree that's several decades old? Boohoohoo..."

In the end, Dumbledore arrived with McGonagall to save the situation. Snape immediately stretched out a hand and pointed at Harry and Ron, ready to complain.

It took Dumbledore quite some effort to calm Snape down.

"All right, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley may return to the Great Hall first. Today's egg tarts are quite good. Eli, come with me."

Eli: "?"

They arrived at the office again. Dumbledore's bird... that Phoenix, was standing on its perch.

When it saw Eli arrive, it respectfully bowed its head to him, then cheekily rubbed itself against him.

"Hey, hey, hey, you stupid bird, don't come any closer! I'm warning you! I'll scream!"

"Fawkes!"

Dumbledore's words were still effective on Fawkes. It immediately stood properly, though it still kept glancing at Eli from time to time.

Eli shifted away, wanting to stay farther from the perverted bird.

"I heard from Nick that you want to open a potion factory?"

Eli was completely bewildered. So I got sold out again?

But he still had to remain polite on the surface. "Yes."

Dumbledore nodded. "This is important, and it is meaningful. Do not blame Nick for telling me. I can help you."

Eli immediately perked up, though he also became somewhat wary.

How could an old fox like Dumbledore fail to notice Eli's expression? He smiled helplessly.

"Do not be nervous. I do not want anything from you. I only hope that you can manage this factory well. That alone would be a contribution to the Wizarding World."

Eli's expression eased somewhat. He could not outplay an old fox like this in a battle of wits.

"Then how do you plan to help?"

Dumbledore took out a stack of contracts. "This is an old Potter Family business, a magical shampoo factory. After your parents passed away—forgive my rudeness—the Potter Family business was temporarily entrusted to me according to James Potter's previous instructions."

He handed the contracts to Eli.

"Now I am giving it to you. It is simply returning it to its rightful owner."

Eli rubbed the contracts in his hands, feeling a thousand emotions.

Yes, it had returned to its rightful owner. He had to thank Dumbledore.

The Potter Family had originally risen to prominence by selling magical shampoo. They had become a moderately wealthy family, and now nearly all of it would be inherited by Harry.

Hiss... Was the reason Snape did not wash his hair because the shampoo was made by the Potter Family?