Madam Rosmerta sighed and explained in a low voice, "They dared to trespass into Hogsmeade so brazenly because Fudge wasn't in charge during that time."
"This has led to the Ministry of Magic's crackdown on dark wizards being lax; they've long since lost all scruples, and ordinary shop owners like us don't dare to really fight them to the death."
" The Auror sent to Hogsmeade were also recalled, so we had to rely on ourselves to fight the Troll."
After hearing Madam Rosmerta's words, Hermione now held Fudge even more contempt for him; in her eyes,
Fudge, as Minister for Magic, failed to do his best to protect the safety of the people and instead allowed dark wizards to cause trouble. Such a minister is not worthy of sitting in that position.
Seeing Hermione's anger, Draco tried to soothe her:
"It's alright, they'll get what's coming to them soon enough. These clowns won't be arrogant for long."
"I believe that. Since Young Master Malfoy says so, it can't be wrong." Madam Rosmerta nodded.
She thought to herself, "Of all people to mess with, Rookwood and Harlow had to pick on Draco Malfoy. He's the son of the future Minister for Magic. Once the Malfoy family has complete control, all these dark wizards will be wiped out."
After a moment of reflection, Madam Rosmerta returned to her earlier question and looked at the two of them, asking:
"Speaking of which, you two have no past grudges or recent conflicts with them, so how did you end up being targeted by these two ruthless devils? Could it be that you accidentally made enemies with them?"
Hermione shook her head innocently.
"We really don't know them at all. We only just heard their names from you. How could we possibly have any grudges against them?"
"Unless it's something my Laodeng caused outside that dragged me into," Draco speculated, then denied it himself.
"But he's always been thorough in his work; he's not the kind of person who would leave such a loose end."
After Draco finished speaking, Madam Rosmerta quickly chimed in, "Yes, Mr. Malfoy is always prudent and meticulous; he would never make such a mistake."
As she spoke, she began to mutter to herself:
"That's strange..."
Draco waved his hand, breaking the heavy atmosphere:
"Let's not talk about such unpleasant things, they'll spoil the mood for tonight. Madam, about that investment matter we discussed earlier—"
Before he could finish speaking, Madam Rosmerta's eyes lit up, and she eagerly interjected, "I agree! I completely agree! 10% of the shares, just like you said!"
"Does Madam trust me that much?"
Draco's lips curled into a smile.
Madam Rosmerta laughed heartily and slapped the bar, "You just single-handedly intimidated Rookwood and Harlow. If I don't trust you, who else can I trust?"
"How about this? I'm going to invest 10%, right? I won't take any dividends for the first month, but I'll start taking them from the second month onwards. Consider it as supplementing my investment capital. What do you think?"
Draco said in a very serious tone.
Hermione had just brought a sip of Butterbeer to her lips when she heard this, and her hand holding the glass froze in mid-air.
She quickly calculated the costs in her mind:
No need to spend gold coins, just a word and future protection, no dividends in the first month, and you're considered an investor? It sounds like a concession, but the more you think about it... the more it seems like freeloading!
Madam Rosmerta was also taken aback for a moment, then nodded:
"Oh, that's great! If you take one less month's bonus, it will reduce my workload significantly."
As she was speaking, she suddenly stopped, blinked, and looked like something was wrong.
"Wait... you mean, I don't need to pay in gold coins upfront to take a share, but I'll just get paid a month later?"
"... Does this count as getting something for free?"
Hermione muttered to herself, her brows furrowed, as she carefully recalculated in her mind, only to become more confused with each recalculation.
"Is there a problem?" Draco asked with a smile.
Madam Rosmerta pointed at the bar, then chuckled, shaking her head at Draco and sighing, "You little rascal... you really can't stand to lose even the slightest bit!"
"Is there a problem? I'm giving up a whole month's worth of profits, that's more than enough," Draco said with a wicked grin.
Who is Madam Rosmerta?
Three Broomsticks have been around for so many years
She'd seen all sorts of shrewd merchants and speculative wizards; how could she not understand such a calculation?
Draco's move wasn't an investment; it was a complete rip-off. He used "future protection" and " Malfoy's name" as capital, and the fact that he didn't receive any dividends in the first month was considered his investment fee.
But she had a clearer calculation of another aspect: the benefits she would receive. "Even though I feel cheated, I agreed!"
"Are you sure, Madam?" Draco asked with a smile.
"Confirmed!" Madam Rosmerta readily agreed.
Hermione, standing nearby, nearly spat out her Butterbeer.
She was just seriously debating whether this was a freebie or not, but the proprietress readily agreed.
She muttered to herself:
"This... is clearly a case of getting something for nothing..."
But seeing Madam Rosmerta smiling so happily, she was confused again. It seemed... it really wasn't a freebie; it was a win-win situation.
While Hermione was still in a daze, Madam Rosmerta immediately turned around and took out a parchment contract from the bar drawer.
Then he quickly wrote down the terms of the investment, clearly stating that Draco would receive a 10% stake in the Three Broomsticks on the condition that he would not receive any dividends in the first month, with clear distinctions between rights and responsibilities.
Draco took the quill pen, signed his name with a flourish, and the contract officially came into effect.
Madam Rosmerta smiled as she put away the contract, repeatedly saying that the bar's business would surely flourish even more in the future.
They even packed hot Butterbeer and Christmas snacks for the two of them, urging them to go out and relax.
Hermione, arm in arm with Draco, stepped out of the Three Broomsticks. The streets of Hogsmeade were brightly lit and decorated, filled with the festive Christmas atmosphere, and the cries of street vendors echoed throughout the town.
A crowd had gathered in the open space not far away, and cheers could be heard as the wizards performed acrobatics.
A cloth tent embroidered with star and moon patterns was set up in the open space on the street corner, surrounded by layers upon layers of people.
In the center of the arena, performers waved oak wands, manipulating floating, ghostly blue flames, somersaulting crystal stardust, and miniature Golden Snitch replicas swirling around them.
There are also flowing ribbons that change patterns, and the spirit fire sometimes gathers into a phoenix, and sometimes scatters into fireflies.
Stardust followed the wand's trajectory to form patterns, and ribbons tangled into a maze without harming anyone.
The leading witch, draped in a silver-blue cloak, tapped her wand, and a soft glow filled the arena. She smiled and addressed the crowd:
"Couples here, who would like to come up on stage?"
"Let's try our Unity Magic Circle! Both of us will draw upon our magic, letting the spirit fire swirl around each other to form a heart seal. If it works, we'll give you a limited-edition Hogwarts glow-in-the-dark badge!"
This seems to be aimed at Draco and the other person.
Laughter erupted around them, and many people turned to look at Draco and Hermione, pushing them towards the front of the stage.